Weight Loss Season?

Many of my clients have heard me talk about this – there IS a weight loss season.  And I am not talking about swimsuits and beaches.

About 10 years ago I noticed most of my clients losing weight and eating healthfully from the months of March through the end of October. 

Then something happens.

In November the days get shorter, the weather is colder (even in California), the holidays are upon us and the body starts to hibernate and want to “hold on.”  There is something about the chill in the air that causes us to want more warm “comfort” food.

People aren’t as focused, SAD (seasonal affect disorder) is in full gear and eating healthfully and getting enough exercise becomes more challenging.

We are not bears but somehow the body is not as geared towards letting go and being able to change. 

I do believe seasons affect us more than we realize.

My philosophy is this:  concentrate on losing weight from March to October – eat as “clean” as you can and get as much exercise/activity as your schedule will allow for.

During the winter months, keep as close to your food plan as you can with as much exercise as is reasonable to keep your weight stable.  Stability is the key for the winter.  Change is hard, even in the body and honoring the challenges of the season is important.

This is not a get out of jail free card for eating hot fudge sundaes but just the reality of needing to give the body the dignity of change or not for the season to season time of year.

“Detox” Diets and Colon Cleansers?

Ads for detox diets and colon cleansers are rampant.  The marketing schemes for them are alluring promising everything from weight loss to energy to restoration of total health.  Even the most discerning can be attempted to try one of these programs.  Are these “cleansing’ programs necessary for health?

It’s true the Western diet is unhealthy and full of processed foods not beneficial to any part of the body including the gut.  However, the body has amazing resiliency and can “detoxify” itself through many resources.  Let’s take a look.

Dr. Stephen Barrett from John Hopkins University summarizes how the body cleanses itself:

1. The Liver:  the major detoxifier of what comes in.  The liver has 2 main functions one of which is to filter toxins for excretion and the other to filter blood before it reaches the heart and lungs.
2. The Skin:  your sweat glands carry waste products in the form of perspiration, which are then excreted by the body.
3. The Kidneys:  your own built in filtering system that cleanses the blood of waste products in the form of urine.
4. The Lungs:  your breathing passages contain mucus, which is then carried to the throat by little fingerlike projections, called cilia which are then coughed out.
5. The Intestines:  your intestines also contain little fingerlike projections called villi, which help to create movement and flow through the intestines.  The large intestine carries waste to be excreted by the body.

And what about colon cleansers?  The gut contains lots of bacteria, which are in your favor.  Ridding the intestines of these beneficial bacteria can disrupt the balance of normal digestion and absorption.  In addition, techniques of colon cleansing can draw water from surrounding tissues of the colon, thereby changing the balance of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus leading to dehydration.

The stories of things staying in your gut for many years are anecdotal. Within three days most of what you’ve eaten is gone.  If you want to “cleanse” your gut just eat a “clean” diet with unprocessed foods full of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and other high fiber foods and eliminate the rest.

The good news is if you have indulged for months or even years, just shifting to a clean whole foods diet can clean your system in three days.  Of course the shift in increasing your energy, losing weight and restoring your health can take much longer but the body has a built-in cleansing system so take advantage of it and save your money for. …and let the body cleanse and detoxify itself as it was originally meant to do – on it’ own.

You can’t Out-Train a Bad Diet

Bruce Gilbert, a trainer I share clients with uses the above statement with his clients.

“I’m working out, so I can eat what I want, right?”

NOT.

I often hear:  “I’ve been exercising much more than before so why am I not losing weight?”

Let’s crunch the numbers.

You work out 4-5 days per week at a pretty rigorous clip – maybe burning 300-500 calories per session.  Let’s say the average amount of calories per day utilized is equal to 450 or about 2000 additional calories per week which is a credit in your health account.  Sounds pretty good so far, right?

Your metabolism calls for about 1800 calories per day.  You eat fairly reasonably – after all – you consulted with an R.D.- with 500 calories per meal and a reasonable snack.  However, a few times a week you spurge on the cookies lying around the office and usually have 2 glasses of wine a few times per week.

Although these splurges sound reasonable they can add up to equaling the extra calories you utilized from working out.  In other words, a debit to your health account.

2 medium cookies 3x per week equals 1200 calories and 2 glasses of wine 3x per week equals 720 calories or close to 2000 calories per week.

If you add in anything extra you are now officially over the amount of extra calories you so diligently burned during your exercise sessions.  And, now you’ve overdrawn your account.

What drives weight loss?

Research shows diet drives the weight loss and exercise maintains it.  Exercise keeps your metabolism strong while you cut back on food so your weight will not rebound.  It maintains muscle integrity besides contributing to improved sleep, mood and sense of well-being.

But….it can’t make up for eating more than your metabolism calls for.  Although working out is critical to good health it cannot blanket additional calories or a plethora of food.

So enjoy your holidays and the best gift you can give yourself is to eat mindfully…and maintain credit in your nutritional health account.

Can We Compare the American Diet to the European Diet?

One of my readers posed this question for a blog:

“I just got back from Greece and noticed the locals are passionate about their bread, rice pasta and potatoes.  They have been eating these foods for over 5000 years.  Your recommendations are that these foods be minimized.  To be fair, many of the Greeks are obese.  Your recommendations seem to go against that history – please help!”

For years I’ve always wondered why my clients go to Europe and lose weight.  I thought it was due to all the walking and activity one does on a European vacation but over the last several years I changed my mind.

When I go to Europe I am able to eat bread, and more carbs than my body could ever handle at home in the United States.  How can this be?  The food supply in Europe is worlds apart from ours.  Not only do they have fresher food but the food supply has fewer additives, preservatives and processing than the US.  In addition, their animals are fed differently which affects how our bodies accept and process the meats, cheese, eggs, etc.

When genetically modified foods came out in the US, they were in Europe for a short time.  However, when studies showing the dangers of GMO foods were released, Europe did away with GMO’s in ONE week!

Europeans shop for their food on the way home from work, and usually for only one or two days only which is why they have small refrigerators.  Fresh unprocessed food is readily accepted and used by the body – causing less disease, weight issues and health concerns.

So in answer to the question our diet cannot be compared to the European diet. I believe many cases of food intolerances, carbohydrate sensitivity and insulin resistance are not only due to our genetics but our food supply.  If our foods were fresh and less processed my recommendations might be much different.

Next time you travel to Europe think about the food you are served, look at food if you happen to find yourself in the grocery store.  Notice how many fresh open air markets they have to pick up food on your travels.  The US may be advanced in many ways but hopefully food is on the way back to its roots – real, fresh and whole without alterations.

Shrink your Waist with Sleep and Protein

 “I’m hungry Mother, I really am,” said the little puppy Rolly on 101 Dalmatians.

I often hear “I’m always hungry; I don’t feel full after a meal; I still want something after I eat but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Appetite is affected by both physiological and psychological issues.  Since the psychological may be a whole research paper in itself let’s stick to the physiological things you can do to keep your appetite normal and healthy.

Two hormones affecting appetite are Leptin and Ghrelin.  An easy way to remember them is leptin lowers your appetite and ghrelin grows your appetite.  When they are in sync your appetite is in line with your metabolism.  Things that can throw them off are lack of sleep and imbalances in the diet.

If your sleep is compromised it affects your hunger levels.  Eve Van Cauter at the University of Chicago has done 25 years of research on how hormones affect sleep.  Her research shows that when you are sleep deprived your leptin levels are 18% lower and your Ghrelin levels are 28 percent higher.

Her subjects also reported they were much hungrier than usual and craved salty, sweet food when they lacked sleep.  Think of late night pizza and nachos when you stayed up too long.  Craving salty, sweet food and increasing leptin and lowering ghrelin are the perfect combination for weight gain.

Appetite can also be thrown off by the wrong combination of carbohydrate, protein and fat.  David Cummings, M.D. at the University School of Medicine in Seattle found that protein was the best suppressor of appetite.  Fats seemed to have a neutral affect.

Carbohydrates initially lowered the appetite, but then rebounded later with a vengeance.  I still remember my days of eating a “healthy” bowl of cereal for breakfast only to be famished 2 hours later – unaware that it was due to a lack of protein at the most important meal of the day.

Good sources of protein include:

• lean meats, poultry, fish
• eggs
• plain yogurt, cottage cheese, hard cheeses
• nuts/seeds and nut butters

Take home message?  Getting your rest and making sure you eat some sort of protein at each meal and snack will keep your appetite even keeled.  So maybe a good idea is to eat your protein and get some rest with Rolly.  What have you got to lose…besides weight?

This piece is part of Prevention not Prescriptions