Eating Healthy for Life

Hi Doc,
I have a problem with getting started.  My son and I both need to lose alot of weight over a 100 lbs each. But I don't like the recipes for those low carb or calorie diets some of that food we just can't eat. So I don't know what to change our life styles around and cook healthy to make a difference.  The Shakeology mix you sent me was great but I can only use the mix as a meal replacement for one or two meals.  I needs some help to learn how to cook healthy and be able to have food that we can eat. We don't like oatmeal or eggs for breakfast. We don't like turkey. Stuff like that. Doc can you help us? 
B.



HI

Sure I can help.  Together we'll figure this out for you two. 

I'd like you to start out by recording our food intake for a day, then send it to me.  It is a good way to start looking for changes.

I have a few questions and suggestions for you already, though:

Which workout program do you use?  How many workouts per week have you been getting in? 

Most of them have a recommended meal plan.  Have you tried any of the recipes in it?

What do you normally have for breakfast?  Do you like cereal?  I suggest shredded wheat for breakfast (regular, not frosted) because it has no added sugar and is high in fiber.   This means it will stick with you and it will not raise your blood sugar too much.

The problem with shredded wheat is that it tastes boring.  To get around that, top it off with a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder, and/or a banana or berries. 

Keep drinking Shakeology as a lunch-time meal replacement.

Then we just have to come up with healthy snacks and healthy dinners that you guys can stomach.

You might want to check out is "Clean Eating" magazine.  It is full of healthy choices, that are not too diety, but will still help you lose weight.  The pictures in there look fantastic!  It is super source of good ideas to help you learn to cook healthy.

And don't worry about taking it all off overnight.  It took you a while to put the weight on, so it will probably take a while getting it off.  What we really are looking for is lifestyle change- that you can adopt and live with long-term.  That is the best way to keep the weight off.

To your success,

-Doc

Kevin J. Kane, MD
Independent Beachbody Star-Diamond Coach
www.TheFitDoc.com

Q&A: Low Carb and Getting Started with Insanity

As a Beachbody Coach, I'm often asked questions about P90X or other programs. JC sent me a couple of questions about the Insanity workout program, but I'm sharing the answer with you because it applies to any fitness program you choose.

JC-
The low carb diets tend to help people lose weight more quickly.  But they are hard to stick with.  Balanced low-fat diets catch up at about 6 months, and by the end of a year, there is no difference in weight loss between low carb and low fat diets.  

So I'd recommend starting with the low carb diet for a jump-start.  Then if you want to transition to the Balanced slim-down plan after a month or so, that would be reasonable.  If you find you don't have enough energy and are dragging through your day, then switch to the balanced diet sooner.  If you still find yourself dragging, then up your calorie consumption by about 200 per day. 

Other issues:

It sounds like you have thought a little bit about why you want to get back in shape.  I you to think about it more specifically.  You want to be healthy for your family.  Why?  Maybe it is to set a good, helathy example for your kids to learn form.  Maybe to better keep up with and play with them as they grow.  Maybe to live long and healthy so you can help your kis with THEIR kids someday.  Whatever it is, keep asking yourself why to get to the root, emotional reason.  Then write it all down longhand.  Studies have shown that this helps people stick with goals. 

When you figure it out, make sure your family and friends ore on board.  You'll be making a lifestyle change and sometimes loved ones have an hard time with that.  Let them know why it is important to you and ask for their support. 

Also, use peer pressure to your advantage!  Consider telling everyone what you are dooing and tell them you'll be giving them updates every 30 days.  This is uncomfortable, but if you do it, it woll be very powerful. When you think about a bowl of ice cream, you'll remember that you have to update everyone next week, and it can give you a great extra push to make the right decisions!

Lastly, don't forget to take your before pictures and measurements.  You don't need to show anyone, but trust me, you'll want them once you start to lose weight!  They are a great motivator and a great way to see your progress.  You'll be super proud to show them off when you are back to you college weight!!  But you anly get one chance to take a before picture. 

Let's keep in touch.  I'd like to hear from you once a week with how many workouts you got in and how your eating plan and wieght loss is going.

I've seen tons of success stories over the last few years with Beachbody.  I want you to be the next one!  With your background- you have been an elite athlete before so I know you are not afraid of hard work or discipline- you will succeed.

Gotta run

Kevin
Star-Diamond Team Beachbody Coach

Diet Sodas are Making You Fat!

Dump the Diet Soda!

Let's think about it for a minute...
Diet sodas have been around for about 30 years now. If they were so great at helping us slim down, then why hasn't our national waistline trimmed down over the same period? It seems like the only thing exploding faster than diet soda sales over that time has been the rates of diabetes and obesity!



Now, lots of things have grown over that time- not just diet soda consumption and I am first to say that the obesity/diabetes epidemic is multi-factorial. But is certainly does make you think!

Now a new study has been published in the Feb '09 issue of Diabetes Care that followed 60000 people for 6 years. It found that the folks who drank 1 or more diet sodas per day had a 36% higher risk of getting metabolic syndrome (linked to heart disease) and a 67% higher chance of getting diabetes!

This comes on the heels of other studies linking diet soda consumption with metabolic syndrome and weight GAIN.

That diet soda you are drinking right now may actually be contributing to your weight gain!!!!
(slowly now, back away from the Fresca!)

Now I need to back-track a bit. All the studies are observational. They found an association. That doesn't necessarily mean a cause and effect. It could be that diet soda drinkers have other risks or behavior that cause these diseases, and it is not the diet soda itself.

But then again, it could be.

There are additional studies in rats that suggest that artificial sweeteners lead to overeating.

How, you ask?

Well, it appears rats (and probably people) sense sweet things when we taste them. A signal tells the brain, "Something sweet is coming in- that means energy! yippee!" It then cuts down your appetite because you have already met your body's energy needs for a while.

However, artificial sweeteners don't contain any energy(calories). After a while your body, being a pretty smart cookie, catches on to this. When a Hershey bar comes in later, your body says, "A-ha, something sweet. I'm not getting tricked again, sweet means no calories! Keep on eating!!"

Weight and appetite control are very complex, and again, this is one of many factors and the studies are preliminary. But my job is to keep you, dear reader, ahead of the curve.

With so many great alternatives to diet soda and artificial sweeteners, why not just skip them altogether. You are working too hard to get fit. Don't make it harder on yourself!


Doc's Favorite Alternative Drinks:

Unsweetened cold herbal tea. Tastes awesome. Make a pitcher and keep it in your fridge!
Water with lemon/lime/or cucumber. Again, just fill a pitcher and keep it in your fridge!
Tart cherry or pomegranite juice added to water. Don't drink them straight--way too much sugar. Instead, add an ounce to a glass of water for flavor without the calories.


An added bonus is that all these are cheaper than soda- saving you ching! Hmm... That is a good idea for a future blog entry!!

Have a great week!

-Doc

Newsflash: Eating more makes mice fat.

Stop the presses!
Researchers say "... poor diet may increase risk of obesity, diabetes."
Oh Really?!


Actually, I cut out the important part:
Researchers say "brain pathway activated by poor diet may increase risk of obesity, diabetes."

It turns out that eating a high-fat diet and excess calories turns on a "master inflammation switch" in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. With the switch turned on, mice gained weight and became resistant to insulin and leptin (a hormone involved in feeling full).

When researchers genetically modified the mice so that the switch stayed off, the mice were more likely to maintain a normal weight.

Healthday reports that previous studies "had shown that eating too much triggered inflammatory responses in muscles, liver, and other metabolic tissues, changes that underlie the development of type 2 diabetes. ... But, it wasn't known if the same pathway was at work in the central nervous system."

Looks like it is (at least in mice).

In the future, medications desigend to attack this inflammation pathway in the hypothalamus might be a potent weapons in the war to fight the epidemic of obesity and its related problems, including heart disease, and even cancer.

For now, the best way to keep your master inflammation switch turned off may be the same old-same old. Eat right and exercise. Maybe it isn't news after all.

Source: Cell, October 3, 2008

Go Bananas!

"The Monkey Diet" (or "What will those crazy Brits think of next?")



What happens when you take a dozen Brits, lock them in a zoo for a dozen days, and make them eat a monkey-like diet? Someone wanted to find that out and televise it, so that is what they did. Researchers gave 12 volunteers a diet of 2400 calories a day consisting of raw fruits, veggies, nuts, honey, and cooked fish. "Overall, cholesterol levels dropped 23%, an amount usually achieved only through anti-cholesterol drugs statins. The group's average blood pressure fell from a level of 140/83 - almost hypertensive - to 122/76. Though it was not intended to be a weight loss diet (with a whopping 2400 calories per day), participants dropped 4.4kg (9.7lbs), on average." This is the type of food our bodies evolved to eat over many thousands of years according to the dietician who designed the experiment. It really makes you think about what you put in your body. Since returning from a New York fitness camp last summer, I've improved the types of foods I've been eating. Without watching calories at all, my body fat has cut down to the lowest level it has ever been in my adult life. The fuel you put in your body makes a difference.

Now if they'll just let me out of the zoo.

Pillsbury Doughboy's fitness secret!

BBD: a novel way to track fitness or hot new boy band?

I used to have a great way to follow my body fat. It is called the BBD test. I made it up myself. Periodically, I would stuff a pencil in my belly button (important safety tip: use the eraser side) and then record the depth. It went down from like 24mm to 16mm over the course of the p90x fitness program. A side effect of the test is that it kind-of tickles. Otherwise it worked great. BBD may be more accurate for guys 'cuz we tend to carry more of our flubber in the spare tire and less in the boo-tay. But it is worth a try for anyone!

Watch for my paper on "The Relationship between Body Mass Index and BBD: a longitudinal cross-sectional regressional meta-analysis" coming soon to a respected medical journal near you.

(If you are an outie you are SOL.)

Go Bananas: The Monkey Diet.

"The Monkey Diet". (or "What will those crazy Brits think of next?")

What happens when you take a dozen Brits, lock them in a zoo for a dozen days, and make them eat a monkey-like diet? Someone wanted to find that out and televise it, so that is what they did. Researchers gave 12 volunteers a diet of 2400 calories a day consisting of raw fruits, veggies, nuts, honey, and cooked fish. "Overall, cholesterol levels dropped 23%, an amount usually achieved only through anti-cholesterol drugs statins. The group's average blood pressure fell from a level of 140/83 - almost hypertensive - to 122/76. Though it was not intended to be a weight loss diet (with a whopping 2400 calories per day), participants dropped 4.4kg (9.7lbs), on average." This is the type of food our bodies evolved to eat over many thousands of years according to the dietician who designed the experiment. It really makes you think about what you put in your body. Since returning from a New York fitness camp last summer, I've improved the types of foods I've been eating. Without watching calories at all, my body fat has cut down to the lowest level it has ever been in my adult life. The fuel you put in your body makes a difference.

Now if they'll just let me out of the zoo.