For Those Who THINK They Need Bread and Other Questions

Question: How many calories should I be eating?

Although, there are fancy calculations that factor in your age, height, gender and activity level, here’s a good ballpark amount: Typically, women lose weight safely and effectively on approximately 1400 calories a day. Because men tend to be larger and genetically have higher metabolisms, they can effectively lose weight eating between 1800 and 2200 calories per day.

Question: What should I look for in a healthy cereal and bread.

Ideally, your bread and breakfast cereal should be whole grain and low-calorie. The best tool for determining whether specific brands provide ample whole grains is to read their labels. Check the food product’s ingredient list and insure one of the first ingredients starts with the word “whole” or “oats.” Phrases without the word “whole,” like stoned wheat, cracked wheat, and enriched wheat flour do NOT guarantee the presence of whole grain.

What about tortillas?

I have not eaten bread in forever! I love to use wraps for everthing!!! Wrap this low-fat Mexican bread around veggies, beans, hummus, meats, or cheese for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. Or top a tortilla with low-sodium tomato sauce or salsa, sliced vegetables, and shredded low-fat cheese for a personal pizza. My favorite is AZTECA Buena Vida Low Carb Tortilla--love love love it!

When choosing cereal, ensure the first ingredient is whole grain, then use my following guideline: Per ¾ - 1 cup serving: 120 calories or less6 grams or less sugar 3+ grams fiber.
Some brands I recommend include: Wheaties, Total, Kashi Heart to Heart, Kashi Go Lean, MultiGrain Cheerios, Complete Bran Flakes, Puffins, and Barbara’s Shredded Spoonfuls.

Question: How often can you have tea and coffee on your plan? Some say is slows your metabolism so I thought I would ask. Also, [when it comes to] soda and juice, do you just recommend that we monitor the calories and treat it as a snack?

If you’re not caffeine sensitive, and have no medical conditions which preclude you from taking in caffeine, you can have as much coffee and tea as you’d like (just don’t add sugar and whole milk!). It will not slow your metabolism – that’s a myth. In terms of liquid calories, I try to discourage them as much as possible, including fruit juice. That’s because they don’t fill you up like solid food, and when you’re trying to lose weight, every calorie counts.