Weight Loss – Junk Science
Apart from discussions of the environment, there is nowhere that junk science is more common than in issues surrounding weight loss – Nutrition and diet, exercise and health topics in general.
Every month there’s a new claim, often given a coating of respectability by quoting the latest ’study’. But if trained scientists have difficulty deciding what the truth is, you can bet the average laymen doesn’t know for sure.
So what’s a person who just wants to lose weight to do? Not everyone is a scientist, and very few have the time or inclination to read a dozen scientific studies. Well, there’s no perfect solution to that dilemma, but there are a few common sense guidelines that can go a long way toward avoiding common mistakes.
Greet with a skeptical eye any outsized claims. ‘Outsized’, here, means those that make rock certain claims to know what’s best in Nutrition – especially when they contradict long-standing and obvious guidelines.
Studies may differ on details, but they all agree that a balanced diet of the basic essentials – carbohydrates, protein, etc – is best. All agree that moderate, regular age-appropriate exercise is an important factor in health.
Be wary of anyone making promises for safe, easy, quick results. It’s possible to achieve any one of these three, but never all three together. A wise weight loss program will definitely consider safety first. It will rarely be easy – technology has advanced, but not THAT much. And, it is almost never quick. Reducing excess body fat, losing weight and getting fit require a long-term commitment.
Treat with caution any program that tries the other side of the coin: to scare you into adopting it. Many will tout claims of the dangers of meat, for example. While consuming excess animal fat can increase health risks, what is ‘excess’ is still being examined.
Any claim that eating meat in moderation is harmful is based only on junk science. Adopting a strictly vegetarian diet for ethical reasons or matters of taste is a valid choice, but not one required by science.
In other words, avoid extremes.
There are 3-day diets that recommend eating nothing but fruit for three days, then other foods the rest of the week. Bad idea. Such a diet is necessarily unbalanced and will cause rollercoaster effects on the body.
There are diets recommending almost all protein and very few carbohydrates. Bad idea. The body needs a variety of materials from which to extract and synthesize what it needs. That means it benefits from a balance of protein (to produce amino acids), carbohydrates (for energy), fiber and other essential elements.
Anyone selling a miracle cure, effortless or instant results, while claiming to have a safe and reliable program is selling you air. Don’t buy.
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Hypnotic Gastric Bypass/Lapband
I have been getting calls recently for information on the hypnotic or virtual gastric bypass. This process has gained national prominence due to a profile on Good Morning America this past week.
The hypnotic gastric lap band or bypass process works on the concept that in hypnosis the client believes and experience things so vividly that the brain cannot tell the difference between the hypnotic experience and reality. During the imagined procedure you will mentally be taken through the process of the bypass operation. This gets your mind to accept that your stomach has very limited capacity. If you believe that your stomach is tiny you will not want to eat too much and if you do overeat you will experience pain and discomfort and so begin to associate that discomfort with overeating. The subsequent hypnosis sessions take the client through the new way of eating. Creating the desire to eat healthy high quality foods in small amounts and using additional reinforcement to maintain the weight loss.
Because there is no physical surgery taking place there are none of the usual surgical side effects and the only down side I can see is that it might not work for some, just as a small percentage of smokers will not stop smoking with hypnosis. As with anything in life, some people will have great results and others minimal. The upside is that it is much less expensive then the surgical procedure and if it doesn’t work as well as you would like you can still get the surgery later.
It is definitely recommended for anyone who needs to lose a considerable amount of weight and would rather not go the surgical route.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Weight Loss – Exercise, The Diet Partner
Most people will try a hundred different fad diets, at least as many nutritional supplements and even all sorts of wacky alternatives. But, getting them to exercise can be a real challenge.
Nevertheless, it’s an inescapable fact that proper diet has to be accompanied by an age-appropriate, regular exercise program – if the goal is good health and an attractive body. Diet is essential, but exercise is its essential partner. Diet provides the proper fuel, but exercise uses that fuel to generate health and fitness.
There’s no need to become a fitness fanatic, but there are several simple exercises you can begin today. Start a daily stretching routine of at least 10 minutes before doing any vigorous training. A 20-minute walk every other day is a great beginning for those not used to exercise.
Work up to more effort slowly. Most of those new to exercise get discouraged and quit too soon because they try too hard at first. This produces soreness and sometimes injury. That reduces the motivation.
Instead, start with some light weight training, using 5lb, 10lb, then 20lb weights. Curls, squats and other exercises are simple and you’ll soon graduate. Then add a 10-minute jog, a 20-minute jog, then 30-minutes. Once you hit an hour-long run, you’re into the serious workout category.
If you can, invest in equipment that may help you get motivated. Others will need the social stimulus of a gym to keep their willpower up. But in either case, don’t let your money go to waste. Make a commitment to regular workouts, whether at home or away. If you do join a gym, don’t be shy. Take advantage of the expertise of more experienced fitness enthusiasts and the staff.
In order to lose weight, you want to be sure to include some cardiovascular exercises in your routine. That can be running, cycling or any number of alternatives. To tone muscles and tighten the slack skin that will result from major body fat reduction, you’ll need to add resistance and weightlifting exercises. You can use stretchers, rope and pulley or other equipment to supply the resistance. Weight machines are great for lifting exercises.
As you get into the routine, you may or may not actually lose weight. If you’re not obese but merely overweight, you may not see much loss. As you reduce fat deposits the difference can be made up by gains in muscle mass. Don’t pay much attention to early losses, they may well be due as much to water loss as anything else.
But as you reduce excess body fat and tone muscles you’ll experience many side benefits beyond a more attractive body. You’ll feel better overall, be more energetic and should experience a heightened mood.
Feel good about it. You worked hard for the results.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Weight Loss – Myths and Reality
Few commercialized areas of science are so filled with myths as that focused on weight loss. Everyone wants a simple, safe, no-willpower solution. Someday, we may actually get one. For now there are no magic cures. But there are quite a few myths that need to be exploded.
You may have read this one: eating ice cream actually causes weight loss. The so-called theory is that since ice cream is cold, and it takes energy (measured in calories) to warm it up, your body is consuming energy while eating.
Your body does certainly require energy to warm up ice cream, and even to digest it. Any action the body takes requires energy, that’s basic physics applied to physiology. But the devil is in the details. Eating ice cream, usually high in fat and sugar, takes in far more calories than are used to warm and digest it. Sorry, you still need to go easy on the dessert.
Sometimes ice water is substituted in the myth. True it has no calories, so you’re much better off. But the energy needed to warm it to body temperature is negligible in terms of the weight loss effect. However, sometimes you feel hungry when in fact the body is just slightly dehydrated. Drinking water can cause you to feel less hungry, and it’s much lower in calories than regular soda or even orange juice.
Or, you might have heard this one: adding a pound of muscle makes the body burn an extra 50 calories. Not only not true, but meaningless. ‘Burns 50 calories’ over how long? Just sitting consumes about 70 calories per hour. The body is consuming energy to maintain internal temperature, repair cells, pump blood, etc.
A pound of new muscle will burn at most a dozen calories per hour. Still, adding muscle is a good idea, since to do so requires high effort – either through running, weight training or other vigorous exercise. Mild exercise, such as walking, is good but tones more than builds muscle. The average man will burn about 350 calories in an hour long workout.
Vigorous exercise also raises the metabolic rate for a day, burning about 250 calories more than if one hadn’t exercised. A brisk walk will do so also, but at a much lower level. It’s still a good idea to workout every other day and walk on the non-workout days. It keeps the muscles toned, stretched and helps prevent the lactic acid buildup that causes sore muscles.
The reality is that if you take in more calories than your body uses the remaining energy is stored, generally in the form of chemical bonds in fatty tissues. When the body requires more energy that you’ve supplied, it will turn to those fat stores in order to get some needed energy. That leads to lower fat in the body and weight loss. That reality is best achieved by the old-fashioned combination of proper diet and adequate regular exercise.
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Weight Loss – The South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is a phased approach to weight loss and Nutrition. In the three major phases dieters will eat selected foods and avoid others, in order to balance the glycemic index to lose weight and achieve optimal metabolism.
The Glycemic Index
The GI is a measure of the relative amount of blood sugar created in response to consuming carbohydrates. Different carbs metabolize at different rates and slowing the absorption of sugars is one way to shift insulin levels, which play a role in storing excess calories as fat, according to South Beach Diet inventor Dr. Agatston, a Florida cardiologist.
The basic equation – more calories used than consumed leads to weight loss – still holds. But this approach to dieting and weight loss attempts to shift how those calories are used.
Phase 1
In Phase 1 of the South Beach diet, which lasts exactly two weeks, the focus is on shifting from high fat carbs to low fat carbs, such as from fatty cuts of beef to boiled ham. It also attempts to reduce starches such as bread and potatoes, moving instead to foods such as pinto beans and black eyed peas. Sugary soft drinks are eliminated completely. No beer or wine is allowed during this period.
The idea is to adjust the body’s cravings away from high sugar-content, high-fat content foods. This, according to the theory, helps flip the body’s ’switch’ that causes us to store fat. When the switch is on we may crave certain foods, but after ‘retraining’ those cravings disappear gradually.
Portions remain at normal sizes however, and there’s no concentration on counting calories. That makes it simple to develop lists of allowed and forbidden foods to eat during these two weeks.
Phase 2
In Phase 2 some of the rules are relaxed a little. Certain formerly forbidden foods may be consumed. Pasta and bread, in moderate quantities, are back on the ‘Allowed’ list. Dieters can choose from a wide range of foods, such as rice, cereal, fruit and more. The allowed foods to emphasize should be those with a low-GI index. Red wine is re-introduced, again in moderation.
This period lasts as long as needed to achieve the individual dieter’s weight loss goal. For some that may be only a few weeks. For others, it may require several months or more.
Phase 3
Once the weight loss goal is achieved, it’s important to be able to keep those pounds off. Many dieters become frustrated because they see hard-to-lose pounds come sliding back on over time. Phase 3 represents a lifelong commitment to a change in eating habits that will help retain that hard-won goal.
The emphasis is on ‘good’ carbs versus ‘bad’ carbs, as well as choosing ‘good’ over ‘bad’ fats. Good, here, means low GI, bad is high-GI. High fat meats are still discouraged, except as an occasional indulgence. Refined sugars are a no-no. Fiber, to slow digestion of carbs, is considered good, as is eating foods with ample Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish.
Summary
The South Beach Diet can be put in the category of ‘low carb’ but the emphasis is more on the type of carbohydrates than the amount contained. As with any major diet change considered, consulting your physician before starting is always wise.
Working with a hypnotherapist or weight loss coach can help anyone who wishes to modify their diet maintain the motivation necessary. Motivation is the key to making the changes that you desire.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Weight Loss – Fluid Intake and Nutrition
Diets, especially those that focus on weight loss, often concentrate on what to eat. But fluids are a major part of any healthy, balanced diet as well. Runners know this well, but the same guidelines apply to anyone interested in optimal health.
About 60% of the human body is water, muscle tissue almost 70%. An enormous range of biochemical reactions inside cells and out require water. Add these facts together and it’s clear that water is a must. No surprise, there. But what might be is how easy it is to have a deficit.
Effects of Dehydration
Lack of proper hydration can have far worse effects than merely feeling thirsty. Headache, fatigue and dizziness are common signs. Heat stroke is serious, potentially fatal – and dehydration is one of the major factors that lead to it.
Nor is it quite good enough to merely wait until you are thirsty to address your fluid need. Elevated internal body temperature, high heart rate and poor motor performance set in when your body has experienced only a 3% weight loss from water deprivation.
In a cool environment, even when you are at rest, your body will lose about 2-3 liters in a day. If you’re active, the number rises to between 3-6 liters. On a warm day, during vigorous activity, the number can be as high as 10 liters. That’s about 3 gallons of water in one day.
How Much Should You Consume and When?
It’s preferable to hydrate in advance. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, that amounts to about 17 ounces (500 ml) every 2 hours for 24 hours prior to any vigorous workout. Another 7-10 ounces (about 200-300 ml) every 20 minutes during exercise is also recommended.
What About Sports Drinks?
Some sports drinks are the perfect form of fluid intake. Just drinking water can lead to harmful dilution of the concentrations of sodium, potassium and other minerals in the body. Among other things, those help regulate the heart and nerve signals. A properly balanced sports drink helps maintain the proper concentration.
But many so-called sports drinks are chock full of sugar. A little bit of simple sugar isn’t bad. It can even be beneficial. But a bottle of sports drink that is really just soda without the bubbles isn’t helpful. Keep that type to a minimum.
Fruit juices can be an effective way of getting needed fluid. But keep in mind that drinks with carbs slow the body’s rate of absorption of water. Here too, the amount of sugar needs to be monitored.
Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine drinks aren’t necessarily unhealthy. In fact, in moderation, caffeine has been shown to have definite health benefits. But it’s also a diuretic, a substance that increases urine output. Drinking lots of coffee can actually encourage dehydration. Studies in which participants drank about 6 cups per day (642 mg/day) experienced a 3% loss of body water.
Similarly, alcohol in moderate amounts is beneficial. Red wine has antioxidants. Even beer is healthy, since some of the health effects are due to alcohol alone and hops are good for you. But they do tend also to dehydrate. They’re not a substitute for the total water needed daily.
Summary
The body needs several types of nutrients every day, throughout the day: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals – and water. Don’t forget the liquid nutrient.
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Weight Loss – Fiber and Why It’s Good
In Nutrition circles, one often hears “eat fiber, it’s good for you”. But fiber is a carbohydrate and those are supposed to be bad, or at least severely limited. What gives?
The resolution to this dilemma lies in examining more closely just what fiber is and what it does for you.
What Is Fiber?
Fiber is, it’s true, a type of carbohydrate. That is, fiber compounds are composed of molecules whose chief elements are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in combination. But there is a key difference between fiber and other types of carbohydrate: it doesn’t break down during digestion.
Both simple sugars (simple carbs) and starches (complex carbs) are broken down by digestive enzymes, releasing energy the body uses for an infinite variety of vital processes. Fiber is not, at least not much. That simple difference leads to a number of beneficial effects.
Why Is Fiber Good?
Insoluble fiber, by definition, does not dissolve in water. As such, it moves through the digestive system where it helps increase the bulk of stools. That helps prevent constipation. It also moves through the intestines relatively fast, which generates signals to the brain that you’re full. In that way, it discourages overeating and the accompanying excess consumption of calories.
Insoluble fiber is contained in whole-wheat flour and wheat bran, many types of nut and several vegetables that contribute ‘roughage’ to the diet.
Soluble fiber, by contrast, does dissolve in water and so forms a type of gel that makes its way through the digestive system. As a result it helps regulate blood glucose levels. On route it helps cleanse the tract of bacteria.
Soluble fiber is part of a wide variety of foods, including oats and barley, carrots and peas, apples and citrus fruit, and beans.
A high fiber diet helps decrease the odds of heart disease by lowering LDL cholesterol (the undesirable type).
It slows the absorption of sugar contained in food consumed, which helps smooth out any spikes. That helps improve a number called the Glycemic Index, one key to a healthy diet according to some diet programs such as the South Beach Diet.
Controlling blood glucose levels has another beneficial effect, according to many studies. Insulin levels are related to blood glucose levels. Excess glucose over long periods increases the odds of acquiring Type 2 diabetes. A high fiber diet can help decrease those odds.
Since fiber is not broken down, it adds bulk without calories. That contributes to a feeling of fullness and satiation without the accompanying potential for storing excess calories as fat. Thus, it contributes mightily to any weight loss program.
How Much Daily Fiber Is Good?
There is no official RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for fiber as there is for many other nutritional components. But official sources put the desirable amount at roughly 25 grams per day. The average consumption is often much lower, around 15 grams per day.
One study of over 500 subjects conducted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School over one year showed that those who consumed 22 grams or more were 63% less likely to have high CRP levels. High CRP (C-reactive protein) is linked with higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Summary
Like any aspect of diet and Nutrition, the value of fiber can be (and sometimes is) overstated. But numerous studies agree that a high fiber diet has definite benefits. As with any proposed change in diet, consulting your physician first is wise.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Weight Loss – How to Manage Cravings While You Diet?
Even a healthy diet doesn’t eliminate all cravings. The desire for a chocolate bar, a high-calorie cappuccino and other high-sugar, high-fat items doesn’t disappear overnight. But cravings can be managed, and with more than just ’sheer willpower’, important as that is.
Some people diet by simply foregoing meals, such as breakfast or lunch. But that ‘all or nothing’ approach guarantees cravings. The overall calorie intake needs to be lowered for a successful diet. But achieving it by skipping meals also leads to several other potential problems, including wild blood sugar swings and nutritional deficits. Those signal the body to crave what it lacks, which makes dieting that much harder.
Help yourself resist those cravings that do occur by keeping only healthy diet items around. A chocolate bar that is at the store a few miles away is a lot easier to resist than the one in the pantry. A jar of peanut butter kept in the cupboard is not the ideal way to test your willpower.
Instead, keep a supply of fruits, carrots and other items on hand at all times. Trail bars and other snack-style foods are fine, provided they don’t have high quantities of sugar or saturated fat. Some are designed with just that for hikers who need a quick energy burst on the mountain. Make sure they’re low calorie, low sugar and low fat.
Don’t skip on water. Take care not to over-hydrate, since that can be injurious to health, especially on very hot days. But dehydration produces signals that are similar to hunger. Keeping your body well watered leads to minimal cravings for food, especially sweets. Beware bloating, but a slightly full feeling from water reduces food cravings.
Be sure to eat a balanced meal before you shop for groceries. It will be difficult enough to resist that attractive package of goodies as you pass by it walking down the aisle. Give yourself every assistance by not being hungry when you see it. If necessary, take along an apple or some dried fruit to help you resist temptation.
Sometimes ‘cold turkey’ on all ‘goodies’ is the best way to go. But, for many, total forbearance leads to hugely increased cravings. You’re almost daring yourself to give in. Keep those cravings under control by indulging yourself with small portions of those things you love. An ounce of dark chocolate isn’t going to ruin your diet. In fact, it can be a part of a healthy one, since it contains antioxidants that are actually beneficial.
But do whatever is necessary to keep the quantity under control. Moderation does no harm and often produces the best result. Telling yourself ‘just one more’ over and over again undermines your efforts toward your goal.
Last, but far from least, keep your eyes on the prize. Remind yourself daily why you are making the effort to diet. You may want to lose weight, achieve fitness, create a better image, feel better about yourself, gain overall good health or all of the above. Imagine yourself achieving them. Realize that giving in puts you farther away from your goal and your cravings will tend to decrease.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Weight Loss – What Is Obesity?
Nearly everyone today worries about being overweight. We’re constantly inundated with messages from TV and the Internet about widespread obesity and the risks of being obese. Whether it’s health issues or social acceptance, no one wants to be fat.
But if you look at it from an evolutionary aspect, the ability to store excess calories in the form of fat cells is a very life-serving ability. When a person consumes more calories than the body uses for muscle movement, internal temperature maintenance and cellular repair the remainder is stored in the chemical bonds of fat cells. Technically, it’s stored in something called ‘adipose tissue’.
Energy – which calories measure – isn’t a substance, so it’s not the same as fat. But that energy becomes available for use when those fat molecules break down into simpler products. That happens when a person increases movement or otherwise triggers a need for more energy.
Carbohydrates are one major source of that energy. Sugars (chiefly glucose) and starches are the two main forms and they participate in something called the Krebs Cycle. Also known in scientific circles as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, but don’t bother trying to pronounce it. Sugars come in, get broken down into something called ATP, then into ADP releasing energy in the process.
When the body runs out of glucose to use in the cycle, it turns to stored body fat as a substitute. Breaking down those fat molecules is, in essence, what causes a person to decrease the percentage of body fat. Sometimes increased muscle mass results, so the final result isn’t always a net weight loss.
But in biology, as in life, everything is best in moderation. When more calories are consumed than used over a long period of time, body fat increases to the point that the health risks can outweigh the benefits of a ready supply of energy. The result is an increase in the odds of heart difficulties, diabetes and other real medical problems. The social consequences are equally well known.
Knowing this, many will strive to maintain their weight and percentage of body fat within a certain range. That range differs from person to person (people have different body types), season to season (winter fat can actually be healthy) and according to their individual BMI (Body Mass Index).
So, in order to decide whether you are obese, only moderately over the preferred weight range, or just lack muscle tone, you need to consider those factors. Doing so requires knowing your specific body type, the ability to calculate BMI (very simple, actually) and recognizing that there is no exact, static, ideal weight for you.
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Weight Loss – Selecting The Right Weight Loss Program
For some people a formal weight loss program isn’t necessary. They can summon the willpower, do the research and carry out the needed actions independently. Others will benefit from support, guidance and a helping hand.
When seeking out that weight loss program there are a number of important questions the second type will want answered.
The most essential, and therefore the first question is: What are the facts about diet, exercise and weight loss? There are dozens of fad diets, special exercise regimens and all manner of junk science surrounding the subject.
It won’t be easy for those not trained in science to sort the wheat from the chaff, to sort fact from fiction. But anyone with common sense and some persistence can fairly quickly find one or more sources of reliable information. Scientific studies don’t stand in isolation, they either support or contradict others. When you find a number, from serious sources, that agree there’s good reason to give them some credence.
Similarly, it will be important to find knowledgeable and experienced people that can help you along. Most people can distinguish between people who are trying to give wise counsel and those who just want to sell you something that may or may not have any value. People deserve to be paid for their services, but offering something worthwhile is fundamental.
Once you find a program that can offer you good guidance and moral support, you’ll get added benefits. Such people can help remind you, when the going gets tough, why you chose to make the effort in the first place. It’s difficult to adhere to a long term program when the progress is slow. A program like the Atlanta Weight Loss Group combines the best of both worlds by offering conscious and subconscious support to the client.
Any wise diet and exercise program needs to be oriented toward lifestyle changes that will help you lose the weight and keep it off, permanently. The Atlanta Weight Loss Group can help you do that. Hypnosis combined with behavior modification gets results and helps you unlearn bad habits, learn better ones, and then help you to stick with them.
You’ll need to monitor your progress, so you need to ask where and what are the tests and tools to do that. You’ll need food charts for measuring calories and types of nutrients. You’ll need a BMI calculator and other tools.
Some of those tools are as simple and inexpensive as a scale, a flexible tape measure and a mirror. Others may be a heart rate or pulse monitor, a device that measures body fat percentage and other things that often accompany a treadmill.
You’ll want to judge any program by how many people have actually found success using it, of course. But beware the hype. A few unsolicited opinions from people you don’t know won’t tell the whole story. Find out how many finished, and how much they lost, and whether there were any downsides or side effects.
It’s your health. That’s worth doing some homework to find the right weight loss program for you.
Popularity: 2% [?]