Weight Loss Misconceptions Still Persist

McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, a marketer of nutritional products, recently revealed some of the results of a recent survey they conducted regarding what American women believe about weight loss and healthy eating.  While the full survey does not appear to be available, a press release discusses some of the results.  Some of the results of this survey are outlined below.

Body Image Perceptions:

• More than 33% of American women think about their body weight at least 3 times each day.
• 81% of the women surveyed do not believe that they are at their ideal body weight.
• Nearly half feel that they will reach their ideal body weight this year.
• However, many American women believe that drastic, overly-strict lifestyle changes are needed to reach and maintain their ideal body weight.

 Dieting:

• 91% of the American women surveyed did not realize that they had to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound of body weight.
• 35% of women surveyed believed that they would need to cut something like sweets or snacks out of their diet completely.
• 39% were under the impression that they would need to reduce their food consumption to below 1,000 calories per day.
• Difficulty in losing weight was frequently attributed to family obligations, finances, stress, and other demands on time.

Healthy Eating:

• Only 17% of the women surveyed ranked the nutritional value of foods as the most important factor when making a purchase decision.
• Price, taste, and quality of foods purchased were more important than the foods' nutritional value in most cases.
• 70% of women added sugars to their foods and beverages.

Among these results were some interesting observations.  If these results are representative of the population in general, it would suggest that the vast majority of us do not give the nutritional value of our foods enough consideration.  Additionally, we appear to hold the opinion that weight loss through dieting has to be a grueling, unpleasant endeavor that might require a severe restriction in the amounts and types of foods we eat.  Overall, it appears that the health professional community still needs to work on getting the appropriate messages out about healthy ways to lose weight.  For example, while restricting the amount of calories we consume is an important part of losing weight, the amount shouldn't be so much that it drops you below 1,000 daily calories.  Also, losing weight does not have entail dramatic lifestyle changes.  In fact, making a number of small changes in our eating habits can go a long way towards reaching one's weight loss goals.  A good example from the results of this survey would be to simply decrease the amount of sugars one adds to their foods and drinks or start reading nutrition labels.  Both these simple changes could improve a person's eating habits dramatically.  Reading blogs like this one and others is a great way to become more informed about healthy weight loss and good nutrition.

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Make Exercise A Lifetime Habit!

Numerous research studies have shown us the importance of regular exercise for both weight loss and the maintenance of a healthy body weight.  However the vast majority of these studies have typically been relatively short-term, running anywhere from 3 months to 3 years.  From these studies, we typically infer that maintaining a lifelong habit of regular exercise is important for the maintenance of a healthy body weight; however, few studies have actually tested this.

A new research study published a couple of weeks ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association tested the impact of long-term exercise on long-term weight maintenance.  For this study, researchers collected information from more than 3,500 men and women who took part in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults and who were 18 - 30 years of age at the start of the study.  Study volunteers were classified as maintaining either a high, moderate, or low level of physical activity based on activity scores at the start of the study.  The study investigators collected information on body weight, waist size, and physical activity at regular intervals during a 20-year follow-up period.  The results of this study showed that:

• Men who maintained a high level of physical activity during the 20-year follow-up period gained nearly 6 fewer pounds on average than men who maintained only a low level of physical activity.
• On average, men maintaining a high level of regular exercise also gained about 1 inch less around their waist than men with a low physical activity level.
• Women with a high level of physical activity over the 20-year period gained about 13 fewer pounds than women who did not exercise at a high level.
• Women who maintained a high level of regular exercise also gained about 1.5 fewer inches compared to women with a low level of physical activity.

While not unexpected, the results of this new study confirm the importance of maintaining a high level of physical activity throughout our lives.  This particular study shows that starting a regular exercise program as a young adult and maintaining it for 20 years helps reduce weight gain, reducing their risk of becoming overweight during their middle-aged years, a time where many of us tend to start gaining unwanted pounds.  However, this does not mean that it is too late to start exercising if you are already in your middle-age years or older.  It is never to late to start exercising and receiving the benefits of that exercise.  So, no matter how old you are, develop a healthy exercise plan, make it something you enjoy so that you can stick to it long-term, and get moving!

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Dance Your Way To A Healthier You!

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is essential for maintaining or losing weight.  However, most of us have a difficult time adopting a regular exercise program.  Even those of us that start a regular exercise program with the best of intentions have difficulty in sticking with it over the long-term.  A new research study (free to download) explored the use of a combination of Latin dancing and educational information on healthy eating as a way to enhance physical activity and improve dietary habits.

In this study, adult overweight women who reported low levels of leisure time physical activity and low consumption of fruits and vegetables were subjected to two interventions: (1) 4 weeks of Latin dance lessons twice weekly and (2) internet-based education.  Group 1 women were asked to dance during the first 4 weeks and were provided education materials during the second 4 weeks of the study.  Women in Group 2 received educational materials first, followed by 4 weeks of dance lessons.  Dance lessons consisted of 8 one-hour lessons during which study participants learned the Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and Cha Cha from a professional dance instructor.  Physical activity and heart rate were monitored during the dance lessons.  Educational material on improving dietary habits by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption was provided via an interactive website that was updated with new material on a weekly basis.  The results of this small pilot study showed that:

• Based on heart rate, women obtained about 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity during their one-hour dance lessons.
• All study participants reported an increase in leisure time physical activity from about 10 minutes per week at the start of the study to about 30 minutes per week at the end of the study on average.
• Fruit and vegetable consumption remained stable throughout the study in women receiving educational material first and dancing second, while women who danced first and received educational material second showed a reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption.
• Group 2 women (education first) showed decreased consumption of dietary fats compared to Group 1 women (dance first)
• Body mass index (BMI) did not change significantly in either group

This is an interesting study that should be followed up with a larger, longer study.  In this study, the volunteers participated in over half of the dance lessons, suggesting that Latin dance might be a form of exercise that many individuals might find enjoyable enough to stick to on a long-term basis.  Additionally, this study suggests that learning about healthy eating habits before taking dance lessons might provide the best long-term results in regards to developing and maintaining healthier eating habits.  While no changes in BMI were observed in this study, it is important to remember that this was not a weight loss study and did not include any form of weight loss program.  Without the inclusion of a weight loss program, it would likely be difficult to lose much weight with moderate-intensity physical activity just twice per week for 4 weeks.  Nonetheless, no weight gain was observed suggesting that this intervention of education and dance might help maintain body weight or reduce weight gain.  It would be interesting to see if studies that include a weight loss program with the dance intervention, are of longer duration, and perhaps provide both education and dance over the same time frames would provide additional benefits like weight loss.

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Fitness Is Declining In College Students

Most of the time when we think about diet, lifestyle, exercise, and obesity, we think about body weight and weight loss.  While these factors are an important component of being physically fit, we often don't give as much thought to how physically fit we are as a population.

A new obesity and wellness research study (free to download) was conducted to determine if the physical fitness of college students changed over time and, if so, how those changes effected measures of obesity like body mass index (BMI) and body fat.  Nutrition researchers analyzed the results of MicroFit tests from over 5,000 students attending a private Seventh-Day Adventist college where each student enrolled in a physical activity class was required to take the MicroFit test.  Information collected on body weight, body fat, muscle strength, aerobic fitness and more from 1996 to 2008 was analyzed.  Fitness was measured by estimating VO2max, which is a measure of the maximum oxygen uptake during a graded exercise and is considered to be one of the most accurate measures of physical fitness.

The results of this data analysis showed that:

• While there was some yearly fluctuation, physical fitness, as measured by VO2max, declined overall during the 13 years examined.
• Physical fitness declined at a faster rate for male college students (0.812 mL/kg/min) than female college students (0.414 mL/kg/min).
• During the 13 year study period, percent body fat increased in both males (0.513% per year) and females (0.654% per year).
• The proportion of male college students classified as having poor physical fitness increased dramatically, while the number of male students classified as excellent, fit, or fair declined steadily.  Similar, but less dramatic, changes were observed in college females.

Overall, this study showed that both male and female college students are apparently becoming less physically fit and gaining more body fat over time.  One of the most interesting aspects of this study is the study population.  Seventh-Day Adventists are a religious group that stresses a very healthy lifestyle that includes eating a healthy vegetarian diet and getting plenty of exercise.  It has been reported that their lifestyle choices have resulted in a lifespan that is typically about 10 years longer than the average American.  This is reflected in this new study by the fact that the average body mass index of the students was about 24, which falls within the accepted healthy range, while average body fat was only about 12% in male college students and 22% in female college students.

While it is not completely unexpected to see a decrease in physical fitness during the college years due to the college lifestyle of little sleep, skipping meals, too much snacking and too much fast foods, one has to wonder how rapidly physical fitness is declining in the general population where healthy diet and lifestyle habits are not as frequently stressed.  Finding ways to increase physical activity, improve eating habits, and improve overall physical fitness during the college years should be an important part of our fight to reduce obesity.

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Walking Promotes Normal Memory Health

Physical activity is a vitally important part of a healthy lifestyle, particularly moderate-intensity exercise, which has been linked to a number of health benefits.  Moderate-intensity exercise can be achieved in a number of ways, including something as simple as taking a brisk walk.  One proposed benefit of walking is an improvement in brain function; however, long-term studies showing the true benefit have been lacking.

A new research study explored the effect of walking on brain size, specifically gray matter size, and memory health in 299 older adults (average age of 78 years).  To determine the impact of physical activity on brain and memory function, the study investigators measured the number of blocks walked over a 1 week period, scanned the volunteers brains 9 years after measuring physical activity, and measured memory function after 13 years.  According to the study summary and related press release, the study results indicated that:

• The amount walked over a 1 week period ranged from 0 to 300 blocks with an average of about 56 blocks.
• Brain size was greater after 9 years in individuals who walked at least 72 blocks (about 6 - 9 miles) per week (or about a mile per day) compared to individuals who walked less than 72 blocks per week.
• After 13 years, walking 72 blocks per week reduced the risk of memory loss by 2-fold.

This is excellent news.  Exercise, including walking, has been linked to numerous health benefits.  This new research indicates that walking about one mile per day might reduce the risk of memory impairment, the stage of memory loss before dementia.  This reduced risk of memory loss was linked to greater brain size in individuals who walked about one mile per day.  Aging has been linked to a reduction in brain size, but this new research suggests that a moderate-intensity exercise like walking can help protect against a loss of brain volume.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "if you're doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. If you're doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath".  While we all know that walking is a great part of any weight loss program, this new research also suggests that walking can help promote normal memory health.  So get out and walk whenever possible!

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Reduce Childhood Obesity - Be A Good Role Model!

Eating habits, healthy or unhealthy, are often developed early in life and can be influenced by many factors.  Parental habits, perhaps unknowingly, can be quickly picked up by children.  This is true for many behavioral habits, including dietary habits.  Because parental eating habits can be passed onto children, it is important for parents to develop their own healthy eating habits.  Two new research studies explored the impact that parental lifestyle habits can have on childhood habits. 

In the first research study, investigators interviewed the mothers of over 1,600 3 year old children using a food frequency questionnaire in order to assess the quality of both the women's and children's diets and to examine factors that influenced the diet quality of the children.  The primary factor that influenced the quality of the children's diet was the quality of the mother's diet.  According to the study summary, over 30% of the differences observed in the quality of a child's dietary habits was due to the mother's dietary habits.  Mother's who more closely met current dietary recommendations were more likely to have children who also met these dietary recommendations.  This was true regardless of the mother's education level, body size, or smoking habits and the child's time spent in front of the television.  Overall, these study results clearly indicate that children can adopt a mother's dietary habits, even at the young age of 3 years.  This stresses the importance for mothers to develop healthy eating habits and provide a good lifestyle role model for their children.

While this first study shows how important it is for mothers to provide a good role model for their children in regards to healthy eating, the burden is not theirs alone.  In a separate study, obesity researchers examined the impact of changes in father's lifestyle habits on their children's lifestyle habits.  For this study, 53 overweight or obese father's and their grade school children (average age = 8 years) were either put on a waiting list for a dietary program (control group) or were enrolled in a 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' program.  The 3-month 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' program required that fathers attend 8 face-to-face education sessions and bring their children to three of them.  Investigators assessed body weight, waist size, BMI, resting heart rate, food consumption, and physical activity of both father's and their children at the beginning of the study and after 3 and 6 months.  The obesity researchers reported that fathers in the 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' program lost more weight, lost more inches from their waist, showed better improvements in blood pressure, and exercised more than fathers in the control group.  Additionally, children whose fathers took part in the 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' program showed improved dietary intake, improved resting heart rate, and more exercise.  Overall, this study showed that fathers who developed better lifestyle habits and lost weight passed on these habits to their children who also developed better eating and exercise habits.

Both of these studies clearly show us the importance of parental lifestyle habits and how they can influence the habits of children.  With the current high rate of childhood obesity, it is important for us to teach children better lifestyle habits, particularly in regards to diet and exercise.  While these lessons can come from many places like the home and the school, teaching children proper habits is not enough.  Providing children with good role models in regards to following good eating habits and meeting exercise guidelines is an important step parents can take to reduce childhood obesity, while also helping themselves to lead a healthier life.

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Enhance Your Weight Loss - Read Food Labels

As we all know, exercise and reduced caloric intake are very important aspects of successful weight loss.  However, there are additional weight loss tools that can help with successful weight loss.  These can include things like using safe diet pills, keeping a food diary, partnering with a diet buddy to keep you accountable and more.  A new weight loss study suggests that reading food labels can help with weight loss. 

According to the study summary and a related press release, the weight loss researchers collected information on exercise habits, food label reading habits, and weight loss from volunteers who took part in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth study.  Analysis of the information collected showed that:

• Women read food labels more often than men
• Women lost weight more successfully than men
• Individuals who read food labels, but did not exercise were more likely to lose weight compared to individuals that exercised, but did not read food labels.
• Consumers who combined food label reading with exercise improved their likelihood of losing weight compared to consumers who just replaced label reading with exercise.

This rather interesting study indicates that reading food labels might be able to enhance weight loss.  Reading food labels is an important part of healthy eating habits.  By reading food labels we are better able to realize what we are putting into our bodies.  The benefits of food label reading in regards to weight loss are likely due to an increased awareness of serving sizes, calorie content of foods, and levels of macronutrients like fat, carbs, and protein as well as levels of micronutrients essential for optimal health.  By reading food labels we become more aware of the nutritional benefits and risks of the foods we are consuming and we begin to discriminate between healthy and less healthy food choices.  Reading food labels is an important step towards increasing our nutritional knowledge and awareness.  So continue to exercise and watch your caloric intake, but also start reading your food labels.

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Exercise Reduces Genetic Likelihood Of Obesity

While it is clear that being overweight or obese can be the result of too many calories consumed and not enough exercise, it is just as clear that genetic factors can play a major role in a person's risk for becoming obese.  In fact, research has shown that at least 12 different gene locations are involved in increased body mass index (BMI) and that these 12 different gene locations can be used to determine a person's chances of becoming obese by calculating a genetic predisposition score.  What is less clear is whether exercise can overcome a person's genetic likelihood of becoming obese.

Investigators collected data from over 20,000 men and women who took part in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer - Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) study in an attempt to examine the possible relationship between physical activity and the genetic risk for obesity (free to download).  Physical activity was determined with a questionnaire and categorized as inactive, moderately inactive, moderately active, and active.  A genetic predisposition score was calculated for each study subject by adding up the changes at the 12 different gene locations linked to increasing BMI.  Analysis of the interaction between genetics and physical activity showed that:

• When all study subjects were examined together, each additional BMI-increasing gene was linked to a 0.154 increase in BMI.
• This was even greater in the inactive volunteers where each BMI-increasing gene was linked to a 0.205 increase in BMI.
• In contrast, each additional BMI-increasing gene was only linked to a 0.126 increase in BMI in active individuals, indicating that exercise suppressed the genetic effects on body mass.
• Moderately active and moderately inactive individuals showed an intermediate effect on BMI-increasing genes, suggesting that even small amounts of activity can help fight against the genetic likelihood of becoming obese.
• When looking at obesity risk instead of body mass index, taking part in regular physical activity suppressed the genetic predisposition for obesity by about 40%.

These are both fascinating and important results.  Overall, this study shows us that while genetics certainly play a role in obesity risk and weight gain, exercise can dampen the effects of genetics.  Interestingly, the study investigators report that even exercising less than 30 minutes per day can have a positive effect on one's genetic likelihood of becoming overweight or obese.  While getting enough exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone, individuals who are genetically predisposed towards becoming overweight might gain additional benefit from a regular exercise routine.  So rather than believing that one's genetics doom us to being overweight, it is important to remember that exercise can fight back against one's genetic risk for obesity.

In addition to making exercise an important part of our fight against obesity, following a healthy eating plan can also be critical.  My easy diet plan is a great way develop better eating habits and lose weight while still enjoying delicious tasting foods.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more or tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Exercise & Eat Right To Reduce Menopausal Weight Gain

While many women can probably attest to the fact that they gain weight after menopause, there has been some scientific debate about whether the weight gain and changes in body composition that take place during this time of life are related strictly to menopause or are just another unwanted part of aging in general.

A new research study in Chinese perimenopausal women attempted to clarify this debate.  For this menopausal body composition study, researchers collected data from 438 perimenopausal women between the ages of 44-55 years who took part in a large bone health study.  Body composition information was collected at the beginning of the study and after 9, 18, and 30 months.  Changes in body fat and lean muscle mass were compared between women who remained premenopausal, those who transitioned through menopause and women who were already in menopause at the start of the study.  The study investigators reported that:

• A decrease in lean muscle mass and an increase in total fat mass and trunk fat mass were observed overall during the 30-month follow-up period.
• Age was negatively linked to central obesity (belly fat), such that belly fat increased as the women got older.
• When the information was adjusted for age, menopause was specifically shown to be linked to a decrease in lean muscle and an increase in percent body fat and trunk fat mass.

Overall, this new body composition study showed that though aging in general is related to weight gain, the transition to menopause itself is linked to an increase in body fat, particularly belly fat.  Like many other aspects of the menopausal transition, these changes in body fat distribution have been reported to be due to the loss of estrogen during the menopausal transition.  While hormone therapy has been reported in some studies to decrease obesity in postmenopausal women, hormone therapy comes with its own set of risks.  Developing healthy diet and lifestyle habits remains the best approach to preventing or reducing the impact of menopause on body weight gain and body composition.  Eating healthy foods in appropriate portions and getting plenty of exercise are core to preventing menopausal weight gain.  Starting during the premenopausal years and developing life-long healthy habits is the best approach to maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life.

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Don't Make Food Your Reward!

We all experience differences in weight loss success with some of us able to lose weight much easier than others.  In many cases, this can be simply due to differences in the amount of exercise we do; however, some research shows that these differences exist even when the exercise routine is supervised.  The reasons for this are not completely clear, but a new exercise and weight loss study suggests that differences in how we desire food after exercise might play a part in the individual differences in weight loss.

In this new weight loss study, which is free to download, obesity researchers examined exercise-induced changes in the perceived reward value of foods in overweight and obese volunteers.  Study volunteers followed a supervised exercise routine designed to burn 500 Calories per day, 5 days per week for 12 weeks.  The reward value of food was measured in each study volunteer using a computerized procedure that measured liking, wanting, and food preferences based on photographic food images that showed foods with different tastes and fat contents. Study volunteers were classified as Responders (exceeded predicted loss in fat mass) and Non-Responders (lower than expected loss in fat mass) and differences in their perceived reward value of food after exercise were examined at the start and end of the study.  The obesity researchers reported that:

• Responders lost an average of about 11 lbs in 12 weeks compared to Non-Responders who lost an average of 4 lbs.
• After a bout of exercise, the liking for all foods remained unchanged in Responders.  In contrast, Non-Responders experienced an increase in their liking for all foods immediately after an exercise session.  This perception in reward value of foods was similar at both the start and end of the study in both groups of volunteers.
• After an exercise session, Non-Responders showed a greater desire for high fat foods than Responders.
• Non-Responders experienced an increased preference for high fat, sweet foods immediately after exercise, while Responders showed an increased preference for low fat, non-sweet foods after exercise.

This is a fascinating study that concludes that overweight and obese individuals who show an increased desire for food, especially foods high in fat and sugar, immediately after an exercise session lost less weight.  One of the interesting aspects of this study is the fact that even individuals who successfully lost weight showed an increased desire for food; however, their preferences were for non-sweet, lower fat foods.  The obesity researchers also indicated that the preference for high fat, sweet foods after exercise in Non-Responders was only seen at the beginning of the study, suggesting that exercise if maintained regularly might be able to eventually overcome these preferences.  It is apparently unclear why some individuals experience a heightened desire for foods after exercise while others don't.  The study authors suggested that differences in brain hormones after exercise might sensitize some individuals to food and food cues.

This study shows the importance of not making food a reward for weight loss or exercise.  Of course, it makes sense to not use food as a reward because we often eat more than planned and defeat the purpose of exercise.  However, knowing that exercise might increase our desire for food makes it even more important to set up other reward systems.  For example if you meet an exercise goal, plan a relaxing day at the pool, beach or at the spa. Just make sure it is not food!

What reward system do you use?

Exercise in an important part of any good diet or weight loss plan.  My easy diet plan, which uses delicious high protein, low-glycemic bars and shakes, recommends walking 30-45 minutes a day as a great way to start exercising.  Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Don't Let Your Workouts Slow You Down!

Regular exercise, outside of our normal daily physical activities, is a vital part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body weight. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that we should exercise more than 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise or more than 150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity exercise, though less than half of us meet these recommendations.

Research studies have suggested that committing to a regular, structured exercise program might cause us to reduce the amount of physical activity we get during the rest of the day, partially compensating for our daily workout.  Whether our choice of exercise intensity impacts our overall daily amounts of physical activity remains unclear and is the subject of a new obesity research study. 

For this new study (free to download), research investigators enrolled 36 overweight or obese postmenopausal women who had been inactive during the 6 months before the study started.  Eighteen of the women were assigned to moderate-intensity exercise and the other 18 women were assigned to vigorous-intensity exercise such that calories burned were similar in both groups of women.  Total physical activity (structured exercise + normal daily activities) was measured both on days with structured exercise and on days without structured exercise.  The results of this investigation were very interesting.

Moderate-Intensity Exercise.  In women exercising at a moderate intensity, the amount of energy burned was higher on days when they exercised (~577 Calories) than on days when they did not exercise (~450 Calories).  However, this difference between exercise and non-exercise days (~127 Calories) was substantially less than the calories burned on the treadmill, suggesting that the women burned less calories outside of their workout on days that they exercised.

Vigorous-Intensity Exercise.  In women exercising at a vigorous intensity, the amount of total energy burned was LESS on days with treadmill exercise (~450 Calories) than on days without treadmill exercise (~520 Calories), suggesting that the women in this study were reducing the amount of physical activity they did outside of the structured program on days they exercised.

These are fascinating results that suggest we might automatically compensate for any structured exercise program to which we commit if we are not careful.  According to this study, the greatest risk appears to come with vigorous-intensity exercise.  In this group of women, those that committed to vigorous-intensity exercise on average reduced their non-treadmill physical activity so much that they burned more calories on non-exercise days than they did on exercise days.  While this reduction in non-treadmill physical activity was seen in both groups of women, it was clearly more pronounced in women following a vigorous-intensity program.  These findings make it clear that we need to educate individuals deciding to start a structured exercise program about the importance of maintaining their normal levels of physical activity in addition to their exercise program in order to achieve the best possible results.

Walking 30-45 minutes per day is a great way to start a healthy exercise and weight loss plan.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my easy diet plan and physical activity plan.

Reduce Weight Gain By Bicycling & Walking

We are all aware of the importance of regular exercise for maintaining overall health as well as maintaining a healthy body weight.  However, the benefit of some forms of exercise, particularly bicycling, on weight control are not well studied.

A 16-year follow-up study of more than 18,000 women who took part in the Nurses Health Study II investigated the impact of walking and bicycling on weight change between 1989 and 2005.  The results of this study showed that:

• At the start of the study, only 39% of the women walked briskly and only 1.2% of them bicycled for more than 30 minutes per day.
• Women who increased their bicycling or brisk walking (> 3 mph) by at least 30 minutes per day gained substantially less weight.
• Slow walking (< 3 mph) did not prevent weight gain.
• Women who did not bicycle before the study started and increased they bicycling by at least 5 minutes per day gained less weight than women who did not bike at all.
• Normal weight women who rode a bike for more than 4 hours/week had about 25% lower odds of gaining more than 5% of their initial body weight.
• Overweight women who bicycled at least 2 hours per week had a 46% lower chance of gaining more than 5% of their initial body weight.

Overall, these study results continue to show us the importance of exercise for weight control.  Even small amounts of brisk exercise can have some benefits, but as this study indicates, additional amounts of exercise have additional benefits.  According to the newest obesity report, the majority of us aren't getting the recommended amounts of exercise.  In fact, the states with the highest rates of obesity have the highest percentage of sedentary adults.  Regular moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity exercise has multiple health benefits in addition to supporting healthy weight management, so remember to get the right amount of exercise as often as possible.

My easy diet plan recommends at least 30-45 minutes of brisk walking six days per week.  Walking is a great, low-impact way to start exercising and has many benefits.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my delicious foods and easy diet plan.

Obesity Rates Continue To Rise!

The newest national obesity report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010" was recently made available to the public and indicates that obesity levels continue to increase.  While the full report is free to read, some of the major finding are briefly outlined below:

• Adult obesity rates rose in 28 states.
• 38 states have an obesity rate more than 25% with 8 of those states having obesity rates greater than 30%.
• Of the 11 states with the highest obesity rates, 10 are Southern states with Mississippi having the highest rate of obesity (33.8%).
• Adult obesity rose for a third year in a row in 11 states and for a second year in a row for 15 states.
• Obesity rates were highest in individuals with an income below $15,000/year and lowest in individuals with an income above $50,000/year, suggesting the cost of healthy foods is a barrier to healthy eating.
• Physical inactivity rose in 12 states with 6 states reporting that more than 30% of adults did not exercise.
• 8 of the 10 states with the highest rates of obesity also had the lowest rates of fruit and vegetable consumption.

The report indicates that obesity reached 'epidemic proportions' in 2001, after which steps were taken nation wide to slow or prevent the increase in obesity rates.  Unfortunately, these steps were often too slow to develop and were not always well-accepted.  According to this new report, programs to prevent obesity have grown tremendously in the last couple of years and research suggests that 80% of Americans recognize obesity as a national problem.  Some of the programs being widely adopted include raising nutritional standards for school lunches and foods sold in vending machines (over 20 states), requirements for body mass index screening of children and teens (20 states), linking local farms to schools (23 states), imposing soda taxes (33 states), and improving safe access to community streets for pedestrians and bicyclists (13 states).  Hopefully, this growing obesity awareness and improved obesity education will lead to a reversal of the obesity trends being reported.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is an important part of living a healthy, active lifestyle.  My easy diet plan is a delicious way to manage your weight and eating habits.  Visit us to learn more!

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

Dietary guidelines for American are reviewed and revised at 5 year intervals through a collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services.  While the finalized 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are not yet published, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, which outlines the Committee's recommendations, has been made publicly available.  Some of the points addressed and recommendations are very briefly outlined below.

The Committee Report indicates that on average Americans consume too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk products and seafood, while consuming to much added sugars, sodium, solid fats, and refined grains.  To combat this current situation, the Committee Report recommends a total diet that is energy-balanced and nutrient-dense while being flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of tastes and food preferences.  To accomplish this, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee outlined several steps we can all take:

• Reduce overall calorie intake.
• Meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
• Shift food consumption patters to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.  As part of this shift, the Committee recommends increasing seafood and low-fat milk product consumption and eating only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs.
• Dramatically reduce the amount of added sugars and solid fats we consume and also lower intake of sodium and refined grains.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee further indicated that more than individual efforts will be needed to achieve the necessary changes.  Rather, the Committee believes that a coordinated plan involving all sectors of society is needed to successfully change the overall food environment.  Some of the changes suggested by the Committee include:

• Improve nutritional literacy and cooking skills
• Enhance school health, nutrition, and physical education programs
• Develop financial incentives to purchase healthier foods
• Improve the availability of fresh produce
• Increase the availability of seafood to all segments of the population
• Encourage the food industry to offer health-promoting foods

It is good to see that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is close to completion.   While the entire Committee Report is quite long, the Executive Summary provides an excellent overveiw of the Committee's recommendations including recommended changes in the dietary intake of sodium (down to 1,500 mg/day from the current 2,300 mg/day), saturated fat (less than 7% of total calories), and seafood (consume at least 2 servings per week that provide an averge of 250 mg/day of omega-3 fatty acids) among others.  It is likely that many of the recommendations suggested by the Committee will be difficult to meet both by individual Americans and the food industry; however, if these goals can be met, these recommendations have the ability to reduce future obesity incidence and lead to healthier lives for Americans.

My easy diet plan is an excellent and delicious way to start managing your weight, whether you are a looking to lose a few pounds or maintain a healthy weight.

Vigorous Exercise Reduces Cellular Aging

Telomeres are complexes composed of protein and DNA that cap the ends of the chromosomes in our body's cells.  Because telomeres shorten as we age, they have become a cellular marker of biological age.  Additionally, short telomere length has been linked to a number of chronic diseases and possibly early death.   Interestingly, telomere length appears to be modified by a variety of factors including diet, body size and stress.  A number of studies have reported that greater amounts of perceived stress are associated with shorter telomere length.  However, few studies have evaluated the ability of stress-reducing interventions to protect telomeres.

In a new anti-aging research study (full paper is free to read), investigators examined the effect of exercise on stress and telomere length.  Previous research has suggested that stress has a negative impact on human health and that this might be due to a link between chronic stress and telemore length. Other studies have shown a positive link between exercise and longer telomere length.  This new study was conducted to more clearly define the possible relationships between stress, exercise, and telomere length. 

For this new anti-aging study, investigators divided 63 postmenopausal with different stress levels into either Sedentary or Active groups based on their level of physical activity.  The women classified as Active met the CDC-recommended amount of daily activity.  The odds of the study subjects having long or short telomeres were calculated based on their amount of exercise and their perceived stress level.  The study investigators reported that:

• Volunteers with high perceived stress levels were less active and had shorter telomeres.
• Among non-exercisers, each increase in perceived stress increased the odds of having shorter telomeres by 15 times.
• Among volunteers who exercised, telomere length was not affected by stress levels.
• Analysis of different levels of physical activity indicated that the benefits of exercise on telomere length were achieved by at least 15 minutes of vigorous activity per day.

These are fascinating research results, which suggest an anti-aging benefit of short periods of vigorous physical activity.  This study suggests that (1) high levels of chronic stress are linked to shorter telomeres and therefore a shorter cellular lifespan and (2) short periods of physical activity can protect our telomeres from stress-related shortening.  It is thought that exercise might protect telomeres by increasing the enzyme needed to prevent or slow telomere breakdown, though this theory requires additional testing.  While exercise appears to have an anti-aging benefit, stressed individuals are reportedly less likely to exercise.  This makes it imperative to develop physical activity programs targeted towards highly stressed individuals, individuals who might possibly derive some of the greatest benefits from exercise.

Exercise is an important aspect of any healthy weight management plan,  My easy diet plan recommends 30-45 minutes of walking or other physical activity you enjoy 6 days per week.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more.

Get Active & Stay Active!

In several of my previous blogs, I've talked about the importance of being physically active.  The new 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans also stresses the importance of physical activity and goes so far as to indicate that additional exercise beyond the minimum recommendations can provide additional health benefits. 

However, it is unclear how many people actually meet these guidelines.  A new study in the journal Preventive Medicine used data from a 2007 behavioral questionnaire to determine how many people actually exercise more than  300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise or more than 150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity exercise, the amounts suggested by the Guidelines for additional health benefits.  According to this study, in the year 2007:

• Only 43.5% of adults met the new 2008 Guidelines recommendations for being highly active
• 48% of men and 39% of women were considered highly active
• More non-Hispanic whites were considered highly active (46%) than Hispanics (38%) and African Americans (38%).

Overall, this data analysis shows that less than half the population surveyed met the "highly active" recommendations of the new 2008 Guidelines, meaning less than half of the surveyed population exercised for more than 300 minutes/week (~45 minutes/day) of moderate-intensity exercise or 150 minutes/week (~20 minutes/day) of vigorous-intensity exercise.  These results suggest that we need to continue getting the word out about the importance of adequate levels of physical activity for health benefits.  However, it would be interesting to conduct a similar survey now, a couple of years after the establishment of the new 2008 Guidelines to determine if the establishment of these recommendations have had a positive impact on physical activity levels.

It is pretty common for most of us to go through periods of time where it is difficult to get or stay motivated in regards to exercise.  It happens without us ever really knowing it… things get hectic at work, the kids have homework that needs to be completed, activities outside of school and work require our time, etc.  All of these things can make it difficult to get in the daily exercise our bodies crave.  Below are just a few ideas for getting moving and staying motivated… 

• Work out with a friend – this can make your exercise more enjoyable and makes everyone more accountable.
• Schedule a workout session and set it as a priority – for many of us, if it’s on the calendar we’ll make sure it gets done!
• Keep an exercise log - this will help you see how much you have improved over time and motivate you to do more.
• Set specific goals – once you’ve accomplished your initial goals, continue to set new goals.
• Make sure you enjoy the activity – doing something you enjoy will make it easier to continue long term.
• Try different workouts or activities – Variety keeps you from being bored and helps reduce the chance of a weight loss plateau.
• Set up a reward system – for example, if you meet an exercise goal plan a relaxing day at the pool, beach or spa.
• Join an intramural team – camaraderie and competition can help make exercise fun!

Each of these ideas can help you get started and stay motivated.  With the right support system (family and friends) in place you’ll be moving and losing weight, while having fun at the same time!

What keeps you motivated to exercise?

Turn Off The Television To Help Reduce Obesity Risk

The incidence of childhood obesity continues to increase around the world.  There are many factors associated with obesity, whether it is childhood or adult obesity.  Two related factors that are most commonly linked with the incidence of being overweight or obese are the lack of physical activity and the high rate of sedentary behaviors, particularly television watching.  Research reports have suggested that television watching is associated with higher body mass index scores and poorer overall health.  Because of this, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that television time for children be limited to no more than 1-2 hours of quality programming per day.  Some research even suggests that children's total screen time (television, computer use, and video games) should be limited to less than one hour per day in order to reduce the incidence of being overweight.

It is often suggested that parents need to set a good example for their children by adopting healthier habits in regards to physical and sedentary behaviors; however, the actual impact of parental behaviors on subsequent child behaviors remain unclear.  A new research study (free to read online or download) from the UK suggests that our television viewing habits as parents is strongly linked to our children's television viewing habits. For this study, the researchers examined physical activity measurements, overall sedentary time, and self-reported television viewing time from over 400 parent-child pairs.   The investigators reported that:

• For both 10-11 year old boys and girls, sedentary time was positively linked to parental sedentary time such that as parental inactivity increased, so did their child's inactivity.
• The risk of girls watching more than 4 hours per day of television was nearly 4 times greater when their parents watched 2-4 hours of television.
• When parents of boys reported watching 2-4 hours of television per day, their sons were more than 10 times more likely to watch more than 4 hours of television per day.
• Unexpectedly, parental physical activity levels were not linked to the physical activity of the children, suggesting that children at this age might not readily follow parental physical activity examples.

This is interesting research that sheds more light on parent and child relationships regarding physical activity and sedentary behavior.  The biggest news from this study is that children with parents who watch more than 2 hours of television per day are more apt to watch an unhealthy amount of television themselves.  Since television watching and other sedentary behaviors have been linked to poor health and increased body weight, it is important for parents to monitor their own level of television viewing in order to help reduce childhood inactivity.  It is also important for parents to develop strategies to reduce child sedentary behaviors and encourage physical activity.

Physical activity is an important part of any healthy weight management plan.  My easy diet plan recommends 30-45 minutes of walking or other physical activity you enjoy per day for 6 days per week.  Visit us to learn more!

Preventing Weight Gain in Overweight Children

Childhood obesity is a serious and growing problem in the United States and around the world.  In the United States, recent statistics indicate that over 15% of children are obese and approximately 30% of kids are overweight or obese.  Various programs to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity have been developed, including a new federal program.

A new childhood obesity study has examined the effectiveness of a child-centered physical activity and a parent-centered dietary program for preventing weight gain in overweight children.  For this study researchers assigned 165 overweight or obese children (about 5 - 10 years of age) to one of three programs:  (1) a parent-centered dietary program, (2) a child-centered exercise program, or (3) a combination of the two programs.  As part of these programs, participants received 10 weekly in-person sessions followed by 3 monthly follow-up phone calls.

The results of this study showed that all three interventions successfully reduced average body mass index in study volunteers.  Of the three programs, the child-centered physical activity program reduced average body mass index scores the least, though the reductions were still substantial.  Both the parent-centered dietary program and the combination of the two programs resulted in greater reductions in the children's body mass index, nearly double the reduction observed in the child-centered physical activity program alone.  Overall, these study results indicate that child appropriate physical activity and dietary programs can be successfully employed to reduce body weight in overweight/obese children. 

Studies like this are important for the development of age-appropriate programs to reduce childhood obesity.  As this current study shows, these programs will generally require diet and exercise components and parental involvement.  Not only is it important for parents to provide healthy, nutrient-rich choices for children, it is just as important for parents to set a good example for their children by developing their own healthy eating and exercise habits.  One way to do this is to look for activities that can be done together like walking the family pet each evening after dinner or taking family bike rides.

Choosing healthy family snacks is another effective way to help reduce childhood obesity.  My soy protein chips are delicious tasting treats that provide high quality protein.  They make a great addition to your favorite trail mix recipe.

Walking Can Improve Quality of Life in Overweight Women

For many women, the onset of menopause is associated with gains in body weight and body fat as well as a number of unwanted physiological changes.  These changes can often lead to a decreased health-related quality of life.  A new study was recently published that explored the potential benefits of a regular walking program on the quality of life of late premenopausal and early postmenopausal women.

In this new healthy aging study, 16 late premenopausal (about 49 years of age) and 14 early postmenopausal (about 53 years of age) overweight women participated in a regular walking program.  This walking program consisted of walking for 45 minutes at 60% of their heart rate reserve three times per week for 16 weeks.  Changes from the beginning to the end of the study were determined for body weight, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, eating behaviors and quality of life.  Some of the study finding included:

• Moderate walking resulted in a decrease in body weight, body fat, and waist size in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
• Cardiorespiratory fitness increased in both groups of women after following the 16-week moderate intensity walking program.
• Both physical and mental quality of life scores improved in all women after following a regular walking program.
• Eating behaviors were generally unchanged after completing the walking program with the exception that the study volunteers were less likely to be susceptible to overeating in social situations.

Overall, these results show that a simple moderate-intensity walking plan can have several benefits including weight loss, fat loss, and improved quality of life for both late premenopausal and early postmenopausal women.  This study is an excellent example of the multiple benefits of exercise for healthy aging.  While many of us focus on the idea that exercise is a vital component of a good weight management plan, we often overlook the improvements in our quality of life that we can often experience with regular exercise.  While a greater amount of exercise can help the weight loss come more quickly, this study indicates that even exercising at a moderate intensity for 3 times per week can aid in weight loss while supporting a healthier physical function and mental outlook.

As part of my easy diet plan, I recommend walking 6 days per week for 30-45 minutes per day.  Of course walking can be substituted for any form of physical activity you enjoy.  If you choose an activity that you enjoy, you will generally find it easier to stick to your program and achieve greater success.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more.

Early 'Rapid' Weight Loss Might Support Better Weight Loss Success

While a definitive optimal rate of weight loss that provides the best weight loss success in the long term has never been officially established, most weight loss experts agree that a healthy rate of weight loss is anywhere from 0.5 to 2 pounds per week.  Needless to say, this is a pretty wide range and someone who loses 2 pounds per week is going to lose a lot faster than a person who loses 0.5 pounds per week.  But the question remains... are there benefits to losing weight at one pace compared to others?

To answer this question, researchers from the University of Florida examined the rate of weight loss in a group of middle-aged (about 60 years of age on average), obese (average BMI ~37) women who followed a weight loss plan for 6 months and received follow-up support for an additional year.  As part of the weight loss plan, the study volunteers were encouraged to reduce the amount of calories they consumed in order to lose about 1 pound per week. 

As expected, the rate of weight loss differed among the women in the study.  The study investigators grouped the weight loss volunteers into three groups based on their rate of weight loss during the first month of the study:  (1) FAST (lost at least 1.5 pounds per week), (2) MODERATE (0.5 - 1.5 pounds per week), and (3) SLOW (less than 0.5 pounds per week).  Differences in long term weight loss success were examined between groups.  The results of this analysis showed that:

• After 6 months, women in the fast group lost more weight (30 pounds) than women in the moderate (20 pounds) and slow (11 pounds) groups.
• Similar results were observed after 18 months when the study was completed with women in the fast group (24 pounds) losing more weight than women in the moderate (16 pounds) and slow groups (8 pounds), though it is clear that each group showed a small amount of weight regain.
• Women who lost weight at a moderate or fast pace were 3-5 times more likely to lose at least 10% of their initial body weight, a percentage that has been shown to have health benefits.

These are fascinating study results that suggest a more rapid weight loss, within the accepted healthy rate of loss, at the beginning of a weight loss program might support better long-term weight loss success.   Women in this study who lost at least 1.5 pounds per week lost more weight overall, were able to maintain their weight loss, and did not experience any greater weight regain than the other groups.  However, losing 1.5 pounds per week takes real committment to one's weight loss plan.  In order to lose 1.5 pounds per week, a person has to burn 750 more calories per day than they eat.  While 750 calories per days seems like a lot, if this is approached as a combination of diet (eat at least 375 calories less per day) and exercise (burn at least an additional 375 calories per day), achieving a 750 calorie deficit will be less daunting.

Following a regular diet and exercise routine, like my easy diet plan, can make it easier to target this kind of weight loss.  Dieters in my weight loss clinical trial lost 26-29 pounds on average in 16 weeks, which averages to just over 1.5 pounds per week.  Of course, individual results did vary with some volunteers losing more and some losing less.  To learn more visit us at www.drtabor.com.