By Dr. Judy Siegel
Nutrition Counseling Avon, Connecticut

Bread, one of our earliest foods-present at every meal.  We love it!

So, what is it really?  Flour, water, yeast and salt.  Different flours, harder or softer, different rising temperatures, kneading procedures, baking times, shapes give us almost unlimited variation on this wonderful food.  Every culture uses a grain to make ‘bread” of some type.

Sometimes, however, we use too much of a good food.  Or, we find the poorest quality (cheapest).  White bread, the spongy kind of my childhood was wonderful, I thought.  Now it seems without character or nutritional value.  All the vitamins were removed, then, by law, four are put back-B1, B2, B? and B6.  Most of the fiber went too.  Better for us, a 100% whole wheat bread, around 90 kcal a slice.  Arnold’s, Pepperidge Farm, Entemann’s all make it, as do the local bakeries.  Read the rest of this entry

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By Dr. Judy Siegel
Nutrition Counseling Avon, CT

How many times have I heard this?  I see as clients the people who say this when I first meet them.  “I’ve tried Weight Watchers, other diets and, even though my friends lose, I don’t.  Is there something wrong with me?

 Maybe, your doctor didn’t study nutrition or overweight problems in medical school.  A thyroid problem may be his only thought.  He, or she, may check your thyroid profile to see if you are “running in a lower gear”.  But usually this is not the case.

If you are one of those who have trouble losing, and you need to do so, you may be insulin resistant.  This means you have to overproduce insulin in order to get glucose from carbohydrate containing foods into the cells where they can be used for energy.  Excess insulin can help to make you overfat, AND make it difficult to lose.   Read the rest of this entry

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By Dr. Judy Siegel

A reduced calorie diet for weight loss-Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?  Of course a DIET to lose weight has fewer calories!  Fewer that what?  Fewer than whatever you’ve been eating and few calories than you burn in a day.  Now we have a problem-how many calories do you burn in a day?  I don’t know and probably neither do you.  So, how can you decide how many calories to eat on your reduced calorie diet? 

Calorie is a measure of energy, the amount need to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water 1 degree Celcius, from 14.5 to 15.5 C.  It really is a kilo-calorie (kcal)-1000 calories.  So whenever you read “calorie”, think kcal.  All foods contain energy (kcals) and we use this energy from food to run our bodies, run to the store, run after kids, or just run-or walk.  All movement requires that we spend calories to get it done.  Most of the calories we burn are used for keeping the system going:  the heart pumping, brain thinking, kidneys and liver working, etc.  Below is a diagram of how your body spends calories. Read the rest of this entry

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With one holiday under your loosened belt, you’re gearing up for many more celebrations…and piles of seasonal comfort food. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be totally candid with you today.Sure, I could write you a ‘feel good’ article about cutting back a few calories and exercising a few minutes each day, but I’d rather be perfectly frank (and truly helpful).

Here’s the real deal: You abuse food.

That’s right. You’re overweight because you eat too much, and you eat too much because it brings immediate pleasure.

I am here to point out that this pleasure comes at high price…

The other side of comfort food: You’ve heard dishes being referred to as ‘comfort food’—some restaurants even have an entire section of their menu designated as comfort food. But comfort food is more than just a hearty dish. Read the rest of this entry

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By Dr. Judy Seigel

Do Weight Loss Diets Work?

If you are overweight, will a “diet” help you to lose weight?  What’s a diet?  If we define DIET as an eating plan with fewer calories than you burn in a day, then, yes.  Diets do work.  But how do you know how many calories you will burn today?  Most of us, nearly all of us, don’t know that answer.  That’s Problem #1.

Problem #2–

 Does it make a difference if I get those fewer calories from Milky Way bars or     vegetables? 

Problem #3   How come so many people (95%) put their lost weight back on.

Therefore–Is it even worth the effort it takes to lose in the first place?

OK—last question first.  Yes.  Extra fat weight isn’t good for you.  Work on it.

Problem #3—Weight that was slowly, carefully taken off doesn’t just “Come back”. 

It is invited back by giving up the diet that worked to take the weight off.  You can’t

go back to eating as you did before.  Remember, that diet put the weight on in the first place.  It will do so again!

Problem #2  This one is difficult.  Probably, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the form of starches (not fruits, vegetables or dairy) will help you to lose faster.  Milky Way bars are high in fats, calories, and sugar, low in vitamins and minerals.  Go for the fruits and vegetables. 

 Problem #4  This is an even tougher problem.  As a rough guideline:  if you are female and under 5’6”, not exercising or active regularly, use 1200 calories/day as a goal.  If  you are over 5’6” or shorter but very active, exercising almost daily, use 1500 calories as a day’s total.  Men under 5’10’’ who are on the inactive side, use 1500 and men over 5’10” or shorter, active men use 1800 calories.  Then COUNT them. 

By Dr. Judy Seigel

Exercise and Nutrition Counseling Center

Avon, Connecticut

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