Weight Loss Diet: Overcoming Food Addictions

The best weight loss program starts with understanding ONE simple principle:

Losing weight is 10% about what you put in your mouth and 90% about what is going on in your head.

I want you to write down the above sentence and take it with you everywhere you go.  When you begin any weight loss program, times will get tough and you'll feel like you’re ready to crack.  That's when you should pull this sentence out and read it three times.

The reason why you have not found a lasting weight loss solution is not because you have bad genetics or no discipline.  The reason you have been unsuccessful is because most weight loss diet programs fail to educate you on your current relationship with food and how changing bad eating habits is no different than quitting smoking or overcoming a drug addiction. Food is the most powerful drug you will ever put in your body.  Even the best weight loss program won't help you lose weight and win your battle against fat is to understand and respect this principle.

We all gain exposure to “fun foods” through the special times that enrich our lives.  The first time you tried birthday cake you were probably surrounded by your whole family smiling and singing to you. Our associations with "bad" food almost always began with warm memories, but over time you developed an appetite for food that your body neither wants nor needs and this is why addiction set in.  

Why do you think a smoker stands outside in sub-zero temperatures to inhale a substance that could potentially make them sick or even die?  For the same reason you can’t help yourself from noshing on that bowl of chips every time you’re at a party. 

In today’s culture, our relationship with food almost never has anything to do with being hungry.  You are addicted to the way that particular food makes you feel.  In order to overcome an addiction to certain foods, you have to understand the difference between your appetite and actually needing food.

Don't try to boil the ocean when you first start trading your bad eating habits for good ones, but you are going to have to accept there will be "withdrawal pains" in order to make lasting changes in your lifestyle once you begin to implement a healthy weight loss diet.  The bad news is it's going to take some time before you can comfortably pass on a fresh slice of pepperoni pizza.  The good news is that once your brain syncs up with what your body really needs, you will be free to enjoy some popcorn with your movie every now and then.


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Weight Loss Diet: Why We Get Fat: A "Book Buzz" Review

It's been a while since I've come across a book that doesn't tip-toe over the truth about why most of the civilized world still battles with obesity.  In my opinion, Gary Taubes hit a home run when it comes to "keeping it real" in his latest book - "Why We Get Fat".


Let me start by saying that I stand hard and fast against eating highly refined, processed carbohydrates.  Science has proved they dramatically contribute to obesity and chronic disease and reducing the amount you consume will improve the quality of your health and ultimately…your life.  I designed my whole weight loss system around this hypothesis and I’ve experienced the results.

In “Why We Get Fat”, Taubes comes out of the gates with strong observational data addressing examples throughout history of impoverished people with high rates of obesity. People with low income are more likely to consume processed carbs on a regular basis because these foods are more cost-effective when trying to feed a family with little means.  Taubes' proposal is straight forward. Carbohydrates makes us fat. Forget about calories, the amount of excess fat you are carrying is not a consequence of how many calories you consume, ultimately weight is purely about carbohydrates when you are sticking with a healthy weight loss diet.  More specifically, highly processed carbohydrates.


Taubes’ view on exercise is sure to raise a few eyebrows.  Hit the gym for your health or do it just for fun, but don’t count on a vigorous exercise routine to help you lose weight if you’re eating the wrong carbs.  He goes on to say there are excellent reasons to exercise and a multitude of benefits, unfortunately “little evidence exists to support the belief that the number of calories we expend has any effect on how fat we are.” Case in point, I’ve seen some pretty fat line-backers during NFL Sunday night football, but I would not want to take them on in a fitness test when you consider the amount of physical training these men do on a daily basis. The weight loss industry has made a fortune touting exercise as a viable solution to fat loss, but Taubes stands firmly against the calories in/calories out hypothesis stating that one would be “hard-pressed to find a concept more damaging.”  The concept, that burning more calories than you consume will result in weight loss, has fueled the notion that obesity is a function of lazy people that simply lack willpower.


About halfway through, Taubes points most directly to the essence of the book by suggesting the most important question we need to ask is “why?”  Why do we overeat?  Why do we continue to get fatter?   It all comes back to the distribution of macronutrients in your diet (Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates) also considered weight loss foods. If carbs make up the most significant portion of your daily eating habits, than you’ve just found the answer. 


 “Why We Get Fat” is a well researched, if debatable, read. Perhaps my only issue would be Taubes’ take on eating as much protein and fat as you want - as long as the carbs stay out of your diet.  This sounds much like the Atkin’s Diet that became all the rage in the early 2000’s.  There is still an element to Taubes’ recommendations that smells like deprivation and restriction, the two things, in my opinion, sure to result in the failure of any diet given enough time.  Is it just another “magic” diet book?  I’ll leave it to you to decide, but there is definitely enough controversy in this book to make it worthwhile read.


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Weight Loss Diet: 5 "Super" Foods for Healthy Weight Loss

Incorporating the following "super foods" into your day-to-day meals provides an easy way to create a healthy lifestyle.  These super foods are full of health promoting benefits and incorporating them into your eating plan makes it easier to lose and manage your weight.

1.  Leafy Green Vegetables
These super foods consist of broccoli, spinach, bok choy and kale.  Green vegetables are packed with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium and iron. You can eat most of these vegetables raw, but they work into meal planning best by preparing them steamed or stir-fried.

2.  Berries
I'm talking about strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. These fruits are loaded with antioxidants and are high in fibre. Blueberries are the best source for antioxidants. The best weight loss programs make it easy to incorporate berries into your eating habits because you can usually find them fresh, frozen or dried. They can be used as an easy addition to salads, cereals, protein shakes and yogurt.

3. Citrus Fruit
Grapefruit, oranges, lemons and limes.   Most people know about the benefits of Vitamin C and how it helps to maintain a healthy immune system, but it also makes awesome weight loss foods.  Citrus fruits are also a good source of fiber, which will help keep blood sugar levels under control as well as keep you feeling full longer for easier weight management.  Grapefruit and oranges are great options to incorporate into breakfast meals, but try and eat them fresh as often as possible to maximize the nutritional benefits.

4.  Kefir
Kefir is relatively new on the scene, but has been rapidly gaining popularity over the past couple years.  You may have to find it in a recognized health food store, but most "big box" grocery chains will carry it in their organic section.  It has been documented that kefir has the ability to stimulate the immune system, enhance the digestion of  lactose, and combat the bacteria that causes most ulcers.  My favorite way to consume kefir is on its own as a morning drink, but you can add to smoothies, shakes or juices to mix things up.

5.  Fish
Salmon, tuna and mackerel are among the three most popular cold-water fish that contain oils rich in omega-3 fatty acid. This "good fat" protects your arteries against plaque build up and is effective in lowering the "bad" cholesterol. A healthy weight loss diet should always include fish as it is also high in protein which makes it an excellent source for creating healthy meals for effective weight loss.

For additional information on even more "super" foods I recommend picking up "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" by Jonny Bowden PH.D.  It's packed with tons of great info on making healthy and educated food choices. 


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Weight Loss Diet: Overcome a Stubborn Sweet Tooth

It never fails...

You make up your mind to start changing your lifestyle habits and eating healthy.  The first few days are really tough, but you are determined to stay the course.  A couple weeks go by and you begin to see measurable results.  You feel good, you feel strong and then one day as you’re waiting in line at the coffee shop to order your morning tea, a double chocolate doughnut catches your eye and you just can’t help yourself from indulging. 

When you are trying to lose weight on a healthy weight loss diet, many times cravings are an indication that you are not getting the right combination of nutrition with your meals or you are not consuming them in the right proportions.  More specifically, sweet cravings are a pretty good indicator that you are a little too lean on your carb consumption.  Everyone has slightly different nutritional requirements and that’s why it’s important to determine your own unique requirements before you embark on an eating plan for either weight loss or weight management.   

If you are following a healthy weight loss diet plan and getting the right amount of nutrition and that sweet tooth just won’t quit, here are some healthy ways you can try to satisfy your cravings without falling off the wagon:

1.       1)  Fresh fruit is always a great option for combating a craving for something sweet.  Try and stick with berries, apples, pears, grapes, citrus fruits and melon.   These fruits have great fiber content and are lower glycemic index scale.  Try to stay away from fruits like bananas, mango and dates.  These fruits have a much higher sugar content and will raise your blood sugar more rapidly which can result in even more sugar cravings down the road.  Also ensure you are combining a fruit snack with a healthy protein option such as cottage cheese or natural flavored yogurt.

2.       2)  Yogurt is a good option for taming a sweet craving, but be sure you are choosing from the regular fat kind (usually in the organic section) and never eat yogurts that are made with artificial sweeteners.

3.       3)  Nut butters (Almond Butter, Peanut Butter, etc. ) are also great option to quiet a sweet tooth as they’ve got a rich sweet flavor and still provide the fat and protein nutrients your body needs to keep your blood sugar in check.  You can eat it on its own with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg sprinkled on top or spread some on a few slices of green apple for a great morning or afternoon snack.

4.       4)  Sometimes all you need is fruity flavored herbal tea to calm a craving. Unpasteurized honey and agave nectar are my best recommendations if you need to add a little sweetener to taste.  This is a good evening alternative once you’ve already met your nutritional content for the day.  If you are not feeling hungry and just need something to take the edge off, this should do the trick.

Most importantly, always stay away from any kind of processed sugar.  Don’t be fooled by fancy labeling that tells you the granola bars are “low in fat” and “high in fiber”.  First of all, it’s not the fat content you need to worry about, it’s the sugar and secondly you would need to eat the entire box of those granola bars to get the same amount of fiber that’s in one fresh green apple.  The longer you can avoid highly unfavorable carbohydrate choices, the more your sweet cravings will begin to disappear.  

Just remember, the road to a healthy body is not always easy, but I promise you it’s worth it!


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Weight Loss Diet: Are Diet Pills Effective for Weight Loss?

Diet pill supplements can be used to support a weight loss diet plan for women, but it's important to be aware that they have side effects that affect everybody differently. One of the biggest benefits to using weight loss pills to supplement your diet plan is to help suppress your appetite, which can help to get you through the tough times as you transform your bad eating habits for good ones.

Losing weight is really only 10% about what you put in your mouth and 90% about what's going on in your head.   A lot of times when you are thinking about eating it's got very little to do with being hungry.  If you were truly hungry you would be just as happy to munch on a hard-boiled egg as you would be to snack on a blueberry muffin.  The truth is we develop habits with eating and just like any other habits, the bad ones are always hard to break.  Just as smoking cessation products can ease the struggle of quitting cigarettes, diet pills can take the edge off of  breaking your bad eating habits when starting a diet plan.

Let's start by understanding how diet pills work.

Before I talk about what diet pills can actually do for you, I want to tell you what they cannot do.  Do not buy into the myth that there are magic pills out there that will either melt away body fat or stop your body from producing fat.  This is simply not true.  The best a diet pill can do for you on a healthy weight loss diet plan is help you to eat less, or better yet, allow you to make better food choices.  It does this by suppressing your appetite.  I'm not trying to insult your intelligence here, but it's important to understand the difference between your appetite and actually being hungry.  Your appetite is controlled by your mind and your emotions (I feel like a cheeseburger) whereas your hunger is controlled by your body (I need energy).  Diet pills that contain appetite suppressants reduce your appetite pangs by stimulating the release of two hormones known as epinephrine and norepinephrine. The result is to interrupt the signal in your brain that tells you what you feel like eating.  Another benefit of diet pills is that they can improve your sense of  well-being, which helps you feel more emotionally satisfied and therefore less likely to gravitate to a bag of chips to get a sense of fulfillment.  On the flip side of this there can also be negative side effects.  The hormones stimulated through the use of diet pills will work to increase your blood pressure and heart rate.  This can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure or cardiovascular conditions.  

Diet pills with an appetite suppressant will help you lose weight  and also help you achieve weight loss because they assist you in overcoming the urge for unhealthy snacking.  It takes about 21 days to mentally break a habit, so if you are serious about changing your eating habits, an appetite suppressant can help you get there. But it's very important to research what you are taking to ensure you avoid misuse.  As with many medicinal substances there is always a risk of addiction.  If you seriously want to consider using an appetite suppressant to help get you over your bad eating habits I recommend starting with a natural or herbal supplement as they are less likely to be habit forming.

Diet pills can have a temporary place in your quest to reach your weight loss goals and achieve the healthy lifestyle you desire, but you have to remember that nothing of value comes without effort.  If you are not ready to make permanent and lasting changes to your diet and lifestyle, diet pills will not be the right solution for you.  I always recommend talking to your doctor before you start any health regime.  He or she can always make recommendations on which diet supplements would work best for you.


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Weight Loss Diet: Sugar in a Healthy Weight Loss Diet

We are fatter than we’ve ever been.  The United States is facing an epidemic with respect to the level of obesity in our country.  Based on data from the National Centre for Health Statistics, 34% of American adults over the age of 20 are obese (2007-2008).  Today, the average American consumes approximately 180 pounds of sugar annually compared to the 1800’s when that number was only about 18 pounds a year.  It's pretty scary to think where we are, but it's even scarier to think what this will mean for the future if we don't get educated on the dangers of this potent provision.

Over the years I've come to understand that sugar is the most misunderstood food item we consume.  Most of the struggles we encounter on a healthy weight loss diet have to do with this misconception about sugar. Most people associate sugar with highly sweet food products.  Donuts, ice cream, candy bars and chocolate chip cookies are obvious examples of food products that contain sugar, but what if I told you that your body doesn't know the difference between that donut you had for breakfast or the baked potato you had with dinner.  In fact, whether you consume a couple slices of whole wheat bread, a bowl of pasta or a chocolate bar your body breaks it down to the exact same substance.  Sugar can take many forms in the food we eat (sucrose, fructose, and maltose to name a few), but through our body's digestion and absorption process it all breaks down to the same thing…glucose.  Glucose is the simplest form of sugar and it’s what our body needs to ensure we receive the energy we require to go about our day.  Glucose is an important nutrient when it comes to fueling our bodies, but once your body has processed all the sugar it needs to function it stores the extra as fat.  When on a healthy weight loss diet, by eating a balanced diet from natural sources such as meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy you are getting more than enough of the glucose your body needs to function at its best.  It's important to realize that your body has a limited capacity to store excess sugar after it converts to glucose, but it can easily convert it into excess body fat. 

The major challenge in controlling our sugar intake today is that excess refined sugar is hiding in most pre-packaged foods on the market.  Advertising labels on processed foods makes it difficult for the average consumer to know what they are actually buying.  Messaging on food packages such as “fat-free” and “less than 200 calories” are misleading if you aren’t aware of the dangers of sugar.  Processed foods are loaded with sugar and other chemicals that work to prolong the shelf-life of the product and make it taste appealing after the manufacturer has removed most of the essential nutrients.

 

So how do you start to eliminate, or at the very least, reduce the amount of sugar you are consuming on a daily basis?  

It’s really just about getting back to the basics.  Getting away from packaged food products and frozen entrees and introducing real, whole foods back into your diet is the only way to be successful.

Now it’s important to note that sugar is a drug and as with any drug if you have been consuming a lot of it over an extended period of time, your body has most likely become addicted to it.  That being said, getting off sugar is not an easy feat.  If it were, we could jump into just about any commercial diet plan on the market and see lasting weight loss results. But, if you’ve ever been on a diet you know that is simply not the case.  If you think of sugar the same as nicotine, caffeine or dare I say even narcotics, you will be better equipped to understand this process will not happen overnight.

A good place to start is to try and eliminate something from your diet that contains refined sugar about once a week and replace it with something natural, but enjoyable.  For example, if you regularly eat frozen dinners, stop!  Fresh or even frozen fish fillets are easy to prepare. There are tons of varieties to choose from so ask the guy behind the seafood counter to recommend something that’s not too “fishy”.  Couple that with some fresh or frozen cooked veggies.  If that's all you change for the next 3 months...congratulations!  You’ve just cut about 3 inches from your waistline.  How "sweet" is that!


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Weight Loss Diet: Bottled Water Could Be Making You Fat?

I started hearing news about a certain hidden chemical that may be lurking in certain types of plastic bottles and canned food products so I did some research to see what I could find.  Today's article is an important topic and one that I think deserves more attention than its getting when it comes to a healthy weight loss diet.

This chemical compound has the potential to cause serious health problems over time and, as I’ve most recently learned, also contribute to increased abdominal fat when regularly consumed.

It's called Bisphenol A or BPA, and it's found in some types of plastic bottles and is also used in the lining of various canned foods. BPA has been linked to all sorts of health issues such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even fertility problems.  Studies have even shown that large enough amounts this chemical compound can trick your body into holding onto excess belly fat.

The major offenders are polycarbonate bottles.  Now you are probably thinking…”How the heck do I tell a polycarbonate bottle from a non-polycarbonate bottle?”  Some plastic containers will have a “#7” symbol imprinted on the bottom.  These are usually a safe bet if you want to avoid a polycarbonate bottle, but this is not always the case.  It’s also important to know that the longer a polycarbonate bottle sits on a shelf at a higher temperature, the greater the amount of BPA that can seep into the liquid.  It’s also important to be aware that all canned tomato products (regular tomatoes, sauces and pastes) are dangerous due to the acidity in tomatoes.  The presence of this acidity leaks even more of the BPA chemical from the lining of the can directly into the food you are putting in your body.

According to the Environmental Working Group, “analysis of our tests reveals that for one of every five cans tested, a single serving would expose a pregnant woman to BPA at levels that fall within a factor of 5 of doses linked to birth defects – permanent damage of developing male reproductive organs.”  They also report evidence of  “an investigation demonstrating that low doses of BPA spur both the formation and growth of fat cells, the two factors that drive obesity in humans.” (Masumo et al. 2002).

So what can you do to minimize your exposure to this hidden chemical and its negative effects when following a healthy weight loss diet?  Below are 5 helpful tips:

1.   Try to select prepared food products that come in glass containers instead of their canned counterparts.

2.   Look for labels that indicate “BPA free”.  Many organic-friendly food producers are now manufacturing cans without the use of this harmful chemical.

3.   Eat fresh or frozen foods as much as possible and try to avoid canned foods.  It should come as no surprise that meals prepared from fresh, organic ingredients are always your healthiest options.

4.   If you drink bottled water, make sure that it is not a polycarbonate bottle.  If a bottle shows "PC" on the bottom, it is made from polycarbonate, so definitely avoid these.  Your best bets are reusable aluminum bottles.  And finally, NEVER reuse a disposable water bottle, especially for hot liquids such as tea or coffee.

5.   NEVER heat food in a plastic container or with the use of any type of plastic wrap.  The mega-high temperature of a microwave increases the seepage of any chemicals contained in plastic products, including BPA.


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Weight Loss Diet: The Truth About Carbs & Fat Loss

What is the truth about carbs and fat loss when considering a weight loss diet plan for women? When it comes to achieving lasting fat loss, it really is important to focus on what you are eating as opposed to how much you are eating.  It’s not so much about the number of calories you consume that impacts your ability to lose body fat as it is more about the nutritional composition of those calories that matters.  In reality, your weight is not the problem when it comes to looking and feeling your best.  It’s the excess amount of body fat that is making you feel uncomfortable and look disproportionate.

There are 3 essential nutrients that you need to consume everyday if you want to live a healthy and vibrant lifestyle.  In grade school you learned the basics about these essential nutrients, but here is a quick refresher.  You get your protein from meat, poultry and fish. You get your fat from nuts and oils and you get your carbohydrates from pasta, bread and other grains. What about fruits and vegetables? Where do they fit in?  If you grew up in the same generation as me the FDA probably just threw them in under vitamins and minerals and told you to eat 8-10 servings a day. Would you be surprised if I told you that fruits and vegetables are actually carbohydrates? And the real truth is that our bodies use energy from fruits and vegetables the same way we use energy from other carbohydrate sources such as rice and pasta.

Carbohydrates are responsible for providing us with energy and without them our bodies cannot function properly.  The most important thing to understand about carbohydrates is the rate at which our bodies convert carbohydrate sources into glucose, as glucose is the only form of energy our bodies can use.  This process is measured using the glycemic index. Carbohydrates range in complexity depending on two things (1) how long it takes them to enter the bloodstream and (2) how quickly they raise blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index enter the bloodstream quickly and raise blood sugar levels rapidly thereby creating an exaggerated insulin response. These carbohydrate sources consist of foods like white bread, granola, and pasta. Regular consumption of high glycemic carb sources creates a cycle of spiking blood sugar levels followed by a surging insulin response which results in “energy crashes” and eventually an addiction to sugar. On the flip side, complex carbohydrates have a low glycemic index and therefore raise blood sugar slowly resulting in a steady release of insulin. Complex carbohydrate sources consist of foods like slow cooked oatmeal, broccoli, strawberries and hummus. The result of the steady release of insulin from consuming complex carbs is longer sustained energy and a sense of feeling full over a longer period of time. 

Carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation over the years with the introduction of “low-carb” and “no-carb” diets.  The truth is that carbohydrates are not the enemy and our bodies need carbohydrates in order to live a healthy and vibrant life.  Eliminating carbohydrates from your diet may provide quick weight loss in the beginning, but will not result in lasting weight loss once you begin to introduce carbs back into your eating plan.  What is most important is to understand which carbohydrate sources are favorable and which are unfavorable.  As long as you are making favorable carbohydrates choices most of the time partnered with sufficient amounts of protein, losing excess body fat becomes virtually automatic. 


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