You’ve heard the “Three Square Meals a Day” lecture more times than you can count. You know that logically you should have breakfast, lunch and dinner with small yet satisfying snacks in between. You understand that it is the healthiest way to maintain or even lose weight. But you’re not so sure you buy it. Shouldn’t skipping meals, an act that eliminates calories and fat from your day, slim your waist more quickly than eating regularly?

In theory, yes, but in reality, not necessarily. Skipping breakfast, lunch and everything in between often turns dinner into a nonstop binge. Your deprived body is desperate for sustenance, so you eat everything in sight. The calories you eliminated, reappear, and you have what you normally would have had in one day, in one sitting. On top of that, your metabolism slows in the face of such strict limitations, making the fat you consume more difficult to burn. And as if that weren’t bad enough, recent research has found that this type of dieting elevates fasting glucose levels and delays insulin response, both of which can lead to diabetes.

So forget skipping meals, particularly if you’re going to make up for the loss at dinner. It won’t work for you. You’ll be no skinnier and you’ll certainly be no healthier. The best way is, as stated above, three square meals a day. Have breakfast. Have lunch. Have dinner. If you’re hungry in between, have a snack. Monitor your calorie intake. Make sure, if you are attempting to lose weight, that you are burning more than you are ingesting but do so without cutting out a vital part of your day. Eat, and eat well.

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The business savvy have taken advantage of America’s obesity epidemic, formulating an untold number of diets in attempts to appeal to every individual with a spare piece of flab. They’ve catered to the meat eaters, the “pre-cooked needed”, the “I lack self control” and the “let me eat cake”. They’ve created books, CDs, internet communities and local chapters. They’ve made it quick and easy to sign up for a diet, hoping that convenience will allow them to corner the market on weight loss. But even with all of this, they’ve failed to prepare for one thing. They failed to take into account that America might get smarter and shun diets, which is exactly what it is doing.

Ten years ago, 35 percent of women and 23 percent of men were on diets. Today, those numbers are 29 and 19, respectively. Very few individuals are opting for the extreme route, cutting out food groups or severely limiting calories. And of those who are on diets, most have created their own. Yet 60 percent of surveyed Americans are attempting to lose an average of 20 pounds. If they aren’t hopping on a diet bandwagon, what are they doing? They’re eating balanced meals and exercising regularly. They are choosing to forgo deprivation and disappointment in favor of healthy living. And you can too.  Rather than attempting to only eat at night or never touch anything with fat, focus on eating fewer calories than you burn and ingesting all of the nutrients that you need. Load your plate with fruits, veggies and whole grains. Have protein but in small amounts when from animals. Embrace fish oil, fiber and folate with a renewed vigor. Never forget calcium and vitamin C. And exercise. Be active and you’ll be healthy. 

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Freshman year of college, I was introduced to a snack that should have been disgusting but was oddly addictive and tantalizing: saltines and vanilla icing. The overly sweet spread balanced the mounds of salt on each cracker, creating a salty sweet combination few college coeds could resist. Now before you wrinkle your nose, dismissing the treat with the haughtiness of an unbeliever, think about the chocolate covered pretzels you can’t turn down and the other cloyingly sweet temptations that can only be paired with a hearty dose of sodium. Salt and sugar go together. Our taste buds link the two extremes naturally. So it’s logical to assume that reducing one would reduce the other. In fact, it’s so logical that it’s not an assumption; it’s fact.

A study of 1,688 boys and girls between the ages of four and 18 found that those who consumed the least amount of salt also consumed the least amount of sugary soft drinks. Those who consumed the most drank the most.  Therefore, researchers concluded that a reduction in salt would equal a reduction in sodas, which, in true domino fashion, would equal a reduction in obesity. Cutting salt intake in half would eliminate two soft drinks per week from the diet and thus about 250 calories.  Added up over the course of a year, that’s 13,000 calories. 3,500 is a pound.

So if you want to eliminate a few needless calories from your and your child’s diets, cut back on salt. Choose the low-sodium products, resist the urge to sprinkle a little extra salt into the pot and take the saltcellar off the table. You’ll find that the household sweet tooth will have been quieted and that the weekly weigh-in won’t be quite as traumatizing. And if you think that you can’t do it, know that it only takes a small change to make a large difference, a change that your taste buds will probably never notice.

• Image Source: http://chocolatemusings.blogspot.com/

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Okay, so the French have more sex than us. We can cope with that. In fact, it kind of makes sense. They have easy access to the salacious wines of Bordeaux, an unlimited number of aphrodisiac desserts and one of the most provocative languages of all time. Besides, they live in France, the land of fairy-tale country sides, cobblestone walkways and arcing moonlit bridges. How could we blame them for having sex? It would be crazy not to. But that doesn’t mean we can’t hate them for other reasons, like their waists, which are illogically thin. Their diet is filled with buttery croissants, dripping chocolate and 400 varieties of cheese (That’s right 400!), and yet they are skinnier than us, healthier than us. It’s unfair, and it’s all for one reason:

They stop eating when they’re full.

I know, I know. It sounds strange, but it’s true. When the French feel like they’ve had enough, notice that the food no longer tastes as appealing or think ahead to dessert, they put down their forks, and their spoons, and their knives.  We, on the other hand, stop eating when the plate is clean, when our fellow diners are finished or when the TV show we’re watching ends. God help our stomachs if it’s a miniseries.

The key to maintaining a healthy weight is knowing when to stop, and that means listening to internal cues. Rather than waiting for the credits to roll, we should push aside our plates when we feel satisfied. We should stop eating when we are full. Our portions will become smaller and eventually so will our waists. We’ll have the enviable French physique, and once we have that, the next step is the bedroom.

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Your wedding – you’ve dreamed about it for years, envisioning every aspect of the day from the location to the food to the members of the bridal party to the dress. You know exactly how everything should look. You even know the layout of the invitation (and now that you have a fiancé you can finalize it with the groom’s name), the name of the band that will play your first song and the details of the seating chart (Uncle Bob must not sit near Aunt Marge). There’s only one little (or not so little) thing that you have to take care of: your waist.

Seventy percent of brides are attempting to lose weight before their wedding, regardless of if they are obese, over-, normal or underweight.  They are so determined to shrink their frames that they purchase gowns at least one or two sizes too small as a means of motivation, and adopt extreme dieting habits to achieve their goal. Many skip meals, take over-the-counter weight-loss pills or rely on supplements. Some, although not as many, take up smoking, consume laxatives, induce vomiting or cut out solids. They use their wedding, their image of the ideal bride and their drive to realize that image to spiral their bodies into ill health, all for a size that, if achieved probably won’t last the honeymoon.

Extreme methods of weight loss are rarely long-term and are never healthy, particularly if they actively involve cigarettes, vomiting or laxatives. Rather than using your goal and your motivation to worsen your wellbeing, use it to adopt healthy habits that will last you from your wedding to your 25th anniversary. Wedding sites and magazines (reputable ones) often offer advice on how to lose weight or get in shape before your big day.  They structure your game plan based on how much time you have and what your ultimate goal is, which, by the way, isn’t necessarily to lose weight. If you are of a normal weight or a healthy overweight, don’t kill yourself shedding pounds. Make your goal toning and shaping. A little definition can change the way you view your body and allow you to see that the perfect bride is already staring back at you in the mirror.

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Have you ever noticed that the first time a decadent indulgence is offered, you let it pass by easily, but when that same temptation is presented a second and third time, your resolve isn’t quite as strong? Eventually, you grab the plate, popping in the bits of fat and sugar with frightening fervor. You toss self-control to the wind, accepting your weakness as an inevitable character flaw. But could it be more than that? Is something else causing your reckless abandon?

If recent studies are correct, yes. When researchers examined how self-control affects the body, they found that with each display of restraint blood-glucose levels dropped. And as the levels decreased, so did self-control. Repeated tasks were completed with more difficulty and performed with less skill.

To support these findings, scientists gave participants either a glass of artificially sweetened lemonade or lemonade with real sugar in between tests. Those who ingested the real stuff maintained their initial level of ability. A little replenishment and they were fine. So should you grab a spoon and start shoveling sugar whenever temptation rears its ugly head?

What do you think?

You should not walk away from this study with a renewed sweet tooth. However, you should recognize that your exercises in self-control are hard work. It’s not something that will simply happen because you want it to. Don’t begin your limitations with over the top goals. Start small and build from there. And don’t severely restrict your diet to the point of depletion. If the aforementioned study has taught us anything, it’s that we must maintain regular glucose levels to maintain our eating self-control. Small, evenly spaced meals throughout the day should keep your stomach happy and your resolve strong.

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Have you ever flipped through the Victoria Secret catalog cutting out pictures of the prettiest women and pasting them to your fridge? If you’re a man, I hope not. If you’re a woman, I’d bet so. Almost every woman believes that being forced to stare at scantily clad models will release her inner health-conscious self. She’ll become, in the face of perfection, a nutritious eater and avid exerciser. It’s a common enough practice that you’d think it would work, but it turns out shoving beauty in your face might be the exact opposite of what you want to do.

When researchers at the University of Bath polled 281 undergraduate students (male and female), they found that picturing yourself as unattractive was the strongest motivator for exercise.  Those who harbored a fear of becoming ugly were more likely to stick with a workout schedule until they saw results. And if signs of hideousness (a paunchy belly, flappy arms) were already appearing or still present, the self-loathers were even more moved to move. So try replacing the underwear models with pictures of you, at your ugliest, in your underwear.  Make sure that the flab is really dominant and, if you can, highlight the cellulite. Turn going to the fridge into a horrifying slideshow, and you just might close the door, opting for the treadmill instead.

Of course, if you find that self-hatred is too much of a daily downer, there are other ways to motivate yourself, such as:

• Charge yourself – every time you miss a workout, empty your wallet. Give ten bucks to charity or to your kids. When the cash starts dwindling, you may find yourself jogging that extra mile.
• Set a schedule and make rules – if you think “I’ll workout when I can” is going to keep you on track, you’ve got another think coming. Making a schedule and establishing set rules will help keep you focused.
• Workout with your spouse – if you’re doing it together, you are both more likely to continue exercising. Besides, there’s nothing more annoying than having your significant other hold his victory over your failure.
• Turn regularly sedentary activities into . . .  activities – if you’re stressed about fitting a workout into your schedule, you never will. Instead, turn meetings and phone calls into times to move. You’ll get your exercise without the time crunch.

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Within moments of giving birth stars such as Katie Holmes, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson reappeared on the red carpet looking better than most women ever will pre or post-pregnancy. Their baby weight had mysteriously evaporated, making them the envy of nearly every other new mother on the planet. Their secrets? No one knows for sure, but I’m certain that millions of dollars and access to the best personal trainers, nutritionists and nannies didn’t hurt. Unfortunately, you don’t have those luxuries. You have a baby upstairs, limited time and a cloud of drowsiness weighing you down. How are you expected to drop the pregnancy pounds?

Sleep. As implausible as it may sound, regularly getting a good night’s sleep can help you shed the weight. A study of 940 women found that those who continued to get less than five hours a day when their baby was six months old were three times more likely to have an extra 11 pounds at their child’s first birthday. Those who got seven or more had considerably slimmer waists.

Now, I know that an infant’s sleep schedule can be far from regular, rendering seven solid hours nothing more than a dream, so if you can’t crawl into bed just yet, here are a few suggestions to help you safely lose the pounds your bouncing baby boy put on you:

* Wait - don’t jog out of the hospital and right into an exercise regime. You just pushed a human being out of your body; you need time to recuperate. Let your flab idle about for six weeks or so.4 When your body is ready, start thinking about workouts.

* Don’t push it - it took you nine months to gain the weight; give yourself the same time to lose it, if not more.

* Choose appropriate exercises - not to be redundant but, you just pushed a human being out of your body; you do not want to take up a routine that is going to torture your already taxed system. Try a post-natal DVD or walking (the latter can be done with baby in tow!)

* Balance your diet - without a bun in the oven, you can no longer justify the midnight Snickers. Your diet is sadly without the pregnancy cravings. However, it should not be without all of the nutrients, especially if you’re breastfeeding. Maintain a balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

* Make time for you - if you’re constantly on the run, focusing solely on the baby, you aren’t going to be taking care of yourself. Your health will be less than stellar and that includes your weight. It took two people to make the baby; it should take two people to care for him, too.

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Right about now, at the height of cold and flu season, you are probably well aware of how your coworkers are influencing your health.  After all, you’ve been giving Bob, two cubicles down, the evil eye ever since he sneezed on your favorite pen during the morning meeting. Cheryl has been hacking since November, and your boss seems to have mistaken his left AND right hand for tissues. A bubble-encased desk is sounding better by the minute. Then, at least, you would be safe until spring.

Or not, for even when all of your officemates are well, they can still wreak havoc on your health, via the office-wide offerings.

Each week sees a mountain of baked goods, sweets and fatty foods, all presented for various reasons. Monday was Marcy’s birthday. How could you dishonor her by turning down a slice of cake? Tuesday was a breakfast meeting. Was it your fault doughnuts and muffins were the only option? Wednesday was, as always, order-out lunch day, and the full-fat, fried selection was too good to pass up.  Thursday was stressful; you needed that cookie. And Friday was Friday. All in all you had five, consecutive days of little indulgences, not counting the usual snacks and diet indiscretions. You fell, thanks to the coaxing of your coworkers, victim to office overeating.  And if you’re not careful, next week will be the same. Continue Reading >>

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Recently, Burger King unveiled its latest promotional campaign: The Whopper Freakout.  For two days, hidden cameras filmed customers’ reactions as they were denied, in various ways, their longed for Whopper. On the first day, patrons were told that the sandwich no longer existed. It had been permanently discontinued. Customers responded with anger, shock and nostalgia (many regaled the cashiers with tales of childhood treks through the drive thru). On the second day, Whopper orders were filled with either McDonald’s or Wendy’s burgers. Irate “I hate McDonald’s/Wendy’s” followed. The customers wanted the Whopper, the signature sandwich, and nothing else would do. According to Burger King, the test proved that the Whopper is America’s favorite burger and can never be replaced. But I think we should take something else from this 48-hour trial: diet advice.

The Whopper-less patrons couldn’t handle the unexpected removal of their burger. The abrupt change left them stunned and emotional. When they were offered something else, they were dissatisfied, longing for the food they had initially craved. They, had the joke not been revealed, likely would have spent the entire day thinking about the deprivation, obsessing about Burger King until they were once again at the fast-food counter overindulging. The same would hold true for any sudden restriction. If you were to go on a diet and cut out everything you loved in one fell swoop, you would spend your meals munching on cardboard and dwelling on the past. Eventually, the memories would overwhelm your self-control and you’d be in the grocery store loading up on “the enemy”.

If you’re going on a diet, don’t go the denial route. Opt, instead, for moderation. Nothing is the enemy so long as it remains within the realms of rationality. A reasonably sized cookie to satisfy the occasional craving is much better than a bag of Oreos after weeks of repressed urges. If you want it, have it. Just don’t overdo it.

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Last week saw a wave of resolutions. Millions of Americans promised to lose weight, eat better and exercise more. They vowed to end 2008 a few pounds lighter and a great deal healthier than they had begun. Most took on this endeavor alone. Despite the fact that their spouse, neighbor, coworker and friend, had made a similar resolution, they entered the gym, cut out excessive fat and stepped onto the scale solo. Most, that is, except for the residents of Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City is a metropolis where much of the food is double-fried, so it’s no surprise that many of the people are double-wide.   The city was ranked 15th in 2007’s list of America’s fattest cities, and has already moved into the top ten for 2008. Public transportation is limited, but traffic is not. The residents are attached to their cars, driving everywhere and walking nowhere. Obesity is thriving, more so than the economy, a fact which has the mayor troubled – troubled enough to challenge his city.

Mayor Mick Cornett has put Oklahoma City on a diet.  He wants his residents to collectively lose one million pounds in one year and has created a Web site where individuals, corporations and community groups can sign up. Online, they can track their progress, individually and as a city, find recipes and get the support needed to achieve such a monumental goal. Outside of cyberspace, plans for more pathways are being created and implemented, in an attempt to get the citizens not only eating better but exercising more. More than four thousand people have joined. Hundreds of pounds have already been lost, and Oklahoma City has started the New Year on the right foot.

How’s it going for you?

If you’re already struggling with your weight loss plan, learn from the residents of Oklahoma City. Find a support system. There are people all around you ready to eat healthily and exercise more WITH you. Or they are ready to support you in your efforts. Relying on them will help you attain your goal, whether it’s as large as Oklahoma City’s or not.

• Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Photo-okc6.jpg

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We expect our nation’s current and potential leaders to be healthy. A weak body results in weak constituent support. Vice President Cheney’s laundry list of ailments has done nothing to bolster the country’s confidence in our next in line. However, we also expect those very same people, particularly candidates, to consume grievous amounts of fat, sodium and sugar in every town they visit. It’s an anticipation based on the philosophy of When in Rome . . .: When in Boston, have clam chowder. When in Philadelphia, have a cheesesteak. Failing to do so or doing so improperly (think back to Kerry’s Pennsylvania faux pas), kills any candidate’s chances in that particular region. The hopeful is, by the very nature of our contradictory beliefs, thrown into a lose-lose situation, which often spirals into ill health and diet fixation.

Mitt Romney has created such a strict nutritional regimen that he eats the exact same thing every day. Rudolph Giuliani and Fred Thompson eat what their wives allow them to (except when schmoozing with future voters). Bill Richardson has attempted the Atkins and a liquid diet. Barack Obama, haunted by a chubby childhood, rarely touches anything with fat, and Hilary Clinton has admitted to asking God for a little help on the weight-loss front. The majority of them work out religiously, using the five minutes they have free on the campaign trail to run around the block. Anything they can do to make up for the six corn dogs they will have to eat the following day is employed with a fingers-crossed mentality. We have thrown them into a yo-yoing cycle of restriction and indulgence.

If this is how we force our officials to behave, is it any wonder we do the same to ourselves?

We continually display unrealistic expectations about our bodies, weight and health. Eating the plate of chicken-fried steak, fried green beans and French fries, and chasing it with fried ice cream, won’t do any harm if we don’t eat tomorrow. And the limitations of tomorrow will allow us to repeat today’s sins the following day. Pushing ourselves to extremes, not exercising regularly and cramming whatever we can find under the backseat into our mouths has to count as healthy living. After all, everyone else is doing it. And everyone else is unhealthy. Nutrition and wellness can’t be something we squeeze in to our lives. It has to be at the forefront of our thought, and it has to stop being contradictory. Indulgences are inevitable but they are not daily. Severe restrictions may seem logical but they are not healthy. Find a balance in your life that enables happy living to coincide with health.

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In a house with children, dinners are often peppered with comments such as “Finish chewing before you swallow,” “Slow down; this isn’t a race,” and “You’d think you haven’t eaten in days.” A mother’s all-too-common, mealtime mission is to slow down her child’s frantic pace, in the hope of preventing choking. No one, after all, wants to witness a gag or the Heimlich maneuver in between bites. However, the 24-chew rule has more benefits than warding off a CPR demonstration. It also keeps you healthy.

Taking your time when eating means you’ll have more opportunities to savor every bite.  You’ll actually taste the food as it hits your tongue and rediscover an enjoyment that disappeared with the arrival of your shovel. Your occasional don’t-tell-my-diet indulgences will be more likely to satisfy the first time. You won’t need the second (or fifth) piece of candy. You also won’t want that final bite, because you’ll be more aware that you’re satisfied. Since it takes the body a full 20 minutes to recognize satiety, devouring the whole dish in a matter of seconds rather than minutes means you never know that you were full eight forkfuls ago. Slowing down will naturally limit the calories you consume and keep your stomach happy, longer. 

The problem is figuring out how to do it. Years of rapid fire face-stuffing can’t be reversed with a simple decision. You’re going to need some help. If you’re in the United Kingdom, you can rely on the mandometer (also known as your mother in a computer).  It’s a machine that tracks your eating pace and yells at you when you spoon too quickly. It will tell you when you’ve had enough and question whether or not you’re full should you continue eating. Sound delightful? I’m sure it does. But it’s not marketed internationally. So if you’re not in the United Kingdom, as most of us aren’t, you’re out of luck. You could reap the same rewards by eating at your mom’s house more often, or you could work the following tips into your meals and teach yourself to breathe between bites:

• Chew – it sounds obvious, but a quick mashing of the teeth doesn’t qualify as chewing. You actually want to work your jaw, giving it a little exercise. This will slow you down and, as a bonus, aid in digestion.
• Put down your fork – after sliding the morsel from the tines, place the silverware back on the table. This will visually signal you to take a moment between bites.
• Have water – it’s not clear whether a glass of water will actually limit how much you eat, but sipping will take away from shoveling.
• Have dinner with another human being – the idea here is that by conversing during your meal, your consumption pace will lessen. Of course, this will only work if you both have something to say, so have an interesting day first.

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