The diet bore

You probably know a diet bore: there's at least one in every office, every group, and at every get-together. It's almost always female - men lose weight too but don't seem to feel the same compulsion to convert the entire world. Blame it on our innate female need to change everyone else.

The diet bore is the one who knows the caloric count of every morsel you eat, and makes sure you know it too. She can expound, at length, on the relative merits of sugar, salt, protein and carbohydrates. She actually knows the difference (and explains it ad nauseum) between mono and unsaturated fats, transfats, and essential fats. She knows what's good for you and what terrible things will happen if you actually eat what's on your plate.

She's the one who makes you cringe in a restaurant as she meticulously quizzes the poor waitress about how everything is prepared and cooked. She demands special substitutions and omissions and then complains that her meal is bland. She carries salt and sugar substitutes in her tote along with her trusty food value books and a calculator to loudly total the calories and carbs she (and you) has consumed.

She causes more of us to fall of our diets than Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders combined because she makes the whole concept of losing weight so damned boring that we don't want anything to do with it.

As we happily pig out on our spaghetti and meat balls (with garlic toast), we can take comfort in noting that the diet bore, despite the breadth of her knowledge and her too public weight control efforts, is always a little heavier than she should be.

Maybe she bores herself too?

Lizard spit and weight loss

In the southwestern United States lives a unique animal called the Gila monster. What is so unique about this lizard-like creature is the fact that it only eats three times a year. Why does it only get hungry every four months? Scientists, in the never-ending search for new medications, began to study the Gila monster. What they have come up with is truly remarkable.

The saliva of the animal contains a chemical that is enhancing the lives of many diabetics. What this chemical, called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), does for diabetics is the latest breakthrough in the fight against this disease. One of the benefits is the increase of glucose-dependent insulin secretion. This mimics our own body’s response to food; releasing insulin only when we need it. This process greatly reduces the peak and valley insulin levels usually associated with conventional insulin injections. It also increases the function of the insulin producing cells in the body.

The real breakthrough in this chemical is what is called beta-cell neogenesis. Beta-cells are located on the pancrease and are responsible for the release of insulin into the body. In a diabetic person, these beta-cells either die or stop producing insulin. This chemical actually causes the body to make more beta-cells. This is truly the beginning of a cure.

So where does the weight loss come into play? A side effect is decreased gastric emptying; meaning the food you eat stays in your stomach longer, up to four times longer. So your body is telling you that you are “full” for a longer time, because you are full. It also works on the part of the brain that causes pleasure when eating. Many people overeat because of the pleasurable sensation they receive, perceived or not. GLP-1 decreases this pleasure enough to make people just “not feel like eating any more” than is necessary for survival.

In real life studies, GLP-1 is shown to cause a 10% to 15% decrease in overall body weight. Because of the food staying longer in the stomach, many people feel nauseous after eating. This feeling usually goes away after a couple days and is generally caused by eating too much. The stomach is not moving the food through the digestive system causing a “back-up” of the system. Many people are used to eating a certain amount of food at each meal. With this drug, you will feel “full” faster and therefore eat less.

The drug is called Byetta (exenatide) and is marketed because it is the first medication that may enable patients with type 2 diabetes to achieve glycemic control while reducing or eliminating the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain. It is injectable only and the monthly cost is approximately $200 and must be kept refrigerated until administered.

The science of lowcarb diets why they work

You long for firmer muscles and smaller waist. Everybody does. Do you think you can’t lose weight? Yes, you can. But the truth is you can’t lose weight without a diet – a plan.

Low Carb Diet

Weight-loss experts and diet plan authors all agree that much of our excess weight comes from the carbohydrates we eat, especially the highly refined or processed ones such as potatoes, baked goods, bread, pasta and other convenient foods. To aggravate the problem, few of us get enough exercise to ward off excess pounds.

The basic science behind the low carb diet is to limit the consumption of foods with a lot of carbohydrates. The low carb diet includes many popular weight-loss programs such as the Atkins, South Beach, Zone and Carbohydrate Addict Diet.

Does It Really Work?

One of the food groups which the body needs to survive are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates also referred to as carbs come in two types – sugars and starches. Sugars are simple carbs usually sweet tasting like biscuits and sweets and easily digested. Whereas, starches are complex carbs found in bread, pasta, noodles and rice and take longer to digest.

The body transforms all these digestible carbs into glucose, the sugar that our cells use as fuel or energy. When glucose molecules pass from the intestine into the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that mobilises cells to absorb it. Muscle, fat and other cells then absorb the excess glucose from the blood and insulin levels return to normal.

After a meal high in glycemic index (ranking of foods according to how fast their sugars are released into the bloodstream), blood-sugar levels rise higher and rapidly. The insulin needed to fill all that sugar into muscles and fat cells also weaken the activity of glucagon, a hormone that signals the body to burn stored fuel when blood-sugar levels fall below a certain point. Glucose level drops so low leaving the body starved for energy. The brain and intestine then send out hunger signals. New cravings are created requiring more carb intake. We, then overeat that leads to more fat, rise in blood insulin level, more hunger, and more weight gain and the cycle goes on.

On the contrary, adhering to a low carb diet puts an end to this cycle. Reduced carbohydrates would mean decreased insulin level, increased glucagon level, weight loss, improved triglycerides (fats carried in the blood which are necessary but when excessive cause coronary damage), decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol), increase in HDL (good cholesterol).

The bottom line – Give refined or processed carbohydrates which cause rapid changes in blood sugar, trigger hunger, thereby encouraging overeating that ultimately leads to obesity smaller spots on your plate. Anyway, nobody ever died from skipping potatoes, pasta, rice and white bread.

That said; go get yourself a few good low carb cookbooks. Better still, leaf through this site’s 1,000+ low carb recipes – a seemingly endless variety of recipes. Try every recipe imaginable and make this diet as enjoyable and diverse as possible.

Yes, you can diet. Lose weight! Live longer!

Guide to healthy weight loss

Overview:

Low-cal diets and aerobics have been the typical "prescribed solution" to healthy weight loss. However, with numerous fad diets and a multi-billion dollar industry dedicated to weight management, shedding a few kilos should be easy. Sadly, the weight lost by dieters is almost always recouped. Consequently, many users fall into the "yo-yo trap," a recurring cycle of weight loss and gain. There are several reasons why this occurs and why food restriction for the purpose of healthy weight loss should be circumvented. Each time the body is deprived of essential nutrients, whether from fasting or dieting, it guarantees survival by diminishing the metabolic rate in order to reimburse for fewer calories. Energy is stored so efficiently in fatty tissues that someone of normal weight can survive for weeks without eating.

Furthermore, the desire to binge after food restriction, although disheartening to dieters is another built-in survival mechanism intended to click on after a famine. Our cellular metabolism is too innocent to tell the difference between self-imposed starvation and life-threatening famine. One of the most healthy weight loss ways to treat obesity is to combine exercise with proper diet. It is not a matter of how much an individual eats, but what they eat is important. Rather than restrictive dieting, simply learning how to eat in a healthy and balanced way can have a major impact on weight control. Incorporating healthier eating habits into your lifestyle can improve your overall health and help you achieve a permanent and healthy weight loss.

Both natural alternative and conventional medicine agree that we should consume whole foods with less fat and animal protein, with the minimal amount of processed, adulterated, fried, or sweetened preservatives, and eat more complex carbohydrates, especially whole grains rich in fiber, and at least five servings daily of fruits and vegetables. Lowering dietary fat and increasing physical activity are the two key factors to realize healthy weight loss. Eating well-balanced meals at regular intervals during the day (usually four to five hours apart) stabilizes blood sugar and helps you manage your appetite.

Whole dietary fiber foods can have a major impact on weight gain as evident by the almost complete lack of obesity in cultures that consume a diet in fiber. Fiber has been shown to not only reduce serum cholesterol, but to also pull dietary fat from the body into the feces. Other benefits of roughage include increasing chewing time, thus slowing down the eating process and inducing satiety, preventing constipation and stabilizing blood glucose levels. Whole grains (wheat, oats, rice, rye, barley, millet) have the highest level of fiber, followed by legumes, nuts and seeds, root vegetables (potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots), fruits, and leafy, green vegetables.

To attain healthy weight loss alcohol should be shunned or minimized, since it has been found to act like a fat in the body and promote weight gain. Cigarettes, which are smoked by many people to control their weight, also appear to shove extra flab to the abdomen. Medical and scientific data also point to the advantages of moving towards a vegetable-based diet. A diet low in animal protein, along with exercise and stress-reduction measures, can actually reverse cardiovascular disease.

Summary:

Healthy weight loss yields a positive psychological gain, increases overall body fitness, tones the muscles and rouses self-confidence. Positive mental health is an essential part of the concept of total health. Healthy weight loss improves psychological health, which eventually, helps in sustaining the correct weight. It offers a general dietary and lifestyle pattern that favors weight maintenance even without strict calorie counting.

The awful truth about television heavy tv watchers are twice as likely to be obese

Studies show: TV makes you fat

This large amount of time spent motionlessly staring at a screen is also hazardous to your health and girth. Numerous studies show a relationship between TV watching and obesity. The most striking were several studies published in The American Journal of Public Health. These studies found that people who watched three or more hours of television per day were almost twice as likely to be obese than people who watched less than one hour per day. Men, women, and children all had similar results. The waistlines of men, women, and children are all victims of their TV-watching habit.

40 studies found children's TV watching was related to weight

Reviewing 40 recent studies involving TV and childhood obesity, a Kaiser Permanente study found a definite link between the amount of time children watch TV and their weight. The review also found that interventions that reduce children’s media time resulted in weight loss.

It is common sense that TV will likely make you heavier

This issue, however, does not need the benefit of numerous studies. It is common sense to expect that people who watch a lot of TV are more likely to be heavier. Almost any other activity burns more calories than watching TV. Only sleep burns fewer calories. Talking on the phone, reading a book, doing the dishes—all burn more calories than watching television. With the national average of four and a half hours per day, the extra calories burned just by turning off the TV can add up quickly.

Commercials sabotage diets

Then, there are those nefarious junk food commercials. The mouthwatering hamburgers, candy bars, or luscious desserts practically beg you to consume them from the screen. There are approximately 32 commercials on every hour-long TV show. A significant portion of these commercials is for fast food and junk food. What healthy diet could stand the onslaught of these sinister, mouthwatering, commercials?

Where did that bag of chips go?

Finally, many people snack in front of the TV, usually with junk food such as potato chips, soda pop, or candy. In the zombie state that people usually fall into while watching TV, it is very easy to consume large amounts of food, simultaneously absorbing both the images and the food. “Where did that bag of potato chips go?” bewildered viewers ask.

Push a button and lose weight

The conclusion to this is obvious. Turn off your TV if you are trying to lose weight. It is the first step to a healthier, happier lifestyle. Turn off your TV and go outside. Turn off your TV and follow that exercise routine you started last New Year's.* Turn off your TV and do something fun with your friends or family. Turn off your TV and enjoy the rest of your life.

About 'The Awful Truth About Television' Series:

What happens when the average American spends 4 hours 32 minutes every day watching television? Trash Your TV's 'The Awful Truth About Television' Series explores the multifaceted problems with TV in eleven hard-hitting articles. Read the full series and you will never look at your television set the same way again.

*Check with your doctor before beginning any strenuous exercise program. Individual weight loss results will obviously depend on diet, exercise, and other factors.

sources:

Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH “Reducing Children's Television Viewing to Prevent Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial” JAMA, Oct 1999; 282: 1561 - 1567.

LA Tucker and M Bagwell. “Television viewing and obesity in adult females.” Am J Public Health, Jul 1991; 81: 908 - 911.

LA Tucker and GM Friedman. “Television viewing and obesity in adult males.” Am J Public Health, Vol 79, Issue 4 516-518.

The power of a fat busting food diary

Do you know that many people who successfully lose large amounts of weight and are also successful at keeping it off use a diary? This is no ordinary diary though. It is a food loss diary and using it can ensure total success no matter what your weight loss goal may be.

Never underestimated the power of a food diary. Using it daily will ensure you become much more conscious of your current bad eating habits. Through its use you can identify the cause of your weight problems.

So what is a food diary?

Well it is simply a small book you carry with you everywhere you go for at least two weeks. After this you can store it some place safe and refer to it three times a day.

So here is a quick explanation of a food diary:

Week 1.

In your diary on the first page note your current weight. Now for the rest of the week you must make a note of everything you eat during the day. This is why it is so important to carry the small book with you at all times. You must be disciplined in this. Every time you eat anything, even a small piece of meat or a nibble you must enter exactly what you ate and the time at which it was eaten. Then describe your motivations for eating it. Where you really hungry? Was the temptation of it being there too much? Where you feeling lonely or stressed? Take a note of all the feelings that lead you to eat the food.

At breakfast, lunch and dinner list all the foods you ate, why you ate them and how you felt before, during and after you ate them. Also note every bit of exercise to take during the day. It doesn’t matter how small it is just jot it down anyway. Also note when you went to the shops or to pick up the kids or just to get a message. Did you take the car or bus? Describe how you were feeling prior to taking the car or bus. Why didn’t you walk? Was it too far? Did you not have enough time?

Week 2.

Write down your current weight and follow the plan outlined for week 1. In addition, you can now start to analyse your diary.

Look over your entries for the previous week and the amount of food you ate. What type of food where you eating. Why were you eating it? For example you may have noted that you ate a chocolate bar at 1pm because you were feeling bored. You notice that this is a recurring theme almost everyday. So, go to your empty diary entries for week three and pencil in at the same time of day an activity that will relieve your boredom. If you can’t think of one then pencil in that you will go for a walk or start to do that odd job you have been putting off for months!

Perhaps you ate the chocolate because it gave you a certain feeling you enjoyed. Look at the feeling. Is there anything else you could do that would make you feel the same or a similar way? There are always alternatives. Jot one down in your diary!

Maybe you notice that the temptation to eat the chocolate was too strong to resist because it was just there. Pencil into your diary, on your shopping day, that you are to buy no chocolate!

Now look at your exercise activities for the previous week. When did you take the car when you could have walked? Could you pencil in an extra 15 minutes walking a day. Divide the 15 minutes into three 5 minute exercises, this way it will not seem like that much of a change. Park the car 5 minutes away from the shop. Walk to a bus stop that is 5 minutes further away. Did you not have enough time? Structure your diary to compensate, even if it means getting up 15 minutes earlier.

In this way you can use your diary to set out a plan for the coming week. Be strict with yourself and follow your plan. Tick off the things on your diary one by one as you complete them. Pencil in activities that you have always wanted to do. You will find that organising your food intake and exercise routine in this way will have a major knock-on effect on the rest of your life. You are getting organised!

Your food diary is a also great way of tracking your progress. Make sure you note in it all your accomplishments and list all your weight loss achievements. When you reach week 3 you can begin using your diary only 3 times a day - once in the morning to check your schedule for the day. Once after dinner to note your activities during the day and once at night to review your progress that day and structure the same day for the following week.

It is important to reward yourself every time you succeed at a task that you have put in your diary. Pencil in that at the end of a certain week you will buy yourself new clothes. Constantly review your achievements and give yourself credit for having done so well. This will keep you motivated and ensure you keep to your plan, continue using your diary and of course keep your weight healthy.