Weight Loss Success!

Congratulations to Nell and Wanda! 

Wanda lost 80 pounds in seven months and dropped from a size 20 to a size 4 by walking the weight off and eating sensibly.  Her meal plan frequently consisted of bran cereal from breakfast, salad for lunch, a low-calorie entrée for dinner and my bars and shakes between meals.

  

Nell lost 90 lbs in 25 months and dropped from a size 26 to a size 16 at age 71 by eating one of my bars for breakfast, one of my shakes for lunch, a sensible evening meal, and walking for exercise.

Both Nell and Wanda are featured in this week’s Globe magazine for the amazing accomplishments.  Great job, ladies!

†Dieters in a clinical study enjoyed a remarkable 26 to 29 pounds average weight loss in just 16 weeks. Before beginning any weight loss or exercise program, you should consult with your physician. Individual results will vary. Studies were funded in part or in whole by Physicians Laboratories. Testimonials were compensated fairly for appearing. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Dr. Tabor's products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Product names (e.g. smaller belt bbq™) do not imply targeted benefits.

Reduce Children's Obesity Risk - Control Pregnancy Weight Gain

Numerous obesity research studies have reported that weight gain during pregnancy and birth weight are both linked to one's risk for becoming overweight or obese during both childhood and as an adult.  However, it has been unclear if these links between obesity risk and pregnancy weight gain and birth weight are confounded by genetic factors.

In an attempt to clarify the associations between future obesity risk, birth weight, and weight gain during pregnancy, researchers from the Children's Hospital Boston and Columbia University teamed together to conduct a population-based study of pregnancy weight gain and birth weight.  For this study, obesity researchers analyzed vital statistics birth records from over 500,000 women and over 1 million births. Analysis of the information in these records showed:

• A consistent relationship between greater weight gains during pregnancy and greater birth weights
• Women who gained more than about 53 lbs during their pregnancy had heavier babies than women who gained only 18-22 lbs.
• Gaining more than 53 lbs during pregnancy more than doubled a woman's chances of giving birth to a baby weighing more than 8 lbs 13 oz.

By using such a large population, the researchers were able to omit factors that might have altered the impact of pregnancy weight gain on birth weight like short or long pregnancy lengths, maternal diabetes, and more.  By reducing these potentially interfering factors, these researchers showed that excessive weight gain during pregnancy directly effects birth weight.  This is important because previous research has shown that a large birth weight substantially increases a person's risk for obesity both as a child and later in life as an adult.  In fact, some studies have reported that a birth weight of more than 8 lbs increases a person's risk for obesity by about 50-70%!

Therefore, it is important to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight gain during pregnancy.  The following tips from the Weight-Control Information Network might help prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy:

• Consume only about 300 more calories per day than normal during the last 6 months of pregnancy.  For normal weight women, this would equal about 1,900 - 2,500 total calories per day
• Eat breakfast every day
• Be sure to include high fiber foods
• Keep healthy snacks handy
• Consider cutting back on large amounts of caffeine
• Exercise at a moderate intensity on a regular basis.

Keeping weight gain during pregnancy to a healthy level is an important step for reducing childhood and adult obesity.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is simple for anyone with my easy diet plan.  Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST or visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more!

Reduce Meat Consumption To Prevent Weight Gain

Most of us love to eat meat, whether it is beef, poultry, pork, or one of the many other varieties.  When cooked right, meat can be delicious, savory, and satisfying.  However, most of us eat too much meat.  Instead of limiting ourselves to the recommended 3-ounce portion we should consume, most of us will eat the whole steak or chop set in front of us whether it is 9, 12, or more ounces.  While it is an excellent source of protein, meat, particularly red meat, can also be a source of unhealthy dietary fat.  The impact of meat consumption on body weight remains a topic of debate with many, but not all, studies suggesting that meat consumption is linked to weight gain.

As part of a large European  study on cancer and nutrition, researchers examined the association between meat consumption (total meat, red meat, poultry, and processed meat) and weight gain after 5 years.  For this study, the researchers recruited over 100,000 men and nearly 300,000 women from 10 European countries.  Questionnaires were used to determine dietary habits, which were then analyzed in respect to changes in body weight over a 5-year period.  Results of this diet and body weight analysis showed that:

• Total meat consumption was linked to an increase in body weight.  This was true for both normal weight and overweight volunteers and for both smokers and non-smokers.
• When the data was adjusted so that caloric intake was comparable, an increase in meat consumption of 250 grams (about 9 oz) per day was linked to a 4.4 pound greater weight gain after 5 years.
• Positive links between weight gain and consumption of red meat, poultry, and processed meat were also observed.

These are interesting results that confirm earlier observational studies that suggest meat consumption can lead to weight gain.  The most interesting result outlined in this study is that meat consumption would lead to weight gain even if calorie consumption was approximately equal.  While we might look at the numbers and think that gaining 4.4 lbs  over 5 years is pretty insignificant, over a lifetime this would add up to a substantial weight gain.  Therefore, this study suggests that limiting the amount of meat we eat on a regular basis might help us maintain a healthy body weight over time.  Meat is clearly a good source of protein and we all need protein in our diets.  However, making wise choices in the meats we consume (aim for leaner meats and appropriate portion sizes) and including protein from non-meat sources can help us limit meat consumption to a healthier level.

My milk protein bars and shakes and soy protein bars and shakes are good sources of dietary protein and a delicious part of my easy diet plan.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more!

All-You-Can-Eat Ballparks!

Have you read the recent article on the Sports Illustrated website about the relatively new trend in ballparks?  It appears that despite the fact that two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, ballparks have been opening all-you-can-eat sections in order to boost sales, and it is working.

According to this article, this trend started off with the development of premium all-inclusive packages, but has progressed to include other stadium sections.  In fact, many of these all-you-can-eat sections are sections of stadiums that typically do not sell out. By selling seats that include all the food and drink that you can consume, ballparks have now been selling out sections that were nearly empty before including the all-you-can-eat promotion.  For sports fans it's a great deal.  One park is selling seats in its all-you-can-eat section for $40 per person.  Most sports fans would end up spending quite a bit more than $40 for tickets, food, and drink if they had to pay for the items separately.  Because ticket sales have increased, so has the number of teams using similar promotions.  Currently, over half of the major league baseball teams have all-you-can-eat seats, up from only a handful of teams in 2007.

It is clear that these all-you-can-eat promotions are helping the ballparks and also helping the wallets and pocketbooks of customers who choose to attend a game, but is it helping these customers' waistlines?  Most likely not!  While some ballparks apparently offer salads, fruits and other healthy options, the majority of foods offered are what we consider typical ballpark fare... hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, soda, ice cream, and more.  Not exactly the healthiest of choices.  Even when healthy options are offered, customers reportedly opt for the less healthy choices because it is part of the ballpark culture.  In addition to being offered less than healthy food choices in most cases, the all-you-can-eat ballpark atmosphere leads to some serious overeating.  One customer mentioned in the article apparently eats double or triple what he would normally eat in another section of the stadium, stating "I figure I might as well take advantage of it".  This is the same attitude many of us take at any buffet, whether at a ballpark or our favorite restaurant.

Eating healthy is a challenge for most of us in the best of situations.  Putting ourselves in all-you-can-eat situations makes it even more difficult to eat healthy.  While I would never tell anyone to stay away from a ballpark, I would suggest that you practice restraint if do you have the opportunity to watch a game from an all-you-can-eat section.  Some of the tips below might help:

• Eat a healthy snack of fruits and/or vegetables before going to the game.  This will curb your appetite so that you can resist the buffet longer and decrease your chances of overeating.
• Try to avoid repeated trips to the all-you-can-eat buffet.
• If you order nachos, only get one and share it with a friend.
• If they offer grilled chicken, choose it over less healthy options.
• If a salad bar is available, include a salad as part of your meal.  It is a healthier option and will reduce the amount you eat of less healthy options.  
• Choose healthier dessert options if available (e.g. frozen yogurt over ice cream)
• Choose calorie-free drinks when possible.

My protein bars, shakes, and chips make great options to either consume before going to the ballpark in an effort to reduce your risk of overeating or to take with you to the game (where allowed of course!).   Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my delicious foods and easy diet plan.

Does Diet Quality Impact Weight Change?

Diet quality is clearly important for human health.  Consuming a high quality diet provides us with the necessary amounts of macronutrients (protein, fats, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) needed to sustain life and support normal health.  However, the relationship between diet quality and body weight is a little less clear.

A new nutrition study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Nutrition used data collected from the Framingham Offspring/Spouse Study to examine the impact of diet quality on body weight.  For this study, researchers determined the diet quality of more than 1,500 men and women over 30 years of age with a body mass index of at least 18.5.  In addition to diet quality, other possible predictors of weight change (age, exercise, smoking, etc) were examined.  The researchers reported:

• Among women, former smokers with poor diet quality gained more weight than former smokers with a good diet quality.
• Women who quit smoking during the study follow-up period gained the most weight.
• Among men, former smoking status was associated with greater weight gain.
• Older age was linked to lower amounts of weight gained in both men and women.
• Among women, increased levels of physical activity were also linked to lower amounts of weight gain. 

Based on these results, the researchers concluded that while diet quality is important, age, physical activity, weight fluctuation, and smoking status were stronger predictors of weight gain in this study population.  Overall, these are interesting study results that suggest men and women might have slightly different risk factors for weight gain.  Therefore, when developing personalized diet programs to either prevent weight gain or support healthy weight loss, it will likely be important to take gender and lifestyle into consideration.  This might be particularly true for smokers.  Since these results indicated that former smokers gained the most weight, more frequent interaction with former smokers starting a weight management program might be needed to provide a greater chance for overall success.  While diet quality did not effect weight gain as much as smoking status or some other factors, diet quality did interact with some of these other factors (especially smoking), making it an important component of on overall healthy weight management program.

My milk and soy protein bars and shakes contain 20 grams of high quality protein, making them an excellent and convenient part of my easy diet plan.

Eat A Good Breakfast To Reduce Body Size

We've all probably heard that eating breakfast is an important part of a healthy weight management plan.  Research has suggested that eating a healthy breakfast reduces the risk for obesity, reduces overall daily calorie intake, and prevents overeating later in the day.  Despite the importance of a good breakfast, many of us choose to either eat a small, quick breakfast on the way out the door each morning or to skip breakfast entirely.

New research out of Australia, continues to show the benefit of eating a good breakfast on body weight and obesity risk.  For this research, the study investigators examined data from nearly 900 men and over 600 women that took part in three independent diet/nutrition surveys.  Analysis of the survey data showed that:

• Coffee consumption was associated with smaller breakfasts or skipping breakfast entirely.
• Consumption of breakfast was associated with eating cereals, bread, and fruit among other items.
• Breakfast size was inversely related to body mass index such that a larger breakfast predicted a lower body mass index.
• The impact of breakfast size on body mass index was only seen in men, not women.

This new research continues to show the importance of eating an adequate and healthy breakfast.   It is unclear why the benefit of breakfast size on body mass index was only seen in men and not women.  Nonetheless, previous research has shown that a healthy breakfast is important for everyone.

Aiming for nutrient-rich foods is the best approach to take when designing a healthy start to your day.  Nutrient-rich foods provide high levels of nutrients needed for overall health while keeping calorie levels lower.  Therefore, you can eat more at a lower calorie cost.  In contrast, energy-dense foods often provide little nutritional value, come with high calorie levels, and often don't keep your hunger at bay.  So choose nutrient-rich options like whole grain foods, fruits, and protein.  Even if you are in a hurry to get out the door, a breakfast smoothie rich in protein and fruit takes only a few minutes to blend and pour into a travel mug.  So make sure to take the time to whip together a healthy and nutritious breakfast and get your day off to a good start.

My protein shakes and bars make a great breakfast choice, whether you are looking to lose weight or simply maintain a healthy body weight.  They are high in protein (milk or soy), come in a variety of delicious flavors, and make great smoothies.  Choose your own recipe or try one of my favorites!

Dr. Tabor's Diet Recipes

Listed below are some of my favorite recipes, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Chocolate Banana Bliss

• 1 chocolate protein shake packet
• 8 - 16 oz. cold water
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)

Mix in blender until smooth.

Double Mocha Melt Off

• 1 mocha protein shake packet
• 6 oz. cold water
• 6 oz. brewed coffee
• 4 ice cubes

Mix in blender until smooth

Strawberry Cream Dream

• 1 vanilla protein shake packet
• 8 - 16 oz. cold water
• 4 oz. plain yogurt or skim milk
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Mix in blender until smooth.

Peanut Butter Cup-O-Perfection

• 1 chocolate protein shake packet
• 8 - 16 oz. cold water
• 4 oz. plain yogurt or skim milk
• 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

Mix in blender until smooth.

Orange Jubilee

• 1 vanilla protein shake packet
• 12 - 16 oz. orange juice
• 4 ice cubes

Mix in blender until smooth.

Bahama Vanilla Vacation

• 1 vanilla protein shake packet
• 8 - 16 oz. cold water
• 1/2 cup frozen tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, or papaya)
• 1/2 Tbsp. coconut extract

Mix in blender until smooth.

Pina Colada Caress

• 1 vanilla protein shake packet
• 8 - 12 oz. cold water
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/3 cup pineapple chunks
• 2 tsp. coconut extract

Mix in blender until smooth.

Root Beer Bonanza

• 1 vanilla protein shake packet
• 12 - 16 oz. cold diet root beer

Mix in blender until smooth.

Fruit Bar Blast Off

• 1 protein bar cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 banana, apple or strawberries cut into 1/4 inch slices

Eat slice of bar with slice of fruit.

Non-Naughty Nibbles Trail Mix

• 1 bag non-naughty nibbles
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup raisins and chocolate chips

Try nibbles in soups and salads!

Find more recipes at www.DrTabor.com/Recipes

A Pre-Meal Prune Snack for Weight Management

A common weight management strategy is to focus on foods that provide higher levels of satiety (feelings of fullness) in an attempt to reduce hunger and overall calorie intake.  Foods rich in protein and fiber are commonly used as part of this weight loss strategy.  A new study explored the potential benefit of including prunes (dried European plums) as part of a pre-meal snack as a strategy to reduce subsequent food consumption.

In their study, researchers provided 45 healthy, normal weight men with one of two pre-meal snacks.  One of the pre-meal snacks included prunes, while the other pre-meal snack included a bread product (instead of the prunes) and had the same caloric value and weight.  After consuming their pre-meal snack, the study volunteers were offered an all-you-can-eat meal with dessert.  Food and dessert intake and feelings associated with appetite were assessed.  The study investigators reported that:

• Volunteers consuming the prune-based snack consumed fewer calories at the following meal.
• Consuming the prune-based pre-meal snack also resulted in a lower amount of dessert consumed after the meal.
• At all time points tested between consumption of the snack and the following meal, volunteers who ate the prune-based snack reported less hunger and a less desire to eat.

The results of this study suggest that prunes have a satiating effect, thereby reducing food consumption at the next meal.  The study investigators suggest that the ability of prunes to increase one's feeling of fullness is likely due to their fiber content; one-fourth cup of prunes contains more than 10% of the daily value of dietary fiber.  In addition to promoting satiety, dietary fiber has been reported to have a number of potential health benefits, so including fiber-rich foods is a healthy choice for any diet plan. 

Making snacks or meals that are rich in satiety-promoting ingredients like fiber and protein, can be an effective part of a good weight management plan.  By aiming for foods that help you feel full, you can reduce overall caloric intake throughout the day.  My protein bars and shakes contain 20 grams of protein to help you feel full and my soy protein bars also contain 5 grams of healthy fiber.  Visit us to learn more.

Sucralose Does Not Effect Glucose Absorption In Humans

Sucralose is one of the world's most popular artificial sweeteners; however, controversies regarding its effects on body weight are commonly discussed in the media.  This is because some animal studies have reported that sucralose consumption increases glucose absorption and weight gain.  However, a new study suggests that the results seen in animal studies do not apply to humans.

In this new study published online in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers investigated the effect of sucralose consumption in ten human volunteers.   Volunteers received an infusion of either (1) a sucralose solution or (2) a saline solution control.  Changes in blood glucose and glucagon-like peptide-1, an appetite-related hormone, were examined over a 2 hour period after treatment infusions.  The results of this human clinical trial showed that infusion of sucralose did not affect levels of glucose or glucagon-like peptide-1.

According to a recent press release, the study researchers suggested that the lack of an effect of sucralose on glucose absorption observed in this human trial is likely due to species differences in how glucose is transported.  The predominant glucose transporter in rodents is present in much lower levels in human beings, perhaps explaining why sucralose does not appear to have a negative effect on blood sugar and body weight in people.  The International Food Information Council Foundation has an excellent publication on sucralose, Everything You Need To Know About Sucralose, that is free to download if you want to read more about sucralose.

High protein, low-glycemic soy protein and milk protein shakes and bars can be a great part of a healthy weight management plan.  My easy diet plan takes advantage these low-glycemic benefits.