Christmas Diet Bulletin 411

Christmas dinner

As a personal trainer in Los Angeles, I see many clients who are on diets. What they don’t realize however, is that most diets fail because in essence that is what they are… a change of habit done for a period of time, then reverting back to the way you did things before. They work initially because when you reduce the calories that you put in, you lose weight as you are at a negative caloric intake. The main problem is that once your metabolism recognizes that you are putting in less calories it slows down, often going into the starvation mode, which translates to your body storing the calories from any food you eat (even healthy) as body-fat! This is due to the diet you are on scrambling you body’s internal computer system of appetite regulation and control, which is governed by various key hormones- Leptin and Gherlin.
See My Website For In Depth Article On Hormonal System.

The only lasting way to lose weight and keep it off permanently, is to change eating habits and lifestyle, such as,

  1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day for improved metabolism and digestion. These small and frequent meals will also keep your energy levels running high by creating balance to blood sugar (insulin).
  2. Eat 5 to 9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
  3. Increase your fiber intake to 20-30 grams a day.
  4. Activate your metabolism early in the day with a healthy, wholesome breakfast within 1 hour of arising.
  5. Chew your food slowly and drink water 30 minutes before/ after meals.
  6. Drink 100 oz of water per day ( 10 – 12 ) glasses.
  7. Eat your meals in a relaxed and quite environment. Never eat standing up.
  8. Exercise 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Even minimal amounts of exercise will help keep you feeling great by raising your Serotonin levels (feel good hormone), while burning additional calories. Walking, bicycling , swimming and HIIT cardio are the best for optimal results. See HITT cardio training.
  9. Be sure to take a good multiple vitamin/mineral supplement for optimal health. Also Chromium Picolinate 200mcg and Alpha Lipoic Acid 300mg taken together at breakfast and lunch, as this will aid your carbohydrate metabolizing and being used for energy (Glycogen) production, while controlling your insulin.
  10. Don’t forget to enjoy each day, as when you cross one finish line, another start line begins.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Perhaps your “diet” makes you fat

The first thing most people do when they want to lose weight, is they start out by “dieting”. This usually includes cutting calories, eating lots of salads, skipping breakfast and / or restricting food intake, even if you feel hungry. Most people’s idea of a ‘diet’ is to get to a certain weight and then revert back to the habits and lifestyle that got them to be overweight in the first place. No surprise that they end up gaining the weight back that they lost while on the ‘diet’, and more!

This ‘yo-yo dieting’ is obviously a problem, and the only way to lose weight with lasting results is to change your nutritional habits, together with your lifestyle. There is no short term solution, only a total change of mindset to food and lifestyle will bring life changing results. “If you want what you have not had before, you must do what you have not done before”.

This is why a long-term diet must really be healthy and sustainable to be successful, or you may find yourself not being able to stay on track. A comprehensive, fit lifestyle diet should leave you feeling energized and on top of the world.

So what does a healthy diet actually consists of?

Most people lose weight when restricting simple sugars, high glycemic carbohydrates, and fructose from their diets. Refined carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, muffins, cookies, crackers and other processed foods are broken down quickly into sugar, which increase insulin levels and cause insulin resistance. This is the main factor underlying many diseases and conditions in these modern times, including weight gain, and Type2 diabetes.

When cutting carbohydrates out of your diet, it is important, well crucial to your weight lose and thereafter maintenance to replace them with healthy choices or alternatives, such as green leafy vegetables, proteins and healthy fats that are high in Omega-3s. This will provide you with satiety and help combat the urge to binge or overeat.

The body works more efficiently and feels better off vegetables. rather than high glycemic carbohydrates and simple sugars, as they do not increase your blood sugar (insulin) as quickly, and gives you dramatically more sustained energy.

Counting calories is not the answer

Traditional nutritional education says that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will have weight gain. But it is more complicated than that, as the type of calories consumed is more important than the number of calories.

In terms of weight, calories from fructose are one of the most impactful, and shut down the body’s appetite control system. Fructose does not stimulate insulin properly, and as such, does not suppress ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”), or stimulate leptin (the “satiety hormone”), which combine to develop insulin resistance and make you end up eating more in the end .

Counting calories is not enough

Traditional nutritional wisdom says that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. In actuality it is not that simple, as the type of calories consumed is more important than the number of calories.

In terms of weight management, calories from fructose are one of the most detrimental, as they shut down the body’s internal appetite control mechanism. Fructose, that is everything from sodas to cookies unbalance insulin production, triggering false messages to your bodies information mechanism, leading to Leptin resistance (“satiety hormone”) and an increase in Ghrelin (“hunger hormone). which combine to develop insulin resistance and make you end up eating more and more, potentially leading to obesity.

Keeping total fructose intake below 25 grams per day if you are in optimum health ,and below 10 grams per day if you need to lose weight is the best way to move forward.

“Fructose is “isocaloric but not isometabolic,” per Dr. Robert Lustig. This means that you can have the same amount of calories from fructose or glucose and fructose and protein, or fructose and fat, but the metabolic effect may be very different despite the same amount of calories. This is because different food types stimulate different hormonal responses, having a major influence on the amount of body- fat that accumulates.”

That is why simply counting calories alone is not enough to lose weight successfully!

Weight Watchers one of the worlds most popular nutritional programs recently acknowledged this fact and actually changed their formula. The new system or way of thinking, discourages the eating of processed foods, with an emphasis on whole foods.

When i put clients on a balanced clinical nutrition plan, they do not count calories , as when you are eating the right proportions, of the right kinds of foods geared for your hormonal efficiency your body reaches a metabolic balance, meaning it works as it is supposed to and burns and regulates your body fat index, as it was designed by nature. Nutritional plans to be successful require them to be designed around the individual, taking into account current factors, such as fitness level, body fat, age etc

-Nicholas
If you are in the Los Angeles area and you would like a complimentary one-on-one assessment with Personal Trainer in L.A. Nicholas Barrett, please don't hesitate to get in touch! Personal trainer Los Angeles. Los Angeles personal trainer. Personal trainer marina del rey.