Did you know when you diet you are frequently sacrificing vitamins and minerals?

When you diet, you don’t just cut calories, you also reduce your intake of vitamins and minerals.

Standford University researchers evaluated the effects of different diets (Atkins, Zone, LEARN, and Ornish) of 300 overweight and obese women. The women reduced their daily caloric intake by 500 calories and all women reduced their overall vitamin and mineral intakes. Vitamin E was reduced the most – 65%.

Researchers were surprised to note that women following the Zone diet actually saw an increase in vitamin A, E, and K intake and no reduction in other nutrients.

When losing weight it’s important to not compromise your overall health. The best bet is a balanced weight loss plan you can stick with long term.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://lisanelsonrd.com

Isn’t trying to figure out how to lose weight CONFUSING?! About the time you decide to incorporate a health change a new study comes out saying that it’s not so healthy after all.

I think this is SO frustrating, don’t you?

It’s time to hear the UNBIASED truth from someone who doesn’t have an agenda other than to give you the facts about what foods you REALLY should be eating to achieve a healthy weight and feel your best, and which ones shouldn’t touch your lips (despite the media hype).

Continue reading ‘Are you sabotaging your own weight loss efforts?’ »

If you’ve ever tried to make a diet or lifestyle change you know it’s not an easy process. You need a compelling reason to keep moving forward.

What is your compelling reason?

There are two different types of motivators – intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation is when you are motivated by internal factors. This form of motivation drives you to take action for the fun of it or just because you know it’s good for you and the right thing to do. Intrinsic motivation means you do something because of the satisfaction you feel from completing a task. Hobbies are usually motivated by intrinsic factors.

Extrinsic motivation is when you are spurred to change your habits due to external forces, such as wanting to lose weight or lower your cholesterol for your family so they worry less. Another form of extrinsic motivation may be tangible rewards you give yourself for achieving a goal. The Biggest Loser provides a great example of external motivation – lose the greatest percent body weight and win $’s. Other forms of rewards you can use for extrinsic motivation may include new clothes or a new CD/book when a goal is accomplished.

Typically, intrinsic motivators tend to keep you going in the long run, but using both forms of motivation can be essential to your success. Extrinsic motivators may keep you moving forward in the short term, while intrinsic motivators are the reason you stick with it long term.

Take a step back from the craziness of everyday life and really look at the “why” behind your desire to start walking in the evenings or your goal of packing a lunch instead of eating out.

Ask yourself . . .

Have you taken action and started to move forward towards your goal? Are you just thinking about it? What type of reward could you put in place to spur you on from an external point of view? What reminder could you put in place to keep you moving forward internally?

Here’s a quick example for someone trying to lose weight:

Goal: Walk after supper for at least 20 minutes 5 nights a week.
Extrinsic Motivator: Achieve walking goal for 2 weeks and reward yourself with a new book.
Intrinsic Motivator: Place picture of yourself from 10 years ago (when you were at your ideal body weight) on the refrigerator door as a constant reminder of how great you’ll feel once you reach your goal weight.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Health Made Easy

An individual recently submitted the following question at the Vital Health Zone:

I am 47 years old, I weigh 75 kg. I take Breakfast-oatmeal Lunch- 3 chappathis, Dinner-2 chappathi or cornflakes. Small meal 1 apple, 1 piece papaya, and some biscuits. I go for 1 hr morning brisk walk, and do half an hour exercises. But i have not reduced. For my age and ht I should be 55kg. What should I do?

Here’s the answer I provided:

Continue reading ‘Weight Loss Plateau – Steps to Break Through’ »

Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight is a key step towards heart health. Later this month I’m hosting a free teleclass with fellow dietitian Ursula Ridens if you want to know how to lose we1ght and keep it off – permanently!

You are invited to the FREE teleclass on Tuesday, August 31, titled

“5 Biggest Dieting Myths Revealed“

On this call, we’re revealing EXACTLY which dieting strategies will help you shed the pounds once and for all, so you can look good, feel great, and enjoy life!

(And more importantly, how YOU can lose we1ght and keep it off – permanently!)

In this information packed call, you’ll discover:

Continue reading ‘Diet Myths – 5 Biggest Diet Myths Revealed!’ »

Here’s a few details on how the Health Care Reform Bill impacts Medicaid from a nutrition standpoint.

Medicaid

A 5 year grant will be established to provide incentives for implementing a healthy lifestyle. This includes weight loss, cholesterol reduction, diabetes prevention, and diabetes management. The grant will cover preventive services that are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and will eliminate cost sharing for prevention services. The grant won’t be effective until January 1, 2011. (FYI – The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is established with the passing of the bill into law.)

Continue reading ‘Health Care Reform Bill – Medicaid Changes’ »

There are some changes you may make in an attempt to be healthier than can actually be sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Let’s discuss some hidden calories that may hide in some supposedly “healthy” choices.

Bagels and Muffins

Muffins and bagels have changed drastically over the years. In the past, if you grabbed a muffin at your local coffee shop they would’ve been about the size of a tennis ball. Nowadays muffins are closer to softball size, while bagels have increased an average of 4-6 inches in diameter.

The increased size equals a dramatic calorie increase. One standard muffin or bagel can provide 400-600 calories.

If you’re in a hurry and the only option is to grab breakfast on the run, choose to eat half the muffin or bagel and save the rest for another day.

Salads

Just because it’s a salad doesn’t mean it’s the best choice on the menu.

Continue reading ‘Hidden Calories: Watch out!’ »

Here are a few steps to promote weight loss:

1. Increase physical activity throughout your daily routine (i.e. park further from your office door, take the stairs instead of the elevator)
2. Cut back on dining out (i.e. pack a lunch for work)
3. Keep fresh fruits and vegetables within reach
4. Clean out your cupboards and eliminate foods that don’t support heart health
5. Cut back on TV time (just how many hours do you log each day in front of the tv?)

The list of steps you can take to promote weight loss and reduce heart disease risk goes on and on. Take it one step and a time!

Receive 1-A-Week Weight Loss Tips at http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lisanelsonrd.com

Good news! My friend JJ Virgin, Celebrity Health and Nutrition Expert, is once again sharing her best insider secrets for losing weight and getting fit in record time.

If you don’t know JJ, you should. JJ is the secret weapon celebrities go to for losing (and keeping) the weight off and having a rock star body.

The thing about JJ is that you may be surprised at what you hear from her. It’s not the same old advice you read in the latest fashion or lifestyle magazine. In fact, a lot of that advice is – to put it frankly – not worth the paper it’s printed on. (You probably already intuitively know this based on how “great” your results have been following THAT advice.)

Now you might be wondering why I’m sending this to you…

Here’s what celebrities and successful people from all walks of life know:

The way you look and feel about yourself DIRECTLY impacts your happiness, satisfaction with life, your loved ones, and even your income and success in business.

That’s why I wanted to invite you to a FREE teleclass that JJ is doing called “Revealed: My Top 5 Plateau Busters to Boost Your Metabolism and Burn Off That Fat!” on July 8 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET. (Don’t worry, if you can’t make the call live, you’ll get access to the recording so be sure to register anyway.)

(In a hurry? Just go here: http://dld.bz/jujr)

On this ground-breaking call, you’ll learn:

• How to take your inspired WHY and use it to keep you motivated for the long haul
• The top foods that could be making you hold onto FALSE FAT and cause cravings
• How to DRAMATICALLY improve your health and energy literally overnight
• How to turn up the volume on your workouts (hint, they should never get easier!) to ACCELERATE your results big time
• How to break out of the fitness and food RUTS that hold you back
• New workouts, new veggies, and new recipes that you will LOVE and can incorporate into your life right now

I can’t emphasize enough how powerful and life-changing JJ’s information is when you apply it to your life. Ready to UPLEVEL your game in a serious way? Don’t miss this opportunity…

Here’s the link to reserve your spot in this complimentary teleclass:

http://dld.bz/jujr

See you on the call!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lisanelsonrd.com

PS How would it feel to have the confidence to know you always look fantastic no matter what? How about not feeling tired all the time? Reserve your space on this free call before you forget: http://dld.bz/jujr

PPS – And just so you know, I do have an affiliate relationship with JJ and receive a referral fee for everyone that goes into her programs through my link above.

Here’s a guest post from Eva Alexander providing answers to some frequently asked questions about the Mediterranean diet.

Most people say the Mediterranean diet is high in fat. Can people still lose or maintain weight on a Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is high in fats. But these consist of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are healthy fats needed by your body. In contrast, the typical American diet is rich in saturated fats. It should be noted also that fat content in your diet does not determine weight loss. It is your calorie consumption that will generally influence weight loss and optimum weight management. Mediterranean diet provides lots of healthy benefits but it is still essential to lower your calorie consumption to achieve better results.

What’s the major difference of American and Mediterranean diets?

Continue reading ‘Mediterranean Diet – Common Questions Answered’ »