A recent assignment lead to me to looking into gender difference when it comes to the foods we eat while dieting. Turns out there is a big difference in how men and women approach dieting. And ladies, it may be that the guys are onto something. While women tend to diet to extremes cutting fat, carbs, processed foods and filling the void left behind with sweet fakes, men go for the gusto and enjoy manly foods --think bar food-- making small healthy tweaks to ingredients and preparation methods while controlling portions. Women tend to feel hunger is necessary for weight loss while men rarely go hungry, even while dieting.  In other words, men continue to eat and enjoy the foods they love, indeed the foods that contributed to their obesity, but they do so in a new and improved way.

One more big difference became apparent: men are not emotionally attached to food nor do they assign food moral values the way women tend to do. A man will over eat too much of the wrong foods at times but he is not likely to belittle or punish himself for "being bad." He will chalk a score for the other team and move on to the next play. For women, a single event of unhealthy eating can turn into a downward spiral of self-loathing and punishment, often in continued poor food choices.

In Today's Cooking with Kaye I share some of the things I learned about the differences between men and women who are dieting. Keep in mind, these are generalizations and I understand that one size does not fit all when it comes to dieting. I know there are many different behaviors to match our personalities when it comes to managing our health and weight with diet. I hope these generalizations, whether familiar or completely foreign to you, provide new insight into weight management. At LivingAfterWLS we talk so often about the WLS experience being a journey full of opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. No matter how different we all, we are all in this together.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 pound ground bison or lean (90% or leaner) ground beef
2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles, drained, divided
1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
1 cup very thinly sliced iceberg or romaine lettuce

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high. Place onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Place bison (or beef), 1 can drained chiles, 1/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gently combine without overmixing. Form into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Oil the grill rack and grill the burgers, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 155°F (165°F for beef), 4 to 5 minutes per side. Top each burger with an equal portion of the remaining green chiles and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.

Drain the onion and pat dry. Assemble the burgers on toasted buns with onion and shredded lettuce.


Ingredients:
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 lb bulk sausage, traditional flavor
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup skim milk or evaoporated milk
1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon water
8 whole grain hamburger buns

Directions
In large bowl, combine ground beef, ground sausage, bread crumbs, milk. Mix well. Shape mixture into 8 patties, 1/2 inch thick.

Spray large non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat until hot. Add onion, bell pepper and water; cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove veggies from skillet and cover to keep warm.

Wipe skillet clean and spray again with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat until hot. Add patties and cook for about 12 minutes or until there is no pink in the center. Serve patties and veggies on Kaiser rolls. Top with barbecue sauce if you want, and serve with a football game.


Ingredients
1 pound ground lean beef sirloin or ground lean turkey
1 cup fresh chopped onion
1/2 cup medium green bell peppers, chopped
1 (10 oz can) pinto beans, unsalted, fat free, canned, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cup no-salt tomato sauce
2 tsp chili seasoning
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons bacon bits
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 English Muffins, split and toasted

Directions
Brown the meat, onion, and green pepper in a skillet sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray. Stir in the pinto beans, tomato sauce, chili seasoning, black pepper, bacon bits, and Cheddar cheese. Lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. For each serving, top one English muffin half with 1/2 cup of meat mixture. Serves 8.

Neighborhood Community Kitchen

Men who report following a diet for weight loss say a hearty breakfast is key for staying on track all day. And by hearty I mean eggs, bacon or sausage, whole grain and some vegetable or fruit complex carbohydrates. Women, on the other hand, tend to eat "proper" diet food for breakfast such as yogurt or granola, a meal replacement shake, fresh fruit or simply plain black coffee or tea. You already know who feels hungry by 10 a.m.

Joel, a weight loss surgery patient from Indiana down 120+ pounds told me, "I need to have breakfast, to put my food on a plate and eat it with a fork and knife. It has to look like a meal. I tried going with shakes for breakfast but it just didn't do it for me. I'm born and bred a farm boy and we eat breakfast early, every day. But now, instead of 12 slices of bacon and 4 pieces of toast I have 2 slices of bacon, scrambled eggs and a few bites of toast." Joel added that he pays attention to his pouch and stops eating at the first sign of fullness. And he saves that strong cup of cowboy coffee for a little bit later in the day giving his food time to digest.

Most of us cite lack of time as the major barrier in preparing a healthy cooked breakfast. Dedicating some time once a week to ingredient preparation can make tossing together a one-pan breakfast a snap. Consider cooking a package of bacon or lean sausage all at once and store in the refrigerator until time to make breakfast. Clean, chop, and store veggies (in the recipe below we use sliced mushrooms) so they are ready to toss in the one-pan breakfast as you need them. Use non-stick pans and cooking spray to make clean-up a snap. Save leftovers and gently reheat for a warm breakfast the next day.  And set the clock 15 minutes earlier if needed: you deserve to start the day with a healthy hearty meal.

Here is a blueprint for a manly one-pan breakfast. Use it as your guideline for tossing together great food in snap to start the day off right.

Ingredients:
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mushroom slices
1 cup grape tomatoes, washed, halved
Salt and Pepper to taste
Canola or Olive Oil
8 large eggs

Directions:

The health content provided by LivingAfterWLS, LLC is intended to inform, not prescribe, and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice and care of a qualified health-care professional.

 

Here are few random observations from my research on men vs. women dieters:

~ Men want food that looks like food. A burger, a steak, a taco, all need to look like the food they are. One man told me, "Don't call it a taco salad; there is no taco. Call it a salad with taco stuff on top."

~ Men are not as likely as women to keep a food diary or count calories. While they lose useful data by not doing so, they are also less stressed about every bite of food they eat compared with food loggers.

~ Men are less likely than women to seek out sweet treats or indulgences. However, most men will accept and enjoy a sweet treat when presented with the opportunity to do so.

~ Men tend to plan get together with friends first focusing on the event. The food and drink is secondary to the. On the other hand, women will create events or gatherings focusing first on the food. This is attributed to gender-specific nurturing tendencies of women.

~ Men are motivated to buy foods marketed as energy and endurance builders. Women are motivated to buy foods low in fat, carbs, sugar and promising weight loss.

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