Posts Tagged ‘Weight Loss’

How to Lose Belly Fat Before Summer

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Potbelly, spare tire—or maybe your six-pack abs have turned into a pony keg. Whatever you call it, you need only look around you to know that abdominal fat is the most common type of obesity. It is also the most dangerous. Fat, or adipose tissue, on the hips, thighs, arms, and elsewhere may not be any prettier, but it poses less of a health risk. That’s because it’s stored right under the skin. Most belly fat (visceral adipose tissues or VAT) lies within the abdominal cavity, surrounding the intestines, liver, kidneys, and other organs. Excess fat in this area is linked to increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, even cancer and dementia.

The good news is that visceral fat is responsive to weight loss interventions. I’m not talking about spot reduction—there’s no such thing. However, when you do lose weight, abdominal fat goes first. So what can you do?

For starters, eat less and exercise more. As stored fat is mobilized for energy, those adipocytes in your belly will be the first to shrink. Regarding diet, my experience has been that a low-carbohydrate diet works best. It puts your body in a fat-burning mode and helps control appetite by cutting down on blood sugar swings that cause food cravings.

Other lifestyle factors include sleep—or lack thereof. People who get inadequate sleep tend to be heavier. Furthermore, untreated sleep apnea is clearly linked with obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. If you’re struggling with any of these conditions, especially if you snore, talk to your doctor about getting tested for sleep apnea.

Consider supplements. When it comes to supplements for weight loss, one of the most impressive is green tea. In addition to its immune and cardiovascular benefits, it is a great aid in the fat-burning process. Resveratrol, the phytonutrient in red wine that has gained fame as an anti-aging agent, may also be helpful. I also recommend the herbal extract Irvingia gabonensis. It facilitates weight loss, helps correct leptin levels, and improves many of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

As you lose your belly fat, other areas of your health will perk up as well. Your blood sugar and blood pressure will go down, and your cholesterol, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein levels will improve. Your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, cancer, and liver disease will all decrease. And, as an added bonus, you’ll look and feel better than you have in years.

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Avoiding Senseless Snacking

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Mindlessly munching as you meander through your day is one of the easiest ways to gain weight. While sensible snacking can actually aid in your weight loss efforts, eating unhealthy foods between meals can have disastrous effects. Before you reach for that mid-morning or afternoon snack, consider the guidelines below.

Eat Smaller Meals, More Frequently
The traditional three square meals a day recommendation is a thing of the past. If you want to keep your metabolism and energy going strong, focus instead on eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day. Make sure each meal contains a good source of lean protein such as chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, or reduced-fat dairy, and load up on fiber-rich veggies and legumes. Both protein and fiber will help fill you up and tide you over until your next meal.

Identify Mood Triggers
Often our moods dictate food cravings. Keep a food journal and note how you are feeling when that urge to eat something unhealthy hits. Do you eat when you are bored, sad, tired, etc.? If so, the next item—distraction—is the key.

Distract Yourself and Wait It Out
The next time the craving for a particular food hits, distract yourself. Go for a walk, play on the computer, call a friend—anything that gets your mind off food. If after 20 minutes the urge has not passed, go ahead and have a small portion. If you completely deny yourself, you’re more likely to indulge later on.

Drink a Glass of Water
With all of the fad diets and expensive gimmicks out there, it’s ironic that water may turn out to be one of our most effective weight-loss tools. In a recent study, researchers found that people who drank a full glass of water before each meal lost more weight than a control group that didn’t drink water before meals. Just make sure the water you drink is filtered.

Avoid Eating In Front of the TV or Computer
Ever accidentally snacked your way through a whole bag of chips or popcorn during a movie or while you were playing around on the computer? If you answered “no,” you’re either telling a fib or you’re very disciplined. Snacking while you are engrossed in a TV program or a computer task can cause you to ignore portions and distract you from heeding feelings of satiety. It’s better to take a break to eat. That way, you’re aware of exactly what—and how much—you are putting into your body.

Don’t Buy Foods You Can’t Resist
If you know that cake and cookies are your weakness, don’t buy them. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but resisting the urge at the grocery store is where it starts. Take it a step further by purging your refrigerator and cupboards of unhealthy items. Instead, stock up on healthy foods like almonds, fresh veggies with humus dip, and lean protein like turkey deli meat, hard-boiled eggs, and reduced-fat string cheese so you have better snacking options.


Step Away From the Snack Table
This time of year, holiday parties abound. Do yourself a favor and distance yourself from the food. If you have to cross the room to get to the appetizers, you’ll eat less—guaranteed. Focus instead on conversation and camaraderie and you’ll be well on your way to a slimmer you.

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Commit to Get Fit

Monday, November 8th, 2010

It’s November and you know what that means—the start of the holiday season. With parties, big meals, and diet-busters popping up constantly until New Year’s, there’s no better time than now to get on track with an exercise program. The following tips will help you start—and stick with—an exercise regimen and hopefully aid in avoiding those extra holiday pounds.

1. Sign a commitment contract. Decide on a fitness goal, for instance, exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes, four times a week. Come up with some disincentive that hits you where it really hurts—and for most people, that would be the wallet. Pledge a significant sum of money to your least favorite charity, payable if you renege on your commitment. Write the details of your “contract” down, sign it, date it, have it witnessed, and then—and this step is very important—make it public. Tell everybody, family, friends, and co-workers about your pledge and its consequences, and keep them abreast of your progress.

2. Find an Exercise Buddy. It’s a lot easier to stay on track if you have another person or a group of people who share your exercise goals. My wife Connie and I have a standing walking/jogging date several times a week, and knowing that she’s counting on me helps keep me motivated. One of our clinic employees started a “Biggest Loser” competition in her neighborhood. She gets up weekday mornings for exercise sessions with her neighbors that are not only fun, but also provide a sense of camaraderie and competition that keeps everyone focused. 

3. Purchase a Pedometer and Start Walking. One of the best forms of exercise—and one nearly everyone can do—is walking. If you’re like most people, you rack up about 1,000-3,000 steps doing household chores and moving about through your day. But increasing the number of steps you take daily to 10,000 or more can have tremendous benefits on your health. An easy way to keep track of your progress is to purchase an inexpensive pedometer. These step-counting devices are available online and in drugstores and sporting goods outlets.

4. Buy or Rent Workout Videos. Another option is to get your hands on a workout video. Yoga, aerobics, weight lifting, tai chi—you name it, there’s a video out there that will walk you through it. Videos are a great alternative if you’d prefer to exercise in the comfort of your own home. From beginner to advanced, you’ll find several options in various formats to suit your activity level.

5. Vary Your Activities. One of the biggest reasons people fail to stickwith an exercise program is because they get bored. That’s why it’s important to vary your activities. Jog, cycle, swim, walk, do yoga, take a group exercise class—it doesn’t matter what you do, just get active.

6. Don’t Use Bad Weather as an Excuse. Cold temperatures and poor weather can make exercise a drag, but don’t use them as an excuse to be a couch potato. Several of the activities mentioned above can be done right in your living room. Pop in an exercise video. Use your stairs as a stair-stepper. Buy a mini-trampoline, treadmill, or stationary bike. Join a gym. You can also pick up the pace during household chores such as dusting and vacuuming. Again, as long as you get your heart rate up and your blood pumping, it counts as exercise.

7. Join My Diabesity Challenge. If you need a little extra motivation, I’d like to invite you to join thousands of my patients and readers and take my Diabesity Challenge. This exercise with mini-fast protocol is the most effective weight-loss tool I’ve seen in more than 30 years of practicing medicine. Furthermore, it’s easy—and free. Just visit www.drwhitaker.com/challenge for complete details. Don’t wait; the deadline to get started is November 30, 2010.

If you have tips of your own for staying on track with exercise, I’d love to hear about them. Just comment on this blog post or send your thoughts to info@whitakerwellness.com.

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Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

On average, Americans only consume three servings of fruits and vegetables each day. And that’s a crying shame. Study after study reveals that people who regularly eat five-plus servings of nature’s bounty enjoy several health benefits. Want to decrease your risk of stroke by 26 percent? Eat five or more servings per day. Want to lose weight? Focus on eating more fiber-rich vegetables. Want to combat free radical damage that can lead to a variety of health concerns? Load up on antioxidant-rich fruits.

You see where this is going. If you want to get healthier, you need to follow Mom’s advice and eat those veggies (and fruits). If you can make them organic, all the better. The following are 10 easy ways to incorporate more of these healthful foods into your daily routine.

1. Drink a glass of Low-Sodium V8 Juice with breakfast. (At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, this is the only “juice” that you’ll find on the tables.)

2. Eat an apple or a pear for a snack or before a meal to help fill you up so you’ll eat less.

3. Instead of a sandwich at lunch, have a salad with lots of colorful veggies. If you must have the sandwich, go open-face and pile it high with tomatoes, lettuce, onion, sprouts, olives, and peppers.

4. Freeze a bunch of grapes and enjoy them as an afternoon treat or as “dessert.”

5. Make a berry smoothie using plain, non-fat yogurt, ice, and a little stevia or xylitol as a sweetener.

6. Top your fish dishes with mango salsa.

7. Try a grilled portabella mushroom for dinner.

8. Add extra frozen veggies to canned or homemade soups or other dishes.

9. Dip snap peas, baby tomatoes, carrots, celery, or broccoli florets in hummus for a tasty and healthy snack.

10. Add blueberries, cranberries, or strawberries to your salads.

There you have it. If you have tips of your own for upping your vegetable and fruit intake, I’d love to hear them. Send your comments to testimonials@whitakerwellness.com.

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Snack Your Way to Thin

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Here’s a fun fact for you: Eating actually burns calories. It’s no joke—5 to 15 percent of your daily energy expenditure is used digesting, absorbing, and storing the food you eat. It’s called diet-induced thermogenesis and it’s one of the reasons why smart snacking throughout the day can actually help you burn fat and lose weight.

Notice I said “smart” snacking. The types of foods you chose can make or break your diet. To help take the guesswork out of healthy snacking, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorites. Bon appétit!

Almonds. Nuts are one of the best snack foods around, and almonds top the list when it comes to health benefits. When hunger strikes eat ¼ cup of these raw or dry roasted, unsalted nuts. You’ll fill up and get plenty of heart-healthy magnesium and vitamin E to boot!

Edamame. Just ½ cup of these little soybeans provides 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. Better still, you’re eating just under 100 calories.

Celery With Peanut Butter. A stick of celery with a tablespoon or so of peanut butter combines fiber and protein for the perfect between-meal treat. Almond butter makes a nice substitution as well.

Cottage Cheese. A quarter cup of low-fat cottage cheese with chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, or a little salsa tossed in makes a wonderful snack. The cottage cheese provides the lean protein you need to stay satisfied and adding the fiber-rich veggies helps spruce up this otherwise bland snack. 

Hard-Boiled Egg. If you’re looking for a low-carb, protein-rich snack, a hard-boiled egg fits the bill. At just under 80 calories, this snack will curb your appetite and help trim your waistline.

Snack-Size Protein Shake. A small portion of a meal replacement protein shake can make a great snack. Just aim for around 7-10 grams of protein and blend your shake with low-glycemic berries for added fiber.

Reduced Fat Cheese. A one-ounce portion of reduced fat cheese (the size of a pair of dice) gives you 6-7 grams of protein at around 80 calories. One of my favorites is string cheese. It’s tasty and easy to take with you for a snack on the run.

Vegetables With Hummus or Ranch Dip. Cut up some fresh broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, snap peas, bell pepper strips, or cauliflower flowerets and dip them in a little hummus or light ranch dip. The calorie count of the veggies is low, plus they are full of stick-to-your-ribs fiber. Two tablespoons of hummus contains about 60 calories while the ranch dip has about 80.

To learn more about smart snacking and weight loss in general, check out my book, The Whitaker Wellness Weight Loss Program.

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Are Beverages Busting Your Diet?

Friday, June 11th, 2010

If you’re making proper food choices and exercising in an effort to lose weight, but still aren’t seeing results, it might be time to take a serious look at what you’re drinking. New research suggests that what you suck through that straw may be sabotaging your efforts.

A recent study found that Americans consume more than 450 calories each day from beverages alone. And, if you don’t burn off those calories, you could gain an astounding 23 pounds per year. But sometimes it’s hard to gauge just how many calories we’re drinking. To shed some light on this, I’ve compiled a list of common beverages and their calorie counts.

Water (8 oz.) — 0 calories
Tea, unsweetened (6 oz.) — 2 calories
Coffee, black (6 oz.) — 3 calories
Low-Sodium V8 Juice (8 oz.) — 50 calories
Gatorade (8 oz.) — 50 calories
Light Beer (12 oz.) — 95 calories
Wine (5 oz.) — 102 calories
Orange Juice (8 oz.) — 107 calories
Milk, 2 % (8 oz.) — 113 calories
Grape Juice (8 oz.) — 138 calories
Beer (12 oz.) — 139 calories
Non-Diet Soda (12 oz.) — 150 calories

When it comes to imbibing your favorite beverages, beyond knowing the number of calories they contain there are a few other things to look out for. For instance, coffee may sound like a great choice at 3 calories per serving. But when you dump in cream, sugar, and flavored syrups, this healthy drink becomes a nightmare. One case in point: A 16-ounce, white chocolate peppermint mocha from Starbucks contains a waist-busting 470 calories!

Don’t forget about serving sizes either. Gatorade, for example, may only contain 50 calories per serving. But that 50 calories refers to an 8-ounce portion and most bottles contain two to four servings. You also shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that switching to sugar-free or diet versions is an option. This may be appealing calorie-wise, but these drinks are loaded with chemicals and additives and, therefore, in my opinion, have no place in a healthy diet.

So, what do I recommend? First and foremost, drink plenty of clean, filtered water. Aim for 64 ounces each day. If you are bored with plain water, try Perrier or another sparkling mineral water with a zest of lemon or lime. Tea, with its myriad health benefits, can also be consumed at will. And coffee drinkers can feel free to enjoy a few cups a day. Just remember, if you are going to sweeten your coffee or tea, use natural sweeteners such as stevia or xylitol and forego the calorie-dense creamers.

When it comes to juice, the only one I give my patients is Low-Sodium V8 Juice. It’s packed with potassium and lycopene, and has been demonstrated to support healthy blood pressure levels. If you choose to drink alcohol, make it one drink per day. The calories in beer, wine, and mixers can add up, plus, the benefits of alcohol only apply to moderate drinking.

Cheers!

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Mini-Fast Your Way to Better Health

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

According to a recent online post in the US News and World Report, 62 percent of American’s resolved to exercise more, 60 percent had a goal of eating better, and 46 percent wanted to lose weight in 2010. These aspirations are great but it’s no secret that most New Year’s resolutions are little more than memories by the time February rolls around—and some don’t even last that long.

Losing weight and getting in shape can be difficult, especially if you turn to starvation diets, insane workout regimens, or other drastic measures. But we’ve recently instituted a program at the Whitaker Wellness Institute that helps patients shed pounds, get their diabetes under control, lower blood pressure, and improve health overall. It’s a mini-fast coupled with exercise and it’s so easy, just about anyone can do it.

  • When you wake up in the morning, drink a glass of water or a cup of coffee or tea. It’s okay to sweeten your AM beverage with a little low-calorie sweetener such as xylitol or stevia and to add a small amount of creamer but don’t drink or eat anything else.
  • Next, get out and exercise moderately for 20-45 minutes. You can walk, cycle, or jog—anything aerobic.
  • After your workout, continue on with your day but do not eat or drink anything other than water, coffee, or tea until lunchtime. (You may also take your nutritional supplements if they don’t upset your stomach.) You will probably have to try it to believe it but the combination of exercise and fasting actually blunts your appetite, and the caffeine in tea and coffee helps to put the brakes on hunger as well.
  • Your mini-fast ends at lunch. You should eat sensibly for the rest of the day, focusing on lean protein sources such as turkey, chicken, fish, and eggs, and low-glycemic carbohydrates like beans and legumes, fiber-rich veggies, and a little fruit.

Skipping your morning meal not only cuts down on the calories you take in but adding exercise burns additional calories and helps kick-start fat burning in a process called ketosis.

In a recent study of obese individuals, participants who followed this mini-fast protocol for 12 weeks lost 16 pounds of fat (25 percent of their initial fat mass) plus three inches around the waist. The biggest losers were a man and woman who respectively lost an astonishing 44 and 31 pounds of fat! Additionally, the group’s fasting insulin fell by one-quarter, into the normal range.

Try the mini-fast/exercise combo yourself and let me know how it works for you. Don’t be surprised if you see improvements in all aspects of your health—from lower blood sugar readings and better blood pressure to improvements in energy, weight, and so much more. Good luck to you and here’s to starting 2010 off right.

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Posted in Diabetes, Diet, Exercise, Weight Loss | 3 Comments »

The Fantastic Health Benefits of Fiber

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

We all know fiber is good for us. It helps “move things along.” It aids in satiety, making you feel full longer. And the latest research suggests that getting plenty of fiber may not only stave off type 2 diabetes but also improve blood sugar levels in those already diagnosed with the disease.

Apples may come to mind when you’re thinking high-fiber foods. And with 5 grams in each medium-sized piece of fruit, they’re not a bad choice. (Don’t forget to eat the skin!) However, there are a number of other delicious and healthy high-fiber foods out there. Here’s a list of some of my favorites. 

1 cup beans (12-15 grams, depending on variety)
1 medium-sized avocado (11.84 grams)
1 cup raspberries (8.34 grams)
1 cup soybeans (7.62 grams)
1 cup cooked kale (7.20 grams)
½ medium grapefruit (6.12 grams)
1 cup cooked sweet potato (5.94 grams)

Source: Common Sense Health Web site

While all of these foods contain appreciable amounts of fiber, my number one recommendation is freshly ground flax seed. In addition to providing 11 grams of fiber per quarter-cup, flax is also a great source of protective lignans and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It has impressive cholesterol-lowering benefits as well.

A few years ago, Beverly M. had a cholesterol level of 307. She read about my recommendations for lowering cholesterol in my newsletter, Health & Healing, and began taking flax seed. Within six months, her cholesterol fell to 206. As she says, “It sure beats Pravachol [a statin drug] with all its side effects at over a hundred dollars a prescription.”

Just buy a cheap coffee grinder , and grind up ¼-cup of flax seeds a day. Mix  in water and drink quickly (it thickens upon standing), or sprinkle on salads, soups, or other foods. You’re bound to notice the benefits soon after adopting this healthy practice.

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Stepping Toward Weight Loss and Better Health

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Here at the Whitaker Wellness Institute, exercise is part of the fabric of day-to-day life. It’s an essential therapy for all of our patients, and one they practice daily while they’re at the clinic. The program we prescribe is simple, convenient, and pleasant: It’s walking.

Walking tones the largest muscles of your body and helps keep off excess weight. It gets your heart rate up and enhances circulation. It strengthens your bones and heart, improves mood and sleep, and lowers blood sugar and triglycerides—all at minimal risk of injury.

At the clinic, we take our patients on a 10-minute walk after each meal. This is particularly important for people with diabetes because it helps clear glucose out of the bloodstream. We also encourage everyone to walk on their own whenever possible.

In order to track their progress and help motivate them, we use pedometers. Researchers from Stanford and the University of Minnesota recently found that these step-counting devices are a real benefit when it comes to losing weight, lowering blood pressure, and increasing activity levels. 

The scientists reviewed data from 26 studies involving more than 2,700 mostly female participants who were fairly inactive and overweight. Over 18 weeks, those who wore a pedometer took approximately 2,000 more steps every day (that’s almost a mile!), lowered their systolic blood pressure an average of 3.8 points, and decreased their body mass index by 0.4 points. These findings led researchers to conclude that if just 10 percent of Americans started walking on a regular basis, $5.6 billion could be saved each year in heart disease costs.

Walking is one of the easiest—not to mention least expensive—forms of exercise out there. Better still, most anyone can do it. Pedometers, which run about $10–$25 can be purchased in most retail stores or ordered by calling (800) 810-6655. Get yourself one ASAP and gradually work your way up to 10,000 steps per day.

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Posted in Diabetes, Exercise, Heart Disease, Weight Loss | 1 Comment »