Last week during a live chat we did on Twitter (using the hashtag #AskCheryl) while The Biggest Loser was on, several people wondered about healthy high-protein snacks. These chats have been valuable in showing me the types of information that you are looking for and I hope that you'll join us on Twitter again this Tuesday during The Biggest Loser.
I'm happy to see so many people asking for healthy snacks; snacking, in general, is underrated as a weight-loss tool.
When we are trying to lose weight, the temptation is to eat less, but, in fact, the smart strategy is to eat more -- well, more often, actually. Eating small snacks at regular intervals prevents you from becoming famished at any point during the day. It's when we are "starving" that we are most likely to reach for unhealthy foods and overeat.
The same goes for when we come in from a workout. The temptation is to raid the fridge or cabinets. Snacking at intervals before (and even during) exercise prevents this. Eating regular, small portions keeps your blood sugar stable and helps your body to recognize hunger cues. And of course, no matter how often or infrequently you eat, the name of the game is making the right choices. I discuss this issue in more detail in my upcoming book, Flavor First, which is also chock full of prepare-ahead snacks and appetizers that you can make at home.
Below are six quick and healthy high-protein snacks that will keep you on the right track. Each has near a 150 calories and provides more than 10 grams of protein.
Good Eggs: "Deviled Eggs" -- 3 hard boiled egg halves, whites only, each half filled with 1 tablespoon hummus (140 calories, 10 grams protein)
Green Gobbling: 2/3 cup edamame in the shell (158 calories, 13 grams protein)
String Theory: 1 low-fat mozzarella cheese stick and 1 large fresh orange (140 calories, 10 grams protein)
Rye Society: 2 Wasa Rye Crackers and 2-1/2 ounces lox (smoked salmon) (150 calories, 14 grams protein)
Gobble, Gobble: Half a turkey sandwich 1 slice whole grain bread with 1 ounce turkey, 1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and 2 teaspoons mustard (150 calories, 14 grams protein)
Greece-y Spoon: 2/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt plus 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 tablespoon almonds (150 calories, 15 grams protein)
When losing weight, it’s important to lose more fat than muscle. To lose fat but retain muscle, you should take in more calories each day than your BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate: the amount of calories your body burns when at rest.
This may seem counter-intuitive but if you follow a diet with a lower caloric intake than your BMR, you will not only lose fat but also a higher percentage of muscle. This is why it is vital to regularly engage in some form of resistance training! It’s really important to keep or even increase our muscle mass.
As we all know, muscle burns more calories than fat, thus raising our BMR, or metabolism. (To calculate your BMR and calorie needs, I’ve included the formula at the end of this blog. There are also several free online calculators that are user friendly.)
Maintaining muscle mass while losing fat is an important factor in reaching both your ideal weight and ideal body composition. To achieve this goal, it’s important NOT to reduce your carbohydrate intake too aggressively. Our bodies need carbohydrates to function properly and to replace glycogen in our muscles. (Glycogen is the main fuel source for muscles). If you’ve ever tried a very low carb diet, your initial weight drop is actually from glycogen and water loss. Glycogen is a mix of glucose and water that’s stored in your muscles. For each gram of carbohydrate (glycogen) the cells in your body store, they store four grams of water.
Even if you didn't take a summer vacation – I know I didn't! -- life seems to move at a faster pace once fall starts. There are new school and after-school schedules to juggle, winterizing projects to tackle around the house, and with the staff at the office reunited after Labor Day, the calendar is crowded with deadlines.
The schedule shift can make it hard to find time to work out or plan menus for the week. Even worse, stress and anxiety often kick our cravings into high gear, causing us to reach for foods that are fast, easy and unhealthy. But making healthy choices doesn't require a huge amount of time or effort.
Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control, with the prevalence among children aged 6 to 11 increasing from 6.5 percent to 19.6 percent. Among adolescents, the prevalence of obesity has increased from 5 to 18.1 percent. Globally, there are over 20 million children under age 5, who are overweight or obese.
