Monthly Archives: September 2010

Why is Weight Loss So Difficult? – Part 2

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In part 1 we introduced challenges 1-3. Let’s hit on a few more common challenges and then get to the solution.

Challenge #4 – “Dieting” is uncomfortable and maintaining motivation is hard.
Weight loss diets essentially set you up to succeed in the short term, but fail in the long run. You’re asked to do something that most people can’t keep up the rest of their life. And if you don’t change your food choices and activity habits for life, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. Humans aren’t meant to be deprived – so if you drastically cut food/calories, you’re likely to give in, even if you’re really motivated at first. And by the way, hunger trumps motivation and willpower the majority of the time. For more on motivation, read Neal’s blog “Who Needs Motivation to Lose Weight?” posted on August 4, 2010.

Challenge #5 – Emotional Eating
Emotional eating is just about any time you eat for reasons other than actual hunger (other than preparing for an athletic event). Most people do it at some point, and for a lot of people it is probably the primary reason why they’re overweight. Women generally feel even more susceptible to emotional eating at different points in the menstrual cycle, but overall, anyone can be an emotional eater. If you find yourself staring into your cabinets or fridge because you’re bored (either in the moment or with your life in general), you’re engaged in emotional eating. If sitting down (alone) with a tub of ice cream on Friday night is an activity you plan for, you are an emotional eater. If you think of food as your friend, especially at times when you feel you’ve been smitten by society, family or friends, you’re an emotional eater. If something happens that makes you anxious or otherwise uncomfortable and those feelings make you want to eat, you guessed it.

We may not be able to control our emotions, but we can control how we react to them, and with the right tools, we can create a plan to help us compensate for those times when we break down and give in to the impulse to eat. More on emotional eating in the upcoming weeks – this topic deserves a blog or two of its own.

The Solution – A Modern Approach to Weight Control
So what’s the solution? First, a change in philosophy about weight loss is required. You do NOT, I repeat, do NOT need to go on a “diet.” I’m not saying you can’t, I’m saying you don’t need to. What’s required for long-term success is long-term change, and acknowledging the facts about weight control is critical. Otherwise you’ll blame other factors, remain a victim and never achieve your goals.  I realize there are other reasons we have difficulty controlling our weight – hormones, stress, appetite, loneliness, boredom, emotions, medication, genetics, etc., but the facts remain unchanged and are as follows:

  • Burn more calories than you take in and you’ll lose weight.
  • Burn the same number of calories as you burn and you’ll maintain your weight.
  • Burn fewer calories than you take in and you’ll gain weight.

Second, get in touch with your body’s calorie requirements. If you don’t know what your body burns, how do you know how much to eat? The answer is most people don’t. Modern technology allows you to see your calorie burn any time of day – putting you in total control even when you have the crappiest day of all time and all you want is chocolate cake. So why not take advantage of it? Tools like the exerspy and the dotFIT program help you understand what you have to do to keep from gaining weight when you do give in and eat that chocolate cake.

Here’s how it works. The exerspy is a wearable body sensing device that accurately tracks your calorie burn, minutes of physical activity, number of steps, sleeps duration and sleep efficiency. Then you use the dotFIT Fitness Intelligence Technology to track your numbers, set a safe and realistic goal, and even track your food intake online to boost your calorie IQ. Wear the exerspy and as you see your calorie burn, you’ll KNOW how much to eat. No diets required, just you following your numbers with total flexibility. Want to lose weight? Keep your calorie intake below your burn and do it your way. Maybe you decide to trim a couple hundred calories by replacing regular soda with diet or water. Or perhaps you choose fruit instead of chips at lunch. You might even decide to have a 100 calorie fudgsicle (my fav) instead of ice cream or cheesecake. Or maybe you slash a few hundred calories by switching the frappuccino for regular coffee. By making simple and doable changes like this, you’ll get results that last.

Another part of the solution is moving more. That’s what so is cool about the exerspy – it actually motivates you to move more. When you see your calorie burn and steps throughout the day, you can’t help but want to boost your numbers. It’s instant gratification that’s actually good for you. You’ll find yourself burning a couple hundred extra calories a day by taking a short walk here and there or doing your house chores yourself or kicking your regular workout up a notch or two. And any calorie you consume is cancelled by a calorie burned – no matter how you do it – so if you do have the occasional it’s-Friday-night-and-this-ice-cream-is-my-new-best-friend binge (which you know is not good for you, by the way) at least you also know what you have to do to burn it off.

And in case you’re curious, research shows people who use a device like exerspy lose 2-3 times more weight than those who don’t. Don’t get me wrong, you still have to make changes and do the work, but having this technology makes you aware of the numbers you need to know to change your food and activity habits and finally reach your goals for good. You then become the master of your weight because YOU created the path to get there.  The “mystery” of weight loss is not so mysterious after all  when you have visibility to the facts and modern solutions to address today’s challenges. We hope you join us and connect, detect and succeed.

-Kat

Why is Weight Loss So Difficult?

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Let’s be honest – weight loss is no easy task. If it were, EVERYONE would be thin. It may be simple on paper but it’s challenging when it comes down to actually doing what it takes on a daily basis. At least for me it is. I’m a working mom approaching my forties, a certified personal trainer and registered dietitian. So I KNOW what to do – it’s a matter of actually doing it while raising kids, having a career, nurturing my marriage, paying the bills, doing the laundry, cooking the meals and the list goes on. Oh yeah, AND dealing with PMS every single month. Guys can’t relate; they don’t know how it feels to crave chocolate and salt-n-vinegar chips at the same time. It’s definitely a girl thing.  But that’s not to say weight loss is easy for guys. It’s just different, right ladies?drive thru

Regardless of your age or gender, weight loss is challenging for multiple reasons. But if we acknowledge the facts, have reliable information, understand what we’re working with and use effective tools, we CAN and WILL win with consistency and persistence. So let’s start by acknowledging the challenges:

Challenge #1 – Our biology is such that we eat even when we’re not hungry. The classic example is Thanksgiving – you still go for the pumpkin pie despite the fact that you’re so stuffed that you have to loosen your waistband. (Yes, I speak from experience.) Our biology worked well for our hunting and gathering ancestors who had to save calories when food was scarce and burn calories to find food, but nowadays, you can get absurd amounts of food 24/7 and you don’t need to move much to get it. “Mindless eating” has actually been validated by several scientific studies. We often eat and overeat without being aware of it. Myself included.

Challenge #2 – Our environment encourages “sedentary disease,” an emerging term used to describe a lifestyle with very little physical activity. See if this looks familiar:

  • Sitting while traveling to work – car, bus, train, subway, plane
  • Sitting while working
  • Sitting while traveling home from work
  • Sitting while getting and eating meals
  • Sitting during entertainment – TV, internet, movies, kids’ activities
  • Sitting while something or someone does your chores – washer, dryer, car wash, gardener

I can definitely identify with sedentary disease, and in order for me to maintain my weight, I have to manage the calories I take in. Period. Need some hard evidence? Check out the weight gain prevention study in the March 2010 issue of JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association).  This 13-year study demonstrated that women performing an hour of physical activity every day still gained weight over time. Translation – you have to reduce calories to prevent weight gain.

Challenge #3 – Most people are unaware of how much food and calories their body needs to maintain their weight. I understand that life is hectic and sometimes stressful. But if you don’t pay attention, what you don’t know WILL hurt you. Most Americans are overweight and experts predict obesity will continue to rise. Excess weight means you’re more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and more. Plus, you can’t be your best if you’re not healthy. And if you can’t be your best, you’re cheating yourself, your loved ones and ultimately all of humankind. No one gains weight on purpose – it happens slowly over time and most people miss it until it becomes a major issue.

Look for Part 2 with our solution later in the week. In the meantime, think about how these challenges affect you and what kinds of little changes you could make in your life to counter them.  For example, as much as a certain fast food chain doesn’t want you to do this, eliminate “fourth meal” from your day. Or do something simple like get more steps in by parking your car as far away from your destination as you can.

To be continued . . .

The Top 5 Miracle Weight Loss Foods

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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