Since I’ve started consistently tracking my food, I’m constantly amazed by how quickly calories can add up, particularly in social situations. Take your average cookout, for example. One 4-ounce cheeseburger with a bun can be around 500 calories. Add dessert, a beer or cocktail, and a few handfuls of chips while chatting with friends and you’re easily over 1,000 calories!…
Monica Thomas has disliked vegetables all of her life … until now. When she decided to be healthier, she knew she needed to include them whether she liked it or not. She started buying frozen veggies and jazzing them up with a little bit of cheese or a small serving of a healthy salad dressing (she now makes her own).…
Food trends come and go, but protein’s popularity doesn’t seem to be fading any time soon. Since I’ve been much better about tracking my food lately, I’ve noticed that I tend to eat a lot of fat and not as much protein as I thought. Keep in mind that the average American adult gets more than the recommended amount of…
Here in Wisconsin, many of us are bummed that our favorite football team will not be headed to this year’s big game on Sunday. On the plus side, watching the game is still a great excuse to get together with friends and family and enjoy delicious food. And, fortunately, it is possible to enjoy tasty game day treats without blowing…
September is a great time to be a sports fan here in Wisconsin. Our pro football team just kicked off the regular season with a win, college football is underway and baseball is still swinging. Game-day get-togethers are a fall staple and usually involve food, food and more food. Fortunately, it is possible to enjoy tailgating treats while staying on…
Lately, in an effort to save money on groceries, I’ve been actively working toward “Fridge Zero.” This term, coined by a friend and coworker, refers to using up all of the food (with the exception of condiments) in your fridge before buying new items. This has helped me get more creative with meals and is how I stumbled upon a…
Have you ever pored over a recipe, carefully planning every ingredient, only for it to turn out to be a big dud? If you’ve ever cooked or baked, chances are you may have made a flavorless side dish or cookies that could pass for hockey pucks. It happens. Throughout our weight-loss journeys, TOPS encourages us to keep trying and to…
Including energy bars as part of your meal plan can be a great way to control calories and tide you over in between meals. But if you’ve ever taken a stroll down the energy/protein bar aisle at the store, you may have found the experience a little overwhelming. There are energy bars boasting “high fiber” or “low calorie,” and can…
A short while back, I blogged about trying a kale smoothie. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks that salad greens and fruit can peacefully coexist in a blended treat. Katie Ferraro, a Registered Dietitian and nutrition expert for TOPS, shared a couple of different “green” smoothie recipes in a past issue of TOPS News membership magazine. If you’re trying…