3rd Trimester All I Want Is Sleep!

I dont know how some pregnant women deal with being pregnant plus a highly demanding job. Im sure that my job is not nearly as tough as most and I have been struggling so much lately just making it through my days. There have been nights when I got home from work and either crashed on the couch or cried...

At the beginning of the month we ended up losing several of the employees in our department for various reasons. What this meant is that because Im one of the managers in our department Im expected to pick up some of the hours and responsibilities that those employees had. So for the past several weeks I have not only been working my job, but I am also working evenings/weekends/13 hour days/and Im back to driving the bus for doctors visits and outings. This wouldnt normally be a problem, but being in my 3rd trimester now you can imagine the toll it takes on me. Plus, keep in mind I dont really have a sit down job and am usually walking up to 4-6 miles per day. Im almost at the point where I question how much longer I can keep this up and I still have three months left for this baby to cook. Whats a girl to do? To top it all off... the state board of health made their appearance in our building at the beginning of the week which adds that much more stress to the mix. PHEW!

Anyways... the reason for the back story is to let you know Im still alive and kicking and to apologize once again for my lack of post these past few weeks. I have not felt well or had the energy to do any posts and they are backing up in my brain. Hoping to play some catch up over the weekend to fill you in on some recipes and other developments taking place in the Rhoton household...

Right now Im off to start my last 13 hour day this week... Thank you Lord!   

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Calories in a banana

The calories in a raw banana according to the banana’s size are roughly as follows:

Banana Size	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrate	Protein
Extra Small (less than 6“ long) 81g	72	0.27g	18.5g	0.88g
Small (6” to 6-7/8” long) 101g	90	0.33g	23.1g	1.1g
Medium (7” to 7-7/8” long) 118g	105	0.39g	27g	1.29g
Large (8” to 8-7/8” long) 136g	121	0.45g	31.1g	1.48g
Extra Large (9” or longer) 152g	135	0.5g	34.7g	1.66g

Dieting Points About Bananas
The calories in a banana are not excessive given typical daily calorie requirements and the satisfying nature of the fruit. As can be seen in the above chart however, bananas are high in carbohydrates which may lead some people on low-carb diets to avoid the fruit.

Nutritional Benefits of Bananas
Bananas are often considered to be good sources of potassium, manganese, vitamin C and vitamin B6 and are high in dietary fibre.

A Few Notes About Calorie Counting
The heart of calorie counting comes down to understanding how many calories you consume and how many calories you burn. If you consume 3500 calories less than you burn, this should result in approximately 1lb of weight loss. In order to lose weight, you should aim for a basic calorie deficit so as to achieve 1 to 2 lbs of weight loss a week, rather than introducing too severe a calorie deficit. A severe calorie deficit may result in the loss of lean body mass, causing your system to lower the number of calories it burns to maintain itself.
Understanding and monitoring the calories you are consuming and burning is essential for a calorie counting process.

From: www.caloriesinabanana.net

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Day 2 of 7 results! 02 07 13

Okay, I dont think Ill see this kind of huge jump again this week....but here are the stats for day 2 at 8:43AM:

Weight: 189.7
Body Fat: 43.8
Fat Percentage: 23.1

Not sure if this was the diet....the pill...or the intense workout??...but Im sure its just a combo of all three. 

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Food that can help burn belly fat

Fat burning foods are foods that burn more calories than the calorie content of the food itself, thereby fighting stored fat. Fat burning foods help lose fat even while you sleep.

If you skip meals and food, it will slow your metabolism and your health will deteriorate.

There are certain foods which actually burn more fat than the calorie content of the food itself. These fat burning foods are natural plant foods. If you eat these fat burning foods and do some exercise, it will boost your metabolism and burn more calories (fat) at a faster rate for several hours even after exercise. Full list of the fat burning foods is available.

List of Foods that burn fat: Fat Fighters

1. Fruits rich in vitamin C - Citrus Fruits: like limes, lemons, oranges, guava, grapefruit, papaya, sweet lime, tangerines and tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and fiber and have fat burning properties so they may be called as fat burning foods or fat burners or fat fighters.
Vitamin C helps the body process fat faster and also stimulates the carnitine amino acid which speeds up the bodys fat-burning capacity.
Vitamin C dilutes the fat and makes it less effective and helps in releasing the fat from the body.

2. Apples: Pectin in apple restricts the cells to absorb the fat; and also encourages water absorption from the food which helps in releasing the fat deposits from the body. The antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat or an apple body shape.

3. Calcium Rich Dairy Products: Calcium in dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt act as fat burner that can boost weight loss by increasing fat breakdown in fat cells. According to Professor Michael Zemel at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, (Obesity Research, April 2004; vol 12; pp 582-590), dairy-rich diets with same calorie restriction can nearly double the rate of weight and fat loss. Eating 3-4 servings of dairy products a day is more effective at enhancing weight loss efforts than calcium supplementation alone. Dairy products may therefore be termed as fat burning foods or fat burners.
The researchers found:
Overweight people who consumed 3 servings a day of calcium-rich dairy lost more belly fat than those who followed a similar diet minus two or more of the dairy servings. The calcium supplements didnt work as well as milk.

4. Nuts help feel full while also increasing the bodys ability to burn fat, says author Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain.

5. Chillies: Foods containing chillies or cayenne pepper are considered to be as foods that burn fat. Chillies contain capsaicin that helps in increasing the metabolism. Capsaicin is a thermo genic food, so it causes the body to burn extra calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chilies.

6. Cardamom: Cardamom is a thermo genic herb like Capsaicin that increases metabolism and helps burn body fat.

7. Curry leaves (Curry Patta): Curry leaves flush out fat and toxins, reducing fat deposits in the body.

8. Garlic: An effective fat burning food.

9. Proteins: Protein rich foods and high fiber foods are the best as foods burning belly fat. Protein needs more energy to digest than fat as so eat low calorie dairy products, beans, whole grains, oatmeal, eggs, etc. as much as possible.
Lentils are high in protein and soluble fiber, two nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels, therefore lentils are a great tummy flattener," according to Tanya Zuckerbrot, R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet.

10.  Green Tea: Studies show that green tea revs up your metabolism, so drink several cups a day.

11.  Fish oil: Fish oil supplements are a great way to shed pounds. A recent study found that fish oil is great for helping your body burn fat more efficiently. You may lose up to 2 kg over 3 months.

12.  Some of the other foods that may be included in the list of fat burning foods are asparagus, beet root, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, chillies, beans, soybeans, sweet potatoes, blueberries and watermelon.

13.  Honey: Honey mobilizes the extra fat deposits in the body.

14.  Avoid Salt and Sugar: Avoiding salt and sugar can shape you up very fast.

Note that in order to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume. This can be done by eating fat fighting foods and doing some physical activity. This will help your body burning up the excessive stored fat.

Article By: Padma Mehta and Prakash Mehta (www.fatfreekitchen.com)

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Day 85

Day 85 on Medi-Weightloss and Ive really been slacking on my blog lately.  I think a part of me just doesnt want to post anything overly negative when Im having a bad day and Ive had a few bad days lately.  Ive done pretty well with sticking to the program but Ive had some bad days there as well.  A couple of days ago I went over my calorie goal by 80 calories.  Yesterday I finally caved and had a glass of wine because... well, I just really needed a glass of wine.  And Ive regularly been ignoring the strict portion guidelines of my fruit, vegetables and "healthy fats".  This weeks weigh-in may not be impressive because of these little hiccups but I feel confident that I havent gone off the deep end. 

One very positive note is that despite some stress lately I havent caved in & eaten a pint of Ben & Jerrys ice cream followed by a whole package of Oreos and a giant bag of Skittles.  Yay me! 

Exercise has been non-existent this week as well.  When Im stressed, I tend to revert to whatever routine is most comforting and for me thats often just sitting in front of the TV and zoning out.  This need for comfort is also the culprit of my slight overeating this week.  Ive been trying very hard to avoid any comfort foods though and only narrowly avoided an amazing looking pizza that someone brought back from lunch on Federal Hill this week at work.  That was hard to resist but I managed to stay clear of it somehow.  Willpower is a tricky thing!

Im hoping for good results at my weigh-in tomorrow morning but I wont be upset with myself if theyre lackluster.  Everyone has moments in their life where dieting just adds stress instead of making you feel better so I guess this week has been one of those for me.  Im just proud that I got through it without any major screw ups.

Last weekend we actually went out to breakfast on Saturday morning.  I ordered according to what I would normally make at home... 1 scrambled egg (made without any oil/butter), 2 slices of bacon (turkey bacon wasnt an option), and a fresh fruit cup.  I was stuffed after eating all of that but it was nice to finally eat a meat OUT somewhere.  I love to cook but I also love eating out and this was my first meal out since starting Medi-Weightloss.  The next planned meal out?  Mothers Day brunch.  Hopefully I can keep my head about me and make smart decisions when we go.  Ive already checked the menu and I should have some good options. 

And the best new addition to my dinner arsenal?  TACO SALAD!  3-4 oz of ground beef made with taco seasoning on a bed of romaine lettuce, a tiny amount each of fat free refried beans, fat free sour cream, reduced fat shredded cheese, and fresh salsa... SO good!!  It almost feels like cheating but I have made sure to choose things that would normally be allowed on my diet. 

Wish me luck tomorrow, Im going to need it!

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Week 22

Roarke

The next time we go back to the doctor will be in December so no updated stats for you. However, lots has been going on with the Roarke-a-nator lately. He is growing up way too fast that is for sure. Roarke is such a happy little boy and takes almost every situation he is put into in stride. He LOVES being outside or going new places and is absolutely content when doing so for the most part. There is never a morning when I get up with him that he isnt ALL smiles! He is a roll over monster and seriously could make his way across the room just by doing so. He also has recently really started to enjoy standing up (with help of course) and will stamp his feet like he is determined to go somewhere. He has not started on foods yet, not because he doesnt want to, but more like because Im not ready to yet. We did recently try out his high chair and he seemed to be a fan. He is still teething and going through growth spurts every now and again which causes some bad nights of sleep for the both of us, but for the most part he is a great sleeper. The newest thing he likes to do is suck on his toes and can be found doing so mostly after bath time. Books and music continue to be one of his favorite things and I can always count on using one of those to calm him down if he is crying. Him and Remington still get along just fine, but I wonder how the dynamic will change once Roarke is mobile. YIKES! Not a day goes by that Im not thankful for just how blessed we are!

#52weekofRoarke

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Eight Keys for Healthy Living

1.  Exercise: "move it to loose it".
   Walk, run, dance, playing with kid or just doing household work.
2. Smart Food Choice: Healthy and balanced Food, portion control and lots of water.
3.  Be Happy: Try to Keep Depression away. Listen to music, talk to close friend or loved ones, hug your kids, play with pet, take time for you hobbies. Exercise keeps depression away.
4.  Self-Control: Dont lose your hard work & goal in emotions, whether its Celebration, happiness or depression or being part of any event or self-sympathy.
5. Self-motivation: Keep rewarding yourself and find a way to get up and start again. Its never too late, to correct yourself and be back on track.
6. Revise your Goals: Keep weighing yourself and rework on your action plans. As with time weight may change or it may hit a Plato so you need to step up to get more result. Never be shy or scared to check your weight, face it and prepare to conquer.
7. Planning and Preparation: Plan your exercise and prepare for meals in advance will always keep you on track.
8. Rest: Well 8hrs of rest is must for body to get recharged otherwise it goes in fatigue and chances of slipage is maximum. Weak and tried bodies are perfect home for diseases so make sure to follow the last rule. But not more than 8hrs as anything is excess is bad for body.

By: Reena Sharma

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