Archive for Tips for Success
Water & Weight Loss
Posted by: | CommentsQUESTION:
I’ve heard that water is necessary for weight loss and that I should drink as much as possible to help me in my weight loss efforts. Is this true?
ANSWER:
There is some confusion surrounding the importance of water as it relates to weight loss. Unfortunately, more research is needed to clarify the issue. However, studies have clearly shown the importance of water in many other aspects, including some that are indirectly related to weight loss. Let’s review what we do know:
- To function at its best, the body needs to be well-hydrated. Our bodies are largely composed of water – about 55-60% of body weight. It helps with many tasks including
temperature regulation, cardiovascular function, waste product removal and metabolism. - Although the body is efficient at regulating fluids, regular fluid intake (through food or drink) is required to keep the body hydrated. We lose fluid through respiration (breathing), sweating, and feces & urine. The result is a total body water turnover of approximately 5-10% per day. Luckily, our bodies are very good at compensating for normal fluctuations in fluid intake by either diluting or concentrating urine. However, sooner or later, water losses need to be replaced by fluid intake.
- Exercise is a hydration stressor. Due to water loss through sweat, dehydration can set in quickly during prolonged exercise – especially in hot and humid environments. The effects of dehydration are many and include decreased physical performance, cardiovascular stress, fatigue, depressed mental function, and heat illness. Increased perceptions of fatigue during exercise reduces your tolerance for exercise – and therefore your ability to burn more calories. (See Exercise & Avoiding Dehydration.) In addition, even small amounts of dehydration have been shown to cause general fatigue, which may affect your desire to even start an exercise session.
- The extreme opposite of dehydration can cause problems too. Ingesting large amounts of water without other added content (such as electrolytes, sugar, vitamins, etc.) can result in a medical complication known as hyponatremia. When too much plain water is ingested, large amounts of electrolytes (especially sodium) are transported from the blood and tissues into the small intestine, resulting in a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.
- A small study has indicated that metabolic rate increases following water consumption by as much as 30% and is sustained for over an hour.1 The mechanism of the increased calorie burn is thought to be a combination of the energy needed to heat the ingested water and additional unknown factors. The long-term effect of increased water consumption and weight loss has not been studied.
- Research has shown that cell hydration influences metabolism. However, changes in reactions at the cellular level cannot necessarily be extrapolated to whole body calorie balance. More research needs to be done to reveal whether extreme changes (either dehydration or optimal hydration) can actually influence the whole body’s caloric expenditure and/or fat loss.
- Contrary to popular belief, water intake before or with meals has not been shown to decrease the number of calories consumed during meals.2,3 However, it is interesting to note that when foods with high water content (such as soup) are consumed prior to meal, subsequent caloric intake at the meal is decreased.
In summary, the direct link between water intake and weight loss is not clear and should not be the main reason for your hydration efforts. However, the importance of hydration to your health is very clear and hydration efforts are well worth your time. Maintaining optimal hydration levels enhances your vitality and ability to exercise, thereby increasing caloric expenditure. Although there may be caloric expenditures associated with water intake, the added benefit is small compared to the caloric cost of exercise. Given the rare but potential danger of excessive water intake, keep your water intake within the recommended daily water intake.
Read more at myfooddiary.com
1 Water Induced Thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:6015-6019, 2003.
2 Water Incorporated Into a Food But Not Served With A Food Decreases Energy Intake In Lean Women. Am J Clin Nutr 70:448-455, 1999.
3 Does the Consumption of Caloric and Non-Caloric Beverages With A Meal Affect Energy Density? Appetite 44:187-193, 2005.
How Perfectionism Can Hinder Your Weight Loss
Posted by: | CommentsThere is nothing wrong with dedication and self-discipline, especially when it comes to weight loss. Be sure, though, that you aren’t being too hard on yourself whenever an obstacle comes along or when you make a mistake. No one ever approaches a diet, a workout or a lifestyle change in an absolutely perfect manner. And on that note, no one’s efforts ever result in a 100% perfect body.
Stick to your plan. Hold yourself accountable. Do all that you can. But don’t be hard on yourself whenever things fall short of perfection. Here are a few tips to remember:
- Perfectionism can cause you to hesitate. If your doubts are keeping you from acting upon your weight loss plan, you will never be able to benefit from it. Sometimes you just have to begin the process and refine it as you go.
- Perfectionism can lead to giving up. Unreasonably high expectations can create the perspective that if you cannot reach certain goals in a particular way or time, you may as well not try at all.
- Perfectionism can cause you to focus on the negative. Over the course of your weight loss, you will likely experience numerous accomplishments on a small scale. However, if you focus on the mistakes you’ve made, you will only see failure where there are actually small incremental successes.
Five Ways to Keep Perfectionism From Sabotaging Your Weight Loss
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If you’ve identified an inner perfectionist, here are five strategies for getting it out of your way before it sabotages your weight loss plan or triggers emotional eating.
1. Separate yourself from your perfectionist. YOU are not your perfectionist. However, if you’ve been applying all-or-nothing standards for a long time, you might feel like you are. Spend some time stepping back and observing your behavior. Get familiar with the perfectionistic thinking. Notice where it comes up and what the consequences are when it does.
2. Label it. Start thinking about “that unhelpful inner perfectionist” or whatever name you want to give this way of thinking that gets in your way. Acknowledge it to yourself whenever you see it—“there goes that unhelpful perfectionistic thinking again.” This is different than “I’M doing it again.” Remind yourself of tip number one. Your inner perfectionist is an it and is NOT you. It’s simply a way of thinking–which you can change.
3. Make a list of all the ways that your inner perfectionist is not helpful or the examples of how your perfectionist has made or can make things worse. Don’t forget to include the guilt and shame that usually comes with listening to an inner perfectionist (because we never measure up).
4. Create an alternate mantra. Come up with a short, sweet message that you can use when the perfectionistic thinking chimes in with “you screwed up” or “you failed” or “now you blew it.” This must be a message you believe to be true. It may be as simple as “nobody’s perfect” or “trying to be perfect is not helpful to me.”
5. Give yourself permission to encounter your perfectionist over and over. Don’t fall into a trap of expecting to be perfect in vanquishing your inner perfectionist. You’ll have success—sometimes—and sometimes you won’t feel so successful. But over time and practice, it gets easier. Really.
Read the Full Story at empowerher.com
Perfectionism and Weight Loss
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Recently the American Society of Bariatric Physicians included an article on perfectionism in their July/August newsletter. The article, written by Dr. John Sklare, stated that perfectionism is the third most common psychological issue interfering with weight loss and maintenance. He also found that 51% of overweight individuals have a serious problem with this.
There are a few questions that he would like you to ask yourself:
- Do you feel that once you cheat – your diet is over?
- Do you believe that dieting means that you can never eat foods you like ever again?
- Do you allow yourself any wiggle room when trying to eat healthier?
- And finally, do you equate a minor slip with complete failure?
Dr. John Sclare has found that a perfectionist brings an unrealistic attitude towards weight management, expecting the impossible and having the “all or nothing” mentality. The perfectionist only has to vary very slightly from their program to abandon their entire effort.
At some point or another, I’m sure that most of us have given in to a moment of weakness and eaten something that we feel has been “off limits”. Unfortunately, once we have eaten it and deviated from our program we feel like failures and so we decide that we may as well eat “whatever we want”. This behavior can doom us to failure and according to research, can result in problems such as:
- Poor self-esteem
- Guilty feelings
- Pessimism about the future
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive behavior
- Low motivation
- An a Lack of self-belief
So, what can we do to have a more realistic and flexible approach?
- Firstly, we must set realistic goals
- Secondly, we have to change the way we think by challenging our irrational belief system
- And finally, we have to be prepared for minor slips. Dr. John Sklare recommends we do this by putting together a diet emergency kit. This kit would include a list of a days’ worth of healthy meals and snacks and all their ingredients. He suggests that if we slip we go to our emergency kit and follow the meal plan that we have put together, for the next 24 hours.
Relapse? Time to Reevaluate Your Weight Loss Approach
Posted by: | CommentsWhile working to lose weight, even the most strong-willed of us can fall into the trap of relapsing every once in a while. Falling back into an old routine can be troubling for one’s self image and can make it seem tempting to simply give up. It is important to bear in mind, however, that this is a very common problem which can be overcome. A relapse is absolutely no cause for quitting, yet it may be necessary to reevaluate some of the aspects of your weight loss approach.
Follow these steps to get back on track:
- Evaluate the cause of your relapse. Has a schedule change made it difficult to workout, or has a new source of stress led you to snack more often? You may not be able to prevent the changes in your life, but changing your eating plans and workout routines around them is much easier once the changes have been identified.
- Take body measurements instead of relying on the scale alone. Your weight number can fluctuate due to water weight and added muscle (muscle weighs more than fat). That is why it helps to keep track of body measurements—you may find that you are making progress after all.
- Seek support from those you can trust. Find someone close to you who can provide encouragement and keep you accountable as you return to your weight loss routine. You may also find it helpful to participate in a weight loss support group.
- Don’t forget to acknowledge the smaller goals. If you focus on your long-term goals too much, the time it takes to reach them can seem discouraging. Instead, pay attention to the short-term goals as they happen: workouts getting easier, clothes fitter better, etc.
- Add some variety to your efforts. Try adding some new healthy foods to your diet to motivate more interest in your meal plans. You should also consider trying different exercises, not just to prevent boredom, but also to prevent your body from becoming to accustomed to the same workouts.
It’s a great idea to get in touch with people who understand what you’re going through. Sign up today to attend a support group meeting at the Center for Metabolic Health.
3 Strategies to Prevent Relapse After Reaching Your Goal Weight
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When it comes right down to it, the “secret” to keeping the weight you’ve lost off is really very simple: Don’t stop doing the things that helped you take it off in the first place.
Obviously, you’ll need to make some small changes in your eating and exercise so that you’re achieving energy balance (to maintain weight) instead of creating a calorie deficit (to lose weight). But other than that, the key to successful weight maintenance is maintaining the healthy practices that got you to this point.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always as easy or simple as it sounds. Old habits really do die hard. If you struggled with obesity for a long time, or if you lost weight by following some diet plan that you can’t stick with safely or easily, you can’t assume it’s going to be easy to continue eating and exercising in a healthy way now that the weight’s off. Just stopping your healthy lifestyle and going back to “business as usual” will put you on the fast track back to your original weight, and maybe with a few extra pounds.
Even if you’ve taken the gradual “lifestyle change” approach advocated by SparkPeople, you’re likely to find yourself facing a new set of challenges as you shift gears into maintenance mode. Being aware of and prepared for these challenges can make it a lot easier to meet them successfully. So let’s take a look at some of the strategies and approaches of people who have lost weight and kept it off.
Read the full story at sparkpeople.com.
Recovering From a Relapse
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Have you ever started a weight loss program and progressed with great results until that one day arrives when everything just seems to fall apart? Somewhere along the way you probably experienced small deviations………little slip-ups or mistakes. When enough of those small lapses have occurred you will find an old problem returning, yes, you are heading for a relapse!
A relapse can occur at any time during weight loss, stabilization or maintenance. Life changes such as moving, getting an injury or starting school can trigger a relapse. This behavior change can occur to anyone at any time and I’m here to tell you that a relapse is inevitable.
Now that we know what a relapse is……..how can we stop it from occurring?
- Firstly, make sure that you have a good support system in place. Family and group involvement will give you social interaction and a sense of them being involved in your efforts.
- Learn to recover or just avoid that first slip. Most people cannot handle “just one”. I have known some people to carry an index card around with them that states their reason for commitment as a constant reminder. This index card can also contain emergency contact information (that is, people that you can call when you need support) and actions to take in order to avoid a slip.
- Learn to be assertive. Be straight forward with your thoughts, feelings and beliefs.
- Take on responsibility for your own behaviors, schedules and priorities.
- It is really important to identify and prepare for high-risk situations. If you recognize the situation, mentally prepare ahead of time.
- Use specific skills or techniques for coping with difficult situations such as positive self-talk, exercise, meditation and relaxation.
- How many of us run into the problem of tunnel vision—–you know——–where we focus all our attention on the temptation at hand? Try not to focus on such things as eating, drinking and not exercising. Focus instead on the things to be gained from losing weight and the personal costs for not losing weight.
If with all of your best efforts you still find yourself relapsing, here are a few suggestions to help you get started again:
- Re-visit your weight loss goals and renew your weight management commitment.
- Review your exercise program.
- Journal! One of the most powerful tools for changing eating behavior is to write down what you eat and the circumstances that lead to the eating.
- Finally, find that support person that you respect and trust.
Important Tips to Remember When Walking Alone
Posted by: | CommentsWalking is terrific exercise and can be a significant factor in your weight loss regimen. Walking is relatively low impact, increases your heart rate and burns fat. And while walking with a partner or in a group is the safest choice, it may not always be convenient to fit others into your regular routine. Here are a few things to think about in preparation for your next solo walk:
- The weather. Before heading out, check today’s forecast to ensure that you’re ready for the conditions. Will the chill require you to dress in layers, or will the summer sun call for putting on sunscreen? In extreme weather—whether it’s very hot, very cold or potentially stormy—you may want to opt for an indoor exercise for that day instead.
- The time of day. This can go hand-in-hand with the weather of course; certain conditions could be worse at different times of day. But it also pertains to the danger that exists when it is dark out or when traffic is heavy. If you walk at night or early morning, make sure street lights are present along your path.
- The location. Take the area you walk through into account. Is there a high occurrence of crime? Does it require you to cross busy roads? If you are unfamiliar with an area, it may be preferable to avoid while walking alone.
- The things you carry. Equipping yourself for a stroll doesn’t stop at comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothes. It is also a good idea to carry a water bottle to avoid dehydration and to keep a cell phone on hand in case of emergencies.
Don’t go it alone all the time. If you’d like to find out more about patient support with CMHVA, click here.
10 Reasons to Walk Alone
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What’s so bad about walking alone? Here are reasons I sometimes enjoy walking alone.
1. Pace: It’s impossible to really go your own pace when walking with somebody else. Larry Longlegs or Suzy Shortlegs can be a pain to try to match pace with.
2. Getting together: It is hard to find a partner who is ready to walk when you are. Maybe I prefer mornings or after work or lunchtime, but any willing partner has an opposite preference. It gets expensive posting classified ads looking not for love but for a walking partner.
3. Early, late, or never: So you make a date to walk with a partner — and he shows up late, or doesn’t show up. Your schedule gets blown and you don’t get in the walking you planned to do. Sally Stressedout always arrives 15 minutes late with some heartbreaking excuse, expecting sympathy, while you’ve been getting in your walking pacing the floor.
4. The need for speed: I want to build speed, but my walking partners don’t want to racewalk. Or it may be a downer day and my walking partners have turned into racehorses. Ruthie Roadrunner or Sam Slug leave you in the dust or hold you back.
5. Tough enough: I want to do some hills but my walking partner whines the whole way up or down, dreads the next hill, etc. Or maybe it’s me doing the whining because my planned easy walk has turned into an Everest expedition. Wind, rain, sun, bugs, hills, dust, gravel, traffic are part of the walking experience — get over it.
6. Going the distance: I want to build distance to prepare for a long event, but my partners never want to do more than 10K. Not a problem — unless you’ve carpooled to where you plan to walk. Or the look they give you when you say you need to go another 5K and will do it alone.
7. Event choices: I want to enter a charity walk but my partner thinks it is too expensive or too crowded. There is a great walking event held an hour away, but my walking partner has chores to do and just wants to walk the neighborhood….again.
8. Chatter: Maybe I don’t feel like talking, or like listening. It gets embarrassing if you “zone out” and then realize they are asking you for an opinion or advice on the tale you weren’t really listening to. When doing a faster walk or hills, I usually don’t feel like talking, I feel like breathing.
9. Misery doesn’t always love company: On long distance events or speed events, I don’t want company, I am concentrating on my own form, my own endurance, my own needs. I don’t need anybody else’s misery intruding on my own.
10. Eat, drink, and restroom: With a partner, deciding when and where to take a restroom break, drink, eat a snack or stop for a celebration meal on the way home becomes a matter of negotiation.
For more of this article on walking alone, click here.
If you’d like more information on the various programs offered at Center for Metabolic Health come visit us at our website. We understand your commitment to meeting your weight loss goals and we’re here to help.
SAFETY TIPS FOR WALKING ON YOUR OWN
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Most of you already know the benefits of walking and strap on your pedometer so that you can count your steps and see how many miles you have accumulated. Here at CMH we strongly believe in walking and using your pedometer. However, we want you to be safe when taking your daily stroll. So, here are a few safety tips for those of you that walk alone:
- Always try to walk with a partner when you can.
- Stick to familiar neighborhoods with plenty of activity.
- Know your route. While traveling, check with the hotel desk for safe walking routes.
- Let a friend know your route and estimated walking time. If there is no one to tell, leave a note inside your home in a visible place.
- Varying your route prevents boredom and promotes safety. Never let your route become predictable to others.
- Try to walk in the daylight. Remember, the darkness before sunrise can harbor the same dangers in the dark, choose a well-lit path and wear reflective clothing so you are visible to motorists.
- If you feel that you are being followed by a motor vehicle, turn around and walk the other way, remaining on the same side of the road.
- Walk in the middle of sidewalks rather than close to alleyways, buildings or parked cars.
- Never wear expensive jewelry or carry valuables when walking.
- Observe your environment without distractions. Keep your I-pod on low volume or on one ear only.
- Trust your instinct when it tells you something feels unsafe. Turn around, cross the street, or go for help.
- Stay alert, aware and in control. Radiate confidence and purpose.
- Finally, always carry identification and some money in case of emergencies.
Remember that there are 2,000 steps to a mile and it is recommended that we work up to 10,000 steps each week. That is equivalent to 5 miles. So, get out there and walk. Build up your steps gradually, and most importantly, stay safe.
