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Diet and Excerise
Energize Your Diet, Energize Your Day
By Alice Lesch Kelly | 4/15/2005

We women have busy lives — we hold jobs, take care of our families, exercise, run errands, keep the house clean, and do so much else. We need lots of energy to fulfill all our roles and to get everything crossed off our mile-long to-do lists. A good night's sleep and a great workout can both rev our engines, but food is our only source of fuel. Of course, not all food can energize, as anyone who has fallen asleep after a big Thanksgiving dinner knows. Making smart eating choices throughout the day can help keep energy levels high.

How can you eat for optimal energy? We've looked at what three women with different lifestyles eat at different times of day. We've also asked a registered dietitian — Ann Pantazis, director of nutrition at Fallon Clinic in Worcester, MA — to reflect on what these women do right and what they can do to get more energy from their food choices while eating a healthy diet.

Jessi, 29, Pilates instructor and professional gardener in Seattle

Jessi needs loads of energy for her two physically demanding jobs. She gets up early and typically fuels up with oatmeal made with soymilk and studded with dried berries, along with a cup of tea.

Her challenge: Getting hungry mid-morning.

A solution: Jessi should be sure to eat enough food for breakfast. Her jobs demand a lot of energy, and if she doesn't take in enough calories at breakfast she will run out of fuel with hours still to go before lunch. Jessi is right to eat a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates and protein for breakfast, Pantazis says. Simple carbohydrates (fresh or dried fruit) give immediate energy, complex carbohydrates (oatmeal) give energy in about 90 minutes, and protein revs you up in about three hours. If she replaced the dried fruit with fresh fruit it would provide more volume for fewer POINTS® values. For example, for a POINTS value of 1, Jessi could have 1 3/4 cups fresh strawberries but only 1/4 cup of dried fruit. Another good breakfast choice would be whole-grain toast topped with peanut butter, along with a bowl of fruit salad. Pantazis also notes that Jessi is smart to limit her intake of caffeine. Caffeine can give a burst of energy, but unfortunately, that burst is followed by a precipitous energy drop.

Amy, 39, a mother of four and part-time health care contracts consultant in Boonsboro, MD

With four children and a part-time work-at-home job, Amy needs all the energy she can get. She's careful what she eats, though, because she's trying to lose weight. On a recent day she had a salad for lunch consisting of canned tuna (no mayo), cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, lettuce, and olive oil and lemon juice dressing, along with a small handful of goldfish crackers.

Her challenge: Snacking on goodies such as chips or cookies when mid-afternoon cravings kick in.

A solution: Amy does a great job eating a healthy lunch. She combines protein (tuna) with carbohydrates (vegetables) and a healthy fat (olive oil). She's also setting a good example for her children. "The mother is the role model for healthy eating in the family," Pantazis says. However, it's not a surprise that her energy levels are dipping mid-afternoon because that's when our metabolism levels peak and also when levels of the brain chemical serotonin dip. It's common at this time of day for the body to crave carbohydrates, which deliver a quick shot of energy. However, Pantazis says, a true carb craving can be satisfied with the carbohydrates from a small high-carb snack such as six Saltine crackers. When Amy feels a longing for cookies in the afternoon, she should try eating a carbohydrate-rich, low-fat snack — crackers, fruit, even yogurt — and then wait 20 to 30 minutes to see if the craving subsides. Chances are good that it will, and Amy's desire for fatty cookies and chips will disappear.

Cathy, 51, a certification contractor for a large computer company in Tyngsboro, MA

Typically, Cathy eats a healthy lunch and then doesn't eat anything between lunchtime and quitting time, around 5 or 5:30 p.m. By then, she's pretty hungry and she snacks on veggies and dip, popcorn, pretzels, or rice cakes while she makes dinner — healthy snacks, certainly, but the calories can add up.

Her challenge: Going overboard on snacks and a relaxing glass or two of wine because she's so hungry while she cooks dinner.

Solution: Cathy should try not to let herself get so hungry. "We tend to eat our calories later in the day and to run on empty early in the day," Pantazis says. "Even if you're sitting at your desk, your body still needs calories just to run your heart and your brain." Cathy might do better eating a larger lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, and a smaller dinner. Then, she won't be so hungry while she's preparing her evening meal, and she may even have the energy to go for a relaxing walk before dinner. As for the wine: Cathy can continue to enjoy wine provided she works it into her POINTS Allowance.

Top 12 Tips For Weight Loss
By Kristin Savarese | 3/5/2004

Odds are, you already have a dieting trick – a behavior that helps you to stay on top of your weight loss. There are the usual strategies: Eat before serious hunger strikes, order dressing on the side, drink water to feel a little fuller. Then there are the more unusual strategies that people enlist, like taping motivational notes to the fridge, chewing gum through the afternoon munchies or even symbolically "closing" the kitchen after dinner.

Here are some of the best dieting tips we've seen on the WeightWatchers.com Community message boards. Maybe one of them will work for you, too!

What's Your Top Tip?

"I brush my teeth when I get cravings. I love the fresh, minty feeling, and it fools my sweet tooth. I don't even mind the stares in the office bathroom!"

"I imagine a particular food super-glued to my rear, hips or tummy. It isn't so hard to resist when I realize where it's going after it leaves my taste buds."

"I keep lots of healthy snacks in my purse, my car and my desk. If I get really hungry, I will grab at anything, so this works well for me."

"Try new things. I discovered this weekend that I actually like raw spinach. I'm willing to try almost anything to keep my diet interesting and healthy."

"I list all the reasons I want to lose weight and put them in random places around the house, along with older, thinner pictures of myself." "Wear really tight clothing. I wear tight jeans so that I stop eating when I feel 'fat.' It works for me!"

"Go to the grocery store every week and stock up on healthy foods. If you're well-prepared, it's easier to have a successful week!"

"Set small goals and reward yourself with fun stuff. When I reach 10 percent, I'm going to get a pedicure."

"Only eat the reduced-fat foods that really taste good to you."

"I don't put anything in my mouth unless I write it down and hold myself accountable for it."

"Don't deprive yourself. It usually leads to eating lots of substitutions that won't satisfy you, and you'll end up having the chocolate, anyway."

"My favorite tip? I look at myself in the mirror! I like where I'm headed, but I'm not there yet."