Lose Weight
Lose Weight – Learn research based strategies to lose weight and keep it off – permanently!
Better with Friends: Benefits of Working Out with Other People
There’s little in life that isn’t better with friends—right? Food is better, vacations are better, nights out are better.
And then there’s working out. Not only is it better with friends, but you’re more likely to stick with a workout routine and make yourself stronger in the process. There are a lot of reasons why, but first and foremost: If you have someone waiting to workout with you, you’re less likely to skip out on a class or strength session, or any other exercise effort. And if you’re being led in that workout session by a teacher at a gym, then you’re reaping other benefits too. For example, that teacher is going to help push you to do your best—and correct you when you’re doing an exercise wrong.
Does intermittent dieting equal long term results?
What is dieting?
Dieting is when you restrict yourself to small amounts or special kinds of food to lose weight.
Does dieting work?
Many people do lose weight when dieting. The problem is a diet is a temporary, short-term plan, not a long-term solution. Many regain lost weight after the diet ends.
What about intermittent dieting?
Continuous dieting is very restrictive and often difficult to maintain for the required length of time to hit goal weight levels. This has led to increased interest in intermittent energy restriction. An example of intermittent energy restriction is alternate-day fasting. This type of dieting involves a “fast day” with reduced or no energy consumed followed by an all you want “feast day”. Another intermittent energy restriction example is a 5 and 2 regime where you eat however you desire five days and fast on two days.
However, the greater problems with diets is seen at the six month mark when weight regain often occurs.
Does meal timing really impact your weight?
Could weight loss be about more than the foods you choose to eat? What if you could lose weight by simply changing your meal time?
This is not a new idea. However, is it just a gimmick or actually supported by research. Well, I found three different studies regarding meal timing.
Study #1: Timing of food intake predicts weight loss effectiveness
This study was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2013. The goal was to determine the relationship between meal timing and weight.
The study had 420 individuals divided into two groups – early eaters and late eaters. Early eaters were defined as eating lunch before 3pm. Late eaters defined as eating lunch after 3pm.
Both groups followed a 20-week weight loss treatment.
Study results show late eaters lost less weight and had a slower rate of weight loss compared to early eaters. The late eaters also skipped breakfast more frequently than early eaters.
The surprising piece is that energy intake, dietary composition, estimated energy expenditure, appetite hormones, and sleep were similar between the two groups.
Conclusion: Eating late may influence weight loss success.
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Cold Temperatures: Shiver and Lose Weight?
We had a terribly cold December here in South Dakota and our heating bill reflected this…higher than it’s been since we moved here three years ago. Needless to say, we are wearing a few more layers in January and letting the house get a little cooler.
For those of you also not turning up the thermostat too much, the chillier temps do help promote faster metabolisms and potentially weight loss.
When external temperatures decrease the body has to work harder by expending more energy (i.e. calories) to maintain core body temperatures.
This isn’t new knowledge, but research continues to be conducted to determine the effects of temperature on weight loss.
Studies have shown shivering to increase heat production. Shivering is a short term response to low temperatures to protect the body temperatures dropping to dangerous levels. Some studies have also found a second type of shivering, referred to as non-shivering thermogenesis, which also increases heat output.
However, the body acclimates to colder temperatures over time. For example, it was found people spending six hours a day at 59 degrees Fahrenheit shivered less and were more comfortable at the end of a 10 day period.
At this time there is no exact measure for how being cold can increase calories burned and promote weight loss. Weight gain can occur gradually. It only takes 100 extra calories a day to add 10 extra pounds each year. If you could counteract this with a cooler environment…might be worth exploring.
I do find the following particularly interesting.
Did you know there were two different types of fat? Continue reading
Lifestyle Changes vs. Diet to Lose Weight
In order to promote heart health, many times weight loss is required. With over two-thirds of the US adult population being overweight or obese, this is almost a given…even though there are exceptions. When you think about weight loss I think “diet” is the first thing that comes to mind. Plus, in some ways it is more appealing. It somehow equates to quick results. However, you do have another option – lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle changes are more effective long term than “going on a diet”. Let’s compare these two options.
Diet
There are many diet options.
Low-carb
Low-fat
High protein
Vegetarian
Blood type diet
The Zone Diet
South Beach Diet
Weight Watchers
Raw Food Diet
Jenny Craig
Dean Ornish Diet
Mediterranean Diet
Atkins Diet
…and the list goes on. Which one is right for? All the diet options are more likely to cause confusion as you determine which one is best. Plus, the word “diet” implies a short term fix. You’re not going to stay on a diet forever, right? This means after the diet ends, most people regain the weight and you are right back to square one.
For long term success, lifestyle changes are shown to have more lasting results.
Weight Loss: Are you sabotaging your results?
If losing weight was easy, we wouldn’t be facing this obesity epidemic in the U.S. There are so many factors working against us that successful weight loss is a struggle. It doesn’t help if you are self-sabotaging your own efforts to lose weight.
Here are 5 ways you may be hindering your weight loss success:
- Liquid calories
All calories add up and you may not realize how quickly liquid calories add up. Think about what you add to your coffee in the morning (or throughout the day!), any juice you drink with breakfast, sports drink or soda you may grab as a “pick me up”. . . all those calories add up and can add up substantially.
- Ordering a salad because it’s a salad
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