Aging

Stop Playing the Blame Game


If you've been blaming your belly fat on the fact that you're growing older, now's the time to stop believing that weight gain is an inevitable part of aging! Yes, as we get older our hormone balance shifts in ways that encourage weight gain. For example, testosterone and DHEA levels decline in men, and women's insulin-regulating hormones become less effective. These changes can decrease muscle mass and energy while increasing belly fat and insulin resistance. But there's no reason we can't stay healthy and keep our hormones balanced as we age. Ongoing research suggests that age-related muscle decline is largely under our control. The more we eat clean, live clean, and work out, the better our hormone balance will be, and the healthier our metabolisms will remain.

I can't tell you how many people just let exercise slide as they get older; then they turn around and blame their lagging metabolism on their hormones. I'll be honest — I don't like to exercise. But the reality is, we have to do it. Your body needs exercise the way it needs oxygen and water. It's crucial to maintain muscle mass as you age: A pound of muscle burns three times more calories than a pound of fat does, and muscles scoop up blood sugar and enhance your body's insulin sensitivity.

More Intensity

Get Intense


Ever notice the color-coded exercise "zones" listed on cardio machines? There's a "fat burning" zone, an "endurance training" zone, and so forth. The colors look nice, but how many times have you chosen the "fat burning" zone and watched as your fat stayed put? That's because fat-burning programs keep you at a lower intensity level, when to lose weight you really need to burn big calories. That only happens when you exercise at a higher-intensity level.

Let's look at the math. In a half hour of low-intensity exercise, you might burn 100 calories. Of those 100 calories, roughly 80 percent will be fat calories, meaning that you've burned 80 fat calories. In a half hour of high-intensity exercise, you might burn 300 calories. Of those 300 calories, roughly 33 percent will be fat calories, meaning that you've burned around 100 fat calories.

Get it? Even though the percentage of fat calories burned is higher during a low-intensity workout, you're burning so many more total calories during a high-intensity workout that, percentages aside, you are still burning more fat calories — not to mention the 200 additional carb calories.

Slow and Steady

Slow and Steady Wins the Race


Remember the fable about the tortoise and the hare? The hare got off to a zippy pace and seemed sure to win. But he didn't, did he? The tortoise, while naturally much slower than the hare, kept moving steadily toward the finish line and was able to cross first.

What's the take-home message of this fable? Slow and steady wins the race. To reach your weight-loss goals, you need to switch from the hare's mind-set to that of the tortoise. In other words, you must break the "all or nothing" mentality.

Do you start diets with superhuman resolve — determined to eschew temptation and work out seven days a week — only to fall off the wagon and give up hope?

Such an approach to anything — especially to your health — can be very appealing, even motivating. But I'm telling you right now that overreaching the most dangerous way to set out. Human beings are imperfect. When you do skip a workout or give in to temptation (something we all do), you're more likely to throw in the towel.

So start thinking like a tortoise. Pace yourself. Have a slice of pizza and take a day off now and then, but don't stray too far from the path that will lead you to your goals.

If You Don't Like the Daily Weigh

When you're just starting out, the road to losing 20 pounds or more seems to stretch out forever. Checking for incremental signs of progress along the way — like weighing yourself every day, looking for ounces lost — isn't going to make that road seem any shorter. Instead of measuring your journey in feet, set your sights on mileposts. Weigh yourself just once a week. You'll see steady progress over time, not discouraging daily ups and downs.

Fat Burning Food?

Are There Foods That Burn Fat?


Q: Are there really foods that burn fat? If so, what are they?

A: Not really, but there are foods that contain fewer calories than the body uses to digest them. Therefore, when you eat these foods (cruciferous veggies, leafy greens, and so forth), you're helping create a calorie deficit.

That said, there are also certain foods that will crank up your metabolism by releasing the right hormones. Protein will release more human growth hormone. Foods with selenium and zinc will support a healthy thyroid. You can boost your metabolic rate by eating clean, whole, fresh foods and avoiding processed foods and chemicals. But there is no food that will magically burn off fat. For that, you have to get off your butt and get moving!

Free Food!

Well, some food is virtually calorie free. Even if you're just opening an occasional can of healthy soup or making a salad, definitely include some chopped cruciferous veggies with your meal! Cabbage, kale, and rutabaga all offer more volume to keep you full longer and have practically zero calories — and you get all the good phytochemicals that come with them.

Colors on Your Plate

What Colors Are on Your Plate?


Pick a color, any color. If you want to improve your health one serving at a time, choose vegetables and fruits of varying colors. Vibrant-colored fruits and veggies give you a range of phytonutrients, each with its own health-promoting strengths. Colorful plant foods happen to be incredible sources of soluble and insoluble fiber — both of which are essential for hormone balance and impossible to get from animal products.

Everyone knows that green veggies are great for you, but you don't always have to think green — explore your options. The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition has developed a system for grouping fruits and vegetables by color for easier selection. I've adapted this system into four categories, and I recommend aiming for one fruit or vegetable from each color group (including the greens!) every day.

Orange: Carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and mangoes are high in beta-carotene, which may help cells communicate with one another a bit more frequently, therefore increasing the body's ability to avoid cancer. Beta-carotene also plays an important role in the production of progesterone, which contributes to a smooth pregnancy.

Yellow: Research suggests that the vitamin C in citrus foods can be a stress-buster. A German study tested this theory by subjecting people to a high-stress situation (they had to do math problem in front of a bunch of other people — I'd say that's stressful!). Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C and half were not. The people who did not get the vitamin C had elevated levels of cortisol and high blood pressure — surefire signs of stress. Those who'd taken vitamin C felt less stressed. (However, why supplement? Get the real thing and eat your vitamin C!) Foods in the Yellow group include oranges, tangerines (I know that sounds odd, but nutritionally oranges and tangerines are "yellow"), yellow grapefruit, lemons, peaches, and nectarines.

Purple: Berries are powerhouse foods that can help you lose weight and keep your blood sugar low, so definitely include them in your diet. Look out for other purple fruits and vegetables too, including plums, prunes, grapes, and eggplant, which all boast numerous vitamins and minerals.

Red: Red fruits and veggies contain the phytochemical lycopene, a powerful cancer-fighting antioxidant. Studies showed that men with high blood levels of lycopene had the lowest risk of developing prostate cancer. Tomatoes are one of the richest sources of lycopene. Plus, one cup of tomatoes gives you almost 60 percent of your daily value of vitamin C and almost 8 percent of your daily fiber needs. You can get the health benefits from organic pasta sauce, tomato paste, and ketchup — just make sure there's no high-fructose corn syrup in the products you buy!

To Cook or Not to Cook?

The powerful lycopene and antioxidant activity of tomatoes is concentrated by 50 percent if they are cooked for 1 minute, and by 150 percent if they are cooked for 30 minutes. However, some colorful veggies lose their potency with cooking. Data from the University of California at Davis revealed that when cooked, fresh spinach loses 64 percent of its vitamin C, while canned peas and carrots lose 85 to 95 percent. Eat a combination of raw and cooked vegetables to cover all bases.

The Real Benefit of Exercise

It's Not Just About Looking Good


Who doesn't want to look totally hot? If you asked 100 people who were starting to exercise for the first time (or returning to regular workouts after a long time off) what their main motivation was, the majority of them would say something like, "I want to look good," or "I want to fit into a size __ again." And hey, whatever gets you on track initially is good enough for me. But when that scale hasn't budged in a few weeks, it's time to remind yourself that there are lots of other reasons to make exercise a habit.

Research has clearly linked coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to lifestyle. Apart from aiding in weight loss, physical activity offers a positive, healthy way to release anxieties and alleviate tension, which can help reduce your risk of many lifestyle-related diseases. Exercise also supports mental well-being: Physical activity actually changes your brain chemistry, which directly influences your mood and frame of mind for the better. Among other things, physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, which act on the brain as natural tranquilizers.

In addition, exercise will boost your confidence. As you start working out and getting stronger, your sense of strength in other aspects of your life will naturally flourish. Bottom line: The more physically fit you are, the longer you'll live and the better your quality of life will be.

Keep Your Weight Loss Goal Real

Is your goal completely unrealistic? If "Look like a supermodel" is on your list of goals, right next to "Stop eating potato chips," you need to make an adjustment. There's no such thing as a perfect body, a perfect face, or a perfect life. Your personal best has nothing to do with what's on a magazine cover or a runway. When you make your list of goals, make them about YOU and not an unrealistic and unhealthy fantasy.

Stress and Metabolism

Stress Got Your Metabolism Down?


I'm sure you've heard of the fight-or-flight response, and you probably know that it's the way your body reacts to danger or stress. But do you know what the fight-or-flight response is? You guessed it: It has to do with hormones.

When you're faced with a danger, your adrenal glands release three hormones: norepinephrine, epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), and cortisol. Norepinephrine and epinephrine cause several changes to help you survive the danger, including a pause in insulin release so you have lots of blood sugar available for energy, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and a suspension of your appetite. After the danger has passed, cortisol tells the body to stop producing norepinephrine and epinephrine and stimulates your appetite again.

This response evolved to help people deal with short-term survival situations, like an attack by a predator. The trouble is, it occurs in response to all stressors, including the deadlines pummeling you at work and the traffic that drives you crazy. When stress is always present, your body can't get rid of the excess cortisol built up in the blood. That cortisol just hangs around, causing lots of trouble: It turns young fat cells into mature fat cells that stick with you forever, and increases your cravings for high-fat, high-carb foods.

When you give in to those cravings, your body releases a cascade of rewarding brain chemicals that can set up an addictive relationship with food — you stress, you eat. If you don't consciously control the pattern, you can become physically and psychologically dependent on that release to manage stress. In fact, people who self-medicate with food tend have hair-trigger epinephrine reactions and chronic high levels of cortisol.

You can help yourself keep cortisol in check by limiting caffeine intake to 200 milligrams a day; avoiding simple carbs, processed foods, and refined grains; and getting plenty of high-quality protein. It's also crucial that you find stress-relief techniques that work for you. If you can tame your stress response and lower cortisol levels, you'll have a much easier time losing weight.


Ways to De-stress

When I'm stressed out at night and can't sleep, I get up and write down all the things that are bothering me and how I might fix them. This gets the problems off my mind and calms me down because I know I have a game plan. Some other ways to de-stress include learning to meditate, getting a massage, taking a vacation, and most important, exercising! Whatever you do, please do not take any over-the-counter "adrenal support" supplements — you could actually do more harm than good. De-stress naturally instead!

Buffet

Please avoid buffets. There is nothing good for dieters in this setting.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Dump the Most Evil Sweetener of All


In the late seventies, less than 15 percent of Americans were obese. Thirty years later, 32 percent of us are obese. What happened between then and now? First, the idea became popular that fat was evil and "low fat" diets were best. Whenever possible, fat was removed from processed foods and replaced with sugars and other carbs. At the same time, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) got really cheap and became food manufacturers' go-to sweetener.

Since the days of the low-fat diet craze, we've learned not only that fat doesn't make you fat but that refined carbohydrates like sugar and HFCS do. Oops! A lot of damage has been done, but we can work with our hormones to teach our bodies to react to food the way they did before we overwhelmed our insulin response systems.

A good place to start is to get rid of HFCS. This evil sweetener is incredibly damaging to your metabolism, and it's everywhere. Researchers at Tufts University report that Americans consume more calories from soda and other sweet drinks (which invariably contain tons of HFCS) than from any other source.

You may have seen a commercial run by the Corn Refiners Association that tries to convince you that people who think HFCS is bad for you are paranoid; it suggests that most people can't even say why HFCS is bad for you. Well, here's your answer (tell your friends!): HFCS boosts your fat-storing hormones and makes you fat. Glucose (what table sugar is turned into in your body) is metabolized by all your cells, but fructose (the "F" in HFCS) must be metabolized in the liver. Because of this, HFCS somehow tricks the body into not releasing insulin and leptin, two essential hormones that are usually released after you eat. Without insulin, your body can't use those HFCS calories for energy, and without leptin, your body doesn't know it's full. Plus, unlike table sugar, HFCS doesn't stop levels of ghrelin, your hunger hormone, from rising. If you eat or drink HFCS, you'll actually continue to consume more calories, even 24 hours later, than you would had you just eaten plain table sugar. HFCS also increases triglycerides (a type of blood lipid), which prevent leptin from signaling the brain to stop eating.

I have zero tolerance for HFCS. For me, it's a code word for poison, so toss it!

Where HFCS Hides

HFCS is one of the cheapest ingredients in our food supply, so companies that make processed food have managed to put it in practically everything we eat! Even something like lunch meat can have HFCS in it, so check your labels. Here are just a few other examples of foods that can contain HFCS: breakfast cereal, canned baked beans, cereal bars, crackers, cookies, English muffins, hot dog and hamburger buns, jams and jellies, peanut butter, pickles, protein bars, and salad dressings. Even some organic foods have it (using organic corn), so you can never really be safe unless you look at the ingredients list. Buying whole, unprocessed foods will help you eliminate the problem!

Plateaus

Busting Plateaus


There is nothing more discouraging than stepping on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and grueling workouts and not seeing any drop in the number. The plateau is a common problem among dieters and can typically be waited out, but there are measures you can take to keep your metabolism fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.

The best way to break a plateau is to keep your salt intake below 2,000 milligrams a day and drink lots of water. Make sure you're not eating any processed carbs, period. That's right — no chips, sugar, white flour, and so on. And hit the gym hard! The boost in exercise will make your body swell and hold fluids for a few days, but after a week you should see the benefits on the scale.

You can also try playing around with your caloric intake a bit, varying it from day to day throughout the week while keeping the same weekly total. The body can't slow its metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if the intake isn't fixed from one day to the next. For instance, to bust my plateau, I might have 1,200 calories on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then eat 1,500 calories on Tuesday, 1,600 on Thursday, 1,400 on Saturday, and 1,700 on Sunday. Get it?

The plateau effect can sometimes simply be a matter of flagging resolve. If mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you're not slipping up on your diet or slacking off in your workouts. I'm serious; it happens.

As with any program, there will be highs and lows, but stay with it. Your body is trying to adjust to the weight loss. Don't get scared or discouraged. Just be patient and know that you are worth it!

Water Weight

When you start a new diet or exercise program, you'll lose a significant amount of water weight at first, and it's likely that in the first month you will lose more weight than you would ordinarily expect because of the caloric deficits you build up from week to week. By the second month, your system will begin to even itself out, and weight loss will continue at whatever rate is compatible with your caloric intake/deficit ratio. Two pounds a week is a reasonable weight-loss goal

Common Sense

Avoid Dangerous Situations


The key to success on any fitness program is having a game plan for every situation that might throw you off course. It isn't brain surgery — it's common sense. Think of yourself as being on a mission: If you take the time to think ahead, you can come up with ways to combat every situation. Here are a few surefire strategies:

Go through your kitchen and throw out all the junk food and processed garbage immediately. (Hey, you can't eat it if it's not there!) Don't buy these foods anymore — just eliminate them from your kitchen entirely. Even if you have to put up with a little whining from the kids or your spouse, they're better off not eating that crap (tell them I said so!). Reacquaint yourself with your local supermarket, find the healthy sections, and try to avoid the foods that make you feel powerless.

If you run into trouble at the office, make an effort to avoid the high-voltage areas. If there is a vending machine in the kitchen or if the cafeteria features frightfully fattening foods, stay away from these places. Bring healthy snacks and meals from home to stash in your desk. Do whatever you can to steer clear of anything that might throw you off course and hamper your success.

Out of Sight, out of Mind

We're often so wrapped up in our problems that we can't see how simple it can be to solve them. For example, think about your daily routine. Does your commute to work include driving by the local doughnut shop or walking past those greasy food carts? Do you routinely walk by the vending machine on your way to the bathroom? The solution? Take a different route to work or make the trek to the bathroom on the other side of the office. By finding ways of altering your environment, you can control which temptations you come into contact with and, in the end, become stronger at resisting.

Alcohol

Someone sent me this email about alcohol.  I thought it was pretty good.

Help With Happy Hour


Q: How can I responsibly fit alcohol into my diet? I enjoy having a cocktail or a glass of wine at the end of the day, but I don't want to blow my calorie allotment out of the water. Are certain kinds of alcohol "better" than others?

A: There are several answers to these questions. Unfortunately, when you're trying to lose weight, alcohol is the enemy for a number of reasons:

Alcohol is really just a ton of empty calories.

It releases estrogen into your bloodstream, promotes fat storage, and decreases muscle growth.

It weakens your willpower and inhibition — one minute you're at happy hour, the next you're at the all-night diner ordering the bacon cheeseburger with fries and a vanilla shake. I mean, who does that sober? Certainly not you! (At least, not on my watch!)

Now, don't get me wrong — I LOVE my red wine, and I can knock back tequila shots with the best of them. But those things should be enjoyed once you're in maintenance mode, not while you're trying to lose weight. If you must give in to temptation, do so with extreme caution.

If you are going to drink, my recommendation is wine. Although alcohol poses a breast cancer risk, one study showed that women who had an occasional glass of wine (one or less a day) increased their risk by only 7 percent. When you consider that moderate consumption of red wine is also associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, that increased risk might not seem so bad. However, if you have a family history of breast cancer, or other risk factors, talk to your doctor about what's best for you.

Also, try to find organic wine, produced without pesticides or preservatives, such as added sulfites. All wines contain a small amount of naturally occurring sulfites, but many wine manufacturers add more to increase wines' shelf life. Check labels for added sulfites. Once you've started drinking wines without them, you'll never go back — you'll taste the difference right away.

If wine isn't your thing, you might occasionally go with clear alcohols. They're not as good a choice as wine, but I'd rather you choose them than dark-colored alcohols. Have a vodka and soda water with lime, or a tequila shot (careful, don't go nuts with these!). Be creative. But ladies: BEWARE the fruity Barbie drinks! Piña coladas, frozen margaritas, apple-pineapple-strawberry-mango-whatevertinis, and so on. They can add up to 1,000 calories each — and only pansies drink that stuff, anyway.

Whatever you do, remember the golden rule: Watch your calories. Count the alcohol you consume in your daily calorie allowance, and try not to have more than one drink a day or four drinks a week.

Body Fat

Body Fat: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly


You know that junk you have in the trunk — that extra padding you hate on your hips and butt? You may not like the way it looks, but it's not necessarily bad for you. The fat surrounding your gut, though, is a different story — in fact, it can be deadly.

Let's start with the "good" fat — the fatty layer just beneath your skin in the lower half of your body. It's called subcutaneous fat, and it's not necessarily the worst thing to have. Subcutaneous fat gives rise to two beneficial metabolic hormones: leptin, the hormone that tells your body to hang onto or let go of weight, and adiponectin, a hormone that lowers your blood sugar. A Harvard study found that subcutaneous fat might help improve sensitivity to insulin and prevent diabetes.

The fat in your stomach area, on the other hand, is bad news. Known as visceral fat, it's hidden deep down, so even if you don't have a protruding belly (a signal for some that they have it), you could still harbor this "bad" kind of fat. Visceral fat lies far beneath your skin, where it surrounds your organs and sets off a harmful hormonal firestorm. Having this metabolically horrific fat slows your metabolism, lowers growth hormone, raises cortisol, creates insulin resistance, and increases your risk of all kinds of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease.

You increase your risk of having visceral fat when you're overweight, so how can you lose it? Diet and exercise! Taking care of yourself will reduce visceral fat and lower your risk of all the health problems associated with it

Think Positive

Retrain Yourself to Think Positive


A key element of changing your attitude is changing your self-talk, or internal monologue. Your self-talk is that chattering conversation you have with yourself all day long, whether you are aware of it or not. It's the voice in your head that says, "I'm too fat" or "I'm not good enough." I don't need to go on, do I? You know what I'm talking about!

It's this kind of useless negativity that keeps you from being the best that you can be. Well, it's time to turn it around once and for all. You need to retrain yourself to think positive!

Imagine what would happen if you changed the dialogue so that it sounded more like this: "I can lose weight and be healthy, exercise to the best of my ability, and get stronger and better at it every time I do it." Your self-talk can make the difference between happiness and despair, success and failure. I can promise you that if you start making your self-talk more positive and affirming — and less defeatist and self-depreciating — your whole life will change for the better