Diet Guru

Eating breakfast regularly is a common characteristic among those who lose weight and keep it off, according to a recent study published in Obesity Research.

Researchers at the University of Colorado, the University of Pittsburgh, and Brown University routinely collect data on a group of people comprising the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). In order to be eligible for inclusion in the registry, an individual has to have lost a minimum of 30 pounds (13.6 kg) and maintained the weight loss a minimum of one year.

Successful Weight Loss “Maintainers”

The NWCR includes information on almost 3000 individuals. On average, these people have lost 71 pounds (32.4 kg) and kept the weight off for over 6 years. Strategies previously identified that contribute to their success are eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, monitoring food intake and body weight, and maintaining high levels of physical activity.

Breakfast & Weight

As part of routine follow-up, the people in the NWCR were asked, “How many days of the week do you eat breakfast?” Nearly 80% reported eating breakfast 7 days per week and only 4% reported never eating breakfast. Almost 90% said that they ate breakfast on most days of the week (4 or more days). There was no significant difference between breakfast eaters and non-breakfast eaters in the number of calories they consumed during the day.

Breakfast – Calorie Intake

In the general public, the percentage of people who skip breakfast is on the rise, from about 14% in 1965 to 25% in 1991. Some people skip breakfast because they feel it will reduce their overall daily calorie intake. However, in this study the daily caloric intakes of the two groups were comparable, meaning that “breakfast skippers” were making up the calories they missed at other points throughout the day.

A Good Weight Loss Strategy

Eating breakfast is obviously a good strategy to include in your weight maintenance efforts. For those in a hurry in the morning, quick options include instant oatmeal, a bagel, cold cereal, a piece of fruit, or a carton of yogurt. If you have a little more time to be creative, check the recipe files of Mayoclinic.com, Foodfit, and Cooking Light for more low-fat breakfast ideas.

A recent study into obesity done in Sweden has shown that exercise contributes very little to achieving initial weight loss but that it’s vital in maintaining the weight loss that has already been achieved.

There has long been an emphasis on exercise as an important part of a weight reduction program. This certainly has merits, but the big question is if you can lose weight only by exercise. I often hear the statement “I will work it off later.” Many people feel that if they just did more exercise then they should be able to eat anything.

Using exercise as a primary weight loss strategy does not work unless you change your eating habits as well. This is because you can not burn enough calories to compensate for over-eating.

One recent study investigated this in more detail.

Two groups of men completed an 8-week diet/exercise program. One group went on a diet and the other group did both the diet and exercise program. After the 8 weeks both groups had lost the same amount of weight. But when monitored further the group that did exercise in addition to the diet maintained their weight loss while the group that did only the diet actually regained their weight.

This study shows that to lose weight you need to go on a diet but to actually maintain any weight loss you need to exercise as well.

In a study, researchers at Purdue University studied the effects of daily peanut consumption on dietary intake, satiety, energy expenditure and body weight. The principle investigator, Dr. Richard Mattes, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, observed that, “the high protein and fiber content in peanuts may play an important role in curbing hunger and thereby not promoting weight gain.”

The findings are consistent with large population studies such as the Seventh Day Adventist Study and the Nurses’ Health Study, where researchers found that people who consumed about an ounce of peanuts, nuts and peanut butter frequently, had lower BMI scores.

This new cross-over study included three diet treatments. Every subject participated in all three diet treatments, each providing a research-sized portion of approximately 500 calories of peanuts – a pretty substantial amount of peanuts! A handful of 20 peanuts is only about 150 calories.

The first treatment group consumed a Free-Feeding diet, which included the peanuts without any dietary guidance.

Subjects in the second Addition treatment group were given instructions to add the peanuts to their usual diets.

The third Substitution treatment group followed individualized diets, substituting the peanuts in place of 500 calories in the diet.

According to Dr. Mattes, in both the Free-Feeding and Addition groups, the subjects spontaneously remarked that they felt full and could not eat all of the food they typically eat daily. The men and women compensated for most of the additional calories by eating less than usual, even without dietary instruction to do so. This resulted in lower actual weight gain than was expected from including the extra calories into their routine.

Buy a digital scale

This seems easy enough. I recommend that before starting a diet, buy a scale that is accurate to .2 (two-hundredths of a pound). I will explain why below. I also recommend either buying a scale that can record your daily weight, or manually logging your weight everyday. I bought a scale that was accurate to .2 and logged my weight at Sam’s Club for $22. It has been a great investment.

Weigh yourself everyday

You’ll find that almost every other dieter will tell you to weigh yourself only once a week. I recommend the exact opposite. I am very goal oriented and I like to see results everyday. The reason I recommend buying a scale that is accurate to the .2 is that there is a very big difference between weighting 170.8 one day and 170.0 the next day. Losing .8 pounds in one day is excellent. However, if your scale is not accurate enough to report the loss and still shows 170 after a day of healthy eating and working out, you will feel extremely discouraged. A more detailed scale makes it easier to keep a positive outlook. The more successes (days with positive weight loss) the easier it is.

Drink 8 glasses of water everyday

This one is obvious and broadly recommended, however, the reason I recommend it is slightly different. Drinking eight glasses of water per day helps you “feel less hungry.” I can’t prove this scientifically, however, when I am at work, I drink 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups in the evening. On the days that I don’t drink the water, I feel hungrier, earlier. Also, on the days I don’t drink water I feel sleepier, sooner. Don’t feel intimidated by trying to drink 8 glasses of water. Try doing what I do: I have a pint glass I keep at work, it holds sixteen ounces (as all pint glasses do). All I do is drink two pints of water in the morning and two in the afternoon.

Make your diet public

Tell people you’re on a diet. There’s no reason to be ashamed to be on a diet. I found that trying to keep my diet a secret was harder than just telling people. In fact, telling your coworkers, girlfriend, family, etc. will increase your accountability. It motivated me knowing that my coworkers and family knew that I was dieting because I did not want to fail. I also chose a typical “fat picture” and put it on my fridge, in my cubicle, and on my wall. I wanted to have a continual reminder to lose the weight. I know it’s a cliche, but it was important for me to remind myself of my ultimate goal.

Don’t diet on the weekends

This is another unconventional bit of advice. I was able to lose 50 pounds without dieting on the weekends. I found myself tired, depressed, and unmotivated if I tried to continue my diet into the weekend. I felt that Friday and Saturday (my weekend) was a time to celebrate 5 days of dieting. You may not find this necessary, especially in the first few weeks of a diet. However, as many weeks passed, the weekend became a time for me to celebrate my weekly successes and get myself mentally prepared for another five days of dieting. I considered it a mental recharge.

Don’t sacrifice your life for your diet

On occasion, you will find yourself unable to eat healthy. Whether this is because of lunches with your team at work, birthdays, or special occasions, there will be events that you just can’t (or don’t want to) eat healthy. A diet will feel overwhelming if you have to sacrifice special events in your life. The way I combated this was to exchange a day that I was not going to diet on the weekend. In other words, if I didn’t diet on Tuesday, for example, I would diet on Saturday, instead.

Make the small changes

This is a pretty common tip, however, I have a twist to it. Rather than giving up what most diets say you should give up (soda, coffee, beer, caffeine, etc.) just make healthier decisions. I didn’t want to give anything up, so I decided to make some changes instead. The first switch I made was switching to diet soda. Don’t worry, you’ll quickly get used to the flavor. Before I started my diet, I swore I would never drink diet soda. Now thanks to my girlfriend, diet is the only soda I drink. The second switch I made was to drinking black coffee. Cut out the sugar and creme, and you get the benefits of coffee (caffeine) without the calories. The last major switch I made was to “healthy” beer. I’m a Miller Lite drinker, however, by temporarily switching to Beck’s Premier Light (60 calories per serving) I was able to still enjoy a healthy social life while maintaining my diet.

Gain perspective by understanding the fractions

Your diet is an incredibly small fraction of your life. If you live for 80 years, and dieted for four months, that would only be .42% of your life. That’s right, if you diet for four months, it will be less than one half of one percent of your life. On the other hand think of the major benefits you can get from .42% of your life. If it helps you stay motivated, count down the days starting at 120.

Rationalize your workouts

Finding the time to get to the gym can be very difficult. However a 1/2 hour workout is only 2% of your day (assuming 24 hour days). For me, the most motivating thought was comparing my workouts to sitcoms. As a huge Everybody Loves Raymond fan, every time I would sit down to watch an episode, I would remind myself that in the 1/2 hour that I was sitting and doing nothing, I could complete my daily workout.

Have a red flag weight

Once you’ve lost the weight, you need to keep it off. This is where the red flag comes in. You need to pick a weight and vow to never get heavier than it again. It is normal for your body to fluctuate five to ten pounds. I recommend picking a weight that is ten pounds heavier than what you “normally” weigh and never weigh more than it again. Setting a red flag weight allowed me to keep off every pound for over 1 year.

Diet & Exercise Modification

Lifestyle strategies designed to help burn body fat are to eat a wide variety of foods, consuming a minimum of 1200 calories per day to prevent the starvation response of under-eating.

The best way to get the maximum amount of nutrition from the food you eat without gaining weight is to decrease your intake of concentrated “empty” calorie sources such as fat, sugar and alcohol.

While cutting back on these concentrated calorie sources, increase your intake of higher fiber whole grains, low fat and fat free grain products, fruits, vegetables and legumes.

At the same time, incorporating a program of regular aerobic exercise also helps burn fat as fuel as well as to help improve cardiovascular endurance, increase HDL cholesterol, decrease blood pressure, improve self-esteem and relieve stress.

Strength training with weights can help to maintain, if not increase, muscle mass to boost metabolism and improve body composition.

Those that plan diets do not take into consideration how their thyroids and metabolism may affect their weight loss program. Most experts and even the media pitch in and recommend that the best way to lose weight is cut calories.

Those with a condition called hyperthyroidism suffer from an overactive thyroid leading to one having his or her metabolism skyrocket. If this is the case, then you will probably lose weight fast. This is a nice proposition for some who wish to lose weight. However, this is actually hazardous to the health.

Aside from the medical difficulties such a disease brings, one will also notice weight problems as a result. These people have trouble keeping on weight and may notice weakness and bulging of the eyes. This disease may need special treatment from doctors.

Hypothyroidism on the other hand works in the other direction – slowing metabolism until the body gains weight at an incredible rate. Like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism causes a general weakness in the body. It too may need special treatment and may cause serious health problems if left unattended.

While cutting calories in itself can be very hard for most people – imagine, the people involved in life and death struggles at the supermarket regarding whether to buy that extra box of sweets, some have exactly the opposite problem.

Instead of eating too much calories – which is a problem in itself, they eat too little calories instead.

Problem? What Problem
The problem with some is that they believe that since the experts say that they have to cut calories, cutting calories to an inordinate amount will reap greater results. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. While cutting calories helps diets, consuming too little calories pushed the body into a hoard mode, the body’s metabolism slow to adapt to the lesser amount of available energy.

If your body enters this mode, your body will work at such slow metabolism that losing weight becomes impossible. The technique here should be to reduce calories without the body slowing its metabolism. Only then can losing weight become easier.

Another problem that can arise from decreased metabolism is that when your metabolism slows due to a drastic reduction in metabolism, and then you suddenly eat a good, hearty, calorie-filled meal, you are bound to gain more weight owing to the increased surplus of energy.

This is why an imbalanced meal is highly discouraged among those that seek to lose weight. The sudden loss and increase of calories will cause an imbalance in one’s energy consumption directly affecting fat deposit.

Here is a simple computation to help you get to the right amount of calories you will need per day so that you get your nutrients in the right balance.

First of all, multiply your weight in kilograms by 30. If you only know your weight in pounds, divide it by 2.2 to get to its English equivalent. We divide this number by 30 because that is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight per pound of weight.

For example if your weight in pounds is 150, divide it by 2.2. That will give you a figure of 68.18. This is your weight in kilograms. Multiply this by 30 and you will arrive at the amount of calories you will need per day to maintain 150 lbs.

You may consult a nutritionist to help you come lose weight. In the end it all comes down to math. If you consume more that your body needs, it stores it as fat. Now is probably a good time to start studying the back of those grocery cartons.

Try to keep your diet at a 40% protein, 25% fat, and 35% carbohydrate meals at 300 calories per meal. Spread out these meals in a day for optimum results.

While it may be simple computation to get at numbers, do not forget the earlier mentioned fact that the body adapts to its condition. Expose it to extreme ones and you may find yourself getting results you never wanted. Consult a nutritionist for more advice.