Is Snacking All Day Instead Of Meals Unhealthy?

When I started to lose weight, I ate three meals per day AND I snacked in between meals.  Snacks were never high-calorie foods, but low-calorie AND low-fat foods – typically it would be things like baby carrotts, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers or other vegetables.  I’d also add fruit to the mix and preferred apples and grapes (watch grapes as they are high in natural sugars).

But I didn’t stop there – I would have snack crackers, but checked the labels to ensure that they were not high in fat or salt.

Other snack ideas are nuts - preferably un-salted, pretzels (in limited quantities – NOT the whole bag).

I also made sure that I drank plenty of water to keep myself hydrated.

Technorati Tags: snacking, Weight Loss

Obesity In The US

While there are statistics all over the place about the high cost of obesity, and the damage it causes the health care system – whether that be in Canada, the US or any other country one thing is certain that as the economic times have changed which has forced many families to take on more – such as both parents working or parents having to take on 2nd jobs and leaving kids behind to fend for themselves obesity has increased.

Parents that have to work, naturally will have less time to spend with their kids – as a result those kids may spend more time on the couch instead of outside playing.  In fact when you look at the playground, who do you see?  Generally kids where one parent is at home – not very often will you see kids by themselves.

While that is quite a generalization as there are skinny kids that may not be outside playing, are they necessarily healthy?  Just because you’re skinny doesn’t mean healthy.

I came across an excellent article about Obesity in the US on the CDC website – http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html.  They provide an animated map of the US that shows obesity rates from 1985 to 2008.  The 1985 map is primarily white, with some states in the < 10% or 10% – 14% categories.  Fast forward to 2008 and it’s anywhere from 20% to as high as OVER 30% with only one state in the 15% – 19% range (Colorado).

The article goes on to show the rate of obesity among minorities – white, non Hispanic, Hispanic and black non Hispanic.  It’s clear from the graphs that obesity is in epidemic proportions in many ethnic communities.

The final image that they provide is the prevalance of obesity by county and right below that the number of cases of diabetes.  It becomes clear when you view both of these that there is a high correlation between obesity and diabetes.

The fact is that we need to do more to lose weight – and not just an empty promise to ourselves that we’ll start “tomorrow”.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: obesity in the US, Weight Loss

Mum Worried About Teasing in School Dies After Failed Weight Loss Surgery

Here is a story I found over at MedIndia: http://www.medindia.net/news/Mum-Worried-About-Teasing-in-School-Dies-After-Failed-Weight-Loss-Surgery-56171-1.htm

Kerry Greaves, the mother of 3-year-old Melissa, was so worried that her daughter would be teased because she had a fat mother that she opted for weight loss surgery.

Doctors in York Hospital carried out a gastric band procedure, but complications from the surgery caused liver and kidney failure in Ms Greaves, eventually resulting in her untimely death. Anne Greaves, the mother of the deceased woman, is now urging caution before opting for weight loss surgery.

“She didn’t have this operation through vanity, she did it for her daughter. She had just started nursery and even though Kerry had never been bullied because of her weight at school, she thought other kids might pick on Melissa because her mum was big,” she said. “I tried to warn her about the dangers but she was insistent and told me that everything would be OK. My advice to anybody thinking of this operation would be to have more pride in yourself and don’t do it.”

Weight loss is important, and there are many ways to lose weight – fad diets, strange diets (like the 3-Day Diet, Carrot/Cauliflower/Cabbage Soup Diet), and surgery.  Surgery is probably one of the most effective since it can provide very quick results – in a matter of weeks but there are risks with surgery as you can see from this article.

Regardless of your body type, size or looks you need to have pride in yourself.  When you have that “inner pride/beauty” it will manifest itself on the outside.  True there are people that may deal with weight issues all their life (I am one of those) but I’d rather be living and a good father to my son and husband to my wife than potentially ending up on the coroners table and 6-feet under.

Weight loss is a gradual process.  It is about eating right, getting and remaining active – it is about lifestyle changes.  Diet is DIE with a T tacked onto the end.  Think of it as a diet and you will fail.  Think of it as, and work at it as a lifestyle change and you develop healthy eating habits that stay with you forever.  These are then the same habits that you can pass onto your children.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve (my wife and I) have been stressing the importance of staying active to our 6-year old and he’s picked up on it.  After eating, he won’t sit down in front of the TV or computer or with his WII or DS.  Instead his comments are “I need to stay healthy, right?” or “Dad, I want you to live for a looong time.  Lets take a walk”.

There may be cases where surgery is required, but if you can do it – try things the natural way through a concerted effort and may making lifestyle changes.

What is bariatric surgery?  Find out here http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightlosssurgery.html.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

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Technorati Tags: bariatric surgery, Weight Loss, weight loss surgery

Yoga for Weight Loss?

Found an interesting article on WebMD entitled “Yoga for Weight Loss?”

It can help you find your bliss, and some say yoga may also help you shed those extra pounds.
By Colette Bouchez

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Jennifer Aniston does it. Reports are that Liv Tyler, Halle Berry, Madonna, David Duchovny and supermodel Christy Turlington do it, too. Many professional athletes are said to be doing it in an effort to improve their games.

The “it” is yoga, a sophisticated mind-body exercise many believe can do everything from tighten your buns to change your outlook on life.

But can this no-strain, work-at-your-own-level exercise really help you lose weight?

It’s true most types of yoga don’t have anything near the calorie-burning power of aerobic exercise. A 150-pound person will burn 150 calories in an hour of doing regular yoga, compared to 311 calories for an hour of walking at 3 mph. But it is exercise, after all, and many practitioners believe yoga can indeed help people take off extra pounds.

“Yoga is a phenomenal way to put you in touch with your body the way nothing else can, and yes, it can help you lose weight,” says instructor Dana Edison, director of Radius Yoga in North Redding, Mass., and a certified personal trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine.

Celebrity yoga trainers Ana Brett and Ravi Singh, who have worked with such hotties as Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, also believe in yoga’s weight-loss powers.

“We have seen it in ourselves, we have seen it in our clients – yoga can give you a real workout even if you are a beginner,” says Brett, who, with Singh, created the best-selling DVD program Fat Free Yoga.

How Does It Work?

In 2005, medical researcher and practicing yogi Alan Kristal, DPH, MPH, set out to do a medical study on the weight-loss effects of yoga.

With funding from the National Cancer Institute, Kristal and colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle led a trial involving 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women. All completed a survey recalling their physical activity (including yoga) and their weight between the ages of 45 and 55. Researchers then analyzed the data, teasing out other factors that could influence weight change – such as diet or other forms of exercise.

The end result: They found yoga could indeed help people shed pounds, or at least keep them from gaining weight.

“Those practicing yoga who were overweight to start with lost about 5 pounds during the same time period those not practicing yoga gained 14 pounds,” says Kristal.

For the study, he says, practicing yoga was defined as at least one 30-minute session per week for four or more years.

Kristal says it’s not clear just how yoga might help people keep off the pounds, at least from a scientific standpoint. His own opinion is that the effects are subtle, and related to yoga’s mind-body aspects.

“The buzzword here is mindfulness — the ability to observe what is happening internally in a non-reactive fashion,” he says. “That is what helps change the relationship of mind to body, and eventually to food and eating.”

Adds Edison: “Yoga makes you more susceptible to influence for change – so if you are thinking you want to change your lifestyle, you want to change the way you think about food, you want to get over destructive eating patterns, yoga will help give you the spiritual connection to your body that can help you make those changes.”

Another idea is that yoga forges a strong mind-body connection that ultimately helps make you more aware of what you eat and how it feels to be full.

“Essentially, in yoga you learn your body is not your enemy, and the conscious awareness of the body that you gain translates into better appetite control,” Edison says.

Power Yoga: The New Attitude

While some say yoga is too tame for extreme weight loss, many devotees of the practice known as “power yoga” disagree.

Power yoga is an Americanized version of traditional Kundalini techniques. Instructors like Singh and Brett believe it can offer all the fat-burning potential – and heart benefits — of an aerobic workout.

While traditional types of yoga are based on breathing techniques paired with static poses, Singh says, power yoga combines meditative breathing with faster, more active movements. The result, he says, is a workout that can be more aerobic than . . . aerobics!

“Aerobic means to exercise in the presence of oxygen, so when you are doing the traditional yoga breathing along with the more active exercises, you’re doing exactly that,” he says. “Our ‘breath of fire’ technique, for example, is one of many we use to help you burn calories while you breathe.”

Edison concedes power yoga may help some people lose weight, but she questions whether it could work for the yoga novice, or the average out-of-shape dieter.

“Can yoga build muscle? Yes. Is a fast-paced, power class aerobic? Sometimes. And can you sweat out water weight in a 105-degree room? Sure. But can the average overweight person effectively shed pounds through a one-size-fits-all physical yoga practice? Not realistically or safely,” Edison tells WebMD.

What about using power yoga to jump-start a weight loss plan? Kristal says even the most forceful power yoga techniques won’t equal the health benefits of a cardiovascular workout — nor will yoga ever burn calories quickly at a significant level.

“It’s just not medically feasible – it’s not going to happen,” he says.

Still, Brett and Singh say they’ve seen firsthand that it can work, even for beginners.

“People come to yoga for many different reasons, but we have seen many success stories in terms of losing weight and learning to control weight,” says Brett. “Active yoga, even for the novice, can change your body and your life.”

Making Yoga Work for You

One thing all our experts agree on is that yoga can be a terrific introduction to the world of fitness.
To help get you started, they offer these tips:

1. Practice in a room without mirrors, and put the emphasis on your internal experience rather than your outer performance.
2. Learn to experience the sensation of movement, down to the tiniest micro movement.
3. Always try to find your “edge” — the place where your body feels challenged, but not overwhelmed. When you achieve this, keep an open, accepting state of mind.
4. Give yourself permission to rest when you’re tired.
5. Combine your yoga session with positive self-talk. Appreciate your efforts and praise your inner goodness.
6. Go to class faithfully. If you work out at home, set a specific day and time for your yoga session and stick to it.
7. Recognize that you are not only working on your body, but are also working to develop qualities like patience, discipline, wisdom, kindness and gratitude.
8. Look for a teacher (in a class or on video) who you feel offers a balance between gentleness and firmness, and who inspires you to practice.
9. Recognize that simply buying a yoga DVD or attending the class is a step toward creating a better you. Use it as momentum to keep going.
10. Realize your efforts are not just inspiring you, but also inspiring others as you become more attuned to who you are, inside and out.

SOURCE URL – http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/yoga-for-weight-loss

Technorati Tags: lose weight through yoga, Weight Loss, yoga, yoga weight loss

Weight Loss Revisited 07.09.2009

I’ve really slacked off on a lot of stuff.

I blame my son.  His allergies are holding me back.

Joking.

But I have slacked off, and who would notice but da ‘wif.

So her comment was “are you just going to sit around on the couch again.” and I’m like “no – when do I do that?” and she’s like “all the time.”.  End of discussion.

So I promptly got onto the scale and weighed myself – 299lbs.  SO while I’ve kept my weight down I’m F-A-R from where I want to be.  Ideally by the end of this year (2009, honey not when hell freeze over) I would like to get down to 250lbs.

That’s my long-term goal for 2009 – lose 50lbs within 6 months time.

That’s only 8lbs per month and the ideal weight loss is 1-2 lbs per month.

So how am I going to get there?  By making many smaller goals that I can easily measure.

So my first goal is to lose 4lbs by July 16, 2009.  Yes that’s quite a bit, but I know my body and how I burn calories and know that I can meet that goal.

How will I get there?  By watching what I eat, and doing more exercise.

Breakfast

Bowl of Bran Flakes cereal with 2% milk (can’t stand skim milk), a small piece of home made cake (about 3″ by 2″).

Snack

Cherries.  Lots of them.

Tea.  About 2-cups of tea with 2% milk and no sugar.  Love my tea!

Lunch

Campbells Hearty Noddles soup.

Snack

Cherries.  More cherries.  I like cherries.

Oh… and something deliciously sinful and sweet – a large Butterhorn pastry.  I know I shouldn’t have, but couldn’t resist.  Besides, it was the last one.  Won’t be buying these anytime soon!

Tea.  About 2-cups of tea with 2% milk and no sugar.  Love my tea!

Dinner

Going out to a persian restaurant in North Vancouver.  The food is GREAT and we usually buy the same thing all the time.  Large green salad, rice with kobideh kabab.  Very good, probably more than I should be having but we don’t go out often so this is a small treat for us.

We ended up doing a bbq at home – burgers, some chicken wings (skin removed) and corn.  Lots of salad on the side, water to wash it all down with (I avoided soda pop).  Burgers had cheese on them, some mayo, mustard, ketchup and pickles.

Now you might be thinking that that’s not a lot of food (breakfast + snack + lunch + snack) – well, no it isn’t.  But I sit all day, so really need to watch what I eat otherwise I gain it twice as fast!

I also had a lot of water.  About 3 x 20oz worth of the wet stuff.  I was running to the washroom every hour!!!

I’ll probably have a late snack as well – usually it’s cereal.  I find as I get older, I need to have my fibre.  So normally it’s something like regular Cherrios with a 1/3 cup of a high-fibre cereal and milk.  Seriously though regardless of your age you should be having a lot of fibre.  It makes you feel full, and helps control cholesterol.  Porridge is a great source of fibre – just make it with very little to no sugar or other sweet stuff added to it.

Exercise/Activity

I was on an hour long conference call today, and had my wireless headset on so could pace my office.  I managed to get in about 400 steps.  Not bad, but definately not enough.  Hope to get out tonight and do some walking or playing Wii with my son as he really can’t go out too much due to severe allergies this year.

Did go out for a short walk and managed to get in just over 2,000 steps.  So a step (pun intended) in the right direction.

I don’t go to the gym – too expensive, and I get bored easily.  But I did spend money on a cool iPod Touch and loaded it with tunes from iTunes and from Napster (after they went legit) and will take that with me on my walks.

I’ll weigh myself next Thursday around 6:00am and will share the results with you.

I’ll also work on some side shots so you can see the difference… well, actually I’m not sure if I’m ready to share pictures yet.  We’ll see.

I will share with you what I’m having daily so that you can follow along and see what I’m doing to lose weight.  Chris over at The Second Coming Of Chris said this:

“I deprive myself of nothing, but don’t over-indulge or gorge on anything.”

Exactly.  I eat what I want, and what I like – but I don’t over-indulge nor do I gorge or binge.  I satisfy my cravings, and that is what has made me successful in my weight loss.

Till tomorrow…

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: diet plan, personal weight loss, personal weight loss goals, Weight Loss

Can’t Control Junk Food?

FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) — Two areas of the brain work together to give some people the self-control to reject unhealthy foods, a new study has found.

California Institute of Technology researchers used MRI to scan the brains of volunteers as they looked at photos of dozens of types of foods and decided which ones they’d like to eat. They found significant differences in the brain activity between people who had self-control in terms of making food choices and those with no self-control.

Previous research has shown that an area of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is involved in all value-based decisions. When vmPFC activity decreases, a person will probably reject an item, whereas increased activity means they’ll probably choose it.

The new study found that in people with no self-control, the vmPFC seemed to take into consideration only the taste of a food.

“In the case of good self-controllers, however, another area of the brain — called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) — becomes active and modulates the basic value signals so that the self-controllers can also incorporate health considerations into their decisions,” principal investigator Antonio Rangel, an associate professor of economics, said in a CalTech news release.

The researchers noted that the vmPFC is active during every decision and that the DLPFC is more active when a person is using self-control.

“This, ultimately, is one reason why self-controllers can make better choices,” Rangel said.

The study appears in the May 1 issue of Science.

Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83698.html

Technorati Tags: Weight Loss, weight loss articles

Weight Loss Information From Around The Web

Here is some weight loss information gathered from around the web.  I am hoping to make this into a weekly post to bring you relavent news and information about weight loss.  I’ll present each post with a small snippet from the article.

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1189956/Why-crash-dieting-DOES-work-Surprise-evidence-suggests-best-way-slim.html“Here’s a sobering thought: beach weather is nearly here, and the diet you’ve been meaning to embark on since January remains in the planning phases.

  You really don’t want to expose those extra pounds to the world, but you do want to put on your swimsuit and feel OK about it. A crash diet seems to be your only option, but aren’t crash diets unhealthy – not to mention ineffective – after the first week? Not if you approach them correctly.

  Despite what many nutritionists have preached for years, low-calorie diets can be healthy if you do them right, and can work wonders on pounds and inches in just a few weeks.”

• http://www.canada.com/health/Weight+loss+lifestyle/1628412/story.html

  “Losing weight is all about choices, whether it’s food choices or lifestyle choices,” says Rick Sgabellone, an Ottawa father of two who has struggled for years to keep his weight under control.

• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151985.php

  The twin epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes will continue to fuel an explosion in heart failure, already the world’s most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease, according to John McMurray, professor of cardiology at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, and President of the Heart Failure Association. He reported that around one-third of patients with heart failure have evidence of diabetes, and for them the outlook is very serious. For doctors, he added, effective treatment is “very difficult”.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: diet, lose weight, Weight Loss, weight loss articles, weight loss information

Is Playing Sports Better Than Exercise?

So what is wrong with this question – “Is Playing Sports Better Than Exercise?” – if you are paying attention you would probably figure out that they are one in the same!  When you play sports, you are getting exercise.  But it really is a trick question, because the word exercise is taken out of context – think of the question as “should I play sports to get exercise, or should I go to the gym for exercise” – really two different things.

So which is better?  Sports or the gym?

I have gone to the gym, and failed miserably.  I am not as regimented in that respect.  Though going to the gym you have the advantage of a personal trainer or at least someone to speak to to ensure that your workouts are accomplishing your fitness goals I’ve always found the gym boring and sometimes embaressing.  Where I used to live, I went to a gym on a fairly regularly – but it was full of muscular and thin men and women.  I felt out of place being a big guy.  In fact, I never saw big people at the gym.

Eventually I stopped going.

Over the last year, I’ve started playing more sports and going outdoors instead.  Partly to aid with weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and also because my son who is now 6-years old has so much energy that we have to get him outside to burn it off.

I enjoy going outside more because I don’t have anyone watching me.  I can exercise at my own pace, and I have fun doing it.

I find that you get more of a rush when you’re outdoors enjoying the good weather and tossing in some exercise — it does not feel like exercise.  Going to the gym felt like work and it was boring, unless I could find someone to come with me — which was always easier said than done.

The verdict?  It is really up to you.  Either way you are getting a chance to work out your body, one is more regimented and does require a certain amount of will power but the other allows you to exercise on your own terms.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: Exercise, fitness gym, play soccer, playing soccer, playing sports, sports better than exercise, sports better than fitness gym, Weight Loss

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