Tag Archives: drink

5 white lies that stall weight loss

We all fib a little, but telling your co-worker her new haircut looks great (when what you're really thinking is “oh my!”) is pretty harmless. Lying to yourself about your own eating habits on the other hand, can wreak some real mental and physical havoc; and a new study shows it may be pretty common. In my private practice, I make it very clear to my clients that my role is not to scold, berate, or act like a food cop. In fact, it's just the opposite, because fostering an open, non-judgmental dialogue about your relationship with food is the only way to uncover some truths you may be pushing under the rug. And until they're exposed, they're pretty impossible to change. Here are five many of my clients reveal, and why coming clean with yourself can be the answer to finally losing weight—for good. 'I eat when I'm hungry, and stop when I'm full' When reviewing my clients' food diaries, I often see snacks, driven by hunger, just an hour or two after fairly substantial meals–generally a sign that something is out of sync. When I ask, “What did the hunger feel like?” it often turns out to be emotional or social, rather than physical in nature. In other words, there are no bodily symptoms that signaled a need for energy or nourishment, and in truth, many clients know this to be true. One once said, “I realize it's not really hunger, but I fool myself into thinking it is, because I don't know what else to do.” Alternative: The toughest part of recognizing that you want to eat, but not because your body is telling you to, is acknowledging that what you really need has nothing to do with food. But once you do just that, and find other healthy ways to cope with what's really going on (anxiety, relationship issues…), the weight may effortlessly fall off (day after day after day, just 200 surplus calories can keep you 20 pounds heavier). If you don't keep a food diary already, start one, and include not just what you eat and how much, but also your hunger level before and after meals, in addition to your emotions. The revelations may allow you to break the pattern. Health.com: 20 Snacks That Burn Fat 'I'm not a big drinker' I've heard this from many clients who, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, are chronic binge drinkers (consuming four or more drinks in a two hour period for women, five for men). For some, the self-categorization is justified, because they don't drink during the week, have already cut back, or are comparing themselves to friends who drink a whole lot more. But after some reflection, I often hear sentiments like, “I know polishing off a bottle of wine by myself isn't good, even if it's only on the weekends.” Alternative: For most of my clients, drinking has a domino effect that travels in both directions. Knocking a few back drinks on Saturday night often leads to eating more at dinner, followed by going out to brunch on Sunday, skipping the gym Monday morning, and giving into the office candy dish Monday afternoon.  On the flip side, cutting back on booze often leads to feeling “cleaner,” more in control, and motivated to eat healthier and be more active—changes that can be transformative for both your waistline and health. If you're using alcohol as an emotional crutch, or it's integral to your social scene, reach out to someone you trust. I've had clients break out of this pattern simply by connecting with a close friend or family member who supported their decision to cut back, or stop drinking all together. Health.com: How to Drink Alcohol Without Gaining Weight 'I eat really healthfully most of the time' I often hear this statement right after a client tells me about a decadent vacation, dinner out, or holiday that involved overeating. And while some believe it to be true, many know that on a day-to-day basis, while they don't pig out, they're not exactly earning gold stars, especially when it comes to hitting the mark for veggies, or reaching for whole, rather than refined grains. After acknowledging that she was looking at her diet through rose-colored glasses, one client said, “I think I was giving myself an A when what I really earned was more like a B-.” Alternative: It's OK to admit that you're not perfect, even if you're not perfect most of the time! You can't set concrete goals that will improve your eating habits without coming to terms with how you really eat. For example, if you realize that you eat too much rice and not enough veggies at dinner, flip-flopping the portions (e.g. a half cup of brown rice and one cup of broccoli, instead of the reverse) shaves 20 grams of carbs from your meal. At one meal a day, that's a savings equivalent to walking on a treadmill at four miles per hour for 85 hours. Health.com: Best Superfoods for Weight Loss 'I eat 5 or 6 small meals a day' The operative word here is “small.” Many of my clients who say this are actually eating five full meals, which by today's portion distortion standards, may seem small, but are actually far more than their bodies need. Admitting to this, one client said, “I think I've just gotten used to eating every few hours, or I thought it was the best thing to do, but it's clearly not working for me.” Alternative: Long stretches without eating can lead to rebound overeating, so well timed meals are key. But whether you eat four, five, or six times a day, your body's needs remain the same, which means if you want to eat more often, you must eat less each time you chow. For example, if you need 1,600 calories a day, you can eat: four 400 calorie meals; five 320 calorie meals; or six 266 calorie meals. The latter is a real challenge, because the meals end up being so mini, they don't feel like meals, leading to extra nibbles, which wind up feeding your fat cells. I don't advocate calorie counting, but if you think that too-frequent eating may be an issue, take inventory for a day or two, to gain some perspective. Health.com: 25 Ways to Cut 500 Calories A Day 'I can eat more because I work out a lot' I work with pro athletes and performers, but most of my clients work full time, on top of juggling family and social responsibilities, which often leads to fitting in far fewer workouts than they'd like. When they do hit the gym, they hit it hard, but many get there three days a week, while continuing to eat as if they're starting every day with a workout. One client confessed, “I think of myself as such an active person, but the truth is, it's more wishful thinking than reality.” Alternative: Rather than following the same routine every day of the week, establish a “baseline” eating plan, for non-exercise days, and add to it on the days you workout. Mentally, it's much easier to add to your plate, rather than take foods away, and with a daily regime that doesn't factor in fitness, if you just can't make it happen, you won't stick yourself with a surplus. Cynthia Sass is a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health. Frequently seen on national TV, she's Health's contributing nutrition editor, and privately counsels clients in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is currently the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Rangers NHL team and the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics. Her latest New York Times best seller is S.A.S.S! Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches. This article originally appeared on Health.com.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/5-white-lies-that-stall-weight-loss/

15 ways to cancer-proof your life

We're all grown-ups here—nightmares aren't a big problem anymore. We're calm, we're cool, we're mostly collected...until it comes to the C-word. For adults, cancer is the thing that goes bump in the night; that bump gets louder when family or friends are diagnosed. Whether your risk is monumental or blessedly average, we know you want to protect yourself. So we've combed through research, interrogated experts, and found cutting-edge strategies to help keep you safe. Worship a wee bit of sun People who get the most vitamin D, which lies dormant in skin until ultraviolet rays activate it, may protect themselves from a variety of cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast, and colon. Ironically, it even improves survival rates of melanoma, the most serious skin cancer. But 10 to 15 minutes a few days a week is all it takes to benefit. If you're out any longer than that, slather on the sunscreen (Are you applying enough? We’ve got the recommended amount for every body part, here.) If you go the supplement route, aim for 400 IU of vitamin D a day. Eat an orange every day It just may zap a strain of the H. pylori bacteria that causes peptic ulcers and can lead to stomach cancer. Researchers in San Francisco found that infected people with high levels of vitamin C in their blood were less likely to test positive for the cancer-causing strain. (Bonus: research shows a scent of citrus can reduce stress.) Listen to Katie Couric Though colonoscopies are about as popular as root canals, if you're 50 or older, get one. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Don't think you're off the hook because you got a digital fecal occult blood test at your last checkup: Research by the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study found that the test missed 95 percent of the cases. Schedule your first colonoscopy before your 50th if you have a family history of colon cancer. Steam a little green Piles of studies have shown that piles of broccoli help stave off ovarian, stomach, lung, bladder, and colorectal cancers. And steaming it for three to four minutes enhances the power of the cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane, which has been shown to halt the growth of breast cancer cells. (Sorry, microwaving doesn't do the trick; it strips out most antioxidants.) Get more protection by sprinkling a handful of selenium-rich sunflower seeds, nuts, or mushrooms on your greens. Researchers are discovering that sulforaphane is about 13 times more potent when combined with the mineral selenium. Pick a doc with a past Experience—lots of it—is critical when it comes to accurately reading mammograms. A study from the University of California, San Francisco, found that doctors with at least 25 years' experience were more accurate at interpreting images and less likely to give false positives. Ask about your radiologist's track record. If she is freshly minted or doesn't check a high volume of mammograms, get a second read from someone with more mileage. Drink jolt-less java Drink jolt-less java. Downing two or more cups of decaf a day may lower the incidence of rectal cancer by 52 percent, finds a study from two large and long-term research projects—the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study from Harvard University. One theory is that coffee increases bowel movements, which helps to reduce the risk. Why decaf reigns supreme, however, remains a mystery. Drop 10 pounds Being overweight or obese accounts for 20 percent of all cancer deaths among women and 14 percent among men, notes the American Cancer Society. (You're overweight if your body mass index is between 25 and 29.9; you're obese if it's 30 or more.) Plus, losing excess pounds reduces the body's production of female hormones, which may protect against breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. Even if you're not technically overweight, gaining just 10 pounds after the age of 30 increases your risk of developing breast, pancreatic, and cervical, among other cancers. Make like a monkey Or a bunny. Women who ate four to six antioxidant-laden bananas a week cut their risk of kidney cancer by 54 percent, compared with those who didn't eat them at all, found an analysis of 61,000 women at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Gnawing on root vegetables such as carrots had the same benefit. Get naked with a friend You'll need help examining every inch of your body—including your back, scalp, and other hard-to-see places—for possible changes in the size or color of moles, blemishes, and freckles. These marks could spell skin cancer. Women, take special note of your legs: Melanoma mainly occurs there. For the guys, the trunk, head, and neck are the most diagnosed spots. While you're at it, check your fingernails and toenails, too. Gray-black discoloration or a distorted or elevated nail may indicate the disease. And whether you see changes or not, after age 40, everyone should see a dermatologist yearly. (Find out 7 more things your nails can say about your health.) See into the future Go to Your Disease Risk to assess your chance of developing 12 types of cancer, including ovarian, breast, and colon. After the interactive tool estimates your risk, you'll get personalized tips for prevention. Pay attention to pain If you're experiencing a bloated belly, pelvic pain, and an urgent need to urinate, see your doc. These symptoms may signal ovarian cancer, particularly if they're severe and frequent. Women and physicians often ignore these symptoms, and that's the very reason that this disease can be deadly. When caught early, before cancer has spread outside the ovary, the relative five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is a jaw-dropping 90 to 95 percent. Get calcium daily Milk's main claim to fame may also help protect your colon. Those who took calcium faithfully for four years had a 36 percent reduction in the development of new pre-cancerous colon polyps five years after the study had ended, revealed Dartmouth Medical School researchers. (They tracked 822 people who took either 1,200 mg of calcium every day or a placebo.) Though the study was not on milk itself, you can get the same amount of calcium in three 8-ounce glasses of fat-free milk, along with an 8-ounce serving of yogurt or a 2- to 3-ounce serving of low-fat cheese daily. Sweat 30 minutes a day One of the best anticancer potions is a half hour of motion at least five days a week. Any kind of physical activity modulates levels of androgens and estrogen, two things that can protect women against estrogen-driven cancers such as ovarian and endometrial, as well as some types of breast cancer. The latest proof comes by way of a Canadian study that found that women who get regular, moderate exercise may lower their risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 30 percent. Bonus: All that moving might speed everything through your colon, which may help stave off colon cancer. (Trouble carving out 30 minutes a day? Be ready for a fitness opportunity at a moment’s notice by keeping a perfectly packed gym bag in your car at all times.) Stamp out smoking—all around you Lung cancer is well known as one of the main hazards of smoking. But everything the smoke passes on its way to the lungs can also turn cancerous: mouth, larynx, and esophagus. The fun doesn't stop there. Smokers are encouraging stomach, liver, prostate, colorectal, cervical, and breast cancers as well. The good news: If you give up the cigs today, within 15 years, your lung cancer risk will drop to almost pre-smoking lows. Share that news with the people who puff around you, because exposure to someone else's smoke can cause lung cancer, and it may boost your chances of cervical cancer by 40 percent. Step away from the white bread If you eat a lot of things with a high glycemic load—a measurement of how quickly food raises your blood sugar—you may run a higher risk of colorectal cancer than women who eat low-glycemic-load foods, finds a Harvard Medical School study involving 38,000 women. The problem eats are mostly white: white bread, pasta, potatoes, and sugary pastries. The low-glycemic-load stuff comes with fiber. Blew through our list already

How not to gain too much pregnancy weight

For many women, the extra calories that are vital for a healthy pregnancy often become a green light to indulge and give into cravings. In fact, more than 30 percent of women who have a normal weight before becoming pregnant gain more than the recommended amount during pregnancy, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. If you’re overweight or obese before getting pregnant, or you gain too much weight during pregnancy, you and your baby’s health could be compromised. For starters, there’s an increased risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. There’s also a greater chance that you could have a miscarriage, a stillborn baby, deliver early or be required to have a cesarean section. Your baby could also develop birth defects and detecting them with an ultrasound can be tricky if you’re obese, according to Dr. Alyssa Dweck, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and co-author of V is for Vagina. During labor and delivery, there’s also a higher chance for blood clots, C-section infection, and difficulty administering anesthesia. You might also have a larger baby, and studies show overweight women also have problems breastfeeding. Plus, losing weight after delivery could be tough too. Several rat studies also indicate that babies born to overweight moms might actually have permanent changes in their brain structures and genetic preferences that could put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. “It is possible that we’re creating a generation of kids who are more likely to be obese, and as they grow up and have children, it creates more and more of a genetic problem,” said Melinda Johnson, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Babies born to overweight mothers are also more likely to be overweight themselves, but it’s not clear if it’s because they have the same eating habits as their moms or if it’s just plain genetics, according to Johnson. Regardless, “pregnancy is a great time for future mothers to start learning better habits, because we definitely know those habits play a huge role in the health of their children,” she said. If you’re planning to get pregnant or you already are, find out what you can do to have a healthy weight.   Know the guidelines Even if you’re already overweight, weight loss should never be your goal during pregnancy, according to Dweck.  Instead, follow the Institute of Medicine’s guidelines for pregnancy weight gain, which are based on your body mass index (BMI). So if your BMI is normal, aim to gain 25 to 35 pounds; if you’re overweight stay within 15 to 25 pounds, and if you’re obese, 11 to 20 pounds. Take your vitamins To make sure you’re getting the right amount of nutrients, look for a prenatal vitamin with 1 milligram of folic acid, iron and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A good prenatal should also have 1200 milligrams of calcium and 600 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin D. Eat a balanced diet It’s important to eat regular meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar steady and your energy levels up. Johnson recommended eating every two to four hours depending on how hungry you are.  It’s OK to give into your cravings, but try to put the focus on eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Instead of eating foods loaded with saturated fats, opt for those with heart healthy fats like salmon, avocado, nuts and seeds. Drink plenty of water and nix soda, juice and sugary drinks. “Those are empty calories; they’re never going to make you feel full,” Dweck said. Talk to an expert If you’re worried about your weight or your diet, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about nutrition and exercise – ideally before you get pregnant.  Pregnancy is not the time to start an exercise program, Dweck said. Don’t look at the scale Is the number on the scale creeping higher every week despite your best efforts? Don’t fret, said Johnson, who noted that your weight doesn’t matter if you’re making healthy choices, paying attention to portion sizes and exercising. “If women follow that advice, they can save themselves a lot of stress,” she said.Julie Revelant is a freelance writer specializing in parenting, health, food and women's issues and a mom. Learn more about Julie at revelantwriting.com.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/19/how-not-to-gain-too-much-pregnancy-weight/

8 healthy ways to cope with your emotions

Some days you’re so sleep deprived, stressed out and overwhelmed that you feel like you might just lose your cool. But instead of having your own meltdown, read on for eight simple and effective ways you can deal with your feelings and find your inner Zen. 1. Realize that emotions are natural. As a child, you probably learned that expressing emotions wasn’t acceptable behavior with messages like “big girls don’t cry,” or “I’ll give you something to cry about.”  Yet “emotions are just pure physiology in the body,” said Jude Bijou, a licensed marriage and family therapist, educator, and author of Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life.  And all feelings are rooted in just three emotions: anger, sadness and fear. Expressing them is perfectly normal, even healthy, Bijou said. 2. Have a Plan B. Tantrums, meltdowns and sibling fights are inevitable, but if you anticipate and plan ahead, you’ll be more equipped to handle tough situations, according to Nicole Knepper, a licensed clinical professional counselor and author of Moms Who Drink and Swear: True Tales of Loving My Kids While Losing My Mind. Some ideas: throw your tantruming tot into the bath and let him or her play while you take your own time out or take a trip to the park during the witching hour. 3. Adjust your expectations. If you’re trying to be the perfect mom and follow every piece of advice you hear, you’ll only set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Instead, reevaluate and do what’s realistic for your family.  “Don’t think about how it should be; look at how it is,” Knepper said. 4. Check out. Stuck at home with the kids on a rainy day? Set the kids up with any activity and take a 20 minute break to read a magazine, take a bath or call a friend. “Any way that you find brings you comfort and support, take it,” Knepper said.   5. Laugh it off. According to a recent Oxford University study, a good belly laugh releases mood-boosting endorphins and can even help relieve pain. “It’s OK to see the fun in the dysfunction,” Knepper said, “because if you don’t, you will set yourself up for an absolute crack up.” 6. Release the energy. Counting to 10 or taking deep breaths are surprisingly ineffective ways to deal with emotions, but moving the energy out of the body in a physical way—much like a child does—is. “It breaks that grip that the emotions have on you,” Bijou said. So if you’re angry, push your hand against the door jam, stomp your feet on the floor, pound your fist into the mattress or just say, “Ughh!” If you’re feeling blue, have a good cry. For fear, instead of tightening up your body, shake and shiver it out. Are the kids around?  Go into another room or explain that you’re upset and that it will pass in a minute. 7. Learn acceptance. It’s hard to discipline your child when your emotions are running high, but if you accept his or her behavior in the moment, it will be much easier to communicate the way you want him or her to act.  “Rather [than saying] ‘She should be different,’ say, ‘That’s the way she is.’ Re-orient your thinking into acceptance rather than expectation,” Bijou said.   8. Get help. Twenty-eight percent of stay at home moms and 17 percent of working moms say they’re depressed, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. If you feel like you just can’t get a handle on your emotions, reach out to family or friends for support or seek professional help.Julie Revelant is a freelance writer specializing in parenting, health, food and women's issues and a mom. Learn more about Julie at revelantwriting.com.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/12/8-healthy-ways-to-cope-with-your-emotions/