Weight Loss – Are low carb diets affecting your brain function?
Some studies are being conducted evaluating the effects of low carb diets, such as the Atkins diet, on cognitive ability. Brain function on a low carb diet may be impaired because glucose is the nutrient used by the brain for energy and the brain is not capable of storing glucose, but is depended on the bodies production of this nutrient.
Many low carb diets restrict intake to as little as 20 grams per day, while the RDA for carbs is at least 130 grams (taking into account the brains energy needs).
One study compared long and short term memory, spatial memory, and visual attention of women prior to beginning a low carb diet, post low carb diet, and after reintroduction of carbs. Those following a low carb diet had a gradual decline in memory performance and slower reaction time on all tests. Interestingly, attention span was improved on the low carb diet.
Fortunately, memory skills and scores returned to normal after carbohydrates were reintroduced.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
2009 Essential Wellness Telesummit – Be Happy, Healthy, and Wealthy
Liz Copeland has brought together leading international experts and authors in the fields of health, happiness, and life enrichment to bring you the 2009 Wellness Telesummit! Join us to learn about essential wellness!
Join Liz and three other experts for a FREE 4-day Telesummit to guide you to:
- forgiving the unforgiveable to gain perfect freedom
- shedding the inner and outer clutter – so you can have love, health and financial abundance
- be heart healthy and live long
- overcoming the number one diet-sabotage habit so you can be the shape of your dreams
Click here to register now, for FREE:
The Telesummit begins Monday, April 20, 2009.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
Weight Loss – The Search for a Magic Pill to Lose Weight
If you’re looking for an easy fix to your weight loss struggle be cautious. According to the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) it’s constantly battling fraudulent and bogus claims in the weight loss industry. Most recently the FDA has targeted 70 different weight loss supplements.
Many weight loss supplements contain “undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients”, frequently in levels exceeding FDA recommendations. These ingredients include drugs not approved in the U.S. These substances impact blood pressure and anti-seizure medications, diuretics, along with drugs linked to suicide, depression, and cancer.
Be smart! We’ve known for a long time the only way to successful weight loss is to eat right and exercise. It’s not easy, but it is possible. . .and well worth it!
No need to play around with dietary supplement safety.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
The Best Way to Lose Weight
Lose Weight: Best Way to Lose Weight
If you are overweight and dealing with heart health concerns, you know weight loss with significantly improve your heart health. So, you need to find a way to successfully lose the weight and keep it off.
Here are tips for success:
Adequate Calories
Don’t cut your calories too low. Never go below 1200 calories and for some people the minimum is higher. Consuming too few calories drops you right into “starvation” (as far as your body is concerned), your metabolism drops, and weight loss grinds to halt. Also, drastic calorie cuts not only result in fat loss, but you lose muscle as well.
Realistic Goals
Set realistic goals. You may have a dream goal of shedding 40 pounds, but start with a smaller, achievable goal. Many studies show significant health benefits from shedding just 10% of your body weight.
Healthy Rate of Weight Loss
Plan for a healthy rate of weight loss. Aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Gradual, steady weight loss ensures you lose fat, not muscle.
Long-term Plan
Think long-term. Going on a diet is not the best way to lose weight. This is because the term diet generally implies a beginning and an end. If you want to successfully lose weight it requires permanent lifestyle and food choice changes. Changes you can and will stick with for life.
Steady Support
Surround yourself with a steady support system. By this I don’t only mean a spouse that supports you spending an hour at the gym after work or planning active family events. I also mean surrounding yourself with friends who are living the healthy life you want. I’m not implying you need to kick friends and family who are a negative influence to the curb, but look for ways you can gain friends that are living a healthy lifestyle. This will dramatically increase your success.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
Weight Loss: What Causes Weight Cycling?
Do you find you find your weight frequently yo-yoing up and down? Do you tend to go through repeat periods of experiencing exciting weight loss followed by discouraging weight regain?
According to the Federal Weight Control Information Network, the cycle may be small, say 5-10 pounds up and down, or large, more than 50 pounds lost and regained repeatedly.
Weight Cycling Causes
The reasons for the weight cycle are often linked to the following four causes:
- Selecting a diet that is too extreme or unrealistic for the long term. This would include “fad” or “crash” diets. They tend to be hard to stick with because you start to feel deprived.
- Using poor techniques that cause you to overeat, such as skipping meals or doing well with your diet during the week but “taking a break” on weekends.
- Unrealistic goals – Yes it’d be great to say you can fit into your old high school jeans, but is that really realistic?
- Not surrounding yourself with a support system. Are the people around you health conscious and supportive of your new healthy actions or do they tempt you to stray?
Difficulty Stopping the Cycle
Oftentimes, your body finds a weight it likes and doesn’t want to change. So, you have biology working against you.
Your body uses hormones, such as leptin, to monitor your calorie needs and body fat. When you start to lose weight hormone levels change and your body reacts. Usually your body thinks “I’m starving” and switches to conservation mode by decreasing your metabolism (the rate your burn calories) to conserve energy and protect fat stores. In other words, you body is preparing for a famine. When this occurs you’ll typically begin to feel the urge to eat more.
So, let’s say your calorie intake gradually goes back up to your pre-diet level. At this level you should maintain your previous weight, but since your body has dropped your metabolism, your caloric needs are lower. That means your typical calorie intake which in the past maintained your weight, now leads to weight gain.
A cycle that is very difficult to overcome, but I don’t know many who say losing weight is easy.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
Are you dieting?
Believe it or not, most people are not on a diet these days. Instead the focus has switched to healthy eating. A new market study shows most people are turning away from “extreme” diets and focusing on long-term weight management. Here are the percents:
Today 10 years ago
29% of women are on a diet 35%
19% of men are on a diet 23%
I am also surprised to see how the definition of a “healthy weight” has shifted. Sixty-two percent say a healthy weight is when you physically feel good, while 27% say a healthy weight means staying within a small ideal weight range.
This is a great opportunity for me to plug my weight loss programs which focusing on healthy eating for the long term, not a short term diet for results. If this is your type of thinking, I welcome you to check out the Balance Program and Mini Diet Makeover I offer to help you lose weight the healthy way. Also, subscribers to The Heart of Health ezine will be receiving a discount coupon code to start the new year off right.
So, where do you fall? Are you sticking with the “diet” mentality? If so, why? Or, have you moved into healthy eating for the long-term?
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
eNutritionServices
