Vitamin D Deficiency and Weight Loss

Vitamin D seems to be in the limelight lately. Maybe it will be singled out as the vitamin of the decade award! Seriously though, now it seems it may help promote better weight loss besides maintaining strong bones, lessening hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.

“Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, a new study found. The results, which suggest a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss, were presented at The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.” More study needs to be done but it would not surprise me.

Vitamins may not be miracle cures but they all work together just like an orchestra and if one vitamin is out of tune the "whole band" could eventually become out of tune. And the way most of the population eats it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out how deficiencies can occur. Vitamin D may be especially hard to obtain because it is best absorbed from the sun. Most of us just don’t get outside enough to obtain this important nutrient. Even Dr. Mercola who takes a more holistic view on health has his say about vitamin D and its importance beyond bone health and cancer.

"Low-Intensity Exercise Does Not Provide After Burn"

A new study published in April edition of Exercise and Sport Sciences Review dispelled the myth that lower intensity exercise helps you burn more calories after your workout is over.

In a nutshell, the study basically said “you can’t out exercise a bad diet…”

"It's not that exercise doesn't burn fat," said Edward Melanson, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, "It's just that we replace the calories. People think they have a license to eat whatever they want, and our research shows that is definitely not the case. You can easily undo what you set out to do.”

In order to create an elevated metabolic rate your resistance based workout must be high intensity and vigorous. That’s not to say you can’t get benefit from moderate intensity exercise (you’ll still burn calories), but if you want maximum benefit then you must push your intensity levels.

Source: Study Dispels Myth of Post-Workout Fat Burn

Wal-Mart Can't Help You Lose Weight

Wal-Mart just announced that it is pulling back its in-store health clinic initiative, but may resume it in the years to come…

Why is this of importance?

Simply because it’s one more example of how you MUST rely on yourself to conquer your weight loss goals and health and NOT outside forces. Sure, you should continue to read tips and research into how to best accomplish your goals, but in the end you must be the one to take control of your life and do what is best for you.

A lot of times it’s easier to pass the responsibility, procrastinate, or let our health slip away citing other seemingly more important priorities…  I’m here to tell you today that you should be your #1 priority since without you (and your health) everyone else relying on YOU will be left out.

There will never be a perfect time to get started, so be bold and begin now!

No More Chicken Boredom

Are you in an cooking rut? If you have become bored with your eating routine try some of these delicious sauces from CookingLight.com. These sauces are easy to make and will help you stick to your weight loss plan because you are cooking with flavor.

White Wine Sauce - 47 calories, 4g fat, 2g saturated fat, 1g carbs

Parsley Pesto - 57 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 3g carbs, 1g fiber

Tangy Mustard Sauce - 69 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbs

Creamy White Sauce - 51 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 2g carbs

Spicy Orange Sauce - 43 calories, 0g fat, 11g carbs

Classic Vinaigrette - 96 calories, 10g fat, 1g sat fat

All of the nutritional information is based on the serving size according to the recipe.

 

Too Outdated for Weight Loss? - 2

The other day I focused on the importance of lifestyle change (behavior modification principles) when losing weight. Today’s emphasis will be on cognitive-behavioral strategies and how it plays into the importance of weight management.

Cognitive behavioral concepts may not sound familiar to most people but its importance can  be extremely valuable. Cognitive – behavioral means specifically learning how to change your thinking in such a way that it will positively impact your (eating and exercise) behavior resulting in overall successful weight management. It usually is implemented with a qualified therapist but actually anyone who is motivated  enough can learn it on their own.

You be asking exactly what is cognitive behavior? In a nutshell this term means to evaluate your negative thinking and turn it into something more positive. The premise is that negative thinking is frequently irrational and very likely to impact behavior in a negative way. Obviously this pattern of thinking sounds very simplistic but its value should not be undermined. It was originally adopted by Albert Ellis decades ago. The trick with this particular technique is that it has to be learned and then practiced on a consistent basis to be successful. Here is one site that may give you more insights on it.

The bottom line though is that evidence supports the use of both behavioral and cognitive-behavioral strategies, meaning both these strategies work even better together than just dieting and exercise alone. Once again, there's no real quick fixes when it comes to weight loss. You have to do the work.

Summer Vegetables - 3

Here are some more summer vegetables for you to add to your diet. All vegetables should be a part of your daily diet as they provide you with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and weight-loos friendly fiber.

Free Corporate Weight Loss Website

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a free online corporate wellness and weight loss website called LEANWorks!. It is geared for small to mid-sized companies looking for more information and techniques to combat obesity in the workplace.

Here is just a short list quoting the site’s benefits:

* An obesity cost-calculator where employers can input employee demographic data to estimate the total costs associated with obesity and determine annual obesity-related medical costs for their companies.

* Information and resources to help employers plan, build, promote, and assess interventions to combat obesity.

* Information on how employers can estimate return on investment, a measure of the cost of an intervention compared to the expected financial return of the intervention.

For more information and to see if it may be a good fit for your company check out LEANWorks! online.

Strengthen Bones with More Muscle

A fairly large study done over 3 years and with 1,700 participants found that children who had greater amounts of lean muscle ended up having larger, stronger bones.

Here’s a quote from the study:

“A larger child is going to have larger bones just because he’s heavier,” Wey said. “But if you have two kids at the same weight, the one whose weight is dominated by fat mass is more likely to have smaller bones than the one whose weight is dominated by lean mass. Smaller bones are weaker than larger bones.”

The reason this study is so interesting is because it was formerly thought that just having more weight on your body led to stronger bones. Now, we can see that it’s not necessarily how big you are, but how much lean mass you have. For children this can be increased through normal development which should include a nutritious, balanced diet and plenty of physical activity.

You may draw your own conclusions on how these same results could apply to adults as well.

Source: South Dakota Rural Bone Health Study

Too Outdated for Weight Loss? - 1

Most people know that diet and exercise will usually result with effective weight loss results. For decades authorities still push the importance of behavior modification from the 80's and cognitive behavioral strategies along with diet and exercise because the results are even greater, especially for long term results. They may have been created in the 80's but they are still every bit as effective now.

Oddly enough though people have asked what exactly is behavior modification and cognitive-behavioral change and what do these fancy names mean in terms of weight loss? Today I'll briefly review behavior therapy and how it applies to weight management.

A few basic behavior modification examples are simply house proofing your house of unhealthy foods, eating  healthy regular meals and snacks throughout the day, learning appropriate serving sizes, slowing down your eating time, not engaging in other activities while eating (watching TV, driving, etc.), eating from a smaller plate to make portions look larger, keeping a food diary and numerous other behavioral skills that contribute to weight loss.

Doesn't it make sense then to work on positive lifestyle changes than merely going on one more fad diet plan?

Later this week I’ll get into the cognitive-behavioral strategies and their importance in weight management.

Baby Boomer Workout Tip Sheet

I was just reading an excellent tip sheet written by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on “Baby Boomer” exercise strategies you can also use in your weight loss program:

So instead of rewriting what is already nicely done, I wanted to share with you what the AAOS offers as tips to help boomers prevent exercise-related injuries:

• Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. A physician will make sure your heart is in good condition and can make recommendations based on your current fitness level. This is especially important if you have had a previous injury.

• Always warm up and stretch before exercising. Cold muscles are more likely to get injured, so warm up with some light exercise for at least three to five minutes.

• Avoid being a “weekend warrior.” Moderate exercise every day is healthier and less likely to result in injury than heavy activity only on weekends.

• Do not be afraid to take lessons. An instructor can help ensure you are using the proper form, which can prevent overuse injuries such as tendonitis and stress fractures.

• Develop a balanced fitness program. Incorporate cardio, strength training and flexibility training to get a total body workout and prevent overuse injuries. Also, make sure to introduce new exercises gradually, so you do not take on too much at once.

• Take calcium and Vitamin D supplements daily.

• Listen to your body. As you age, you may not be able to do some of the activities that you did years ago. Pay attention to your body’s needs and abilities, and modify your workout accordingly.

• Remember to rest and schedule regular days off from exercise and rest when tired.

Baby boomers who exercise regularly are less likely to experience depression, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep disturbances, so it’s important to incorporate physical activity into your routine at any age.

I hope you enjoyed the Baby Boomer tip sheet!