The Top 5 Miracle Weight Loss Foods

September 1st, 2010

Wondering what you should eat? Which foods are the best for weight loss? Have you seen articles and products that claim to be the answer for almost magical weight loss? Without further ado, here is the answer: there are no magical weight loss foods. It is all a pile of nonsense and really, you should know better than to think otherwise. I wish there were secret foods and tricks; it would allow me to maintain a better physique with less work. But you and I are in the same boat; we need to make smart food choices and make the decision to move some everyday.almonds

I have been in the business of fitness since 1991. During that time I have helped thousands of people lose weight, build muscle, feel better and be healthier. Also during that time I tried to help thousands more, but with no or limited success. Why did the others fail? Because they were shopping for a solution that did not include making wiser food choices and making activity a part of their life. Some were stubborn, others simply misinformed, others still- ignorant, even when faced with the facts. Ask any trainer how often they hear people who are unhappy with their looks and energy say that they eat right, even healthy. Nonsense! If you did, we would not be having the conversation.

There is no denying or avoiding the fact: calories in and calories out determine our weight. From a purely economical and efficiency perspective, there is no simpler way to change or control your weight than by regulating your calories eaten. There are simply not enough hours in the day to undo chronic poor food choices. You must find a way to balance the calories you eat with the calories you burn, period. No other option. No “yeah, buts…”. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. None!

So do I have any answers for you? Yes. Try this:

  1. Don’t eat fried foods or junk food: Don’t like that, do you? Eating fried food and junk usually adds extra calories, and quickly, to a calorie intake that may already be more than you need. Can you make room for them? Sure, but while losing weight when your daily calorie allowance is reduced, it can be difficult to squeeze in enough activity to offset the extra calories.
  2. Don’t drink beverages with calories. This includes soda, juice, sweet tea and coffee drinks. Try water or unsweetened tea/coffee.
  3. Eat less of what you do now. Try eating a third less per serving and see what happens.
  4. Consider eating pre-portioned meals — Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones…there are many options. These meals have gotten much better and healthier over the years. Most are 300 calories or fewer per meal, making them the perfect size. They are also a good way to get used to portion sizes and calorie vs meal size comparisons.
  5. I know you have heard it before, but try to get several servings (3-5) of fresh fruit and vegetables each day. These are not only good for you, but they generally have fewer calories per serving size than other foods, so they can fill you up and keep you full longer.
  6. Find an activity you like and try to do it most days of the week. Shoot for 30-90 minutes. And yes, getting a 10-minute bout of exercise three times a day counts as 30 minutes!

There it is, a few simple tips to help you maintain or lose weight. No super-secret tricks, just common sense. If you constantly seek out a quick fix you will be doomed to fail or suffer in the process. Take it step-by-step and day-by-day and at some point down the road you will be pleasantly surprised with how far you’ve come.

-Scott

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The hCG Diet

August 20th, 2010


You may have noticed medical facilities offering hCG injections or drops under the tongue as the “secret no one wants you to know about” solution to your weight loss battle. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I’m all for solutions – as long as they’re safe, you understand how and why they work, and you’re willing to live with the consequences.  So let’s dig into how this diet works, the available science and why people who go on this particular diet experience results.

  • hCG is an acronym for human chorionic gonadotrophin. This hormone is produced in pregnant females and its presence in urine results in a positive pregnancy test. hCG is used as a drug to treat infertility among women and to help increase sperm count among men.  In the 1950s a British doctor claimed hCG injections would help obese patients lose weight more comfortably.
  • The hCG protocol includes regular injections or oral drops and a strict 500 calorie per day diet for 26-45 days. The diet typically consists of
    • Coffee for breakfast, no sugar
    • A small portion of lean meat, one type of vegetable, one breadstick or melba toast and one type of fruit with lunch and dinner
    • Two liters of water daily
    • Exercise, especially weight training, is not allowed due to the very low calorie and nutrient intake  (this is a red flag, as exercise is an essential part of healthy weight management)
    • After the initial 26-45 days, you cannot eat any sugar or starches for three weeks
    • The original diet called for no medicines or cosmetics other than lipstick, eyebrow pencil and powder may be used without special permission
    • The current cost of this diet ranges from approximately $150 to $400 per month.
  • According to the scientific research , there is no evidence that hCG is effective for weight loss. The reason people lose weight on this diet is NOT because of the hCG. It’s because the requirement for going on this diet is eating approximately 500 calories per day. To put this in perspective, my body requires approximately 1,200 calories per day just to fuel my brain, heart, lungs and basic metabolic functions. When I’m active, I require more – closer to 2200 calories per day. So eating 500 calories per day would essentially allow me to lose half a pound a day, or 3 pounds per week. Again, it’s NOT because of the hCG. It’s basic human physiology – when you eat drastically fewer calories than you burn, your body will use its energy stores for fuel and your body weight drops.
  • The hCG diet is considered a very low calorie diet, or more commonly, a starvation diet. That means your body will not only burn your fat stores to fuel your brain, heart, lungs and other organs, but it will also burn muscle. When you return to your normal eating habits, you will gain only fat back. In essence, you end up lowering your metabolism, which means you gain weight more easily.
  • The only proven method for losing weight is burning more calories than you take in. There are many ways to go about this, as evidenced by the array of diet books on the market. However, when you take a closer look at all of these diet books, they all cut calories. Low carb/high protein diets cut calories by cutting carbs, low fat diets cut calories by cutting fat and cleansing diets cut calories by cutting, well, food.  The hCG diet is no different, except you also take a drug, which purportedly reduces hunger. Although there are many claims that this is the case, there’s no hard-nosed science to back it up.
  • Approximately 90% of those who attempt dieting fail in the long run. Why? Because it’s very difficult to go on a diet forever. Losing weight is NOT the issue for most people – keeping it off is. The hCG diet allows people to eat only whole, unprocessed foods, which is a good thing, but you must continue to eat this way in order to sustain the results. However, eating 500 calories a day is not recommended because you won’t be getting enough essential nutrients. Plus, rapid weight loss typically results in weight rebound.
  • There are side effects to taking this drug and it’s not FDA approved for weight loss. Noted side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and swelling, severe pelvic pain, shortness of breath and weight gain.

If you’re looking to lose weight AND keep it off, burn more calories than you take in by making adjustments to your food choices and activity level that you can stick to. It will take longer to lose those unwanted pounds, but it’s safer, much cheaper and you’re more likely to maintain your success.  There is no magic cure for weight loss. Here’s the formula for success: Good choices +Consistency + Time. It’s probably not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth, and you know what they say about the truth…

Until next week,
Kat


References

  1. Simeons ATW. The action of chorionic gonadotrophin in the obese. Lancet 2:946-947, 1954.
  2. Lijesen GK and others. The effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria-based meta-analysis. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 49:237–243, 1995.
  3. Bosch B, Venter I, Stewart RI, Bertram SR. Human chorionic gonadotrophin and weight loss. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. S Afr Med J. 1990 Feb 17;77(4):185-9.

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What should be on every kitchen table

August 17th, 2010

As a health professional,  I’ve always made sure my clients, friends and family were given what they needed to protect their health, which to me is the definition of true health care. Of course the nutrition component is always the most important part of the health care equation, because you HAVE to eat and WHAT you consume is what you become in both the short and long term. After all, it’s food that brings in nutrients which are deposited into the body to keep all our parts working. If any nutrient that’s needed on a daily basis is missing, something in the body will eventually be compromised. Consistent lack of specific nutrients can then lead us out of health care and into disease care, i.e. doctors and drugs.


Everyone can easily get everything they need to allow their bodies to become stronger and last longer, and all sitting where they won’t forget to take it – on the kitchen table. At a minimum, EVERY single person you care about needs the following supplements readily available (these are the ones that will make up the nutrient shortfalls common in today’s food supply): multiple-vitamin-and-mineral formula (MVM) that includes 1000IUs of vitamin D; then fish oils and calcium for when the diet falls short of these nutrients.

Properly supplementing the diet should be practiced throughout life, starting when your body’s natural development machinery can utilize the nutrients involved in putting you together so you may last longer. Supplements are NOT to be taken only when you are older or diseased. Dietary supplements are not a cure or prevention to the diseases brought on by smoking, weight, lack of exercise or other poor lifestyle choices. Supplementing important missing nutrients IS part of a healthy lifestyle.

Here is what you need to make sure everyone you love does daily
First, eat the best possible diet you can and spread meals evenly throughout the day. Second, consume 1000-1500mgs per day of calcium. Third, consume 1000IUs per day of vitamin D along with all other essential nutrients. And lastly, consume the equivalent of an average of 600mgs per day of fish oils (DHA & EPA).

Now if your friends and family are like mine, after your health discussion you will get the same question I got last night while having dinner at the home of the quarterback of my son’s (Nelson) football team.  Okay great, now how can I do it without thinking about it? The simple answer is below for you to print and put on the kitchen table WITH the supplements.

  • Active multivitamin mineral formula
    • Take 1 daily immediately following breakfast or any other larger meal.
  • Super Omega-3/Fish oil (as needed)
    • Take 1 daily with multivitamin if not consuming 2-4 servings of fatty fish weekly. Or simply take one gel tab daily when not consuming fish.
  • Super Calcium (as needed)
    • Do the best you can to get 1000-1500mgs from the diet. If you fall short use the SuperCalcium+ formula as directed.

Parting words
Don’t wait till the “engine is broken” before adding oil. Do it while it’s still working.
Properly supplementing the diet is health care, not disease care. By supplementing throughout life while we are healthy, we can build a stronger foundation by taking advantage of our body’s youthful development machinery and supply ALL the necessary building materials (nutrients).We then leverage the result into our advancing years. We continue to add the compounds our older body can still use but may no longer manufacture or can’t receive in proper amounts from food alone. Again, we now have them at a point in time BEFORE it’s too late, while the body can still use them. In other words, we continue to add these natural substances because our body’s internal “machinery” still works.  The nutrients are used rather than waiting until the machinery is worn out, rendering any additional compounds less effective or useless.

By properly supplementing throughout all stages in life (or at least before disease sets in), we may significantly slow the inevitable decline in body and brain functioning and, to a point, we may end our days in a very “soft landing”: cognitively functional and relatively productive, meaning we would require little to no help participating in life. And for all you athletes out there, properly supplementing can dramatically extend your playing and competitive years. Your body gets the right stuff all day, every day and you’re now built to last!!

So keep it all on the kitchen table.
–Neal

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Food Strategies to Help You Drop Fat

August 11th, 2010

If you’ve been following my blogs, you already know the most important thing about losing weight is burning more calories than you take in. Period. If this is still questionable in your mind, read my last blog “Exercising to lose weight? Here’s why that may not be the BEST strategy.” I promised to give you practical tips for reducing calories without feeling hungry and here they are:Fruit and oats are healthy food choices for weight loss.

  1. Know Your Enemy. Whether you realize or not, your surroundings influence what and how much you eat. In today’s fast-paced, mega-portions and sedentary environment, it’s way too easy to eat more calories than your body burns up. Set yourself up for success by:
    • Replacing tempting food with healthier or pre-portioned options. Out of sight, out of mind. Even having a candy jar in your eyesight will cause you to eat more. Get rid of it.
    • Never, ever eat out of the bag or container, otherwise you’ll mindlessly munch away. It’s super easy to scarf down 500+ calories when you’re eating from the ice cream carton or that big bag of chips.
    • Serve yourself using small(er) plates and glasses. You’ll put less food on your plate and you’ll eat fewer calories. Yes, plate and glass sizes have increased dramatically over the last few decades – hence the bigger portion sizes
    • Avoid all-you-can eat places. We’re wired to eat, regardless if we’re hungry so it’s better to just stay out of these restaurants.
    • Don’t eat while distracted – watching TV, surfing the internet, etc. Eat and only eat to avoid eating too much without realizing it. Most people do this at night while they’re sitting on the couch watching their favorite shows.
    • Cook smaller portions. Studies show if you prepare smaller portions, you’ll eat fewer calories. If you cook in bulk to save time, pre-portion right away.
    • Start your meal with a small garden salad or broth-based soup and skip the appetizers or bread basket. Doing this will help you feel fuller and take in fewer calories.
  2. Track it. The first step towards changing or improving something is to become aware of how it is now. Plus studies show people who keep a food diary/log lose more weight and are more likely to keep it off. So if you’re serious, don’t mess around. Jot down every morsel that goes into your mouth.
  3. Don’t Drink Your Calories. Drinking regular soda, juices, coffee drinks and sweetened beverages give you calories, but do nothing to help you feel satisfied. Opt for water or other calorie-free options.
  4. Eat Breakfast. Prevent over-eating later in the day by eating a morning meal – preferably high in fiber with a little protein. Try a bran cereal with fresh fruit or 100% whole wheat toast with eggs or peanut butter.
  5. Eat every 4 hours. Waiting too long leads to eating more calories and making poor food choices. I recommend 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. Healthy snacks, of course. (My favs are 100 calorie kettle popcorn and a Fiji apple – crunchy, sweet and salty or a 100-calorie Fudgsicle when I want chocolate.)
  6. Avoid fried foods and fast food, unless you can find a meal with less than ~500 calories. These are typically way too high in calories and artery-clogging fat.
  7. Choose lean cuts of meat , or remove the fat before eating. Fish, skinless poultry, and “Select” grades of beef. “Prime” cuts of beef have the most fat.
  8. Switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy products. Nonfat milk instead of whole milk, reduced fat cheese and low-fat yogurt are good choices.
  9. Eat at least 25 grams of fiber per day. Research shows that doubling fiber intake boosts weight loss. Yes, you can drop 5 pounds in a few months by just using this tip alone. Fiber is a powerhouse food and most people get half of what they need. Fiber-rich foods slow digestion, help control blood sugar, boost the feeling of fullness, help manage hunger and more. To get enough, eat fruit with 1-2 meals and have it for a snack and have veggies with every meal. Replace refined foods (white rice, pasta, bread) with high-fiber cereal, steel cut oatmeal, 100% whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, beans and lentils.

That’s it for now – incorporate one or two of these tips at a time for at least 21 days so it becomes a habit and you’ll see the fat melting away. You’re on your way to a leaner and healthier you!

Cheers,
Kat

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Who needs motivation to lose weight?

August 4th, 2010

There are only two parts to successful weight loss. First, making the calorie connection, which is realizing that weight loss is a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn, and that weight maintenance means eating as many calories as you burn. (The minute you say it’s not just about calories, you’re doomed and there’s no reason to go to the next part!) The 2nd part is motivation to do it. In other words, if you come to accept that weight management is only about eating versus moving, and you find a good reason to be fit, you will be successful!

Motivation is the tough one.  To prove it, all we have to do is look at the temporarily successful weight losers — most of these are people getting ready for big events like weddings, high school reunions, beach holidays or basically anything that brings old friends together, or requires that you expose your body in such a way that it should look its best. In fact, the most successful losers of all are people who are experiencing divorce. Anytime I see one of my old friends or acquaintances and they are way down in weight, I NEVER ask about their spouse because I know the answer. The relationship is either on the skids or over, and they are searching for the new mate. Anyway, you get my point about motivation.  I’d hate to see everyone who needs to lose weight in order to live a longer more productive life leave their mate in order to be successful.

The first part of the equation is simple, calories in, calories out – period! Ok, so how do we get that to work so we can lower the motivation threshold? In other words, how do you make it easier to lose the weight, now that we indisputably know how, so it takes very little motivation?

Making the calorie connection come to life creates the motivation.
The answer is simple: make it a game, see the fat leaving the body by the minute, by the step, by the hour, by the day, etc., and you won’t need to be highly motivated to succeed.

The ability to virtually see body fat coming and going in real time, anytime, anywhere is possible when you connect the digital display to your exerspy. You now have the ultimate on-command motivation through its ability to communicate to you in real time, wherever you are, without your having to connect to a computer. Imagine looking at your watch and knowing that X amount of body fat has just left your body. Now that’s motivation to keep going. Or, picture yourself at anytime during the day peeking at your display and seeing that your calorie intake at that point is going to be above your burn if you decide to “eat the whole thing”. That’s all you need to push away from the table a little sooner or get moving so you can eat the whole thing! There’s nothing like freedom and motivation once you have the facts and the tools.

Games you win so you can lose

The calories-per-minute game
You can run your entire day by viewing calories burned per minute on your display.

Example: the average person is awake about 1000 min/day. If you kept your calorie burn at 2cals/min, you know you’ll burn 2,000 not including the calories you burn when you sleep, which would add extra 500cals for a 150LB person (more if you’re heavier). Your daily total burn will be 2500cals. In this case, eat your 2000 and you’re on your way to losing 1LB per week by simply glancing at your display device and keeping your burn at 2cals/min. Anytime the number dips below, you’ll be motivated to move, which can be as simple as fidgeting, pacing or performing an activity standing rather than sitting such as talking on the phone.

The daily steps game
Set your daily steps target at a number you know will earn enough of a burn that you won’t be able to eat more than your output. Example: I know that if I get 12,000steps/day I will never be able to eat more than I burn. Therefore I find ways to hit that number. Keep in mind that any movement does two things: burns many more calories per minute than sitting, and generally any activity restricts the ability to eat.

Share it with your partner
It is very fun and motivating to compete with your partner on steps, burn rate, total calories, moderate and vigorous physical activity, which can all be immediately viewed on the display. And there are lots of other things you can do together using your display device to keep you motivated (wink, wink). You know what I am going to say next, yes, it’s always fun to see how many calories the extracurricular activities performed in bed burn. You will find yourselves there more often and trying to outdo your last performance.

Now tell me, isn’t that much better than having to break up to get in shape? It’s a heck of a lot more fun, and certainly cheaper!

–Neal

PS — Get your display at www.dotFIT.com or at a dotFIT gym near you – note that the display must be used with the exerspy armband and dotFIT Me program.

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Apparently making supplements that SELL is more important than making those that can actually work.

July 23rd, 2010

I had a tough day today. I met with the CEO of a major retailer of dietary supplements and our conversation reminded me of why we became involved in the formulations, manufacture and recommendation of dietary supplements in the first place. After all, we were and always will be a fitness R&D and programming company for evidence-based nutrition, weight control and exercise solutions — NOT a supplement company or manufacturer.

Back in the day, we knew that most people can benefit from the proper use of dietary supplements. So that told us that dietary supplements needed to be part of a sound nutrition program. But we had NO desire to get involved in producing supplements until we started uncovering the problems associated with how supplements were developed and sold. Almost every popular brand we looked at broke at least one of the four laws that we used to scrutinize each product.

Our Four Laws
1) It must work as stated based on research
2) It must be safe as directed
3) Purity levels must be as stated (no contaminants)
4) There must be truth in labeling (the ingredients on the label must be in the bottle in the proper amount)

And all of this must be proved before it can be sold or recommended.

The 4th law is a product of the 1st, which brings me back to my conversation with the CEO. We started talking about all the different products on the market, which ones sell the best and why. I explained that unfortunately best sellers are popular for all the wrong reasons: exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims and/or the price is acceptable to the average consumer.
“Does it matter to you whether the products you carry actually work?” I asked the CEO. To his credit, he said “Yes, and there are studies to back up the claims of the products we carry.” I then asked if his staff takes the time to match the ingredient dosages and forms used in the studies that show a POTENTIAL benefit to the dosages/forms in his products. Of course he said no but that he trusts the formulators since the studies were cited. And that said it all.

Here’s why. It’s too expensive to do it right. If you ask a formulator to design a supplement to compete with another popular supplement, they can’t give you a product where the dosages of ALL the active ingredients match dosages used in studies without going way out of a competitive price range. Almost no other company puts in the amounts of ingredients that have been shown to be effective, so your competitor’s product – even though it might be completely ineffective – is cheaper for consumers. And most consumers don’t know the difference. They just see the price tag.

This is the method used to keep the price down and therefore competitive. Does a supplement contain the proper ingredients?  Yes. Does it contain proper amounts or dosage recommendations? No. So most popular dietary supplements violate both law 1 (it must work as stated) and 4 (truth in labeling). It can’t work as stated or implied based on the ingredient amounts, dosage or forms, and therefore the claims are unsubstantiated. In the end, more often than not, the very studies a supplement company cites to support their products actually prove that the product can’t work as claimed. How’s that for irony?

At some point, an extremely obese guy came in the room. He was the leader of this company’s sports nutrition group and wanted to know how we were different from a proprietary formula standpoint. That was an easy answer. I said, “Our formulas’ ingredients are in the right forms and dosages to make the difference we claim. And as I just told your CEO, other companies put in unsubstantiated ingredients or improper amounts of substantiated ingredients that make the product less or completely ineffective in order to keep the price down”. This guy had no idea what the right forms or dosages should be, so there was no point in discussing it further. He only knew the names of the ingredients that are hot in the media and told me that he was always on the lookout for products with a new component or combination of components that had a great story so it would sell fast.

Back to the supplement sales discussion. I began telling both of the guys in the room about how the four laws that govern our line of supplements automatically puts us in a difficult position to compete with popular brands.  Our business model is to license fitness facilities to carry our products, and we educate the employees (fitness professional) at those facilities about the science behind our products. We know that unless we have one of our certified fitness professionals explain the difference between our dietary supplements and lower-priced popular brands, we can’t compete.

For example, the fitness professional can give her client examples of the above dosage discussion that clearly explain how some supplements live up to their claims and some don’t. We outsell popular brands 10-1 in our outlets because of the elements of education and scientific proof in our business model. Each dotFIT product sale is a professional recommendation based on medical screening, ingredient or product compatibility, individual statistics and goals, NOT a sales clerk ringing up a sale driven by advertisement or a conversation where no one has a clue about the true science behind the product. Furthermore, if an ingredient is known to cause problems for certain types of people, we say so up front. We list all known ingredient contraindications or potential adverse events, which NO one else does in the supplement industry. They don’t have to, plus it might hurt a sale.

At this point in the meeting people began looking at me funny, like is this guy for real? Once they snapped out of it, they asked how they could get a professional supplement recommendation for themselves and their families. I told them to go to one of our over 700 health club outlets, call or e-mail one of our certified phone coaches, or visit our website and use the free Supplement Screener (which takes about 3 minutes). I then left the building.

I guess my day was tough because I had to face the cold hard truth that retailers don’t care enough about delivering the right message or substantiating claims because they are forced to focus on what might sell. I totally get that. I just can’t do it. I mean, why would I advise someone to waste their hard-earned dollars or to take something that’s not supported by experts who know what they’re talking about?

I believe that if you can’t prove it works and you don’t feel comfortable giving it to your immediate family, you can’t sell it. But maybe that’s just me.

-Neal

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Exercising to lose weight? Here’s why it may not be the BEST strategy.

July 20th, 2010

In a classic study on weight loss, researchers discovered after six months:

  1. People who exercised 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and did NOT change their diet lost two pounds. fit woman running
  2. People who reduced calories below their daily burn lost nearly 20 pounds.
  3. People who exercised AND reduced calories lost 23 pounds.

Why is that the case? Basic human physiology. To lose weight, your body must be forced to use its stored energy (meaning fat). This ONLY happens if you burn more calories than you consume. At my weight, 30 minutes of brisk walking burns about 150 calories. (The more you weigh, the more you burn.) If I do this 5 days a week without changing the number of calories I eat, it will take approximately 23 days to lose one pound. Here’s the math:

  • 3,500 calories are contained in one pound of body fat.  (Approximately 10% of fat tissue is water)
  • 3,500 calories per pound divided by 150 calories per day = 23.3 days.

If you’ve been gaining weight slowly over time, you may not lose anything but you may stop that creeping waistline. To lose one pound a week by just exercising, you’d have to walk for 2 hours, 7 days a week. (Yeah, you have time for that, right?) Compare this to shaving 500 calories from your diet each day. Do this and you’ll lose a pound every week. Add exercise and you’ll lose more, feel better, and get a myriad of other benefits. Bottom line, it’s time consuming to burn a considerable amount of calories through exercise.

If you don’t know how many calories your body burns, how do you know how much to eat? It turns out that most people don’t know. Surveys have shown that fewer than 2 out of 10 people don’t know how many calories they should eat to maintain their weight. And if we judge by results, most people are mismanaging their weight. (Seven out of 10 Americans are overweight or obese.) For the modern lifestyle of sedentary jobs and plentiful food, managing your weight is just like your balancing checkbook. You have to know what’s going in and out in order to avoid overdrafts and bounced checks. If you track your spending and deposit more than you spend, you save money. In the human body, when you put more in compared to what’s going out, you save calories, which turns into fat yet no one intends to become fat. For most people, it happens gradually over time. So to lose those extra pounds, reduce the calories you’re taking in, add exercise to speed up the process and to keep the weight off once you reach your goal. To find out how many calories you burn, take the Free Fitness Profile here www.dotfit.com. Tune in for next week’s blog where I share practical tips for reducing calories WITHOUT feeling hungry or deprived. Yes, it IS possible to lose weight without suffering.  YAY!

– Kat

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Everyone needs resistance training, even when, or especially when, your goal is weight loss.

July 12th, 2010

It never ceases to amaze me that folks trying to lose weight or get in shape will avoid resistance training. Old myths and stereotypes still exist: I’m afraid to get big or bulkWoman lifting weights for her health up. I don’t want to be muscle bound. I just want to lose weight, not get big.

I’ll say it straight: you want to lose fat and look good? It will NEVER happen as quickly, easily or with a better result if you do not include some type of resistance training. The world is filled with young men and women struggling to add considerable muscle. I spent ten years devoting every minute to that end and it still came slowly. The likelihood that you will bulk up and look like a linebacker after a few months of hitting the weights is highly unlikely. Even if that’s what you wanted! Proper training like what you’ll find we recommend at dotFIT will enhance your health, strength, stability, athleticism and looks.

Tune in to our Webinar on Wednesday, 7/14,  to learn more on how to maximize your results and get the most from your workouts.

Sign up at www.dotFIT.com/webinars.

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Want to lose weight? STOP DIETING!!!

July 1st, 2010

As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I absolutely HATE diets. I hate when people go on them and I hate it EVEN MORE when people go off of them and gain the weight back (and more in many cases).  I’ve seen it happen so many times and we’ve got to find a way to stop the madness for the betterment of all humankind. Diets equal deprivation; diets mean giving up food I love (like salt & vinegar chips); diets equal hunger. So why do people do them? I believe it’s because we’re sold on the fantasy that losing weight can be quick and simple if only we do one thing – cut carbs, drink a magic potion, do a cleanse, cut sugar.  NOT! The reason they don’t work in the long run is because people can’t stick to them so they go back to old habits. It’s kind of like paying off all your credit card debt only to run it up again because you haven’t changed your spending habits.

So what does it take to lose weight and keep it off? Simple adjustments that you can live with. Adjustments that don’t leave you feeling deprived. Adjustments you can build into your daily routine just like brushing your teeth. Burn 100 more calories a day by taking 2,000 extra steps and lose 10 lbs in a year. Cut out a regular soda and lose another 10. (All this assuming you don’t eat more.) Make better food choices. Have an apple for your PM snack instead of those chips. Yes, it’s true. An apple a day can keep the doctor away. You’ll get more fiber and you’ll feel better. How do people get overweight in the first place? Poor choices repeated over time. So to lose the weight, reverse the process.

Start by waking up – you can’t change something you’re not aware of.  Get conscious of what and how much you’re putting into your mouth by tracking what you eat. Research shows you’ll lose weight by doing that alone. Once you’re conscious of your food choices, make better choices and repeat them over time. Find out how many calories your body burns so you know how much to eat. With our sedentary jobs, huge portions and great tasting food available whenever we want it, we have no choice but to pay attention and get educated about our body, food and calories. Is it a fast and sexy way to lose weight? NOPE. Not even close. If you want quick and easy weight loss, then go on the latest and greatest diet and you’ll have to live with the weight rebound that inevitably follows. If you want to finally be rid of diets for the rest of your life, pay attention, make better choices and repeat. Again and again and again. Slow and steady wins the race, and I want YOU to win.

-Kat

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“New Age” creatine – not just for athletes anymore

June 23rd, 2010

Wow – I just read a new study on creatine and it just keeps looking better and better as a supplement. Creatine is one of those naturally occurring substances that works so well as a supplement, scientists used to think it might be bad for you over the long term, like pharmaceutical drug use. After all, as the old saying goes, “for every action there must be a reaction”. When it comes to drugs or prescription medications, the reaction eventually becomes negative as continual use will, at some point, take its toll on certain organs and tissues. For example, the chronic use of NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen or other painkillers will have eventual negative side-effects on the kidneys or stomach lining. Well, the short- and long-term reaction for creatine appears to be nothing short of sensational. In other words, there’s no negative reaction — the action caused by supplementing creatine beyond what the diet can supply seems to cause a reaction of continual benefits – even in old age!

Creatine supplements have now been in play for almost 20 years and have been used safely by millions people. This very fact has prompted thousands of clinical studies that have looked further into creatine’s benefits as a supplement.

We have always known that athletes get stronger using creatine supplements, but scientists have recently found that older men and women can benefit also. In fact, in the study I just read, a group of men approximately 70 years of age did strength training for 12 weeks. Those who used 5 grams of creatine daily gained double the muscle size and lifted 40-60% more weight than those using the placebo. That’s amazing! Creatine supplementation also works for women. While younger women may not like the muscle-building effect, older women look forward to it for many reasons: 1) As you age you lose muscle and tone so adding it back can dramatically enhance your appearance; 2) bones weaken with age and stronger muscles mean stronger bones; 3) the more & stronger muscle you can keep, the better your body will function into old age, allowing you to live a longer, more productive life without assistance.

For those of you wondering how supplemental creatine works beyond just supplying the additional energy substrate to lift more weights, which in itself can lead to more muscle, here are a few things recently discovered: high levels of creatine appear to turn on your muscle-building genes and stimulate satellite cells, which are the stem cells found in muscle just waiting to wake up. These cells help repair and build more muscle. Also, creatine can help keep muscle from breaking down from age, injury or weightlifting, meaning your body can now spend more time making new muscle rather than repairing old or damaged tissues.

Wow again. Creatine sounds like a wonder drug (minus the negative side effects) for any of us in the older generation looking to stay young and spry as long as possible. Unfortunately when I was a bodybuilder, creatine wasn’t around and, ironically, it was long after retirement from competition that I started using it for the exact reasons listed above. I have been using it daily since I turned 50 and I am now 58. Yes sir, creatine mixed in my morning shake keeps me structurally healthy so I can drink scotch at night – now that’s a winning combo.

So if you are looking for the perfect gift for older relatives, get them some dotFIT Creatine Monohydrate and have them mix it with the dotFIT Pre/Post Workout Formula shake – and get of the way!

–Neal

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