Metabo-what? It's midnight and I'm HUNGRY!

Just the other day my mom was saying, "If only I could stop eating at night." Every night since she was a little girl, my mom gets up just a few hours after laying down and has a snack - nothing huge, just a little treat like a tiny bowl of cereal, a small cookie, something a little sweet with a little crunch and always some milk. I admire here ability to have "just a little." Just a little is not something I can or have ever been able to do. For example - as a girl, I was a bit of a sugar addict and when given say, a box of chocolates for Christmas or Valentines Day from my dad... well, let's just say it was gone in 60 seconds. Then, I'd go looking for more like a bloodhound on a trail... right into my sisters room and polish hers off too. While I can sit back and blame them for contributing to my sugar addiction :P, I can also genuinely thank them for great metabolism genes.

Regardless, I realize there are people out there who can and do in fact understand and can successfully accomplish moderation. So, if you eat late at night, will you gain weight? In my mom's case, NO. BUT, if you are one of those who is eating SEVERAL bowls of cereal late at night or if you haven't eaten all day and then come home and gorge on a huge meal late at night... well, you are in fact going to gain.

Here's the deal with your metabolism... it's not just genetic. And, you CAN change the way you metabolize food. Metabolism is a term that not only refers to how your body converts food into fuel but also how efficiently you burn that fuel. Of course, not everyone burns calories at the same rate. Age, sex and the proportion of muscle you have AS WELL AS heredity all make a difference. Some people just burn calories at a slower rate than others.

Here's an interesting and surprising fact from Colette Bouchez on WebMD: The more weight you carry, the faster your metabolism is likely running. That's one reason it's almost always easiest to lose weight at the start of a diet, and harder later on, nutritionist Molly Kimball, RD says: "When you are very overweight your metabolism is already running so high that any small cut in calories will result in an immediate loss." Then, when you lose significant amounts of body fat and muscle, your body needs fewer calories to sustain itself, she says. That helps explain why it's so easy to regain weight after you've worked to lose it.

So, to maximize your metabolism, the best thing to do is eat more often. Small and frequent meals (say, 200-300 calories 5-6 times a day) help keep your metabolism kicked into high gear which means you'll burn more calories WHICH MEANS you will lose weight!

If you skip breakfast and lunch then have a huge meal late at night, your metabolism isn't functioning at all and your body goes into "starvation mode". Then, your body wants to keep every calorie you just snarfed down and you'll actually end up gaining weight.

So - as I always say - EAT. Pack a Z-bar for emergency snacking. I never leave home without a snack - just ask my boyfriend. Every morning, oatmeal. Packed in my Bikram Yoga Memphis tote bag for later: yoga clothes, a kombucha tea and Z-bar for me, hard boiled egg and low fat string cheese for Gregg. Happy snacking!

Super Bowl Sunday - gonna eat a chicken wing?

Then - eat this one:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/boneless_buffalo_wings.html

Boneless Buffalo Chicken wings that are fried - yes fried... you can fry something in a small amount of oil and it tastes JUST as great, in fact - better - than something deep fried. Deep fried foods give you indigestion and are loaded with trans fats which can lead to heart disease and obesity.

I made these tonight with panko instead of flour. Marinated the cutlets in milk (milk with vinegar = buttermilk substitute. See above link for instructions) and hot wing sauce (below). Added salt and garlic powder to the panko. Tablespoon of olive oil in the pan - wow! Drizzle of Wing Time, Buffalo Wing Sauce (HOT) from Whole Foods and viola!

Messy, spicy, hot and delicious.

Ode to the Z Bar...

Oh Chocolate Brownie Z Bar - you are the most delicious of them all. You are nourishing with 12 vitamins and minerals, not to mention thoroughly satisfying with plenty of chocolate brownie texture and flavor and little chocolate chips and chocolate icing. PLUS you are only 130 calories and just 3.5 grams of fat. You have a few carbs, yes, but you have some great fiber and only 10 grams of sugar. N0 - you are no protein bar, but then, do protein bars 'really' work? No, they just make us want more sugary treats. So - as Simon Cowell would say - I like you. I do. In fact, I love you. You are my favorite snack and my favorite sometimes breakfast in the world. :)

Hydration - am I drinking TOO much water?

Proper hydration is confusing to just about everyone. I was one of those, "my face is ALWAYS red when I work out!" folks. Until one day, a very snarky Bikram teacher in NY told me, "well then, you are ALWAYS dehydrated!" So I started drinking more water. water water water... but still didn't notice a difference. Well, maybe a little, but I was still tired and my hands and feet would still swell every other day.

Here's the deal: dehydration is not just a loss of water from sweating, it is also a loss of very important electrolytes, including potassium, calcium, sodium chloride and magnesium, plus many lesser known trace minerals which are absolutely essential to the proper functioning of our brains! As well as our nervous systems, hearts, etc. You get the point. As we lose water (ie: sweat!), the body is depleted of minerals, not just water, and then we get muscle cramps, are exhausted and feel like we've been run over by a truck. This is why it is so very important to REPLACE YOUR ELECTROLYTES! It's actually easy - products like Smart Water and "electrolyte enhanced water" already do most of the work for you. But sometimes a little just isn't enough. And, buying bottle after bottle can be expensive (and destructive if you don't recycle). You can actually re-mineralize your own water at home. Try Concentrace or even Cell Food. Both are available at Whole Foods and other vitamin stores. I also take Potassium supplements (Solaray is my favorite brand) as well as Cal/Mag/Vit-D (if you are taking Cal, take it with Mag and always get it with D for proper absorbtion.).

Ideally, drink half your body weight in fluid oz. of mineralized water. On average, that's two liters of water. If you are taking Bikram yoga, try to drink a coconut water or vitamin water 10 (which is actually 25 cal. for the whole bottle) before or after class. On tough days, get a real (meaning 120-140 calorie) vitamin water or a couple of coconut waters.

Drink up!

Grilled Cheese - healthy? How about a Panini!

How to make a REAL and HEALTHY grilled cheese:

100% whole wheat bread (Rudi's), 110 calories a slice = 220 calories
Horizon Organic American Cheese, 60 calories a slice
Applegate Farms Organic smoked chicken breast, 60 calories/serving (4 slices)
Naysoya Fat Free veggie-mayo spread - 10 calories/tbsp
Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss - 35 calories per wedge

Amy's Organic Alphabet Soup - 160 calories/can

All you need is a panini maker and you don't need butter! Just spread the laughing cow cheese on one slice of bread, layer on the chicken, put the American cheese on top, then spread the fat free mayo on the other slice. Into the wam panini maker. Just a few minutes and done! Serve with Amy's organic alphabet soup which is low calorie and super tasty, very tomatoey and perfect for dipping the grilled cheese in.

Make it even skinner by doing ONE piece of bread, that subtracts 110 calories and is a filling, cheesy, gooey meal for only 435 total calories. Just cut one piece of bread in half and layer everything on as listed above.

YUM.

Think before you eat!

It's very simple. Eat food. If you don't know what it is... DON'T EAT IT! Food is fuel and your body is a temple. It's like driving a car. What happens to your car if there is no gas in the tank? Exactly. If there is no gas, you won't go anywhere. Be HONEST with yourself. If you feel sneaky when you are eating: PUT IT DOWN. Be your own "food police" and just be true to you - the most important person in your life! Think about what you are eating. If it's a foot long sub... you are eating a FOOT OF BREAD. Do you really think that's low in calories? Instead, try a simple sandwich with a big huge salad. The sandwich - two pieces of "normal" sized bread. Not gargantuan. Better yet, eat half the sandwich.

But EAT. Eat every 2-3 hours and try to eat smart snacks. So many people eat "power bars" and think it's a good choice. Well, not necessarily. Most power bars are over 200 calories and over 10 grams of fat. How about a low fat string cheese and a medium hard boiled egg? Only 110 calories and 3-8 grams of fat (depending). Plus, you will be less hungry after the cheese/egg than the sugary, calorie and fat laden "power bar." Think people. That's all I ask. Think before you EAT.