 USING FOODS INSTEAD OF DRUGS FOR HEALTH |
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Lose Weight For RealMany people who try to lose weight are confused and frustrated because there are so many different diet plans on the market low carb, high carb, low fat, low calorie the list goes on and on. Bookstores sell literally hundreds of weight loss books each claiming that their diet is the most effective and the easiest to follow. Behind the pseudo-science of each of these purported "diet revolutions" is a common denominator eating fewer calories than you burn. That's it. That's the only way to lose weight period. Most diets seem to be effective, especially in the first few weeks. For example, the latest fad in dieting is low carbohydrates a dietary regimen that is frowned upon by the American Heart Association. When you eat few carbohydrates, the body burns extra fat for fuel. However, the fats are incompletely burned. The by-products of this fat breakdown are substances called ketones. The diet industry promotes the low carbohydrate diet as being the most effective because ketones reduce hunger. While this is true, ketones are associated with many unwanted side effects including high cholesterol, kidney failure and osteoporosis, to name a few. The body excretes these ketones in the urine, which results in additional weight loss. However, this excess weight loss is from water weight. The trickery is that when people step on the scales, they see that they have lost a lot of weight. In some cases, weight loss of 5 pounds in the first week is possible. The problem is that most of this weight loss comes from water, not body fat. Once you drink enough liquid to rehydrate yourself to a healthy level, most of your so-called weight loss will disappear. So yes, low carb diets work, but are unsafe for long periods. Basically, any low calorie diet that encourages regular physical activity will work. So now that we've established that you need to eat fewer calories, burn more calories, or both in order to lose weight, what are the best ways to accomplish this goal? While there are literally dozens of weight loss hints, this article will present the most effective ones. Determine Your Daily Caloric NeedIn order to lose weight safely, multiply your body weight by 10 for women and 11 for men to determine how many calories you should eat each day. For example, a 150-pound woman should eat about 1500 calories each day to lose weight. If you exercise regularly, then you can eat more. If this same 150 pound woman also runs 3 miles each day which burns about 300 calories she can now eat 1800 calories each day and still lose weight. Here's a trick that WORKS! Buy six bottles of seltzer. Drink 2 bottles a day. Periodically drinking during the day and evening. This does two things. The seltzer which is merely carbonated water, fills you up for the time being, therefore replacing calories. Secondly, the fizz in seltzer is more gratifying than plain water. If you drink 2 liters of seltzer per day, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT! Exercise RegularlyNot only does exercise allow you to eat more and still lose weight, but there are other great advantages. Regular aerobic exercise not only burns calories during exercise, but it also keeps the metabolism high for hours after exercise is over. You'll be burning more calories just by sitting on the couch and watching TV. Strength training is also extremely effective for burning fat. For every pound of muscle that you gain, you burn 50 more calories each day to maintain that muscle. While 50 calories doesn't sound like much, over the course of a year, this will add up to an extra 5 pounds of fat loss for each pound of muscle gained. Mini-MealsA typical American diet consists of a couple of cups of coffee for breakfast, a candy bar and coke from the snack machine for lunch, and then a 2000-calorie unhealthy meal of some sort in the evening. The problem with this eating schedule is that blood sugar levels swing wildly throughout the day and that the evening meal encourages fat storage by releasing enormous amounts of insulin into the bloodstream. The result is that this eating pattern can sabotage weight loss efforts even if the daily calorie intake is acceptable. A better method is to eat "mini-meals" that is, frequent smaller meals. An example of an ideal eating pattern for an 1800-calorie diet is shown below:
No more than 500 calories are consumed at any given time and there are never more than 3 hours between feedings. This regimen continually stimulates the metabolism and the portion sizes are small enough to discourage fat storage. Stop NibblingWhile frequent mini-meals are encouraged, frequent nibbling is discouraged. An example of nibbling is when a bowl of candy or chips is left out on the counter during the day and evening. While it is true that a single serving of candy probably won't ruin your weight loss efforts, it's rare that someone grabs just one handful. Over the course of an evening, that first handful quickly becomes four six or ten. You know what you are talking about. This can add up to hundreds of calories, which are enough to completely offset any weight loss that was achieved by diet and exercise efforts. If you feel the desire to nibble, please choose phytonutrient ( plant nutrient) rich fruits and vegetables which are abundant in natural vitamins and minerals and inherently low in calories. The high fiber nature of these food choices are more than likely to help one obtain that "full feeling" as well. Foods containing natural whole food vitamins are simply the best for us. Overall, it is true that there are no miracle diets. The most effective weight loss programs encourage low calorie, frequent, and well-balanced meals combined with regular exercise. Just remember new diets will be introduced over the years and every one of them will be advertised as being the latest and greatest. When you see these ads, just smile to yourself and save your money. You now know what millions of people don't the best way to safely lose weight. Dr. Linda Kennedy MS SLP ND SEARCH BY SUBJECT - TABLE OF CONTENTS THIS MONTH'S HEALTH BULLETIN NEWS
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7 am 500-calorie meal
