Thursday, March 2, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Ketogenic Diet
Ketogenic Diet
What Is It?
“Ketogenic” is a term for a low-carb diet (like the Atkins diet). The idea is for you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates. You cut back most on the carbs that are easy to digest, like sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread.
What Is It?
“Ketogenic” is a term for a low-carb diet (like the Atkins diet). The idea is for you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates. You cut back most on the carbs that are easy to digest, like sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread.
How It Works?
When you eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day, your body eventually runs out of fuel (blood sugar) it can use quickly. This typically takes 3 to 4 days. Then you’ll start to break down protein and fat for energy, which can make you lose weight. This is called ketosis.
Weight Loss
A ketogenic diet may help you lose more weight in the first 3 to 6 months than some other diets. This may be because it takes more calories to change fat into energy than it does to change carbs into energy. It’s also possible that a high-fat, high-protein diet satisfies you more, so you eat less, but that hasn’t been proved yet.
Insulin is a hormone that lets your body use or store sugar as fuel. Ketogenic diets make you burn through this fuel quickly, so you don’t need to store it. This means your body needs -- and makes -- less insulin.
It seems strange that a diet that calls for more fat can raise “good” cholesterol and lower “bad” cholesterol, but ketogenic diets are linked to just that. It may be because the lower levels of insulin that result from these diets can stop your body from making more cholesterol. That means you’re less likely to have high blood pressure, hardened arteries, heart failure, and other heart conditions.
Low-carb diets seem to help keep your blood sugar lower and more predictable than other diets. But when your body burns fat for energy, it makes compounds called ketones. If you have diabetes, particularly type 1, too many ketones in your blood can make you sick. So it’s very important to work with your doctor on any changes in your diet.
A Kenogenic diet may help endurance athletes -- runners and cyclists, for example -- when they train. Over time, it helps your muscle-to-fat ratio and raises the amount of oxygen your body is able to use when it’s working hard. While it might help in training, it may not work as well as other diets for peak performance.
Side Effects
The more common ones aren’t usually serious: You might have constipation, mild low blood sugar, or indigestion. Much less often, low-carb diets can lead to kidney stones or high levels of acid in your body (acidosis).
When your body burns its stores of fat, it can be hard on your kidneys. And starting a ketogenic diet -- or going back to a normal diet afterward -- can be tricky if you’re obese because of other health issues you’re likely to have, like diabetes, a heart condition, or high blood pressure. If you have any of these conditions, make diet changes slowly and only with the guidance of your doctor.
When you eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day, your body eventually runs out of fuel (blood sugar) it can use quickly. This typically takes 3 to 4 days. Then you’ll start to break down protein and fat for energy, which can make you lose weight. This is called ketosis.
Weight Loss
A ketogenic diet may help you lose more weight in the first 3 to 6 months than some other diets. This may be because it takes more calories to change fat into energy than it does to change carbs into energy. It’s also possible that a high-fat, high-protein diet satisfies you more, so you eat less, but that hasn’t been proved yet.
Insulin is a hormone that lets your body use or store sugar as fuel. Ketogenic diets make you burn through this fuel quickly, so you don’t need to store it. This means your body needs -- and makes -- less insulin.
It seems strange that a diet that calls for more fat can raise “good” cholesterol and lower “bad” cholesterol, but ketogenic diets are linked to just that. It may be because the lower levels of insulin that result from these diets can stop your body from making more cholesterol. That means you’re less likely to have high blood pressure, hardened arteries, heart failure, and other heart conditions.
Low-carb diets seem to help keep your blood sugar lower and more predictable than other diets. But when your body burns fat for energy, it makes compounds called ketones. If you have diabetes, particularly type 1, too many ketones in your blood can make you sick. So it’s very important to work with your doctor on any changes in your diet.
A Kenogenic diet may help endurance athletes -- runners and cyclists, for example -- when they train. Over time, it helps your muscle-to-fat ratio and raises the amount of oxygen your body is able to use when it’s working hard. While it might help in training, it may not work as well as other diets for peak performance.
Side Effects
The more common ones aren’t usually serious: You might have constipation, mild low blood sugar, or indigestion. Much less often, low-carb diets can lead to kidney stones or high levels of acid in your body (acidosis).
When your body burns its stores of fat, it can be hard on your kidneys. And starting a ketogenic diet -- or going back to a normal diet afterward -- can be tricky if you’re obese because of other health issues you’re likely to have, like diabetes, a heart condition, or high blood pressure. If you have any of these conditions, make diet changes slowly and only with the guidance of your doctor.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Dieting and Metabolism
News Feed
Dieting and Metabolism
Rather than helping us to reach our target weight more quickly, severely restricting calories actually prevents our bodies from burning unwanted fat stores effectively - and unfortunately, this means that weight loss slows down.
Why does a very low calorie intake slow down weight loss?
Quite simply, your body goes into 'starvation mode'. This mechanism, which is thought to have evolved as a defense against starvation, means the body becomes super efficient at making the most of the calories it does get from food and drink. The main way it does this is to protect its fat stores and instead use lean tissue or muscle to provide it with some of the calories it needs to keep functioning. This directly leads to a loss of muscle, which in turn lowers metabolic rate so that the body needs fewer calories to keep ticking over and weight loss slows down. Of course, this is the perfect solution if you're in a famine situation. But if you're trying to lose weight, it's going to do little to help you shift those unwanted pounds.
So how many calories should I have to prevent starvation mode?
Unfortunately, there's no single answer to this question. As everyone's metabolism varies in the first place, so too will the point when the body starts to use muscle to provide it with calories in a 'famine-type' situation. You do not want to lose more than 2lbs a week, so your body won't go into starvation mode.
As a general rule though, most nutrition experts recommend never going below 1,000-1,200 calories a day if you're dieting on your own. It's also worth bearing in mind that the body doesn't suddenly 'enter' and 'leave' starvation mode, like crossing the border from Devon into Cornwall. It's a gradual process - so you don't need to panic if you do go below your calorie intake very occasionally.
What's the link between muscle and metabolism?
The metabolic rate - the rate at which the body burns calories - is partly determined by the amount of muscle we have. In general, the more muscle we have, the higher our metabolic rate; the less muscle we have, the lower our metabolic rate. This explains why men, who have a high proportion of muscle, have a faster metabolism than women, and why a 20-year-old has a higher metabolism than a 70-year-old - again, they have more muscle.
Ultimately, muscle burns a lot more calories than fat so when we lose muscle, our metabolic rate drops and we burn fewer calories. In fact, research shows that the body loses a proportionately high amount of muscle with a very low calorie intake and this may considerably suppress metabolism by up to 45 percent.
This explains why it's crucial to do as much as you can to protect your metabolic rate, especially when you're dieting. And this means dieting sensibly with a suitable, rather than a very low calorie intake so that you lose fat rather than muscle.
Is there anything else I can do to stop losing muscle when I'm dieting?
As well as making sure you have sufficient calories to burn fat rather than muscle, it's also possible to build muscle, which in turn boosts metabolism. The way to do this is, of course, to increase the amount of exercise you do. While aerobic activities such as jogging, swimming, fast walking and aerobic classes help to tone muscle and burn fat, strength or resistance training in particular will increase the amount of muscle you have in your body. And this is good news because for every extra 1lb of muscle you have, your body uses around an extra 50 calories a day! This means an extra 10lb of muscle will burn roughly an extra 500 calories a day without you doing anything - and that's a sufficient amount to lose 1lb in a week.
But doesn't your metabolism drop when you lose weight anyway?
Yes, your metabolic rate naturally slows down a little when you lose weight, but this isn't automatically because you've lost muscle. It's because when your body has less weight to carry around, it needs fewer calories. This means if you weighed 150 pounds to start with and now weigh 130 pounds, you need fewer calories to maintain your new weight than you did when you were heavier. Simply put, there's less of you to carry up and down the stairs, into the bath, around the supermarket and to the bus stop - and because your body doesn't have to work as hard as it did in the past, it can survive on fewer calories.
Will yo-yo dieting have damaged my metabolism permanently?
Fortunately not! The idea that yo-yo dieting permanently lowers your metabolism has been relegated to the archives. However, if you've frequently crash dieted and severely restricted your calorie intake without exercising, it's likely you'll have a lot less muscle now compared with the very first time you dieted. As a consequence, it's likely your metabolism will also be lower so that you need fewer calories to maintain your current weight. This is because when you follow a very low calorie diet, you lose muscle as well as fat. When the weight goes back on, you usually only regain fat. This means, your metabolic rate is likely to have dropped a little every time you've dieted, making it slightly harder each time for you to lose weight. The good news is you can increase the amount of muscle you have by weight training. This in turn will rev up your metabolism so that you can lose weight one final time on a slightly higher calorie intake than you've perhaps been used to.
Rather than helping us to reach our target weight more quickly, severely restricting calories actually prevents our bodies from burning unwanted fat stores effectively - and unfortunately, this means that weight loss slows down.
Why does a very low calorie intake slow down weight loss?
Quite simply, your body goes into 'starvation mode'. This mechanism, which is thought to have evolved as a defense against starvation, means the body becomes super efficient at making the most of the calories it does get from food and drink. The main way it does this is to protect its fat stores and instead use lean tissue or muscle to provide it with some of the calories it needs to keep functioning. This directly leads to a loss of muscle, which in turn lowers metabolic rate so that the body needs fewer calories to keep ticking over and weight loss slows down. Of course, this is the perfect solution if you're in a famine situation. But if you're trying to lose weight, it's going to do little to help you shift those unwanted pounds.
So how many calories should I have to prevent starvation mode?
Unfortunately, there's no single answer to this question. As everyone's metabolism varies in the first place, so too will the point when the body starts to use muscle to provide it with calories in a 'famine-type' situation. You do not want to lose more than 2lbs a week, so your body won't go into starvation mode.
As a general rule though, most nutrition experts recommend never going below 1,000-1,200 calories a day if you're dieting on your own. It's also worth bearing in mind that the body doesn't suddenly 'enter' and 'leave' starvation mode, like crossing the border from Devon into Cornwall. It's a gradual process - so you don't need to panic if you do go below your calorie intake very occasionally.
What's the link between muscle and metabolism?
The metabolic rate - the rate at which the body burns calories - is partly determined by the amount of muscle we have. In general, the more muscle we have, the higher our metabolic rate; the less muscle we have, the lower our metabolic rate. This explains why men, who have a high proportion of muscle, have a faster metabolism than women, and why a 20-year-old has a higher metabolism than a 70-year-old - again, they have more muscle.
Ultimately, muscle burns a lot more calories than fat so when we lose muscle, our metabolic rate drops and we burn fewer calories. In fact, research shows that the body loses a proportionately high amount of muscle with a very low calorie intake and this may considerably suppress metabolism by up to 45 percent.
This explains why it's crucial to do as much as you can to protect your metabolic rate, especially when you're dieting. And this means dieting sensibly with a suitable, rather than a very low calorie intake so that you lose fat rather than muscle.
Is there anything else I can do to stop losing muscle when I'm dieting?
As well as making sure you have sufficient calories to burn fat rather than muscle, it's also possible to build muscle, which in turn boosts metabolism. The way to do this is, of course, to increase the amount of exercise you do. While aerobic activities such as jogging, swimming, fast walking and aerobic classes help to tone muscle and burn fat, strength or resistance training in particular will increase the amount of muscle you have in your body. And this is good news because for every extra 1lb of muscle you have, your body uses around an extra 50 calories a day! This means an extra 10lb of muscle will burn roughly an extra 500 calories a day without you doing anything - and that's a sufficient amount to lose 1lb in a week.
But doesn't your metabolism drop when you lose weight anyway?
Yes, your metabolic rate naturally slows down a little when you lose weight, but this isn't automatically because you've lost muscle. It's because when your body has less weight to carry around, it needs fewer calories. This means if you weighed 150 pounds to start with and now weigh 130 pounds, you need fewer calories to maintain your new weight than you did when you were heavier. Simply put, there's less of you to carry up and down the stairs, into the bath, around the supermarket and to the bus stop - and because your body doesn't have to work as hard as it did in the past, it can survive on fewer calories.
Will yo-yo dieting have damaged my metabolism permanently?
Fortunately not! The idea that yo-yo dieting permanently lowers your metabolism has been relegated to the archives. However, if you've frequently crash dieted and severely restricted your calorie intake without exercising, it's likely you'll have a lot less muscle now compared with the very first time you dieted. As a consequence, it's likely your metabolism will also be lower so that you need fewer calories to maintain your current weight. This is because when you follow a very low calorie diet, you lose muscle as well as fat. When the weight goes back on, you usually only regain fat. This means, your metabolic rate is likely to have dropped a little every time you've dieted, making it slightly harder each time for you to lose weight. The good news is you can increase the amount of muscle you have by weight training. This in turn will rev up your metabolism so that you can lose weight one final time on a slightly higher calorie intake than you've perhaps been used to.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
What Is Binge Eating Disorder?
What Is Binge Eating Disorder?
Binge eating disorder isn't the same as occasional overeating. Plenty of people eat too much once in a while. Who hasn’t had a stomachache after a huge Thanksgiving dinner? People with this eating disorder, though, feel compelled to do so on a regular basis -- at least once a week over a period of 3 months or longer.
Feeling Distressed
People who have binge eating disorder feel they can't control how much or even what they're eating. They often eat alone, until they feel sick, or when they’re not hungry. Guilt, shame, disgust, or sadness come after the binge. People may feel so embarrassed about their behavior that they go out of their way to hide it from friends and family.
It's Different From Bulimia
Bulimia and binge eating disorder aren't the same, although they share some symptoms. People with bulimia also regularly overeat, and they may feel the same negative emotions, such as a loss of control, shame, or guilt. The key difference is that people with bulimia "purge" afterward. They might make themselves vomit, use laxatives or diuretics, or exercise too much. Purging is not part of binge eating disorder.
How It Affects Weight
Many people who develop binge eating disorder also struggle with their weight. Among people with the disorder, about two-thirds are obese, and one study found that as many as 30% of people who seek weight-loss treatment may also have it. People who are overweight or obese are also at risk for related health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
It's About Mental Health
Many people with binge eating disorder also have other emotional or mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse. They may also feel stressed, have trouble sleeping, and struggle with low self-esteem or body image shame.
What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?
Experts aren’t sure exactly what causes eating disorders. A mix of factors, including a person's genes, psychology, and background, may be involved. Dieting can lead to binge eating disorder, but we don't know whether that alone can trigger it. Some people may be extra sensitive to food cues, such as smells or images of food. The disorder can also result from stressful or traumatic life events, such as the death of a loved one or being teased about weight.
Recovery Is Possible
If you think you might have binge eating disorder, know that it can be successfully treated. The first step is getting a diagnosis. To do that, a doctor or other health professional will give you a physical exam and ask questions about your eating habits, emotional health, body image, and feelings toward food.
Treatment: Help With Thoughts, Feelings, and Food
Talking with a psychiatrist or other counselor is key in working on emotional issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to change the negative thought patterns that can spark binge eating. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) addresses relationship problems that may be involved. It also helps to work with a nutritionist to learn healthy eating habits and keep a food diary as you're recovering.
Losing Weight With Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating can lead to weight gain and make it tough to shed extra pounds and keep them off for good. As part of their treatment, people with binge eating disorder may need help with that. Traditional weight loss programs may help, but some people struggle with strict diets. Ask your doctor whether you could benefit from a specialized weight-loss program for people with eating disorders.
Prevention
If you're at risk for binge eating disorder, you can take action to avoid getting it. Watch for feelings such as, guilt, shame, or being impulsive around food, or having low self-esteem. If you have these kinds of issues, or if eating disorders run in your family, talk to a doctor or a therapist.
Binge eating disorder isn't the same as occasional overeating. Plenty of people eat too much once in a while. Who hasn’t had a stomachache after a huge Thanksgiving dinner? People with this eating disorder, though, feel compelled to do so on a regular basis -- at least once a week over a period of 3 months or longer.
Feeling Distressed
People who have binge eating disorder feel they can't control how much or even what they're eating. They often eat alone, until they feel sick, or when they’re not hungry. Guilt, shame, disgust, or sadness come after the binge. People may feel so embarrassed about their behavior that they go out of their way to hide it from friends and family.
It's Different From Bulimia
Bulimia and binge eating disorder aren't the same, although they share some symptoms. People with bulimia also regularly overeat, and they may feel the same negative emotions, such as a loss of control, shame, or guilt. The key difference is that people with bulimia "purge" afterward. They might make themselves vomit, use laxatives or diuretics, or exercise too much. Purging is not part of binge eating disorder.
How It Affects Weight
Many people who develop binge eating disorder also struggle with their weight. Among people with the disorder, about two-thirds are obese, and one study found that as many as 30% of people who seek weight-loss treatment may also have it. People who are overweight or obese are also at risk for related health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
It's About Mental Health
Many people with binge eating disorder also have other emotional or mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse. They may also feel stressed, have trouble sleeping, and struggle with low self-esteem or body image shame.
What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?
Experts aren’t sure exactly what causes eating disorders. A mix of factors, including a person's genes, psychology, and background, may be involved. Dieting can lead to binge eating disorder, but we don't know whether that alone can trigger it. Some people may be extra sensitive to food cues, such as smells or images of food. The disorder can also result from stressful or traumatic life events, such as the death of a loved one or being teased about weight.
Recovery Is Possible
If you think you might have binge eating disorder, know that it can be successfully treated. The first step is getting a diagnosis. To do that, a doctor or other health professional will give you a physical exam and ask questions about your eating habits, emotional health, body image, and feelings toward food.
Treatment: Help With Thoughts, Feelings, and Food
Talking with a psychiatrist or other counselor is key in working on emotional issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to change the negative thought patterns that can spark binge eating. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) addresses relationship problems that may be involved. It also helps to work with a nutritionist to learn healthy eating habits and keep a food diary as you're recovering.
Losing Weight With Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating can lead to weight gain and make it tough to shed extra pounds and keep them off for good. As part of their treatment, people with binge eating disorder may need help with that. Traditional weight loss programs may help, but some people struggle with strict diets. Ask your doctor whether you could benefit from a specialized weight-loss program for people with eating disorders.
Prevention
If you're at risk for binge eating disorder, you can take action to avoid getting it. Watch for feelings such as, guilt, shame, or being impulsive around food, or having low self-esteem. If you have these kinds of issues, or if eating disorders run in your family, talk to a doctor or a therapist.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Getting Mentally Ready To Start a Diet
Getting Mentally Ready to Start a Diet
Whether you're doing the DASH diet, attempting Atkins or trying the TLC diet, finding the right mindset is your first step.
Make a commitment to change. Starting a diet on a whim might work, but the most successful people are truly prepared to make a change. It's about incorporating changes into your life to make a lasting difference. People have to have some sort of commitment and plan in mind. There are five stages of change.
Learn from past attempts - If you've failed at diets in the past, don't blame yourself. To get mentally prepared for future success, people should think about and learn from what they've already attempted and whether that's had any real sticking power.
Have an "if-then" plan in place - Being strategic and plotting key decision points makes it easier to avoid willpower pitfalls. Such as When you go to the grocery store, say "I am going to do X, Y, Z," or "At lunchtime, I'm going to do X, Y, Z." "Getting very specific helps make the behavioral choice in the context automatic.
Add, don't subtract - Deprivation can sap motivation. Add healthier food as one of your approaches, rather than take food away. Food plays an enormous emotional role in our lives. Instead of saying, "I will never eat a cookie again," how about when you have a cookie, you also serve yourself some fruit? Adding on instead of eliminating works well for many people. You will be more likely to eat only one cookie instead of a few.
Eat mindfully - You don't need to follow the MIND diet to be thoughtful about eating. The premise of mindfulness eating is that you eat with attention and awareness, it's really the opposite of mindless eating. With mindful eating, there are no good or bad foods. Be aware of how much you eat, and eating food with intention. You're tasting it, noticing its flavor and noticing if it's satisfying or not. Over time, excess food starts to fall away, and people who need to lose weight discover they're consuming fewer calories.
Be realistic, not rigid - Weight loss fluctuates, and there are so many variables over which we have little control, [such as] hormone cycles and salt retention.. A behavioral goal, for instance, could be having a daily salad. The jury's still out on whether routinely weighing yourself is helpful, but that can lead to disappointment if scale numbers don't reflect your efforts. Too-rigid food rules can cause people to throw in the towel. Instead, you should think in terms of continuums of success.
Check your emotions - Two kinds of hunger exist. There's physical hunger to satisfy your body's requirement for nourishment. Then there's our emotional hunger that meets our requirement for some sort of emotional soothing. The bottom line is if you're emotionally hungry, food isn't going to satisfy you. Learn to ask yourself: "What are you really hungry for?" "Is it food, a friend or a hug? " The more you're able to pursue that – the friend, the hug, the cry, the shout; whatever it is that you need – you won't lean on the food as a coping mechanism."
Tie food choices to feeling good - What you want is a daily, consistent, health-related choice to be associated with a continued positivity. It could be you feel more energy' or you feel better about yourself when you make this choice.
Whether you're doing the DASH diet, attempting Atkins or trying the TLC diet, finding the right mindset is your first step.
Make a commitment to change. Starting a diet on a whim might work, but the most successful people are truly prepared to make a change. It's about incorporating changes into your life to make a lasting difference. People have to have some sort of commitment and plan in mind. There are five stages of change.
Learn from past attempts - If you've failed at diets in the past, don't blame yourself. To get mentally prepared for future success, people should think about and learn from what they've already attempted and whether that's had any real sticking power.
Have an "if-then" plan in place - Being strategic and plotting key decision points makes it easier to avoid willpower pitfalls. Such as When you go to the grocery store, say "I am going to do X, Y, Z," or "At lunchtime, I'm going to do X, Y, Z." "Getting very specific helps make the behavioral choice in the context automatic.
Add, don't subtract - Deprivation can sap motivation. Add healthier food as one of your approaches, rather than take food away. Food plays an enormous emotional role in our lives. Instead of saying, "I will never eat a cookie again," how about when you have a cookie, you also serve yourself some fruit? Adding on instead of eliminating works well for many people. You will be more likely to eat only one cookie instead of a few.
Eat mindfully - You don't need to follow the MIND diet to be thoughtful about eating. The premise of mindfulness eating is that you eat with attention and awareness, it's really the opposite of mindless eating. With mindful eating, there are no good or bad foods. Be aware of how much you eat, and eating food with intention. You're tasting it, noticing its flavor and noticing if it's satisfying or not. Over time, excess food starts to fall away, and people who need to lose weight discover they're consuming fewer calories.
Be realistic, not rigid - Weight loss fluctuates, and there are so many variables over which we have little control, [such as] hormone cycles and salt retention.. A behavioral goal, for instance, could be having a daily salad. The jury's still out on whether routinely weighing yourself is helpful, but that can lead to disappointment if scale numbers don't reflect your efforts. Too-rigid food rules can cause people to throw in the towel. Instead, you should think in terms of continuums of success.
Check your emotions - Two kinds of hunger exist. There's physical hunger to satisfy your body's requirement for nourishment. Then there's our emotional hunger that meets our requirement for some sort of emotional soothing. The bottom line is if you're emotionally hungry, food isn't going to satisfy you. Learn to ask yourself: "What are you really hungry for?" "Is it food, a friend or a hug? " The more you're able to pursue that – the friend, the hug, the cry, the shout; whatever it is that you need – you won't lean on the food as a coping mechanism."
Tie food choices to feeling good - What you want is a daily, consistent, health-related choice to be associated with a continued positivity. It could be you feel more energy' or you feel better about yourself when you make this choice.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Eco-Atkins Diet
Eco-Atkins Diet
The aim: Weight loss and heart health.
The claim: You'll drop about 8 pounds per month, and see improvements in your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, a fatty substance that in excess has been linked to heart disease.
The theory: Low carbs can lower the risk of death from heart disease and almost all other medical causes when the diet substitutes high-protein plants for fatty, cholesterol-loaded meat, and piles on fruits and vegetables. Nutritional scientist David Jenkins at Canada's University of Toronto popularized this twist on Atkins a couple of years ago.
How does Eco-Atkins Diet work?
Do: Eat steak and other meats if you like them.
Eco-Atkins calls for 31 percent of daily calories to come from plant proteins, 43 percent from plant fats and 26 percent from carbs. Beyond that there are no strict rules, and you can adapt it to fit your needs; most followers eliminate all animal sources but others incorporate fish, lean white meat and occasional dairy products.
Protein needs focus on beans – white, black, pinto or garbanzo. Other good sources include nuts, high-protein vegetables like Brussels sprouts, and grains like couscous and pearl barley. An ounce of almonds provides 6 grams of protein – more than 10 percent of a 150-pound person's daily protein needs. A small portion of cooked broccoli – half a cup – offers 2 grams.
You will also swap unhealthy for healthy fats. Saturated and trans fats – think butter, whole milk, fatty cuts of beef and hydrogenated vegetable oils – can be harmful. Omega-3 fatty acids, nut butters, seeds, avocados and olives are heart-healthier options. Vegetable oils such as canola oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil are also beneficial. They can be used for cooking, as salad dressings, or toppings.
Fullness: Nutrition experts emphasize the importance of satiety, the satisfied feeling that you've had enough. Hunger shouldn't be a problem on Eco-Atkins. Beans and other legumes, veggies and whole grains – all emphasized on the diet – are thought to take longer to digest, keeping you feeling fuller for longer. You're also free to choose how many calories you want to eat.
The final step is choosing carbs wisely. You have more leeway than you would on the traditional Atkins diet – 26 percent of calories come from carbs versus as low as 10 percent on Atkins. Starchy options like white bread, rice, potatoes and baked goods top the Eco-Atkins "don't-eat" list, while fruit, vegetables, whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat bread and oats are recommended.
Weight Loss: Regardless of claims made for low-carb diets, it's unclear whether the main reason for weight loss is carb restriction or simply cutting calories.
How easy is it to follow?
Depends on how long you can do without meat and "bad" carbs like white bread, potatoes and baked goods. Diets that severely limit entire food groups for months and years tend to have lower success rates than less-restrictive diets do.
Although it outperformed traditional Atkins, the experts felt Eco-Atkins is too fat-heavy and carb-light. Still, dieters needn't worry about malnourishment or overly rapid weight loss. Its score is middle-of-the-road.
Eco-Atkins is only an eating pattern. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise. Being physically active lowers your risk of heart disease and diabetes, helps keep weight off and increases your energy level. Most experts suggest at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise – such as brisk walking – most or all days of the week.
The aim: Weight loss and heart health.
The claim: You'll drop about 8 pounds per month, and see improvements in your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, a fatty substance that in excess has been linked to heart disease.
The theory: Low carbs can lower the risk of death from heart disease and almost all other medical causes when the diet substitutes high-protein plants for fatty, cholesterol-loaded meat, and piles on fruits and vegetables. Nutritional scientist David Jenkins at Canada's University of Toronto popularized this twist on Atkins a couple of years ago.
How does Eco-Atkins Diet work?
Do: Eat steak and other meats if you like them.
Eco-Atkins calls for 31 percent of daily calories to come from plant proteins, 43 percent from plant fats and 26 percent from carbs. Beyond that there are no strict rules, and you can adapt it to fit your needs; most followers eliminate all animal sources but others incorporate fish, lean white meat and occasional dairy products.
Protein needs focus on beans – white, black, pinto or garbanzo. Other good sources include nuts, high-protein vegetables like Brussels sprouts, and grains like couscous and pearl barley. An ounce of almonds provides 6 grams of protein – more than 10 percent of a 150-pound person's daily protein needs. A small portion of cooked broccoli – half a cup – offers 2 grams.
You will also swap unhealthy for healthy fats. Saturated and trans fats – think butter, whole milk, fatty cuts of beef and hydrogenated vegetable oils – can be harmful. Omega-3 fatty acids, nut butters, seeds, avocados and olives are heart-healthier options. Vegetable oils such as canola oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil are also beneficial. They can be used for cooking, as salad dressings, or toppings.
Fullness: Nutrition experts emphasize the importance of satiety, the satisfied feeling that you've had enough. Hunger shouldn't be a problem on Eco-Atkins. Beans and other legumes, veggies and whole grains – all emphasized on the diet – are thought to take longer to digest, keeping you feeling fuller for longer. You're also free to choose how many calories you want to eat.
The final step is choosing carbs wisely. You have more leeway than you would on the traditional Atkins diet – 26 percent of calories come from carbs versus as low as 10 percent on Atkins. Starchy options like white bread, rice, potatoes and baked goods top the Eco-Atkins "don't-eat" list, while fruit, vegetables, whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat bread and oats are recommended.
Weight Loss: Regardless of claims made for low-carb diets, it's unclear whether the main reason for weight loss is carb restriction or simply cutting calories.
How easy is it to follow?
Depends on how long you can do without meat and "bad" carbs like white bread, potatoes and baked goods. Diets that severely limit entire food groups for months and years tend to have lower success rates than less-restrictive diets do.
Although it outperformed traditional Atkins, the experts felt Eco-Atkins is too fat-heavy and carb-light. Still, dieters needn't worry about malnourishment or overly rapid weight loss. Its score is middle-of-the-road.
Eco-Atkins is only an eating pattern. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise. Being physically active lowers your risk of heart disease and diabetes, helps keep weight off and increases your energy level. Most experts suggest at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise – such as brisk walking – most or all days of the week.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
The challenge: Hard-to-resist homemade holiday treats.
Stay-healthy strategy: If decadent holiday treats are your downfall, make room in your diet to eat them. Allow yourself one small treat per day—but plan for it by eliminating something else and be sure to account for the calories. If it’s too tempting to keep treats in your house, say "no thanks" next time or, if you do give in, share some with a friend.
The challenge: Hard-to-resist homemade holiday treats.
Stay-healthy strategy: If decadent holiday treats are your downfall, make room in your diet to eat them. Allow yourself one small treat per day—but plan for it by eliminating something else and be sure to account for the calories. If it’s too tempting to keep treats in your house, say "no thanks" next time or, if you do give in, share some with a friend.
The challenge: A decadent buffet spread at your friend’s annual holiday party.
Stay-healthy strategy: Don’t graze. With all the nuts, crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, mindless picking can easily add up to a meal’s worth—or more—of calories. Instead, plan to eat one of your three daily meals at the party. And when you do, inspect the offerings first before loading up your plate. Make your first trip for vegetables and salad (bring a veggie tray to share if menu choices are in doubt).
The challenge: You’re eating out a ton.
Stay-healthy strategy: Make a plan. If you don’t think about dinner until, well, dinnertime, you’re likely to end up eating out or bringing takeout home. The problem with that: the meals you get out are typically packed with more calories, carbs and fat than those you’d make at home. So keep healthy staples on hand to whip up a quick dinner: canned beans and tuna, whole-wheat pasta and couscous, frozen veggies and shrimp are all good choices. Or set up meals to be ready when you get home. To that end, two words: Slow. Cooker.
The challenge: You’re reaching for sugary caffeinated drinks when you need a boost.
Stay-healthy strategy: Skip special coffee drinks that may pack several hundred calories (if you order the generous size and opt for whipped cream), and instead go for smarter sips. Try swapping a fully loaded mocha for a skim latte (about 130 calories for 16 ounces), preferably without sugar or syrup. Feel good knowing that you’re getting in a full serving of calcium-rich dairy.
The challenge: Forgotten calories.
Stay-healthy strategy: Write down everything you eat—including the chocolate you swiped from the staff kitchen after lunch. Keeping a food diary may seem like a lot of effort, but it empowers you to budget in small treats; for instance, perhaps you eat one holiday cookie instead of that roll with your salad at lunch.
Stay-healthy strategy: Don’t graze. With all the nuts, crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, mindless picking can easily add up to a meal’s worth—or more—of calories. Instead, plan to eat one of your three daily meals at the party. And when you do, inspect the offerings first before loading up your plate. Make your first trip for vegetables and salad (bring a veggie tray to share if menu choices are in doubt).
The challenge: You’re eating out a ton.
Stay-healthy strategy: Make a plan. If you don’t think about dinner until, well, dinnertime, you’re likely to end up eating out or bringing takeout home. The problem with that: the meals you get out are typically packed with more calories, carbs and fat than those you’d make at home. So keep healthy staples on hand to whip up a quick dinner: canned beans and tuna, whole-wheat pasta and couscous, frozen veggies and shrimp are all good choices. Or set up meals to be ready when you get home. To that end, two words: Slow. Cooker.
The challenge: You’re reaching for sugary caffeinated drinks when you need a boost.
Stay-healthy strategy: Skip special coffee drinks that may pack several hundred calories (if you order the generous size and opt for whipped cream), and instead go for smarter sips. Try swapping a fully loaded mocha for a skim latte (about 130 calories for 16 ounces), preferably without sugar or syrup. Feel good knowing that you’re getting in a full serving of calcium-rich dairy.
The challenge: Forgotten calories.
Stay-healthy strategy: Write down everything you eat—including the chocolate you swiped from the staff kitchen after lunch. Keeping a food diary may seem like a lot of effort, but it empowers you to budget in small treats; for instance, perhaps you eat one holiday cookie instead of that roll with your salad at lunch.
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