Do we have too many options when it comes to food? According to a study published August 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, too many options may be one reason pounds are packed on.

On the flip side, the study found eating the same food over and over lead to boredom and a decrease in caloric intake.

Food Boredom is a Good Thing

Research indicates that repeat exposure to a particular food leads to disinterest. The response is called habituation and can lead to a decrease in caloric intake in the short term.

In the U.S. we are blessed with a wide variety of choices and all we have to do is enter a grocery store. The problem with variety doesn’t necessarily apply to having access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – not too many people can say they are overweight because they ate too many greens! – the problem comes from the overwhelming abundance of low-fat, low-nutrient options.

There is a ‘food addiction hypothesis’ that proposes some people overeat because they are not sensitive to normal habituation and require even more of a food to trigger disinterest.

There has not been a lot of research in this area to determine if the habituation process is different between individuals of a healthy weight versus those who are overweight.

The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition aimed to study the long-term habituation in obese and non-obese women.

Habituation Equals Fewer Calories

Continue reading ‘Eating the Same Foods Can Help You Lose Weight’ »

Food digestion begins in the mouth, which is why how you chew your food can have an impact on not only digestion, but weight as well.

Chewing causes the mechanical breakdown of large food molecules into smaller particles. This increases the surface area of food exposed to digestive enzymes, such as salivary amylase that begins the digestion of carbohydrates in the mouth. A lingual lipase is also released in the mouth to begin the breakdown of fat.

How long do you chew your food?

Now, think about how long a bit of food stays in your mouth. Is it basically one or two bites and you’re swallowing? If so, does that give the digestive enzymes salivary amylase and lingual lipase very much time to do their job? Does that give you adequate time to break your food down into small particulars for increased surface area exposure? If you are like most people, probably not.

How does chewing impact your weight?

Continue reading ‘Is a Lack of Chewing Causing You to Gain Weight?’ »

Way too frequently people spend weeks losing weight, just to reach their goal, stop the diet, and then gradually regain the weight. It’s a terrible cycle to be stuck in.

A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that individuals who successfully lost weight AND kept the weight off altered their principles after losing weight.

This was a telephone survey of 1165 adult who had successfully lost weight with some maintaining the weight loss. Researchers took the data and compiled a list of 36 behaviors at least 10% of the surveyed adults adapted.

Weight loss was defined as losing 10% or more body weight during the previous 12 months. So for a 200 pound individual this would equal a weight loss of 20 pounds.

Maintenance was defined as losing 10% or more body weight during the previous 12 months and keeping it off for one year or more.

How They Lost the Weight

Continue reading ‘The Right Mindset for Weight Loss’ »

Do we have too many options when it comes to food? According to a study published August 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, too many options may be one reason pounds are packed on.

On the flip side, the study found eating the same food over and over lead to boredom and a decrease in caloric intake.

Food Boredom is a Good Thing

Continue reading ‘Lose Weight By Eating the Same Foods’ »

There are a variety of factors that impact your success losing weight. The results of a recent long term study shed light on the impact your food choices and lifestyle choices have on weight gain.

The Study

This study included 120,877 women and men participants who were followed for 12 to 20 years. Relationships between diet, lifestyle, and weight changes were examined.

The Results

Continue reading ‘Losing Weight Involves More Than Simply ‘Eat Less, Exercise More’’ »

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Fast Track Program: 28 Days to Fit & Fabulous!

You probably intuitively understand that the way you look and feel DIRECTLY affects your confidence, self-assurance, and ultimately, your success in business and in life. This isn’t just about feeling pretty; it’s about putting yourself first and spending quality time on your health and wellbeing, so that you can operate at your maximum potential (and positively impact everyone around you too). Think about this: in just one short month from now, you can have twice as much energy to accomplish everything you want to!

Continue reading ‘Fast Track Program: 28 Days to Fit & Fabulous!’ »

Here are two more top weight loss tips to add to your arsenal:

Keep a food journal.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, lower cholesterol, or control high blood pressure a healthy diet is essential. People who keep food journals have a much higher success rate than those who do not.

Increase your activity during everyday life.
Continue reading ‘Top Weight Loss Tips (cont.)’ »

Have you stuck with your weight loss goals?

If not, you may need to add these two strategies:

1. Reward yourself.

When you achieve a goal, recognize it! Achieving your “big” goal is going to take time. Right now you may be fully committed to your new lifestyle, but overtime you may grow disenchanted. Change isn’t going to be easy. Keep yourself motivated and excited about the changes you are making by rewarding yourself when you achieve a short term goal, such as a new book you’ve been wanting to read or a Sunday matinee (with a healthy snack during movie time!).

2. One step at a time.

Continue reading ‘Weight Loss – Are you still on track?’ »

Two weight loss tips:

Identify your motivator.

Be very clear and honest with yourself the “why” behind why you want to lose weight and post reminders where you see them daily. If it’s a desire to look good in a pair of jeans, post a picture of your goal physique within daily view. If your “why” is fear you’ll be taken from your family too soon, keep a picture of your family with you and posted in visible places as a visual reminder of why you need to stick with your plan.

Sleep.

Continue reading ‘Weight Loss Tips’ »

Here’s two more weight loss tips!

Clean sweep.

Go through your kitchen cupboards, pantry, and refrigerator to remove not so healthy choices from reach. Yes, will power will play a role as you change your habits, but why tempt yourself unnecessarily?!

Establish a support team.

Continue reading ‘Top Weight Loss Tips (cont.)’ »