Posts tagged: Diet Study

Breakfast May Be The Best Meal Of The day

British scientists have found that women who skipped breakfast ate more calories during the rest of the day and also had higher fasting levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol compared with the women in the breakfast-eating group. The researchers found that skipping breakfast could lead to weight gain. So get your metabolism revved up and quell those hunger pangs early. Just make sure breakfast isn’t the famous British “bangers and mash”.

TODAY: EAT A SMALL PROTEIN FILLED BREAKFAST AND TAKE A WALK.

Eat More, Eat Less

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently talked about a team of nutrition researchers that concluded that whether you are eating the “three” or “six” meals daily, weight loss ultimately comes down to “how much energy (or calories) is consumed as opposed to how often or how regularly one eats.”

Okay I’ve talked about this before, It’s the same equation for weight loss and maintenance: Calories “in” = Calories “out”. So this means that eating five or six small meals a day helps us to:

  • Burn more total calories by the end of the day
  • Eat fewer total calories at the end of the day

So keep the “meals” small and frequent.

TODAY: CONTINUE GRAZING THROUGH YOUR DAY.

Walking Slow Is Good Too

Researchers have found out that walking slow can actually burn slightly more calories than mid-speed walking. Evidently when they looked at the motion of your body they found that you are basically stopping and starting with each step and momentum isn’t helping you along. At the other end of the spectrum, at very high walking speeds you use more muscle groups with arm motion and with a long stride. That burns extra calories. Running has lots of up and down motion that may burn more calories lifting your weight up off the ground and moving forward. Of course the aerobic exercise of a quicker pace has many benefits as well.

The big thing is that all walking will benefit your diet. Just do it! (Hey that’s catchy.)

TODAY: TAKE A WALK

Lose Weight In Your Dreams

Studies have shown  that too little sleep during the week might contribute to weekend overeating. Researchers are checking out indications that sleep deprivation might change your metabolism and cause overeating. Subjects who were sleep-deprived showed impaired appetite control and increased hunger. Even glucose levels were impaired. Once the subjects caught up on sleep, things got back to normal.

So catch up on your sleep and rest easy about your diet.

TODAY: DO YOUR STRETCHES BEFORE A GOOD WALK.

Cook More, Eat Less

A study by the US Department of Agriculture found that people who spend more time planning, shopping for and preparing food are less likely to be over or under weight. They think it has something to do with being around the food so much. Of course those little tastes may also help you eat less too. Though I’ve seen my share of  fat cooks. So don’t overdo the samples, unless you also reduce your portions when the meal is done.

TODAY: GET OUT AND WALK. NO FOOLING!

30 Second Burst Exercise Accelerator

I saw a report today from a university study in Ontario that a half hour of bicycling had the same effect as an hour and a half of moderate pedaling by simply doing 30 second “power bursts” followed by 4 minutes of slow pace cycling. It seems the same might work for other aerobic exercise like walking. Sounds like a great way to get more for less.

TODAY: TRY A POWER BURST WHEN YOU EXERCISE.

Don’t Let The Week End Your Diet

Studies have found that we eat more on weekends. I hope they didn’t spend a lot of money to figure that one out. All they had to do was visit a grocery store or look at a restaurant parking lot. Anyway, it turns out that we eat about up to 115 calories more per weekend day. It may not sound like much, but that would add up to an extra pound after ten weekends. So try and avoid those extra treats.

My trick for curbing snack cravings is to use diet sodas. The extra sweetness of Diet Dr. Pepper or Root Beer seem to be very satisfying. If you need a real thirst quencher after your extra long walk (hint, hint) try diet Tonic with a squeeze of lime.

Just don’t let the weekend be a weak end to what you are achieving.

TODAY: DOUBLE UP ON YOUR WALKING.