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Grumble, grumble, grumble goes the stomach… it must almost be time for lunch. I was reminiscing about my first year biology class while I listened to my grumbling stomach today. I recalled the term for the grumbling, which is called Borborygmus. Borborygmus is not a part of your body, but just an onomatopoeia (word that imitates a sound), just the same as Achoo for sneezing.
 Hunger Pangs are a nagging desire to eat that can be caused by both physiological and pshychological triggers, such as the sight of a favorite food. I’m sure most people, especially ones who are dieting, are all too familiar with what is known as “hunger pangs”. Hunger pangs are used to describe the contractions of your empty stomach as it expresses its great upset in being left unfed. You may think that it is your stomach to blame for these feelings, but actually there are many causes of hunger pangs that have nothing to do with your nagging stomach.
Hunger is one of the most recurring and discomforting feelings people experience. The feeling of hunger is mostly related with the intense desire or need for food and it can be caused by psychological factors or physiological factors or both.
Although the physiological causes for hunger pangs are not quite understood, most believe it either has to do with contractions of the stomach or lowered blood glucose levels. A lowered body temperature can also trigger hunger pangs, which may also help to explain seasonal weight gain.
Psychological factors play an active role in causing hunger pangs. Most of us have a number of eating habits that have been learned over time and some are deeply rooted in our subconscious. People have a tendency to become hungry because of the patterns and behaviors that they have learned throughout their lives. This is demonstrated by the way some people feel hungry just because it is noontime. Some eat not because they are hungry but because eating at certain times or during certain activities has just become part of their routines.
All of the five senses are known to trigger hunger pangs and one of the strongest is the sense of sight. One may not be feeling hungry, but immediately a food commercial comes up on television and hunger is triggered. I experience this all the time when I’m watching TV at night. I’ve had a nice dinner and then I see a fast-food commercial and I’m hungry again. There is also a physiological process that is occurring here too due to the sight of carby food, called an insulin response. If it was up to me, I would ban all food commercials.
Smell is another one of the senses that triggers hunger pangs in people. This usually comes up when a person smells their favorite food or something that is related to their favorite food. For example, has you ever walked past a bakery and gone in and bought a tasty treat just because of the smell?
Finally there is the most obvious sense, taste. Tastes triggers hunger pangs when one tastes a small portion of food and they immediately develop a desire for more. I think that not everybody’s taste triggers are the same, but for the most part salty and sweet foods trigger more of a response than bland foods. For example, I don’t see the taste of brussel sprouts triggering hunger pangs for many of us.
Unknown to quite a number of people, different colors have the ability to also trigger hunger pangs. Where food is concerned, the colors mostly known to trigger hunger are green, yellow, red and orange. This explains why most popular restaurants prefer to use the above colors in their logo. On the other hand, some colors are also known to suppress appetites and one such color is blue.
Satiety is also related to hunger, but it is important to note that the satiety and hunger mechanisms are not exactly the same. Satiety has two mechanisms; one at the level of the brain and the other at the level of the gastrointestinal tract. Two places exist in hypothalamus; a brain part tasked with controlling eating and hunger. The ventromedial nucleus, which is the nucleus of the hypothalamus, is the one that is in charge of giving the signal when one is supposed to stop eating while the lateral hypothalamus is tasked with signaling when one should start eating. Ventromedial nuclei’s function makes people feel satisfied at the level of the brain. At gastrointestinal tract level, satiety is known to originate from a person’s stomach which is in control of short- term eating.
Hunger is generally triggered by a number of factors, both physiological and psychological, which sometimes work together. Try not to be a slave to the borborygmus of your nagging stomach. Although hunger pangs can be very distracting and sometimes distressing, if you know you have eaten enough then try not to cave in to them. Instead, drink a big glass of cool water and wait a few minutes for the hunger pangs to subside.
In a contemporary world full of plenty, most people can mistake unusual weight gain for a sign of living the good life. It is equally interesting to know that obesity is gaining a worldwide acceptance as a hassle-free lifestyle despite the known health risks associated with this way of life. In addition, speculative business people have gone ahead to establish a full-fledged industry that capitalizes on the increasing size of waistlines among the general population. This can be observed in the way that a growing number of establishments offer super-sized meals, extra large clothing and larger furniture and equipment.
 Weight gain is not always due to poor diet and lack of exercise. There are a number of health conditions that can also cause weight gain, such as insulin resistance. The conventional consensus is that weight gain is caused by excessive consumption of food coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. Naturally, everyone assumes that overweight people just need to put down their forks and knives if they want to lose weight. Modern medicine however discounts some of these claims. Research shows that those extra pounds on the scale can be attributed to existing health conditions and not just food and a lack of exercise.
Certain health conditions can not only cause weight gain, but exacerbate efforts of losing weight. Leading the pack of such health conditions are under-active thyroids, otherwise known as hypothyroidism. The thyroid is responsible for producing thyroid hormone that helps to regulate your body’s metabolism. In the case of hypothyroidism, the thyroid produces very little of this hormone and your metabolic rate becomes extremely slow, which greatly reduces the body’s need to burn calories from food and stored body fat.
Other health conditions that can cause weight gain include:
- Taking Medications – Some prescription medications can cause weight gain – the worst resulting in 10 pounds a month or more. Some of these drugs are used to treat seizures, diabetes, high blood pressure, mood disorders, menopause and migraines, just to name a few. Also, steroids and oral birth control medications have been known to cause weight gain.
- Depression – Depression can be a debilitating disease that can be, but is not always, associated with weight gain. Depression and weight gain stems not only from a lack of physical exercise and poor eating habits, but is also typically compounded by emotional eating.
- Insulin Resistance – Insulin resistance in overweight individuals is more common than most of us understand. Insulin resistance not only prevents the body from using stored body fat for energy, but it increased body fat production.
- Diseases of Vital Organs – Diseases of vital organs, such as the thyroid, liver and kidneys can be the cause of sudden and unexplained weight gain. PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) may also cause unexplained weight gain in women (for a personal story by one of our blog authors about PCOS, please read the post “Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome“).
- Tumors – Although extremely rare, some rapid-growth tumor can cause unexplained weight gain.
- Pregnancy – Weight gain is a natural reaction of the body when pregnant because it needs to consume more to nourish itself plus the fetus.
- Genetics – People with genetic predispositions to either slower metabolisms or excessive appetites may also experience weight gain throughout their lives. The link between genes and body weight is an interesting area of science that is still being explored.
- Age – None of us can help aging. Unfortunately, as we grown older our metabolism slows down. For this reason, it is common for aging individuals to experience weight gain from a slower metabolism, compounded by an increasingly inactive lifestyle.
As you can see, sudden or unexplained weight gain has numerous health implications. If this is something that you have or are experiencing, it is very important to visit with your doctor immediately for a check up. With many of the above mentioned conditions, medications and therapies can be very beneficial for treatment. As well, these are just a few of many health conditions that cause weight gain. Again, only a doctor is knowledgeable enough to evaluate all the possible reasons for unexplained weight gain.
I was window shopping through our local asian neighborhood yesterday on my walk to the gym after work. I often love to shop in the asian stores because there are so many interesting things that you can’t find anywhere else. A wok, a sushi set, a pair of cheap flip-flops and a package of Hello Kitty stationary are only a few of my more recent purchases.
As I was passing by an asian health store I saw a big display for ginseng in the window. I recalled when I was younger taking ginseng to stay awake for school exams and I remembered that it worked really well as an energy booster. Sort of spur of the moment, I went inside and bought a box of Panax Ginseng Extractum.
 Ginseng can benefit weight loss in a number of ways, such as increasing energy and stamina and stabilizing blood sugar levels. Even though I don’t like the taste of ginseng extract, the little vials and tiny straws you get are really fun to use. I sucked a vial of ginseng back once I got out of the store and by the time I reached the gym I was feeling a little buzzed. I have to say that I worked out harder yesterday than most days and I think it definitely had something to do with taking ginseng. So before I make this a regular trend, I thought I would explore if ginseng improves weight loss and health.
There are two types of ginseng: Asian Ginseng and American Ginseng. According to an online herbal remedy source, American Ginseng is the best choice for improving physical activity. Of course, the quality of the ginseng you buy is also very important. You may end up being very disappointed with the effects of a cheap ginseng. This is not to say that you should spend hundreds of dollars either, which high quality ginseng is sold for. I spent about $30US for 30 10cc vials and it worked well for me and I’m pretty sure this is on the cheap side of the scale. Don’t hesitate to ask for a recommendation from someone who works at the store if you’re not sure what brand to buy.
Ginseng has been used for thousands of years by Native Americans and the Chinese. Ginseng is commonly used to boost energy levels, increase stamina, improve the immune system and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Modern day scientists have discovered properties of ginseng that may be responsible for weight reduction. Those who are overweight tend to have slower metabolism rates, which increases the amount of excess food energy that is stored as fat in the body. Research has found that ginseng helps in improving an individual’s rate of metabolism, thus reducing the amount of food energy converted into body fat.
Ginseng can also help people lose weight because it provides the body with energy and stamina. This means that for those who are participating in a weight loss program that requires a lot of physical exercise, taking ginseng can improve your workouts. This is particularly helpful when dieting and your body is not receiving as many calories as it is used to, which can cause you to feel sluggish and low-energy. Ginseng may be able to help give you a needed energy boost to get your exercise done for the day, without an intake of calories.
One of the other great health benefits of Ginseng that may also improve weight loss, is its ability to stabilize blood sugar levels. This is a beneficial aspect for weight loss because it prevents spikes in blood sugar levels that result in the over-production of insulin. High levels of insulin prevent the breakdown of body fat for energy and increases the amount of body fat produced. In addition to weight loss, ginseng’s ability to stabilize blood sugar levels can be a preventative for other health conditions including insulin resistance and diabetes.
Ginseng also acts as a natural stress inhibitor and has many calming properties. It is also good for stimulating mental alertness and improving blood circulation. Some sources claim that taking ginseng also helps in restricting the concentration of cholesterol around the heart. This may reduce the chances of those who are overweight from developing heart complications.
Ginseng root is widely available and can be used dried or fresh. It can also be purchased in tablets, extracts, teas, drinks and other food products. Ginseng should by no means be considered a complete weight loss program on its own, but can be helpful when taken as part of one. In order to lose weight, a person should maintain other weight loss activities such as exercising and eating food full of nutrients in small portions. As a precaution, it is recommended that people who want to use ginseng should obtain professional advice from physicians or qualified nutritionists before taking it. Those who are using medication should also consult their physicians before taking ginseng.
By now I’m sure some of you have heard about the new study that has been released that relates an increased incidence of cancer in women to alcohol consumption. I was quite shocked to see that health professionals are now saying that alcohol consumption at any level can increase a woman’s risk of developing cancer. What happened to “Drink a glass of red wine every day to improve your health”? What about all those Mediterranean women whose way of eating and drinking we have based a whole diet on because they are overall more healthy? What about how drinking red wine may aid weight loss?
 Although alcohol consumption has been linked with increased risk of cancer in women, some may still benefit from it's ability to lower the risk of heart disease. This study linking alcohol consumption to increased cancer risk in women is called the “Million Women Study” and was published in the highly reputable JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In this study, 1,280,296 middle-aged women in the United Kingdom were recruited to the study between 1996 and 2001. What this study found was that consumption of on average one alcoholic drink a day increased the incidence of cancer (mostly breast cancers) in women by 1.5%. Drinking an average of two alcoholic beverages a day increased this risk to 3% (JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2009 101(5):296-305).
It is hard not to be alarmed when you’ve been told for years that a drink a day can keep heart disease at bay, but then you are told that it will increase your cancer risk. But it is curious which of these risks, cancer or heart disease, are more drastically affected by alcohol consumption and which one is more of a risk to the lives of women.
Heart disease is the number one disease related to deaths in women. Although cancer causes the second highest deaths in women, almost twice as many women die from cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined. According to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute (NHBLI), one in ten American women ages 45 to 64 has some form of heart disease. That increases to one in five for women over age 65.
There has been a large body of research conducted by the PHEPA (Primary Health Care European Project on Alcohol) that shows that low to moderate alcohol consumption can dramatically lower the incidence of heart disease in both men and women. This study showed that two alcoholic drinks a day reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 20%. The highest reduction in risk was associated with one drink every other day and beyond two drinks a day the risk was greater than people who abstained.
In the dieting world, there has also been quite a bit of focus on how light drinking can lower the risk of heart disease and improve overall health. It has been well documented that people living in the Mediterranean have a lower incidence of heart disease and for this reason the popular Mediterranean Diet has been based on their food and alcohol consumption.
It is estimated that women in the Mediterranean drink one glass of wine a day with their meals. However, when I looked into the incidence of cancer in women who conformed to a Mediterranean diet, I was surprised to see that it was lower, not higher (British Journal of Cancer (2008) 99, 191–195). Could the results of this study throw a wrench into the whole “alcohol consumption at any level increases cancer in women” theory?
Now I am not a scientist, doctor or medical researcher and I do not wish to refute the findings of the Million Women Study. I am by no means implying that you should throw caution to the wind and drink without care. I think we can all agree that the eating and drinking habits of UK women are likely very close to those of American women, so the Million Women Study holds great merit for those of us living in the U.S. I can only speculate that the incidence of cancer would be reduced in Mediterranean women because of their diet and not because of their daily drinking habits. However, if heart disease is prevalent in your family you may still be better off drinking one glass of wine every day or two than none at all simply because heart disease poses higher risks than cancer to the female population.
Today’s weigh in is exciting for me because I am half way through to reaching my goal of Losing 30 Pounds in 3 Months. It is now Week 6 of my self-structured weight loss program and for the most part I have been really doing well. One thing I have been struggling with lately is staying motivated to exercise. When I was off sick for a few days my body and mind became really lazy and the fact that I was up three pounds at my last weigh in certainly didn’t help. So this past week I have had to force myself to get exercise, which I hate to do because it doesn’t make it very fun. I’m hoping that the fruits of my labors will show in my weigh in today and will stir up some new motivation for me to keep going. Here goes…my current weight is…
219 lbs
Yippee, I’m down so I’m happy. Last week’s weigh in was pretty disappointing because I had gained three pounds, so losing again is a good sign even if it is only two pounds. I have six more weeks to reach my goal of 207 pounds. I am feeling very confident that I can lose 12 pounds in that amount of time.
 Eating large meals and high calorie snacks can be at the root of hunger and the reason why the more you eat, the more you crave. For the most part I have been watching my food portions closely; making sure not to overeat at meals. However, this weekend I attended another birthday party and controlling portions while you sit around chatting is very hard (If you recall, I had a terrible time at the last birthday party I attended where I feasted on birthday cake and booze and regretted it terribly. You can read that post here Weight Loss Tips for a Party Night). So this time, in my infinite wisdom, I strictly limited myself to just the veggie platter, but had a blatant disregard for how much I was eating. Let me tell you, I surprised even myself at how many vegetables I can eat in the span of a few hours.
Without controlling portions, I ate and ate until I was very full. I didn’t feel so guilty because it was all veggies, but even still I regretted not being able to exercise more self control. What really threw me for a loop however, were the severe food cravings I experienced afterward. It was like my body said, “No, no, don’t stop there. Keep feeding me!” Many times before in my life I would have caved into these cravings, but not this time. This was the first time I realized the important connection my body has with food – the more I eat, the more I crave.
If you are also someone who is overweight, then likely you too have experienced the Eat More, Crave More vicious cycle and understanding why this happens may help you to overcome it. To begin with, when you allow yourself to consume many calories in one sitting your blood sugar and insulin levels will spike up quite drastically and then fall rapidly. When your blood glucose levels fall like this your brain triggers a hunger response. So as you can see, when you consume a large meal or snack you are going to be hungry quite soon afterward despite eating hundreds of calories. In order to avoid drastic spikes in your blood sugar, it is recommended that you eat several (5-6) small meals a day, instead of three large meals. There are also some foods that are considered better at stabilizing blood sugar than others. These foods are rated by the Glycemic Index.
Another part of the Eat More, Crave More phenomenon may be attributed to cravings not triggered by your brain, but by your stomach fat. In an article published in April 2008, researchers claimed that they have discovered that abdominal fat cells produce a neuropeptide, called Neuropeptide Y (NPY), that signals a hunger response in the brain. In this situation, the more overweight you become, the more hungry you become as your fat cells make more and more NPY. However, all is not lost. According to the research, consuming calcium helps to regulate NPY, thereby reducing food cravings and appetite. In some patients, between 2,000 – 3,000 mg of calcium were needed daily to control NPY levels.
As you can see, there are many factors that affect hunger and appetite. I have found that the best way for myself to control these urges is to eat about four or five small meals during the day that contain some high fiber foods. This way I can keep my blood sugar levels stable and am not being tormented by hunger pangs all day long. This concept of NPY being produced by stomach fat is interesting and may hold some truth for many of us. However, I would recommend you speak to your doctor or a pharmacist before starting to take high doses of calcium every day.
It’s a fact that all dieters must know – if you overeat, you are going to gain weight. In fact, overeating is one of the reasons why so many of us are now looking to drop some pounds. The problem with this is that it is not like smoking in which you can just quit and avoid cigarettes. You have to eat to live. This means facing tough choices each and every time you go to put food in your mouth. There are some things that can help you avoid overeating. Some will work for you and others will not. Dieters should experiment to see what works best for them and then they should stick with it.
 Overeating is one of the primary causes of weight gain. Try these helpful tips to avoid overeating that are simple ways to lower your daily calories. One of the best tips to avoid overeating is to realize that most of the time hunger pains are not about food. When you first feel hungry, you are not really hungry. In actuality, you are in the early stages of dehydration. Before you reach for a snack, drink a glass of water and wait. If you are still hungry then, have a healthy snack. You can also drink a full glass of water (or have broth) before a meal to help you eat less.
Protein and fiber are keys to avoid overeating. These are things you should focus on when you are choosing items for both meals and snacks. They are slower to digest, so they leave you feeling fuller for longer. You won’t have the urge to eat again right away. Fiber is also something that does not digest as well as other foods. This means it fills you up but gives you fewer calories. Also, it keeps your digestive system working in top form.
If you avoid processed carbohydrates, you can also avoid overeating. White flour, sugar, and other processed carbohydrates digest quickly, and they spike blood sugar. You may feel full, but you are going to be hungry as soon as your blood sugar drops. That can be within half an hour after eating for some people. This is a vicious cycle that can keep you eating all day long, and that means too many calories. If you focus on avoiding these foods, you won’t eat as much, and it will be much easier to control your appetite.
The final and probably most important tip is not to try to avoid overeating with will-power alone. Though there is something to be said for doing things because you are determined to do so, will-power alone is rarely the remedy that carries you though a diet. Emotions can often cause someone to eat to deal with whatever it is that they are feeling, also called emotional eating. If emotional eating is something that you are struggling to overcome, seek help from a therapist or start a daily journal where you record your emotions and eating patterns.
Of course I am not a trail blazer when it comes to listing these tips to avoid overeating. The ones I’ve already mentioned are really helpful and basic, but there are also some amazingly creative tips out there. Here are some of my favorite creative tips to avoid overeating:
- 10 second fork rule – This is one of my favorites. During a meal, place your fork down for at least 10 seconds between mouthfuls. This slows down your eating and gives your brain and stomach enough time to communicate to each other when you’re full.
- Eat your meal with chopsticks – Chopsticks cannot be used as a shovel, unlike a fork. Using chopsticks while you eat will slow your eating down by reducing the amount of food you are eating in every mouthful.
- Eat a large salad before dinner – Start your dinner meal off with a large salad. The salad, which is high in fiber, will help curb your hunger before the heavier part of your meal begins.
- Eat multiple small meals – Eating multiple small meals during the day instead of two or three large meals can help you avoid overeating because your blood sugar levels are kept more stable. A crash in blood sugar is one of the main reasons people overeat either with snacks or at meals.
- Measure portion size by the handful – Controlling portion size is really helpful for avoiding overeating during meals. One of the best ways to measure a meal portion is to cup your hands together. The amount of space in your cupped hands is the maximum volume your meal should be.
These are just a few tips to avoid overeating, but I’m sure there are many more and I hope that people reading this post will share theirs. If overeating is one of your barriers to losing weight then I encourage you to explore different methods that may work for you. Some people are very creative in coming up with little things that they do to slow down their eating and keep it in check. There is nothing wrong with finding good tips and tricks to help you bypass many dieting pitfalls; in fact your weight loss success may depend on it.
Yesterday afternoon I took lunch with an old friend of mine. Like so many other people I know, she has been trying to lose weight over the past year and for the most part she had very little success until recently. I could tell immediately that she had lost at least 20 pounds since I had last seen her so I asked about her weight loss program.
My friend is another great example of someone who has not needed a structured weight loss program to lose weight. She proclaims that the key to her recent weight loss success has been controlling portion sizes and eating all organic foods. Now, most of us know that portion control is critical for losing weight, but I admit I have had a pretty lackadaisical attitude towards eating organic foods. I think my mental block about buying organic comes from organic foods being generally more expensive than generic brands at my grocery store and I’m just not convinced that their benefits are worth the extra price. I hate to let a good thing pass me by however, so I have dedicated this post to exploring the many benefits of eating organic foods.
 Eating organic foods has many benefits, including aiding weight loss and providing your body with optimal nutrients. From the beginning, all living things on earth have depended on the fruits of the soil to supply them with all the nourishment they need. However, the rise of the industrial age brought with it outbreaks of food shortages and subsequently new food processing and farming technologies were adopted. Despite making food more available to larger populations, the wide acceptance of mass-produced and processed food products has been the catalyst for a dramatic increase in food-related health conditions, including obesity and vitamin deficiencies.
People who are conscious about the quality of food they eat consider organic products the best choice. I’m sure many of us are familiar with the old adage, “You Are What You Eat”, and people who are fans of eating only organic really take this to heart. Organic products typically contain very few or no human toxins, like cancer-causing chemicals from pesticides. Therefore, people who eat mostly organic products benefit by reducing their exposure levels to all types of chemicals, antibiotics and hormones that may be related to health conditions including cancer, allergies and nerve disorders.
Various studies by nutrition experts indicate that fresh, organic foods contain more nutrients and antioxidants than foods produced by industrial agriculture. Organic foods tend to be seasonal and are eaten when they are freshest and their nutrient quality is highest, instead of mass-produced foods that may be stored for months and have very poor nutrient quality once they reach our stomachs. For this reason, organic foods rich in nutrients are more nourishing than processed foods and can naturally help curb hunger and overeating.
Eating organic foods is definitely not an effective means for losing weight just on its own. In fact, a couple of friends of mine who only eat only organic foods are quite overweight. However, I shiver to think how overweight they would have become had they not adopted an organic food lifestyle. This said, eating organic foods combined with regular exercise and portion control may be of great benefit to someone wishing to lose weight. Most organic foods are sold in their natural forms, such as whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables and eating these types of foods are the best for dietary fiber. Consuming foods high in fiber is a natural way to curb hunger and suppress appetite during meals.
One of the benefits of eating organic foods that is often overlooked is how the organic food movement promotes environmental conservation. The green movement touts organic farming as one of the best ways for reversing the ecological degradation linked to large-scale industrial agriculture. Organic foods thrive as clean or zero carbon products that support small-scale rural farming communities while at the same time enriching the soil, water sources and renewable energy resources.
Skeptics have questioned the viability of organic produce for the masses since they are expensive and in short supply. However, there are many people who argue against this point and blame industrialized agriculture for many of the problems the world now faces, including environmental degradation, global warming, hunger, disease and obesity. There is no doubt though, that there are many health benefits to be gained from eating organic foods. Even if you don’t go completely organic, combining some organic foods into your regular routine can be very beneficial, not only to you but to your local organic farmers as well.
I spent time with my friend last night who is also working to lose weight. She is a mother of two children and is happily married to her husband of 12 years. As we were gabbing over cups of green tea we got into the topic of family weight loss. My friend shared her frustration about when she first started trying to diet. It was so hard for her to separate her meals from the rest of the family’s and she wasn’t receiving the support that she needed to succeed. Time after time her diet would fail simply because it was too difficult to maintain when three out of the four family members were not participating in the lifestyle changes she desperately needed to make.
 Making healthy lifestyle changes as a family helps everyone to become healthier together. After many diet attempts and failures, my friend finally had a breakthrough. If her whole family was to participate in making healthy lifestyle changes then everyone would be better off, not just her. So she and her husband have made losing weight a family affair and so far it’s been a very positive experience. Her children are learning about healthy eating and the whole family is growing closer together through their many outdoor activities they do together, such as hikes and walks. My friend is now having more success at losing weight and as a parent she is proud to be teaching her children how to live healthier.
What I have learned from my chat with my friend is that family weight loss does not have to be painful. In fact, this process should be slow and as fun as possible. The whole point should not be to lose weight as much as it is to establish new, healthy eating habits and exercise more. These new, healthier habits can last a life time and are going to naturally result in weight loss for the whole family.
Parents play a major role in how children are going to view the healthy lifestyle changes that need to occur. If they see a parent obsessing about the number on a scale, they are going to do the same thing. Instead, family weight loss should be approached in a fun and educational way. Parents should try to engage their children in these positive ways. This may include cooking healthy recipes that everyone can make together, or planning fun outdoor activities that get everyone moving and sharing time together.
What can be great about family dieting is that you will not have one person tempting another with forbidden or limited foods. Each and every thing in the house should be safe for each person to eat. When it comes to special occasions when food often plays a role, like birthdays or Thanksgiving, each option is going to be for everyone. There will not be some eating chocolate cake while others wistfully watch every bite they take. Success is much greater when everyone is involved.
Family weight loss is not just for families. Joining in on your healthy lifestyle changes is something that friends can do together as well. Invite your friends and their children to share healthy meals and plan activities that are beneficial to all. Group weight loss can be more successful than individual weight loss simply because you are being held accountable by those around you, and you have so much more support to keep you on track.
I really can’t believe how quickly time flies by. I am now in Week 5 of my weight loss program to lose 30 pounds in 90 days. This past week has been more difficult than others because I have been fighting a cold. I missed three out of five days of exercise last week, but I have been following my diet pretty well. My current weight is…
221 lbs
Darn it! I’m up three pounds from last week’s weigh in. I know that I’ve been keeping my daily calorie intake the same, but those missed days of exercise have really made a difference.
This week’s weight loss setback is a good reminder that exercise is the key to losing weight; without exercise your body will struggle to burn fat and your metabolism will slow down.
 Anaerobic exercises that build and tone muscle, help your body burn fat 24 hours a day. The best exercises that burn fat are aerobic in nature. Aerobic exercises get your heart pumping and your breathing rate up. If you do not get out of breath at least a few times during an aerobic exercise then you are not likely working out at an intensity level that will help you to lose body fat.
Aerobic exercises are excellent for burning calories in your body during and for a few hours after the activity, but anaerobic exercises are what increase your body’s ability to burn fat 24 hours a day. Anaerobic exercises focus on toning and building muscle. These exercises are extremely important for promoting continuous weight loss, but are often overlooked.
Weight lifting and muscle toning can be a bit intimidating if you are not familiar with the equipment or exercises. This is probably one of the main reasons these exercises are not done as frequently as aerobic exercises. There are, however, many anaerobic exercises that are simple to do and can even be done in the comfort of your own home. This way, you can make sure you are getting the most fat burning power out of your exercise routine by incorporating these simple muscle toning activities:
- Thigh Exercises – There are a few thigh exercises that are really effective and simple. They are the Wall Squat, Standing Dumbell Squat and Lunges.
- Arm Exercises – Arm toning exercises can also be quite simple and do not require a lot of equipment. Bicep and tricep exercises can be done easily with either free weights or exercise bands.
Other activities that I have found are great for muscle toning are yoga, pilates and working with an exercise ball.
There are no fat burning anaerobic exercises that will help you lose weight without also coupling them with aerobic exercises and a healthy diet. There are many different types of anaerobic exercises to choose from so find ones that appeal to you and add them to your regular routine.
This weekend was spent hunkered down in my bed fighting off a cold. With teas, oranges, salads and low-sodium chicken soup, I have been giving it my all to kick this bug before it takes hold.
Being laid up with a cold has made me think about how sickness can quickly lead to weight gain if you’re not careful. Unless you have the stomach flu, most people are able to eat just fine when they are sick, in fact there are colloquialisms that encourage eating such as “Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever”. And it is true that eating a healthy diet can really help your body to fight and recover from colds and flus, but if you are trying to lose weight it is really important that you avoid most comfort foods that are typically high in carbohydrates.
 Exercise can help to alleviate cold symptoms and improve your body's health. Although having a cold or flu may not impact your diet all that much, it is likely to really affect your exercise program. A feeling of low energy combined with congestion and other cold or flu symptoms can keep you away from exercising for many days. Not only will this negatively affect your weight loss efforts, but it may also drastically lower your motivation for exercising, which can last for much longer than your cold or flu. So, for these reasons it is important that you get back up on the exercise horse as soon as your energy levels permit.
Many doctors agree that “sweating out a cold” with exercise can be good for the body and may give you short-term relief from some symptoms, including congestion. A study that was conducted with a number of test patients also found that there is no difference either on lung function or exercise capacity in people with colds. This means that it is not only safe to exercise when you are under-the-weather, but you can push yourself physically.
One of the biggest benefits of exercising with a cold is the release of epinephrine (adrenaline), which naturally occurs during physical activity. Epinephrine is actually an ingredient in many drugs used to treat colds and by exercising you are getting a shot of this drug naturally. Epinephrine, a common ingredient in oral decongestants, reduces swelling and stuffiness in the nose.
So if you think that having a cold is a good excuse for being sedentary, think again. If you have some energy then get yourself up and exercising and you will likely begin to feel better soon. For those of you who are trying to lose weight, but catch a winter bug, try to keep your diet on track as best as possible and avoid skipping out on your exercise routine for too many days in a row.
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