Barb's Daily Dose

Keep a Food Diary to Lose Weight

2012-01-27T04:00:00-08:00

One of the best ways to lose weight is to become more conscious of what you’re eating and why you’re eating it. Take the first step and keep a food diary. This has been prov-en in countless research studies to help people lose weight. Once you start to see in black and white how much you’re actually consuming, it triggers some hesitation and thought before mindlessly shoveling in the food.

I have a patient, Kira, who has lost 78 pounds over the last 2 years. She inspires me with her dedication to becoming healthier. In addition to increasing her exercise and reducing her portions, she also started keeping a food diary.

At first, Kira’s diary would include an entire rack of baby back ribs, with corn bread, coleslaw and beans for dinner along with 2 beers and 6 ice cream bars as a snack after. This was typical in the past. Now, dinners are small portions of protein with a large salad and an extra vegetable. She loves ice cream, but now has that about 1-2 times/month not every evening. When she needs a treat, frozen yogurt is her go-to indulgence.

I’ve been working with many women over the years to help them lose weight safely and without drastic restrictions

How Do You Start?

You can use old fashioned paper and pencil or one of the many apps out there to jot down and keep track of what you're eating
With every bite, be aware that you'll be writing it down
Notice any emotional triggers that lead to eating
Are there certain times of day when your resolve weakens? make a note
Take a look at each day? What are the patterns?
Do you have to have a snack after dinner while unwinding?
What's sabotaging you from only eating when you're hungry? time to write down, and
Keeping a food diary will help you become more mindful of what you're eating and why, and that's the first step in making healthy changes and a smaller size. Making small changes is the key to long lasting success.

Disclaimer

I'm delighted to be working with El Camino Hospital to inform people about the incredible services available there, a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The more I learn about their programs and services, the more impressed I am with their commitment to do whatever it takes to help people live their best lives. I'm excited that they're offering Health Perks to my readers and followers free of charge. Just use “nurse barb” as the promotion code and it’s free. In addition, you’ll automatically be entered to win a cooking class and dinner with El Camino Hospital’s Award winning Chef Jacques and me.

U.S. Leads Developed Countries in Teen Pregnancy Rate

2012-01-26T04:00:00-08:00

An Interesting Article from Nurse.com

The teen pregnancy rate in the United States remains the highest of any developed country, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with about 400,000 teens ages 15 to 19 giving birth each year between 2004 and 2008.

Teen pregnancy is a public health concern because teen mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes, and infants of teen mothers have higher risks for preterm birth, low birth weight and related complications, according to the CDC.

Continue reading here.

Caffeine Kick - 8 Energy Boosters Under 80 Calories

2012-01-25T14:39:49-08:00

Check out this helpful article from Health.com

Caffeine kick - 8 Energy Boosters Under 80 Calories - Health.com.

10% Weight Loss

2012-01-25T04:00:00-08:00

Aim for a 10% Weight Loss in the New Year

If you’re like many people you’ve made a New Years resolution to lose weight. Good for you! How’s it going? If you’re like most people, resolve starts to weaken a little bit by about the 3rd week, and it’s likely that you may need a little kick start.

Many people become discouraged and overwhelmed by the idea of losing 30, 40 or even 50 or more pounds. Giving up seems like the only option once you’ve skipped a few work outs or indulged a bit too much. And yet, you’ve already made some significant changes and it’s a good idea to get back to your healthier habits.

As little as a 10% weight loss can prevent diabetes, lower your blood pressure and help you feel better. That’s right. Just 10%. Don’t be overwhelmed by the big numbers, start with an easy-to-manage idea of losing just 10% of your weight. For example, if you’re a 5’5” woman and you weigh 180 pounds, try to lose 18 pounds and get down to 162. It’s a lot easier thinking of it that way instead of trying to lose 50 pounds.

Recently, I spoke with Dr. Manjul Patwardhan, a physician in Cupertino, California who specializes in helping people lose weight. She is a specialist in obesity management, which is a new specialty, known as Bariatric Medicine. This is not to be confused with Bariatric Surgery, but is a geared toward an individualized approach to helping people lose weight, that focuses on modifying portions and eating habits combined with individualized exercise prescriptions, and medications if needed.

According to Dr. Patwardhan, “People are afraid of deprivation, but weight loss is a dynamic process and can to be tailored to each person’s unique life. People see the benefits almost immediately and find that it’s easier than they think.

Step 1: Aim for a 10% weight loss
Step 2: Keep a food diary
Step 3: Read Weight loss 101

Disclosure

I'm delighted to be working with El Camino Hospital to inform people about the incredible services available there, a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The more I learn about their programs and services, the more impressed I am with their committment to do whatever it takes to help people live their best lives. I'm excited that they're offering Health Perks to my readers and followers free of charge. Just use “nursebarb” as the promotion code and it’s free. In addition, you’ll automatically be entered to win a cooking class and dinner with El Camino Hospital’s Award winning Chef Jacques and me.

What I Wish I'd Known About Caregiving Priorities

2012-01-24T04:37:48-08:00

Today's Featured Guest Writer is Neil Bernstein, Senior Editor at Caring.com

What I Wish I'd Known About Caregiving Priorities: Caring.com Expert/Geriatric Psychologist David Solie. The author of How to Say It to Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap With Our Elders Talks About Discovering that Parents Want Comfort and Companionship from Their Children, not Management.

With all his expertise in helping seniors navigate their final years, you might think David Solie would have sailed through his years of care giving for his mother without any regrets. In fact, Solie -- a geriatric psychologist, the author of How to Say It to Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap With Our Elders, and a member of Caring.com's advisory board -- admits that, at times, he went overboard trying to "manage" her care.

"I wish I had known that I didn't have to be so anxious about it -- that ultimately, worrying about all these horrific scenarios didn't change the outcome or make me a better caregiver," he says now. "We rev ourselves up so much to do the right thing in the caregiver role that it can really become too much. I wish I'd relaxed more and spent more time on what mattered the most."

Continue here to read the rest of the article.

The Alpha Plan

2012-01-23T04:00:00-08:00

The Alpha Plan aims to help students make healthy choices in college and throughout their lives.

Every college bound teenage, and their parents dread the Freshman Fifteen: the plus-or-minus 15 pounds that many students gain in their first year of the college experience. The cause may seem obvious - many are living on their own for the first time, and are exposed to stress, alcohol, and greasy cafeteria food - but the cure often seems harder to find. I recently interviewed Dr. Mariam Manoukian, a physician who practices in Silicon Valley, who has just the prescription: Her book, The Alpha Plan.

The Alpha Plan is geared toward helping college age kids learn to love healthy and nutritious foods. It is full of practical information about basics of food and its relationship with health. "By age 40, many people look back with regret on the health decisions they made in their lives". Her aim is to nip that early and prevent legions of people from developing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. In reality, it is so much easier to prevent those conditions than to treat them.

When confronted with teens and people who love fast food, she has the solutions. As she says, "Once you develop a taste for nutritious foods, fast food will lose its appeal and seem disgusting in comparison".

Dr. Manoukian's book, The Alpha Plan is chock full of practical wisdom and tips that all of us, no matter what our ages are can use to help us understand and use our willpower, make better healthier choices, and even how to socialize without going overboard with eating. I've read it and have already started making some easy changes with my teenage son. You'll find it easy to read and very informative.

It’s a challenge to help kids and teens lose weight and yet, with some simple changes and substitutions the Freshman 15 can disappear like a C minus.

Take a look at the following interview I recently had with Dr. Manoukian:

Disclosure

How to Use Baby Steps to Lose Weight

2012-01-20T09:56:03-08:00

As promised, Please View This Informative Video of Nurse Barb,Chef Jacques Wilson, Dr. Mariam Manoukian and Dr. Manjul Patwardhan of El Camino Hospital Discussing Taking Steps to a Healthier Way of Living.

Disclosure

Fat Women and Media Stigma

2012-01-20T05:01:28-08:00

I thought this was a great article by Stepahnie Pappas from LiveScience on how difficult it is for women who are overweight to deal with images on TV and in the media.

Childhood Trauma Linked to Depression

2012-01-19T03:58:16-08:00

I saw a patient the other day, who is battling depression. She and I were talking about some of her early experiences as a child and there came that moment when I could see that no matter how resilient or strong a person is, it's extraordinarily difficult to recover 100% from being treated badly.

According to an excellent article by Kate Kelland from Reuters, "A study published earlier this month found that childhood hardship, including suffering abuse or losing a parent or having a parent with addiction problems, also raised the risk of a range of chronic physical illnesses in later life, such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma.

One thing that helps many of my patients is to listen to what they've experienced and reassure them that it wasn't their fault and that it's perfectly normal and natural to feel depressed and have more challenges day to day. Many patients have said, "I thought I was crazy and that I should just be able to shake off these feelings, or exercise, or do something to tough it out. It helps to know that I'm not alone."

It also helps to see a licensed mental health professional and work on changing the tapes that replay. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in these circumstances. In any case, if you having difficulty, do talk to your health care provider, so that they can provide the best advice.

Healthy Delicious Recipes

2012-01-18T02:55:00-08:00

Recently I was privileged to learn some cooking tips from Chef Jacques at El Camino hospital. He made a delicious chicken with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. It was low-sodium, and yet delicious because he used herbs for seasoning.

You can see Chef Jacques and me cooking on CBS-5 in the San Francisco Bay area, tonight, Wednesday, January 18 at 7:20 pm, just before Judge Judy. I hope you’ll tune in for more weight loss tips and a fun cooking demonstration.

And, If you join Health Perks, using the code ‘nurse barb” not only is it free, but you’ll be automatically entered to win a yummy treat, a cooking class and dinner with Chef Jacques and me.

Here’s 2 Recipes:

Sautéed Chicken Breast
Sun Dried Tomatoes - Artichokes Sauce with Whole Wheat Cous Cous
Yield 4

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat cous cous
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), divided
2 plum tomato, diced
2 clove garlic, peeled
3 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, divided
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (4 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 9 ounce - can artichoke hearts
1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese, divided

Cook cous cous in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, place 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomato, garlic, 2 teaspoons basil, vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a pan. Saute for 2 minutes.
Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
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Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup sauce to a small bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes to the pan along with the orzo, artichoke hearts and 6 tablespoons cheese. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates.
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Slice the chicken. Top each portion of pasta with sliced chicken, 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and marjoram.

Orange, Red Cabbage & Jicama Salad

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1-tablespoon orange juice
1-teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups jicama, cut into thin strips
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
2 cups orange segments (blood oranges)
4 ounces mixed field greens
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation

Whisk the vinegar, orange juice and mustard in a small bowl, gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill dressing; bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.
Combine jicama, cabbages, orange segments, mixed field greens and pine nuts. Add dressing and toss. Serve on chilled plates.

Serves 8

Calories 70; Total Fat 3 grams; Sodium 200 mg; Carbohydrates 10 grams; Fiber 4 grams; Sugars 5 grams; Protein 1 gram.

Per serving: 457 calories; 12 g fat ( 3 g sat , 6 g mono ); 68 mg cholesterol; 54 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 36 g protein; 10 g fiber; 372 mg sodium; 546 mg potassium.

Check back on the Daily Dose soon for the featured video of me and Chef Jacques.

I'm delighted to be working with El Camino Hospital to inform people about the incredible services available there, a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The more I learn about their programs and services, the more impressed I am with their committment to do whatever it takes to help people live their best lives. I'm excited that they're offering Health Perks to my readers and followers free of charge. Just use “nurse barb” as the promotion code and it’s free. In addition, you’ll automatically be entered to win a cooking class and dinner with El Camino Hospital’s Award winning Chef Jacques and me.