Why Is It So Hard To Stick To A Diet?

How To Stay On A Diet

We are emotionally driven beings. Emotions are the main reasons we do anything at all. The desire to feel “happy” is why we get out of bed each morning. At the same time, emotions can keep you in bed, because you’re “feeling” depressed. Feelings and emotions… So, we can safely say that your “feelings” are making/keeping you overweight more than likely. First thing we need to do is recognize that our feelings make too many decisions for us, including what we eat and second to unpack the emotional baggage, re-organize our thoughts, and throw the bad stuff away. Better yet, separate our emotions from our actions all together. Example: You know that eating that bowl of ice cream at 9 o’clock at night is bad, but you’ve had a bad day and you “feel”. (more…)

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MedShape Weight Loss Recipes For Fall

With summer on it’s way out and fall just around the corner, we thought it would be a good idea to share some easy weight loss recipes with everyone. Depending on where you live, fall and winter may mean more time indoors, which means more temptation. Therefore it’s best to keep the fridge stocked with low-carb, high-protein foods, like the ones we’ve outlined here. We know there are a ton of unique and delicious recipes that can help contribute too or maintain your weight-loss, so come on everyone, lets share a little. if you have an interesting recipe you’d like to share, just put it in the comments box below.

Zucchini Meatloaf Italiano

MedShape Weight Loss Recipes - Meatloaf-Italiano

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 2 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
  • 2 tbs snipped parsley
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté zucchini, and garlic for 7-8 minutes
  • Let the veggies cool and put them in a big bowl with the beef, parsley, egg whites, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly
  • Take the meat mixture and put into a large loaf pan.
  • Bake 75-90 minutes, or until juices run clear.

**makes about 3 servings

Protein Pancakes

MedShape Weight Loss Protein Pancakes

Here is a delicious treat that uses our own Medshape Protein Powder!

In a blender, place packet of Medshape oatmeal, 3-4 egg whites, and 1 scoop of Medshape Protein powder. Add fruit if desired.
Blend until creamy.

On heated griddle, pour batter and cook on each side 4-6 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

Steak or Chicken Pizzaioli

Mamma Mia this is a tasty dish.. and packed with protein!

MedShape Steak or Chicken Pizzaioli

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 oz of chicken or steak
  • Tomato, diced
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • Black pepper, to ¼ tsp chili powder
  • taste

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Place ½ the diced tomato in casserole dish.
  • Add meat on top of the tomato and top with minced garlic.
  • In a small bowl, toss the rest of the tomato with the oregano, basil, chili powder and black pepper. Place on top of meat.
  • Cover tightly with foil or lid.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour.

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New Research Supports The Existence Of “Carb Addiction”

New research supports the existence of “Carb Addiction” and gets a look at what happens inside the brain of individuals consuming high carb meals, compared to those consuming low glycemic index meals. Many of us identify with the term “carb addict”, in a light-hearted way to describe some of the difficulties we encounter during a weight loss effort.  However, in light of recent scientific findings carb addiction is looking to be far more fact than fiction and we’re starting to better understand the benefits of a low-carb diet.

Over the last few years, scientists have made significant breakthroughs in the process of understanding eating habits and their relation to weight gain.  Additional insight has been added by the recent study: “Effects of dietary glycemic index on brain regions related to reward and craving in men” published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

This study used a technique known as functional MRI scanning in order to watch the brain activity as study participants consumed high glycemic index “GI” milkshakes. The study compared brain activity following the consumption of the high carb milkshakes to what occurs in the brain after individuals consumed milkshakes made to have a low glycemic index “low GI”.

The researchers found, as in other studies, that consumption of the high carb meal sharply increased blood sugar levels, leading to a crash in blood sugar levels shortly thereafter.  This crash was followed by a significant increase in hunger and desire for additional high carb foods.  The researchers noted that when the “rebound” hunger occurred following the crash caused by the high carb milkshake, a considerable increase in brain activity occurred in regions of the brain specifically associated with “reward & craving”.

Over the years this same pattern of increased activity in the region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens, has been observed in the brains of individuals who crave powerfully addictive substances such as cocaine and heroin.

As scientific discovery continues to shed light onto the processes that drive our food choices and eating habits, we will be able to continue to focus our weight loss efforts on recommending nutritional and lifestyle plans to support decreased levels of addictive brain activity vs. focusing primarily on low calorie intake.

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Low Carb Summer Snacks Your Whole Family Will Love

It’s hot, Hot, HOT… summer has hit!  As heat scorches across the country, bringing in the 4th of July and family vacations, I decided I needed to find some low carb summer snacks that will help me cool down while satisfying my sweet tooth.  Here is a short list of what I’ve tried and liked so far.  I’ll add more as the summer progresses and I experiment more!

  1. Chocolate Berries – Who doesn’t like fruit dipped in chocolate?  There are ways to enjoy this delicious treat, even while sticking to your MedShape nutrition plan.  It’s the easiest and quickest of low carb summer snacks that I’ve found so far.

    Frozen Chocolate Berries – Just measure out a cup of halved strawberries or raspberries, as allowed for your daily fruit serving, and dip them in Walden Farms Chocolate Dip.  It’s delicious and can be eaten frozen or fresh!

  2. Low Carb Summer Snacks

    Zoku Quick Pop – strawberry protein shake w/ strawberries, avocado w/ almond milk & 3 drops of liquid stevia, & raspberry.

    Zoku Quick Pops – Ok, so I jumped on the Zoku Quick Pops band wagon and bought one a couple of weeks ago.  Why?  It’s been a fun, challenging experiment to make healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods so I figured it would be even better to make healthy, instant ice cream pops!  As expected, it’s been a blast for me (and my 2-year old) so far.  We’ve made many different low carb summer snacks with it and I’m always surprised how fast come out.  Literally, you have the craving and in less than 10 minutes, you have your ice cream bar!

    Healthy Zoku Quick Pop Hint – just take your favorite low carb protein shake and dice some fruit to put in it.  After we experiment a bit more, I’ll post a blog of Low Carb Zoku recipes.

  3. Frozen Smoothies – Smoothies and green smoothies have been a hit in my house for a few years.  They never helped me lose weight though until I went through the MedShape Weight Loss consultation and realized I was adding the wrong things to them.  They were not the healthy, low carb summer snacks that I thought them to be.  I adjusted a few recipes to include only the allowed fruits and veggies, though, and they’re now a healthier hit!  Add ice to them and you’ve got an instant frozen smoothie or “shake” as my 2-year old calls them.  He loves them, too, and it’s an easy way to get raw spinach and other veggies into his lil body!

    Favorite Smoothie Combination – 1 c strawberries or 1/2 small apple, 1 c spinach, 1/2 c cucumber, 1/2 avocado, 1 c water and some ice

So, the summer heat has brought out a lot of new experimenting with foods and delicious cool down treats.  We’ll be adding more to the blog, as we discover them.  If you have any suggestions for low carb summer snacks, we’d love to hear them!

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*Results are not guaranteed and the weight loss depicted on this site may or may not be typical. Results will vary based on each patient’s physical health, family history, diet and exercise, physical condition and adherence to the Medshape Weight Loss Program. No prescriptions or treatments will be administered unless a clinical need exists based on an examination, any necessary testing or labs, a medical consultation and current medical history. Nothing herein should be interpreted as implying medical treatment or injections are necessary for successful weight loss.
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