You've Got to See This

Right on the heels of my long post yesterday about becoming aware of your food intake, I had to post this video created by fitness and nutrition expert Leigh Peele of www.fatlosstroubleshooter.com

The soundtrack leaves something to be desired, but her message is loud and clear.
~Laura

Nutrition Tip of the Week #9

Hi everyone! Sorry your tip is coming in a few days behind schedule this week. Better late than never!

In the tip at the bottom of this post, using the old car analogy Dr. Berardi reminds us that our body needs fuel to function, whether you "feel" like eating or not. Simply eating based on mood could easily lead us to under or over-eat. Many people don't realize that what's keeping them from losing weight is UNDER eating, which makes for a sluggish metabolism. And of course this also works in reverse: eating more fuel than your body needs will cause weight gain.

For example, I don't always feel like eating breakfast, but I know that's the best way to get my metabolism up and running for the day. And, I can't tell you how many times I'm "in the mood" for sweets or for extra servings, but I've done my homework and know that's not going to get me closer to my fat loss goals.

SO WHAT'S THE TRICK?
The trick is to manipulate energy intake (food) and energy output (daily movement/exercise) to meet your goals. Eating based on feeling and mood won't take you as far as a few calculations and some good planning.

• Want to lose weight? Create a negative energy balance: intake < output.
  
• Want to maintain your weight? Achieve an equal balance: intake = output.
• Want to gain weight? Create a positive energy balance: intake > output.

This may all sound like common sense, but so many people are unaware of their own intake and output. They just follow what Dr. Berardi calls "mood eating" - which is fine, IF it's getting you closer to your goals. If eating based on feeling doesn't work for you (it doesn't for me most of the time), you can take control today by becoming aware of your intake and outputs and make adjustments based on the formulas above.

A great starting place is to figure out what your daily caloric needs are to maintain your weight, then adjust up or down based on your goal. Here is a link to a great website Ideal Calorie Intake Calculator that will factor in your age, height, sex, weight, and activity level, then tells you your maintenance, fat lost and "extreme fat loss" calorie or intake needs. For fun, you can play with the activity levels and see what adding a few extra days of exercise with a program like my favorite, Turbulence Training, will do for you.

The recommendation it gives for fat loss seems pretty sensible, but the "extreme fat loss" is NOT a good idea. Severe starvation diets don't stick. That is the quickest way to lose the weight and then put it back on and then some. And who wants that??? An approach like Dr. Berardi's Precision Nutrition program is the best. It educates you about how to properly manage your intake and output by teaching you how to eat the right foods, in the right amounts at the right times. That is what will get you lasting results.

For more ways to kick-start your fat loss, check out these previous posts:
Nutrition: My New Perspective from 4/30/2008
Every Day Nutrition from 5/3/2008

~Laura

Tip #9
Mood Eating
by Dr. John Berardi

Most people eat based on their mood and/or some subjective feelings of hunger. They don't eat based on what their bodies need. Think of it this way: you're about to take a long drive on a stretch of highway with no gas station. Do you fail to stop for gas before you hit the road because you're 'not in the mood?' Of course not. Think of eating in the same way. Eating fuels your metabolic engine. So it's time to start feeling like eating so that you can stop feeling like you're scrawny.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

GET UP AND MOVE!

If you want to burn fat, research is showing you need to MOVE! The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Missouri-Colombia has found that prolonged periods of sitting reduces lipase, an enzyme in your body that is essential in the process of burning stubborn body fat.

See below for details of the study and how you make sure your body is burning fat all day! THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WITH A DESK JOB - EVEN IF YOU EXERCISE REGULARLY!

~Laura


Source: www.naturalnews.com
Excerpt from: Prolonged Sitting Turns Off Fat-Burning Enzyme
Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008 by: David Gutierrez

Researchers injected rats and pigs with a small amount of radioactive fat, then traced where that fat went in their bodies. Among animals that were kept stationary, the fat was removed from the blood vessels in the muscles and instead stored in adipose tissue in places such as the kidneys. Unlike fat in the blood vessels of muscles, fat in adipose tissue is not easily burned.

The researchers also found that after animals were kept stationary for several hours, an enzyme called lipase "was suppressed down to 10 percent of normal," according to lead researcher Marc Hamilton. "It's just virtually shut off."

Lipase is critical to the body's ability to split apart and break down fat.

The researchers then followed up with a study on human participants. They found that when humans were sitting, activity of lipase was suppressed. This led to raised levels of HDL ("bad") cholesterol, reduction in metabolism and increased retention of fat.

According to the researchers, the new findings suggest that merely exercising more is not enough to lose weight among people who spend most of their day seated, such as in an office. Nor does using the arms at a computer or video game console provide enough activity to keep lipase active. According to Hamilton, it is essential to actually stand up and move around.

Nutrition Tip of the Week #8

Fabulous Fiber:

• curbs appetite by making you feel fuller, longer
  
• helps lower cholesterol
• reduces risk of chronic diseases
• can control blood sugar levels
  
• contributes to colon and digestive health
  

Dr. Berardi tells you how much fiber you need and how easy it is to get in Tip #8!

~Laura

Tip #8
Fiber Facts
by Dr. John Berardi

Shoot for about 40-50g of mixed fiber per day, but no more. The absolute lower limit is 20g per day. Your main fiber sources should be (in order of importance): vegetables, beans, nuts, fruit, and grains (like oatmeal). If you eat 1 oz of mixed nuts, 1 apple, 2 cups of kidney beans, and 2 cups of mixed vegetables each day, you'll be getting 41g of fiber. Also, a small amount of supplemental fiber is okay. You can get soluble fiber from psyllium, guar gum, and apple pectin, and insoluble fiber from flax seeds.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

FREE Fat Burning Workout!

Click HERE to download a free sample fat burning workout from Turbulence Training! This is an actual workout from the same program I've used to say "bye bye" to body fat!

This pdf gives you:
- sample workout requiring minimal equipment
- detailed descriptions and photos of each exercise
- chart to track your weekly progress
- information about the Turbulence Training program and links to website
Questions? For videos demonstrating super sets and interval training click HERE.

Give this sample workout a spin. I know you'll love Turbulence Training as much as I do!

~Laura