Weight Loss and a Healthy Diet

By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Medicine

I can smell the pumpkin pies baking in the kitchen. And, although many of us equate the holidays with food, I’m also reminded of just how much we have to be thankful for – family, friends and of course, our freedom.

But, while there are many things to be grateful for, the holidays can also a tough time of year for those of us watching our weight. After enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner with more side dishes than we usually eat in an entire week, many of us will start mentally calculating how much weight we’ll be gaining this holiday season.

Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can employ during the feast-filled holidays that can let you enjoy the season while keeping your waistline from exploding.

Fool Your Appetite

It seems like temptation is around every corner this time of year. From parties to holiday meals with friends and family, food takes center stage. And, while it can be a minefield for those trying to lose weight, you don’t have to deprive yourself. Just follow a few of these easy tricks:

Reach for water before you going to a holiday party. It's the cheapest, safest appetite-suppressant there is. Keep the cupboards bare. You'll save both money and temptation. By cutting back on the amount of food choices you have around, there will be less impulse snacking.

Freeze your leftovers. Putting high-calorie foods on ice will reduce the urge to finish them up before they spoil. Use spices liberally. Ginger, cayenne, jalapeno peppers and Tabasco sauce can boost your fat-burning ability by up to 25 percent, according to a researcher at Kyoto University in Japan. Try supplementing with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Researchers have found that CLA can reduce body fat by revving up your metabolism.

Always eat breakfast. It fuels you for the day and you'll be less hungry at lunch.

Listen to some tunes when you have the urge to binge. Researchers have found that music activates the same feel-good center of the brain that eating your favorite foods does. Don't eat unless you've made a place setting.

Drink green tea. A study conducted by the University of Switzerland discovered that drinking green tea increases the number of calories your body burns. Try to drink three cups a day.

Holiday shopping? Eat healthy at the mall. Order a salad without heavy dressing or have a yogurt for a quick pick-me-up. Watch your portions. Just because you're given a certain portion doesn't mean that amount is what your body needs. Eat only until you're comfortably full. A little left on your plate each day adds up to a long-term decrease in calories.

Give up one bad eating habit. For example, if you eat in front of the TV or in bed, move your meal to the kitchen table. Get minty fresh. Brush your teeth and tongue with the best-tasting toothpaste you can find. Use mouthwash and breath mints to trick your taste buds.

Exercise Restraint

You can also counteract those extra calories with these simple lifestyle changes:

Get out. Try to spend 20 minutes a day sitting outside or taking a walk. At the very least, sit by a sunny window. Sunlight helps to control food cravings.

Walk the mall. Before you start your holiday shopping, take a quick lap or two around the mall.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Work your bottom. When you're in the car or standing in line, contract your buttocks for fifteen second intervals. Tighten your muscles as you breathe in and then breathe out and release. It not only firms your derrière, it relieves stress.

Act goofy. Even if you're too busy for the gym, you can still do your cardio. Put on some fast-paced music and dance your heart out. You'll burn 150 calories in just ten minutes.

Take two steps at a time when you climb stairs. Skipping a step will force your leg and buttocks muscles to extend and work harder. Plus, this movement releases endorphins that will make you feel great!

Do yard work. Pull weeks, dig holes and rake your lawn. Gardening just one hour can burn up to 500 calories.

Burn calories while doing housework. Do several chores at one time. For instance, make the bed, put laundry in the dryer, run upstairs to fold clean clothes and put them away. When you're making the bed, keep your shoulders back and pretend you have a book on your head. While you're dusting, roll up on the balls of your feet to work your calves.

Get some free weights. It's all you need to start a strength-training regimen.

Sleep for weight loss. The University of Chicago recently found that a woman's metabolism rises 40 percent when she gets enough sleep.

One Last Thing ...

As you go through the Thanksgiving weekend, don’t forget to take a few minutes to give thanks for your health. And speaking of health – don’t dismiss your entire holiday meal as unhealthy. Turkey, cranberries and even the pumpkin pie contribute a wealth of nutrients for your overall good health.

Enjoy!

This Just In ...

I’ve often told you how ginkgo biloba can help boost mental function and may ward off age-related memory loss. But now a new study has found that ginkgo is just as effective as cholinesterase-inhibiting drugs for treating the greatest brain-robber of all – Alzheimer’s disease.

The new review compared the benefits and risks of gingko and cholinesterase inhibitors (ChE), something no one has done before. The findings: Both improve cognition equally. But, while cognitive deterioration occurs rapidly after patients stop taking ChE, gingko’s benefits tend to last, even after the herb is discontinued.

While ChE inhibitors block an enzyme that regulates nerve impulses (they are a class of chemicals also used in insecticides), experts believe that ginkgo performs two primary functions that create these positive results: by dilating blood vessels, while at the same time thinning the blood, making it less likely to clot. In addition, ginkgo may also produce antioxidant effects that protect nerve cells in the brain from deterioration.

There are other differences too. Unlike ginkgo, ChE inhibitors can result in some unpleasant side effects. In fact, up to 90 percent of patients develop nausea and vomiting while taking these drugs. Blurred vision, stomach cramps and a rapid heartbeat may also occur. Adding insult to injury, the drug treatment is five times more expensive than gingko!

If you are worried about Alzheimer’s, you may want to give ginkgo a try. At the very least, it just might make you smarter!

I hope this holiday weekend finds you and your family safe, happy and healthy. As always, you are all in our thoughts.

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References:

Blankson H, et al. “Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat mass in overweight and obese humans.” Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130:2943-2948.

Dulloo AG, et al. “Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999;70:1040-1045.

Schultz V. “Ginkgo extract or cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with dementia: what clinical trials and guidelines fail to consider.” Phytomedicine. 2003;10(S4):74-79.