I’m tired of starving myself trying to lose weight, is the main complaint that I hear when I start to see new clients. You should never have to starve yourself to lose weight. When you don’t eat enough calories your body goes into a type of “survival mode” (Your body wants to maintain what it’s use too) to keep you from losing weight. Usually on this type of diet you will lose muscle and water weight first before any real fat loss.
The problem is that when you loss muscle mass you decrease your ratio of muscle to fat % and in return this will cause your metabolism to slow down. The reason why these yo-yo diets don’t work and the person starts to gain weight is…
1. On a super low calorie diet the person will first lose muscle and water and then only a small amount of fat loss.
2. With these diets in about 1 to 4 weeks the person feels deprived and goes off their diet.
3. After going off the diet they tend to gain their weight back with some additional weight gain.
4. After becoming frustrated from the poor results they again start the same yo-yo diet or similar one.
When the person stops this type of diet they tend to gain additional weigh back because their metabolism has slowed down causing them to lose muscle during the diet. Their body used their own muscle tissue for energy on the low calorie diet. Remember, you must keep your muscle to fat ratio up in order to increase your metabolism. That’s why your weight scales shouldn’t be your only tool to measure progress as it doesn’t give you an accurate guide to fat loss. Instead use the mirror to watch the changes in your body to access your progress.
The solution is that here at Future Health and Fitness, we teach you how to learn to work with your own metabolism to lose or gain weight safely and permanently. We customize a diet program that is based on your body type, goals and lifestyle.
If you’re ready to start losing weight and start seeing results and to discuss your health and fitness goals then contact Joe at 808-256-1556 or E-MAIL jpt62001@yahoo.com
Six Disease Fighting Foods
Do your body a world of good with these powerful disease fighting foods.
By Joe Tong RN, CPT
Food 1: Eggs
Their cholesterol content once led to bad press for the mighty egg, but research has redeemed the egg. It turns out that saturated fat (only a small amount in eggs) plays a bigger role then the cholesterol in food in elevating our blood cholesterol.
Eggs are packed with economical, high-quality protein, and are an excellent source of the carotenoids lutein, choline, and xeanthin. In fact, eggs are one of the best sources of dietary choline, an essential nutrient, especially for pregnant women. Eggs have been shown to supply nutrients that promote eye health and help prevent age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older people. Egg whites can even be used to give yourself a facial, as it tightens the skin.
The American Heart Association has given eggs the thumbs-up for healthy people. As long as you limit your average daily cholesterol intake to 300 mg, you can enjoy a whole egg a day.
Eggs are adaptable to every meal. Enjoy eggs for a quick meal, or pack a hard-boiled egg for a tasty, high protein snack
Food 2: Whole Grains
My parents use to urge us to start the day with a bowl of oatmeal, but did they have any idea that the soluble fiber from oats helped to lower blood cholesterol levels?
Whole grains include the nutritional components that are typically stripped away from refined grains. They contain folic acid, selenium, and B vitamins, and are important to hearts health, weight control, and reducing the risk of diabetes. Their fiber content helps keeps you feeling full between meals and enhances digestion.
Enjoy at least three servings a day of whole-grains from whole wheat, barley, rye, millet, quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, and whole-grain pasta, breads, and cereals. The daily recommendation for fiber is 20-38 grams, depending on your sex and age, according to the ADA( American Dietetic Association).
Food 3: Nuts
Nuts are full of fats. But they're the healthy, mono- and polyunsaturated kind, which can help lower cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease. In addition, nuts are a good source of protein, fiber, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin A.
Small portions of nuts can boost energy and beat your hunger pains, helping dieters stay on track. Although nuts pack plenty of calories it's hard to overeat these snacks.
So enjoy nuts, but be mindful of your portion size. Try to limit yourself to an ounce a day. That's about 28 peanuts, 15 walnut halves, or just 8 Brazil nuts.
Food 4: Sweet Potatoes
One of the easiest ways to make a healthful dietary change is to think "sweet" instead of "white" potatoes. These luscious orange potatoes are boasting a wealth of antioxidants, photochemicals including beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, foliate, calcium, copper, iron, and potassium. The fiber in sweet potatoes promotes a healthy digestive tract, and the antioxidants play a role in preventing heart disease and cancer.
Its natural sweetness means a roasted sweet potato is delicious without any additional fats or flavor enhancers but if you still have a sweet tooth try equal along with cinnamon added to your sweet potato. Substitute sweet potatoes in recipes calling for white potatoes or apples to boost the nutrients.
Food 5: Tomatoes
These red fruits of summer are bursting with flavor and lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against some cancers. They also deliver an abundance of vitamins A and C, potassium, and photochemicals.
You can enjoy tomatoes raw, cooked, sliced, chopped, or diced as part of any meal or snack. Stuff a tomato half with spinach and top with grated cheese for a fabulous and colorful side dish. Or even try adding tuna fish with non-fat mayo to your tomato.
Food 6: Beans and Legumes
These nutritious nuggets are packed with photochemicals that are fat-free, high-quality protein, folic acid; fiber, iron, magnesium, and small amounts of calcium. Beans are an excellent and inexpensive protein source and a great choice for low-calorie vegetarian meals.
Eating beans and legumes regularly as part of a healthy eating plan can help reduce the risk of certain cancers, lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and stabilize blood sugar. Beans also play an important role in weight management by filling you up with lots of bulk and few calories.
Looking at the Big Picture
For top disease-fighting power, eat all of these amazing items together with other healthful foods, including green tea, alcohol (red wine), olive oil, and soy products.
Beyond the choices I’ve listed here, fruits and vegetables in general are powerful sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. By eating five or more servings a day, you help protect your body from heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
The real key to preventing disease and promoting health is not certain foods, but a lifestyle of regular physical activity and healthy eating..
Overall, an eating plan low in saturated fat and rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes is your best bet for a healthy heart.
And there is very little evidence that individual foods with super-nutrient profiles can reduce the risk of cancer. But healthy dietary patterns, including these foods, along with a healthy lifestyle, are critical to reducing risk for cancer.
Remember that portion size does matter, even when it comes to healthful foods. If you gain weight eating super-portions of super-nutritious foods, you'll negate the health benefits because of the health risks associated with being overweight.
Healthy Eating in an Imperfect World (No time to eat right?)
By Joe Tong RN, CPT
Busy Bees Can Still Eat Healthy
With life’s daily demands of work, family, and community it can tend to keep people from preparing healthy meals. This is especially true for workaholics, supermoms and dads, overachievers, frequent travelers, students and anyone else trying to beat the clock. Because of their lack of time, these people often turn to fast foods that are high in fat, sugar, sodium, calories, and low in essential nutrients.
Let’s be honest here, you probably won’t find more time in your life, so instead you’ll need to work with the time you do have. Rather than wasting effort everyday deciding which fast-food choices or vending machine options would satisfy your cravings, you could plan ahead to visit the grocery store, where you can pick up prepared salads, sandwiches, meats, pre-washed and cut fruits and vegetables, low-calorie and low-fat frozen meals, or yogurt.
There may be a bit more effort involved in shopping at the supermarket, but wasteful hours of worry about weight gain and low energy do tend to go away when you’re eating healthy. With well-balanced meals, you will start to feel more positive about yourself and your surroundings.
The better you do in choosing better foods to eat, the more effect it has on helping you stay well, feel good, and enjoy life."
Here are some more healthy tips for busy bees:
• Cook a bigger batch of food on the weekends, and refrigerate or freeze for weekday use.
• Don't skip meals; designate a time to eat. Set an alarm for mealtimes. Even if you're buried in work, stop and get a meal or drink in.
• Try not to do anything else while eating. Mindless consumption prevents the enjoyment of food. This tends to cause, people to eat more and eat unhealthy alternatives when their minds are elsewhere and they are not focused on what their doing.
• Put fresh or dried fruit out where you can see it to remind yourself of your goal to eat healthy. Bananas, grapes, frozen grapes, and apples make handy and nutritious snack items. Blueberries are great for anti-aging.
• If you go to a restaurant, turn down the supersize option and fried foods, instead choose baked and broiled.
• Stop using fatty condiments like mayo, ketchup and butter.
• Drink more water. It doesn’t have the empty calories that sodas and juices have, and it will help you feel full after a meal.
Healthy Eating in an Imperfect World for the Junk Food Addict
No time to eat right?
By Joe Tong RN, CPT
Junk Food Junkies:
Planning healthy meals and snacks ahead of time is crucial for people who want to curb their junk food cravings.
Junk food addicts often use the excuse, because there's nothing else around, and so that’s why I hit the vending machine, or stop at a convenience store, and in all reality that's all that’s there.
If you have to get your daily dose of junk food, here are a few non junk food alternatives, baked chips, dried fruit, or sugar-free Popsicle. Look for low-sugar, and low-fat options.
In place of chips, the crunch-lover might want to try chomping on light popcorn, whole grain crackers, or plain rice cakes with a little equal and cinnamon on them.
If you have a sweet tooth, sugar-free puddings or Jell-O, fruit bars, baked apples, fresh fruits, as well as dried fruits are good alternatives to the candy bar fix that you are used to having.
The Right Food for the Weekend Exerciser:
If you find yourself sitting at a desk Monday thru Friday, with little to no exercise; when the weekend comes around and your friends invite you to a game of basketball, or to go skiing, a hiking trip, anything that involves strenuous activity. Are there any types of foods that will give you enough energy to make it through the weekend events?
YES, there are. Good carbs are a must. However, it’s important to eat not only before but during as well, because as you get tired or weak your form can be lost and that can lead to an injury. During the event, to help keep energy levels up try snacking on dried fruits, cereals, and trail mix.
Maintaining hydration is usually the number one problem people encounter. People don't realize how much water they can lose during exercise. If you’re in a dry heat such as the desert you might not realize what you’ve loss until it’s too late. Make sure you drink a lot of water and even drinks such as Vitamin water to keep yourself hydrated.
There are people who turn to energy bars for that extra boost. Make sure you read the label first as some products may be as high in sugar and empty in nutrients, just like the candy bar. If you choose a bar it should contain 5 grams of fat or less, 3-5 grams of fiber, up to25 grams of protein, and 15-25 grams of carbohydrates.
Cooking in the Kitchen:
Don't know how to cook a healthy meal? No problem, it’s so easy to learn a monkey can learn to do it.
A couple of chicken breasts on the George Foreman grill and a sliced up sweet potatoes can be cooked in minutes in the microwave. You can stir fry a bag of baby spinach with some garlic and olive oil if you want to and some veggies to the mix.
Take advantage of the work that has already been done for you. There are a wide variety of prepared salads and cut-up fruits readily available at grocery stores.
If you still insist on getting some junk food, for example, when ordering pizza, go light on the cheese and meats instead getting more vegetables. If you’re eating at a Chinese restaurant then ask the chef to use less oil. Order vegetables, and go easy on the rice and noodles, but always avoid deep-fried foods. When ordering soups, go with the broth-based option, stay away from the cream of stuff. And stay away from cream sauce when ordering pasta but instead order tomato sauce.
No matter what level you fall on the spectrum of healthy eating, it’s still possible to make a positive change without drastically changing your lifestyle. If you make enough of these small changes in your diet, then over a period of time a healthy, sexy body won't have to be just an ideal. It will become a reality.
.