Mediterranean Diet in Good Standing

Proven food facts for heart health still remain short. But  new research on over 200 studies involving millions of people still validate that by consuming an abundant amount of fresh vegetables, whole grains, beans/legumes, olive oil and numerous other healthy food choices in their plan (generally this food plan is lower in calories, higher in fiber, and has healthier fats) promote heart health. The "white" over processed foods, fatty red meat/ high-fat dairy and trans fats are still some of the biggest food no-no’s.

It’s interesting that studies always have to be done to prove that whole foods are usually the best to consume. Isn't it just common sense that when you alter a food (by processing it) it will lose much of its inherent positive health benefits? And hasn't fish always been touted as a healthy food even before the omega-3 studies?

For more of the specifics on this healthy food plan refer to Featured Topics.

How to Choose the Right Exercise Class for You

I know that you are pumped up and ready to go in terms of losing weight and that's a great thing when channeled in the right direction.

You see, when you’re first starting out you don't want to take the hardest or most intense class your local club offers just because you think it will get you results the fastest. That's just not the case and may leave you injured…

When you're just getting into exercising it’s always better to start with a beginner's introductory class to get your feet wet and learn proper form. Plus, you get your body acclimated to different types of stimulus which you may not be used to.

That's a better way to do it than making yourself sore…

You'll also progress more naturally and since you haven't been working out regularly before that you can still expect to see great results from your new program. After you feel like you've advanced past the level your current class is at you can then easily make the transition to the next level up.

If you're confused as to what each class consists of I highly recommend you watch a class while it is taking place. You can then ask the instructor after class is over for their recommendation as to whether it is right for you. This way here you'll learn firsthand if the movements and intensity look like a good fit for where you are in terms of fitness.

Plyometric Exercises Are Not for Everyone

I don't want to go off on a rant, but I have to say that some of the "bootcamp classes" I see being taught are just downright dangerous.

If you are just starting out on a fitness program, it's a good idea to start with the fundamentals and basics. This will allow you to correct your movement patterns and ensure you are using good form.

However, some of these bootcamps take you right to an advanced level where they are performing way too many sets, reps, and plyometric-type jumping exercises. Unless you are a seasoned athlete or an advanced exerciser, doing a lot of movements that require that kind of stress on your joints aren’t healthy.

If you ever feel like your instructor is pushing your body too hard, it's best that you either look for another class or refrain from doing that particular exercise. It's always better to "live again to workout another day," since if you get sidelined from an injury that will seriously affect your weight loss efforts.

Stay safe and stay strong!

Chew Gum To Help With Weight Loss

A recent study, done under a grant supported by the Wrigley Science Institute, which was presented by researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Louisiana State University showed that chewing gum may help you with your weight loss.

In this study participants were given lunch and then chewed Extra gum 3 times hourly for 15 minutes. After those 3 hours the participants were given a variety of snacks and the gum chewers consumed 40-60 less calories from those snacks then the non-gum chewers. 

Whole Grain Myths

You all know we should include foods that are whole grains because they offer more nutrient and fiber content and generally fill you up better when you are trying to lose weight. The problem is that food manufacturers know that we know this now so they keep trying to trick us into believing many foods are whole grain when they really aren’t. Here’s a few things to be aware of:

• Do not choose bread based merely on its color. Many manufacturers use colorings to make them just look like they are whole grain.
• There are numerous other types of grains besides just wheat. For example there is old fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats which don’t take much longer to cook that instant oatmeal but provide much more nutrient value. There is also whole grain couscous, barley, amaranth, quinoa, and brown rice. These dishes can be cooked in the same way white rice is used in most cases.
• Many whole grains can be as high in antioxidants as fruits and vegetables so don’t be gun-shy of true whole grain foods if they aren't too processed. Even popcorn (without infinite amounts of butter and salt) is a healthy whole grain food.
• Look for at least 2-3 grams of fiber for every 80-100 calories although manufacturers are also adding in that as well.
• Watch "all-bran" cereals as many of them have artificial sweeteners like aspartame (Equal) and sucralose, (Splenda) which in my opinion are just not healthy additives and in the end really do not promote weight loss according to studies.

More Sleep = Faster Weight Loss

Since my team and I specialize in weight loss and body transformation we consider it our job to be up to  date on all the safe and effective methods of weight loss out there (we even research the unhealthy ways so that we can explain to clients why they shouldn’t be using them).

Having said that, it isn’t too often that a client has difficulty losing weight on our programs since we customize each program based on their needs.  However, just last week we had a client hit a plateau where their weight wouldn’t budge. Their nutrition and workouts were right where they should be and they were really hoping to see the results continue to come as they had for the past few weeks.

Well, after confirming that their meal plans and workouts were up to date we asked them to do one simple thing for us. They were asked not to use their computer or watch TV in bed for 1 week and they had to get 8 hours of sleep every night. (This client typically got no more than 6 hours of sleep per night and worked a stressful job).

Without going into the science of how sleep effects weight loss, I’m happy to say that this client lost just over 3 pounds that week without changing a thing except sleeping 8 hours per night. Not bad, for catching a little extra shut eye…

So, if you’re at a loss for why your weight loss efforts have stalled try unwinding before bed and getting under the covers just a little bit earlier each night.

Not So Sweet Artificial Sweeteners

A reader asked if switching to artificial sweeteners is a good way to get off of eating so much sugar.

Artificial sweeteners have the benefit of no-calories which is a good thing when you are trying to lose weight. For example if you drink 1 can of regular soda a day and cut back to 1 can of diet soda you are cutting back about 150 calories.

"Can I Lose Weight Without Eating Less?"

Reader Question: "Can I Lose Weight Without Eating Less?"

Answer: The quick answer is "yes," but it's not quite that simple.

For example if you plan to start working out to burn more calories every day, you'll have to watch out that you don’t overeat to compensate for the additional energy expenditure. I've seen too many people try to lose weight by working out intensely for an hour only to have a 1,200+ calorie dinner afterwards and just negate all their hard work.

Another way (and a healthier way) to lose weight without eating less would be to substitute a few of your high caloric or unhealthy food choices with fresh vegetables or fruit. Since fruit and vegetables typically contain fewer calories per ounce than many of the starchy carbohydrates or higher fat foods you could see a lot of benefit by making this switch. Fruits and vegetables also contain fiber which is excellent for your health, weight loss efforts, and fighting off hunger between meals.

I hope that helps and you may find that a combination of the two work best for you.

The Hidden Secret for Maintaining your Weight

Do you really want to keep your weight off for good? I’ll let you in a secret that people literally choose to continually ignore.  It’s not that hard to do and amazingly simple. Make the commitment to weigh yourself once a week no matter what! Then if you are up from your goal weight I suggest you do something about it that very day. Do not procrastinate with your efforts to lose these few pounds or minimize this small weight gain. Honestly, this is where it starts! Usually you know where those pesky pounds come from anyway don’t you? If you honestly don’t know then use ND’s My Tracking to see where the extra calories are coming from. Sometimes the extra pounds just seem to "creep up" don’t they?

I can’t even begin to tell you how many people tell me this is how they gained weight. If you weigh once a week you can catch a little two pound weight from turning into a ten or more pound weight gain. Personally I’d rather work at losing two pounds than twenty wouldn’t you?

A Few More Tips To Cut Out Sugar

Here are a few more tips to continue from Wednesday's list to help you cut out sugar from your diet.

1. Eat fruit instead of drinking fruits juice. Eating an orange can be a satisfying snack but drinking a glass of orange juice might not be. Juice has very little fiber in it and can cause the same spike in your blood sugar as a candy bar. Also, many juices are not 100% juice - sugar is added. So eat your fruit instead of drinking it.

2. Adjust your baking recipes. You can cut back the sugar in any baking recipe by half and you will not change the taste or texture. This goes for regular sugar, brown sugar, honey or any other sweetener in a recipes.