Tips for Obtaining and Maintaining Optimal Body Weight

Tips for Obtaining and Maintaining Optimal Body Weight.

1.         Tip No. 1: Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.

Before you tear into that bag of potato chips, drink a glass of water first. People sometimes confuse thirst with hunger, so you can end up eating extra calories when an ice-cold glass of water is really all you needed. If plain water doesn’t cut it, try drinking flavored sparkling water or brewing a cup of fruit-infused herbal tea.

2.         Tip No. 2: Be choosy about nighttime snacks.

Mindless eating occurs most frequently after dinner, when you finally sit down and relax. Snacking in front of the TV is one of the easiest ways to throw your diet off course. Either close down the kitchen after a certain hour, or allow yourself a low-calorie protein.

3.         Tip No. 3: Enjoy your favorite foods.

Instead of cutting out your favorite foods altogether, be a slim shopper. Buy one fresh bakery cookie instead of a box, or a small portion of candy from the bulk bins instead of a whole bag. You can still enjoy your favorite foods — the key is moderation.

4.         Tip No. 4: Eat several mini-meals during the day – MAYBE!

If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. But when you’re hungry all the time, eating fewer calories can be a challenge. “Studies show people who eat 4-5 meals or snacks per day are better able to control their appetite and weight,” says obesity researcher Rebecca Reeves, DrPH, RD. She recommends dividing your daily calories into smaller meals or snacks and enjoying most of them earlier in the day — dinner should be the last time you eat.

Hint 1: The goal should be to not eat 3 hours before bed and allow 11 to 12 hours to pass between dinner and breakfast (most of the time). This maximizes your body’s fat burning time and maximizes the efficiency of the appetite hormone Leptin.

Hint2: Individuals can differ as to what works for them. If you do better not snacking during the day for the mini meals, still watch portions and quality. Hint 1 should be the goal of everyone.

5.         Tip No. 5: Eat protein at every meal.

Protein is the ultimate fill-me-up food — it’s more satisfying than carbs or fats and keeps you feeling full for longer. It also helps preserve muscle mass and encourages fat burning. So be sure to incorporate healthy proteins like lean meat, yogurt, cheese, nuts, or beans into your meals and snacks.

6.         Tip No. 6: Spice it up.

Add spices or chiles to your food for a flavor boost that can help you feel satisfied. “Food that is loaded with flavor will stimulate your taste buds and be more satisfying, so you won’t eat as much,” says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Malena Perdomo, RD. When you need something sweet, suck on a red-hot fireball candy. It’s sweet, spicy, and low in calories. Add cumin and tumeric to your spices. They help protect against breast and prostate cancer.

7.         Tip No. 7: Stock your kitchen with healthy convenience foods.

Having ready-to-eat snacks and meals-in-minutes on hand sets you up for success. You’ll be less likely to hit the drive-through or call in a pizza order if you can throw together a healthy meal in five or 10 minutes. Here are some essentials to keep on hand: frozen vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole-grain pasta, reduced-fat cheese, canned tomatoes, canned beans (read the labels for added sugar), pre-cooked grilled chicken breast, whole grain tortillas or pitas, and bags of salad greens.

8.         Tip No. 8: Order children’s portions at restaurants.

Ordering a child-size entree is a great way to cut calories and keep your portions reasonable. This has become such a popular trend that most servers won’t bat an eye when you order off the kids’ menu. Another trick is to use smaller plates. This helps the portions look like more, and if your mind is satisfied, your stomach likely will be, too.

Hint 1: Share meals. This saves calories and $$. Most meals are very large.

Hint 2: Buy smaller plates and bowls to use at home. This has scientifically been proven to work for portion control and appetite satisfaction.

9.         Tip No. 9: Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables.

Simply by eating less pasta or bread and more veggies, you could lose a dress or pants size in a year. “You can save from 100-200 calories if you reduce the portion of starch on your plate and increase the amount of vegetables,” says Cynthia Sass, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. How many times have we heard “eat more vegetables?” IT IS TRUE.

Reduce Belly Fat by Lowering Cortisol with DHEA

Reduce Belly Fat by Lowering Cortisol with DHEA.

Lifetime Health Weight Loss clients are well aware of the multiple benefits of DHEA, which range from increased energy and reduced heart disease risk to greater fat loss and better immune function. DHEA has also been shown to improve mood and reduce belly fat.

How does it reduce belly fat – and fat in general? It does this by helping to reduce the stress hormone cortisol.  Many of us have experienced an increase in what it is termed “emotional eating” when we are stressed. We may have also noticed that we do not sleep as well when we are stressed. Both of these experiences often lead to increase in belly fat.

Aging and Cortisol.

A third reason for increased belly fat — and an increase in weight overall — is aging. Cortisol, a naturally occurring hormone, is one of the few hormones whose levels in the body increase with age. This increase in cortisol can lead to potentially damaging consequences that have been linked to depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other maladies.. An increase in cortisol can also lead to weight gain. DHEA, on the other hand, like most beneficial hormones, decreases with age.

Note: A low level of cortisol, or “cortisol resistance”, can lead to adrenal fatigue. Symptoms  of  adrenal fatigue include a very  low  energy,  loss of motivation and poor sleep quality.

A Critical Aspect of Lowering Belly Fat: Decrease Cortisol and Increase DHEA.

DHEA has been shown to be a repair hormone. When cortisol goes up, DHEA typically goes down. Both are produced in the adrenal glands. This imbalance can lead to adrenal fatigue. It can also lead to weight gain, particularly around  the middle. Adding  DHEA to your hormone program and/or  weight loss program can provide many benefits, including decreased cortisol  and decreased fat.

Lab Tests:

At Lifetime Health Weight Loss, we always recommend a  lab test to determine your  levels of DHEA. We also recommend a 24 hour cortisol test to check your stress levels. There is  no reason to “guess” about your health or to self-medicate.

Further, since DHEA is a hormone, we recommend the prescription form of DHEA and follow-up labs to determine how effectively your body is responding to the  treatment

For more information on DHEA, and Cortisol, visit www.nbhlifetimehealth.com.

HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup)

A bit of information:

The consumption of HFCS increased more than 1000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. High-fructose corn syrup now represents greater than 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages, and is the sole caloric sweetener used in soft drinks in the United States.

Watch Your Fish

Watch Your Fish

Fish with Highest and Lowest Mercury Levels

Higher levels of mercury found in mothers who eat more fish have been associated with birth defects, seizures, mental retardation, developmental disabilities and cerebral palsy. This is mostly the result of women having eaten fish when they were pregnant. Scientists believe that fetuses are much more sensitive to mercury exposure than are adults, although adults do suffer from varying degrees of brain damage from fish consumption.

Lifetime Health Weight Loss offers heavy metal  testing to determine your levels of mercury, lead and several other  metals.

10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss

Need to Lose Weight? 10 Steps to Effective Weight Loss,

Mike  Clark,  Clinic Director, Lifetime Health Weight Loss

1. Be scrupulously honest with yourself! You need to be honest about your willingness to change habits for life. You need to be honest about what you are actually eating. This is where a food diary comes in handy. See number 5 below.

2. Realize everything is connected! There is an absolute, incontrovertible connection between your weight and the rest of your life. It is not just about how much you eat. Your relationships, your sleep, your stress, all profoundly affect your hormones, especially cortisol. Excess amounts of cortisol can keep you from losing weight. If your stress hormones are high and your sleep is disturbed, you will not replenish serotonin, which can lead to cravings. If cortisol is constantly high, it can cause insulin resistance which is the biggest enemy of fat loss.

Don’t try to lose weight just by attacking your food habits. That’s a start, but it’s not the whole story. Everything is connected: from sunshine to sex to love to job to relationships.  Change your life, change your weight.

3. Fat is not the enemy! Numerous recent studies have shown conclusively that the percentage of fat in your diet has virtually no connection to whether or not you get fat. Far more important is the amount of total calories you take in, and especially the total number of calories from carbohydrates. Processed food — and especially sugar — is far more damaging to your system than fat. Note: It is important that you eat “good fat” like that derived from salmon and virgin olive oil. Avoid saturated fats like the fat in French Fries. Natural Fish Oil will provide the necessary good fat without any contaminants (always a risk with fish).

4. Calories are not the whole picture, but they still count! Low-carb, high-fiber diets with good fats and good protein control appetite more effectively than any other kind, but they are not a license to eat anything and everything in all quantities. At some point you need to look at the number of calories you’re consuming.

5. Keep a food diary. Virtually every nutritionist agrees a food diary is the most important tool in your arsenal. Studies have shown that people who have lost weight successfully and kept it off virtually always use this tool. You should too.

6. Eat protein at every meal! Protein raises your metabolic rate and may also, through the action of specific amino acids, cause you to lose fat rather than muscle, thus helping to reshape your body and make you a more effective calorie burner. Three to four ounces at each meal at least.

The more vegetables the better! These foods are fiber rich, and loaded with phytonutrients. High-fiber foods are an essential part of any weight loss strategy. Again, old fashion slow cooked oatmeal is great!

8. Eat without distractions! Try to train yourself to eat without television or other distractions. Unconscious eating is the enemy of weight loss.

9. Exercise is not the best way to take off weight but it’s one of the best ways to make sure the weight stays off! Few people can lose significant amounts of weight just by exercising. Yet if you don’t exercise, you have a poor chance of keeping weight off. With it, you have a much better chance of having your diet be effective. Resistance training increases your metabolism and your lean body mass.

10. 90/10 rule. Eat healthy 90 percent of the time. We’ve all eaten too much food we shouldn’t have at one time but that’s no excuse for giving up. Healthy eating doesn’t have a finish line. It’s a continuum.” Lapses are normal. Healthy eating becomes a habit.