The holidays can be a big hurdle in a weight loss/health plan. Holidays don’t mean you can’t enjoy the good food and desserts.
Here are 5 tips for a healthier holiday:
These are just a few steps you take to prevent holiday weight gain. Join dietitians Ursula Ridens RD and Lisa Nelson RD for the free teleclass “10 Secrets to Survive the Holidays Without Gaining Weight”. You’ll learn more about steps you can take to stop holiday weight gain and have your specific questions answered. Go to https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/newu/holidaycall.html to sign up!
Do you get enough sleep? 7 to 9 hours each night? If you are struggling to lose weight, adequate sleep is essential.
Sleep deprivation affects the balance of two hormones that regulate appetite and satiety, leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is produced by fat cells and signals the brain when you are full. Ghrelin is produced by stomach cells and signals the brain when you are hungry and should eat. Studies show that when you are sleep deprived, leptin levels decrease and ghrelin levels increase. This causes you to feel the urge to eat more when you do not get enough sleep.
Here are five tips to help you get a good night’s sleep:
Continue readingHere are four additional tips to decrease the impact of stress and elevated cortisol levels on your weight.
1. Don’t fight the cravings.
If you need something sweet it’s okay to satisfy your sweet tooth – in moderation. It’ll cut off your elevated cortisol levels response before things get out of control.
2. Limit caffeine.
The combination of caffeine and stress raises cortisol levels.
3. As always, don’t skip breakfast!
Being deficient in certain vitamins, such as B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium causes your body stress and boosts cortisol levels, along with food cravings. Breakfast is a great quick and easy way to add these nutrients to your diet everyday. Some yogurt with fresh strawberries provides vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium. Add whole grain toast with peanut butter and you’ve boosted you B vitamin intake. As an additional bonus the healthy fatty acids in peanut butter slow the production of stress hormones.
4. Get enough sleep.
Sleep and stress – Adequate sleep is the most effective way to cut stress. Getting an average of 6 ½ hours of sleep nightly may increase cortisol, appetite, and weight gain. Ideally shoot for 7-9 hours of sleep. It only takes a few nights of good sleep to balance yourself back out.
To learn more about the impact of stress and cortisol on your weight, I recommend reviewing the article How Stress and Cortisol Affect Weight Loss. I’d love to help you lose weight and keep it off – permanently! Check out the programs available to help you at http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
The Best Way to Lose Weight
Stress is linked to weight gain in that it stimulates the release of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that breaks down muscle to provide the body with needed glucose for energy needs. Cortisol also relocates fat cell deposits into the visceral cavities of the abdomen. Increased abdominal fat increases your heart disease risk.
Here are three tips to decrease stress related weight gain.
1. Push-ups
Effective, instant stress reliever that tricks the body into thinking your escaping stress. Push-ups cause your blood to circulate quickly, transporting cortisol to your kidney’s and removing it from your system.
2. Eat slowly
Stress typically leads to consuming meals very quickly, which equals bigger portions to fill full, and adds to your belly fat. Being mindful and eating slowly, savoring every flavor/texture, may actually lower cortisol, decrease your calorie intake, and move fat away from the abdominal area.
3. Avoid strict calorie restricted diets.
If you’re always “on a diet”, cortisol levels may rise as much as 18 percent. The rise in cortisol causes a blood sugar spike followed by a drop. This roll coaster ride makes your brain feel deprived of sugar (it’s main source for energy) and your ability to stick with a strict diet plan falters.
I’ll be sharing four more tips in a few days.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
The Best Way to Lose Weight