This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Eating out? Use Wellternatives to get nutrition info on your cell phone

Wellsphere, a terrific health and wellness online social network, just launched Wellternatives, a free healthy eating service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at thousands of chain restaurants. They've designed it so that anyone can use their cell phone to receive suggested "Wellternatives" along with calorie and nutrition information. And it's FREE!

Give It a Try

First, sign up for a Wellsphere account and set up a taste preference profile. Then give Wellternatives phone service a try by sending a text to 878787 with the word "diet" followed by the name of the chain restaurant and menu item. (Click here to see how to make your cell phone a wellphone.)

Not only can you get nutrition information for your favorite chain restaurant's menu items, but they'll give you a recommendation for a healthier alternative. One of the keys to making this helpful is that they've built their recommendation algorithm to not only consider key nutritional factors, but to also take into account taste preference profiles, portion sizes and types of food. That way they can give you healthier alternatives from the same restaurant that you'll find just as satisfying and delicious as what you'd usually eat.

Don't Text? No Problem

If you're stuck in the '90s like me and don't text on your phone, you can look up Wellternatives on the Wellsphere website for complete menu listings and ratings of your favorite chain restaurant. It's a great way to plan what you eat before you go. In fact, print out a few sample "healthy menus" to keep in your car. That way you're prepared when you're traveling or can't get home in time to prepare a healthy meal.

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5 reasons to blog your weight loss journey

This year my mission is to "blog-evangelize" or spread the word on why blogging is such a powerful tool. I mostly talk to writers on how to use blogging to promote their work. But why shouldn't blogging be used by those trying to lose weight and get healthy, too?

Here are 5 reasons to incorporate blogging into your weight loss journey:

1. Exploring your emotions. Tracking what you eat, how many times you work out, and your weight is one thing. Blogging about how you feel - your emotions - can help you discover the triggers that cause you to overeat. Blogging is also a way to help you figure out why you have the relationship you do with your body and food.

So why use a blog? It's just as easy to write in a notebook, right? This leads me to my next couple of points.

2. Convenience. If you're like me, you live your life online. You're constantly emailing people, Googling or shopping online. Maybe you use an online service to plan your family's meals, like Menu Planning Central. Or you could be doing your weight loss using dieting sites like Weight Watchers or SparkPeople. What ever the case, you're already online. Why not do your self-discovery there, too?

Now I can hear a few of you saying, "My online diet plan comes with a blog! I can journal there." That's great, but what happens when you leave the diet site because it's too expensive or not working out for you? All the self-exploration you blogged about is gone unless you print it out or transfer it. What a pain! Instead, blog at a FREE service like WordPress.com or an inexpensive service like TypePad where this blog is hosted.

5 weight loss snippets - freebies, a contest, and a healthier grapefruit and shrimp recipe

I wanted to share with you five cool things I recently found for people trying to lose weight and get healthy:

1. Click here to download the "Healthy Weight Loss Success" report. This FREE report comes to you courtesy of This Mama Cooks! On a Diet and Menu Planning Central, a wonderful online service that offers a complete menu planning solution including healthy menus, family friendly menus, and vegetarian menus.

2. Discovery Health is looking for contestants for their 2009 National Body Challenge TV show. They need people who are motivated to lose weight and want to do it together like mother/daughter, father/son, co-workers, and people who need to lose at least 100 pounds.

Each person or team will be provided with a professional weight loss program, gym membership and personalized one-on-one instruction with physicians, nutritionists and fitness expert. The journey will be documented on camera for “National Body Challenge” on Discovery Health Channel. Click here to apply.

3. Sign up for a chance to receive a Senseo® Coffee Pod System. Just click here to fill out the quick survey and if selected all you pay a $15 shipping and handling fee. (You'll receive a confirmation e-mail within two to six weeks to let you know if you're selected.) The machine retails for over $70, so you're getting a great deal. If you already have a coffee maker at home, you can use the Senseo at the office or your RV. They make great wedding and graduation gifts, too.

For those on Weight Watchers, coffee is a great way to get your serving of milk for the day. Just use a sugar substitute, a sugar free coffee syrup, and low or no fat milk.

5 Things to Consider When Picking a Diet Plan

If you've read through this blog, you've probably noticed that I quit doing the Extreme Fat Smash diet. It's a great plan but it stopped being practical for me once I could no longer exercise because of a knee injury. So I researched several online weight loss plans including:

• Weight Watchers Online
• The Biggest Loser Club (from Rodale, the same company that runs the Extreme Fat Smash diet website )
• Discovery Health's 2008 National Body Challenge
• eDiets.com

Most of these plans are the same - they determine how many calories you should eat per day and give you a fixed daily menu. The only difference was Weight Watchers, which gives you a POINTS goal for the day. You can eat what you want as long as you stay in that POINTS range and have so many fruits, veggies and milk servings per day.

So which diet was right for me? Here are the five things I considered when I looked at the online diet plans. Many of these will apply to other diets - on or offline - as well.

1. Cost - How much money are you willing to spend on a diet plan? At the time I wrote this post (January 2008) the costs are:

• Weight Watchers Online - This depends. As a former member I can sign up for three months at $55 ($18.33 per month). Otherwise, the cost is $65 for three months or $21.66 per month. Doing Weight Watchers online is cheaper than going to the meetings, which will run you $10-15 per week plus a sign up fee.
• The Biggest Loser Club - $19.95 per month though if you buy the three-month value plan you get billed in one installment of $59.94 and get the The Biggest Loser Book, The Biggest Loser Fitness Program, and The Biggest Loser Cookbook for free (a $62.85 value including free shipping)
• Discovery Health's 2008 National Body Challenge - FREE
• eDiets.com - $4.95 per week (about $20 per month)

There are other costs to consider when picking any weight loss plan:

• Does the diet require that you purchase their food product like NutriSystem or Jenny Craig? Does it use "real food" that you can get at your local grocery store?
• Do you have to buy foods you don't normally eat like protein powder, tofu, brown rice, or green tea? Are they expensive?
• Does the plan include exercising? If so, you'll need to figure in a gym membership, sports equipment, exercise clothes, sneakers, etc.
• Do you need to purchase any additional items like cookbooks, videos, books, scales, juicers, etc.?

With any diet, you'll need to have measuring cups and spoons and a food scale for your kitchen. You probably already have these if you like to cook. You'll also need to buy a good bathroom scale, preferably digital, and a measuring tape. For exercise, you can start off with a comfortable pair of walking shoes or sneakers. Gym memberships, fancy workout equipment, and designer sweats are optional - buy only what you can afford! (Check out my Five Ways to Save at the Gym post for more money saving tips.)

How Interval Workouts Help You Lose More Weight

This year, your exercise and weight loss program should be about working better not harder. Unless you like spending hours at the gym, you want your exercise routine to be as efficient as possible.

Did you know that ramping up the intensity of your workout - not increasing how much time you exercise - increases fitness, helps with weight loss, and elevates your metabolism? It's something to think about when you find that you're no longer losing weight or inches even though you're working out regularly and eating right.

Canadian researchers found that just two weeks of interval training boosted women’s ability to burn fat during exercise by 36 percent. British researchers found that sprinting on a stationary bike increased levels of human growth hormone, which helps build muscle and burn fat.

Interval sessions burn more calories than less intensive workouts. Plus, intense workouts get you fitter in less time because they target more of your muscles.

How to Do an Interval Workout

My stationary bike comes with an interval workout as do many exercise machines. But if you swim, walk or run, you can do an interval workout, too. An exercise session like this should take 20 to 25 minutes.

1. Warm up for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Start your first 30-second interval by running or increasing the treadmill to 3 to 6 percent. You should speed up enough to feel that you’re working hard. On a scale of 1 to 10, the effort should feel like an 8 to 10.
3. After 30 seconds, recover at a casual exercising pace for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
4. Repeat 8 times.
5. Do a 2 to 3 minute cool down.

Do interval workouts according to your fitness level. You should be challenging yourself, but not so hard that you feel dizzy or like you're going to throw up.  If you want to do more, go for it! If you can't do as many reps, do as much as you can then add a little more each week.

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Can chewing gum help you lose weight and get smarter?

In my 5 Things to Keep in Your Bag or Briefcase When Trying to Lose Weight post, one of the things I always keep with me (and in my desk and car) is sugarless gum. Good thing I do because not only do studies show that chewing gum helps you lose weight, but it makes you more intelligent, too.

According to an article in the October 2007 issue of EatingWell magazine, a 2002 study of 75 people* in the UK showed that gum-chewers performed better than non-chewers on a memory test. According to a Japanese study* the act of chewing gum can get your heart pumping more blood to your brain, which means more oxygen to the ol' noodle! Maybe we should pass out gum to kids taking the SATs.

Not only does gum chewing improve memory, it could help you lose weight, too. According to a 2006 study in the journal Appetite, 60 people* who chewed gum for 15 minutes every hour after eating lunch snacked on 36 fewer calories three hours after the meal. They also craved less sweets than people who didn’t chew gum during the study. So if they did this three times a day that's more than 100 calories saved. That could really add up over time.

While chewing gum can cause pain in people with TMJ, it does help fight cavities (if you chew sugar free gum) and bad breath. So what do you have to lose…but unwanted weight and a fuzzy mind! 

Now where did I put that pack of Wrigley's Extra?

* Please note that I do have a problem with the science behind all these studies since the research groups were so small. In my opinion, the evidence is more anecdotal than scientific. However, the findings are interesting and chewing gum can't hurt...unless it gets stuck in your hair.

(This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at the blog, Incredible Shrinking Ladies.)

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Keep motivated with a diet and workout binder

If you're like me, you read diet and fitness magazines to keep motivated. One of the magazines I love is Health. It has great articles about dieting, women's health, and the latest in fitness trends. It also features delicious, healthy recipes for dieters.

Since I also get weight loss inspiration from a bunch of other magazines like Woman's Day, Body + Soul, and O, The Oprah Magazine, I tend to read them quickly, then I rip out articles to keep for future reference. (The only magazine I don't do this with is the holiday issue of Weight Watchers Magazine since the whole magazine is worth keeping.) I also print out articles from the Celebrity Fit Club membership site.

After collecting a manilla folder's worth of articles, I decided I had to organize them or they'd sit there unread and unused. So I created a Diet and Workout Binder. I took a three-ring binder I had bought during back to school sales season, and filled it with clear, top-loading sheet protectors. Then I created sections with tab dividers. One section was exercise, one was recipes, another was health articles. (Divide your notebook into topics that work for you.) Then I inserted all the articles I collected into the sheet protectors.

Sheet protectors rule

Sound like too much work? Why not just three-hole punch the articles instead? First, you'll probably cut off some valuable content if you do that. Using the sheets is neater and they perform as advertised - they protect what you put in them. Imagine going through your recipe section while cooking and splattering some food on the page. All you have to do is wipe the sheet off. Ever try doing that with a piece of paper? Yuck! (And that's why some of my cookbooks are such a mess.)

Bring your notebook to the gym

Interested in trying out a new exercise from a magazine? Have you ever tried to do an arm exercise while holding a magazine - impossible! Well, if you have the exercise article in a sheet protector in your Diet and Workout Binder, you can easily put it on a bench or the floor and consult it when needed. Plus, the the sheet protectors keep sweaty fingers from ruining the paper. And imagine how organized and together you'll look!

5 Ways to Keep Fit on the Road

(For more Five Things/Ways advice articles, click here.)

I leave tomorrow for BlogWorld Expo 2007 in Las Vegas. Since I hurt my knee, I'm more concerned about keeping myself from walking too much. Nothing like walking around exhausted with a big ol' limp. However, if I wasn't injured, I'd be looking for ways to get a work out in.

Here are five ways to keep fit on the road while you're traveling for business or pleasure.

1. Walk whenever you can. Instead of sitting around the gate waiting for your flight, take a fast paced stroll around the terminal. (There's lots of people running for their flights, so don't worry about looking silly.) You're probably wearing comfortable shoes already, but maybe you'd want to bring a pair of walking shoes or sneakers, too. (If you're traveling with kids this is a great way to tire them out.)

If you're driving long distances, get out of the car every few hours and walk briskly around a parking lot or rest area. Not only will it get you moving, walking will energize you and keep you alert behind the wheel.

If you're in the city, skip the taxi and walk whenever possible. Plan activities that require walking like going to a museum, taking a city walking tour, or climbing a few flights of stairs to your business meeting. If you're staying with friends, offer to walk their dog.

2. Stay at a hotel with a workout facility. Even small hotels have workout rooms, but some may not worth a visit. Go to tripadvisor.com and find out if the hotel's workout facility is any good. If not, find out if the gym you belong to has a branch in that city.

Another alternative is working out at the local Y, university athletic facility, or rec center. See if you can book a room nearby. If you're a jogger, stay at a hotel near a park with a jogging path. Ask your hotel's staff what are the safest times to run there.

What's new at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

I've been working hard on making This Mama Cooks! On a Diet a great blog to help you lose weight, get inspired, and follow the Extreme Fat Smash Diet. Check out my latest features:

Extreme Fat Smash Diet Recipes page - Each recipe now includes full nutritional information and Weight Watchers POINTS!

This Mama Cooks! On a Diet Store - My Amazon.com store includes a listing of diet books I like, books I've found inspiration from, healthy cookbooks, cool kitchen and brown bagging items, and my favorite teas and meal replacement bars. I've also included a section on children's cookbooks and books for foodies.

I'm constantly adding and updating the site, so check back often or email me with your suggestions of what I should carry. (Do you have a favorite workout video? Please share!)

emealsforyou.com - They're my new affiliate and a great way for you to plan your weekly meals, either dieting ones for you or just regular meals for your family. Preplanning your menu helps you save time and money, too! Receive $5 off the subscription price by entering "MAMACK-38" as the "sponsoring identifier" when completeting the registration form.

5 Ways/Things Advice Lists - Use the lists to get inspired or send me your tips.

What else would you like to see here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet? Let me know!

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Another Extreme Fat Smash Diet brown rice recipe

One of the foods I'm really enjoying on my weight loss journey with the Extreme Fat Smash diet is brown rice. Since brown rice takes a long time to cook (45 minutes or more) I cook up a couple of cups and put it in the refrigerator for future use. Precooking brown rice cuts down prep and cook time to a mimimum.

Brown Rice, Black Beans and Red Onions
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Makes: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Brown Rice
• 1/2 cup Black Beans Beans
• 1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Chopped Red Onion
• Seasoning

Directions:

1. Saute onion in canola oil until translucent.
2. Add cooked brown rice and drained beans along with desired seasonings. (I used a tablespoon of barbeque sauce. You could try cajun spices or just some salt and pepper.)
3. Saute until heated through.

Nutritional Information:

Calories 306
Total Fat 6.1g
Carbohydrates 51.6g
Fiber 13.3g
Protein 11.7g

Total Weight Watchers POINTS = 6

If you like brown rice, check out my Thai Inspired Brown Rice and Fat Smash Brown Rice Pudding with Sliced Cooked Apples recipes.

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