TIPS FROM JUMPSTART CLIENTS

When I go out with my girlfriends to places like Chevy’s, and they are going o be eating chips and salsa, I bring a pre-cooked bag of Trader Joe’s Green Beans in a bag. When they dip their chips in salsa, I dip my warm green beans! -Kathleen Sochan

I put my stir fry over a bed of shredded cabbage. - Robyn Parsons

Every time I am hungry, I do something active. I get up and move around, put my tennis shoes on. Have a buddy system. Make your exercise a part of everyday. Change your behavior. It works! - Sue Anagnostou

II buy individual packs of cottage cheese. Also, I buy individual packets of peanut butter and celery sticks, etc. so it fits in my purse. It costs more, but it’s convenient and you don’t eat as much - Mae G

Use Daily Tracker app on your iphone to track protein and carbohydrates. - Roslyn Donald

Don’t cheat. Don’t eat out often. - Debra Cresci

Don't skip breakfast!!! If eggs get boring, pre-mixed chocolate protein shakes are yummy!! A brand I like is Premier Nutrition. It's in a white carton, and I get them in the section by all the protein powders and drinks at Costco - Jamie Trentadue

PB-2.. powdered peanut butter or chocolate peanut butter. Very yummy and can be mixed into many things for 1/2 a carb and 1/2 a protein. Kills the sweet cravings. It is a life saver! - Caryn Dykes

Oh, my new Oh, my new favorite and extremely filling snack: Raw green bell pepper slices with a 1/2 cup hummus (as dip). Super yummy! That's my little extra tip. ;-)

-Tracey Arnold

An awesome carb option that makes you feel like you are eating apple pie! I take an apple, core and peel it. I cut it into cubes and put in a microwave safe dish. Cover with a bit of water, tons of cinnamon, and one packet of splenda. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until soft. My microwave is about 2 minutes. Stir up and add a dollop of whipped topping! So good!! Just like apple pie without the crust! YUM!!! -Laura Miller

My favorite protein shake: 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk, two scoops vanilla soy protein powder (Trader Joes), 1 cup frozen blueberries, one small banana, one entire bag of raw baby spinach (sounds crazy but it's great way to get veggies and thicken shake), ice, stevia or Splenda as needed. I started adding a little frozen papaya from TJ this week- YUM! - Jennifer Allen

Exercising Should Start Out Easily

Experts recommend exercise 3-5 times per week. This can be as simple as a nice walk, simple bike ride, dancing or a cardio sport like tennis or basketball. In addition, experts recommend resistance training at least twice a week which may scare some people who never have set foot in a gym. It is quite simple – three sets of 8-12 repetitions of exercises that will condition major muscle groups. Start out at home with simple things -- easy squats while holding onto a chair or doing bicep curls holding a bag of sugar. Folks older than 55 or those who have risk factors for heart or pulmonary disease should visit an exercise specialist before starting a major program.

NY TIMES: Are Food Makers Making us Crave Their Products?

In an experiment, the former head of the FDA, Dr. David Kessler tested his willpower by buying two gooey chocolate chip cookies that he didn’t plan to eat. At home, he found himself staring at the cookies, and even distracted by memories of the chocolate chunks and doughy peaks as he left the room. He left the house, and the cookies remained uneaten. Feeling triumphant, he stopped for coffee, saw cookies on the counter and gobbled one down.

“Why does that chocolate chip cookie have such power over me?” Dr. Kessler asked in an interview. “Is it the cookie, the representation of the cookie in my brain? I spent seven years trying to figure out the answer.”

The result of Dr. Kessler’s quest is a fascinating new book, “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American

In “The End of Overeating,” Dr. Kessler notes, individual ingredients aren’t particularly potent in stinulating our brains, by combining fats, sugar and salt in innumerable ways, food makers have essentially tapped into the brain’s reward system, creating a feedback loop that stimulates our desire to eat and leaves us wanting more and more even when we’re full.

Food scientists work hard to reach the precise point at which we derive the greatest pleasure from fat, sugar and salt.

And Dr. Kessler reports that the Snickers bar, for instance, is “extraordinarily well engineered.” As we chew it, the sugar dissolves, the fat melts and the caramel traps the peanuts so the entire combination of flavors is blissfully experienced in the mouth at the same time.

Foods rich in sugar and fat are relatively recent arrivals on the food landscape, Dr. Kessler noted. But today, foods are more than just a combination of ingredients. They are highly complex creations, loaded up with layer upon layer of stimulating tastes that result in a multisensory experience for the brain. Food companies “design food for irresistibility,” Dr. Kessler noted. “It’s been part of their business plans.”

“I wouldn’t have been as interested in the question of why we can’t resist food if I didn’t have it myself,” he said. “I gained and lost my body weight several times over. I have suits in every size.”

This is not a diet book, but Dr. Kessler devotes a sizable section to “food rehab,” offering practical advice for using the science of overeating to our advantage, so that we begin to think differently about food and take back control of our eating habits.

One of his main messages is that overeating is not due to an absence of willpower, but a biological challenge made more difficult by the overstimulating food environment that surrounds us. “Conditioned hypereating” is a chronic problem that is made worse by dieting and needs to be managed rather than cured, he said. And while lapses are inevitable, Dr. Kessler outlines several strategies that address the behavioral, cognitive and nutritional factors that fuel overeating.

Planned and structured eating and understanding your personal food triggers are essential. In addition, educating yourself about food can help alter your perceptions about what types of food are desirable. Just as many of us now find cigarettes repulsive, Dr. Kessler argues that we can also undergo similar “perceptual shifts” about large portion sizes and processed foods. The advice is certainly not a quick fix or a guarantee, but Dr. Kessler said that educating himself in the course of writing the book had helped him gain control over his eating.

“For the first time in my life, I can keep my weight relatively stable,” he said. “Now, if you stress me and fatigue me and put me in an airport and the plane is seven hours late — I’m still going to grab those chocolate-covered pretzels. The old circuitry will still show its head.”

What a difference two months make!

It is amazing what a low-fat, low-carb diet can do!

Simple Tips from a Weight Loss Nurse

Tips from a weight loss nurse:

• When it comes to weight loss, think small.  Focus on a few pounds a month rather than looking at your long-term goal. 
  
• Don’t focus on Diet.  Focus on healthy eating.
  
• Shop in a grocery store’s perimeter – that is where the fruits, vegetables, fish, dairy and lean meats are found.
  
• Just reduce your calorie intake by 300 a day and increase your calorie burning up by 200 per day can take off one pound per week.
• Too little food  begets hunger, hunger begets overeating. 
• If you have trouble exercising 30 minutes a day, break it up to six 5 minute workouts --  Walk up stairs instead of taking an elevator.  Park at the FAR END of a parking lot and walk.  
  

Fast Food Under 500 calories

here are some of the recommended Eat This! fast-food meals under 500 calories.

Less Than 500 Calories at Dunkin' Donuts
Ham, Egg & Cheese English Muffin Sandwich with English Breakfast Tea
350 calories
15 g fat (6 g saturated fat)
1,045 mg sodium

English muffins have a fraction of the carbohydrates of a bagel, and none of the trans fats of the donuts and croissants. The antioxidant-rich tea is also a great way to begin your day.

Less Than 500 Calories at Hardee's
BBQ Chicken Sandwich with a small side of Cole Slaw 
490 calories
16 g fat (3g saturated fat)
1,340 mg sodium

Barbecue sauce and a reasonably-sized side dish keep this meal in the safe zone. Just opt for a water, rather than a Hardee's shake or malt, and you're good to go. And if you want to steer clear of the liquid disasters that can blow up your waistline without your knowing it, be sure to check out some of these other worst beverages in America.

Less Than 500 Calories at KFC
3 Crispy Strips with Green Beans and 3" Corn on the Cob, and a Medium Diet Pepsi
475 calories
22.5 g fat (6 g saturated fat)
1,200 mg sodium

Order a side of green beans for a good source of vitamins K, A, and C—key players in maintaining strong bones and reducing cancer-causing free radicals. The corn on the cob will also help fill you up with minimal added calories. Just beware the dipping sauces—choosing BBQ over Ranch can save you over 100 calories.

Less Than 500 Calories at McDonald's
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich with a Side Salad with Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette, and a Medium Iced Tea
480 calories
13 g fat (2 g saturated fat)
1,945 mg sodium

Counting calories doesn't mean your meal is healthy. For example: The Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich matches the Quarter Pounder without cheese when it comes to caloric content—but the chicken has no trans fats, while the burger does. Choose the sandwich and side salad for a good combination of protein and veggies.

Less Than 500 Calories at Pizza Hut
Two Slices Thin ‘N Crispy Pizza (12") with Quartered Ham & Pineapple, and Medium Diet Coke
360 calories
12 g fat (5 g saturated fat)
1,110 mg sodium

Regardless of which pizza chain you favor, ham and pineapple is one of the most trusted combinations you can order. Ham adds extra protein to balance out the crust's carbohydrate load, while pineapple adds low-cal sweetness and a dose of antioxidants.

Less Than 500 Calories at Taco Bell
Two Fresco Soft Beef Tacos with Mexican Rice, and a bottle of water
470 calories
17 g fat (6 g saturated fat)
1,760 mg sodium

Order almost any menu item "fresco" style and the Bell boys will replace cheese and sauces with a chunky tomato salsa, cutting calories and fat by at least 25 percent.  Beyond being nutritious, salsa is also cheap—check out our list of the other healthiest cheap foods you can eat. Finally, the Mexican rice adds a tasty little side (just 110 extra calories) that'll help fill you up without filling you out.

Less Than 500 Calories at Wendy's
Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich with Mandarin Orange Cup and small Nestea Sweetened Iced Tea
500 calories
7 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat)
983 mg sodium

This is the healthiest sandwich on the menu. Don't order your chicken spicy, though: That's their cue to fry, rather than grill, your bird, tacking on an extra 9.5 fat grams. Adding a small citrus fruit cup side is also a great, low-calorie way to add sweetness—and cold-fighting vitamin C—to your meal.

For most Americans weight = quality of life. We all have a compelling desire:

a) To feel vital and energetic

b) To feel attractive and desirable

c) To be able to participate in whatever activities we want

d) To feel secure that our physical profile is healthy

Yet despite the fact that 52 million Americans are on a diet, they invest $40 billion/year in diet products, and run up a $110 billion annual tab in health related costs, 2 out of 3 Americans are considered overweight. The new book, The End of Diets offers:

#1 An analysis of why, for an emotional eater, traditional weight loss approaches, such as exercise, diets, external motivation, and will power, are conclusively ineffective. This analysis explains why only 3% of anyone that attempts a traditional weight loss approach is successful in keeping the weight off long-term.

#2 – A thorough explanation of how an emotional eater uses food to deal with the ups and downs of life.

#3 – Insight into how emotions are process in the body.

#4 – An explanation of the top emotions that lead to overeating.

#5 – Explanations of how emotional eaters must first learn to be with their emotions instead of eating through them, before they can be successful in losing weight permanently.

#6 – Useful tools for emotional eaters to stop using food to cope with the ups and downs of life:

a) Understand how food is used as a repression mechanism to avoid our emotions

b) How to develop the body awareness to recognize the emotional hunger

c) Recognize the body sensations behind the emotional hunger.

d) Learn how to be with the feeling until they dissipate and stop manifesting as emotional hunger.

#7 – A long-term plan to be successful in loosing the weight once and for all.

al methods and what tools are available to end the emotional eating and finally be successful in long term weight loss.