And while you’re at it, say something nice to yourself!!!

Living and working in a high-paced area, I notice that a lot of what we say is negative. We are quick to judge others and even quicker to judge ourselves. How often have we looked in the mirror and exclaimed “I have fat thighs/hips, stomach”, “I hate my hair”, “If only I could change…?” I do it, my husband does it, and even girls I know who have model-perfect bodies do it. But it’s not right! By judging ourselves and those around us, we are trying to conform to a standard that we have set, a standard that says “this is what is good, and I have to match up to what is good.”

But who defines this standard? If you think about it, it’s crazy. What constitutes “the perfect body” for me might not be what you think is the perfect body? So who is right? No one!!

Not only should you talk to yourself lovingly, talk to others with the same level of respect. Even if you think that someone else is out-of-shape, try to find something about them that is positive: do they look nice in that shirt today, does that necklace bring out the color of their eyes? Commend others on what they are doing right, and do the same for yourself. Start the day off with a positive attitude and give yourself a hug everyday. You might think I’m crazy, but try it! It’s the easiest thing you can do for yourself!

_{[Photo by kalandrakas]}

I recently tried Safeway’s line of frozen entrees, specifically “Eating Right Baked Turkey“, and I must say that I was disappointed in the quality and the nutritional profile. I had been a big fan of many Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice entrees, so I thought that Safeway’s line of healthy frozen entrees would match up to the other’s. I was sadly mistaken.

Taste and Quality

Taste profile–failed
Quality profile–failed

The carrots were mushy, the croutons were very water-laden, and the turkey tasted like processed turkey and not roasted turkey (like you’d have for Thanksgiving). Overall, I was very disappointed. I don’t like to waste calories on something that was not good.

The Nutrient Profile:

Calorie profile–passed

Nutritional Value: 320 calories, 9 gm fat, 40 gm carbohydrate, and 21 gm protein

This means 25% of calories came from fat, 50% from carbohydrate and 25% from protein. This isn’t a bad ratio, as we want about 50% of our meal to be from carbohydrate and <30% from fat.

Sodium profile–failed

This product had 790 mg of sodium! Our goal sodium for the day is less than 2400 mg or less than 800 mg of sodium per meal. Yes, this entree meets that, but you would need to eat relatively low sodium the rest of the day. If you are on a sodium restricted diet for high blood pressure (which means that you need less than 2000 mg of sodium each day), this entree would not be the best choice for you, unless you watched what you ate the rest of the day in terms of sodium content.

Another way of looking at the sodium amount: if you are supposed to eat 1800 calories a day and 2400 mg of sodium, although only 18% of your calories come from this meal, 33% of your sodium allotment does. That doesn’t sound like a good thing to me!

Overall, I was displeased with this entree. I have not tried other entrees, so I cannot judge all Safeway Eating Right products based on this one dish, but if you are looking for a good turkey entree, I would choose Healthy Choice Turkey Medalions instead(which has 300 calories and only 550 mg of sodium–and great taste!!).

First things first, thank you to my readers who have been sticking with me through my lapses in posting at times. I appreciate your continued interest in my website!

Secondly, if you were planning to get someone a “chocolatey” gift for Valentine’s Day, nothing says I love you like dark chocolate! That’s right, a dietitian is promoting dark chocolate! How can that be???

Well, dark chocolate IS good for you (in small to moderate quantities!). Eating small amounts of dark chocolate may help lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate also contains antioxidants, which help protect your body against oxidative stress and atherosclerosis (a form of heart disease).

So if you’re planning to buy your sweetheart chocolate, aim for dark chocolate! Otherwise, get her or him some flowers, a card, and a basket of fruit!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ever want to find that weight loss book that empathizes with you about what you’re going through while motivating you to change? “The Weight Loss Diaries” by Courtney Rubin is one of those books.

Courtney, who used to write for Shape magazine (and had a monthly weight loss column in the magazine), admits to how she has struggled with her weight, binge eating (which becomes an important part of this book), and working out.

It’s not a weight loss book that conveys that “you can do it and there will never be any struggles.” On the contrary, this book describes those struggles, from eating out with friends, having difficulties with eating when you start out with a bad day, and struggling to lose weight when everyone already “makes fun of” your excess baggage.

Although I am a “normal weight” person, I still have days where I struggle to eat healthy, exercise, and feel good about myself. Therefore, I related to several points in this book–from food cravings to being self-conscious about other’s seeing my meals to finding the motivation to work out. Courtney talks about all of these points and much more! I also related to her story because she lives (lived?) in the DC area and trained for a marathon–her feelings about marathon training, and her excitement over the “long runs” and being able to succeed, were very similar to how I would feel during those months of training.

One of the key points that Courtney discussed, which can be easy to forget, is that weight loss isn’t ever just about weight. Emotions play a key role in our weight, in how we eat, and how much we eat. Like alcoholism and cigarette addictions, we CAN have addictions to certain foods, to portions of foods, and to using food to numb an emotional pain. And Courtney discusses this in her book.

The last chapter of the book says it all–basically, that (paraphrased) it’s about what’s on the inside that matters. Weight loss isn’t about how others view you. It’s about how you see yourself and whether you match up to your own standard of weight loss and self-image. Remember that others can’t see what you are going through inside and that no one should judge you for how your weight loss is going.

Weight loss is also about priorities, about what you deem important. If you (like me) are always trying to please everyone, then it might be hard for you to fit exercise into your schedule because you don’t want to disappoint anyone else or stick up for yourself and say “I can’t go out tonight/I can’t drink tonight. I’m working out in the morning”. And, it’s about asking for help and not feeling alone. We’re human beings–it’s rare that we do anything alone, so why would we try to make a big change like lose weight without having support? So, if you are trying to lose weight, don’t feel like you need to go at it alone–find support in your friends, in your family, in your coworkers, in anyone who will help you achieve your goals and support the person you are inside.

This book is not for someone who is looking for a way to lose weight (i.e., it won’t give you recipes, meal plans, or exercise goals), but for someone who is trying to lose weight or understand the struggles of someone undergoing weight loss and overcoming a binge eating disorder. In my opinion, it’s a book to help friends and family of someone struggling with weight to understand how complex of an issue it really is!