Bedtime eating, is a late-night snack ever okay?

Repost from http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2012/12/bedtime-eating/

*Image courtesy of Google Images*

Eating before bed isn’t always a no-no.  There are times when a nighttime snack makes sense.

Let’s say you’re my client.  It’s the first time we meet, and we’re talking about your eating habits.  As you’re telling me what you usually eat and when, you mention that there’s something you do that you probably shouldn’t… you always eat a snack right before you go to bed.  You expect me to tell you that it’s a habit you should break, but before I weigh in on the subject, I’ll want to know more.  What do you eat? How much?  Are you eating because you’re hungry? Or is it just a habit? And, if you don’t eat before you go to sleep, what happens?  Once I’ve got a better picture of your nighttime noshing, I’m in a better position to say if it’s right or wrong.

That said, I do – in general – discourage people from eating right before bed. For one thing, if your bedtime snacking is routinely taking you over your daily calorie budget, it’s a habit worth kicking.  And, unless your snack is really small, light and easy to digest, lying down soon after you eat a sizeable snack is a recipe for heartburn – and possibly a disrupted night’s sleep.

But, while it is a habit that I tend to discourage, especially in my overweight patients, bedtime snacking isn’t always “bad” – and might even do you some good.

Bedtime eating is okay if… you’re trying to gain weight

Many people who are trying to gain weight struggle with a less-than-voracious appetite – and may not feel hungry often enough to boost their calorie intake through multiple meals. But most find that with a long enough stretch between dinner and bedtime, they actually look forward to a small bedtime snack.

Bedtime eating is okay if… you’ve saved some of your calories for something small and light

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again.  Foods aren’t any more fattening when they’re eaten at 9pm than they are if they’re eaten at 9am. So, eating right before you go to bed isn’t a problem as long as it doesn’t cause you to exceed your calorie limit for the day.  Some people do this because their habit is to eat a small dinner early in the evening, and then stay up pretty late – so they do get a bit hungry before bed.

Bedtime eating is okay if…  you sleep better when you have a snack

Maybe you find that you don’t sleep well unless you eat “a little something” before you hit the sack.  It could be.  A small snack at bedtime may help to rebalance your hunger hormones.  Normally, your body’s production of ghrelin (a hormone that increases hunger) is suppressed when you eat, coupled with an increase in the production of leptin – a hormone that tells your body you’re satisfied.  If the balance of the two is off, a light snack might put you back on course.

Bedtime eating is okay if… you’ve got an athletic event in the morning

If you’re an endurance athlete, and you’ve got a big event the next day, a high carbohydrate snack before bed is easy to digest, and can help you to top off fuel tank for your morning activity.

Bedtime eating is okay if… you’re trying to gain muscle

Strength training builds muscle, of course.  But you can’t adequately bulk up unless your body has enough protein to work with – which is why most weightlifters know to take in some protein after a bout of pumping iron.  The building blocks of protein – amino acids – are what your body uses to build up muscle tissue, and your body depends on having plenty of amino acids available.  It stands to reason, then, that once your dinner has been digested and absorbed, the amino acid levels in your bloodstream will likely decline during night – which could slow down the muscle building process.  But a recent study¹ showed that having a high protein drink before bed can increase circulating levels of amino acids, which boosted the rate of muscle protein synthesis during the night.

¹Res PT et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 44:1560;2012.

 Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.

*Image courtesy of http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2012/12/bedtime-eating/*

Push back – your go-to guide to not eating when you’re not hungry

*Repost from http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2013/02/push-back-not-eating-not-hungry/

Everywhere you go, it seems, there’s pressure to eat.  Here’s how to push back.

For most of us, the last thing we need is the pressure to eat more.  But it happens all the time.  A few years back, one of the fast food chains in the US began a push to add a whole extra meal to your day –  “the meal between dinner and breakfast”.  I dounderstand the desire for an occasional midnight snack – sometimes you eat dinner early, you stay up late and you get hungry. But once that midnight snack morphs into “the fourth meal”, it starts to sound more like an everyday need – which just makes it easier to justify why we cave into the pressure to eat it.

This pressure to eat faces us everywhere we go, and it seems as if we’ve come to expect it – and accept it, too. I’m no longer surprised when I see free donuts at the dry cleaners, or a plate of cookies at the bank.  When I go to a restaurant, I expect that the server will offer to “start me off” with some deep-fried something or other, or ask me if I’ve “saved room for dessert”.  You’ve probably experienced the occasional pressure to eat from friends, family or co-workers.  Even when you shop for groceries, there’s pressure to buy more (“buy two, get one free!”), which just means more food in the house – and increased pressure to eat it.

With this constant pressure to eat, it means that we have to spend a lot of time trying to stop ourselves from giving in.  And that isn’t easy to do, since it’s almost expected that we should be eating more, not less. (When was the last time a server in a restaurant tried to discourage you from ordering appetizers or dessert?)

But you can push back.  Here’s how.

Push back when there’s food where you least expect it.

Like the donuts at the dry cleaners or cookies at the bank, you can probably think of dozens of unlikely places where you’ve encountered food.  This situation is probably the easiest one to deal with, since you really weren’t expecting the food to be there in the first place.  Ask yourself:  “am I hungry?”,  “is this something I want?” and “would I walk across the street right now to get this?”  Pay attention to your answers, which are most likely some combination of “no”, “not really” and “probably not”.

Push back when you’re grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping is a minefield of temptations – there are literally thousands of items there to entice you.  This is why making a list – and doing your darnedest to stick to it – is so important, since it will curb your impulse buying.  When you’re faced with ‘value pricing’ – which encourages you to buy more than you need – consider how you’ll deal with the extra.  If it can be stored out of sight, or repackaged into smaller containers, that’s fine.  But if having more around means you’re likely to eat more, that’s a bargain you don’t need.

Push back when restaurants offer you more than you want.

Just like value pricing at the supermarket, restaurants like to offer you value, too.  Free bread or chips doesn’t cost them much, but the cost to you could be a few extra inches on your belly and hips. Instead of those “deep fried something or others” as a starter, just ask for some water with lemon to sip on while you look over the menu.  Turn down the offer of an extra ‘side’ for just pennies more – unless it’s an extra side of veggies.  And when the dessert menu comes around, don’t even open it.  If others at your table are indulging, have order some coffee or tea to sip on while they eat.

Push back when family, friends or coworkers put the pressure on.

You’d think it would be easy to be straightforward with the ones you know best, but eating with those you’re close to is often emotionally charged.  There’s the family member who prepared something nice and high calorie “just for you” – and, since you don’t want to offend them, you feel pressured to eat it.  If you just can’t bring yourself to say no, then ask for a small piece and take just a bite or two…because if you finish it, there’s a good chance you’ll be offered another helping, and you’ll just have to start the process all over again.  And when you’re out with friends or coworkers and you feel the pressure to have something “just this once” or because “everyone else is having some” keep this in mind – being sociable doesn’t require that you have a drink in one hand and an tempting morsel in the other.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.

Review: Herbalife Radiant C Daily Skin Booster Gel Cream

*This is a product review by admin Shariffah Nazihah. All pictures are courtesy of Google Images except stated.

Assalamualaikum w.b.t., dan Salam Sihat semua!

Have you had your shake today? Kalau dah, bagus! Kalau belum, jom mulakan sekarang! Hehe. 

Semalam dah review tentang Herbalife Lip Refiner SPF 15 kan, so hari ni saya nak review lagi produk Herbalife kegemaran saya, Herbalife Radiant C Daily Skin Booster Gel Cream. *sekarang semua benda nama panjang-panjang, makanan pun panjang bagaiiii. 

Okay, sebelum saya bagi official description, meh saya terang sikit tentang produk ni. Basically, this product lives up to its name. As you can see, it's stated as daily-skin booster-gel cream. For me, for what I've experienced, krim ni lembuuuuuuuutttttttttttttttttttttt saaaaangggaaaatttttttttttt.......... Serious!!! Macam baldu! Serious! Double serious! Lepas tu, lepas pakai krim ni, muka akan stay lembut berjam-jam lamanya, and lepas 2-3 days you'll experience positive changes on your skin. 

This cream acts the same as your face serum. Kalau serum muka, kan kita pakai sebelum apply moisturizer kan. Generally bcos it can help boost up kerja-kerja your moisturizer to your face. *eh campur-campur bahasa pulak, kalau tak faham jangan segan-segan tanya okay! :)

So it's just the same like this one, but with additional functions. Official description? Jom baca ni :-

Harness the antioxidant power of vitamin C with this light gel-cream, and help seal in your skins own moisture. Radiant C™ Daily Skin Booster's rich emollients leave skin smooth, with a healthy, youthful radiance. For best results, use daily with Radiant C™ Face Quencher (yang ni pun best!)

Helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
Helps rejuvenate dull, tired-looking skin.

Made with high-quality vitamin C.
Includes extracts of apricot, apple and carrot, plus vitamin E.
An ideal base for makeup.
Helps minimize the appearance of pores.
Appropriate for all skin types.

Berkali-kali tengok gambar Skin Booster Gel Cream ni, berkali-kali jugak lah jatuh cinta dengan function dia :D
Btw, yang sebelah dia tu, yang botol kuning tu Face Quencher. Will review about it soon!
*Image courtesy of Google*

This is my Herbalife Radiant C Daily Skin Booster Gel Cream. Hehe. Sayang sangat okay. Sebab best sangat!*Image from personal gallery*

Alamak aii, kotak lu pun cantik bro. Sayang nak buang ni*Image courtesy of Google*.

So, cukup tak information ni? Tak cukup?? Mak aih. Try sendiri jom, pastu mesti tiba-tiba ada information banyaakk hasil dari result berkesan. Hehe.

For more inquiries, contact us at herbalife.roxx@gmail.com or personally text/call any of our admins in About Me section. :)

Jom Herbalife!

Assalamualaikum w.b.t., dan salam sihat semua!!!

Review: Herbalife Skin Activator Lip Refiner SPF 15

*This is a repost from our Facebook page; Health Coaching and Weight Loss. This review written by one of our admin (she herself experience it), Shariffah Nazihah Shariff Zainal.

Bismillah.. Assalamualaikum w.b.t. dan selamat malam!

Pelembab bibir terbaik! Skin Activator Lip Refiner SPF 15!

Lepas sapukan lip refiner ni pada bibir, bibir akan rasa lembab sepanjang hari. Less chapped lips, more refined and smootherlips, and it does not taste like anything you want to eat. Macam strawberry ke, oren ke, mangga ke, durian ke (eh ada ke lip balm rasa durian??). Sebab dia wangi ala-ala peppermint gituuu, segar je kan.

Kalau pakai sebelum tidur, esoknya mesti bangun dengan bibir yang lembab dan segar. Kalau sape-sape yang ada masalah bibir menggelupas tu, sangat-sangatlah sesuai kalau pakai Lip Refiner ni.

Eh, bukan perempuan je, lelaki pun boleh pakai tau. Lagisatu, Lip Refiner ni takde warna tiruan, teksturnya dalam bentuk krim. Kalau yang tak suka lip balm kaler-kaler tu, haa sesuai sangatlah. So jangan risau okay. Takde masalaahhh.

Jom cuba nutrisi luaran Herbalife! Call/text 0128613929 for mooorreee infos! :)

Kebaikan:
Melindungi bibir daripada unsur persekitaran dan penuaan.
Berperisa pepermin, krim yang mempermuda, memulus dan menyegarkan .
Mengurangkan garis halus dan dan melembapkan untuk mengurangkan tanda kedut pada bibir.

Don't rush when enjoying a meal!

*This article is courtesy from http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/2013/03/how-to-slow-your-eating-habits/#more-3453

When you eat fast, you tend to eat more.  If you always finish your meal before everyone else, here are my top six tips to help you slow your eating habits.

“They call me the vacuum cleaner!” one of my patients told me recently.   He’s been a fast eater his entire life.  “I grew up with six brothers and sisters – so, counting my folks, there were nine of us at the dinner table,” he told me.  “As soon as mom put the food down, we’d all scramble to get our share, and then eat it up as fast as we could – because the fastest eater had the best chance of getting a second helping before it was all gone!”  Even though he no longer has nine people at his dinner table, those old eating habits die hard.  This guy can still demolish a plate of food in seconds flat.

I’ve asked clients like this to actually keep track of how long it takes them to eat, and I’m often astonished at how much food they can put away in just six or seven minutes.  Sometimes, like my client, the eating habit traces back to childhood.  But there are other reasons we eat fast, too.  When you get too hungry, or are presented with really enticing food, you tend to eat more quickly – and to eat more.   When you finally do get the chance to eat, you’re likely to shovel it in.   And, when you’re really hungry, you’re more likely to reach for the unhealthy, high-calorie stuff, too.

Your stomach needs time to send signals to your brain to let you know that you’re full – about 20 minutes or so.  And it is a matter of time, not how much food you eat. Eating more food won’t make the signals travel any faster – there will always be about a 20 minute delay.  So you can feel full on less food – as long as you can slow your pace enough to give your body time to figure it out.  Here are some tips to help you slow your eating habits.

Improve your eating habits by slowing down

Eat in courses

Rather than sitting down with a whole plate of food at one time, try eating in courses.  Have your salad or veggies first – which will allow you to start to fill up on the lowest calorie part of your meal – then dig into the main course.  If you have limited time to finish your meal all at one time (like on your lunch break at work), then eat the main portion of your meal at lunch and save the rest for a snack, so you don’t feel pressure to eat everything quickly and at once.

Take smaller bites

The larger the bite, the faster you’re going to finish your food.  When you take smaller bites, you can make the meal last longer, which gives your brain some time to catch up with your stomach.  If you’re eating food that has to be cut up first – like a piece of meat or chicken – cut it as you go.  If you cut it all up into bite-sized pieces and then dig in, it’s too easy to get it all down quickly.

Eat more high fiber foods

High fiber foods aren’t just more filling than low-fiber foods, they also take longer to eat. Crunchy raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains require more chewing than foods like snack crackers or cookies, which slows you down. 

Swallow each bite before loading up your fork again

Fast eaters often have their fork loaded and ready to go while they’re still chewing the previous bite.  If you find yourself doing this, then make a point to change the sequence.  The next step after “chew and swallow” should be “reload fork”, not “shovel in the next bite”.

Put utensils and hand-held foods down in between bites

This is another habit that may take some time before it feels “natural”, but it really can help.  Once you’ve mastered the “swallow – load fork – take another bite” tactic above, you can add another couple of steps:  “swallow – put down fork – pick up fork – load fork – take another bite”.  And if you’re eating something that doesn’t require utensils, like a burger or a sandwich, try to resist the temptation to simply pick it up and gobble away.  Instead, practice putting it down between bites.

Sip on water throughout your meal

Train yourself to take sips of water frequently during your meal.  It not only slows your pace, it also allows you to consume more water with your meal, which – in combination with the food you’re eating – could help to fill you up.

***

Eating slower has been shown to lead to weight loss, but maintaining a slower pace is hard for people to do – and just as with other weight loss strategies, it takes a lot of practice.  Set aside time so you can have a leisurely pace to your meals, rather than trying to “work them in” to your already overscheduled day.  Because when it comes to race to the finish, this is one time when it’s good to finish last.

 Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.