Get Your Weight Loss on Track!

Get Your Weight Loss on Track!

 

Look familiar?

Look familiar?

Get your weight loss on track?

Yes, yes, yes EVERYONE talks about doing something new at the beginning of each year. And then they talk about it AGAIN as summer approaches. This year will be no different. MILLIONS of dollars will be spent on gym memberships, trainers, bogus supplements, gluten free foods, Fitbits, pedometers, sauna suits, and NEW bathroom scales. (Because we all know the old one must be defective!)

The truth is, deep down inside, people believe that if they spend enough money on something it WILL work. It HAS to. Failure is not an option when your are heavily invested in something.

And yet, most people will fall off the exercise/diet/torture myself bandwagon because it simply isn’t sustainable long term. It’s exhausting and usually puts a person at odds with the realities of every day life.

How about no more bandwagons? No more New Year Restarts? How about learning to make small, significant changes to what you are already doing? How about getting real answers about supplements and taking only what is helpful and rooted in legitimate research? Maybe you need some help understanding your diabetes or your post-bariatric surgery diet. Maybe you just need a little “know how” when it comes to grocery shopping.

That’s what the dietitians at Rudog do. We help by educating you and working with you, where you are right now in your health pursuits. No gimmicks, no magic pills, just the truth.

If you need additional services, like a trainer or blood work done, we can point you in the right direction.

Talk to a real dietitian and get your questions answered today. Waiting changes nothing, calling can change something.

Your choice.

Mary Cabral, Registered Dietitian  (9728808443)

Some visits could be covered by insurance, always ask!

 

Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken

Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken

Chicken with lemonsIn the spirit of full disclosure, this is not an original Rudog recipe at all. I found this in People Magazine. Sorry!

Ingredients:

Juice and zest of 3 lemons

1/3 cup                 olive oil

1 tsp                      oregano

1 Tbsp                   Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp                   honey

½ cup                    chopped onion

1 clove                  peeled garlic clove (or jarred garlic)

½ tsp                     salt

½ tsp                     pepper

4                              boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Grilled lemon wedges

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, oregano, mustard, honey, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside ¼ cup for basting. Place chicken in the bowl, cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high. Lightly oil grill grate. Place chicken on the grill over indirect heat. Cook 6-8 minutes each side, until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the ¼ cup reserve marinade.

3. Serve, drizzle with a little honey and garnish with the lemon wedges.

Keep it up!

I’m talking about metabolism. It’s important to keep it UP.  How you eat directly effects how your metabolism operates. If you want to keep your metabolism UP, that is, burning calories all day long, you have to feed it correctly and do the right kind of exercise.  Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this before, right? You probably think this doesn’t apply to you because you eat all the time and have no problem putting on muscle. You are also probably between the ages of 18 and 25. 🙂 If that is the case, you are young enough that you haven’t really had to work very hard at this, if at all. Hormones are on your side (for now) and you are kind of on “metabolic auto pilot”. BUT,  things change after 25!! They REALLY change once you hit 30. NOW is the time to put the right habits in place.

For those that have already experienced some of those metabolism challenges that come with age, I have good news: You can do this with diet and exercise and you DON’T need expensive specialty supplements and “fat burners”.

Let’s go over the basics:

1. You have to eat every 2-3 hours and it has to start with breakfast. 

If you have been sleeping in until 10:30 or later, you are missing the jump-start to your day. You would be doing yourself a big favor by waking up at a more traditional time (7:30?) and having a mini breakfast—-like a slice of toast and a little glass of juice.  You could even go back to bed for a little bit, then have a real meal 2-3 hours later. You won’t gain fat weight, but you will stoke your metabolism enough to wake it up. By the time 2 hours goes by, you will be plenty hungry. This is actually the ultimate goal: To eat just enough that you stay satisfied for 2-3 hours, but then are really hungry at the next meal time. This is your body demonstrating that it is utilizing the calories that are coming in efficiently. When the body has burned them all up, it begins to send hunger signals. This is the body’s request for more fuel, please! When you do this all throughout the day, the metabolism never has the opportunity to stall, or slow down. It is constantly working on digesting and absorbing the incoming calories, which means it is BURNING calories. 🙂

2. Maintaining and building muscle mass is essential to increasing metabolism

Up until around the age of 25, the body is primarily anabolic. This means it is in “building mode”. After the age of 25, the body is primarily catabolic. This means it is no longer building stuff, but rather, is tearing things down. We lose muscle mass naturally, about 1% per year. If there is no exercise that maintains existing muscle mass (like lifting weights) or that puts on additional muscle, then the metabolic rate naturally declines. Muscle is metabolically active and burns calories, but as we lose muscle, we require fewer calories. In order to prevent or minimize this, the exercise program must include exercises that promote muscle building. The ideal exercise training program uses a combination of cardio and strength training exercises. The cardio keeps the inside of the body strong and healthy while the strength training improves strength, tone, and increases the metabolic rate. Studies have been able to demonstrate that strength training increases metabolic rate for several hours after an exercise session. Cardio does not.

For those that are over 30, you will have noticed that it is more difficult to cut weight, especially at the last minute. All of those “short cuts” you used to be able to take just don’t cut it anymore. You actually have to put in the long hours of training, get plenty of sleep and eat healthy all of the time. That is all part of aging, but it can be made a little easier by being consistent with your training, your sleep, and your diet. Don’t you wish you had been doing this all those years ago so that now it would be no big deal???? That is the message to the younger guys and girls. Get it right when you are young, so you don’t have to make major changes later.

As for those fat burners and metabolism stimulants, save your money and buy great groceries. Maybe even order some Rudog bars! The pills and powders are gimmicks and generally a waste of your time of money. Be smarter with both. Invest in good workouts and a good diet.

Do you NEED a supplement?

Do you NEED a supplement?

Supplement pills

In my kickboxing class the other night there was mention of a supplement called glutathione. The class was encouraged to take it and a brief explanation was given about what glutathione actually is. I could tell that most people had never heard of it and were most likely not going to go look it up… and yet they looked interested in trying it. That is scary. So with that in mind, I wanted to give a little info on how to decide if taking ANY supplement is the right thing for you.

First of all, you should NEVER decide to take a supplement just because someone recommends it. You need to know what the supplement actually IS and what is it SUPPOSED to do. Then you need to evaluate if it is even something you need. Don’t take supplements because you think they will be an “insurance policy” for something. That’s stupid. That can even be dangerous. If you aren’t sure how to evaluate if a particular supplement is a good idea or not, ask a dietitian. If your gym isn’t networked with a dietitian, then look one up on-line yourself. Dietitians are great resources for stuff like this. Check out www.eatright.org for a list of dietitians in your area, or contact Rudog. We work with clients all over the United States. It might cost you a little money, but quality education should cost you something.

Some supplements have only been shown to be effective if the person taking them is deficient in that substance already. So, for example, if you aren’t deficient in chromium, a chromium supplement will probably not have the positive effect you are expecting. As a consumer, you wouldn’t necessarily know that. That is exactly why you talk to a professional. They know things you don’t. You get my point. You need to know what you are taking and why you are taking it.

After you do your homework and you know all you need to know about a supplement, you have to answer the tough question, “Do I NEED this?” If you don’t need it, don’t take it. Put your time and your money toward things you DO need. If you decide you could benefit from the supplement, then get with a physician or dietitian to determine what the proper dosage is going to be for you. Just because “Steve” takes a certain amount, doesn’t mean that is the right dose for you.

Most supplements do not have negative side effects when taken at the right dosage, but it is a largely unregulated industry and the FDA does not require (or even have) RDA’s for many supplements. You want to be sure you are not taking more of something than you need, but you also want to make sure you are getting enough to produce the desired result. This is where a physician or dietitian is really handy. They can also ask you specific questions to make sure that the supplement isn’t going to interfere with,or work against, anything else you may already be taking, regardless of whether it’s prescription or over the counter.

Supplements can be a wonderful addition to a great diet and a great workout regimen, but they can be a waste if they aren’t used correctly. Don’t waste money or time because you are too lazy to do a little bit of research. Get smart, you are worth it.

As a professional in this industry, I have done much of the homework for you. Rudog has developed a small line of supplements that give you everything you need, in the right amount. Visit our page for more information.

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Mary Cabral, RD/LD
Rudog, Owner
[email protected]

 

You can schedule your PRE SURGERY TELEHEALTH Bariatric Nutrition Education Class by clicking HERE  

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