Lose Weight
Lose Weight – Learn research based strategies to lose weight and keep it off – permanently!
Weight Loss Pills: Do they work?
I’ve been asked many times about the safety of taking a weight loss supplement (i.e. diet pill) when living with high blood pressure or taking blood pressure medication.
My answer doesn’t vary:
“I do not recommend diet pills – whether you have high blood pressure or not.
Many weight loss supplements contain “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients”, frequently in levels exceeding FDA recommendations. These ingredients include drugs not approved in the U.S. These substances impact blood pressure and anti-seizure medications, diuretics, along with drugs linked to suicide, depression, and cancer.”
Not only can weight loss supplements lead to negative health consequences, they don’t typically work.
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Eating the Same Foods Can Help You Lose Weight
Do we have too many options when it comes to food? According to a study published August 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, too many options may be one reason pounds are packed on.
On the flip side, the study found eating the same food over and over lead to boredom and a decrease in caloric intake.
Food Boredom is a Good Thing
Research indicates that repeat exposure to a particular food leads to disinterest. The response is called habituation and can lead to a decrease in caloric intake in the short term.
In the U.S. we are blessed with a wide variety of choices and all we have to do is enter a grocery store. The problem with variety doesn’t necessarily apply to having access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – not too many people can say they are overweight because they ate too many greens! – the problem comes from the overwhelming abundance of low-fat, low-nutrient options.
There is a ‘food addiction hypothesis’ that proposes some people overeat because they are not sensitive to normal habituation and require even more of a food to trigger disinterest.
There has not been a lot of research in this area to determine if the habituation process is different between individuals of a healthy weight versus those who are overweight.
The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition aimed to study the long-term habituation in obese and non-obese women.
Habituation Equals Fewer Calories
Marriage – Is it Making You Fat?
With the Valentine holiday just behind us, here’s an interesting bit of information on love and health.
Monitoring weight gain after marriage and divorce
Did you know Ohio researchers followed 10,071 individuals from 1986 to 2008 to evaluate weight gain during the two year period following marriage and divorce.
A variety of factors that impact weight gain were taken into account, such as pregnancy, education, and socioeconomic status.
Do men or women gain weight after marriage?
The study determined women are more likely to gain weight after their wedding day than men. This may be due to the larger role women play around the home leaving less time to devote to physical activity.
The study found men experience positive health benefits linked to married life and it’s divorce that leads to weight gain.
Interestingly, the study also found those who marry after the age of 30 years-old are more likely to experience weight shifts. . .up.
What do you think?
5 Tips for Planning Your Workout Routine
We are three weeks into the new year, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolution?
If you are working to improve your health, physical activity must be a part of your plan. There are numerous benefits associated with physical activity, such as weight loss, lower blood pressure, improved arthritis, pain management, and improved cardiorespiratory fitness.
Research indicates that you need at least 150 minutes of moderate level activity each week in order to see the benefits of exercise. This can be broken down into 20 minutes each day or 30 minutes 5 days a week and should include both aerobic and strength training.
This isn’t a lot of time, but if your days are already packed scheduling time for a workout can be a challenge. Here are five tips to keep in mind as you plan your workout routine.
- Workout in the morning if possible.
Research has shown those who exercise in the morning tend to see more success. This is partly due to getting exercise out of the way first thing before obstacles can get in the way.
Is a Lack of Chewing Causing You to Gain Weight?
Food digestion begins in the mouth, which is why how you chew your food can have an impact on not only digestion, but weight as well.
Chewing causes the mechanical breakdown of large food molecules into smaller particles. This increases the surface area of food exposed to digestive enzymes, such as salivary amylase that begins the digestion of carbohydrates in the mouth. A lingual lipase is also released in the mouth to begin the breakdown of fat.
How long do you chew your food?
Now, think about how long a bit of food stays in your mouth. Is it basically one or two bites and you’re swallowing? If so, does that give the digestive enzymes salivary amylase and lingual lipase very much time to do their job? Does that give you adequate time to break your food down into small particulars for increased surface area exposure? If you are like most people, probably not.
How does chewing impact your weight?
Tips to Recover from Holiday Overeating
Why does holiday overeating make it hard to return to normal eating habits?
1 – Stomach is physically larger – Overeating causes the stomach to become enlarged and it can take more food to provide the same feeling of satisfaction.
2 – Lack of sleep – This is probably the biggest culprit for me. I do not usually get good nights sleep during the holidays as we travel between families. A lack of sleep leads to elevated levels of the hormone ghrelin which causes you to feel hungry.
So, what can you do to recover from holiday overeating?
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