Two Eggs a Day...

A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity found that "eating 2 eggs a day for breakfast helps you lose 65% more weight and gain more energy than a bagel of equal calories." Eggs give you lots of protein with a small amount of calories, and since protein makes you feel satisfied quicker and longer than carbs - it makes sense to eat eggs for breakfast. The yolk of the egg is high in cholesterol but also contains about 40% of the egg's protein (as well as antioxidants like zeaxanthin and lutein which are important for preventing macular degeneration). So if you don't have a history of high cholesterol, two eggs a day won't likely hurt you. Just watch what you are eating with those eggs...sausage, bacon, home fries, butter or grease are items to stay away from. Instead, pair eggs with fruit, whole-wheat toast or yogurt and cook your eggs in olive or canola oil.



Source: Natural Solutions

Write it Down to Lose the Weight

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research say, "simply jotting down meals and snacks on a Post-it or texting yourself a list of what you eat encourages you to take in fewer calories by forcing you to reflect on how much you are consuming." The researchers found that people who kept a food journal lost about 13 pounds in 6 months (compared to an average of 7.5 pounds for those who didn't write down what they ate).

Lose Weight by Eating Fruit?

A new study out of Brazil showed that women who snacked on fruit instead of high fiber cookies lost 2 pounds over 10 weeks (while the cookie eaters gained 2 pounds over the same amount of time). Both snacks contained 200 calories and 6 grams of fiber. Researchers say that the high water content and low energy density in the fruit helped keep the women feel more satiated...which led to less eating throughout the day.

Tips for Goal Setting

The next time you set a goal for yourself, make sure it's a SMART goal. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based. And remember to set short AND long term goals for yourself!

Check out http://personaldevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/smart_goal_setting for more information.

The 6 Healthiest Cuts of Meat

Here are 6 lean cuts of meat with under 170 calories (most with only 3-5g of fat) for a 3 ounce serving:

1. Pork tenderloin (120 cal, 3g fat, 22g protein)



2. Skinless chicken breast (128 cal, 3g fat, 25g protein)
   
   
3. Eye round beef (143 cal, 4g fat, 25g protein)



4. Boneless pork chop (147 cal, 5g fat, 23g protein)



5. Top round beef (158 cal, 5g fat, 27g protein)



6. Chicken thigh (166 cal, 8g fat, 21g protein)

Tips for Healthy Weight Loss

Follow these 6 tips to be on your way to weight loss...

1. Adapt the plan to yourself: decide what you want to accomplish and the best way to go about it; make realistic short and long-term goals; don't be discouraged if a friend or significant other is losing weight faster than you are - remember that everyone is unique and will lose weight at different rates and on different areas of their bodies.


2. Control night-eating and emphasize breakfast: eat a hearty breakfast to prevent binge eating at later meals; eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day; try to consume most of your calories earlier in the day to avoid eating late at night.


3. Include a variety of foods: follow the food guide pyramid (http://www.mypyramid.gov/) for serving amounts; limit your intake of fats, oils and sweets; try to eat a variety of foods within each food group; drink lots of water to stay hydrated and satiated.


4. Modify your way of eating for life: control portion sizes; replace high calorie sweets with fruits and veggies; replace high fat protein sources with lean protein sources (i.e. eggs, fish, chicken); don't cut anything out of your diet completely - instead, eat what you like in moderation; if you "screw up" one day, don't give up - just eat better the next day.


5. Increase your activity level: studies have shown that when people diet alone they lose 28% muscle, with diet and aerobic training they lose 3-4% muscle, and when strength training is added muscle increases; aim for 200-280 minutes of physical activity per week (approx. 30-40 min/day); make small changes to burn extra calories (i.e. park further from the store, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to your co-workers desk instead of sending an email, etc.)


6. Rate of weight loss: aim for no more than 2 pounds of weight loss per week; decrease your total calories taken in and increase the total amount of calories burned (through physical activity) to lose the weight; don't rely solely on the scale to monitor your progress (you may be losing fat and replacing it with muscle) - instead, consider how you feel and how your clothes are fitting you.

3 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

If you've been eating right and exercising but not able to lose that extra weight, "you may have a sluggish metabolism," states Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., co-author of Fire Up Your Metabolism. But before you blame it on your genes, consider these 3 bad habits:

1. You aren't getting enough selenium and vitamin D - these affect your thryroid's ability to produce the necessary metabolism-regulating hormones.
2. You avoid carbs like bread, rice, and pasta - carbs provide energy to the body and if you are lacking energy, you are less likely to be active.
3. You've been exposed to pesticides - Canadian researchers found chemicals like organochlorides (found in pesticides) can cause people to burn fat at a slower rate because they hinder thyroid function.