Six Secrets for Weight Loss

Michael Moody, Chicago Fitness Trainer

Millions of weight loss products and programs suffocate us with the promise of instant results. Although they give you the initial allusion of weight loss, their effects are usually unsustainable long term and can sacrifice your health. We don’t fully understand the long term effects of preservatives, additives, and other food-chemicals on our bodies. Yet, these questionable ingredients are just as common in known healthy and unhealthy weight loss plans.

What is the perfect weight loss plan? Although different body types demand different diets, Mayo Clinic’s diabetic diet is the best standard-and the safest way to lose weight (not knowing your specific physical demands and needs). If you know a diabetic, you understand her sensitivity to food (watching carbs and sugars, calories, etc.). A diabetic must carefully control her food intake and weight. Otherwise, reckless eating habits can lead to heart disease, a coma, or worse.

Although we may not be diabetic, we can learn quite a bit about the body’s sensitive response to dietary intake. Mayo Clinic and author Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food and Omnivore’s Dilemma) have written at great length on the topic and influenced my weight loss philosophy. The following guidelines are a result of my research and experience helping clients lose weight. You’ll find that these guidelines aren’t only secrets to weight loss, but also rules to live by.

• Eat every 3-4 hours. Why every 3-4 hours? This span is debatable based on you. Your calorie intake, energy expenditure, and a list of many other factors influence your need to refuel. Your goal is to keep your body at sea level-not at a deficient level-to work most efficiently. Otherwise, your body may resort to compensatory measures to overcome its deficits-which may hold your body back from losing weight (and may cause weight gain).
  
  With this being said, physical assessments including blood sugar level or hormonal tests are needed to truly determine your need. Is it realistic to check these physical levels every hour? No. Instead, you should rely on physical cues-lightheadedness, hunger, etc. Unfortunately, most people don’t listen to these cues as well as their dogs (Does your dog nudge you for food at the same time every day?) and usually distract themselves instead (more work).
  
  In hopes of minimizing a nutritional and energy deficiency, I suggest a calorie restricted meal every 3-4 hours. During the time in-between meals, you’re allowing your body to efficiently digest the last meal while utilizing it and storing it for energy (and running around for your boss)
  
  When you're near the 3-4 hour mark, determine your need for food. You may find that some meals are smaller than others depending on your activity level. This habit will help establish a frequent eating routine, minimize your tendency to overeat calories, and maintain a homeostatic balance throughout the day.
  
  
• Balance every meal. Have you ever felt ravished an hour after breakfast? Something may be missing from your last meal (unless the meal is too small-more calories are needed). We have lived on the popular notion of carbs in the morning and protein in the night for several years. Is this truly helping our bodies? Are we supplying the body with an unbalanced supply of nutrients instead?
  
  Considering that our bodies are creatures of habit (although we don’t always recognize this), we must feed it the nutrients and calories it needs to work efficiently. A balanced meal of about 25% protein (non-animal or white meat is best because they cause less inflammation in the body-inflammation may slow our metabolism or affect our blood sugar levels) and 75% vegetables (with limited fruits/grains) may satisfy your hunger and convince the body that it isn’t deprived (keep in mind that some people have special needs based on allergies, diseases, deficiencies, etc.-which may change this guideline). If you eat cereal in the morning, add fruit and an egg on the side. If you love carrots or celery, spread Almond Butter on it and sprinkle raisins on top. Make every meal-big and small-a perfect combination of fuel.
  
  
• Watch your calories. Most weight loss begins with calorie reduction. Depending on your body, you may demand different amounts of calories. An athlete will demand more calories than the sedentary office worker. The average person should keep their calorie range between 1300-2000 when losing weight (your starting point and health needs may dictate more calories though).
  
  Keep in mind that we find that many people lose weight in the 1300 calorie range but can’t sustain this diet long term. Anything below this mark could have a reverse effect on your weight. Remember our discussion above? We want your body to work most efficiently. If you deprive the body, you may slow its metabolism (to limit calorie expenditure) and reevaluate its hormonal and blood sugar balance. It’s no surprise that some people either maintain the same weight or gain weight when drastically reducing calories.
  
  Either way, if you’ve maintained the same weight for a considerable amount of time, a reduction is needed. Sometimes cutting 100-500 calories in your diet daily is enough to lose weight.
  
  
• Eat at the same time every day. Somehow a dog always knows when it’s feeding or walking time. In fact, our dog Bailey nudges us within ten minutes of the typical time every day. Can dogs read clocks and haven’t been telling us? Most likely not. Dogs, like many animals, listen to their bodies (thanks to their biological clocks and circadian rhythms). They, like us, are also creatures of habit. Unfortunately, we tend to overthink or rationalize our decisions and ignore our physical cues.
  
  Fortunately for us, our body exhibits food anticipatory activity, which is typified by an increase in locomotor activity, body temperature, corticosterone secretion, gastrointestinal motility, and activity of digestive enzymes (Froy and Miskin). This anticipatory activity is a benefit of an eating routine. In fact, it helps your body efficiently utilize your calories and may help you lose weight as a result.
  
  
• Limit processed foods. Have you ever read the ingredients listed on a Wheat Thins box? Why do they need 20 chemicals to make a whole-wheat crisp? Cost and preserving qualities is most likely the answer.
  
  Considering the uncertain effect of these ingredients on our bodies (which may be weight gain and inflammation), I suggest limiting the number of preservatives or additives in your diet. We’re not sure if our bodies have developed the enzymes to break down these chemicals. It’s possible that your body may be living in a state of inflammation localizing these foreign invaders (think tumors), slowing your metabolism, making your body resistant to the effects of insulin, and causing weight gain.
  
  I suggest buying organic products. Considering that most foods in your grocery store are processed, you can’t entirely avoid these foods. If you can’t, though, limit the product to 3 chemicals (or something close). This rule will certainly help cut out a lot of unwanted chemicals as you find healthy substitutes for your favorite foods. Check www.revivalfitness/blogspot.com for ideas.
  
  
• Read the food labels. How do you know what’s most important? Grocery shopping is an overwhelming experience and it doesn’t need to turn into a 4 hour trip as you perform an analysis on every product. Try to look for the following stats on your packaged food:
  
  * Saturated fat: Products with red meat, dairy, or any animal fat, will most likely have higher amounts of saturated fat and are correlated with an elevated risk of obesity and heart disease.
  
  Mayo clinic suggests that your saturated fat intake should be less than 7% of your caloric intake. As a safe measure, I suggest limiting your saturated fat to 1 gram for every 100 calories. In a 300-400 restricted calorie meal, you will average 3-4 grams of saturated fat. This is a fair amount that won’t limit the food you love too much and will minimize the total bad fat in your diet. No matter the amount, determine the number best for you based on your dietary needs and health condition.
  
  * Calories: Your body demands different amounts of calories based on your activity level and other factors. Generally speaking, 300-400 calories is a great goal for weight loss during each meal. Will the number of calories in a given product sufficiently meet your nutritional needs and satiety? You may reconsider a product that costs you 300 calories but is only a small portion of your meal.
  
  * Sugars. Refrain from buying a product with sugar listed as one of the top three ingredients. These products tend to bear higher amounts of sugar content (This is important if you’re trying to lower the amount in your diet). If sugar is desired, lean towards natural fruit sugar instead of sweeteners or cane sugar.
  
  * Sodium (400mg or less). A high sodium diet can lead to high blood pressure (which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke) and water retention. Mayo clinic suggests 1500-2300 milligrams per day. Based on this amount, you want to aim for 300-400 mg per meal (Many frozen dinners are 800 mg or more!). When considering a product, take into account other foods you might also eat during the meal. The total may exceed the goal for each meal.
  
  

Despite the suggestions above, it is most important to study your body’s reaction to food. If you can’t lose weight, it may be as simple as cutting out 100 calories per day or a reaction towards a food. These suggestions are my standard and different body types deviate from them. Check with your physician before starting any nutritional plan and listen to your body.