The Case of the KIND Hungry Girl

The Diet P.I. is teaming up with KIND to question KINDAHOLICS, health experts, and more in order to uncover the best ways for you to be KIND to your body, your taste buds, & the world!  First up…the Hungry Girl!

Lisa Lillien (AKA the Hungry Girl) isn’t a nutritionist. She’s just hungry! In addition to the one million fans who subscribe to her daily e-mails packed with “tips and tricks for hungry chicks,” Lisa also reaches millions more with weekly columns on WeightWatchers.com and Yahoo!, and a popular cooking show on Food Network. Lisa’s not only a New York Times bestselling author; she’s also a KINDAHOLIC! Here are some Hungry Girl clues on how to do the KIND thing for your body, your taste buds, & the world!

Q.  How does being KIND to your body help you reach everyday health goals?

A. We need to be KIND to our bodies — they’re obviously super-important to us! And we only have one body… and we want it to last for a long time, right?

Q.  What are your top tips for being KIND to your taste buds?

A. I love finding foods that taste great that won’t pack on pounds. I have a lot of cravings and so I love to eat a wide variety of things to satisfy them…  and I love to share my finds in my Hungry Girl e-newsletter and on my TV show!

Q.  Do you have a favorite KIND bar?

A. Hmmmmm… I actually have many! I LOVE Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew +Antioxidants — Fruit & Nut Delight — and Almond & Apricot. I also pretty much love anything with cranberries!!!

Q.  How do you try to make the world a KINDER place?

A.  I work closely with Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles-based charity. The awesomely cool Hungry Girl van is used to deliver thousands of nutritious meals (at no cost) to seriously ill, homebound folks in the Los Angeles area. My pals at Project Angel Food have been doing amazing work since 1989. In their 18 years of service, they’ve delivered over 5 million meals!

The Case of the Confused Dieter

Here, the top eight weight loss mistakes!

1. NOT EATING ENOUGH. Drastically cutting calories sends your body into starvation mode. This results in a slowed metabolism so your “starving” body can maintain its weight. The trick is to reduce your calories enough to lose weight, but not so much that you negatively affect your metabolism.

2. NOT EXERCISING. Diet and exercise go together like Ginger & Fred and peanut butter & jelly. Both are good parts that, together, make an even better pair. In fact, studies show that weight loss results are much more effective with a combo of decreased calories and increased physical activity. 

3. CUTTING OUT FAVORITE FOODS. No food or drink is so high in calories, fat, or sugar that including them on occasion within overall healthy eating habits is going to cause a problem. The key is to moderate (not eliminate), so you don’t feel deprived.

4. NOT WATCHING YOUR DRINKS. Drinks (alcoholic and non) are an easy way to load your diet with extra calories. Sodas, coffee drinks, and even nutritious drinks, like milk and 100% juice, can spell trouble for your caloric bottom-line if you’re not careful.

5. SKIPPING MEALS. When you skip meals, your metabolism not only drops, you also tend to overeat at your next meal. Research shows people who eat breakfast (the most commonly skipped meal) are more successful at weight loss then people who ditch their morning meal.

6. FOLLOWING FAD DIETS. Fad diets, which usually promise speedy weight loss and insist you cut out certain foods or even entire food groups, are not long-term solutions. Not only are these unbalanced diets unhealthy, dieters regain any weight lost more often then not.

7. TAKING DIET PILLS. Diet pills don’t teach you how to make long-term, healthy changes, and they don’t build fat-burning muscle.

8. NOT FINDING HEALTHY SOLUTIONS THAT WORK FOR YOU. Research shows that a moderate weight loss of around two pounds per week through healthy, varied food choices, physical activity and permanent lifestyle solutions is the best (and only way) to lose the weight and keep it off. Bottom line: You have to find lifestyle solutions that work for you and your own unique personality.

What’s Your Diet Type? will help you find a weight loss approach that will work for YOU. With a short, simple Quiz based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), the world’s most trusted and widely used personality type assessment, you can match your personality to one or more of the four Diet Types: the Diet Planner, the Diet Player, the Diet Feeler, and the Diet Thinker. Then, learn: How to take advantage of your personality’s unique strengths to lose weight and keep it off—forever.

The Case of the Sex and the “Diet Type” City

In the HBO series and movie, Sex and the City, four successful, single women live, love, and date in The Big Apple. The four friends get together to swap stories, offer support, compare dating notes, and share their hopes and dreams. Stylish, sexy, and witty, it’s hard not to fall in love with this show, and with the four very different women. Each woman could represent one of the four Diet Types, and approach eating and dieting in the same unique way that she approaches dating:

Carrie Bradshaw is an incurable romantic who is constantly on the lookout for her ideal mate. She’s an emotionally vulnerable and imaginative Diet Feeler.

Charlotte York has an old-fashioned, traditional attitude toward dating and men. Like any good Diet Planner, Charlotte longs for stability and security.

Samantha Jones is a fun-loving Diet Player who is always up for a good time. She lives and loves to the fullest and is looking for Mr. Right Now as opposed to Mr. Right.

Miranda Hobbes has a no-nonsense approach to men. Skeptical and analytical, she’s a Diet Thinker trying to balance her career and her love life.

The question is: What’s Your Diet Type? Are you a passionate and idealistic Diet Feeler, an organized and responsible Diet Planner, an adventurous and adaptable Diet Player,  or an intellectual and independent Diet Thinker?

Our personality affects all facets of our lives-from the subjects that we like in school, to how we act in social settings, to the professions and careers we find fulfilling. It also determines why some diet approaches work for us, while others fail. In fact, knowing who you are is the most important information you can have when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy, and changing your lifestyle-for good! Find your Diet Type…lose the weight!

The Case of the Clean Cooking Mama

Gracious: characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit; “gracious even to unexpected visitors”; “gracious living.”

I am in love with the clean recipes from The Gracious Pantry! Clean eating (i.e., less chemicals and more whole foods!) is the ticket to a healthy life, and Tiffany, an aspiring registered dietitian and stay-at-home mom, graciously shares her clean–cooking creations in her charming blog. From tempting treats to crock pot dinners, if you’re looking to feed your family with yummy and good-for-you foods, Tiffany’s got you covered! Here are some of her top tips and tricks, from her (clean) kitchen to yours.

Where do you turn for cooking inspiration?

Honestly, my inspiration comes from desperation. It’s that never-ending question: “What’s for dinner, Mom?” that gets me every time. And when I’m truly stuck, I use The Flavor Bible. I don’t think I could produce the number of recipes that I do without it. It’s an amazing book.

How does eating clean help you track/control your weight?

I base my portion sizes on my palm or cupped hands. Protein should be the size of my flat palm, grains, fruits or starchy veggies the size of one cupped hand, and veggies the size of two cupped hands. It’s great because it’s really the perfect way to portion for any person. Your palms are always the right size for you, so your portions will always be correct. It’s a wonderful method and really helps me keep track of intake.

What are some packaged (but still clean!) products you turn to in a crunch?

I do buy my spaghetti sauce in a jar (Trader Giotto’s Traditional Marinara Sauce), and I get snacks for my son at Trader Joe’s. He loves the baked plantain chips and I’m guilty of enjoying them on occasion as well. I also love Lara Bars and Pure bars.

What are some of your personal go-to Gracious Pantry recipes?

Taco Salad (hands down the most often-made recipe in my kitchen!), Hummus (I honestly can’t live without it) and Smoothies (especially green smoothies with spinach!).

What are a few clean cooking tips everyone should know?

Whole-wheat pastry flour is a fabulous exchange for white, A/P flour. Also, you can “fry” many things (including onions, ground turkey meat, and chicken) in a pan using low-sodium chicken broth instead of oil.

What’s Your Diet Type?

Diet Planner: I do best when I am organized. I thrive on consistency, structure, and routine. I stick to my eating plan the best when I have a routine to follow. And I fall off track easiest when my routine has been upset somehow.