Weight Loss Archives

3 Reasons You’re Not Seeing Results from Working Out

Written by Kara Hamada - Posted on 10 April 2017

3 Reasons You're Not Seeing Results From Workout Out

You’ve dedicated yourself to getting to the gym on a weekly basis. You set your workout affirmations, planned the days you would go and have never let yourself slip. So why are you still not seeing results at the gym?

This is such a common question. Feeling like you’re not achieving the change you’re working hard for can be frustrating, but often a few shifts in your lifestyle can make a huge difference. Here are three reasons you may not be seeing results at the gym:

1. You Haven’t Kicked Processed Foods

Most personal trainers would tell you that nutrition is over half the battle when it comes to clients not reaching their fitness goals. If you’re working out multiple times a week but still eating processed foods, it’s likely that your body is overloaded with sugars, unhelpful fats, and too many calories in order to make any real changes.

To make the most of your workouts, stick to whole foods whenever possible. Whole foods are items that have been processed or refined as little as possible and are free from additives and other artificial substances. This means lots of veggies, fruits, lean meats, and hydrating drinks such as water, coconut water, and unsweetened almond milk. Practice mindful eating by chewing slowly and focusing on your meal so that you can stop when you feel full.

2. You’ve Plateaued in Your Workout

Your body gets used to a workout if you continually do it. Once a week, add in a class like cycling, yoga, or pilates that is different from your regular workout. This will help ensure that your body and all its muscles are continually being exposed to new movements.

If you practice a lot of aerobic activity, introduce different speeds and inclines to your workouts. This is a great, easy way to change your routine up. Used to jogging? Add in some sprints! Prefer walking? Throw in a steep hill or two and pick up the pace!

If you’re weight lifting, try adding more weight and dropping the number of reps you do. You can also increase your speed by completing the exercises at a faster rate, so long as they can still be controlled.

Introducing your body to new things, such as different weights or varying speeds, can be immensely beneficial for getting over a plateau. When creating a workout plan for yourself, incorporate switching up your exercises at least every 4–8 weeks.

3. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

Beauty rest is so important for a healthy lifestyle. If you’re staying up too late, you may be tired during your workout, which can be detrimental to your overall health goals.

Work on training your body to sleep at a certain time every night. The amount of sleep that is needed differs per person, but here is an easy litmus test; if you’re currently sleeping 6 hours per night but relying on a cup of coffee in the morning, it’s likely you require more sleep than you’re getting. Try weaning yourself off coffee and adding in one or two more hours of sleep a night and see how you feel the next day.

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The BMI Debate: What to Know

Written by Leigh Matthews - Posted on 18 January 2017

The BMI Debate: What to Know

What do a svelte, health-conscious athlete and a sedentary person weighing 200 lbs have in common? A high body mass index (or BMI).

This is no joke; athletes, fitness fanatics and those who are considered overweight or morbidly obese often have a similar BMI. You might find this surprising, but the real surprise should be that we’re still using this method to measure individual health.

The BMI debate rages on, so let’s find out what this calculation really measures and why we should take BMI with a pinch of (low-sodium) salt.

What Is BMI?

BMI was invented way back in the 19th Century by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist. Quetelet wanted to devise a way to measure obesity in a population, and thus the body mass index was born.

The BMI is calculated by taking a person’s weight and comparing it to their height squared. Like this:

A person who is 5’10” and weighs 200 lbs has a BMI of 28.7
A person who is 175 cm tall and weighs 65 kg has a BMI of 21.2.

These measurements put the first individual in the category of “overweight” and the second in the “normal” weight category.

Typically, BMI is classified into four groups:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Problems with the BMI

The measurement fails to account for the degree to which fat, bone mass, and muscle contribute to overall body mass. Bones and muscle are denser than fat, so a person with strong bones and a good amount of muscle mass may have a similar BMI to someone with more porous bones and a high degree of body fat.

The bluntness of this tool has been noted time and again by physicians and others working in public health. BMI can be useful for measuring population health as it is unlikely that a high average BMI can be attributed to an incredibly toned and muscular population with strong bones. When it comes to individuals, however, BMI is largely unhelpful, so why is it so popular?

The easy answer, of course, is that the calculation is relatively simple and easy to figure out.

Confused Logic and the BMI

The BMI is uni-directional. This means that a person with a lot of body fat will probably have a high BMI, but that a person with a high BMI does not necessarily have a lot of body fat. At best, the tool is descriptive of something you probably already know. At worst, it’s thoroughly misleading and lazy.

Again, a high BMI could mean that an individual is overweight or obese. It could also mean that a person is fit and healthy, with plenty of muscle mass, strong bones, and little fat. Conversely, a person could have a low BMI because they are largely sedentary, have low muscle and bone mass, and/or are sick, but have a fairly high proportion of body fat.

Even the best-intentioned health authorities fall prey to the twisted logic of the BMI. The US Centers for Disease Control noted that “the BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people.

So, what can we use instead of BMI as a fairly robust and simple measure of health?

Alternative to the BMI

A better option is waist measurement (because central adiposity is highly correlated with poor health) and your waist to height ratio. Recommended waist sizes are as follows (and will vary for people of European, Asian, Indian, and African-American descent):

No more than 39 or 40 inches for men
No more than 34 or 35 inches for women.

To measure your waist, place a tape measure around the top of your hip bones at your lower back and around to the belly button.

For waist to height ratio, the aim is to have a waist circumference that is less than half of your height (i.e., 0.5). For example: if a person is 177.8 cm tall (around 5’10”), weighs 200 lbs, and has a waist size of 80 cm (around 31.5″) their BMI would be 28.7 and put them at the upper end of the overweight category. However, their waist-to-height ratio would 0.45, which is under the recommended 0.5 ratio.

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4 Simple Steps to Detoxify Your Kitchen

Written by Mark Hyman, MD - Posted on 10 January 2017

4 Simple Steps to Detoxify Your Kitchen Your body is not the only thing that needs a good detox once in awhile. When I mention detoxification, you probably think about something your body does to lose weight, support your liver, and generally feel and look better. Strange as it sounds, your kitchen could also use a good detox!

If you make your kitchen a safe zone, with only foods that nourish rather than harm, then you will automatically make the right choices. If you fill it with crap, you will eat crap, no matter how much willpower you have.

The first step to detoxify your kitchen, then, is not to load it with junk and clear out whatever junk currently is stocking your cupboards. If it’s not there you won’t eat it. It’s that simple.

I’ve created a four-step process to effectively detoxify your kitchen and restock it with healthy foods.

Step 1: Set aside an hour to purge your kitchen

Schedule it into your planner if you need to. This requires some detective work. Read food labels for added sugar and other junk ingredients that don’t belong in a healthy kitchen. Have a big garbage bag ready (better yet, recycle containers if you can) to dump the junk. It might take longer depending on how much hidden junk and toxic ingredients lurk in your cupboard or fridge.

Step 2: Scrutinize labels

Ideally, you’ll replace anything that is questionable with real fresh or whole foods without labels. A fresh avocado or a kiwi doesn’t come with a nutrition facts label, or a bar code or ingredient list. If you decide to keep foods with labels, follow these rules:

Focus on the ingredient list, not the “nutrition facts” that are mostly designed and developed under huge food industry lobby efforts to confuse and confound your efforts to eat healthy.
If you don’t recognize, can’t pronounce it, or it is in Latin or you don’t have it in your cupboard and you wouldn’t use it in a recipe, then don’t use it.
On every ingredient list, note that the most abundant ingredient is listed first. The others follow in descending order by weight.
Be conscious of ingredients that may not be on the list. Some ingredients may be exempt from labels. Get rid of these foods.
Beware of foods with health claims on the label. These claims usually signal a marketing ploy to make you think they’re good for you when they’re really just healthy pretenders. Things like sports beverages, energy bars, and even multigrain breads (which often contain high fructose corn syrup) fall into this category.

Now that you know what to look for, I’ll walk you through the process of determining what can stay and what needs to take a permanent vacation on your kitchen detox.

Step 3: Ditch These Foods

When you detoxify your body, you eliminate harmful toxins. Likewise, when you detoxify your kitchen you’ll want to get rid of any food that contains these harmful ingredients.

1. You probably know obvious sugar culprits, but be aware of hidden sugars that lurk in salad dressings, processed foods, drinks, and even “healthy” foods like cereals and wheat. Sugar goes by many aliases. Just as boys named Andrew often go by Andy or Drew, sugar might be called organic cane juice, honey, agave, maple syrup, cane syrup, or molasses. There are 257 names for sugar, most made from corn with names that you wouldn’t recognize. Look carefully at condiments like salad dressing, barbecue sauce, or ketchup, which are often high-fructose corn syrup traps.

2. Bad fats. Don’t be afraid of fat. Fat doesn’t make you fat, but the wrong fats can wreak serious metabolic havoc. Toss out any highly refined cooking oils such as corn and soy, fried foods you may have stored in your freezer, and margarine or shortening. These have dangerous trans fats that create inflammation. Scour labels for the words “hydrogenated fat” (another phrase for trans fat), which has finally been declared not safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

3. Artificial sweeteners. Throw out food with artificial sweeteners of all kinds (aspartame, NutraSweet, Splenda, sucralose, and sugar alcohols — any word that ends with “ol,” like sorbitol). Stevia may be better than aspartame but only whole plant extract, not Pure Via and Truvia, which are made by Pepsi and Coke and are chemical extracts of stevia. Use it sparingly. A new non-caloric sweetener that comes from monk fruit that is rich in antioxidants can also be used in small amounts. But remember, any sweetener can make you hungry, lower your metabolism, create gas, and store belly fat.

4. Anything with ingredients you can’t pronounce. If you purchase something with a nutrition label, there should be less than five ingredients on it and all things that a third grader would understand like “tomatoes, water, salt.” Focus on the ingredient list, not the “nutrition facts,” which are mostly designed and developed under huge food industry lobby efforts to confuse and confound your efforts to eat healthy.

5. Any potentially questionable food or ingredients. Seemingly safe foods like spices and seasonings can contain autolyzed yeast extract and even high fructose corn syrup that have no place in a healthy kitchen.

Step 4: Stock Up on These

Now that you’ve purged unhealthy foods, you want to replace kitchen cabinets and cupboards with fresh, healthy foods. These are the ones you’ll want to load your kitchen with:

1. Non-starchy veggies are freebies. Eat as many as you like! Limit fruits because they increase your insulin levels. Berries are your best bet. When possible, choose organic, seasonal, and local produce. When you can, avoid the most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables by consulting the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list and instead choose from the “Clean Fifteen” list featuring the least contaminated options. Just make sure you’re buying unseasoned or unsweetened varieties. Also check out your local farmers market or community supported agriculture (CSA).

2. Dry foods. These staple foods usually have a longer shelf life and include raw or lightly roasted nuts and seeds, legumes, quinoa, and gluten-free grains.

3. Herbs, spices, and seasonings. You’ll want to have a range of pantry ingredients, including seasonings and spices, on hand. Buy organic when you can. Because you only use a little of some of these, they tend to last a long time so you get a lot of value from them. Among my favorites include extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut butter, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and seasonings and spices. Just read your labels to ensure they don’t contain hidden sugar, gluten, or other problem additives.

4. Fresh foods. Get in the habit of keeping your fridge and freezer stocked with these items. When selecting beef or meat, choose grass-fed, hormone-free, or organic, whenever possible. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates that all poultry is raised without hormones, so look for the terms “antibiotic free” or “organic” when buying poultry. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s “Meat Eater’s Guide” to choose meat that’s good for you and good for the planet. Optimal protein choices include:

Chicken and turkey breasts
Ground chicken and turkey
Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison (buffalo) meat
Omega-3 enriched eggs
Whole forms of non-GMO soy food, like tofu, tempeh, and gluten-free miso (organic, when possible)
Wild or sustainably farmed, low-mercury seafood like sardines, salmon, herring, flounder, clams, crab, oyster, perch, pollock, shrimp, sole, squid, trout, whitefish etc.). Avoid those fish that are high in mercury such as tuna, swordfish, and Chilean sea bass. Refer to the National Resources Defense Council website to download their wallet guide to choosing the fish lowest in mercury.

Now, you might need some inspiration! It’s easy to just say, I’ll buy tons of veggies and some fruit and healthy meats and fats, but what are you going to do with all of that food?

Well, my new book, Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook not only goes through a step-by-step guide of how to makeover your kitchen, but it features over 175 mouth-watering recipes to help you get healthy and stay healthy. I’ve included breakfast dishes, smoothies, some vegan meals, plenty of options for lunch and dinner, and even desserts! Eating food that is good for you is not about feeling deprived. If you choose the right foods and the right recipes, you can reap the benefits of a healthy style without feeling deprived.

“If you choose to use only one supplement, PGX is the most important” ~ Mark Hyman, MD from his book, Eat Fat, Get Thin

Now you’re all set up for success!

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Muscle Gain and Weight Loss

Written by Leigh Matthews - Posted on 1 March 2016

PGX-blog-Muscle-Gain-and-Weight-Loss-20160302

Have you been faithfully sticking to an exercise regimen fuelled by your weight loss goals, only to find that you’re actually gaining weight? While your instinct may be to feel disheartened, there may be a very good reason behind it – muscle gain!

Weight vs Fat

The important thing to note is that weight and fat are not the same. By toning up and getting stronger you may end up weighing a little more while looking and feeling much healthier. Of course, it’s all too easy to hop on the scale and mark your ‘progress’ by watching your weight drop, but if you’re losing muscle and water weight, this isn’t a cause for celebration.

The weight of our bodies is made up of muscle, ligaments, bones, organs, fat and water. To be healthy, you really don’t want to be losing bone mass, muscle mass or too much water. Instead, focusing on losing a little fat may help support overall good health.*

The Weight of Muscle

It takes consistent exercise and good dietary habits to start burning off excess fat stores. In contrast, we lose water weight rapidly and muscle mass more easily than fat. Sudden drops in weight after beginning an exercise regimen are usually, therefore, an indication of lost muscle and water, while more linear, steady weight loss suggests healthy, sustainable fat loss.

The trouble is, any losses in fat may be counteracted (weight-wise) by enhanced muscle growth, meaning that many people experience an initial drop in weight followed by little, if any, change on the scale, or even a steady increase. This is because the main storage form of fuel in the muscles is glycogen, and each gram of glucose (which is converted to glycogen) requires about three grams of water for storage. With the average person storing more than 1000 grams of glycogen, strong, healthy muscles can make up a significant amount of body weight.

Low Carb Diets

People who go on an intensely low carbohydrate diet do initially lose a lot of weight as this depletes glycogen stores and leads to associated water loss. The problem here, however, is that we need that muscle to stay healthy and to continue exercising. Once the initial euphoria of weight loss wears off, it is actually harder to maintain that trajectory because less muscle mass means we burn energy more slowly and are more likely to gain unhealthy weight. A low carb diet may also adversely affect mood and energy, further complicating healthy habits.

Healthy and Sustainable Fat Loss

To achieve healthy and sustainable fat loss it is essential to properly fuel muscles and to encourage the body to burn off fat stores for energy. This may not, however, translate to weight loss, at least in the short-term. Focus instead on listening to your body and enjoying the feeling of improved muscle strength, mobility and performance.

Mix up some aerobic and non-aerobic exercise that you enjoy – lift light weights, swim, cycle, join a local hiking group, or just play soccer with the kids at the weekend. When you start seeing food as good fuel and develop confidence in your ability to cycle to work, run a mile, clamber up a mountain or even just climb a few sets of stairs, this will feel so much better than checking the scale every morning.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease*

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5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Written by Patience Lister - Posted on 21 December 2015

5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast can fuel your morning, recharge your blood sugar, and help to prevent the mid-morning slump. Studies show that people who eat a healthy breakfast have an easier time managing their weight. However, it’s often hard to think of healthy ideas in the midst of your morning rush. Keep this list handy for five breakfast options that will give your day a healthy kick-start!

1. High Protein Smoothie

With the right ingredients, smoothies make a healthy and filling breakfast that are convenient to eat on the go. Give this smoothie recipe a try one morning for a delicious breakfast drink complete with protein, healthy fat, and fiber.

2. Apple With Cottage Cheese and Walnuts

Combining a fresh, crisp apple with creamy, protein-rich cottage cheese makes an ideal sweet and savory breakfast. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of walnuts for added fiber and the omega-3 fatty acid ALA.

3. Steel Cut Oats With Berries

If you exercise in the morning, steel cut oats make a fantastic pre-workout fuel. Their low glycemic index, along with the healthy balance of carbohydrates and protein, provides a long-lasting source of energy. To boost the fiber content, sprinkle on *SlimStyles® PGX Granules.

4. Protein Pancakes

Swapping out high-flour pancakes for those made with lentils, additional egg whites, or Greek yogurt will rev-up the protein content, and help stave off hunger during a busy morning.

5. Avocado Egg White Wrap

Healthy monounsaturated fats, protein, and fiber; A satisfying breakfast that’s as simple as wrapping sliced avocado and a cooked egg white in a corn tortilla or low carb cabbage leaf.

*Drink additional water (8 FL. oz.) after ingesting PGX®. If you are taking medications, take one hour prior to or two hours after taking PGX®.

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Why You Crave Sugar

Written by Leigh Matthews - Posted on 2 December 2015

Why You Crave Sugar

Practically everybody knows that sugar is bad for our health, so why is it such a challenge to give it up? What is it that makes many of us crave sugar so relentlessly, and how can we conquer those cravings? A wealth of research suggests four considerations that may affect sugar cravings:

Stress
PMS or Menopause
Microbial imbalance in the gut
Thyroid health

These issues can all overlap, feed each other and make sugar cravings that much harder to overcome.

1. Stress

Someone who has a diet high in sugar typically has a higher risk of occasional sleep problems, erratic energy levels, and less concentration. This can make it harder to get through essential tasks and to manage emotions. This then leads to stress, which can prompt sugar cravings, and so on. It’s a cycle that’s all too easy to get stuck in.

According to a study published in the journal Appetite, 77% of women who had high levels of stress reported sugar cravings, compared to just 31% of women who were relaxed. The women who felt stressed also had significantly larger waists and higher levels of leptin, a hormone involved in appetite control.

For some people, finding new ways to relax or allotting for sufficient downtime in their schedule could be key to conquering their sugar cravings. Taking up a new sport, social activity or simply finding the time to take a bath may be just what you need to skip the sugar.

2. PMS or Menopause

PMS and menopause normal life stages can influence the activity of insulin, making cells more resistant to its effects and thereby increasing the likelihood of sugar cravings. Ensuring a healthy, balanced diet that is high in vitamins (especially B vitamins), minerals and healthy fats and protein from fiber-rich plant foods can support hormone levels and stable energy release, helping to combat sugar cravings. Taking a high-fiber supplement such as PGX* can also help with appetite control by slowing down the release of carbohydrates from food and maintaining a feeling of fullness for longer.

Anyone who is having a hard time cutting back on sugar and who is approaching menopause, or who experience alterations in appetite around the time of their period, may find it helpful to talk to a physician or qualified naturopathic doctor. Other signs of PMS or menopause can include mood swings, changes in libido, occasional lack of sleep and fatigue and hot flushes.

3. Gut Bacteria

A high-fiber diet is also a great way to feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut which, in turn, helps reduce the likelihood of yeast overgrowth. Anyone who has recently taken broad spectrum antibiotics or who is on long-term antibiotic therapy is at a higher risk of dysbiosis, a state of microbial imbalance in the gut, where the blanket eradication of bacteria (good and bad) can lead to an overgrowth of bad bacteria and microbes, like Candida albicans, that cause yeast infections.

An imbalance in gut bacteria has been associated with altered energy metabolism and even alterations in neurotransmitter levels. The microbes in the gut produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin and communicate with the central nervous system through the vagus nerve. Researchers have found that a diet high in processed foods and simple carbohydrates can dramatically reduce biodiversity in the gut, which could have a significant impact on cognitive function and appetite.

A prebiotic diet that includes fibrous foods like asparagus, artichokes and chickpeas can help to feed good bacteria, while a high quality multistrain probiotic formula can replenish lost beneficial bacteria.

4. Thyroid Health

Thyroid health is another consideration where sugar cravings are concerned, and is best addressed with a qualified health practitioner.

In the meantime, it is important to ensure a good intake of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and lean protein from high fiber plant foods, in addition to cutting back on caffeine and sugar and ensuring you get adequate sleep. Eating sugary foods can increase stress on the body and lead to fluctuating energy levels, so avoid these foods and support your thyroid health.

You may find that simply increasing the level of fiber in your diet, staying hydrated, and getting a good night’s sleep make it much easier to keep those cravings at bay.

*Drink additional water (8 fl. oz.) after ingesting PGX®. If you are taking medications, take one hour prior to or two hours after taking PGX®.

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Could Probiotics Help With Weight Loss?

Written by Darcy Smith - Posted on 27 August 2015

Could Probiotics Help With Weight Loss?

In the headlines, probiotics are everywhere these days! While they may not be the answer for all, they can play a vital role in healthy living.

We’ve all got colonies of bacteria in our gut, known as the microbiome. They help us digest food, support overall health, and make certain nutrients. Taking probiotics can boost levels of the beneficial bacteria in our bellies, with positive results for health and well-being. But what role do probiotics play in weight loss?

Probiotics and Weight Loss

Of hundreds of types of bacteria living in our digestive tract, it turns out some of them might make or break your weight loss goals. Researchers are increasingly finding that overweight people have different compositions of gut bacteria than those who can stay at a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy gut flora might just be the key to reaching your optimal size.

Here’s how probiotics may influence weight loss:

Food is absorbed in the digestive tract, and probiotics may help maintain healthy intestinal inflammation, thus improving digestion. Healthy digestion is good news for your weight loss goals.
Certain nutrients that are needed for a healthy metabolism (turning calories from carbs, fat, and protein into energy) are produced by beneficial gut bugs.
Probiotics can keep your intestines from absorbing too much excess fat. However, eating small amounts of healthy fats in moderation is preferable to overeating and relying on probiotics!
Sugary, fatty foods – the same foods that lead to weight gain – promote the growth of bad bacteria. Researchers can’t conclusively say whether bad bacteria promote weight gain, but there’s a correlation between unhealthy eating, bad bacteria, and weight gain.

Tips for a Healthy Weight Loss Program

How does this info help you?

Supplementing with probiotics can help you shift the bacteria living in your digestive tract from the unhealthy ones connected with occasional weight gain to more beneficial strains. One study showed that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus helped women double their weight loss compared to women who took a placebo, and they were able to sustain the weight loss.

Work a probiotic formula that contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus into your weight loss program.
Add probiotic-rich foods to your diet, such as unpasteurized sauerkraut, kefir, or yogurt. If you’re choosing yogurt, make sure the package tells you how many live cells are in the yogurt.
Be sure to eat lots of veggies to up your intake of healthy nutrients
Include prebiotics in your diet. Prebiotics such as PGX* feed the good bacteria so that your microbiome will flourish.
Avoid excessive intake of alcohol, sugars, saturated and trans fats, and processed foods.
Get moving! Exercise can promote a healthy microbiome just as much as diet, research shows [1]

Probiotics are a great tool to support your healthy weight loss program!

*Drink additional water (8 fl. oz.) after ingesting PGX®. If you are taking medications, take one hour prior to or two hours after taking PGX®

References:

[1] Kang, S.S., Jeraldo, P.R., Kurti, A., Miller, M.E., Cook, M.D., et al. (2014). Diet and exercise orthogonally alter the gut microbiome and reveal independent associations with anxiety and cognition. Mol Neurodegener, 13;9:36.

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Healthy Fats and Weight Loss

Written by Darcy Smith - Posted on 29 July 2015

Healthy Fats and Weight Loss

Once upon a time, if you wanted to lose weight, you would cut out fatty foods. For decades, we indulged in low-fat yogurt, low-fat cookies, low-fat everything, thinking we’d solved our weight problems. The only trouble? We didn’t lose weight.

The Skinny on Healthy Fats

On the surface, avoiding fat makes sense – what else would make you fat, besides fat? But now that we’ve dug a little deeper into nutrition science, we see the error of our ways. It’s not fat itself that causes us to gain weight; it’s an excess of the wrong kinds of fat (and sugar – but that’s another article). Healthy fats, including monounsaturated fats (or MUFAs), and omega fatty acids, are a vital part of maintaining optimal health and weight. You should aim to get 25-30% of your daily calories from fats – but be sure to opt for the good-for-you fats as much as possible!

6 Healthy Fat-Filled Foods to Support Weight Loss

The following 6 foods contain wholesome fats that can promote a healthy metabolism and, as part of a weight loss program, help you reach your desired weight:

1. Avocados

Ladies who lunch once avoided this rich, creamy fruit in salads, thinking the extra calories would mean extra pounds on the scale. However, the MUFAs found in avocado are a key component in the Mediterranean diet, known for its positive impact on cardiovascular health. Plus, avocados are full of protein, fiber, and an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! Also, they go great with pretty much any meal!

2. Olive Oil

Another source of MUFAs, olive oil is heart healthy and delicious. Most of the fats you eat should be unsaturated, and MUFAs are widely available. Research suggests that MUFAs can even help fight belly fat.

Rather than buying packaged salad dressings, create your own creamy dressings with olive oil, avocado, lemon juice, and a touch of salt.

3. Salmon

This cold water fish is widely cited as the best dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, likely because it’s more appetizing to the average eater than herring, mackerel, and sardines, also sources of omega-3s. Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that promote cardiovascular health and cognitive function. They’re vital to optimal health, and unfortunately, the typical western diet is sadly lacking in them – so make salmon a main course a few times a week!

4. Nuts

Another group of foods vilified by the fat-free movement, nuts are nutritional powerhouses that yes, contain fat, but healthy fat – MUFAs and PUFAs alike. Try walnuts for your fix of omega-6 fatty acids, another type of PUFA that helps promote the body’s natural healthy inflammatory processes. If you’re worried about consuming too many omega-6 fatty acids, make sure you’re complementing with omega-3s from salmon or a supplement. Omega-6s are indeed healthy – when they come from whole food rather than processed sources.

5. Butter

Surprised to see a saturated fat on this list? Saturated fat isn’t all bad – the key is moderation. You’ll be much better off with grass-fed organic butter than hydrogenated margarine, which offers plenty of trans fats, the worst fats out there when it comes to your health. As well, butter is much more stable than vegetable oils when heated, so it’s ideal for anything sautéed or roasted.

6. Seeds

Flax, chia, and hemp seeds provide Vegetarians with a source of omega-3s, which is rare. Just be sure to prep them properly – flaxseeds need to be ground to access the omegas, and chia seeds need to be soaked for a few minutes.

Now that you’ve got the skinny on fat, how will you be switching up your diet to make sure you get more of the fats you need – MUFAs and PUFAs – and less of the ones you don’t?

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Exercising With Infants

Written by Leigh Matthews - Posted on 16 June 2015

Exercising With Infants

The tabloid obsession over celebrities and their post-pregnancy bodies is certainly unhealthy and arguably damaging, but most people do gain and retain weight after having a baby. Always consult with your physician before beginning any fitness program, particularly involving maternal health.

In one recent study, 75% of women had a higher bodyweight a year after giving birth, compared with their pre-pregnancy weight, with almost half (47.4%) retaining more than 10lbs, and almost a quarter (24.2%) retaining more than 20lbs[1].

A timely return to a healthy body-weight after pregnancy is recommended, but how can you exercise when you’re beholden to baby’s needs? Fortunately, many ingenious people looking after newborns have found great ways to exercise with infants.

Baby Biceps

First up, baby bicep curls. Simply prop your baby (securely) in the crook of your arm, and do a regular old bicep curl. Don’t forget to pull a silly face at baby, or blow them a kiss as they get near to your face! Three sets of ten reps a day and you’ll soon have some great guns. What’s more, as baby grows, you’ll have to work harder. It’s the perfect steadily increasing weightlifting program.

Stroller-Guns

To work on those stroller-guns even further, get out and about with baby every day for at least a half-hour walk, preferably with a few hills included in your route. Pushing an increasingly heavy stroller up and down inclines is tough work, and it’s even harder if you have a double stroller with an older child also adding their weight.

Front-Carrier Squats

Front-carrier squats are a great way to tone your abdominal muscles, and are perfect for anyone who had a C-section. To execute front-carrier squats, strap your baby into a front-carrier and stand with your feet just a little wider than shoulder width. Take a breath and lower your body as if sitting in a chair, while keeping your back straight and belly pulled in. Breathe out and return to your starting position. Do three sets of ten reps.

Baby Hips

Many people find that even if they lose their pregnancy weight they are still a waist-size higher than before pregnancy. This is because the hips typically widen during pregnancy in order to make childbirth easier. Doing side leg-lifts can help to tone up your lower body, and these can also be done with baby in a front-carrier.

To execute side leg-lifts, stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands on your waist or supporting baby, and transfer your weight to your right leg before lifting your left leg out to the side slowly. Hold for half a second and return to your starting position. Do two sets of ten leg lifts on each side.

Superman!

Every kid dreams of flying, so why not start them out early with this great exercise. Lying on your back with baby resting on your belly, slowly lift them above you until your arms are fully extended, hold the position for a second or two, and then slowly bring them back down to rest. Do three sets of five reps a day, complete with flying noises while baby soars above you.

Baby Yoga

If a home workout isn’t quite cutting it, take a look at your local community centre, ask your midwife or doula, or get recommendations from friends for baby yoga classes. Some yoga studios offer a dedicated class for new parents who need to bring baby with them, while others have classes that involve both you and your baby. Child pose should be a breeze for your little one.

Sling-Swing!

Possibly not for the faint-hearted, and definitely one to do with experienced instructors, sling-swing is a great way to exercise with infants as it keeps baby close while giving you a pretty intense workout. Look for a class near you, and be careful to ensure exercises are age-appropriate. Delicate newborns and high velocity rotation certainly don’t mix. Done right, this kind of gentle, purposeful movement can help put baby right to sleep.

Swim!

One of the easiest ways to exercise with an infant is to enroll them in baby-swimming classes! You get to tread water and work your legs and core while the water supports your weight for reduced impact on your joints, and baby gets to learn a valuable life skill!

Kids and Kegel’s

And, finally, one of the most important types of exercise to do after having a baby is pelvic floor muscle exercise. The strength of these muscles can decrease significantly during pregnancy, causing urinary incontinence and affecting quality of life [2]. This can also make it difficult to return to certain types of exercise, such as running or rebounding, where sudden jolts can cause stress incontinence.

Fortunately, pelvic floor exercise (often referred to as Kegel’s) can be done pretty much anywhere at any time! These exercises are also recommended before and during pregnancy and have been found to significantly improve pelvic floor muscle strength during pregnancy and post-partum. Anyone experiencing urinary problems during or after pregnancy should talk to their health care practitioner.

Is it Safe to Exercise While Breastfeeding?

Some people are reluctant to exercise while breastfeeding because of fears that this might adversely affect milk production and the growth of their baby. In a meta-analysis of four randomised, controlled trials, no detrimental effect was seen in infant growth in those who exercised while breastfeeding [3]. Any increase in demands on the body, from increased exercise and from breastfeeding, warrant extra caution about adequate intake of nutrients, especially omega-3 DHA, which is needed for cognitive development and healthy visual development in infants [4].

Not only does pregnancy weight gain and post-partum weight retention adversely affect maternal health, research has shown a significant association between pregnancy weight gain and the body mass index (BMI) of kids at three years old [5]. Exercising with your infant seems like a pretty great way to get back in shape after childbirth, and to make an early start on building positive associations with exercise for your kids!

References:

[1]Endres, L.K., Straub, H., McKinney, C., Plunkett, B., Minkovitz, C.S., Schetter, C.D., Ramey, S., Wang, C., Hobel, C., Raju, T., Shalowitz, M.U.; Community Child Health Network of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2015). Postpartum weight retention risk factors and relationship to obesity at 1 year. Obstet Gynecol, Jan;125(1):144-52.

[2] Kahyaoglu Sut, H., & Balkanli Kaplan, P. (2015). Effect of pelvic floor muscle exercise on pelvic floor muscle activity and voiding functions during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Neurourol Urodyn, Feb 3. doi: 10.1002/nau.22728. [Epub ahead of print] [3] Daley, A.J., Thomas, A., Cooper, H., Fitzpatrick, H., McDonald, C., Moore, H., Rooney, R., Deeks, J.J. (2012). Maternal exercise and growth in breastfed infants: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pediatrics, Jul;130(1):108-14.

[4] Bourre, J.M. (2007). Dietary omega-3 fatty acids for women. Biomed Pharmacother, Feb-Apr;61(2-3):105-12.

[5] Olson, C.M., Strawderman, M.S., Dennison, B.A. (2009). Maternal weight gain during pregnancy and child weight at age 3 years. Matern Child Health J, Nov;13(6):839-46.

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Why Artificial Sweeteners Are a No-no

Written by Darcy Smith - Posted on 28 April 2015

artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners actually fuel weight gain

Sugar – I can’t resist it, no matter how hard I try. An incurable sweet tooth has sabotaged many of us when it comes to healthy weight loss. While it’s tempting to swap out sugar for low calorie artificial sweeteners to keep that oh-so-irresistible taste, it’s not worth it, promise. Research suggests that artificial sweeteners actually fuel weight gain rather than prevent it.*

Here’s the thing about sweetness: your body uses it to predict how many calories you’re eating. Artificial sweeteners give your body that sweet kick without the corresponding calories, and that throws off the whole relationship between flavor and calories. They only get you halfway there – to your body, it’s like winning the lottery, but never getting any money. This can lead to a few things: increased appetite, weight gain, and reduced metabolism.[1] And just to rub it in, artificial sweeteners encourage sugar cravings and sugar dependence.[2] *

On the other hand, the calorie content in natural sweeteners can actually help keep you from overeating, according to research.[3] Opt for natural sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, raw cane sugar, and fruit juice.

Clearly, artificial sweeteners are off the menu – and there are more reasons than just weight loss to avoid these ingredients. But that doesn’t mean it’s open season on sugar! We’ve all taken a ride on the blood sugar roller coaster before, and sugar highs inevitably lead to sugar crashes. * Not to worry – these sweet solutions will satisfy, the healthy way.

If you’re a cream and two-splendas kinda gal

Switch back to sugar. Yep. Make it raw cane sugar if you like, but even straight up white sugar is better than the artificial stuff. For the more experimental among us, honey goes great with your morning cuppa.

If you can’t get through the day without a diet soda

Craving a sweet drink could mean your blood sugar is out of balance.* Add a protein-rich snack to your mid-morning routine, and skip the soda in favor of an energizing green juice, easy on the fruit.

If you want to sweeten a smoothie

Instead of adding artificial sweeteners, add a date, a pear, or a banana. Include PGX® in your smoothies for a nutrient-rich, fiber-full snack.

If your oatmeal is blah

And let’s face it, that’s just the way oatmeal is. Fiber or no fiber, it needs a little something to help it down. Try dried fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup – a little goes a long way. Maple syrup is still a natural sweetener, but it’s packed with bonus minerals.

If you just need a sweet fix

The conventional wisdom says, eat a piece of fruit. But no one craving a sugary snack wants to hear that. And an apple just won’t cut it, am I right? Try dressing that apple up with peanut butter – but make sure it’s no sugar added. Peanut butter is naturally sweet, plus it’s packed with protein.

But really, you just need a sweet fix

Hey, it happens. And when it does, I always go for a square or two of dark chocolate. Ok, sometimes three. A little indulgence (especially if it’s naturally sweetened!) is a part of any healthy diet.

*Note: Drink additional water (8 fl. oz.) after ingesting PGX. If you are taking medications, take one hour prior to or two hours after taking PGX.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

[1] Swithers, S.E., Davidson, T.L. (2008). A role for sweet taste: Calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 122:1.

[2] Yang, Q. (2010). Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 83(2), 101–108.

[3] Yang, Q. (2010). Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 83(2), 101–108.

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