Chew More, Weigh Less?

Chew More, Weigh Less?

Next time you grab a handful of nuts to snack on, count to 40. A recent study revealed that when people ate a small serving of almonds, 40 chews quelled hunger better than 10 or even 25 crunches of the same amount of nuts. The Magic Number Not only did the extra chews help curb hunger best. .

Next time you grab a handful of nuts to snack on, count to 40. A recent study revealed that when people ate a small serving of almonds, 40 chews quelled hunger better than 10 or even 25 crunches of the same amount of nuts.

The Magic Number
Not only did the extra chews help curb hunger best, but also the feelings of fullness lasted longest when people gave the nuts the extra chews. And the practice may work with other foods, too, because researchers suspect it may simply be the mere act of chewing that switches on your brain’s satiety center. (Make your almonds extra special with this recipe from EatingWell: Spiced Spanish Almonds.)

Try These Tummy Tamers, Too
Some other ways to eat less and whittle your waist . . .
Save yourself the nut calories and chew this instead.
Leave the dishes on the table. Find out why eyeing the evidence of your feast helps put the kibosh on hunger.
Don’t eat at your computer. Here’s why.

Here are 10 more ways to fake out your appetite.

Burning Calories at the Gym
"Calories burned" readings on gym equipment are only estimates, but they provide a pretty good measure, depending on how honest you are with your information.

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By Krisha McCoy, MS
Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

You finish your workout on the treadmill and the machine reads 300 calories. But how do you know if that number is truly accurate? Experts say there's a good chance it's not.

Burning Calories at the Gym: Crunching the Numbers

At the end of your workout, most cardio machines provide you with the number of calories you burned. Keep in mind though that this reading is an estimate — and often an overestimate — and should not be taken as gospel. "If you see that you expended 300 calories for a workout, there is probably about a 10 percent margin of error," says Pete McCall, MS, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. "The number you see on the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical machine, stair climber, etc., is just an estimate, but it is a relatively accurate estimate. It is based on what is called metabolic equivalents, or METs, which refers to how much oxygen your body uses."

McCall says that one MET is equal to 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of your body weight per minute. This is the amount of oxygen your body requires at rest. When you work harder (e.g., when you exercise), your body burns more METs. "Your body has to expend energy to use oxygen. If you're running, your body needs more oxygen and your body spends more energy," McCall says.

The cardio equipment at the gym uses information on the number of METs it takes to perform a given exercise, as well as your weight if you enter it, to give you an estimate of how many calories you burned. "It is more accurate if you enter your weight and your age than if you don't," McCall notes.
If you are trying to lose weight, you may be particularly interested in finding out the exact number of calories you burned during your workout.

"If people are really concerned about monitoring weight loss, the gym equipment is a good estimate, but the best estimates are going to come from heart rate monitors," says McCall.

Newer heart rate monitors allow you to program in your resting heart rate and your age, and they use this information to give you a more precise estimate of the calories you expend.

Burning Calories at the Gym: Maximizing Your Burn

When deciding which piece of gym equipment will give you the best burn, don't count on the calories-burned estimates from the machine. In order to burn more calories, you simply have to work harder. So the best way to determine which piece of equipment will help you burn the most calories is by gauging how hard you are able to work on it — if you're not able to sustain a workout on the elliptical machine, for instance, use the treadmill instead.

While you can use the calorie counters on gym equipment as rough guidelines, the most important way to maximize the number of calories you are burning is to find a piece of equipment you enjoy using and to use it often.

13 Weight Loss Tricks That Work

13 Weight Loss Tricks That Work

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NOTE: The Weight-Loss Trick That Never Works Hydroxycut, a widely sold herbal supplement that touts powerful fat-burning powers, has a dark side: It could kill you.

On Friday the Food and Drug Administration recalled most Hydroxycut products after the death of a 19-year-old boy. The product is linked with 23 other reports of liver problems ranging from jaundice to liver failure. It's further proof that weight loss doesn't come in a pill. But getting the body you want doesn't have to feel like an impossible battle, either.

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1) Have Lots of Sex: First off, it's pretty damn fun. But it can also keep you on the slim track. Having an orgasm releases the same endorphins in your brain that eating chocolate does--without the calories. And research shows that the more weight you lose, the better your sex life gets: A Duke University study found that even a 10 percent reduction in weight (that's 15 pounds if you weigh 150) resulted in major improvements in all areas of the participants' sex lives, including arousal, feelings of attractiveness, and enjoyment of sexual activity (read: oodles of Os).

2) Make a Promise: It's really hard to blow off a commitment you've made to lots of people. If you join an athletic event to raise money and you default on your training, you're not just letting yourself down but also the charity and everyone who sponsored you. Go to stepbystep-fundraising.com and click on "Athletic Events" to find one near you. (Triathlon, anyone?) Some groups (below) even provide free coaching.

3) Enlist Fido: Consider adopting a fuzzy friend if you don't have one already. Studies show that owning a dog can help you drop pounds. Why? Come rain, sleet, or snow, you've got to get your butt outside with pooch a few times a day (unless you really want urine-soaked carpets). What's more, most pet owners say they don't want to let down their exercise-starved doggy at walk time. It's another version of rule number 2.

4) Rock Out: A recent study by the North American Association for the Study of Obesity found that women are more likely to stick to an exercise program if they listen to music while working out. So thank God for jogtunes.com. The site lets you select your workout pace, then download playlists of songs with bpm's (beats per minute) that match your heart rate. For example, if yours gets up to about 150 bpm when you exercise, songs like the Killers' "Mr. Brightside" are perfect.

5) Get Out Your Sexiest Skinny Outfit: You know that yogurt commercial where a woman takes a teeny-weeny yellow polka-dot bikini and hangs it on her wall to help motivate her to lose weight? She's one smart cookie. "I tell clients to take out an outfit they love and haven't been able to wear for a long time," says Christopher Warden, C.S.C.S., a personal trainer in New York City. "Just pulling it out of the closet serves as a visual reminder of the goal they're trying to accomplish."

6) Lift The Weight You've Lost: A great way to keep yourself from sliding into what-the-hell eating mode when your weight loss plateaus: Use dumbbells that correspond to the number of pounds you've already dropped. You can't possibly forget how far you've come when you're straining to complete three sets of triceps kickbacks with a 10-pound weight. Feel how much you're struggling to lift? That used to be on your butt!

7) Get Gabbing: Reams of studies prove that support from other people can keep you motivated to lose weight. And a new study from the University of Kansas shows that dieters who get counseling over the phone lose just as much as those who get it face to face. So if you can't make that 5 p.m. Weight Watchers meeting, check out Bally's Built to Fit weight-loss and nutrition program at ballynutrition.com, which offers weekly 15--minute phone sessions starting at $1 per minute.

8) Call On Your Inner Cheapskate: You don't blow off the dentist, even though having your teeth drilled is about the most un-fun thing you can imagine. Why? Because you'll get charged whether you show or not. Consider buying a package of personal training sessions and scheduling all your appointments now. Ditto with yoga or dance classes: Buy a bunch in advance and sign up at the same time. Who would throw away workouts that are already paid for?

9) Become A Class Regular: Join a group exercise class and make friends with your fellow regulars. Seeing your pals will inspire you to attend even when you feel like playing hooky. The guilt factor--always highly motivating--can help here too. After all, in a place where everybody knows your name, they'll also know when you've missed a workout.

10) Get Rubbed: A new study from Ohio State University shows that women who accept their bodies are more likely to have better eating habits. And decadent as it may sound, getting a massage can help with that. "Allowing themselves to be touched by another person--even when they aren't at their ideal weight--can help women become more comfortable with their bodies," says Mitch Klein, a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

11) Face Your Reflection: When you feel fat you probably shun mirrors. Turns out you should do the opposite. A study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that mirror-exposure therapy--staring at your bod in the mirror and stifling the usual criticisms of your thighs--can improve body image, which, as we said in rule 10, can help keep you committed to healthy eating. Try it: Speak to your reflection without using any negatively charged words. For example, instead of "I have a huge butt," say, "My waist looks smaller thanks to my curves."

12) Chart Your Progress: Weight loss is serious business. Treat it that way. Weigh yourself every morning--a study in the Annals of Behavior Medicine shows that people who do daily weigh-ins are more successful losers--and write the number down. If you're even vaguely computer savvy, it's a snap to create a chart with a fever line that shows the pounds dropping away over time. When you get discouraged--say, you haven't lost a pound in a week--seeing your long-term progress will boost your motivation.

13) Score Some Free Stuff: There's no motivation like saving money. And since insurance providers want you to stay healthy so you don't develop expensive diseases like diabetes, some offer perks that make getting fit easier. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, for example, gives its members discounts to certain gyms and free consultations with a dietitian. Check with your provider.

Equipment at the gym

I've recently started using a different piece of equipment at the gym. It looked intimidating. It looked like it would seriously make my legs hurt. I would be on the regular eliptical machines on the row behind it staring at it and wondering what pain it would cause. Sad, but true. Until the other day I finally got up the nerve to use it and I love it! I feel like I move more on it and it targets certain muscle groups depending on how high you set the ramp. It can work glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. WOW! It has different settings for you to work out each muscle group too! I love it and I sweat A LOT when I work out on it. Which means I'm getting a great workout I think. Haha! Here's is the link to the piece of equipment: http://www.precor.com/comm/en/efx-com/546i. The one on the site looks like a newer version of the EFX546i, but you get the jest of it.

Smarter Snacks Keep Off the Weight

Smarter Snacks Keep Off the Weight
Planning ahead is key to having the right snacks on hand when cravings hit.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Whether your snack attack hits in the middle of the afternoon or during late-night TV, it can damage your weight-maintenance plan. Mindless snacking will put back on those pounds faster than you can say, "Pass the ranch nachos."

Smarter Snacks: Better Choices
A lot of the time, it's the little indulgences that really add up, says Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at the Houston Northwest Medical Center. Here are some healthy suggestions from Banes to satisfy your urge for snacks and keep that weight from coming back.

Find healthy snacks with the taste sensation you crave. If your craving is sweet or creamy, try light or frozen yogurt, fruit, or sugar-free pudding. If your craving is crunchy or salty, try pretzels, popcorn, a couple of graham crackers, or apple slices with a bit of peanut butter.

Opt for protein. "When snacking, it's helpful to include a little bit of protein, like the peanut butter with the apple, or cheese and crackers, or string cheese," says Banes. "The protein will take some of the edge off the hunger pang. I've had patients who really like baked pita triangles with hummus. Sometimes you have to think a bit outside the box."

Don't forget the dairy. Banes' suggestion of dairy products such as yogurt and string cheese for weight maintenance is supported by a study of 338 men and women who were trying to maintain their body weight. Those who ate three or more servings of dairy a day held steady during the nine-month study, while those who ate very little dairy were more likely to gain.

Smarter Snacks: Stock Up Wisely
A little bit of snack planning and self-knowledge can go a long way toward helping you maintain or lose weight, says Banes, whose personal credo is "All things in moderation." But, she cautions, moderation does not mean a daily chocolate bar!

Know your temptation threshold. It's important to know how much self-control you have when you are near the snacks you really love. Some people may be able to keep chocolate in the house and only eat it every now and again, but others will find themselves gobbling up handfuls every day. It's wise not to keep the snacks that tempt you to excess at home or in the office, says Banes.

Keep healthy options readily available. Banes advocates filling up with vegetables and fruits. Research supports this theory. A study of 1,713 adults who have been successful with weight loss showed that those who ate five or more servings of fruits and veggies a day were most successful at achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. So stock your snack supply with baby carrots, grapes, celery sticks, apples, berries, fresh salad fixings, and other vegetable treats. Broths or other soups without a cream base can also be good snacks.

Have a vending machine game plan. The best-laid diet plans can go awry and you may find yourself staring down the office vending machine despite your best intentions. It is still possible to make good choices, says Banes. Remember to choose items that have that bit of protein in them. "Pretzels or peanut butter crackers would be a better option than, say, the M&Ms or the KitKat bar," she advises.

With advanced planning and some willpower you, you’ll be prepared to make healthy food choices that will satisfy any snack attack.

YOUR METABOLISM 101

Get a Grip on Insulin's Ups and Downs
(from Julian Michael's Newsletter)

One of the endocrine system's most important hormones is insulin, which plays a critical role in how your body uses food. When you eat, your digestive system breaks food down into glucose, and the glucose circulates in your bloodstream (where it's often referred to as blood sugar). In response to the rise in glucose after a meal, the pancreas releases surges of insulin, whose job is to clean the glucose from the blood. Insulin directs some of the glucose to the body's cells, which use it for energy. Some of the glucose is diverted to the liver, where it's converted into glycogen (stored glucose) for later use by the muscles. Insulin then helps turn any leftover glucose into fatty acids and stores them in fat cells, where they can be tapped later for fuel.

Problems arise when your body starts creating too much insulin, which can happen for several reasons. One of the most common is that you ate too many highly processed, refined carbs, such as white bread or pasta. Such carbs increase blood sugar dramatically, requiring a rush of insulin to clear the blood. If your blood sugar surge is really dramatic (as it would be if you ate those refined carbs on an empty stomach), insulin overreacts and works twice as hard to clean the sugar from the blood. This overefficient removal of sugar means that your blood sugar concentration drops, with the result that you feel hungry again and crave (and probably eat) more carbs. That's the postsugar "crash and binge" cycle, the root of sugar addiction. In addition, when your muscles are still fueled from your last snack, the insulin converts those extra calories into fat. And as long as large amounts of insulin remain in the bloodstream, your body won't have a chance to tap into your fat stores for fuel — so you won't burn any fat, either.

This cycle can eventually lead to insulin resistance, a condition in which your body produces insulin but the cells become insensitive to it — as a result, the insulin can't do its job to lower the glucose concentration in the blood. Insulin resistance is a precursor of type 2 diabetes and is common among overweight people. Elevated levels of glucose in your blood is a surefire sign of it.

There is hope for preventing the problem. The key is to maintain low levels of insulin by eating whole foods, pairing carbs with protein, and avoiding highly processed carbs. When your insulin-release mechanism works the right way, it helps keep your weight in check. When it's not working, you're in trouble. If you can take control of your insulin's ups and downs, you'll be primed to lose weight and restore your body's hormone power!

Let's Go Banana's!

One banana packs a potassium punch of at least 450 mg. At more than 20 percent of your necessary daily value, that's a lot of the vital mineral. But the banana's reputation as a potassium powerhouse is a bit overblown. Many other common foods--such as beans, potatoes and halibut--contain much more potassium. Of course, that doesn't mean bananas aren't generally healthy. In fact, they're one of the healthiest fruits around.

• Bananas are full of vitamin B6, which wards off fatigue and insomnia.
  
• The serotonin and norepinephrine that occur naturally in bananas help to combat depression.
  
• Because bananas are high in fiber, they keep the digestive tract healthy and regular.
  
• While they're high in potassium, bananas are very low in sodium--making them a perfect food to prevent high blood pressure and stroke.
  

Jimmy Dean's Delight Bowls

If you want something that's healthy for you and tastes great too, then you need to try these new breakfast bowls from Jimmy Dean! OMG they're awesome! The great thing about these bowls is that they're made with Turkey Sausage, lowfat cheese, and egg whites! So they're super healthy for you. When you take in the fat, calories, and dietary fiber it only adds up to 5 weight watcher points which I think is awesome! You can't even tell that Jimmy Dean's has used Turkey sausage in their bowls. I add a little salt and pepper and of course the much needed ketchup. Yes I'm a ketchup fan. And the Breakfast bowl is all set and tastes great! Its actually very filling too and just look at all the protein that you get out of it as well! You get 23g of protein! WOW!

15 lbs...

I finally reached the 15 lb mark yesterday for weight loss. I'm very excited about getting back into the 170's. You can follow my progress with the weight loss ticker I have on the side bar *smiles*.

Drink a Little Wine, Live a Little Longer

I really like the title to this article *grins*. So I thought I'd share! It has some great info in it!

Drink a Little Wine, Live a Little Longer

THURSDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Men who regularly drank up to a half a glass of wine each day boosted their life expectancy by five years, Dutch researchers report.

Light, long-term alcohol consumption of all types of beverages, whether wine, spirits or beer, increased life by 2.5 years among men compared with abstention, the researchers found. By "light," they meant up to 20 grams, or about 0.7 ounces a day.

While numerous other studies have found similar benefits, study author Martinette Streppel, of the division of human nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said 40 years of follow-up is noteworthy for many reasons.

"The main strength of our study was the collection of detailed information on the consumption of different alcohol beverages at each of seven measurement rounds," Streppel said.

The long-term, regular follow-up, Streppel added, enabled the researchers to study the effect of long-term alcohol intake on mortality.

The study is published online in April in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The Dutch researchers evaluated 1,373 men, all part of the Zutphen Study, started in 1960 and named for an industrial town in the Netherlands. The researchers followed them from 1960 to 2000, tracking weight, diet, cigarette smoking, the diagnosis of serious illness and other data, along with their drinking habits.

Over the follow-up period, 1,130 of the men died, half from cardiovascular disease.

The proportion of men who drank alcohol nearly doubled from 45 percent of the men in 1960 to 86 percent in 2000. Those drinking wine rose even more dramatically -- from just 2 percent to 44 percent.

The findings in more detail:

• All long-term light alcohol drinking boosted life expectancy by about 2.5 years in comparison to abstainers. Drinking more than 0.7 ounces a day extended life expectancy by nearly two years compared with nondrinkers.
  
  
• Wine drinkers who averaged just 0.7 ounces a day had a 2.5 year-longer life expectancy at age 50 compared to those who drank beer or spirits. And their life expectancy was nearly five years longer than nondrinkers.
  
  
• Drinking moderately was linked with lower death risk, and drinking wine was strongly linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke or other causes.

Streppel couldn't say if the findings apply to women, but suspects the polyphenolic compounds found in wine, especially red wine, produce the heart-healthy effects.

The study adds to the literature of the health benefits of alcohol, but has both strengths and weaknesses, said Dr. Arthur Klatsky, a long-time investigator on the health benefits of alcohol.

"Once again, it shows that people who drink [moderately] do a lot better than people who don't in terms of survival," he said.

However, as with other research, Klatsky wondered if it's the pattern of drinking or something related to the wine drinking -- such as wine drinkers being more likely to exercise or eat a healthy diet -- that is the real link.
In the new Dutch study, he says, alcohol from spirits contributes the most to the total alcohol intake, more than wine or beer.

"It's a little hard to think that a little bit of wine is what is responsible for extending their life," Klatsky said.
The finding, like similar ones, applies more to middle-aged people than younger ones, he said. "People over 50 are the ones most likely to have health benefits from light drinking anyways."

Much more important in reducing heart disease risk, he said, is not smoking, exercising regularly, eating healthfully and maintaining a healthy weight.

I did it!

I'm over the plateau I was on. I have been working out harder at the gym and making healthy choices in food. I weighed this morning and I'm 180.6 lbs. YAY! I've lost 14.4 lbs so far since I started my diet in January. Woo Hoo! I'm hoping to be in the 170's very soon!

The 411 on Calories

The 411 on Calories
Find out how many calories you need to keep your body fueled and fit.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

If you're interested in nutrition or weight loss, you no doubt pay a lot of attention to calories. But do you know what exactly calories are, and how many you really need?

Calories: The Good, the Bad, and the Empty
There is really no such thing as "good" or "bad" calories. "Your body processes each calorie the same," says Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator for the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas. But Lummus adds that some foods are far more nutritious than others. "We strive to make our calories the most nutrient-dense that we can, meaning that we are packing in a lot of nutrition for a very small amount of calories. You are optimizing your calorie budget, so to speak."

While calories get a negative rap when it comes to weight control, calories are actually an important source of fuel you cannot live without. "Your body needs calories for energy," says Lummus. Calories are the force behind everything we do, including eating, sleeping, and breathing.

"Calories are how much energy your body gets from the food and beverages that it consumes," says Lummus. Most food sources are composed of some combination of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and each of these nutrients contains calories. Yet it's important to stay away from "empty" calories in foods like sweets and soda, warns Lummus.

Calories: Finding Your Magic Number
You must find the right balance of calories every day, depending on your overall goals. "Eating too many calories and not burning enough through physical activities would yield a weight gain, while not eating enough calories [to keep up with your calorie burn] would yield a weight loss," says Lummus.

The number of calories a person needs depends on many individual factors, including age, weight, height, and activity level. When dieticians counsel clients on calorie needs, they take all of these facts into consideration and come up with a suggestion for how many calories are needed to maintain, lose, or gain weight.

In general, men need between 2,000 to 2,400 calories and woman between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. Consuming less than 1,200 calories per day can be harmful to your health, notes Lummus, since it may trigger your body to go into starvation mode, causing your body to actually hold onto calories.

Teenagers' caloric needs can vary considerably. For example, teenage boys may require up to 3,000 calories per day, while teenage girls usually need around 2,200 calories each day. "For children, calorie needs are going to change a lot more because they are growing so rapidly," Lummus continues. She says that infants 5 to 12 months of age need around 850 calories daily, 1- to 3-year-olds need roughly 1,300 calories daily, 4- to 6-year-olds need about 1,800 calories daily, and 7- to 10-year-olds require 2,000 calories daily.

"Counting calories is usually not necessary for children," says Lummus. "You just want to make sure that your child is getting all of the requirements from all of the food groups."

Both children and adults should get the bulk of their calories from a variety of healthful foods, including low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources — the building blocks of a nutritious diet.

Just blogging

Okay. This blog is for me to put my articles on, but its also to help me lose weight. I started at the beginning of January at 195 lbs. I'm down to 181.2 lbs as of this morning. Before I left for Disney I was at 181. So I've lost the weight I gained at Disney. I admit I've been slack on things after Disney, but I'm back in the game.

We're doing a "Biggest Loser" Challenge at work and I need to win it! *grins* The winner gets the jackpot of $200. Isn't that sweet? It only cost $10 to get in. For each pound gained (with a 2 lb leeway) over your starting weight you have to pay an extra $1. I've lost a total of 13.8 lbs so far. I think I'm doing good. I just need to get back to the gym and exercise. I've busted my butt the past two days in the gym. I feel like I've made a lot of progress since the first of the year. My muscles are stronger. I feel more fit!

I watch the biggest loser on Tuesday nights and wonder how some of those people drop 5-10 lbs in a week. I know they do extreme workouts. I'm going to try to push myself at the gym to go out of my comfort zone and to lose the weight I want. There are some people on that show that have lost 140 lbs in just 17 weeks which is amazing! I can't to see who wins! I'm rooting for Tara. I think she's a very strong woman and I applaude the efforts she's made and all the challenges she's won on there.

10 Ways to Get Psyched for Weight Loss

Ready, Set, Lose Weight
Weight loss is a journey. Make sure you're in the right frame of mind by mentally preparing yourself for the road ahead.

By Diana Rodriguez

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Losing weight — and keeping it off for good — requires both physical and mental preparation. You need to determine a weight-loss plan that you are able to stick with for the long haul. It's not easy, but there are steps you can take to stay motivated.

10 Ways to Get Psyched for Weight Loss

1. Commit. "The first step is making a commitment to yourself," says Anne Wolf, RD, a registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "Make a commitment and then share that commitment with somebody else." This will make you more accountable to your diet, exercise plan, and weight-loss goals.
   
2. Make a plan. "Think about you as a person, as a whole being, and come up with a plan that's going to be best for you," says Wolf. It should be a program that will help you lose weight, but also be easy to stick to. This goes for both diet and exercise.
   
3. Don't wait for the "right time." At one time or another, everyone has determined what they think is the perfect time to start a diet — after the holidays, after vacation, after tomorrow. "I think it's important to recognize that there's never a perfect time to start," says Martin Binks, PhD, director of behavioral health research at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center and assistant professor at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
   
4. Get in the right mindset. Don't fall into an "all-or-nothing" way of thinking, stresses Binks. You don't have to give up all decadent foods or exercise strenuously every day of the week. It's about small changes in your lifestyle that you can stick with and that will brings results overtime.
   
5. Be realistic. "Think about how your life is right now, and what you can realistically achieve in terms of an exercise and eating plan," says Binks. That means considering all aspects of your life, including work and family responsibilities. "If you will be traveling for business over the next two months, you probably need to think of a plan to eat healthily in restaurants instead of a stringent plan you would always need to modify," says Binks.
   
6. Make time for exercise. Fitness is a key component of losing and keeping off weight. It's important to create an exercise plan that's realistic according to your schedule. "Think about how much time you're going to have for exercise. Anything that gets you moving in the right direction is a good start," says Binks. Decide to make physical activity part of every day. All those extra steps add up to pounds lost, and it's even easier when they're steps that you don't really consider exercise — like a walk during lunch hour or hiking in a state park on the weekend.
   
7. Figure out what motivates you. Ask yourself questions to figure out what will help you meet your weight-loss goals, advises Wolf. For example, "Do you need a workout buddy? A reward at certain goals? How can you incorporate healthy foods that you enjoy? What types of activity don't feel like work to you?" These answers will help you formulate a plan that you can stick with.
   
8. Don't think diet, think life change. Preparing to lose weight isn't about starting a diet, it's about "starting to make healthy adjustments that you're going to fit into your life," says Binks. Being "on a diet" implies that it will end. To maintain a healthy weight, the diet and exercise changes you make in your life should be permanent.
   
9. Create a network for weight loss. "There's a social network that begins to develop as you start to attend fitness classes," says Wolf. Taking a yoga, aerobics, spinning, or kickboxing class gives you support. Make friends at the gym, or visit online community groups to find individuals with similar weight-loss goals. Not only will losing weight be more fun, but it will also be more effective.
   
10. Use outside resources. "If you have a difficult time with meals, there are companies like Jenny Craig that prepare your meals for you, if you have the money for them," says Wolf. She also suggests considering what sort of gyms, classes, and parks you have nearby — facilities that help you achieve your weight-loss goals.

It's not about preparing for a diet, but changing your life so that you don't need to diet. Eventually making healthy food choices and getting regular exercise will become a part of your day you don't even have to think about!

Do the Cardio You Love

JillianMichaels.com

Doing your first cardio workout can be a little overwhelming, particularly if you're doing it at a gym. There are rows and rows of different machines to choose from. Do you walk, row, step, or climb your way to fitness? Which is best?

The answer is, any of the above. You should do whatever you enjoy the most — just make sure you're pushing yourself and keeping your heart rate at 85 percent of maximum. Sure, some machines are more effective than others. But if you dread and avoid certain exercises, it will be harder to motivate yourself, right?
Make sure to keep it fresh — if you've been doing the treadmill for a while, switch to the stepper for a few weeks. If you have access to only one type of cardio machine, you can change the way you use it every once in a while so that you avoid the workout plateau and keep yourself challenged and motivated.

Another Tip: No Gym Needed
Jumping rope and doing jumping jacks are excellent forms of cardio that you can do anywhere. It takes time to build up endurance for jumping, though, so try doing intervals at first — jump one minute, rest the next, and so on. You'll find that by jumping, you'll burn calories and tone your quads, hamstrings, and calves. Try different types of jumps to target different leg muscles. When jumping rope, try kicking your butt (I'm serious!) or bringing your knees up as high as you can in between jumps. The possibilities are endless with this simple activity.

A Pre-Workout Meal to Help You Burn Fat

A Pre-Workout Meal to Help You Burn Fat

THURSDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The type of carbohydrates you eat before a workout may influence how much fat you burn during your exercise session, new research suggests.

Women who ate a breakfast rich in carbohydrates that do not cause a spike in blood sugar -- think muesli, yogurt, skimmed milk -- burned 50 percent more fat during a post-breakfast workout than did those who ate a breakfast rich in the kind of carbohydrates known to make blood sugar rise sharply, such as cornflakes and white bread.

Carbs that cause a sharp blood sugar rise are known as high-glycemic index carbs, while those that don't are called low-glycemic index carbs.

While other researchers have also found that a low-glycemic menu is beneficial to fat-burning, the new study has some unique points, noted lead author Emma Stevenson, a senior lecturer at Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K. She conducted the study while at the University of Nottingham.

"Most of the research in the effects of the glycemic load of pre-exercise feeding has been carried out in male subjects," Stevenson said. Most of it also has focused on endurance athletes, which doesn't describe the bulk of the population.

Instead, the new study included eight women of a typical healthy weight who averaged 24 years of age. On two different occasions, the women ate either a high- or the low-glycemic index breakfast, then walked on a treadmill for 60 minutes three hours later. Stevenson's group drew blood samples before the breakfast and also during and after the exercise to measure parameters such as free fatty acids, which are a marker for fat burning.

The average amount of fat oxidized during the exercise was 7.4 grams after the low-glycemic meal but just 3.7 grams the higher glycemic index meal, a nearly 50 percent difference.

Why the disparity? High-glycemic index carbs are known to spur a big spike in blood sugar, and the researchers believe that a meal rich in low-glycemic carbs, which elicit a lower blood sugar response, may boost the body's use of body fat for burning rather than for blood sugar.

Each breakfast totaled about 265 calories, but the low-glycemic meal had more fiber, the team noted.
The study was funded by Mars UK, the food and candy company. It is published in the May issue of The Journal of Nutrition.

The take-home message, according to Stevenson: To burn more fat, focus on the low-glycemic foods. "LGI foods tend to be whole grains, porridge, some whole grain cereals, soy and linseed bread," she said.
The new study makes sense and builds on previous research, said Barry Braun, director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who has done his own research on post-workout eating.

While Stevenson's study findings are limited to healthy-weight women, Braun said he suspects it will also hold true for those hoping to shed excess pounds. "Eating large amounts of high-glycemic carbs right before exercise is probably as detrimental for overweight people as it is for normal-weight," he said.

Like Stevenson, he said he is talking about pre-exercise meals for those who work out at less than triathlon intensity. "There may be a place for these high-glycemic carbs" when an athlete needs high energy immediately, such as before running a marathon, Braun said.

Last year, Braun's own research found that the type of food eaten after exercise can make a difference in weight control for everyday exercisers.

Based on his studies, Braun suggests that eating a meal low in carbohydrates after working out at moderate intensity, is potentially better for weight control than eating a meal high in carbs.

Health Tip: Too Much Exercise Isn't Good Either

(HealthDay News) -- Getting regular exercise is great for your body and can help relieve stress. But as with any beneficial activity, you can overdo it.

The American Council on Exercise offers these warning signs of over-exercise:

• Difficulty exercising to your normal level.
  
• Feeling uncoordinated.
  
• Taking longer than usual to recover.
  
• Faster heart rate (in the morning) and blood pressure levels at rest.
  
• Lack of appetite.
  
• Headache and muscle aches.
  
• Digestive or stomach problems.
  
• More frequent illness, bone injuries or muscular injuries.
  
• Problems sleeping.
  

Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk

Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk

4/28/2009

TUESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) --Numerous lifestyle factors affect older adults' risk of diabetes, a new study finds.

U.S. researchers analyzed the link between lifestyle and incidence of diabetes over 10 years in 4,883 men and women aged 65 and older. The lifestyle factors examined included physical activity, dietary habits, tobacco and alcohol use, and amount of body fat.

The study authors found that each of these lifestyle factors was independently associated with incidence of diabetes. Overall, each positive score in a lifestyle factor was associated with a 35 percent lower risk of diabetes among those with a low-risk lifestyle.

People with good physical activity and dietary habits had a 46 percent lower incidence of diabetes. Those classified as low-risk based on their physical activity, dietary habits, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption had an 82 percent lower incidence of diabetes. Not having those four low-risk lifestyle habits appeared to be associated with 80 percent of new cases of diabetes.

People who had those four low-risk lifestyle habits -- and also weren't overweight or didn't have a large waist circumference -- were 89 percent less likely to develop diabetes.

The study is published in the April 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"These findings provide an estimate of the public health burden of combined non-optimal lifestyle risk factors for incidence of diabetes in older adults, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Our findings suggest that, even later in life, the great majority of cases of diabetes are related to lifestyle factors," wrote the researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Cardiovascular Health Study.

The Truth About Metabolism

The Truth About Metabolism

There's only one way you can boost your metabolism legitimately. Find out what works and what doesn't.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

If you've ever tried to lose weight, you've probably wished you could speed up your metabolism and burn calories more easily. Weight-loss programs often promise to provide "metabolism-boosting" secrets, but the savvy dieter should know that many of these are just gimmicks.

Many theories about metabolism are falsely rooted in the idea that there are particular foods or beverages that will magically increase your ability to burn calories. While most nutritionists agree that eating meals based on whole grains and lean proteins is a healthy diet practice, this approach won't actually help you burn calories faster. Neither will "fat-burning" foods like grapefruit or cabbage.

"Unfortunately, there isn't a food that we can eat that is going to burn away those excess pounds," says Jenna Anding, PhD, RD, of the department of nutrition and food science at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

Here's the truth about other popular metabolism-boosting theories, including the one that actually works.

5 Metabolism Boosters: Separating Fact From Fiction

Don't eat close to bedtime. You may have been told not to eat too close to bedtime because of the theory that your metabolism slows down at night and you'll lose less weight than you would if you ate the same food earlier in the day. Not true, says Donna L. Weihofen, MS, RD, health nutritionist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisc. "Calories count whether you eat them in the morning or at night. The problem with nighttime eaters is that they are usually eating far more calories than they think, and the calories are denser."

Drinking water speeds metabolism. Drinking plenty of water is healthful for a number of reasons, but it doesn't make your body burn calories faster. It can help you feel full, which may keep some cravings at bay. "But that effect doesn't last very long," Weihofen cautions. "One of the things that does help is soup before a meal. A broth-type soup does help cut down on the amount of calories you will eat." Of course, broth won't speed metabolism, either, but it will help you stick to your diet plan.

Eat at the same time or at certain times every day to burn calories. Some diets recommend eating every couple of hours, while others advise sticking to a consistent schedule or number of meals for weight-loss success. Following a set schedule may help you stick to a diet plan, but doesn't help you burn more calories. "There's no magic to that," explains Weihofen. "It's whatever fits your lifestyle and your diet."

Eating breakfast boosts metabolism. Eating breakfast on a regular basis is important for shedding pounds, but not solely because it improves your metabolism, says Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center. "People who eat only one meal a day will shut down their metabolism. So breakfast is partly a metabolism-booster and it is partly to make sure you stay on track for the rest of the day," notes Banes. People who eat breakfast are less likely to binge later in the day, which of course promotes weight loss.

Build muscle. The reality is that there is only one way to enhance metabolism: Build more lean muscle mass. "The best way to increase metabolism is by incorporating physical activity, both cardio and weight training, to increase lean muscle mass, which is what burns the calories!" advises Dr. Anding.

Even at rest, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, Anding says. So weight-loss programs that encourage strength training and other forms of exercise to improve your metabolism are your best bet.

10 Steps to Manage Your Weight

10 Steps to Manage Your Weight

Practice these simple, everyday food and fitness smarts to keep your hard-fought new weight.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

You've just lost weight and you don't want to see that number go back up on your scale. With these 10 tricks from dietitians and successful dieters, you'll be able to maintain your weight with ease.

1. Build more lean muscle. Maintain, or even increase, your metabolism by continuing to build lean muscle. "Muscle has a higher metabolism than fat does," explains Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center. If you don't yet train with weights, add this type of exercise to your overall program now. If you do, increase the amount of weight you're working with to keep yourself challenged.

2. Fight off hunger with more filling foods. A three-year University of Pittsburgh study of 284 women between the ages of 25 and 45 found that those who avoided weight gain the best were the ones whose meals kept them feeling full. "Keeping that feeling of fullness can be done with foods high in fiber — think fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein," says Jenna Anding, PhD, RD, of the department of nutrition and food science at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

3. Avoid temptation. The University of Pittsburgh study also found that women who best controlled their weight were good at resisting the temptation to binge on forbidden treats. This doesn't mean never indulging in a gooey dessert again, but rather picking — and limiting — your moments. There are many ways to avoid daily temptations, including planning ahead when eating out and banning your worst weaknesses from the house.

4. Count calories. Another hallmark of successful weight maintenance, according to the University of Pittsburgh study, is regularly counting calories. Use your calculator to keep a running total throughout the day if that helps you keeps track of calorie consumption. Maintaining weight loss is hard; it's okay to be as careful as you were during the weight- loss phase of your diet.

5. Plan your meals in advance. A maintenance diet has a lot of the same components as a weight-loss diet. Having a meal-by-meal plan that you can stick to, although it has more calories than your diet plan did, can act as a guide to keep you on track.

6. Consider adding minutes to your exercise plan. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, but emphasize that the more you exercise, the better able you are to maintain a weight loss. You should aim for 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity every day.

7. Measure your portions. According to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) study of more than 4,000 U.S. adults, the biggest factors in success were measuring portions and fats, the most caloric foods, in particular. This doesn't mean you have to carry a food scale everywhere you go, but using it as often as possible at home will teach you how to eyeball portion sizes at restaurants and immediately know how much to eat, and how much to take home in a doggie bag.

8. Weigh yourself daily. The same CDC study reported that people who weigh themselves once a day are twice as successful at keeping off lost weight as those who don't step on the scale as often. Daily weigh-ins, which can be discouraging when you're on a diet, can be a boon during maintenance; they let you see, and stop, any slow creep upward as soon as it happens.

9. Include dairy in your diet. According to a study of 338 adults, those who ate three or more servings of low-fat dairy daily were more likely to keep off the weight than those who ate one serving or less. For women in particular, this has the additional benefit of improving bone health.

10. Let your plate be your guide. When you can't count calories or measure portions accurately, Banes recommends using the "plate method" as a way to control the amount you're eating. A great tip for dieters, it works just as well for people on a maintenance plan. Simply put, when you serve yourself using this method, at least half your plate should be vegetables and the remaining space should be divided evenly between lean protein and whole grains. If you go back for seconds, limit yourself to vegetables, fruit or low-fat dairy.

5 Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau

(Here's an interesting article I found)

If you've ever tried to lose fat for any sustained period of time - you may have hit a plateau. You have changed nothing, but suddenly the fat no longer disappears. The human body is incredibly adaptive, and will do its level best to maintain equilibrium (homeostasis).
The plateauing effect has to be the biggest motivation-killer there is. Unfortunately many popular diet books are strangely quiet on the issue -- I guess the concept doesn't sell well.
The best single word of advice is to make a change. Don't make the mistake of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result (Ben Franklin's definition of insanity).
What changes can you make?

1. Zig-Zag Calorie IntakeZig-zagging, or calorie cycling is the process of varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. Instead of consuming (for example) precisely 1800 calories each day - you can mix it up. Eat 1500 calories one day, and 2100 calories the next. This can be as simple as halving then doubling a portion size, or adding a post-workout shake into the plan. Just keep your body guessing.

2. Strength TrainingIf you are not doing this as part of your program or lifestyle, then it's time to start. Working your muscles will help to strengthen bone tissue, increase lean mass, and ultimately boost metabolic rate.

3. Change Your Exercise RoutineSo you go walking a lot? Then try jogging, or swimming, or cycling -- anything that will change the way your body is working. If you are doing low intensity cardio work, then try some high intensity exercise (such as HIIT).

4. Alter Macro-nutrient IntakeAlthough it sounds complicated, once again, the idea is to change what you are eating. If (for example) you are eating a moderate diet that is higher in carbs - try eating less carbs and more protein. There is no need to get super-technical over the whole thing. If you have a carbohydrate snack every day at morning tea time - change it to a protein snack. Whatever you are doing consistently - try mixing it up a bit.

5. Change Meal FrequencyIf you are eating three square meals a day - start adding snacks in between (which may mean reducing the portion size of the main meals). Eating often is an old and common style of eating - once again, you are trying to boost your metabolic rate.

I know all that - What else is there?Some of us seem to have more adaptive bodies than others. I remember when I was eating a fairly rigid diet, having three strength training sessions per week, and as much as seven (often intense) cardio sessions a week. After 3-4 weeks - the fat simply stopped coming off. The frustration was enough to make me take my meal plans (stuck to the fridge), screw them up and throw them away in disgust. I was furious and disappointed. I felt that I was doing everything "right". So what was the answer?

Chill out and back off... I was becoming obsessional. I started eating more, and gradually reduced my cardio levels. I gave my body and mind a break. In the process I have learnt to eat more intuitively. Every person is unique, and we must learn how our individual body responds - and how to work with that.