Tips & Tricks
Weight Loss
Tips and Tricks
by Mary
Howard, RN
You hear so
many tips and trick about weight loss that it may leave you
wondering which tips are the best and which tricks are
really tricks? Let's look at how food and exercise affect
metabolism and weight loss to help us understand why some of
these tips and tricks work or don't work.
Lately you may
have heard a lot about low carbohydrate diets and claims
that they are working and that people are getting healthier
without paying attention to the amount of fat they are
eating. You may have even heard that the USDA is looking at
changing the food pyramid.
There is a
major flaw in the low fat diet plan and scientist are
finally having to admit to it. Very little of your bodies
Cholesterol comes from diet. Your body manufactures most of
your Cholesterol from Carbohydrates. The culprit of turning
these carbohydrates into fat is Insulin.
Insulin
is vital to life because it regulates blood sugar, controls
the storage of fat, regulates the liver’s production of
cholesterol, functions as a growth hormone, is important in
appetite control, drives the kidneys to retain fluid and
much more. It is absolutely essential to life, but too much
of a good thing can sometimes cause problems. Too much
insulin can cause fat storage, cholesterol production and is
caustic to the blood vessels. Insulin, by activating or
inhibiting various metabolic pathways, can make us sleepy,
hungry, satisfied, dizzy, lightheaded or bloated.
As you age
your insulin receptors become less sensitive to insulin so
your body overproduces insulin to meet what it thinks is
it’s need. By carefully monitoring the types and amount of
carbohydrates we eat we can clean up our insulin receptors.
Decreased insulin receptor site sensitivity is frequently
the problem that Type II Diabetics (Adult Onset Diabetics)
have.
Not mixing
certain food types is a dietary concept out there now
that actually makes some sense. For example it is a fact
that if you eat only a fat and a protein together the fat
goes right through you. Dietary fat by itself is not the
culprit but when you add a carbohydrate to the mix the body
will turn the dietary fat into body fat. If you eat a little
protein and carbohydrate (Low Fat Diet) together your body
will make fat to either store or use for energy depending on
your activity level at the time. But why? You didn't eat any
fat?!
As an example:
After that fat free ice cream cone, your body produced more
insulin than it needed because of your plugged insulin
receptors. The insulin does what it is supposed to; it
lowers your blood sugar level but then there is extra
insulin circulating around so it goes to work and turns some
fat into cholesterol and stores some fat somewhere else
incase you decide to skip supper tonight.
By decreasing
your intake of concentrated sweets, like sugar sweetened
food and not overeating starches like breads, pasta and
potatoes you may keep your body from the overproduction of
insulin. Carbohydrates actually have a metabolic affect that
make any fat you eat worse for you. Carbohydrates affect the
hormone balance in your body to add to depression, lack of
energy and mood swings.
Exercise
really is the key for healthy weight loss. By increasing the
strength and mass of your muscles you are better able to
burn calories. Exercise makes the rest of your everyday
activities easier therefore burning up more calories not
only from the exercise but from having more energy to
complete your daily activities. Having that energy is more
likely to keep you busy so you think about eating less
often.
Not eating
3 hours before bedtime is something you may have heard
that will help you loose weight. There is much truth in this
too, for more than one reason. We know that if you go to bed
shortly after a big meal you don't sleep as well and you
also don't have a chance to “work off” your meal but their
is also another big factor.
Human
Growth Hormone (hgh) is produced at night to help our
body build and repair muscle. If you eat a carbohydrate
within 2 to 3 hours of sleep time your body will not produce
near as much of this hormone.
Exercise
first thing in the morning now makes some sense too.
If you have not eaten after your evening meal your body in
the morning is fasting. If you exercise before breakfast it
forces your body to burn fat. It looks like if you followed
that exercise with a protein breakfast it would keep you in
the “fat burning” (glycogen dominant) phase a little longer.
Quality
protein sources like that found in meat, eggs, fish, and
nuts is the best and quickest way to build lean body mass
when you are part of an exercise program. Lean body mass
(muscle) will help you burn calories. Because carbohydrates
are what turns dietary fat into body fat it is healthier to
avoid the carbohydrates than to avoid the fat because
frequently by avoiding naturally occurring fats you also
avoiding good quality protein sources.
Protein
requirements are figured based on lean body mass so it
is difficult to state the requirements. An average sized
adult female (about 140 lbs) requirements are 50 grams
protein a day but may need to be as high as 75 grams when
very active during an exercise program. For an average adult
male (about 175-180lbs) is 65 grams and could be as high as
90 grams a day during an exercise program.
Tip on
foods to eat and foods to avoid:
Avoid:
-
All sugar sweetened foods if you are serious about a weight loss program.
-
As often as possible foods that are all or almost all starch content like potatoes, white bread, and pasta.
-
Processed foods often have unhealthy fat sources and chemical additives that drag your system down.
Eat:
-
All vegetables especially green vegetables raw vegetables and salads.
-
Meat, eggs, nuts, fish, tofu and beans.
-
Whole grain cereals, pasta and breads.
-
The carbohydrates you do eat make them from whole foods in their natural state fresh fruit with the skins because the extra fiber will help with the carbohydrate digestion.
-
Fresh fruits to get your vitamins needed to make you feel good while exercising and taking care of your health.
The
NutriCounter
NutriCounter
looks like it would be a great tool for keeping track of and
counting grams of Protein and carbohydrates eaten each day.
With this we
have come back to the basics again. Eating whole foods in
their natural state is always your best bet. Now we can see
why our grandparents could eat bacon and eggs for breakfast
and still be in great health. By eating certain foods at
certain times and with some moderation in what we eat we can
eat well and feel great doing it. We can improve our health
and emotional well-being while improving our physical body.
