Weight loss victory is in your grasp

Lately, I have been seeing and hearing a lot of ads for weightloss supplements and programs.  This got me to thinking, "Are these "solutions" sustainable?".  After doing some research, here are six items that I have read about that make sense and are doable. 


1.  Sustainability


This goes back to my initial question, "are these 'solutions' sustainable"?  If you have to buy a product to loose weight, how long will you be able - or willing- to keep buying this product?  Can you see yourself doing this for more than two months?  Do you see yourself doing it in five years?  If the answer is no, it is not sustainable.  If the answer is yes, what will happen after you stop using said product?  Will you be able to keep it off, or will the weight come back?  This is one reason that I have a problem with "Diets" that eliminate certain foods.


2.  Exercise


I know some people that are not into going to the gym and breaking into a sweat lifting weights or using an eliptical trainer.  I don't have any interest in doing yoga.  The key here is to find something that you like and enjoy.  Do you enjoy playing basketball?  How about a hike at a state park?  Do you enjoy roller skating, ice skating, or skate boarding?  If you do what you like, chances are you will do it long term.  This goes back to sustainability.  Just remember to have fun.


3.  Diet


I know some people don't like this word.  I'm not talking about reducing your calories to 450 for the day.  I'm talking about nutrient dense food.  Not sweets.  Not processed foods.  You can exercise for two hours each day, but you will spend the other 22 hours away from the gym (or whatever activity you choose to do).  This is why it is said that "weight loss is 80% diet".  Enjoy all types of foods.  Most foods can be made healthier by cutting the amount of fat or sugar that is added. 


4.  Meal planning



Knowing that a good diet is 80% of the battle in loosing weight, one way to win this battle is to plan your meals ahead of time.  Plan your meals a week in advance and do your grocery shopping with these meals in mind.  You can check the weekly ads to see where you can get the best deals for your groceries.  You can also take one afternoon, say a Saturday or Sunday, and make all your meals for the week.  Put your seperate meals in their own containers in the fridge.  When you're ready, put the containers in the lunch box or carrying case and off you go.  You don't have to wory about making your meals.  You can warm your meals in 5 minutes.  Again, this should be easy and sustainable...otherwise, you're not going to do it for the long term.


5.  Recognize hunger


Know that there is a difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger.  Are you about to eat because your stomach is growling or are you just craving something all of a sudden?  I have learned taht physical hunger is a gradual process.  Emotional hunger is a sudden and sometimes has specific food cravings.  Perhaps they are your comfort foods that relax you when an event has stressed you out.  Are you eating because your body says "feed me" or are you eating because you're bored?


6.  Plan indulgences


I have heard people say cut out sugar, cut out carbs, eliminate sweets.  This goes back to my first item above, sustainability.  Don't feel bad for having a piece of cake at your son's birthday party.  It's your anniversay and you go to your favorite restaurant for dinner and dessert.  Enjoy.  Part of life is the enjoyment of different foods.  To clarify, enjoy a sensable portion size.  Two bites of a piece of a Black Forest Cake is not sensable.  You are going to want more.  We all do.  A quarter piece of that cake is not sensible.  That is way too much.  Indulgences are not just portion sizes.  They also consist of frequency.  If someone at the office brings donuts every Friday, you don't need to eat two donuts every week.  When I was a kid, we called them "treats".  They would be something that you would have occasionally or on special occasions, not daily or weekly.


To conclude, remeber that successful weight loss will have to include lifestyle changes.  Some slight, some drastic...all depending on what your current habits are.  Know this:  It is doable and you are not alone.  Three words for success: Sustainable, Enjoyable, Moderation.

In the know: how accurate is your activity tracker

On May 24th, an article was released in the Journal of Personalized Medicine in which a group of scientits from Stanford University wanted to answer this exact question.  They tested seven different wearable bands that monitor both heart rate and energy expenditure (calories burned).


The seven pieces of equipment were the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear S2.  To verify accuracy for heart rate, they compared them with a medical-grade electrocardiograph. The calories used was estimated with an instrument for measuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide in breath -- a good proxy for metabolism and energy expenditure.


Results:  For heart rate, all the devices were withing a 5% margin.  This is good since heart rate is measured directley and uses a simple formula for everyone.  If you wear one of these devices for this purpose, you can share this information with your doctor with confidence.


For the calories burned, results are not so good.  The most accurate one was off by 27%.  The worst one was off by 93%.  They believe the reason for the wide discrepency is that the manufacturers use their own algorithm to figure out calorie expenditures.  Unlike the heart rate formula, they are not one size fits all.  There are multiple factors that vary by individual, for example fitness level, weight, height, age to name a few.  So if you are using this to see how much sweets you can have, I would recommend to just have a sensible meal of a protein source, a couple of vegetables, and a bit of healthy fats. 




Journal Reference:

1. Anna Shcherbina, C. Mattsson, Daryl Waggott, Heidi Salisbury, Jeffrey Christle, Trevor Hastie, Matthew Wheeler, Euan Ashley. Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2017; 7 (2): 3 DOI: 10.3390/jpm7020003

Know how to turn the tables to see a better body composition

I have heard some people use the terms "weight loss" and "fat loss" interchangeably.  They are not the same.  One is total weight loss.  This is not just fat loss but also includes water and muscle loss.  The other is just fat loss.  Fat loss is good.  Total weight loss not so much.  I came acorss this infographic and thought I'd share it.  A couple facts that were left off that I'd like to add:  1.  Muscle is more compact than fat.  2.  Muscle is more active, therefore, it burns more calories than fat (which is not active).


I appologize for not being able to add the infographic directly to the post.  When I did, the information was too small to read.  I'm still learning how to do some of this stuff.




Weight loss v Fat loss Infographic


Let me know if you have any questions.


9 Ways To Improve Your Health

I have heard and have read a lot of people say they don't like to workout.  They don't like to lift weights.  They don't like to run.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Not all forms of exercise or physical activity are for everyone.  As a teen, I hated mowing the lawn.  Now as an adult, I don't mind it so much.  There are still other things that I would rather do with my time, but I realize that it is something that needs to be done. 


To be healthy, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing.  You don't like to lift weights...then don't.  You don't want to run a marathon...then don't.  The point is to do things that you enjoy so that you can do them for life and not just the few months that you're going to hate trying to get healthy.  If you hate it, chances are you will give up on your efforts and say it isn't for you.


The human body is an amazing piece of machinery.  You can walk, run, jump, hop, throw, swim, climb, crawl, roll and many other things.  Here is a small list if things one can do to get healthier:


1.  Lift Weights - This is one of the first things that comes to mind when you talk about exercising.  Some of the benefits are: builds stong bones, helps improve muscle tone and strenght, helps with loosing fat.


2.  Running - This is another item that comes to mind.  Some benefits are:  good for your heart, good for your lungs, and it helps to build endurance.


3.  Swimming - Not only is this a good form of cardio, but it is also a good life skill to have.  Like running, it is good for the heart, lungs and helps to build enduance.


4.  Play any sport - Sports are great because you run, jump, shoot, throw, change directions on a dime.  This is great, especially if you have a sedentary job.  There is also a social aspect to this as well.


5.  Play with the kids/grandkids - They will get you running around, jumping and just moving around.  I once told my son I was stepping on his shadow.  He then ran to get me "off" his shadow and then he turned around and was stepping on my shaddow and I did the same thing.  it's about having fun.


8.  Wall/Rock climbing - I've enjoyed doing this.  It is different than eveything else on this list, it also works on your muscles defferntly than do weights. 


9.  Walking - a good form of exercise that requires no equipment.  Some people go the the mall before the stores open just to walk around before the crowds get there.  This is also a great place to start if you have never been physically active and have no endurance.


This is by no means exhaustive.  There are so many more that I have left off this list.  The point is not to do what eveyone is doing.  I have a cousin that likes to do triathalons, I have no interest in doing them.  The point is to do what you enjoy and keep your body moving.  My whole life I have heard the saying "Use it, or loose it" applied to a lot of different things.  It definatly applies to being physially active (flexibility, endurance, strength).  Good thing is, you can always improve from where your at today.


Let me know what you think.  What type of activities do you enjoy doing?  Please share if you like this post.