INCREASING FRUITS & VEGGIES LEADS TO PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS

Although most Americans find their waistlines expanding with each year, a few manage to stay slender and trim throughout their lives. These are the ones who capture attention and never seem to look their ages. How they do it was the subject of a recent Consumer Reports investigation that sought to determine if these people were genetically gifted, or whether they were in possession of a magic secret resembling the fountain of youth. The study found that getting a large part of nutrition from fruits and vegetables played a big part in keeping these people trim and youthful.

Eat more fruits and vegetables to reach and maintain ideal weight

Consumer Reports National Research Center asked subscribers to their magazine about their lifetime weight history and their eating, dieting, and exercising habits. A total of 21,632 readers completed the survey which identified three key groups: people who were never overweight during their lives, people who were once overweight but have kept themselves at least ten percent lighter for the last three years, and people who were overweight and would like to lose but are still close to their heaviest weight. The always thin people made up 16% of the sample, and the successful losers were 15% of the sample. Failed dieters made up 42%, with the rest not fitting into any category.

The group that had always been thin included a tiny 3% who said they never exercised and ate whatever they wanted. The rest of the always thin group was a lot like those in the successful losers group. This statistic belies the notion that people who have always been thin have some sort of hereditary advantage.

An analysis of the data revealed six key behaviors shared by the always thin and successful losers groups. These behaviors were defined by Consumer Reports as correlating highly with a healthy body mass index (BMI). Leading the list was the eating of fruits and vegetables. 49% of the always thin and successful losers groups said they ate five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables for at least five days out of a week.

What about fruits and vegetables allows people to achieve a healthy BMI? Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, high in volume, and high in critically important nutrients. They provide the feeling of satiety that goes with fullness. When the stomach is filled with high volume foods that are not high in calories, there is less room to pack in more calorie dense foods.

Fruits and vegetables help weight loss by reducing energy density

A recent study from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University studied the relationship of energy density to dietary outcome. They found that lowering the energy density by increasing the volume without changing nutrient content can enhance satiety and reduce energy intake at a meal. Satiation was shown to be influenced by energy density when the portions of macronutrients were constant. Since people tend to eat a consistent weight of food, when the energy density of the food is reduced, energy intake is also reduced. The effects of considering energy density have been seen across broad ranges of adults as well as in children. Both population based studies and long term clinical trials have shown that reducing the energy density of the diet by the addition of fruits and vegetables was associated with substantial weight loss even when people were not told to restrict calories. This study is from the March 19 edition of Physiology and Behavior.

Substituting beans and lentils for meat is a great way to lower the energy density of a meal. The calories are about the same, but beans and lentils are high in fiber. Beans and lentils are more filling than meat because a quarter pound of beans has a greater volume than a quarter pound of meat.

Fruits and vegetables are nutrient packed

Eating fruits and vegetables can turn off cravings for other types of foods and short circuit the food addiction cycle, helping to provide a boost to weight loss efforts. Nature has built into each of us the desire to eat because eating provides the body with the nutrition to function and maintain itself. If people choose to eat foods that do not contain the nutrients needed, the body will continue to send the signal that more eating is needed. Fruits and vegetables are nutrition powerhouses containing the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, antioxidants and protein needed for good health and avoidance of disease. When they are eaten, the body is satisfied and the signal to continue eating is extinguished.

The average person in America eats a diet containing only 8% fruits and vegetables. This does not provide nearly enough nutrition to extinguish the signal to eat more. If the other 92% of food eaten consists of nutrient poor processed foods or anything claiming to be low carb or low fat, the signal to keep on eating remains strong. To get real impact on weight and health, intake of fruits and vegetables must be drastically increased. Fruits and vegetables should make up the largest single block of food in the diet, with other foods added in small amounts. People increasing their fruit and vegetable intake while lowering the intake of foods deficient in nutrients will begin to see a difference in their weight and their energy levels.
Choose fruits and vegetables by their color

To gain full spectrum nutrition, eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal. Here are the superstars of nutrition in each color group:

Super greens: These vegetables should make up the foundation of your daily vegetable intake. Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard, turnip greens, mustard and collard greens, and deep green lettuces, are high in folate, a B vitamin that shows promising results in preventing heart disease. They are treasure chests of detoxifying chlorophyll. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts contain sulforaphane, a potent phytochemical found in all cruciferous vegetables that has been found able to detoxify carcinogens before they do damage to the body. Sulforaphane is also a potent antioxidant with a life in the body of up to three days, vastly surpassing many other antioxidants in staying power. Broccoli sprouts are the best source of supforaphane.

Super reds: Red fruits and vegetables are chocked full of lycopene, the carotenoid that offers high levels of protection against prostate cancer. Find lycopene in red bell peppers, watermelon, pink or red grapefruit, and tomatoes. Cooked tomatoes contain much greater levels of lycopene than tomatoes eaten raw. Red cabbage is full of vitamins and minerals. It is rich in Vitamins C and K, and has all the anti-cancer benefits of other cruciferous vegetables. And don't forget to include red beans. They are one of the best sources of molybdenum and are loaded with protein.

Super oranges: Orange fruits and vegetables are high in beta carotene, notable for its ability to prevent cancers of the lung, esophagus and stomach. They lower risk of heart disease and boost the immune system to keep infections away and make sure cancers don't get started. Carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, pumpkins and oranges are the main representatives in this group. Each offers a unique profile of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Sweet potatoes are extremely rich in carotenoids and can be eaten by people allergic to nightshade alkaloids.

Super purples: Grapes, blueberries, prunes, and eggplant are the main representatives of the purples. They are known cancer fighters. The anthocyanins providing their distinctive color also give these foods the ability to ward off heart disease by preventing clot formation. Lutein, a carotenoid found in blueberries, reduces the risk of heart disease and stoke and guards against age-related macular degeneration. Prunes are packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants lead the fight against aging.

Super whites: Potatoes, white beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, bananas, onions and garlic are each unique in what they have to offer. Potatoes offer more potassium than just about any other food. Bananas provide energy boosting natural sugars along with Vitamins B6 and C. White beans offer lots of fiber and high quality protein along with a broad spectrum of minerals. Mushrooms are good vegetable source of Vitamin D. Onions and garlic are legendary for their ability to fight cancer, heart disease, and increase the overall antioxidant level of the body.

Super browns: This category is all about beans and lentils. These are foods with some of the highest levels of protein in the vegetable kingdom. Add some rice or corn and this protein is perfect for humans. Pintos and lentils are great sources of manganese, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potassium, and Vitamin B1. Their high fiber content keeps cholesterol levels right where they should be.

Upping the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet is easy

Look at the list of super fruits and vegetables and pick out the ones you really like. Phase in your favorites at first and slowly phase out the processed foods and meat. You don't have to give them up entirely, because your goal is simply to make fruits and vegetables a greater part of your diet. Once you begin eating more of them, you will find that you no longer have cravings. Even the craving for sugar and other sweets will be stilled by the delicious sweet taste of the fruits you choose. Try visiting a salad bar for lunch or dinner and filling your plate with a multitude of colors. As you add more and more fruits and vegetables you will build up your nutrient reserves and start to feel really great. The extra energy you have may even increase your interest in exercise. Replacing many meat and dairy products with fruits and vegetables will help you quickly lose any unwanted pounds. After awhile it will be you who looks young and captures attention.

GREEN TEA CONFIRMED AS WEIGHT LOSS TOOL AND POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT

Green tea (and its less refined cousin, white tea) has been a part of the ancient Chinese tradition for countless generations, in large part due to its rich endowment of bioactive catechins. Many studies over the past decade have shown that green tea is a powerful tool to improve metabolism in a way that is supportive of weight loss.

Scientists publishing in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry demonstrate that it activates genes associated with fat burning while also helping to reduce absorption of fat from the digestive tract. Further evidence on the gene-altering activity of green tea is reported in the International Journal of Cardiology, as polyphenols from the drink lower free radical damage to help maintain telomere length in heart cells. Consuming green tea each day may hold the key to effective weight management and cardiac health.

Researchers from the Departments of Chemical Biology and Pharmacology and Toxicology at Rutgers University in New Jersey examined the effect of green tea supplementation on obese mice, known to exhibit similar metabolic characteristics to humans. The animals were broken into two groups and both were fed a traditional high fat/Western style diet. One group received water supplemented with the green tea bioactive catechin EGCG, while the second group acted as a non-supplemented control.

Green Tea Supplementation Assists Weight Loss by Reducing Abdominal Fat Stores

The study determined that EGCG supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, associated with increased fecal lipids and decreased blood glucose levels, compared to those of the control group. Scientists further found that fatty liver incidence, associated liver damage and liver triglyceride levels were also decreased by the EGCG treatment. Treated animals also experienced improved insulin response as well as lowered C-reactive protein (CRP) and interlukin-6 (IL-6) levels, both strong indicators of systemic inflammation and immune response.

The study authors concluded "Our results demonstrate that the high fat/Western diet produces more severe symptoms of metabolic syndrome and that the EGCG treatment can alleviate these symptoms and body fat accumulation. The beneficial effects of EGCG are associated with decreased lipid absorption and reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines." Green tea helps our cellular engines (mitochondria) to better metabolize calories more efficiently, providing a significant weight management tool.

Additionally, supporting research documents the effect of green tea catechins on extending the lifespan of heart muscle cells. Scientists found that EGCG supplementation exerted a potent antioxidant effect that lowered free radical damage to preserve telomere length and reduce heart cell death.

Kerisma recommends at least one packet of Kerisma Extreme Tea (nutritional equivalent of 20 cups of green tea) to aid in weight loss and to assist weight management goals and improve cardiovascular health. Available in our office in introductory packets.

HOW TO ACCURATELY MEASURE BODY FAT

The scale isn't the only way to tell if you're overweight. Read how body fat is measured and what percentage of body fat compared to your total weight is considered too much.

Many people who are watching their weight — or trying to lose some pounds — turn to their bathroom scale. But that old familiar standby is not the only way to measure one’s size. Another possibility to consider is your body fat percentage.

Body Fat: What Are the Dangers?

When most of us hear the words "body fat" they have immediate negative connotations. However, in the right proportion, fat is actually critical to our diet and health. In the not-so-distant past, the ability to store extra body fat allowed our ancestors to survive in times of famine, when food was hard to come by. Even today it’s essential to keep the body functioning, to preserve body heat, and to protect organs from trauma.

Problems arise when our bodies store too much fat. This can lead to a variety of health issues, including high cholesterol, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Especially dangerous is fat stored at the waist, creating what is often called an “apple-shaped” body, as opposed to fat on the hips and thighs, a “pear-shaped” body.

Normal body fat for men is around 8 to 15 percent of their total body weight and for women approximately 20 to 30 percent.

Body Fat: How Can It Be Measured?

There are a variety of ways to measure the amount of body fat a person is carrying but none as accurate as the Body Fitness Analysis. A standard height and weight chart cannot accurately determine if you are overweight and provides no information as to whether you are healthy, but body fat percentage, on the other hand, can. 

The popularity of Body Fitness Analysis (BFA) is growing as savvy consumers recognize its superiority in determining health risks and showing progress, where the scale and charts cannot. Total body composition is a much more sophisticated way to measure your body.

Although two people can share the same weight or body fat percentage, that does not mean they face the same health risks. Where body fat is located can place a    person at far greater risk for fat-related health conditions such as: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes, all constituents that link obesity, aging, and chronic disease with subsequent morbidity and mortality. BFA is a fast and effective tool for risk stratification.

For the best option in terms of accuracy, convenience and personalized results, the BFA is best, currently considered the "Gold Standard" of Body Fitness  Analysis. Used by pro sports teams, celebrities, Olympic athletes, the TV show Biggest Loser, it is THE state-of-the-art motivational way to measure fitness, monitor and improve performance and progress, lose weight or get in shape.  To see a trend you should reassess your body fat every 6-8 weeks.

Call our office at 602-393-0661 today to schedule your Body Fitness Analysis.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOLUBLE FIBER

When you're trying to trim down, soluble fiber is your best friend--it expands in your digestive tract, making you feel fuller and wards off snack attacks. But a gal or guy can only eat so many bowls of All-Bran before one feels so gassy and bloated you are afraid to leave the bathroom.  Besides, bran fiber is the least friendly and useful of the fibers available. There is two kinds of soluble fiber, however, that works without the nasty side effects, Glucomannan and raw Psyllium Seed Husks.

The Full Factor
The second piece of that ideal plan is making sure your food fills you up. Let's face it: If anything dooms a diet, it's hunger. When your stomach's always rumbling, you're cranky, less motivated, and more likely to dive face-first into a plate of nachos. Your ally against hunger is cholecystokinin, or CCK, one of the five hormones your digestive system produces to let your brain know it's okay to tell you to stop eating. How much CCK is released depends on how full you are--more after a bellybuster of a meal, less after a small snack. Because you have to eat less to lose weight, your stomach will get stingy with the CCK if you let it. The way not to????

FIBER. FIBER. FIBER.

Fiber bulks up in your stomach, tricking you into releasing CCK, so you feel full even when you haven't consumed a heap of calories. Thanks to one easy-to-use supplement called Glucomannan you can consume exceptionally high amounts of satisfying fiber--without the constant worry of fiber-bomb side effects like bloating or gas.

GLUCOMANNAN, which comes from a perennial plant unique to Asia known as the konjac root, or elephant yam, is nature's get-skinny sponge. Able to expand up to 20-50 times its own water weight, it's one of the world's most effective fibers, so you can cut down on calories without even trying. Researchers at Chicago Rush University College of Nursing reviewed 12 clinical trials to determine the benefits of glucomannan and found that it promotes weight loss and satiety. Historically, Konjac has been used in traditional Asian foods such as noodles and other food products for over 2 centuries.

Glucomannan is also flavorless, so you can add it in powder form to just about anything you drink, even water. When you are in the maintenance phase you can sprinkle it on your food or a smoothie. Mix it in thoroughly (otherwise you might get some clumps but they go down easily) and wait 2 to 3 minutes for it to soak up whatever sauce, broth, dressing, or other liquid is on your plate. It will thicken your food and fill up your stomach, sending satiety signals to your brain. Because of that, you'll want to wash it down with plenty of water, which you need to do anyway, so drink at least a quart with each serving.

The Importance of Supplementing with Soluble Fiber

The average American currently consumes only 12 grams of fiber a day from dietary sources, far below the 25-35 grams recommended by the American Dietetic Association and the 30 grams or more suggested by both the American Heart Association and the National Cancer Institute.

• Increases satiety
• Encourages growth of “good bacteria” Bifidobacterium in the gut which decrease pro-cancerous nitrosamines, proteins thought to lead to liver cancer
• Encourages better gut motility moving waste products out before they can promote cancer or other illnesses
• Reduce absorption of fat and carbohydrates consumed
• Relieve chronic constipation without side effects

Glucomannan is available in our office in capsule, powder and noodle form. The noodles are an effective means to stretch your meal during the HCG program and contain zero calories and zero net carbohydrates. You may eat as much as you want on the program!

STAYING ON TRACK?

It’s time to address staying on track with your weight loss plan as this is the time of year when most people fall off track and start to neglect their health again.

If you’re not one of these people, then this article will simply help you be proactive and ensure that you get the most of your time.

Grab a piece of paper and a pen. This will be a quick exercise you can run through to make you aware of some things that you would not otherwise realize. The end goal is a game plan that keeps chipping away at your problem areas that are causing you so much grief.

Step 1

On your piece of paper, make two columns and label the headers as “What I liked this past month” and “What I didn’t like this past month”.

Now write down everything you liked and didn’t like about your exercise plan, as well as your nutrition plan.

Some ideas to think about include:

• Your weakest and strongest areas
• Exercises that you avoided the most
• Exercises that you enjoyed the most
• Foods that caused you to overeat
• Healthy foods you enjoyed the most

Good job, with this list you are now one step closer to coming to realization your weaknesses and strengths and areas you need to continue to improve on. But let’s take this further.

Step 2

Now take another piece of paper out and make two columns again. This time label the columns “What kept me back” and “What encouraged me to stay on track”.

This time you will need to think about stumbling blocks like:

• Not having enough sleep
• Having work or family get in the way
• Causes of you having low or high energy
• Causes of you having low or high motivation
• Any injuries or colds

The picture should be getting clearer for you on the causes of anything that has been keeping you back, as well as things that have been really pushing you through even on those days when you had to drag your butt to the gym.

We’re almost done, but let’s take it even one more level deep, this one will be the game changer!

Step 3

This time we’re going to do an exercise to allow you to focus on the positive. On another piece of paper write down some notes on:

• What body part you can improve on this month and exercises/workouts to help you achieve them
• Ways on improving your nutrition plan, what groceries you can buy to compliment your healthy diet
• Ways to keep your motivation level high, whether it be more sleep, better nutrition or better time management
• Nutritional supplements which can help you stay on track and achieve your goals

Conclusion: Staying on Track

The three steps will help you continue to challenge yourself and allow you to keep getting better no matter what age, sex or level of experience working out. Whatever you do, don’t skim right through them. Coming away with just one realization will make a huge impact on your training results and overall health.

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNALS AND VISUAL CUES

Step 1: Visual images can help you reach your weight loss goals and can be powerful tools in helping you reach your goals. There are lots of creative ways to use this motivation technique, such as posting an image of your goal where you’ll see it most—in your car, on a bathroom mirror, on the back of your cell phone, or on the refrigerator.

You can use visual images of your goals or you can use words, thoughts and feelings. Ideally you can use all of these elements to unleash the most powerful potential of imagery. Scientific studies show that the more senses you add to your imagery, the more powerful the results will be. The reason these techniques are so powerful is that they tap into both the left and right parts of your brain. For people who have trouble seeing things with their eyes closed, just use all the other senses to imagine what you want to create.

Visualize your goals as you work toward achieving them each day. Using visual techniques will help relax your mind, boost your self-esteem and draw you toward your goal faster.

Step 2: Write your goals into a calendar. Part of the reason people don't achieve their goals is their inability to put time and effort into achieving them. Hang the calendar near your desk in your home office or in a location where you can easily see the calendar and mark off milestones as you accomplish them.

Keep track of accomplishments each week. Reward yourself for sticking to goals each week. Decide upon a reward system that works for you. Reward yourself for each goal marked off or for each five marked off. You get to choose. Soon you will enjoy the feeling of simply marking off accomplished tasks.

These are good ways to constantly remind yourself of the commitment you’ve made. Studies show that people who keep food journals and use visual cues lose more weight and keep more of that weight off in the long run. The National Weight Control Registry–an ongoing research project tracking more than 3,000 people who’ve lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for five years–found that using these tips is the one strategy used by the majority of successful dieters. In fact, in a study of 1,685 dieters conducted by a health insurance company, the best predictor of weight loss throughout the first year was the number of food records kept per week. Another study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that dieters who tracked their food intake in a "food diary" lost twice as much weight as those who didn't track their food.

SETTING WEIGHT LOSS GOALS: THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

The holidays are over and we find ourselves setting goals for the new year. The people who succeed at permanent weight loss are the ones who have chosen their goals wisely and pursued them vigorously.

But how do you know if the goals you set are "wise"—i.e., the right goals for you? Setting goals that don’t suit you can be the root of much avoidable suffering. You can determine whether your goals are helping you or hurting you in three easy steps:

Step 1: Take a close look at the words that express your goals.
Take a moment to read over your goals. If you keep them written in your head, jot them down on paper quickly before you read further. Done? Now look through your goals for any of the following words: NO, NOT, NEVER, STOP, LOSE, REDUCE, LIMIT, or QUIT. If these negative words (or similar ones) play an important role in the way you have stated your goals, you may be setting yourself up for problems. Here’s why.

Words are very powerful! They focus your attention in one area while other possibilities fade away. When words are negative (like those above), their results are negative. When you say, for example, that you will "Stop eating chocolate," what are you really doing? You are focusing your attention on the very thing you want to avoid—chocolate. IF going without something you want when it is always on your mind were easy, this might work. But, we all know that "out of sight, out of mind, out of reach" works a lot better.

Step 2: Do your goals deprive you of something you want (or think you want)?
If so, you’re just setting yourself up for feelings of deprivation, resentment, and rebelliousness. How many times have you gone a day, a week, or even longer without caving in to a food on your forbidden list, only to find yourself binging on it later, as if out of sheer spite? Contrary to belief, making something off-limits isn’t the best way to maintain control. It'll get that 2-year-old inside us really geared up to do battle.

Step 3: Do your goals set you up for failure?
Framing your goals in negative terms creates an all-or-nothing situation, where even one small slip means failure. And we all know where this leads—"Well, I’ve already blown it, I might as well enjoy it and start over tomorrow," which turns into next week, next month, or next year. Soon you feel like you can’t control your own behavior, but aren’t sure what to do about it. It all starts with the words.

The great thing about having the capacity for language is that we can use words to help ourselves want what it is best for us to have.

Framing your goals in positive terms makes reaching them that much easier. Positive words allow you to:

• Focus on what you really want, and on what is helpful and achievable. This creates positive energy and momentum instead of feelings of deprivation and resentment.
• Adjust your plans when you have the inevitable slip-up or bad day. Instead of giving up when you mess up, you can make small changes to balance things out.
• Check with yourself before you act. Ask yourself if what you are about to eat will help you reach your goals.
• Have true freedom of choice, rather than forcing yourself to rely on will power alone. We just aren’t designed to white-knuckle our way through life, always resisting what we think we really want.

So, go through your goals with a fine-toothed comb, and make sure they are positive. Focus on what you DO want to do and what you WILL accomplish—not just on how many pounds you want to lose. Keep track of your calories as a necessary tactical measure, but don’t confuse going over on any given day with "failure." There’s more going on than what happens on any single day, and well-framed goals can help you keep that in view.