Fiber

Fuss about Fiber

So we have heard a lot about “Fiber” but what is fiber? Most times we think about fiber as it relates to whole wheat grains. However, if you are eating lots of bread in order to get your fiber you are going to increase your calorie intake unnecessarily and it is not the best source of fiber anyway.

Best Sources of Fiber

Be sure to read the label

The best sources of fiber are in your fruits and vegetables and nuts: Prunes have by far the most but, raspberries, pears, pecans, walnuts, beans are by far the best source of fiber. So while I don’t actually believe that you need to focus on fiber when you eat, if you are eating a well-balanced diet.

What to Include in Your Daily Diet

Include all the fresh foods that are available to you and that you like. If you like apples and are not so crazy about pears, then have apples. And if you like blueberries but aren’t so crazy about raspberries then have blueberries instead. It is all about having as many varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables (and legumes—which are beans and nuts!) as you can include in your diet and balancing them out with other foods that include dietary fat and protein.

 

Enjoy what you eat and make sure to eat all the foods that will make your life healthier!!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet
www.timerdiet.com

(This blog was posted May 23rd elsewhere)

Conferences

Choices!!!

Conferences

Do you have any conferences coming up? It seems like summer is the time for conferences so you can combine some fun with some education. Sounds like a great idea! But if you don’t think about what you are eating, need to eat, and options available to you it can spell disaster for your waistline!

What to Bring to a Conference

Beef jerky and individual packages of shelled nuts are easy to bring and snack on if needed and will last all day long. But, what about your beverages? Water, water, and more water!!! Coffee in the morning is fine, but once you are ready to move on to something cooler, it needs to be water and even more water. Conferences are long and can be tiring, keeping hydrated will not only be good for your body it will also help keep you alert. Whereas if you are drinking sugary drinks (or even sugar substitutes) you will feel sluggish.

If You Don’t Believe Me

Take one day and drink your normal sugary drinks (only if this is what you normally do) and then once an hour write down how you feel during the afternoon. Then on a completely different day do not have any sugary drinks and then around NOON change over to water for the afternoon and also keep track of how you feel every hour for the afternoon. (See I told you!!)

Make Wise Food Choices

Sometimes when you are at a conference you are responsible for buying lunch from food vendors and other times lunch is provided. More than likely there will be well-balanced options if you look hard enough. Even when the lunch is provided, you don’t have to eat all the mashed potatoes, bread rolls, AND dessert. You can either have a little of each or a normal amount of one, and then be sure to get some dietary fat and protein into your meal!

You can do it!!!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet

www.timerdiet.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grocery Shopping and Cooking on a Budget

So in last week’s #TimerDiet101 Blog I talked about grocery prices being on the rise and it was mentioned in a Facebook posting that it is expensive to buy groceries and eat healthy. So I made this the topic for this week’s #TimerDiet101 Blog (so thanks Linda!)

What Kind of Foods are Best?

Think cooking “whole” and eating “parts.” If you buy a whole chicken, ham, or a roast then you can have what you want of the whole for dinner, then separate into parts and create different parts to eat throughout the week. Slices for deli meat and chunks for soup. The ham can be broken down into even smaller parts to add to an omelet for breakfast. Slices of your meat can be added to a salad the next day and eaten cold!  

Go For the Sales and Freeze!

Sometimes a whole chicken is not what you were thinking? Maybe you would rather have some fish or a steak. There are so many different kinds to choose from, so ask your butcher and look for sales or items that are priced to sell. Sirloin and tilapia are usually reasonably priced even when they are not on sale. If you do find a great sale do not hesitate to freeze some of it when you get home so you are not forcing yourself to eat the same thing every day.

 

Let’s Not Forget About the Fruits and Vegetables

Probably the biggest mistake people make when grocery shopping for fruits and vegetables is buying too many. They all look so pretty and yummy, but make sure you have a plan. Stick to the sales and switch it up. Buy strawberries one week and blueberries the next. Avoid buying large prepackaged fruits and vegetables if you are not going to eat the majority of them. Also, look them over very carefully and even open the package and make sure they are 100% fresh! However, if you have a large family then go for it and buy a bag of potatoes! If you can go to the store about once a week this will allow you to have the freshest foods on hand.

 

Be Sure You Have a Plan for All of Your Food!

The best way to make sure you don’t waste food is to have your menu’s figured out before you go to the grocery store. Having your menu’s written down before you go grocery shopping means you will not be buying foods that have no purpose and will probably will go to waste.

 

If you want dessert your best options are individual chocolate squares or ice cream!

 

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet

www.timerdiet.com

 

 

 

Rising Grocery Prices Creates Need

Rising Grocery Prices

When grocery prices rise not only does it affect our own wallet, it affects those of our neighbors, friends, family, and those who were already struggling either due to illness, unemployment, or just hard-times. When we are asked to give to the local food bank, do we? Do we look into our cupboards and see what more than likely we will never eat or what has been there for a while and may be expiring next month?

 

Buy Wisely

Grocery prices are rising extremely fast and there appear to be few sales in sight. So when you go to the store be sure you have a purpose for everything that you purchase. When you buy foods that go together and have an intended purpose you will have less waste at the end of the week. When you buy fruit do you know when or how you will eat them? Will you want to add cottage cheese or cheddar? When you buy the meat that is on sale are you making sure that you can eat it before it spoils and freeze what you can’t? There are so many ways we can buy wisely…

 

Make Your Menus

Know what days you will be at home and which days you will not. Buying food for an entire week and then only eating at home for ½ of it will waste money, unless you can freeze everything you didn’t eat and then remember to use it later. Be sure to know how many lunches you need to prepare and how many snacks. Your menus can be very basic: meat, two vegetables, salad and bread and butter. The details can be ironed out at the store when you see the sales.

 

Give What You Can

If you have canned or boxed foods that you have not eaten recently or thought you might want at the time and now wonder why, consider giving them to those in need. Saturday May 10^th is the United States Postal Service food drive for non-perishable foods. So go through your cupboards see what you can give and buy wisely from now on.

 

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and to be released in June TimerOrganizer

www.timerdiet.com

Eating Late at Night

Is Eating Late at Night a DO or a DON’T?

Sleep is Important

It is neither! If you are hungry and it is late at night then eat, if you aren’t then don’t. It is as simple as that. If your plans call for a late night dinner with friends or a date night out, then eat late. If instead everyone wants to eat early then do that. There is NO secret time to eat. The real secret time, is when you need to eat. Not just want to.

Don’t dietician say to not eat after 6pm, 7pm, or 4 hours before you go to sleep?

 

There are a lot of people who will tell you not to eat past a certain time, or not to eat too close to your bed time. But, what if your stomach is growling and/or your head is dizzy, then what? Do you just lie in bed hoping that these feelings will go away and you will become tired enough to ignore them? You will probably fall asleep faster if you eat something small that is well-balanced i.e. includes dietary fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Getting to sleep is important not just for weight loss, but so many other health factors. I see no good reason to lie in bed waiting and hoping that the feeling of hunger will dissipate.

When you are hungry your metabolism is slowing down

It doesn’t take a science degree to know that if you are hungry your body knows it needs to conserve energy and it does this by slowing down your metabolism. Your digestion of food increases your metabolism. You can research this and let me know if you have questions.

Don’t go overboard!!

 

This is not a go for it to the cookies and cakes. Nor is it a reason to overeat right before you go to bed even if you are eating the most well-balanced of meals. Something small and only enough to take the edge off of your hunger. If you have read my book TimerDiet or gone to my website and looked over my rules, you know I recommend cheddar cheese and crackers if you need something to eat late in the evening. This particular combination includes dietary fat, protein, and carbohydrates. If you have something else that you prefer, try it out and see if you notice any difference in your weight goals and if it helps you get right to sleep. But, most of all don’t feel you need to go to bed hungry because you want to lose weight.

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet

www.timerdiet.com

To be released this June TimerOrganizer