I’ve often suggested to people that if really can’t say no, to maybe change friends just for awhile until you can manage your eating habits so you won’t pack on the extra “social” pounds.  Don’t be afraid to say “no thank you, I’m full”. Or “you know I’m sure it’s delicious but I’m good for now, you enjoy.”  Also, if consuming more cocktails or other alcoholic beverages, you may become less uninhibited and could invite unwelcome additional calories.  Tip: Before you bite, take a drink of water, bite, water! Slow down and take your time. Or use chop sticks!

I hope you found this information helpful.  Call me if I can help you get your eating habits in shape!

Your fan,

Suzie Cooney, CPT  

Suzie Trains Maui,  808-283-2121

My clients love Fit Day, a custom food journal designed to make weight loss fun and easy. Click here, to order yours!

Any topic ideas are always welcome!

Healthy Shoppers

Cami’s Corner: Eating healthy with Friends  Thanks to Melisa, Amanda and Danielle for sharing what you eat and being a part of Cami’s Corner and Teen Health in Maui!

Cami’s Assignment: Ask three of her friends what they eat for dinner with their families and then Cami’s response on maybe how they can make some healthy options!  Following with a few comments from me, Suzie

Amanda,

What is your typical family dinner? -Rice, beans, and chicken, with salad. Is the portion size typically a plate full, or what? -I go for one plate full, no seconds.

 Do you usually eat with your family together, or do you eat in front of the TV, etc? -It depends; we at least have a family dinner every week. I sometimes eat on the island, at the table, or in front of the TV.

Amanda’s eating habits are really good, one thing I would suggest though is to have less rice with her meal. Rice is fine, but in smaller portions. You do need your grains, Manda Cami, you are right!

Nice job guys. I’d like to next time learn about the true portion sizes of food and what kind of salad dressing is being used too. Sometimes the creamy ones are hidden with lots of fat and a gazillion calories!  I’d like to see the rice be substituted, with a multigrain rice or brown rice. Chicken is excellent protein as long as the skin is removed.

Also keep in mind, while eating your meal while watching TV can sometimes lead to mindless eating. Amanda, it’s nice to see that your family eats together and provides a nice meal for everyone.  Thanks, Suzie!

 Danielle,

Rollerblading Fun!

What is the main meal you and your family eat together? -My usual meal always consists of fish. For example, yesterday we had fish burritos with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese. The fish was fresh too!

What is your typical portion size? -I don’t eat that much for dinner, maybe like one main dish and some snacks.*Laughs*

When you eat dinner, do you eat with your family, or alone (in front of the TV, etc.)? -Usually alone, on the couch in front of the TV, or in the kitchen.

I am very proud of Danielle’s eating habits. She is super healthy, and she sticks with what she knows is good for her body, and herself. She eats a lot of veggies with her meals, as she said above. One thing Danielle could do to improve her eating habits, is to maybe turn off the TV and enjoy her meal with her family. Cami, that’s a good observation and we’ll keep an eye on Danielle’s healthy eating habits so other kids can do the same!

Hey Danielle, it’s nice to see that you know all about making good choices. I giggled too and wondered just what kind of snacks you eat!

Do you eat dinner with all of your family, or alone. If you are alone, do you eat in front of the TV, or in another room? -I eat with my family, and sometimes we all watch movies together, or talk. The TV is usually on, and the family is always laughing together.

Melisa is very average with her eating habits. I suggest to Melisa that she eat more veggies with her meals. Vegetables are a important necessity for everyday meals. Also maybe turn off the TV and talk with your family more often! I like the drink she has a lot, because she is getting a lot of her fruits in.

-Cami

Melisa, Cami is correct to recommend maybe some more greens. Imagine looking at your plate like a clock! From 12-3 protein, 3-6 whole grain pasta or multi grain rice, then from 6-12, load up on dark green leafy veggies or a nice healthy salad. 

 Sounds like you are getting some nice fruit in your drinks. Love to hear that! And laughing with our family burns calories! Cool!

Well everyone has done a real good job here, sharing and helping each other discover ways to make a meal healthier. 

 You all are on the right track. So next time, watch your portions, and maybe help others in the house that may really load up their plates. You guys are active and on the go, be sure to eat enough but don’t over do it. Also, remember to drink lots of water. Not only is it good for your organs and other bodily functions, remember it’s great for your skin too! Ditch the sodas and save your teeth!

 Okay everyone, stayed tuned for more Cami’s Corner, and Teen Health on Maui!

Suzie Cooney, CPT

Choosing the Right Sports Drink

Selecting the right sports drink that isn’t loaded with sugar and allows your body to tolerate doesn’t have to be confusing.  It’s amazing how many products claim to be the miracle energy savior. Some products that I’ve tried make me feel like I want to immediately brush my teeth, and after I drank them, I craved water to wash them down.

Studies have shown that a fluid loss of just 2% of your body weight can have a negative impact on performance and recovery. For example, dehydration increases your core temperature, decreases blood flow to the skin, can increase your heart rate and the list goes on. Also if you are training in a humid environment like Maui, I encourage my clients to really increase their fluid intake.

Whether you’re just starting to build your endurance/fitness training, or you are training for your 10^th triathalon, sports drinks are designed to help replace the water that is lost when you sweat. They provide carbohydrates that supplement those that are being used up by the body during physical activity. In addition, they help rebuild the electrolytes that are also lost when you sweat.

Many products contain carbohydrates. Again, not important for shorter distances or exercise sessions, but it becomes more important at longer distances when hypoglycemia becomes an issue. Anyone experiencing “bonking” during long training runs can vouch for this. The exact distance with be different for each individual, but it’s a good idea to have a drink with carbs on hand when going over 10 miles.

Electrolytes (salt and potassium) are important because they help to promote fluid retention, prevent hyponatremia (low blood sodium) and muscle cramps. Potassium is an essential nutrient for a healthy body. It’s one of the main electrolytes you need for proper fluid balance within the body, and it’s also important for proper kidney function. I found that electrolytes really help me with intense cramping and nausea.

A note about cramping. Cramping is your body’s final warning signal that you’re on empty electrolyte wise. However, your performance is deteriorating and you are slowing down long before you feel the slightest twinge of a cramp. To keep your body’s muscular, digestive, nervous, and cardiac systems firing on all cylinders you need a consistent supply of all electrolytic minerals, not just sodium and potassium.

Thirst alone is not the best indicator of how much water to drink. On average, one should consume about 96 oz. or 3 quarts of water per day. Roughly the guidelines for an athlete are:

Consume 16 oz of fluid 2 hours before your workout. An additional 8-16 oz may be needed in warmer weather.

Drink 20-40z of fluid for every hour of training.

Fluids should be cold because of more rapid gastric emptying

If you train more than 60 minutes, definitely consume a sports drink (about 8% carbs) to replace both fluid stores and dwindling muscle glycogen stores.

The goal is to replace sweat and urine losses.

Ingest 20 oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after an event or training.

What to Look for

The bestsports drink should give you an energy lift as well as hydration. The difference between sports drinks and other beverages such as soda is that they provide the hydration that is needed without the added sugar. The typical ingredients in sports drinks include: water, sugars in the form of carbohydrates, electrolytes and other things such as flavor and coloring.

I like to recommend the carbohydrate content to be 6-8%. The higher concentrate a sport drink is, the better it will be at replenishing nutrients and providing hydration.

My favorite sports recovery drink is called Recharge. I am not getting paid or compensated to promote it. I discovered that compared to many other brands that have flooded the market, Recharge, made by Knudsen is very low in sugar, tastes great and does not contain sucrose or high fructose corn syrup.

Nor does it contain artificial flavors or sodium citrate.  Recharge contains, filtered water, white grape and apple juice concentrates, herbal tea ( water hibiscus tea)natural flavors and sea salt. It comes in many delicious flavors. Click here, to check out all the flavors.  On Maui, you can buy Recharge at Mana Foods in Paia, Down to Earth and Hawaiian Moon in Kihei.

Common Misconceptions

Don’t be mislead of the idea that sports drinks are the choice for hydration. Sports nutrition specialists still agree, that unless you are burning a high amount of energy and calories as the pros, water is still the preferred way to hydrate.

Interestingly, when some people  drink sports drinks, they tend to drink in larger volumes which in the end tends to lead to better hydration. So, maybe that’s okay. Most of my clients will fall in this category. I often hear that water is boring! I also like to suggest for shorter workouts, mix the two together, if you won’t drink water alone.

Lastly, be careful to watch the energy spikes and crashes in the sports drinks that contain mostly caffeine and lots of sugar. Some contain high doses of niacin which can have side effects, like your skin feeling hot. No thanks!

If you have a comment or would like to recommend a sports drink, we’d like to hear from you.

Suzie

Suzie Trains Maui

Ref: NASM Third Edition

Knudsen Juices

 by Suzie Cooney, CPT
My clients, who are the most successful in losing weight and keeping it off, know exactly what they eat, how much they eat and how to avoid the yo-yo ups and downs. Some experts say, don’t worry about counting calories , some say it doesn’t matter how many calories you eat, as long as you exercise in moderation.

 There is some half-truth to those statements. But math, is math, the numbers tell all.  Most people simply have no concept or any idea how much they eat in one day.  I will show you how to take a small step for a positive, lifetime change. Please don’t starve yourself, or over feed your body, but understand that your body needs you to make the best choices.

If you want to succeed in weight loss, break unhealthy eating habits, improve your nutrition, solve your own personal barriers to success, stop the confusion, uncover your “food” triggers, and stay on track, then keep reading! I want YOU to be healthy and be a success.

It’s really amazing how fast I can uncover what a person is lacking, or needing in their diet to achieve their goals. Or, what might be triggering them to eat at midnight or while in the shower. I’m not kidding!  The most common element I found, that when people are embarking on a new fitness plan, while learning how to eat well, they simply don’t eat enough.

Research clearly shows those who consistently monitor their food intake lose weight more steadily and keep it off more successfully than those who don’t. That’s because the journal keepers are able to identify the sources of empty calories and know when they resort to overeating.

 Surprisingly, I’ve encountered some opposition, a few roll of the eyes and groans, I had one person say, “ oh no, I can’t do that. That’s making me focus too much on food instead of exercise.” I politely said,  “Well, I said to my darling client, the choice is yours.”  What I wanted to say was, “Well, since you are fifty pounds over weight, it would appear that you place a great deal of focus on food,” but of course I didn’t want to offend them.

 If you really want to lose the weight and keep it off, learn how to keep a food journal or food diary.  It doesn’t have to be daunting or “one more thing” to do.  If you aren’t serious about making a change, or have a million excuses why you can’t do it, stop reading here.

The journal doesn’t lie. It’s reality. It creates the awareness that I know is hard to face.  It helps us to record bad eating patterns, and why and when we eat. Once we learn and understand why we eat and what we eat, then we’re getting to the real good stuff.  Eating should be for 90% survival and energy, pleasure to equal 10%.

  The Essential Functions and Benefits of a Food Diary:

 First: The diary gives us the data necessary to make changes and improvements we need to make.  Many times clients tell me how “good” they’ve been, until I see what and how much they’ve have been eating. The minute I see their diary, I can easily uncover why they have not lost weight.   Now, you can lie and selectively choose not to record a bag of M&Ms, or say you just had one. It’s your body.

 Or they say they had a healthy salad at the salad bar, followed with 3 glasses of wine and only a few bites of dessert.  What?  Looking for praise, I say no “disaster.”

 Second: The purpose of the journal or diary relates to choice. Avoid diet disasters and make better choices.  Like that book by now we’ve all heard of by now, by author David Zinczenko, Eat This, Not That. www.EatThisNotThatBestAndWorst.com  Here’s a great snippet form the Today Show just this week; where David Zinczenko shows America some of the worst, high fat, high caloric sandwiches ever!  Avoiding a Sandwich Snafu      A must see: Click here:

Lastly, the food diary assists you to self-monitor and develop an awareness of what your are eating ( calories in ). I can’t do this for you; you must take this on yourself.  You will gasp at first as to how quickly calories add up.  Go to the front page of my blog at www.suzietrainsmaui.com/blog and click on FitDay.

My clients love this site, and I love them back for making that commitment and learning something new about themselves.  Some of my clients proudly print their reports and bring them to their next session with me.  I like the fact that you can customize your food selections and specific types of food preparations. I know there will some good days and bad days.  It’s okay, expect that, move on and just be more mindful the next time!

There are also many online calorie counters that can help you with your food values too.

If you are not a computer person, that’s okay. A simply spiral notebook works, a spreadsheet or maybe buy yourself a fancy leather journal! Commit to a minimum of 1 month.  I promise you, you will be so glad you did.

Now what to write:

Date    TIME            FOOD                     PORTION     SIZE                          CALORIES

Include all liquids, especially water. Water helps metabolize fat; therefore, weight loss will occur more efficiently in a properly hydrated body.  All portion sizes need to be included to the best of your ability. Don’t just write chicken breast; instead write 4-6 oz of chicken. 

Let your hand be your guide

 One hand full: one ounce of nuts
Your palm: 3 ounces of meat
A fist: the size of a cup
A finger: one ounce

Remember “fat-free” doesn’t equal calorie free. Americans are consumed with fat-free this, low-calorie that. It’s mind boggling that people still believe they won’t gain weight if they eat these foods! These foods are very calorie dense. 

Fruits, vegetables, and other high-fiber foods can keep weight off, calorie-dense foods do not. There’s nothing wrong with having a cookie now and then or a bagel, but please be aware that it’s an over consumption of these foods, that makes me cringe.  Some may san, “I can eat 12 cup cakes because I just ran and hour on the treadmill,” not. Don’t replace your efforts with empty calories if you are trying lose weight.. hmmm

Figuring out how many calories you need to lose weight is not hard.  But first, let’s just review:

            Calories in minus calories out = your body weight

Calories in, is what you put in your mouth. Calories out, is what your body’s metabolism is doing – burning calories.  Metabolism refers to your body spending energy.  And a calorie is a unit of energy..  Our bodies use energy to perform and function while awake and sleeping. But, when a unit of energy is consumed and not spent, it is stored. The name for that stored unit of energy is call body fat.

Side note:  Studies reveal, that one pound of lean muscle tissue can burn between 35-50 calories a day, and a pound of fat only 2 –3.

50 calories a day for 365 days a year = 18,250 calories a year

Also, five pounds of lean muscle tissue can burn over twenty-six pounds each and every year you maintain the muscle. 

After the age of 27 years, the average person loses roughly seven pounds of lean muscle every ten years.  For us gals, the bad news is that during and after menopause, the average woman will lose one pound of muscle per year, or ten pounds of muscle every ten years.  Women MUST perform regular strength and resistance training. It’s just not an option.

 To be clear, if you lose muscle, reduce your basal metabolic rate, and keep eating the same amount of calories, then those additional calories not used, will be stored as body fat.

So, to determine what your body needs to stay alive we’ll use the formula that helps you determine your body’s basal metabolic rate.

 “BMR” or basal metabolic rate-basically, the number of calories our body would need each day if we never-I repeat, never got out of bed, stayed awake for sixteen hours, and slept for approximately eight.  Even though you are lying down, your body requires a certain amount of energy to perform essential physiological functions such as breathing, neurological functioning, heartbeat, and digestion and cell formation.  Sixty to 70% of the calories you use on a daily bases are devoted to those functions.

 To determine your personal BMR, the equation based on studies performed in the Nutrition Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of WA, led by Francis G. Benedict, known as the Harris-Benedict equation, resulting in this widely accepted equation to determine BMR: For

 Men    67+(6.24 x weight in pounds)+(12.7 x height in inches)-(6.9 x age)= BMR

Women: 661+(4.38 x weight in pounds)+(4.38 x height in inches)-(4.7 x age)= BMR

 Let’s now examine the impact of Activity on your metabolism.  Activity is another component of metabolism that can account for 20-30% of your metabolism.  To measure your additional calories burned through activity, it is necessary to use a multiplier.  To determine the total amount of calories from basal metabolic and activity you require each day to stay at your present weight, we will multiply the following numbers by your BMR:

Activity Multiplier

Sedentary                                                                                                        1.15 multiplier

Light Activity (normal, everyday activities)                                             1.3  multiplier

Moderately Active (exercise 3-4 x week)                                               1.4  multiplier      

Very Active (exercise more than 4 x week)                                               1.6  multiplier

Extremely Active (exercise 6-7 x week)                                                             1.8  multiplier

One more important point regarding the above equation: Realize that the higher your body weight, the higher your basal metabolic rate. 

The software on FitDay automatically calculates your numbers for you!  Remember make it easy.

Now that you have the how, you now have to do. For some, this is a whole new language and I understand that. 

 So, start your food dairy today and take it with you everywhere you go. If you do load the software, just make notes on a pad to enter before you check your email, so you can then enter your data of the day.  It does require you to do some research and learn caloric values and awareness.

 In good health, see you on the water!  Suzie Cooney, CPT
 

Suzie Trains Maui

8 Common Nutrition Mistakes…and How to Fix Them

No time is No Excuse!

By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD
For Active.com

Nutrition may be your missing link in training. Here are eight common nutrition mistakes many athletes make with tips and recipes for how to solve them.

No. 1: Beneficial Protein Intake

Some athletes eat too little protein; others eat too much. For example, a 150 lb (68 kg) athlete may need 0.5 to 0.75 g pro/lb (1-1.5 g pro/kg); this translates into about 75 to 105 g pro/day. This athlete can easily consume too much protein if the foundation of the menu is:

This amount of protein is excessive, to the point some of the protein could be wisely traded for more carbs to better fuel the workouts.

In contrast, a vegetarian athlete on a reducing diet could easily under consume protein if foundation of the menu is:

Too little protein contributes to poor recovery, muscle wasting, and sub optimal results from hard training.

Solution: By meeting with a sports dietitian, you can learn your protein requirement and how to translate that into food.

No. 2: Iron to Prevent Fatigue From Anemia

Iron-deficiency anemia is common, particularly in females. Anemia causes needless fatigue and reduced performance. A survey of collegiate athletes indicates 20 percent of the female volleyball and basketball players were anemic, as were 50 percent of the soccer team. (1)

Anemia is particularly common among women who have heavy menstrual blood losses, but eat neither red meat nor iron-enriched breakfast cereal.

Solution: If you feel needlessly tired, get your blood tested by your doctor and be sure to get your serum ferritin measured. To help prevent anemia, strive to eat an iron-rich diet of:

red meat, or iron-rich alternatives (dark-meat chicken or turkey, salmon, tuna) iron-fortified cereals (Wheaties, Raisin Bran, Total)

To enhance iron absorption, include with each meal a source of vitamin C, such as orange juice, berries, broccoli, tomato or other fruits and vegetables.

No. 3: Post-exercise Food

At the end of a hard workout, you haven’t finished your training until you have refueled. Don’t rush off to work or school, with “no time to eat” as the excuse.

Solution: Plan ahead, so you have recovery foods readily available. Even in a time-crunch, you should be able refuel your muscles properly. “No time” is no excuse.

No. 4: Recovering With Both Carbs + Protein

Recovery foods should offer a foundation of carbs with protein as the accompaniment. A reasonable target is about 240 calories of carbs (60 g carb) and about 80 calories (20 g) of protein. Some popular choices include Greek yogurt with honey, chocolate milk, cereal with milk, and pasta with meat sauce. You need not buy engineered recovery foods; standard fare works fine.

Note that recovery foods can be eaten pre-exercise. That is, a pre-exercise yogurt gets digested into amino acids and glucose; those food components will be ready and waiting to be put into use when you stop exercising. In a 10-week study with recreational body builders, those who consumed a protein-carb supplement both immediately before and right after the mid-afternoon strength training session gained 2.3 pounds more muscle and 7 pounds more in strength (as measured by bench press), compared to the group without the pre- and post-exercise fuel. (2)

Athletes who do two workouts a day really need to rapidly refuel with a proper recovery diet. A six-week study with swimmers reports those who did two workouts (morning and afternoon) sprinted slower than those who swam only in the afternoon (3). If nutrition is your missing link, don’t even think about double workouts.

Solution: You may not feel hungry for solid foods after a hard bout of exercise, but you are likely thirsty. A fruit smoothie (made with yogurt) is excellent for recovery, as is a chug of chocolate milk. Both contain carbs to refuel, and protein to build and repair muscles and reduce muscle soreness.

 Follow these tips to help uncover and correct those “bad” eating habits and why we eat:

Don’t eat while engaged in other activities; for example watching TV, reading. Eat only at the table, not at the fridge or while standing,

Slow down. Don’t eat so quickly. Chewing slowly allows time to register a feeling of fullness. Don’t’ use fingers, only utensils. Cut food into smaller pieces. Don’t load your fork until the previous mouthful is finished.  I usually plan 20 minutes to eat my meal.

Get all of the bad food, high calorie items out of the house NOW!!  Don’t shop while you are hungry or with friends or family who are not looking out for you. Eat before you shop and stick to your list.

Take the time to plan your meals in advance. Buy a few pieces of Tupperware, or those nifty food containers.  Watch your portions!

Plan a strategy to avoid uncontrolled eating and drinking at social events, or when your emotions urge you to binge.

Promise yourself that when you feel the urge to snack, you will engage in some activity that will distract you away from food ( go to the beach, do 10 push ups, call a friend)

Tell yourself exactly what you will do in such situations. Remind yourself several times each day that you are in charge of your actions and that you can be strong-willed.

If you notice you eat when you are bored, please, find some a sport to take up or interesting hobby.  I’m never bored because there are so many sports to do on Maui! If you want to learn a new sport, I’ll teach you!

Don’t’ blame your genes or your family! It’s your behavior!

Lastly, a food journal is the most powerful, PROVEN aid that helps my clients keep off the weight long term.  It’s amazing what you discover about yourself and the foods you choose if you do this. Remember to record the time of day, portions, and what you ate and why!  Those who consistently monitor their food consumption lose weight more steadily and keep it off more successfully than those who don’t. Countless people tell me how “good” they have been on their program until I see their diary.  Don’t cheat yourself!  The moment I see the data, I can instantly ascertain why they have not lost the weight. Numbers don’t lie.

“Keep up the good work, hold your course for life.”

Suzie