by Siri Khalsa | Feb 12, 2017 | Weight Loss
Wired To Eat, by Robb Wolf
Wired to Eat: Turn Off Cravings, Rewire Your Appetite for Weight Loss, and Determine the Foods That Work for You
Robb Wolf, a biochemist and health expert, is the author of the bestselling The Paleo Solution. Let me state immediately: This is not an approach for vegetarians or for semi-vegetarians.
Wolf emphasizes that we are genetically wired to eat more and move less, exactly the opposite of what we need to do to maintain our health – and a healthy weight. Phases One and Two of the plan are used to determine how to successfully go up against our genetics.
In Phase One, you discover where you are on the insulin resistance spectrum. For 30 days, you eat 3x/day. Snacks, if needed, are beef jerky, fruit, veggies, and a small handful of nuts. Each meal is made up of lean protein, fiber (from the carbs you are eating), appropriate carb content (75-150g from fruits, veggies, and roots – no grains), and enough healthy fat to make food tasty. Protein and fiber are at the crux of this plan because of their proven satiety effects.
(Wolf provides food lists to support menus, and suggests taking one day weekly to prepare food in advance. He also gives recommendations for people with autoimmune disorders.)
During Phase 2, the 7-Day Carb Test, the deep carb foods are tested. Examples are rice and beans and fruits like mangos and bananas. Monitoring blood sugar levels reveals optimal carb intake. You are looking for a per meal carb load that works to keep your metabolism optimal and to maintain your own healthy weight
In Phase Three, Robb reminds you to continue to eat as you did during the 30 days while integrating the heavier carbs that keep your body happy. In the final chapter he discusses the use of therapeutic ketosis and fasting.
Siri Says: Personally, I would need a lot of support to complete the first 40 days of this program. On the plus side, Robb reminds us more than once of the importance of a good night’s sleep. He warns that we can effectively block the weight loss process simply by not getting sufficient sleep every night.
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by Gurumantra | Jan 11, 2016 | Food, Nutrition, Public Health Policy, Weight Loss
Nearly fifteen years ago to the date, we published an interview with Ann Louise Gittleman. Back then Ann Louise was the one calling a flag on the play about cutting fat from our diets. There was a frenzy about high cholesterol rates and fat became the focus. Almost overnight, processed foods manufacturers took out coconut and palm oil, butter, all the saturated fats. They substituted less nutritionally dense oils (safflower) and increased the amount of sugar to make the new formulations palatable. We all know where that got us. This month we’re revisiting the Big Fat Lies conversation with another interview with Ann Louise. Watch for details.
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by Gurumantra | Jan 31, 2014 | Diet, Food, Weight Loss
If you’ve ever tried dieting or losing weight, calories are part of most weight control strategies. Here’s a real public service for dieters. Check out the sizes of many of our favorite foods that come in at 200 calories. Where weight loss is concerned, sometimes more really is less!
Your peanut butter’s nutrition label — which states that 2 tablespoons = 188 calories — gives you a general idea of how much you’re consuming, but you might put down the spoon altogether when you see what that looks like next to 200 calories of celery, carrots or apples. (Cheese lovers, be warned: What you are about to see may be traumatic.)
WiseGeek created a brilliant series of photos capturing exactly what 200 calories looks like among 71 different foods (see the full collection here) and sorted them from low- to high-calorie density.
Why did they choose 200 calories? You try fitting 500 calories of celery on a plate! The creative minds behind this project specifically chose 200 calories because they wanted to provide tangible volumes for the entire range of items. Trying to show 100 calories of certain highly caloric foods — butter or oil, for example — would have rendered minuscule portion sizes, while something as high as 500 calories would have been too difficult to represent in low-calorie foods.
Why did they choose these particular foods? Many of the items happened to be in the WiseGeek pantry; others were chosen because WiseGeek wanted to display foods in a wide variety of categories. They avoided prepared foods like lasagna or cheesecake, since their calorie contents can vary by recipe.
The photographers ensured all foods were displayed proportionately by using the same camera, setup and dishware (for photos that used plates or bowls) for all of them. The plate is 10.25 inches in diameter, and the bowl is 6.25 inches.
An apple doesn’t sound like such a bad snack now, does it?
Celery
1,425 grams = 200 calories
Coca-Cola
496 mL = 200 calories
Apples
385 grams = 200 calories
Whole milk
333 mL = 200 calories
Canned sweet corn
308 grams = 200 calories
Sliced smoked turkey
204 grams = 200 calories
Eggs
150 grams = 200 calories
Cooked pasta
145 grams = 200 calories
Avocado
125 grams = 200 calories
Jack in the Box cheeseburger
75 grams = 200 calories
Jack in the Box french fries
73 grams = 200 calories
Sesame seed bagel
70 grams = 200 calories
Bailey’s Irish cream
60 mL = 200 calories
Glazed doughnut
52 grams = 200 calories
Medium cheddar cheese
51 grams = 200 calories
Snickers chocolate bar
41 grams = 200 calories
Doritos
41 grams = 200 calories
Fried bacon
34 grams = 200 calories
Peanut butter
34 grams = 200 calories
Butter
28 grams = 200 calories
by Gurumantra | Dec 16, 2013 | Weight Loss, Women
14 December 2013 American Heart Association
Modest weight loss over 2 years in overweight or obese, middle-aged women may reduce risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
In a study of 417 women participating in weight loss programs for up to 24 months, those who sustained a 10 percent or more loss of their body weight for two years reduced their total cholesterol, LDL “bad” cholesterol, HDL “good” cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, glucose and inflammation markers. Women who had the highest levels of risk at the start of the study benefited the most from modest weight loss.
“It is challenging to lose weight, but if women commit to losing 10 percent of their body weight and sustain that over time, it can have a large impact on overall risk factors associated with heart disease and diabetes,” said Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., R.D., co-author and Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Director of the University of Arizona Canyon Ranch Center for Prevention & Health Promotion in Tucson.
The women, an average 44 years old and weighing nearly 200 pounds at the start of the study, were recruited within the communities of the University of California, San Diego; University of Minnesota; University of Arizona; and Kaiser Permanente Center Northwest in Portland, Ore.
Factors that may affect creeping weight gain in middle-aged women include sedentary jobs, repeated pregnancy and 
the transition to menopause. In the end, a large percent of middle-aged American women find themselves weighing much more in their forties than they weighed in their teens, Thomson said
Women in short-term weight loss programs usually do better with weight loss in the first six months and then they start to rebound, researchers said.
“Our study revealed the need for healthcare providers to provide women with longer-term support for weight control. It seems to pay off in terms of modifying risk factors for obesity-related disease,” Thomson said.
“The good news is that when you lose weight long-term, you just don’t move to a smaller dress size, you are actually moving these risk factors markedly and likely reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes,” Thomson said.
Jenny Craig, Inc. funded the study.
Co-authors are: Caitlin A. Dow, Ph.D.; Shirley W. Flatt, M.S.; Nancy E. Sherwood, Ph.D.; Bilge Pakiz, Ed.D.; and Cheryl L. Rock, Ph.D., R.D. Disclosures are on the manuscript.
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Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
http://newsroom.heart.org/news/modest-weight-loss-may-reduce-heart-disease-diabetes-risks-in-middle-aged-women?preview=fc4d9814e02a35a6c63eb7ee82e7a9e9
Full bibliographic information Modest weight loss may reduce heart disease, diabetes risks in middle-aged women
Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., R.D.,
Predictors of Improvement in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors
With Weight Loss in Women
Assoc. 2013;2:e000152 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.113.000152)
by Gurumantra | Dec 3, 2013 | Obesity, Weight Loss
Elevated levels of hydrogen and methane on the breath are clues to microorganisms that colonize the digestive tract.
Given the right conditions, ph, temperature, other bacteria, certain bacteria proliferate. In the case of hydrogen and methane breath, the culprit is M.smithil. M. smithii colonization occurs in the small bowel as well as in the colon. The level and extent of M. smithii colonization is predictive of weight gain.
A person whose exhaled breath contains large amounts of methane and hydrogen is likely to have gut colonization withMethanobrevibacter smithii, which scavenges hydrogen and, during its metabolism, releases methane.
The presence of both methane and hydrogen on breath testing is associated with increased BMI and percent body fat in humans. The hypothesis is that this is due to colonization with the hydrogen-requiring M smithii, which affects nutrient availability for the host and may contribute to weight gain.
Intestinal flora have been implicated in many mechanisms that may contribute to weight gain, including:
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism March 26, 2013 jc.2012-3144
