Urban Skinny NYC

It’s finally here! We reviewed 100 restaurants in NYC and dug deep to find 500 calorie meal options at each! This little food guide for the skinny set hits the shelves in December 2011. It’s divided by food type and hood and gives you options without sacrifice. You want guac and chips – we give you that option. Burgers sized right – we’ll tell you where to find them.

Let us know where you spent your days chowing. We’ll release some meals ahead of time to give you an idea.

Make sure you’re following Urban Skinny here and on Facebook and Twitter and follow Stephanie @TVnewschick on Twitter for info too.

Bad Fad Diet du Jour: The Baby Food Diet

We’d all do just about anything to look like Jennifer Aniston. She was reported to have tried the baby food diet, but has apparently denied it. Either way – don’t follow this fad. The baby food diet calls for 14 servings of pureed food a day. It’s not a weight-loss option girls. It is a fad. It’s the anit-Urban Skinny.

You don’t get enough food for starters. Remember, with Urban Skinny you should eat a minimum of 1200 calories. Period. End of story. Anything less will actually inhibit weight-loss. Baby food diet at best gets 1000 calories in you.

You’re certainly not getting enough protein from mush and protein is critical.

Here’s a big one to consider: whether you know it or not you get a lot of satisfaction from chewing. Chewing food is important because being satisfied keeps you on your weight-loss track. You want to stay satisfied so you can stay the Urban Skinny course.

And, if we must state the obvious: how will you eat baby food in front of your friends or on a date? Seriously? It’s embarrassing not to mention weird. You can’t stay social and eat mush. You just can’t. Urban Skinny has a better plan: eat in moderation the things you love. Go out for dinner and order smart, not smooshed carrots in a jar.

The bottom line too on all of these fad diets is that they’re not a long term solution. So great – you lose a couple of pounds eating this stuff, but its not fat loss, its water loss. As soon as you go back to whole food that you can chew, you’ll pack that fake-loss off.

Chew people and enjoy.

Salad Bar Calories Can Add Up – Know Your Toppings

What’s in Your Salad?

I know we all think ‘salad’ is the ultimate in weight-losing-meals, but we just want to make sure you’re not over-doing it at the salad bar. A salad could cost you more in calories than a slice of pizza.

So we came up with a list of toppings/calorie counts that might help you as you green it up! If we’ve left your favorite topping off the list email us at urbanskinny@gmail.com or comment on this posting and we’ll tell you the calories for each item!

Just to give you an example of how your salad choice impacts your calorie bottom line here’s a comparison:

Choice ONE:

Mixed greens, Croutons, Blue Cheese Dressing (not on the side) Bacon and Chicken is at least 600 Calories and full of saturated fat!!

Choice TWO:

Mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, tuna, vinagrette (on the side) and black beans is 400 Calories and packs a ton of heart healthy fat and fiber!

If you had just gone with choice two you could have had a nice glass of wine with dinner for almost the same calories.

Here are some toppings and fillings to consider in your effort to get Urban Skinny. Don’t forget to do the math:

Lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers are freebies! So fill up your bowl with them first!

Instead of 1/4 cup, which some salad bar places use, consider a “tong” or “scoop” as a similar measure.

One serving:

Peas, Carrots, Corn, Black Beans, Beets, Chickpeas or 5 Olives: 50 calories

One Protein:

Tuna, chicken, shrimp, turkey, tofu: 100 calories

Tuna Salad with Mayo: 150-200 calories

Eggs (2) 150 calories

Egg Whites 50 calories

Toppings – one small scoop or tong

Croutons 100 calories

Sunflower seeds 100 calories

Chinese noodles 100 calories

Craisins 100 calories

Raisins 100 calories

Almond Slivers 100 calories

Walnuts 100 calories

Mandarin Oranges 50 calories

Cheese 100 calories

Dressing (Always ask for this on the side – the takeout containers are usually the 2 ounce size)

Blue Cheese 300 calories

Creamy Italian 300 calories

Italian 200 calories

Olive Oil 480 calories (if full by itself – just drizzle it on)

Vinagrette 200 calories

Sesame Ginger 200 calories

French 300 calories

Russian 300 calories

Ceasar 300 calories

So enjoy, but watch the toppings! That’s the Urban Skinny way.

http://www.urbanskinny.com

Spring Into Skinny

Spring Clean Yourself, Not Just Your Home.

Spring is in the air, finally. That means it’s time to get out and walk the last two subway stops or park your car in the back of the lot, not the closest spot to the door.  Spring clean yourself, not just your home.

Take a look at your exercise regime and throw out the lazy excuses you’ve been using to stay inside. Clear your kitchen of temptations you know you can’t eat in moderation. You can have a cookie and still be Urban Skinny, but if everytime you buy a box, you eat the entire thing, well, then save the indulgence for a single pack.

Get rid of old habits and try new foods that make it easy for you to stay on Urban Skinny track. Um – have you tried the Clif Mojo sweet and salty collection? Totaly fab. They have 180-220 calories per bar and make a great and satisfying afternoon snack. Totally yummy.

If you’re in New York City, sign up for our events.

If you’ve ever thought of taking a pole dancing class, the Chelsea SFactor is hosting a bash for us. Pole Dancing is a great core workout and a ton of fun. As always, Domaine Carneros will be provide some delish sparkling wine and we’ll be there to sign books. Hope you can join. Space is limited, but the first 50 people to arrive get a gift bag.  Gals only.

Lancome on the Upper West Side is hosting a bash as well. Free book and gift with a $75 dollar purchase.

Urban Skinny will be on Cosmo Radio on Sirius XM Satellite Radio on Wednesday, March 17 at 3pm and watch for an upcoming review on Mizzfit.com.

Email us with questions at UrbanSkinny@gmail.com

Get Re-motivated, Get Skinny

Remember way back in December – you were shoving in a lot of mini-hot dogs and holiday treats because you KNEW you’d be going hardcore as of January 1 and finally get those extra pounds off! It was, after the all, a new decade. What a better way to bring in a new decade than with a new you.

Snowy long weekends came and went, maybe you had a dateless Valentine’s Day and now spring seems miles away. Time to re-commit and re-motivate and get into those skinny jeans by spring.

Small tweaks will make small people. Here are some Urban Skinny tips!

1)Eat your dinner on a salad plate, not a giant dinner plate. You’ll put less food on there and not stare at more plate than grub.

2) Dressing on the side, dressing on the side, dressing on the side. If you’re sitting there curious why you’re not losing weight, maybe you’re just over eating by a couple of hundred calories. Well, guess what – when you eat out and they drown your greens in dressing – you might be eating a ‘healthy’ salad that’s 300-500 calories. If you get it on the side and just dip your fork in or measure a couple of tablespoons, you’re looking at 100 or so calories depending on the sauce.

3) Get off the subway a couple of stops early and get your heart pumping or park your car in the back of the lost so you boost your walk to the office door.

4) If you go out for dinner with a group – do your homework. Find the restaurant online, look at the menu and decide on your meal ahead of time. Choose a nice grilled fish, pick your salad and sides dishes and commit. When you get to the restaurant and sit down, don’t even open the menu. Order FIRST so the gang doesn’t sway you to switch to the fondue and stick to what you picked before you left the house.

5) In this weather, sitting around with friends and drinking the red wine makes the cold feel less offensive. But remember – and this is a big one – don’t eat starches like bread or rice if you’re having a glass of vino with your dinner.  We’re giving you permission to have that glass, but skip the tators and starches. A glass of wine, 6 ounces of fish and a nice salad with 2 tablespoons of dressing is about 500 calories. A perfect dinner.

Don’t let the weather get you down! Think Skinny. Think Urban. Focus on spring and the hot new you about to emerge!

UrbanSkinny.com

Cold Water, Cold Days.

Here in New York City, we’ve been getting some mixed messages from Mr. Winter. It was freezing in December, and we were okay with that. But then recently, it was downright BALMY – hitting 50 degrees on a couple of days. And now, we’re back to freezing our bagels off.   Had it stayed cold the entire month, it might have been easier to accept.

Sometimes when it is this frigid, you don’t feel like drinking ice cold water. But whether you’re staying inside watching re-runs or out somewhere across the country hitting the slopes or hiking – one thing to remember, that doesn’t always feel right in the cold – is to stay hydrated.

Hydration is really important for weight-loss. For starters, when you’re dehydrated your brain confuses signals and might make you think you are hungry, when really you are thirsty. And that means you eat more. In the long run, dehydration can slow your metabolism down making weight loss more difficult.

Having a big glass of water before a meal can also just help you feel full. Urban Skinny fanatics make a point of ordering a large bottle of sparkling water in a restaurant – you’ll drink it since you paid for it and you might even avoid the wine if you’re chugging the sparkles.  And if you really are sweating it out cross-country or on the slopes – your apres ski should include water or sports drink (count the calories!) with electrolytes.

If you’re being active – fueling with food is important when it’s cold too! Before exercise have a balanced meal – carbs, protein and fat.  If you want a snack that sustains energy  (not just providing a quick boost)- eat fruit and nuts or peanut butter, not just fruit. Make sure you eat during hiking or skiing if you’re at it for more than 60 to 90 minutes.  During exercise it is important to replace carbohydrates for maintenance of blood glucose levels — translation: energy levels. Snacks should be high in carbohydrates and easy to digest.

So stay warm and Skinny!

New Year – New Urban Skinny You

Ready for a new Urban Skinny You?

Instead of making one big resolution – like losing weight – make some small ones that will help you get to that bigger goal.  Think of the little resolutions as your action plan to the New Urban Skinny You.

1) EAT BREAKFAST. Resolving to eating it every single day within two hours of waking up. It is a the best weight-loss resolution you can make. Breakfast jump starts your metabolism, which helps you get the pounds off.

2) RESOLVE TO BE CONSISTENT NOT PERFECT. You can’t be the perfect dieter everyday, but you can be consistent. Eat better than you used to and strive to achieve the small goals and you’ll see results.

3) BE REALISTIC WITH YOUR GOALS.  Don’t set yourself up for failure by saying you’ll go to the gym EVERY day, if at the moment  you never go. If you’re starting at zero – than 3 times a week is an accomplishment – so start there. It’s not as overwhelming and reduces the chance of burnout. And when it comes to pounds, don’t put a number on the goal at first.  Don’t say 2 pounds a week. Instead, plan to feel leaner by the end of the month – making a month of weight-loss your goal.

4) RESOLVE TO LOG YOUR FOOD EVERYDAY. Write down what you eat  as you eat it. You’ll be surprised how much you are sneaking in when you don’t write it down. It’s a small resolution, but a key to weight-management success.

5) WATER, WATER, WATER. It’s cold, we’re inside, we’re feeling like hot things instead of water. But keep drinking it – 8 tall glasses a day!

Happy 2010!