Saturday, August 02, 2008

Weekends Make Us Stronger

It is a known fact that weekends are not our friend when it comes to weight loss. Nope. They call to us like the devil. Inviting us to indulge when we would ordinarily not. Why is that? I found a study that supports this nifty fact.

“Weekend indulgences can wreak havoc on weight control, either causing our weight to increase or if we are following a diet to lose weight, can hinder our weight loss efforts,” said study author Susan Racette, an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The research was published online recently in the journal Obesity.

Racette and her colleagues followed 48 men and women for a year, trying to determine the effects of weekends on weight loss efforts.

They assigned the participants, who ranged from being healthy weight to being nearly obese, to one of three groups: The controls did not change diet or activity levels; the calorie-restriction group reduced intake by 20 percent, and the physical activity group increased physical activity every day by 20 percent. Participants kept food diaries and wore devices to measure activity.

But even before the intervention started, Racette gathered data—on daily weight, food intake and physical activity—and found that the weekends were for indulging.

“At baseline, before they were supposed to be following a diet or exercise plan, we found on weekends, people gained weight,” she said. During the week, the weight would decline. But the weekend effect was strong. “If you translate it out to a year, it could have increased weight by 9 pounds.”

Before the intervention, participants ate an average of 2,257 calories on Saturday compared to just 2,021 during the week. But the average activity on weekends overall didn’t differ much from average weekday activities. So, it was the food, not the lack of activity, that was to blame, Racette said.

Racette monitored the participants for a year after they started the intervention, and the weekend indulgences continued. The calorie restriction group stopped losing weight on weekends, while the physical activity group gained slightly (about .17 pounds). There were not significant weight changes in the controls on weekends.

What do you do to keep from packing on the weekend poundage? Try these tips for a poundage free weekend:

• Eat within an hour of getting up. Then space the remainder of your meals every three to four hours. You won’t be so famished and tempted to overeat.
• Eat more fruits, whole grains and vegetable early in the day; they will make you feel fuller longer.
• When you dine out, make a deal with someone to split the entrée so you will control portion sizes. Limit or skip bread with meals so you can enjoy dessert.
• Alternate an alcoholic drink with a nonalcoholic beverage or calorie-free drink to reduce calories.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Vinegar does what?

Using a salad dressing to steady your blood sugar? Alas, this Queenie is left standing here with her jaw agape. It is apparently true.

Vinegar, that smelly yet oh so needed for the good vinaigrettes and marinades stuff may help clamp down on blood sugar spikes from eating starchy carbs like potatoes and pasta.

Keeping your blood sugar level may also help you to ward off diabetes in the long run. Stabilizing blood sugar can do good things instantly, too—like curbing hunger pangs, keeping your energy up, and keeping pounds off. To get the blood sugar benefit of vinegar, try pairing starchy foods with vinegar-based sauces or dressings. Or start a meal with a salad dressed in oil and vinegar. For a veg gal like me, no problemo with that one.

Of course, a shot of vinegar will only go so far when it comes to keeping your blood sugar steady. To really ward off blood sugar problems, you’ll need to do more than just eat a yummy salad.

• Exercise so your body uses blood sugar better. A brisk 15 walk once a day will energize and relax you AND fight off diabetes. How is that for beneficial?
• Load up on low-glycemic-index foods that help keep blood sugar stable. We’re talking high-fiber fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
• Slim down. Maintaining a healthy weight helps reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

And you thought it was just good for windows.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Yolk on Eggs

As I sat this morning, eating my eggs (yes, I do still eat them on occasion), it got me thinking....How bad are these things for me? There have been some recent studies that have shown eggs to be a viable part of weight loss success in women. There have also been studies that have shown that you should eat the yolks. Some showing that you shouldn’t. It all leaves a Queenie quite confused about eggs.

Did you know that most of an egg’s nutrients are found in the yolk? Take a look at the comparison below to see what you may be missing:

My opinion is that you should consider keeping a few yolks in your egg consumption. Now, the question is whether or not egg substitutes are any better. The thing to know about these products is that they still contain eggs. Egg whites and thickeners. A quarter of a cup of egg substitute is equal to one egg. Most contain no cholesterol nor any fat. A definite plus if you are looking to cut those two things from your diet. Here is the label break down: 1/4 cup egg substitute = 30 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 0g mono fat, 6g protein, 1g carbohydrates, 115mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol.

Pretty much, you need to decide what is the right choice for you. For me, I chose to eat real eggs in their entirety on occasion. I substitute them in my baking and cooking whenever possible with natural products to cut my consumption down. One can never pass up a good veggie omlette.