- BASIL AND SPICE WEIGHT LOSS

Wednesday

27Jan2010

Change Your Behavior: Change Your Weight

Jan 27, 2010

Carolyn Coker Ross, M.D.--

In my consultations with individuals who are trying to lose weight, I often ask them, “Why now?” Many people are motivated to lose weight because of health problems that are affecting their quality of life. One of the more common reasons is that they don’t like the way they look. They’re not happy with their bodies. But there are some who feel “I should lose weight,” and have a more difficult time really digging deep enough to find clear motivating factors that are strong enough to keep them going through the long journey to a healthy weight.

Why is this important? Many of you have been on diets before. You may have even lost weight. Then something happened. Maybe you changed jobs or you went through a breakup of a relationship. In other words, LIFE HAPPENED. If we live in our fantasies, we can pretend that life won’t happen again. But it will! So over my 20+ years in medicine, I’ve tried to help people not just with weight issues but with other eating disorders, serious medical problems, etc. learn to change their behaviors. What has made most of them successful is having motivating factors that anchor them to the process of staying on track, doing whatever is needed until they reach AND THEN MAINTAIN their goal.

What can you do?

Make a list of 20 reasons why you want to make a behavior change – whether it be eating more healthily, losing weight, lowering blood pressure, etc.

From that list, take your top 5 reasons.

Next write under each of these top 5 reasons how LIFE might interfere. For example, if your goal is to be more physically fit, life could interfere in the following ways: if you live where it snows, maybe you won’t be able to go outside to exercise. THEN WHAT? Or, what do you do if your boss needs you to work late on a project? THEN WHAT? Or maybe your child gets sick. THEN WHAT? Or you get bored working out on the treadmill. THEN WHAT?

Next, for each THEN WHAT, write down your back up plan. If you find it hard to do this, make sure you are really motivated to accomplish this goal. If you feel you are motivated but just lack skills, ask yourself WHO can help you get skills. For example, for the THEN WHAT of you get bored with your exercise – you could take a dance class, try yoga, etc. If you have trouble coming up with other ways to make exercise fun and sustainable, work with a personal trainer and see if they can help you do this.

When you’ve answered all of the above questions and you have backup plans for all your THEN WHATs, you are ready.

Take the time to do this for yourself so that when you put in the time to lose weight, you will accomplish your goal and it will be maintained.

Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross, M.D. MPH is a nationally known author, speaker and expert in the field of Eating Disorders, Addictions and Integrative Medicine. She is the former head of the eating disorders program at Sierra Tucson. She currently has a private practice specializing in treating eating disorders, addictions, and obesity. She is also a consultant for the dual diagnosis eating disorder program at the treatment center, The Ranch outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Her latest book is The Binge Eating and Compulsive Overeating Workbook (New Harbinger Pub/ Jul 2009). You'll find her online at carolynrossmd.com

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Book Review: The Binge Eating & Compulsive Overeating Workbook

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Monday

25Jan2010

Review: The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged By Tosca Reno (Robert Kennedy Pub/2009)

Jan 25, 2010

Reviewed By Susan Schenck

This is one of Tosca’s better books because it has tons of info, tips and inspiration on the Eat-Clean Diet philosophy. It is full of “eye candy” with striking photos on nearly every page of the thick glossy paper. Sprinkled throughout are “Dear Tosca” letters from readers with inspiring testimonials, as well as small boxes of tip items. There are also numerous info-boxes with a wide variety of topics such as “Common Foods and Fiber Counts,” “My Clean Oats and What I Put on Them,” “Making Water Better,” and “Solutions for a Busy Day.”

We also get to read Tosca’s story, sprinkled throughout the book. She knows what it is like to be fat (weighed 204 pounds at one time!). “I am a normal woman with everyday issues, just like everyone else, and for a long time, I carried excess weight, too.” She encourages us, “There is infinite joy to be had in living life with a healthful, lean physique” and tells us we are in good company because stars like Angelina Jolie use the clean diet approach (according to tabloids).

There are 17 chapters, and each one is color coded at the bottom right hand corner for ease of flipping through the chapters. At the beginning of the book we learn the Eat-Clean principles, which are also summarized neatly on one page, and include for example eating six meals a day and combining lean protein with complex carbs at each mini-meal. We also learn what to expect, the basics of metabolism, and the power of water (I just wish she had told us what kind is best—distilled? Filtered? Spring?).

The middle chapters deal with getting inspired, shopping clean, eating clean while traveling and in social situations (even includes a chart for fast food dining), and how to exercise. The latter chapters involve cellulite, loose skin and sags (one entire chapter on that!), longevity, superfoods, meal plans and grocery lists. Gluten-free and vegan meal plans are included. Some of the superfoods include game meat, coconut, seafood, chia seeds, and kefir. She explains how you can benefit from 5 cents a day worth of flaxseeds.

Finally, there are 50 new recipes with mouth-watering photos for nearly all of them. These are divided into breakfast, starters, salads, soups/stews, proteins, complete meals and desserts. The desserts include a couple of biscotti recipes that look like something from Starbuck’s, as well as chocolate covered bananas. And though I am a raw fooder, I have to admit that “picante frittata” looks mighty tempting! Each recipe has nutritional info per serving, number of servings, prep time and cooking time. After that is a chapter on frequently asked question and answers, and one with the eat-clean diet at a glance.

This is a great book for inspiration, education and reference. Not to mention the recipes!

Susan Schenck is author of The Live Food Factor

Book Review: The Eat-Clean Diet For Men

EXCLUSIVE: INTERVIEW WITH TOSCA RENO

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Monday

18Jan2010

10 Biggest Loser Tips To Avoid Weight Gain

Jan 18, 2010

Cheryl Forberg R.D.--

Contestants arriving at the Biggest Loser Ranch for the first time are often surprised to learn that one of the reasons they’ve gained so much weight is because they've had a habit of skipping meals. It sounds counterintuitive, but skipping meals can actually contribute to weight gain, not loss.

Metabolism journal documented a meal-skipping study at the National Institute on Aging. They found that people who skipped meals during the day and had all of their calories at one nightly meal exhibited unhealthy changes in their metabolism, similar to unhealthy blood sugar levels observed in diabetics. The non-meal skippers on the other hand, consumed the same number of calories each day, but the calories were distributed throughout the day at 3 regular meal intervals. The non meal skippers maintained healthy blood sugar levels.

Another problem with skipping meals is that by the time meal time rolls around, you're so hungry, it’s easy to eat too much and very often choose the wrong things. Who wants to nibble on carrot sticks when you’re starving? Fat has more than twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrate. It satisfies hunger very quickly and often plays a big role in unhealthy meal choices made by meal skippers.

The other problem with skipping meals is that when you wait too long to eat, you lose sight of your body's natural hunger cues. You don’t really know when you’re hungry anymore (and when you’re too full). Here is a sample of a hunger scale from my friend and colleague Lisa Sasson MS RD, a clinical professor of Nutrition at NYU.

Hunger Scale

Famished /starving (don’t allow yourself to be this hungry; this is what happens when you skip meals
Very hungry; can’t think of anything else but eating; maybe cranky; low energy
Hungry; stomach feels empty
Just starting to think about eating again; maybe a little bit hungry
Satisfied; not really thinking about eating; stomach feels fine; alert and good energy level
Fully satisfied
Had plenty to eat; may take a few more bites because it tastes so good even though you know you probably shouldn’t
Very full; probably ate a little too much but it tasted really good
Very uncomfortable; bloated; tired; don’t feel great
Stuffed (need to loosen your clothing) never allow yourself to be this uncomfortable

Lisa recommends that people eat when they feel around # 3 and stop around 5 or 6 (satisfied) It’s ideal to stay in the 3- 8 range.

And if you're not in the habit of eating regular meals throughout the day, try to set up a schedule that works for you. Successful contestants on the show and people following the Positively Ageless plan learn over time that 3 regular meals and 2 snacks each day are one of the most important secrets to successful weight loss.

A registered dietitian and professional chef, Cheryl Forberg is the nutritionist for the NBC reality series The Biggest Loser and an advisor for Prevention magazine. She has written or contributed to several books, including Simple Swaps (Stop the Clock! Cooking, The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, and The Biggest Loser: The Weight Loss Program, and the recently published Positively Ageless. She is also a recipient of the prestigious James Beard award for healthy recipe development. To learn more about Cheryl and her work, visit her Web site at www.cherylforberg.com.

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Weight Gain Plaguing You? Check Your Thyroid.

Jan 15, 2010

Ann Louise Gittleman--

An underactive thyroid may be to blame.

The thyroid gland is the body’s energy burner and thermostat. When this gland slows down, so does metabolism, as well as heart and muscle strength.

Hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid) is epidemic today, particularly among women, and the incidence of this condition only increases with age. Fatigue, menstrual changes, brain fog, depression, sensitivity to cold, unexplained weight gain, loss of libido, puffy face and extremities, constipation, delayed reflexes, and dry, thinning hair are only some signs of an underactive thyroid.

Dietary iodine deficiency, inflammation, radiation, surgery, and some viral infections can cause hypothyroidism. And now environmental toxins have been linked to slow thyroid function.

Perchlorate—a contaminant found in rocket fuel, fireworks, explosives, matches, and some water disinfectants—inhibits the uptake of iodine in the thyroid. Not only do water supplies throughout this country contain this toxin, but the Centers for Disease Control also found perchlorate in powdered baby formula.

Anything that interferes with iodine uptake by the thyroid interferes with prenatal and infant development—as well as normal metabolism and mental development in adults. Experimental research in China even finds that thyroid hormone may be beneficial in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Iodine insufficiency also leads to low levels of healthy stomach acid or hydrochloric acid (HCl). You need iodine to enable chloride in HCl to enter the cells of your stomach. Without enough HCl, your body won’t digest protein or use minerals (like calcium, iron, magnesium) effectively.

By the time you hit age 60, HCl levels have decreased by almost half. Upping your iodine intake is one good way to increase your HCl production, improving digestion.

Because iodine is critical to so many bodily functions, I’ve included sea vegetables (agar, hijiki, kombu, nori, wakame), as well as an iodine-rich seasoning (Seaweed Gomasio) for flavor and health, at least twice a week in Fat Flush for Life menu plans and recipes. If an iodine loading test shows you’re low in this vital mineral even after eating these foods, you might want to consider Iodoral, which contains 5 mg of iodine and 7.5 mg of potassium iodide.

The Copper Connection
Besides being affected by iodine, your thyroid can be suppressed by an elevated copper level. In my experience with tissue mineral analysis (TMA) over the past two decades, I’ve observed that an elevated tissue level of copper is frequently linked to hypothyroidism.

There are many external sources for copper exposure. This mineral occurs naturally in drinking water in some areas and may even be added as copper sulfate to other municipal water supplies. Birth control pills, copper IUDs, dental fillings and crowns, copper cookware, and copper water pipes also increase levels of this mineral in your body.

A typical vegetarian diet is high in copper, and eating phytate-rich grains (whole grains) lowers levels of zinc, a mineral that balances copper. To combat this, avoid yeast, black tea, cocoa and chocolate, wheat germ, and soy.

A copper-zinc imbalance also lessens the liver’s ability to detoxify. Food cravings, frontal headaches, mood swings, menstrual irregularities, yeast infections, and weight gain result from copper overload.

Sources:
Fat Flush for Life
www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/pages/Perchlorate.aspx
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20056583
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20045708
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000353.htm
www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/03/03greenwire-perchlorate-found-in-infant-formula–cdc-10432.html

Ann Louise Gittleman is a health guru, diet/detox expert, award-winning author of 30 books on health and healing including the New York Times bestsellers The Fat Flush Plan, Before The Change, and Fat Flush For Life. A regular contributor to national television and radio, visit her at www.annlouise.com.

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The Biggest Loser 2010: A Food Journal Is A Necessity

Jan 13, 2010

Cheryl Forberg R.D.--

Last week, I wrote about the basic guidelines for choosing Biggest Loser foods and the importance of regular meal times and snacks. Another one of the first things The Biggest Loser contestants learn about is the importance of a food journal. Not only is it one of the key secrets to a successful weight loss plan, it's often a very loud wake-up call. Most of us eat (and drink) much more than we think....until we start recording it.

The more detailed your food journal entries are, the more accurate your calorie count for the day will be. The first thing you need to know is -- how big is a serving size? Weighing and measuring food is crucial in order to calculate an accurate number of your daily calories.

For this, you will need:

a liquid measuring cup (2-cup capacity)
a set of dry measuring cups (1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup sizes)
a set of measuring spoons (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon)
food scale
calculator
calorie counter

The food scale should measure pounds and ounces as well as grams. Most measurements will be in ounces but some foods are very concentrated sources of calories so the portion sizes will be smaller (nuts are a good example of this).

There will be no more eating cereal out of mixing bowls! I recommend taking a small bowl out of the cupboard the first morning you try this. Measure your serving size of cereal (based on nutrition facts label on cereal package) into the bowl with a measuring cup. Take a good look at the cereal in the bowl. Next, measure the milk and then add to the bowl. Now look at the cereal with the milk added. Now you know what your serving size should look like and you won't have to measure it every day.

Another key point I teach the contestants is the importance of measuring raw vs. cooked foods

When vegetables or proteins (such as chicken) are cooked, they lose water and the calories become more concentrated. This means you need to look up the calories for that food in its raw form if you are measuring it raw (or cooked form if measuring it cooked).

Here is an example:

6 ounces of raw boneless skinless chicken breast - 182 calories

6 ounces of cooked boneless skinless chicken breast - 280 calories

There are 54% more calories in the cooked chicken because 6 ounces cooked started out weighing considerably more than 6 ounces.

Same thing with vegetables.

1 cup raw broccoli has 44 calories

1 cup cooked broccoli has 52 calories

After measuring all of your foods for a few days, it will become easier to make estimates by eye (such as when dining out) without having to measure everything. You'll always need to weigh and measure new foods the first time you try them though, so keep the measuring tools handy.

Here is a sample 1500 calorie Biggest Loser menu:

Day Two

Breakfast
1/2 cup fresh diced melon
oatmeal (1/2 cup dry old-fashioned cooked with 1 tablespoon ground flax and 1 cup water) and sprinkled with cinnamon and 1 tablespoon chopped pecans)

1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt

1 cup green or mint tea

Midmorning snack
1 fresh pear sliced and topped with 1/2 cup fat free ricotta and drizzled with 1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar

Lunch
Mediterranean turkey pita sandwich:

1 4-inch whole wheat pita bread

4 1/2 ounces thinly sliced lean turkey breast

1/2 roasted red Bell pepper

2 pieces Romaine lettuce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Sparking water with orange slice

Midafternoon snack
1 non (or low) fat mozzarella string cheese stick

1 medium orange or apple

Dinner
5 ounces grilled lean flank steak with two Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and grilled

Large tossed salad (2 cups mixed salad greens, 1/4 cup sliced cucumbers,
¼ cup sliced mushrooms) plus 2 tablespoons light Caesar dressing

¾ cup whole wheat couscous

1 cup non fat milk

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3* Movie Review: Dear John (Feb 2010)

JOHN TRAVOLTA>>FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

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Please Visit Our Sponsors

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