The Six Worst Coffee Drinks

Thanks to the website "Eat This, Not That" for this information! Click HERE to see the website.

The 6 Worst Coffee Drinks

6. #6: Worst Chocolaty Coffee Drink: Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)
520 calories, 23 g fat (15 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 350 mg sodium, 69 g sugars

Talk about double trouble. Within this chocolate calamity lurks three-quarters of your recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and as much sugar as you’ll find in 10 Rainbow Popsicles! Slash your calorie intake by switching to skim milk and cutting out the whipped cream. Knock the size down to a grande, and switch from the frappe to an iced mocha, and you’re looking at a drink with 350 fewer calories than when you started. Make a switch like that every single day, and you’ll lose about 6 pounds in two months!

Drink This Instead!
Grande Iced Caffe Mocha with Skim Milk (No Whipped Cream)
170 calories, 2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans), 70 mg sodium, 28 g sugars

5. #5: Worst Seasonal Coffee Drink: Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Gingerbread Latte (large)
450 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 290 mg sodium, 68 g sugars

This holiday horror packs a whopping 68 grams of sugar (that's as much as in three and a half Twinkies!) and almost a quarter of your daily calories. (Hope you weren’t planning to eat much today.) To enjoy the same chilly gingerbread coffee flavor, simply swap the latte for iced coffee and drop down a size. Suddenly, you’re looking at nearly half as much sugar and a far more digestible 270 calories.

Drink This Instead!
Iced Gingerbread Coffee with Cream (medium)
270 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated), 90 mg sodium, 36 g sugars

4. #4: Worst Caramel-Flavored Coffee Drink: McDonalds Caramel Latte with Whole Milk (large)
330 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated), 210 mg sodium, 51 g sugars

This caramel confection hides an unhealthy dose of sugar and an unnecessary amount of calories. But don’t blame the caramel flavoring entirely. Choose the flavored cappuccino instead for a fat-free, lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternative that will hit your sweet spot just the same. When given the choice, always opt for a cappuccino over a latte—they’re made with less milk than lattes, which means they’re lighter, with fewer calories.

Drink This Instead!
Caramel Cappuccino with Skim Milk (medium)
190 calories, 0 g fat, 150 mg sodium, 41 g sugars

3. #3: Worst “Arctic” Coffee Drink: Cosi Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (12 oz)
434 calories, 22 g fat (13 g saturated), 241 mg sodium, 46 g sugars

This drink’s deliciousness is no excuse for its queasy dietary overload: as many calories as you’ll find in nine Chicken McNuggets, as much sugar as in three and a half bowls of Froot Loops, and as much saturated fat as in 13 strips of bacon. Get the same great taste with a quarter of the fat and 245 fewer calories by opting for an arctic latte instead. No need for all that superfluous chocolate—the latte is just as delicious without the extra baggage.

Drink This Instead!
Arctic Latte (12 oz)
189 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 124 mg sodium, 34 g sugars

2. #2: Worst Hot Chocolate Drink: Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)
640 calories, 28 g fat (18 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 340 mg sodium, 78 g sugars

No one orders a hot chocolate and expects it to be anything but a dessert-like beverage. And certainly you should enjoy the occasional indulgence. But other times try this: Go with 2% milk and shave 50 calories. Cut the whip and trim another 70. Downsize to a grande and shed 120 more. Or swap to a cinnamon dulce latte, and cut out hundreds of calories while still indulging in a deliciously sweet treat!

Drink This Instead!
Cinnamon Dulce Latte (grande)
210 calories, 0 g fat, 135 mg sodium, 38 g sugars

1. #1: The Worst Coffee Drink in America: Cold Stone Creamery Lotta Caramel Latte, Gotta Have It Size
1,530 calories, 85 g fat (56 g saturated, 2 g trans), 161 g sugars

It may be coffee-flavored, but this latte shake is virtually unrecognizable next to your typical morning cup of Joe. It's simply a giant dessert drink disaster. This large shake has nearly a full day's worth of calories, as much saturated fat as you'll find in 62 strips of bacon, and you'll exceed your daily limit of trans fats in the few minutes it takes you to drink it. Oh, did I mention the ridiculous sugar load? (44 spoonfuls!) If you want a sweet, caramel latte taste, opt for the actual caramel latte at Cold Stone, not the shake. You'll cut more than 1,250 calories from your order!

Drink This Instead!
Lite Milk Caramel Latte, Love it Size
250 calories, 2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 34 g sugars

You can find this article online at:
http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/slideshow/6-worst-coffee-drinks

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog site of Central - A Christ-Centered Church's "Walking in Grace" Bible study, part of the First Place 4 Health study series. This study is created to help you understand your significance to God so that you can experience His freedom, live abundantly and extend grace to others. God's blessings to you as you study His word!

Stop... Drop... and Listen

Wild women are warm, generous and wonderful. Recently I was leading a group session and I asked the women what some of their goals were – not geared completely on physical/health goals, but life goals. After all, we are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional treasures, just like diamonds! One woman stated a goal I have never heard before in all my coaching time. I’ll call her Jane Doe, because if I gave her a shout out like I’d love to do, she would be terribly embarrassed (but you know who you are, dearie!). Anyway, Jane said, “I want to be able to give 100% of my undivided attention to each person who comes into my path.” W…O…W… this is her gift to each person she meets in order that they feel loved and special.

I gotta tell you, I was completely blown away. In this hamster-wheel world of pursuing Olympic speed multi-tasking madness (which, by the way, is proving not to be such a great idea after all), Jane has found a better way – a simple act which almost stops time itself, like a bubble surrounding Jane and the person to whom she is giving this beautiful offering of herself. I can personally attest to how warm and cared for I feel whenever I’m around Jane. I always look forward to being with her, and always come away feeling happier and blessed.

On my drive home that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I began to examine my interaction with others, and realized how lacking I was in giving someone my full time/attention. I may be listening, but often I’m doing something at the same time, my eyes are looking around, or I’m mentally elsewhere planning what I’m going to do next. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a complete oaf, but I became painfully aware of my scatteredness/duplicity in listening skills. Jane’s goal was inspirational, and got under my skin.

So… the next morning I vowed to make the same kind of commitment, to run towards the same goal as Jane. That’s the nice thing about positive, inspiration goals – they can be shared! I have begun to stop what I am doing when someone comes to see me and I give them my full, exclusive, unbroken attention. I turn towards them, focus on them, meet their eyes and listen. I avoid thinking of what I’m going to say in response to whatever they’re saying, I put down whatever I’m doing, and I’m just fully there for them. To me this is one of the simplest, loving acts I can give to another human being. My time and my attention.

I invite you to consider flexing your focus muscles, wild women, and fully give yourself into the conversation with the people you meet today. Stop… and listen… and gift them with the experience of walking away being a blessed person because they have been with you. After all, you are an amazing, warm, and wonderful wild woman!!

Blessings,
Linda

Tricks to Suppress Your Appetite (from Coach Linda Bush blogsite)

Today I’d like to pass along an article from Women’s Health Magazine Online that has some great ideas on tricks that will help you to tame your appetite. I have to laugh at the name of the hormone that causes us to be hungry – ghrelin. I think of it more as my hunger GREMLIN! Visually, it sort of reminds me of the little fuzzy orange creature used in the Weight Watchers ads! It lines part of the stomach and certain cells of the pancreas that stimulates hunger. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals. It’s the counterpart of the hormone leptin, which induces satiation (fullness). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghrelin)

About the potatoes… I recommend avoiding white sugar, white flour, white bread, white potatoes, etc. as much as possible. So while overall the whole potatoes trick is a good idea, I’d opt with substituting sweet potatoes, as long as you have no medical reason/allergic reaction to sweet potatoes. But again, that’s just my two cents!

So exercise your creative hunger-busting muscles, ladies, and enjoy!

Blessings,
Linda

Healthy Appetite Suppressant Tricks
(from Women’s Health Magazine Online by Loren Chidoni)
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/appetite-control

Rise and Shine with Protein
Nutritionists are always raving about lean protein, and for good reason: It keeps you fuller than other nutrients and takes your body more time to digest and absorb. But what you may not realize is that when you eat it also matters. A Purdue University study found that eating lean protein (such as Canadian bacon, egg whites, or low-fat yogurt) at breakfast keeps you satisfied longer than if you were to consume it at other times of the day. "Try to get at least one ounce (or 30 grams) of protein at breakfast," recommends Joan Salge Blake, R.D., a clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University.

Chow on Potatoes
The no-carb craze made spuds out to be dietary villains, but these starches actually have appetite-slaying superpowers. They contain a special type of starch that resists digestive enzymes. Because potatoes take a while to break down, they stay in your intestine longer, delaying the onset of hunger pangs, says Katherine Beals, Ph.D., R.D., a clinical associate professor of nutrition at the University of Utah. Have a baked potato with dinner (a medium spud is only about 100 calories) or better yet, try potato salad made with vinegar instead of fattening mayo; chilling cooked potatoes increases their hunger-busting abilities. Of course, potatoes cooked in a vat of oil (think French fries and chips) are still bad for your bottom line.

Embrace a Little Fat
Trimming all the fat from your diet can backfire. Oleic acid, an unsaturated fat found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados, helps quash hunger, according to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism. During digestion, it's converted into a compound that indirectly triggers hunger-curbing signals to your brain. Just watch your portions, warns Sari Greaves, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Unsaturated fats should make up about 20 percent of your total calorie intake. Greaves suggests snacking on two tablespoons of natural peanut butter, an ounce of nuts, or a quarter of an avocado.

Get Sweaty
Hitting the gym not only burns calories but also helps you consume fewer of them. A study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that 60 minutes of high-intensity cardio can reduce appetite for up to two hours afterward. "Aerobic exercise lowers ghrelin levels and increases the amount of an appetite-suppressing hormone in your body," says study author David Stensel, Ph.D. To maximize the hunger-dampening effect, make your cardio workout more intense by adding intervals (short bursts of speed with periods of rest in between).

Gobble Up Grapefruit
Grapefruit diets went out of style with Jane Fonda aerobic videos, but this citrus is staging a comeback. In a study at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, people who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost an average of 3.6 pounds in three months. According to Ken Fujioka, M.D., the study's principal researcher, these yellow-orange orbs lower your post-meal levels of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar and fat metabolism.

Chew on This
A University of Rhode Island study found that people who chewed gum for one hour in the morning consumed 67 fewer calories at lunch and didn't compensate by eating more food later in the day. "One theory is that chewing stimulates nerves in the jaw that are connected to the brain region responsible for satiety," explains study author Kathleen Melanson, Ph.D., R.D., an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. So pop a piece of sugarless—chewing it can keep the munchies at bay and burn 11 calories an hour. (Hey, it's better than nothing!)

Take a Whiff
Smelling food can trick your brain into thinking you've eaten. One study found that people who inhaled a peppermint scent every two hours ate 2,700 fewer calories per week than they normally did—that's nearly a one-pound loss! Banana, green apple, and vanilla had similar effects in other studies. And the more often you sniff these aromas, the more weight you'll lose, says Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Stash some vanilla-scented candles in your snack drawer or cupboards. And if you tend to eat when stressed, hold your left nostril closed and sniff through the right one to activate the side of your brain where emotions are processed. It could help reduce your anxiety and your appetite.

Think About It Thursday (from Coach Linda Bush blog)

In this morning’s email, I received an ad from Rodale Press (publishers of Prevention Magazine, books, etc.) offering me a “breakthrough” book that would rev up my metabolism to beat a menopause belly and turbocharge my weight loss to burn calories 2.5x faster! What made me want to throw my teacup at the monitor was the picture here. The flat-bellied model used for the ad looked to be all of 25 on her worst day, with “perky” girls and a belly that makes me wonder if she’d ever given birth. Not one smidgen of cellulite, just a lovely young woman – operative phrase YOUNG WOMAN.

Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me? I’m going to buy a book on menopause that features this person as our role model? She’s young enough to be my DAUGHTER! Hot flashes? Mood swings? Honey, she’s never seen a hot flash in her life, and her mood swings are probably because of cramps or PMS – and you expect me to believe she’s menopausal? I may be past menopausal, Rodale, but I’d have to be on the other side of Alzheimer’s to believe this!!! You have lost ALL credibility with me.

Now I realize that I’m ranting and raving here, but I believe it is warranted indignation. Have you noticed how bold the lies have become to women both young and “seasoned” in advertising lately? The models used on the majority of ads for miracle-wrinkle-reducing creams are generally WELL under 30, and have you become aware that most of the mascara ads have models who are wearing at least 1-2 pair of false eyelashes? C’mon now, even a 10-year-old can see that lie!

“Truth in advertising” has always been a phrase that goes along with “the check is in the mail” line of integrity. But some days it just rises up and slaps you. We want to stay as youthful and beautiful as we can be at any age, and I want to rep my age well. I want to be fabulous in my 50’s, sensational in my 60’s, sexier-than-ever in my 70’s, and on… and on… and on…!!! I plan on being the most bodacious (and smartest and most interesting and charming) 100-something in the nursing home! But keep it real, Madison Avenue, allow me to have dignity and grace and not try to compete with your insidious fabrications using some 20-something little smooth faced and smooth-fanny model! Women of ALL ages are gorgeous and amazing and sexy right this minute and many of us wouldn’t trade what we have/know now for going back to our 20s. Sure, the signs of aging aren’t something I look at in the mirror and sing out, “Oh goodie, look! Another wrinkle – yippee!!!” I admit there are days I want to take duct tape to lift up what has been going south for years. Yes, it’s a bit disheartening when what once would past “the pencil test” now can hide a can of cat food!!! But overall, I’m thankful I made it here, and I’m blessed to be healthy, and I’m doing everything I can to stay that way, and to be AUDICIOUS in the process!!!.

So, wild women, the next time you notice one of these bold-faced reDUNKulous advertisements, don’t just boycott the product, but exercise your cheeky courageous WILD WOMAN muscles and write the manufacturer and complain. For all women everywhere!!! You want good advertising for baby boomers – use a REAL woman! And if this hits a nerve with you, I would LOVE to read your feedback, so please comment!

Blessings,

Linda

Tighten Up Thursday (shared from Coach Linda Bush website)

I love me my comfy clothes. There just isn’t anything like coming home after a long day and slipping into either my easy-breezy “house clothes” (as my Mom calls them). You know, the “I can answer the front door without embarrassment but still be really relaxed” clothes. Then later in the evening I breath a deep sigh as I slip into my jammies and soft slippers. Ahhh….

However… one of the worst things you can wear regularly is a garment with an elastic waist. Yes, yoga and workout pants are fine… in the gym or on the workout floor. But you shouldn’t live in them. Why? Because one of a girl’s best friends is her belt or her button and/or zipper waistline. They won’t lie to you. C’mon now, you know what I’m talking about here! Every single one of us has experienced that moment of sheer horror when we go to zipper those jeans and realize, without even one glance into a full-view mirror, that something isn’t right (and don’t even try to use the lame excuse “Well, they must have shrunk in the dryer!”)!!! Yes, say it with me, wild women, the dreaded “MUFFIN TOP!” Noooooooooo!!!!!!! Seriously, if you had been wearing belted, fitted waistlines all along, would you REALLY be struggling with this issue? I think not...

The truth is, when a garment waistline expands, chances are you’ll be tempted to overeat, and YOUR waistline will expand. Wearing a belt forces you to be honest with yourself - it's like a measuring tape around your waist alll day long, keeping you real. It tightens up an outfit and makes you look better. In fact, I’ve often heard it recommended that you belt your outfits for a more slimming overall appearance. And isn’t it a great moment when you’ve been eating healthy and working out, and you can actually take that belt DOWN a notch? It’s one of those happy little "YES!!!" moments in life for all your hard work.

So take a deep breath, exercise those core muscles, and BELT IT! Minds were meant to be expanded, not waistlines!

Blessings,

Linda

Monday Mourning (taken from today's Coach Linda Bush blog)

Admit it, girlfriends, weekends tend to be the time when it’s easiest for us to choose less optimal healthy foods for our bodies. So many celebrations happen during the Friday-Saturday-Sunday timeframe—weddings, family get-togethers, to say nothing of tailgating parties, pot-luck dinners, Sunday football feed-fests, hot cocoa on the soccer sidelines, and all kinds of good things. Yes, good things, because you know I don’t believe it limiting your food choices. It’s more portion control and fitting those choices into your daily calorie allowance. The trouble is, we do tend to overdo it a bit on the weekends, and then we’re faced with the dreaded Monday morning weigh-in, where we’ve discovered we’ve put on 2-3 pounds in the same amount of days! The phrase “beached whale” comes to our minds (because we are always so unduly hard on ourselves), we feel bloated and sluggish, and defeated. While that’s certainly not the end of the world, it often is discouraging and tempts us to say, “Oh well, I blew it over the weekend, I guess I just will wait to get back on track for November. Oops – there we go down that slippery slope of Monday Mourning!!. Hang on, you have positive options!!

So for those of us (me included), instead of giving up, get back on track by eating especially “clean” on Monday. Stick with primarily fruits, veggies, and water, and let your body clean out all the junk from the weekend. For breakfast, have a big fruit salad (diabetics, watch those sugars), or maybe just some plain oatmeal with some blueberries and strawberries. At lunchtime, have a big salad with kidney beans or chick peas for protein. At dinner, steam up a ton of veggies and serve over brown rice (1/2 cup brown rice is one portion, by the way). Most veggies are practically free food, so you can fill up. For mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, bring raw veggies and graze away, maybe have a banana mid-morning with a few walnuts or almonds, and mid-afternoon have an apple with a tablespoon of organic peanut butter on it. Keep it light, keep it clean, and watch your portions.

While I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, I do tend to keep my diet fairly light. I don’t often eat red meat, and the bulk of my meat tends to be chicken or fish. However, this weekend I made a huge amount of meat sauce to go with my baked ziti dinner, and wound up eating the meat sauce/ziti yesterday as well as leftovers. You know the old phrase, “Don’t let it go to waste”? Well, remember, eating those leftovers can make it go to WAIST – YOURS! This morning I was up two pounds from Saturday. It happens. Don’t let it define your day or week. Just take positive, healthy steps to get back on track. Let’s all dig into that delish salad for lunch – join me, won’t you?

Exercise your body cleanse/back on track choices!

Blessings,

Linda