How Snacking Can Derail Your Weight Loss Progress

Snacks are a wonderful addition to your healthy eating plan.  Snacks in between meals can help you keep hunger at bay and can also help you get the appropriate amount of macronutrients for the day.  Depending upon your caloric intake needs, snacks are usually somewhere between 150 - 200 calories with a combination of both protein and carbohydrates.  When you are choosing foods to snack on, make sure you take these tips into account and fuel your body with the appropriate kind of snack.  Snacks that do not fit into these guidelines can really sabotage your weight loss goals.

I love fruit as the carbohydrate portion of my snack.  Fruit is easy to pack and I add a protein of nuts, nut butter, mozzarella cheese stick, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs or Biochem protein mixed with water.  This photo is 159 grams of strawberries which is about 50 calories.  Combine this amount of strawberries with 2 scoops of Biochem vanilla protein powder (110 calories) and you have the perfect snack!

Standing in the line at the grocery store, shoppers are enticed by impulse buys like my favorite, peanut M&Ms.  Chocolate and peanuts, what better combination is there?!  The picture below is half the serving of the share bag.  I can easily put away that bag right by myself!  However, just half the bag (46 gram serving) is 240 calories with 12 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.  Just that small amount is more calories than I eat for snack and not nearly enough protein.  If I eat the entire bag, that's 480 calories!!  More calories than what I typically eat in an entire meal!
 

Another popular snack is the potato chip. If you love crunchy and salty, this is most likely your go-to snack.  Depending on the chip, the usual serving size is 1 ounce or between 10 - 12 chips.  The photo below is 1 ounce of corn chips and that small amount is going to cost you 140 calories with most of the calories coming from carbohydrates (19 grams) and fat (6 grams.)  There is a minuscule amount of protein in them.  Personally, I have rarely eaten just one serving of potato chips.  With each additional chip, your calories and macronutrients increase.  Think baked chips are better?  Not much. A 1 ounce serving still gives you 120 calories, 3 grams of fat and 22 grams of carbohydrates.  See what happened there?  Yes, a few less calories and a little less fat but more carbohydrates than fried chips.

Nuts are another good snack for people who like crunch.  Serving size is important with nuts.  They are a healthy source of fat but if you mindlessly eat out of the bag, you can rack up a ton of calories.  Pictured below is one ounce of plain almonds which account for 164 calories, 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs and 6 grams of protein.  When I incorporate nuts into my snack, I typically eat 1/2 ounce or 1/4 ounce with an additional protein source (like Greek yogurt or Biochem Protein Powder) since the main nutrient I get from nuts is fat.

There are many snacks out there that are marketed as healthy but actually are not.  Take Veggie Sticks for example.  You may think it's made from vegetables and that's healthier than a potato chip, right?  Take a look at the Nutrition Facts on this bag of Veggie Sticks:

What is the first ingredient?  It's a vegetable, but it is a POTATO!  The second ingredient?  It's pressed sunflower oil.  That's right, fried potatoes.  Still going to cost you 140 calories, 6 grams of fat and 20 grams of carbohydrates coming from fried potatoes.  There is some spinach powder and tomato paste in the sticks, but not enough to count for your vegetable intake.  

As you can see, with any snack, knowing the serving size is a must!   Take a look at the Nutrition Facts on the package to find out the serving size.  Measure the serving by using a food scale.  Depending upon your caloric intake and macronutrient breakdown, this will help you figure out what snacks are best for you.  I encourage my clients to incorporate fruit and vegetables into their snacks and then add in a protein dense food like Eggs, Greek yogurt, or Protein Powder.    

Fat Loss Tips

If your goal is fat loss, there are habits that you need to establish as a part of your healthy lifestyle.  True fat loss takes time, especially if you have a large amount of fat to lose.  One major factor of fat reduction and maintenance of a healthy body fat is consistent practice of the following habits.  

Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Nutrition is the key and the MAIN factor related to fat loss.  Vegetables should be included at every meal!  Not only do fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals, many are also low in calories and fat.  By including them in your diet, you can reduce many health risks and have a larger volume of food to eat.  Strive to eat more real food and less processed food. 

Consuming Enough Protein

The body uses protein as a building block.  Protein is important for muscle repair and regeneration.  Protein amount varies by person and activity level.  A general range is your Body Weight x .8 and Body Weight x 1.5.

Proper Caloric Intake

If you have been previously restricting your calories at too low of an amount, you will need to slowly add calories to your daily intake and allow your body to reset before attempting a calorie deficit.  A range of caloric intake for fat loss is Body Weight x 10 and Body Weight x 12.  If you are obese, you may need to set your calories in the range of Body Weight x 8 and Body Weight x 9.   

Exercise   

Fat loss occurs when you challenge the body and get it moving.  I suggest working out 4 to 6 days of the week.  Workouts should mainly consist of Weight Lifting with some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) mixed in.

Sleep

Sleeping allows for our bodies to rest and recover.  There are guidelines here as to how many hours you should sleep according to your age.  Not sleeping enough can cause cravings and a change in hormones which can interfere with fat loss.  

Hydration

Drinking enough water to stay hydrated is important for you body to function appropriately.  Water is a necessity.  A good habit to create is drinking a full glass of water in the beginning of your morning. Also be sure to consume water before, during and after exercise. 

Food Tracking

Food tracking allows you to see that you are eating within your calorie range and also check your macronutrients (ex: protein, carbohydrates and fat.)  There are many great apps out there that help with food tracking.  I use the My Fitness Pal app to track my food, Calorieking.com when I need to check nutrition and the Restaurants app for when I am dining out.    

If you want to be successful at losing fat, I suggest you begin with these basic guidelines.  Start small and implement one habit at the time.  Remember that true and lasting fat loss occurs when there is a change in habits and lifestyle.  Be consistent, be positive and stay focused!

12 Week Challenge - How My Client Successfully Lost Weight

I have a long time client who came to me with an idea.  She wanted to drop ten pounds and wanted me to help her set up a 12 week challenge.  I loved the idea and asked if she would be willing to record everything so that I could use the data.  She accepted and the challenge began.

My client is a 56 year old female.  She is fairly active.   She works out with me twice a week for an hour each time and is active taking other fitness classes.  She enjoys Yoga and Boot Camp.  She also is active with her husband and friends.  She goes to the gym for 30 minutes early mornings and hikes, cycles, runs, and kayaks.  Her fitness level is great and she is of average weight for her height.

First, she set a goal.  Her goal was a ten pound weight loss.  Next, we set a time of 12 weeks.  A safe weight loss is 1/2 pound - 2 pounds per week, so 12 weeks would give her a range of 6 - 24 pounds she could safely lose.  Then, we devised a plan.  In the beginning, she was to make better choices with her food and log everything she ate and drank.  She also was instructed to do some type of physical activity 5-6 days a week and log those sessions down, too.  In the first week, she lost 1.7 pounds.  She found that she does eat out quite a bit.  She was also tired from working out 5 days that week (with a couple different activities most days.)  She said she was very glad she was doing the challenge.

When we took a look at her food diary, I found there were a couple of things that might be hindering her weight loss.  One weekly treat she had was to meet a friend for coffee.  Her taste for coffee involves sugary flavoring and creams, so we looked up each coffee place they met and created better choice drinks for her.  Another downfall in her diet was the number of times she ate out at restaurants.  We devised a plan that would allow her to continue eating at restaurants but kept her calorie intake at the right level.  She enjoys salads, so that was usually what she ordered with a meat (chicken or fish).  I encouraged her to get the dressing on the side or opt for oil and vinegar.  It was also smart to ask for the meat to be cooked "clean" (without oil, butter, or salt) and to remove fried items and cheese from the salad.  I had her eat 3 meals a day with a healthy snack in between each meal.  She also kept track of her water intake, striving to drink at least 64 ounces a day.

For the challenge, I had her weigh every day.  Looking at her weight record, most weeks she would fluctuate up and down between a few pounds, but her weight loss was evident and gradual.  By week four, she was down 4.2 pounds. Week 7 proved to be a challenging week for her.  She was a little off kilter and saw a bit of a weight plateau, but at week 8 she was down 6.7 pounds.  When she hit the plateau around week 7, we changed up her plan a bit.  I had her focus on really working intervals during her cardio sessions and I added more green vegetables to her meal plan.  I wanted her to eat leafy greens as often as possible with her meals.

By the time week 12 rolled around, she had lost a total of 8 pounds.  In her final data email, this is an excerpt of how she felt about her weight loss:  "So I didn't meet my weight goal but I am happy to have lost as much as I have - 8 lbs. Of course, the inches lost makes a huge difference in my self concept, self esteem, etc."  My client found success and completed the challenge!  She worked hard and was honest with herself when she had stressors, didn't follow the plan, and when she needed rest.  She didn't make excuses.  When she faltered, she recognized it and got back with the program.  Because she kept records, now she can go back to those notes and see exactly what worked for her and what she needs to do if she needs to lose a few pounds.  


Being successful with your goals starts with making one!  Set a goal and then work out a plan to help you reach your goal.  Use professional help when it is needed if you lack knowledge in a particular area.  If weight loss is your goal, this challenge is an example of how to be successful.  Log everything you eat and drink.  Log your workouts.  Track your weight.  Be honest with yourself as you look at your records (and the other factors of your life.)  Like my client, you can be successful!  Just believe in yourself and get started down a path that leads you to your goal. 

Tell Me What To Eat

I get asked this all the time, "Will you tell me what to eat?" Yes, I will tell you what to eat, but the truth is, you don't want to hear it. You are going to crinkle your face, and tell me you don't like "that", or you can't do it because you have a spouse/kids/dog/broken microwave...blah, blah, blah. You want me to say you can eat whatever you want! And you can drink wine very night! And fast food won't make you fat! And you just have to drink this potion and take this magic pill and you will be skinny/fit/beautiful!!!!
Yes, well, I'm not going to tell you that. Here's the truth. You have to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Your meat must be lean (chicken and fish mostly with lean red meats occasionally.) You need healthy fats, like olives, olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds, and soy products. You need good sources of protein like eggs and beans.
You cannot have cheese, butter, sugar, alcohol and fast food on a regular basis.
A sample day might look a little bit like this:
Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/2 cup oatmeal, piece of fruit
Snack: a piece of fruit and one ounce of nuts
Lunch: Big salad, 4 oz. of chicken grilled, 1/3 cup of brown rice
Snack: 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese and a piece of fruit
Dinner: Baked fish and veggies, veggies, veggies
The truth about what to eat is pretty simple. Let it be something that comes from the earth (not out of a package) that you prepare lovingly in your home (without piling on fat and sugar and sodium.) Eat clean, feel better.
*Please remember to speak to your Doctor about nutritional needs. What I listed is a SIMPLE guideline. There are many other aspects to consider.

One pound is hard to lose!

     One pound.  Have you ever stopped to think about it?  One pound is equal to 3500 calories.  Want to lose one pound?  You have to somehow have a negative of 3500 calories in your "calories spent" tank.  Losing one pound in a week should be easy, right?  Sure!  Just cut out 500 calories from your diet.  Every day.  For a week.  Then keep it up to keep it off.
     Now let me take you into the science and mathematics of losing one pound.  First, you need to know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), the number of calories your body burns just living, breathing, functioning.  Go to http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and plug in your numbers to get yours.  My BMR is 1360.  That means, in order to maintain my current weight, I must eat 1360 calories.  If I want to lose weight, I need to eat less than that.  Our lowest amount of calories we should consume are 1200 calories in a day.  In reality, I should only cut my calories down 160 a day for weight loss.  If I were to just cut calories at 160 per day, it would take me 22 days to lose ONE POUND.  I could speed that weight loss up by adding exercise.  If I was trying to lose that one pound in one weeks time, that would mean I would need to burn an extra 340 calories a day.  For me, that's about a 3.5 mile run at a 10 minute per mile pace for a total of 35 minutes.  Oh, and don't forget that I must only be consuming 1200 calories. If I go over 1200 calories, I have to workout even more!  If I cheat and have a Grande White Chocolate Mocha Non-Fat No Whip for 350 calories, that's an extra 35 minutes of running for me.
     Figure out your BMR and know that number by heart.  Then, keep a food diary for a few days to see what your caloric intake is.  From there, you can figure out what you need to do in order to lose, gain, or maintain your weight.