Is Diet or Exercise Best for Weight Loss?

(Article first published as Your Best Weight Loss Strategy: Diet or Exercise? on Technorati.)

We’ve been conditioned over the years to believe that the best way to lose weight is to sweat it off with rigorous exercise at the gym, and be mindful of what we eat. If that were entirely correct, we wouldn’t be tipping the scales of obesity as 45 million people spend more than $19 billion annually on gym memberships, a number that’s doubled over the past 20 years. The problem lies with the fact that human metabolism is highly efficient, and any excess calories are immediately stored as fat.

More Exercise Leads to More Eating

Despite our best intentions, we eat far more calories than we need at any given time to fuel our muscles and cells. Exercise does burn additional calories, but for many people it pales in comparison to the quantity of food they consume. As you exercise, your body sends the signal to eat more so you’ll have enough energy reserved for the next workout. Your next meal or high carb snack will be larger than necessary to compensate, and the excess calories are efficiently stored for future use.

Exercise is Not an Efficient Weight Loss Tool

Research generated by the Mayo Clinic and reported in Time Magazine concludes that exercise is a very inefficient way to drop excess pounds. Researchers found that intense exercise may actually cause weight gain, as test participants consumed more calories after exercise than they burned, resulting in leftover calories which the body typically stores as abdominal fat. It’s important to understand that exercise is still an essential part of human health, but should not be your primary weight loss tool.

Calorie Restricted Diet Delivers Weight Loss Results

The best strategy to drop weight is to eat a calorie restricted diet with 25% fewer calories than you presently consume each day. For many, this type of restriction will seem severe, so you’ll need to slowly work up to that level by eliminating 100 calories each day for a week. The next week, cut out another 100 calories until you hit the 25% reduction level. Most moderately active women should eat 1200 to 1500 calories per day, and men should target 1500 to 1800 calories to see significant weight loss results.

Exercise is Still Important

Regular physical activity is still vitally important, as multiple studies confirm that those who sit for 8 hours a day are most likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, cancer and die early from any cause. Stay active, and if you have a desk job that requires you to sit for long periods, get up and move around at least once every half hour. Establish a set amount of time for exercise into your daily schedule, at least 30 minutes on most days. Walking is a great activity which keeps your heart pumping and your muscles moving, but don’t plan to eat more afterward to compensate.

People begin exercising or sign up for a gym membership as a way to burn off excess fat, and subconsciously believe this will allow them to continue eating more calories than they need. For most individuals, the calories burned through moderate exercise don’t compensate for the super sized appetites experienced after a workout. While regular physical activity and stress reduction are required for optimal health, calorie restriction is by far the most effective weight loss tool.

Obesity Leads to Premature Death, Achieve Weight Loss Success for Life

(Article first published as Prevent Obesity, Achieve Weight Loss Success for Life on Technorati.)

Obesity rates continue to increase at a staggering rate, increasing the risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and many cancers. In fact, obesity has surpassed smoking as the leading preventable cause of death in America. A study presented to the International Congress on Obesity reveals an even more sobering statistic – men who enter adulthood obese face a twofold increased risk of dying prematurely.

This underscores the critical importance of maintaining a healthy weight through childhood and into our teen years, as fat which is stored during the developmental years has a direct impact on our risk of illness and longevity as we phase through adulthood. Fortunately, by adopting a healthy lifestyle and weight loss program, we can reverse the risks which lead to an early demise, and avoid becoming a grim statistic.

Phase 1: Educate Children from an Early Age

Information from this study makes it clear that the growing epidemic of overweight and obese children is leading to a shortened lifespan for our next generation. This problem is simply rooted in poor diet and lifestyle, as children are being raised with the notion that fast food through a drive thru window, sweetened beverages and sugary snacks make up a healthy diet.

The average family eats 4 or more times a week at a fast food restaurant, in many cases consuming more than twice the calories they should for a single meal. Couple this high calorie, low nutrition eating style with virtually no physical activity, and you have the recipe for a health disaster.

Children need to be educated on how to eat healthy and stay active in much the same way as they are taught to read. This class must be taught at home. A child’s mind is pliable, and adopting a diet of nutritionally balanced, reduced calorie meals prepared at home will become a life skill they’ll retain as they get older. Reserve dining out for special occasions only, allowing you to control meal ingredients and portion sizes. Limit television and video games while encouraging regular physical activity.

Phase 2: Use Motivation to Solidify Your New Lifestyle

In order to hit your ideal weight loss goal, you need to master the mechanics of proper weight management. The tools are provided by eating a nutritionally balanced, calorie restricted diet with no junk food and participating in a regular exercise regimen. Beyond the basics, you also need to reward yourself for your accomplishments, and this requires motivation, driven by the knowledge that you’re working to improve the quality and length of your life.

The best motivation is to track your progress. Keep a daily record of the foods you eat, carefully recording portion sizes, total calories and weigh food when applicable. When you estimate portions, you set yourself up for failure. Finally, weight yourself using a digital scale no more than twice each week, keeping a log of how you’re proceeding toward your weight loss goal. Remember, the excess weight didn’t suddenly appear overnight, and losing those extra pounds will take some time and effort.

Weight loss can be a matter of increased lifespan for many overweight and obese people. Depending on the amount of weight you need to lose, and when in life those extra pounds appeared, you may be able to make a significant impact on how long you live. Diet and exercise are important components to achieve your weight loss goal, and harnessing your psyche provides the necessary motivation to experience enhanced quality of life for many years to come.

Fasting and Calorie Restriction Lead to Weight Loss Goals

(Article first published as Try a Fasting Diet to Trigger Rapid Weight Loss Results on Technorati.)

No word can produce more fear, emotion and misunderstanding in the world of diet and weight loss than fasting. The term conjures up visions of starving for days and weeks without a morsel of food, and drinking only fruit juices. A traditional fast is controversial and possibly even unhealthy for certain people, but intermittent fasting relies on the emerging weight loss science of calorie restriction.

According to Scientific American, weight loss is less about what you eat, and more about the timing of each meal. Effective weight loss is possible when you eat according to your genes, more along the lines of our evolutionary ancestors when food was scarce and people rarely ate more than once a day, and more often every few days.

It’s important to understand that eating stimulates many biological events in our body, most of which have evolved to store energy as fat. For this reason, the type of food we eat and the timing of meals are critically important to meet our weight loss goals.

Intermittent Fasting Fuels Fat Burn

Intermittent fasting does not involve starving for days on end, but rather works in harmony with the body’s normal circadian rhythms. There are two types of intermittent fasting. The first involves a liquid diet for one day of the week, with normal eating on the remaining days.

The second method consists of non-caloric fluids only between 7 PM and 7AM each day, with 3 nutritionally fortified, reduced calorie meals balanced over the remaining 12 hours. This is the recommended method of intermittent fasting, and most people find this form easier to tolerate as you’ll be sleeping for a good portion of the 12 hour fast cycle.

Fast for 12 Hours, Eat for 12 Hours

When the body is not busy with the complex process of digestion, it’s free to perform many critical tasks which are vital to our long term health and weight loss goals. Eating large, highly refined meals several times a day forces our metabolism to stay in high gear processing the excess surge of calories.

Intermittent fasting for 12 hours a day, and especially curtailing meals or snacking after 7 PM will force our body to rely on fat stores for energy during the overnight hours. For many people, this is the boost they need to effectively and naturally drop their weight into a normal range.

Make Wise Food Choices

Technically, fasting doesn’t require a special diet, but proper food choices are critical to hitting and maintain your weight loss target. The total amount of calories we eat, timing of meals and nutritional balance of our food all affect our metabolism and the way we store or release fat. In effect, we control our weight destiny through food and physical activity. Nothing impacts our weight, body shape and health more than the foods we eat.

Limit Calories and Make Them Count

Intermittent fasting is a tool which can be used as part of your weight loss arsenal, but reduced calories and nutritional balance are the foundation blocks to sustaining your target weight goal. You’ll naturally reduce calories by restricting food to 12 hours each day, but you also need to limit total quantities and make them well balanced from all food groups. Men need to limit daily calories to 1800 and women to 1500, with slight adjustments being made for extremely active individuals.

Intermittent fasting is founded on the science of human metabolism, as it relies on the body’s evolved responses to food to achieve improved health. Limit total calories and eat only during the morning, afternoon and early evening hours, allowing for a 12 hour fast each day. By working in harmony with the body’s normal rhythms, you’ll be rewarded with naturally sustainable weight loss for life.

Lose Weight by Tracking Calories and Setting Goals

(Article first published as Lose Weight, Burn Fat with These Calorie Tracking Tips on Technorati.)

Weight loss is the main reason nearly two-thirds of American’s are on a diet, yet only 1 in 8 people have an accurate idea of how many calories they really need to accomplish their goal. According to a survey from the International Food Information Council Foundation, more than half of the people were unable to even guess the number of calories necessary to maintain their weight and 25% wouldn’t even attempt a guess.

The health implications of this finding are of critical importance to those overweight or obese individuals who are unsuccessfully trying to lose weight. Excess fat, especially in the mid section is directly linked with increased incidence of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, many cancers and even Alzheimer’s disease.

The fact that so many people don’t know their daily caloric intake, and more importantly, the calories required to lose weight and attain a desired goal, means they are destined to fail in any weight loss attempt. These tips will provide the essential basics to begin a healthy weight loss lifestyle and reduce the inherent risks of carrying those excess pounds.

Tip 1. Monitor Calories and Track with Nutritional Software

The basis of any weight loss program requires a firm understanding of the number of calories consumed. The first step is to determine the number of calories required to hit your weight loss goal, and then the calories necessary to maintain that weight. Online calculators can provide the correct counts for you, based on your particular metrics and physical activity.

Once you have an idea of your daily calories, you’ll need to keep a record of all food and drink consumed using Nutritional Tracking Software. It’s important to be accurate, especially until you get a good feel for the calorie content of different foods. Choose foods from all different food groups, and avoid processed carbs, sugary sweets and fried foods. You’ll find you no longer have room for those empty calories, as you fill up on virtually unlimited quantities of nutritional, low calorie raw leafy greens and vegetables.

Tip 2. Set a Realistic Weight Goal and Time Frame
One of the primary reasons that dieters fail to achieve their weight goal is because they haven’t set an attainable goal and time frame. It’s important to keep in mind that your excess weight didn’t appear overnight, and you’ll need to allow enough time to drop the pounds in a healthy way. Also, don’t set your end goal too low, as your body will switch into survival mode and resist dropping below a certain plateau weight. Plan to drop between .5 to 2 pounds per week, as losing faster than this will cause the fat to release stored toxins into your blood which can have negative health implications.

Tip 3. Pull It Together with Exercise

Most people attempting to lose weight know that they need to eat less and exercise more. The vast majority of people trying to lose weight don’t incorporate any type of regular exercise into their plan. While it’s possible to drop weight without physical activity, you are destined to fail because you significantly increase the chance of hitting a weight block plateau.

Dieters who incorporate exercise are 4 times more likely to avoid the body’s natural resistance to a reduced calorie diet, and achieve a healthy weight. Get serious about a regular fitness program, and plan 20 – 30 minutes at least 3 days a week. Use an exercise progress chart to keep track of your progress.

Weight loss requires a total commitment and lifestyle change to deliver the permanent results your body deserves. In order to achieve your goal, you must understand the mechanics of weight loss. Set your weight goal and time frame, and determine your daily calorie requirements to drop to a realistic weight. Get physical and avoid the weight loss plateau, the most common cause of failure. Dropping weight isn’t easy, but the reward is a happier and healthier you.

Weight Reduction Principles

Excess weight is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing medical issues in America today.  Statistics indicate that close to 70% of adults are either overweight or obese, and even more disconcerting is the rise seen among children and teens.  As obesity increases, so do the diseases which are associated with excess weight, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.  Sensible weight loss allows for dramatically reduced risk from these diseases, and can provide a natural treatment without the need for a lifetime of dangerous prescription medications.

Cut Calories By 25%

People routinely set out to lose weight by following a poorly organized diet.  They fail to understand that weight loss requires proper planning and organization, with calories and nutrients being calculated with every meal.  Many overweight people have tried countless diets and are unable to maintain their initial weight loss. 

Initially the diet works well as the first pounds come off, but eventually metabolism slows and our innate survival mode causes weight loss to plateau.  Once this happens, most dieters become disappointed and put the pounds back, plus a few just in case they should try again.  Less than 5% of people following a traditional diet are able to maintain a normal weight range for more than 5 years, as our body defends our desire to attain a healthy weight.

Weight loss can be achieved by strict adherence to a well laid out regimen which reduces total calorie intake by 25%.  This may seem drastic at first, but after two weeks the body will adjust to the reduced caloric load and overall metabolism will become more efficient, making the new dietary lifestyle a pleasant experience.  It is important to ensure that the minimum requirements are met for all vitamins and minerals.  This is accomplished by using dietary software which is available on the internet at no cost.

It is essential to record every food item eaten in the program, and initially all food must be counted or weighed.  There will be no room for unhealthy processed foods which are laden with sugar, salt, trans-fats and excessive carbohydrates.  The calorie restricted diet will focus on raw and steamed vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean protein and limited fruits and monounsaturated fats.  The health benefits of this new lifestyle can be seen almost immediately in reduced weight, lowered blood pressure and normalization of blood sugar.

Interval Training Exercises Fuel Weight Loss

Exercise is the catalyst which fuels weight loss.  Any type of diet is destined to fail without the right type of exercise program which is designed to increase fat burning and metabolism.  Aerobic exercise has been popular for increasing the heart rate and does help in weight management.  This type of progressive exercise does little to build up muscle which is key to the sustained burning of fat for energy.

Our genes have been programmed based on many thousands of years of evolution.  Our early ancestors did not evolve in a world of aerobic exercise, but instead used short bursts of intense physical motion which was required in the hunt for food or to evade an enemy.  It turns out that we gain the most benefit from exercise which is short in duration, intense and repeated to work many different body parts. 

Develop a fitness program which highlights all major muscle groups alternatively and lasts 30 to 60 seconds each.  The total workout session should last 10 to 20 minutes.  Research has shown that this type of short burst, intense pattern has the same fat burning effect as an hour of aerobic training, and most importantly provides muscle conditioning and sustained fat burn to compliment calorie restricted weight loss.

Fish Oil Fats Help Burn Fat

Fish Oil contains Omega-3 fatty acids which have shown an amazing capacity to fuel fat metabolism in the body.  Studies show that supplementing with fish oil activates lipase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down fat when digested.  Since the fat is converted for use as energy at a 25% higher rate, it is not stored, assisting in weight loss and maintenance. 

Omega-3 fats from fish oil also have the capacity to reduce insulin resistance, allowing our cells to better utilize glucose as needed.  This not only has the benefit of correcting metabolism problems which can lead to diseases such as diabetes, but also keeps sugar from being converted to fat where it can be stored.  Fish oil has been known to benefit brain health for a number of years, but we now understand that it can also be an aid in attaining our weight loss goals.

Obesity is a problem that will plague our culture for the foreseeable future.  The skyrocketing trend among children will guarantee the problem will persist for generations.  We have the tools to correct the problem, starting with caloric control through dietary modification.  Reduce calories by 25% by adopting a healthy eating regime and monitor all food eaten.  Develop a fitness routine which uses short burst, high intensity intervals, and utilize targeted supplementation with fish oils as a compliment to achieve your weight loss goal.

You Are What You Eat - Dietary Modification Principles

Everybody has heard that eating too much without sufficient exercise causes weight gain, and cutting back on the calories and more exercise will result in weight loss. If only it were that simple. There are many other considerations to factor into the overall 'calories in - calories out' equation.

First, you must understand the three building blocks of nutrition: carbohydrates, protein and fat. While it is not the intention of this blog to delve deeply into the biochemical properties these macronutrients, it is important to understand that each has a profoundly different effect on your body and is used differently around the body. For example, the much maligned fat is preferentially used for the creation of cholesterol and is incorporated into the cell membranes of all tissues, especially the brain. Strong evidence suggests that it is not fat which makes you overweight, but the improper metabolism of carbohydrates, specifically the highly refined carbs and sugars (yes, even fruit to an extent) which are such a large component of most Western diets.

I have been following Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition (CRON) for four years now. CRON involves reducing calories consumed by 20 - 40% below the normal level. It also requires eating the proper combination of macronutrients (non-refined carbs, lean protein and healthy fats) so that you also get the 'optimal' micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). In order to accomplish this, I use a free software program called CRON-O-METER which can be found here. This simple software allows you to enter the precise foods you eat each day, and then breaks down the macro and micro nutrients to your pre-set goals. For me, I consume 1800 calories a day, and find that I do need to supplement to hit some of the micronutrient requirements, but the key is to achieve the RDA levels through your food intake. Not an easy task, and you quickly find that if you follow closely, there are no calories left for any food items except healthy vegetables, lean protein and non-adulterated fats. If you find you need help hitting your nutritional goals this is an excellent source for all-natural support.

While it is an ongoing science, likely to be debated for many years into the future, it is quite apparent to me that the level of calories consumed, and more specifically the quality of calories consumed has a large effect on the genetic makeup of our body. Emerging evidence is demonstrating that our genes are continually evolving on a daily basis based on the quantity and types of foods eaten and the many factors which are our environment. Studies have shown that gene expression can be positively or negatively altered by one meal. With that in mind, it is easy to understand that altering our food and controlling as many environmental factors as possible, we can change our genetic constitution toward factors which control most diseases, and our predisposition toward developing many of the common Western maladies such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

So it is true that you are what you eat, as well as what you come in contact with in your environment (pollutants, chemicals and common cosmetics as a starter). All of these factors directly impact the voyage our genes follow... and the best part is we are in control of the ship to a large extent.

Calorie Restriction With Optimal Nutrition (CRON) - Life Extension?

It has been know for nearly 80 years that restricting calorie intake leads to an extension of life among most animal species. Many have speculated that the same principles may apply to humans as well, although it is a difficult theory to prove scientifically due to the extreme time frame required to conduct the experiment (in excess of 120 years!) Nevertheless, it is an intriguing theory which could provide many additional, healthy years to one's lifespan.

Calorie Restriction requires that 20% - 30% less calories are consumed below the normal level eaten. For example if 2500 calories are required to maintain a healthy weight, then around 1800 calories would constitute a restricted dietary lifestyle. The other component is to ensure that sufficient required vitamins and mineral nutrients are also included in the daily diet. Naturally this requires the elimination of all junk food in favor of healthful vegetables (mostly raw), minimal lean protein sources, nuts, seeds and oils.

To begin this type of diet, one must proceed slowly. Although weight loss is not the goal here, typically the pounds will come off... be sure to limit to no more than 1 - 2 pounds per week. This is because the body releases stored toxins in the body fat as it is reduced, and losing too rapidly can provide a toxic overload to the body. Once you have followed a health eating pattern for a minimum of two weeks, you will no longer crave the sugars, fried foods and fast foods which make up the typical Standard American Diet (SAD). The most important part of this eating style are the biochemical alterations which immediately occur in the body. Lipid profiles alter toward lower cholesterol ratios (HDL-C to Total Cholesterol and Triglycerides to HDL-C), which are the real indicators of cardiovascular health.

Blood pressure will decline to normal levels and your basal body temperature will typically fall to a level 1 - 2.5 degrees below the 'normal' of 98.6. It is of note that the normal temperature reading is an average established over many years which is an example of the inflammation levels of the average person. Excess inflammation in the body results in higher body temperature. After several weeks of restriction, you will find your morning basal body temperature drop. This is a good indicator that you have already reduced your core temperature and that restriction is having a positive effect.

It is essential to monitor everything that you eat. You cannot follow this lifestyle without knowing the calorie and nutritional content of every item you consume. The best tool to use for monitoring is the free CRON-O-METER (spaz.ca/cronometer/). Enter all foods (and it is important to weigh the foods at first) in this handy tool as you eat. It will provide you with the calorie content as well as the nutritional breakdown. Mix your food choices to get the proper mix of nutrients. You will quickly find that there is no room for any food types which provide little or no nutritional value.

Excess Calories - Too Much Junk!

We all know that full feeling after consuming a large meal. That same sensation is felt at the cellular level as your body attempts to cope with the massive overflow of calories, and the breakdown by products of your meal. The human body has an amazing capacity to accomodate extra fuel intake which has been necessitated through evolutionary starvation periods. The few extra pounds which we retain are an example of energy storage.

While it is well documented that excess fat on the midsection is directly associated with a number of serious illnesses, we typically don't think about the additional stress our tissues endure at the cellular level. Each of the trillions of cells in the body is required to burn fuel for energy and just as in your household, must eliminate the waste on a regular basis. This process is known as 'autophagy', or the cellular elimination of waste products of metabolism. During our younger years, we are much better at efficiently processing our cellular waste and virtually no buildup is left from the process. As we age, metabolism slows and becomes more inefficient. Cellular debris accumulates which eventually slows our metabolism and cause cellular inefficiency. Some of this is inevitable, but most in the scientific community now understand that much is under our control.

The quality of our energy sources will determine largely how much waste our body must deal with. Highly refined food sources and dietary elements which are not natural to our body (think plastic trans-fats and manufactured high fructose corn syrup) require a much higher level of cellular cleanup. Eventually the cell cannot fully respond to the continual burden of poor food choices and debris begins to obstruct the normal function of the basic biological unit. This is directly related to aging, along with many other environmental factors such as pollution, smoking and lack of exercise.

It is therefore critical to ensure that our food is natural, the way our evolutionary ancestors would have eaten. This is known as the 'paleo' diet, and stresses elimination of unnatural foods, refined carbs, sugars, fast foods and over cooked meats, in favor of raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean protein choices and minimal fruits. Eating in this manner regulates blood sugar surges which are now directly related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes and many other maladies. This eating style also dramatically modifies the lipid profile of the blood by reducing small LDL-C particles, triglycerides and raising HDL-C. And to many people, a natural loss of body fat will occur as a positive consequence of proper eating.