If you’re like me and millions of other Americans, late-night eating/snacking is a rite of passage into the midnight hour. And trying to quit seems like torture. It’s so tempting to sit in front of the TV with a bag of chips, cookies, ice cream—you name it! Mindless eating becomes downright addictive. That’s probably where the term “comfort food” comes from. And experts say that kicking the habit is no different than quitting drinking, smoking or any other addiction. Tantalizing food commercials are part of the problem.

While afternoon is the most popular time to snack, late-night chowing is in the No. 2 position. According to a recent study from the University of Texas, snacking at night makes it all too easy to overeat. That’s because eating late in the day may be less satisfying than eating the same amount earlier in the day. Hence, a person eats more to get the satiated feeling. In the U.S., we also eat more at dinner than any other meal. Overweight adults tend to eat significantly more calories at dinnertime than normal-weight adults.

Nightline Prime on ABC News featured a segment this past Tuesday night about sleep eaters- who eat uncontrollably in the night. People with a sleep eating disorder are completely unaware of their middle-of-the-night eating and face additional weight struggles. The woman featured on Nightline Prime is now speaking out about her problem—that overweight sleep eaters are not just coming up with a convenient excuse for the extra pounds.

Despite the myriad reasons why we overeat at night, there are strategies to conquer our munchie demons:

• Don’t snack at night because you’re bored. Take up evening hobbies, read books instead, etc.
• Vow to eat only in the kitchen or at the table instead of in front of the TV. Or limit your TV eating to fruits and vegetables.
• If you get hungry later, snack smart with low-fat yogurt & granola, whole-grain cereal or fruit with a slice of cheese.
• Try having a mini-portion of your normal before-bed dessert. Then slowly wean yourself off of before-bed snacks.

Check out the Focus28 store for crunchy satisfying healthy snacks, and high-protein desserts.

To read more on this subject, check out this article on WebMD.

Losing weight is a formula.  It’s about eating the right foods and the right about of those foods.  It’s also incorporating an exercise program to compliment your food intake.  But there’s also an attitude component.  A positive CAN DO attitude will be the perfect compliment to your weight loss program.  Your positive attitude will aid in stepping away from the dessert try.  It will also help you walk a little further today than you did yesterday.  A positive attitude is very crucial to weight loss.

In the off chance you’ve over eaten or eaten something you know wasn’t quite right – having a positive attitude will help you forgive yourself and move on.  If you’re kinder to yourself and more understanding about being human you simply won’t give up on  your journey!  A great attitude will help you prepare to be on track after you’ve recognized your set back.

Whether you’ve recently adopted a positive attitude to your weight loss program or you’ve always had one, take it one step further by visualizing yourself thin.  What does it look like?  How does it feel?  What will you be able to do when you hit your goal weight?  Studies have shown that athletes that visualize their success end up being more successful!  If you continue to visualize yourself in your realistic thin self you will have weight loss on the forefront of your mind.  And break it up.  Imagine what losing five pounds feels like.  Imagine how buying the next size smaller will feel both at the store and when you wear that garment outside of your house.

And while you are adopting a positive attitude and visualizing yourself winning this battle, be realistic.  You didn’t add the extra weight overnight – there is no way you’ll loose the weight overnight.  There will be some ups and downs.  There will be plateau’s.  That’s how it works.  But you can do it!

Have you practiced visualization for weight loss or other things in your life?  How did it work for you?  We want to know!

We’ve all heard the stories about how childhood obesity rates rising – it’s epidemic and alarming.  More alarming is that 70% of these overweight kids never leave that mold and stay overweight as adults.  Sadly, without even knowing, you may be contributing to your child’s weight gain.

1) Tastebuds
We all have taste buds.  My pallate is different than yours.  The foods I enjoy may not be the ones you enjoy.  Why?  It’s all about the foods we’re exposed to as early as our earliest food introductions.  It takes 20 times for you to adopt a new taste.  So if our kids are being introduced to sugary snacks or fried food – those are the tastes they’re going to develop.  Adopt a healthy diet and your kids will too.  Don’t become a short order cook!  What you provide for the rest of the family is what your child should also be eating.

You are the purchaser of the food, you set them up for success and for failure.  If there are healthy snacks in the house, that’s what they’ll eat.  Stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from the prepackaged foods.  Your kids can’t consume what isn’t in the house.  Start today!

2. Follow Me!
Your children follow your lead.  If you’re not eating healthy and if you’re not exercising, your kids won’t either.  Start today with a walk after dinner.  Incorporate more healthy options into your meal plan.  Steam some of the great summer’s fresh vegetables tonight and grill lean meat. 

3. Don’t reward your children with food
It’s easy to do.  She got an A on a hard assignment and you take her out for a sugary treat to celebrate.  How often do you do that?  It’s not about eliminating all sweets, it’s making good judgements globally for your family.  While your child may have a feel good moment with this sugary treat, you are conditioning them that everytime they do something well they should get a dessert for their efforts.

Tell us how will you reward your children this school year.

Guess what? Dieting just got FUN this summer thanks to Focus28…

Our new diet cocktail recipes will put the zing back into your social life!  We all know dieting takes a ton of willpower and moderating eat & drink. But moderation, not abstinence, is the key. You don’t have to give up happy hour or the occasional cocktail as long as you do it strategically. Our new Hot August Strawberry and Cherry Cordial on the Rocks recipes are super refreshing and perfect for a summer BBQ. You can make them with or without alcohol—they are delish either way. Although alcoholic drinks do contain calories and tend to increase your appetite, Focus28 offers a strategic solution. Our drink mixes contain whey protein, making it feel like a meal! This way, you can relax with one cocktail instead of a “few” glasses of wine and you won’t be tempted to graze on munchies at the party.

Ms. Fatty’s Fun House just gave us a rave review for the “Hot August Strawberry,” a low-calorie summer cooler!

Hot August Strawberry

1 envelope of Focus 28 Berry Blast Drink

1 cup frozen strawberries

½  cup crushed ice

1 ¼ cups cold sparkling mineral water

(optional): 1 ½ oz. rum

Prepare: Put ice, sparkling water, drink mix, rum, frozen strawberries in blender

and blend until smooth and icy. Garnish with a lime.

Cherry Cordial on the Rocks

1 envelope of Focus 28 Chocolate Shake Mix

6 oz. Diet Cherry Coke

1 cup ice

(optional): 1 ½ oz. whiskey

Prepare: Put ice, Diet Cherry Coke, whiskey, drink mix in a shaker and shake until powder is dissolved.

Pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with cherries.

Enjoy these indulgences while the sounds of the beach and backyard pool parties are still in the air.

After all, summertime calls for a little decadence…even if you are on a diet! 

Last week, USA Today ran a rather shocking article showing just how far people are willing to go to lose weight. The new poll, conducted by Nutrisystem, asked over 1,000 people how important weight control is to them. They were also asked to reveal what deterrents kept them away from dieting.

Half of the women said they would rather go without sex for the summer than gain 10 pounds. A fourth of the men felt the same way. This makes sense, since feeling insecure about weight takes away from a good sexual experience. Most people said they would rather shed 10 to 20 pounds over the summer than get promoted at work. Wow…really? Almost half of those surveyed say they don’t want to diet because they don’t want to give up their favorite foods. Yet, among the 1,000+ men & women, it would take an average loss of 23 pounds to feel sexier.

So, why not give something up? Aren’t we worth it? As a fellow Focus28 dieter, I am personally willing to give up ice cream to look better in my bathing suit in time for Labor Day. I LOVE ice cream. But as it is, I have a “mom one-piece” bathing suit I haven’t even gotten into this summer. Is ice cream really worth not wearing a bathing suit? I think not. So my pledge is abstinence from store-bought ice cream. But I have a secret weapon. Focus28′s recipe book has two great ice cream recipes I am going to substitute for the real thing. Toffee ice cream & S’mores ice cream both sound delicious. So, hopefully, this won’t be too much of a sacrifice…and I’ll still look better on Labor Day!

Not to be outdone by Nutrisystem, we want to ask all of OUR Focus 28 SUBSCRIBERS, what would YOU be willing to give up to look hotter in time for Labor Day? Send us a post and we will reply back with a Focus28 recipe substitute (if it’s a favorite food you are giving up).

We can do this! It’s only 2 weeks. And with an arsenal of great Focus28 high-protein weight loss foods, this is only the beginning of feeling proud of our bodies:)

You didn’t put the weight on overnight

Having realistic expectations when losing weight is as much a factor to your success as is eating the right foods and conducting the best exercise program.  If you create a goal of losing 50 pounds this month, when next month rolls around, you’re going to be disappointed and likely abandon your dream of losing weight.  You might figure, “you just don’t know how to lose weight, why bother?”

Why bother?!  Oh my goodness!  You should bother!  Your health depends on it.  There is story after story of people who have lost weight who no longer need to take their myriad of drugs because of their weight loss.  That’s not to say you will be free from all medications – only your doctor can determine that.  But, imagine not having diabetes anymore.  Imagine walking up those stairs without stopping midway.  Imagine a nightly stroll through your neighborhood or park without being tired.

So what’s realistic?  You might not look like the actor’s picture you have pinned up.  That’s not realistic!  They have private chefs and trainers that work with them daily like you work daily in your job.  If you need motivation look for a weight loss picture (before and after) that reflects your current weight and where you’d like to be.  And remember it’s a journey.  Create a healthy meal plan and weight loss program that will help you realistically achieve your goals.

How can we help you achieve your goals?

5 Tips for Low-Fat Cooking

These are simple things to do at home to help create good meals for you and your family.

-  Stir-fry veggies and meet in a pan or wok with a small amount of olive oil and seasonings.  Finish with chicken broth or low-sodium soy sauce.

- Steamed vegetables retain flavor, color and nutrients.  Steam in a basket over boiling water.

- Trim all visible skin and fat from poultry and meet prior to cooking.

- Use a rack to roast meat, poultry and fish so fat can drop off during cooking.

- Grilled meat with seasonings are tasty and fat drips away as foods are cooked.

- Skim fat from soups and stews before consuming.

Have you decided to begin a weight loss program?  Are you one of many that will simply talk about it for the next several months before you actually get down to it?  Will you complain to friends and family about how you simply don’t look like you used to and then grab a second piece of pie?

If you’ve participated on any committee or perhaps it’s part of a work mission – you’ve had to create goals.  Goals are great guidelines to achieve success whether it’s a corporate goal, a community-driven initiative or your weight loss goals.  Setting realistic goals and writing them down will help you remain accountable to those goals.   Set short-term goals and long-range goals.  Don’t forget to reward yourself when you’ve accomplished the goal.  Did you drop a dress size?  What about a new pair of jeans to show off your new figure?

Don’t be impatient!  You didn’t gain this weight in a couple weeks, you’re not going to take it off that quick!  Being unrealistic and not sticking to your program is one of the single biggest reasons people fail to lose weight.  You’ve made the decision to become more healthy, that takes some courage.  You need to follow-through.  You may hit a plateau, many do.  Don’t be discouraged.  Keep working!

How will you start?  Will you join a gym or workout at home?  Will you watch what you eat by keeping a food journal?  Will you start a high protein diet plan like Focus28?

How are you accomplishing your weight loss goals?

Is Your Diet Balanced?

Eating foods that are good for you instead of foods that are bad for you is a great way to stay healthy and thin. Preventing type 2 diabetes is one way how balanced nutritional diets are good for you. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that occurs when the pancreas makes insulin and the body does not use it. This causes too much glucose to build up in the body. Type 2 diabetes can lead to other diseases. Heart disease and kidney disease are two types of diseases that can occur due to type 2 diabetes.

Weight Loss Isn’t a Race

Weight loss isn’t a race.  Oh sure, you’ve watched The Biggest Loser and that is a race under supervision of nutritionists and fitness experts in an extreme situation.  For you and me, weight loss is a journey and a process.

Yo-Yo dieters suffer more than those that create a life-long goal of being healthy.  The Farmington Heart Study followed dieters for 40 years and found that those that lost weight and gained it back raised their heart disease risk by almost 30 percent.  Additionally, The Journal of American Dietetic Association found that women who repeatedly lost and regained weight had weaker immune systems than women who did not engage in yo-yo dieting.

You don’t need to be a fitness fanatic to get into a fitness program, but if that’s you – go for it.  It’s not about entering a body building contest it about building a better body over time.   Choose a meal plan that works for you and engage in an exercise program that meets your needs.

Is this new news for you?  What do you think?  Give us your feedback in the comments section of the blog.