Debunking The Myth Of Eating Less To Lose Weight

One of the biggest myths about losing weight is the idea that you need to eat less in order to shed pounds. New studies have shown that this is simply not the case. As a matter of fact, it’s just the opposite. Let us take a look at why you need to eat if you want to lose weight.

The Scientific Benefits of Breakfast

People who eat breakfast on a daily basis tend to lose weight easier. The National Weight Control Registry performed a study that showed people who eat breakfast have a better chance of maintaining a 30-pound, or more, weight loss for at least a year. Studies in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed similar results.

Another research group analyzed government data on over 4,000 adults and found those who ate a regular breakfast tended to take in fewer calories during the day and had a lower fat intake. They also noted that regular breakfast eaters were more likely to engage in routine exercise.

Eating breakfast also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. She states; “When you don’t eat breakfast, you’re actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you’re not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight.” In fact, sumo wrestlers do not eat until late in the day for the sole purpose of gaining weight. If you do not eat breakfast, you are actually following the sumo wrestler diet. Now, that is a scary thought.

Keep Your Metabolism Going All Day

With the right mechanisms in place, your body will naturally burn fat. However, what are the right mechanisms? That is your job; to find your body’s balance between energy consumed and energy burned. Metabolism is the name of the game. When you eat healthy small meals, starting early in the morning, your metabolism is set in full swing, mobilizing and converting fat stores into energy.

When you eat breakfast along with regular snacks and small meals throughout the day, your body gets the nutrition it needs and goes to work, breaking down your food into energy. If you wait until you’re starving before you eat anything, that gnawing feeling in your stomach is telling you something. Your body will start by robbing your muscle tissue of anything it needs first, like protein, then it will store fat because it thinks it’s in famine mode. By eating early and often, not only are you protecting the muscle that supports your frame and allows you to walk, sit, and stand, but you are also keeping your metabolism going so it works all day to give you energy.

Simple Weight Loss Tips to Get You Started:

Eat slowly. It takes twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full. Do not eat and run. You will be looking for your next meal way before you need it.

Pick out foods you need to chew. Try apples, whole grain hearty breads, celery, and other raw vegetables. These foods will slow down your eating and satisfy your chewing instinct. Raw nuts are another option. Just be sure to monitor the serving sizes as you snack.

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of cold water per day. This helps to feel full and as your body works to raise the temperature of the water, you are burning calories. Keep bottles of water filled in the refrigerator and sip, sip, sip.

Eating oranges is much more satisfying than just drinking the juice. Keep this thought when choosing other fruits and vegetables. Consuming whole fruits and vegetables is much more satisfying.

Have a healthy snack before you start cooking dinner. This will help with overeating while preparing the meal, and after. Munching on celery is the perfect way to keep you satisfied while cooking.

If you need a sweet treat, just remember that frozen yogurt, angel food cake, and sherbet are all low fat. Low carb diets are low sugar diets, which often forbid fruit. In this case, one tiny piece of dark chocolate may be an option. This may leave you satisfied without all the sugar or carbs. You have to experiment to find the right treat for your sweet tooth that fits your meal plan.

The less you eat, the more your body protects itself and begins to go into starvation mode, holding on to more food, storing it as fat and robbing your muscles of nutrients. Make sure you eat a good breakfast to start your day right. Then, keep your metabolism working throughout the day with small meals and healthy snacks.

Stop starving yourself so your body can relax and start to lose that weight. Adding foods instead of subtracting foods, sounds odd & It’s so crazy it might just work.

The South Beach Diet

I am reviewing different weight loss programs in an effort to keep my program interesting. I am taking two Body by Vi shakes daily and then having a healthy meal in the evening. For tonight’s meal I chose from the South Beach Diet:

Grilled Salmon
Edamame Salad
Baked Tomatoes With Basil and Parmesan
Mixed Field Greens Salad

The South Beach Diet is the brainchild of Dr. Arthur Agatston, MD, a cardiologist. In essence it’s a low carb diet, although it’s more moderate in its approach than our previous two diets. There are, however, still a few basic issues constantly under debate.

Dr. Agatston reasons that most people who are overweight don’t only eat the wrong foods, but they also eat portions that are out of proportion to their bodies’ needs. As such, the South Beach Diet teaches you not only to eat the right foods, but also to eat in moderation.

During the initial phase lasting around two weeks, there is a marked shift towards consuming fewer carbohydrates and more protein. You are taught how to control your cravings, and how to eat smaller portions. The carbohydrate portion of your diet is also drastically limited.

Once your body has adapted to the changes and your digestive system and metabolism perform as they should, a number of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grain products, are introduced as well. This then allows you to consume a more balanced diet. During this phase your body’s functioning is restored to what it should be.

The last phase involves permanently adapting to your new way of eating, and sticking to it for the rest of your life. Once you have adapted to the new eating habits and are motivated by what you have achieved, holding to this new “normal” should theoretically be easy.

In reality, though, there are a few problems you may have with the South Beach Diet program. First of all, the eating plan is very strict. As such, you will probably be cutting out a number of foods that you really love, and some of these might have to disappear from your life altogether. For that reason alone, many people find it difficult to stay on this diet without cheating from time to time.

Additionally, the diet itself is somewhat complex, with a bit of a learning curve involved. Most people – in our modern day and age – lead busy lives, and don’t have the time or patience to decipher what they should or should not do when it comes to eating.

As a result the details tend to get lost in the rush, and the diet is often – due to a lack of knowledge – discarded as not being efficient, or not producing the desired results.

Additionally, there is also still much debate going on around the issue of creating a condition of ketosis (which occurs when you suddenly remove all sugar from your diet), and the medical dangers associated with it – especially for those who are not perfectly healthy to begin with.

Visit the South Beach website for more creative ideas @ http://www.southbeachdiet.com/sbd/publicsite/south-beach-diet-recipes.aspx

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a calculation that is based on your height and weight to determine if you are underweight, an ideal weight, overweight, or obese. The test is an indication of the total body fat that you are carrying around. The number ranges are fairly accurate but there are some circumstances when the calculations may not be 100% true. As these results are purely based on numbers, you should take the number you are given and discuss other contributing factors with your doctor (such as muscle weight or body type considerations).

A BMI of 30 or over is considered obese. The higher end of the scale for overweight people (25 – 29.9) and people that fall into the obese category are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Other danger indicators are waist circumferences. If you are a man and your waist measures 40 inches or more and if you are a woman and your waist measures 35 inches or more, there is an increased abdominal fat risk factor for diabetes and other diseases.

Maintaining a healthy BMI is all about being at a weight that is right for your height and body type. Both of these goals will bring many more benefits than just better controlled blood glucose levels. You will also have increased energy, can reduce the amount of insulin you are on, and give yourself a longer life expectancy.

Reduce your total body fat to bring your BMI into a healthy range (18.5-24.9). Consult your doctor and get advice on how to meet your goals. And if you are just starting an exercise routine, get the okay from your doctor first. You do not want to overtax yourself at the beginning and your doctor may have some restrictions for you to ensure you do not suffer from injury or hypoglycemia.