Another day in the Office

April 17, 2013
I had an enjoyable evening last night at a Greater Kingston Chorus of the Sweet Adelines, boy can these ladies sing, wishing them luck this weekend in Syracuse for their competition.
I enjoyed a nice walk this morning for 20 minutes before coming to the office and then had a friend stop by for lunch with her grand dog, so we took him for a 1/2 hour walk as well. My eating plan has gone well this week, so I am hoping that my weigh in next week will be in the minus. I am loving this beautiful weather, oh the warmth, I guess that is one of the things I miss about Australia.
I will try to do an added post tomorrow. 

Day dreaming about the land Down Under,, 

Some Useful Info on FAT

April 16, 2013
Another family Birthday today and a newborn in Bermuda, Happy Birthday to my brother he is 52, congrats to the family in Bermuda on their new baby boy.
I enjoyed a nice visit with great friends last night, you know who you are. Then I came home and did a 45 minute walk around the town (Napanee). It was much warmer yesterday, could it be spring finally arriving?

I thought I would share some information on calculating fats to help when you are shopping.

Using Nutrition Panel Information

Calculating fat calories from a food label.

This is a useful tool for individuals on a weight loss program. It may be useful to take a product from your own cupboard and follow along.

Our overall goal is to keep to the dietary guidelines and ensure that fat is no more than 30% of total calorie intake.

Reason why we would want to limit saturated fat intake;

·         Reduce fat intake and limit addition to fat the current body stores

·         Lower blood cholesterol levels

·         Reduce the risk of some types of cancer

The goal for saturated fat is to be no more than 10% of total calorie intake.

I’ll use 4oz of 1% cottage cheese label

Step 1: Note the nutritional facts label of any product, all the information on the label relates to the serving size.

Step 2: Look at the total calories. Fat contains 9 calories per gram of weight. The label shows 1.2 g of fat (1.2 x 9 calories = 10.8 calories from fat). This calculation is shown on the label, listed next to the calories as Calories from Fat. The numbers on the label are rounded, so close to 10.8 is close to the 10 listed on the label.

Step3:  Calculate the percentage of total calories in this cottage cheese that comes from fat.

e.g. 10/81 = 0.12x100 = 12% calories from fat

A simple formula for identifying high fat products

Is to divide the total calories by the calories from fat: in this case 81/10=8.1 an answer of 5 or more means the product contains 20% or less fat from calories, you could start shopping in this way.

Let me know if you find this information useful. I will add some more information tomorrow?

Did you know how to do this before?

Please leave feedback if you would like some more information and leave questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Today's quote:

“The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”
~ Walter Bagehot ~

 

 This is so true I remember being told at 18 that no one would give me a job because I hadn't finished high school, well it made me more determined than ever, I got my first job with in a week as a Personal Support Worker in a nursing home, a career I had for over 32 years and I finished my education as well. And went to college I have a Diploma in Nutrition Management, with a few extra courses in Infant Nutrition and Sports Nutrition.

Has someones comment made you determined to be a success?

Staying true while out of town

April 15, 2013
A shout out first to my daughter today, it's her birthday, 32, where has the time gone.
I am currently staying at my sister's helping out in her office while she is out of town. I have been able to get out over the weekend and get some exercise,  its nice to be so close to a small downtown area, I think I have done a total of 2 hours of walking this weekend alone. I had planned on going to a gym this morning but when I got there and waited 15 minutes it still wasn't open so I came home and went for a walk. I know of an exercise class to-nite at a local church so I will get there this evening. I had a great visit with my Aunt who is talented like me at painting, she always has great advice for me. So far this weekend I have done well with my eating plan, I do have a few dinner's and lunches booked for this week with friends since I am in my home town its a good chance to catch up, but I will be responsible and order grilled fish and salads. I had a nice sleep over with my 2 granddaughters, the youngest one had a bit of a mess with a glow stick, who knew they could make such a mess when broke, the good thing is with the lights out I could see where she had gotten it all over, lol one set of bed sheets and covers all washed.
What did you get up to this weekend? Did you get out for a walk and look for signs of spring?
Today's quote “All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” - Walt Disney

 My beautiful daughter and I on her wedding day

Useful Sugar Information

April 12, 2013
Well the weather isn't co-operating today another winter storm, so I decided I better do my exercise at home today, so I did 45 minutes of Zumba in my basement. I still have a bad cold but it is getting better, I have to say it's the worst cold I have had in a few years.
A few years ago I took a course called Certificate of Weight Loss and Nutrition, I figured it would be useful one day and it could be added to my current Nutrition Management Diploma which I have held since 1997.
So I pulled out the course today and figured I could share a few things with my reader's.
Today I will touch on reducing refined sugars.

Total sugars v. added sugars
The majority of nutrition panels found on food packaging state the total amount of  'sugars' present in the product. This 'total sugars' figure includes both naturally -occurring sugars from fruits and milk components and 'added sugars' . It is important to keep this in mind when selecting products, eg. a breakfast cereal containing dried fruit may have a high 'total sugar' content but contain little 'added sugars' as the majority of the sugars in the product come from those naturally present in the dried fruit. In contrast, if a product has a high 'total sugar' content but does not contain fruit or milk in the ingredients list, it is likely to be high in 'added sugar'.

Reducing refined sugar intake

• Replace biscuits and sweets with fresh or dried fruit
• Reducing the amount of sugar added to drinks and foods eg. breakfast cereals can be topped with fruit
• Choose fruit juice that contain 'no added sugar'
• Drink water or dilute fruit juice instead of drinking pop or cordials
• Reduce the amount of sugar in cooking by replacing with applesauce or substituting with maple syrup, agave, true honey are just a few examples
• Reading ingredient listings on foods carefully - remember that sugars can be listed under a variety of names

Remember that if one of the many sugars is listed as 1 of the top 3 ingredients it is pretty safe to assume that the product is high in sugar content.
Here are a few of the hidden sugars names.

• Sucrose
• Glucose
• Lactose
• fructose
• Sorbitol
• Mannitol
• Corn Syrup
• Processed Honey
• Malt and Malt Extract
• Maltose
• Rice Extract
• Molasses
• Golden Syrup
• Invert sugar

Today's Quote. Your are what you EAT 
What are you eating?
Do you read the labels and ingredient lists?

Back at it today,,,,

April 11, 2013
I feel so much better today, I think I have beaten this cold, finally. Still a bit sick, but was able to get through my hour on the elliptical machine and had a weigh-in I am down another 2.5 lbs, yippeeee so that's 6 pounds in a month. I am very proud of myself, I have been able to stick to the plan and its working. My clothes are already fitting looser. 
I will be away next week to my sister's so I am sauteing up the vegetables in the frig and freezing them so when I get back they will be ready for some nice omelets. I have also done some checking and I have found a gym I can go to a few mornings before I head to the office. And there is a church in town that offers free exercise classes, so I will be set for the week. I am looking forward to a sleep over with my granddaughters and visiting with my Mom and family while in town. I know I will likely be eating out a bit but I promise myself to make good choices and not over indulge.
How do you manage your exercise routine when you are out of town?
How do you stay on track with your eating plan?
Today's quote
 Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself.
Theodore T. Hunger
Please feel free to leave comments: 

Still sick,,

April 10, 2013
well not much to report today. Except I am still really sick, so hoping I feel better tomorrow so I can get back to the gym.
So I thought I would just share a paper I have on fats and oils.

 Today's quote
“Setbacks are temporary as long as you don’t give up.”
~Kevin Ngo~

April 9, 2013
well this darn cold is getting me down, I didn't feel like eating much last night so I made a lovely egg white omelet,  here are a few pics

my finished product, yummmm

my lovely tasty veggies

I am not feeling well again today so I have decided to take a break from the gym today and I will weigh in tomorrow. Today's quote "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion.'" - Muhammad Ali