Lose Weight Successfully With High Protein, Low Glycemic Foods

Diets come and go through the years, each of them generally suggesting a specific amount of macronutrients.  These include low carb diets, low fat diets, high protein diets, and more.  While each of these diets have been reported to support weight loss in the short term, most of us find it difficult to maintain our weight loss for longer than 1 year.  Therefore, the overall success of many of these diets, particularly in comparison to each other, is often debated.

The Diogenes Study, a large, multicentered, pan-European weight loss study, has attempted to determine which type of diet is best in regards to successfully maintaining weight loss.  For this study, 773 adult men and women who successfully completed an 8-week weight loss phase were randomly assigned to one of five weight maintenance diets:

1. Low protein (13%) + low glycemic index
2. Low protein + high glycemic index
3. High protein (25%) + low glycemic index
4. High protein + high glycemic index
5. Control diet that followed each country's dietary guidelines

Each diet was moderate in fat content (25-30%) and study volunteers were directed to eat as much as they wanted while aiming to maintain their current body weight during the 26-week weight maintenance phase.  The results of this weight loss study, which were recently published online ahead of print in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that:

• The high protein, low glycemic index diet was easier to stick to than the low protein, high glycemic index diet.
• Consumption of the low protein, high glycemic index diet resulted in a significant increase in body weight by about 3 - 4 pounds on average.  Weight re-gain was not observed on average in the other diet groups.
• Diet groups high in protein, regardless of glycemic index status, re-gained 2 lbs less than diet groups low in protein.
• Use of low glycemic index diet plans, regardless of protein level, resulted in about 2 lbs less weight re-gain than diets with a high glycemic index.
• The high protein groups and the low glycemic index groups were more likely to continue losing weight compared to the low protein and high glycemic index groups.  This was particularly true for the high protein, low glycemic index group.

This is an excellent study that shows us what might be the most effective way at maintaining weight loss for the long-term.  In this new weight maintenance study, a small increase in dietary protein intake and a small reduction in the glycemic index of foods consumed were of substantial help in either continuing modest weight loss or maintaining the weight volunteers lost in the weight loss phase of the study.  This study was also conducted in the children of the adult volunteers.  The childhood arm of the study reported similar benefits with the high protein, low glycemic index group showing a substantial decrease in the percent of overweight/obese children.  In contrast, children consuming the low protein, high glycemic index diet showed an increase in body fat.

The benefits of increasing dietary protein and decreasing the glycemic index are likely due to their effects on appetite and blood sugar metabolism.  Protein has been reported to increase our feelings of fullness and help maintain that feeling longer.  Foods with a low glycemic index have been shown to have little impact on blood sugar, helping us to avoid cravings and spikes in hunger.  These aspects of protein and low glycemic foods might be why individuals found it easier to stay on the high protein, low glycemic index diet plan compared to the other diet plans.

My Slim & Beautiful Diet bars and shakes are high in protein (20 grams each) and have a low glycemic index, making them an excellent and delicious addition to any high protein, low glycemic weight loss program you might choose to follow.

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Internet Weight Loss Programs Can Work!

Weight loss is a difficult task for most of us, but just as difficult is keeping the weight off after we have lost it.  Unfortunately, many of us regain the weight we lost.  This weight regain can occur for many reasons.  For some of us, we lost weight following a plan that did not teach us healthy, life-long dietary habits, making it easy to slip back into unhealthy eating habits.  In other cases, our weight loss plan did not include an appropriate weight maintenance plan to follow after reaching our weight loss goal.   A good weight maintenance plan that is easy to follow for life is important to maintaining a healthy body weight. 

A new weight loss study (free to read online) examined the effectiveness of an interactive weight loss website on the maintenance of weight loss.  Information from study volunteers in the internet arm of the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial was used in this study to determine the relationship between the usage of the interactive website and successfulness of the volunteers to maintain their weight loss over more than 2 years.  Weight loss volunteers were encouraged to log in to the weight loss website at least weekly for 28 months where they could enter their body weight, food records, exercise records, revised goals, and examine their progress, and interact with other study volunteers via bulletin board.  Based on log-ins and body weight entries, study volunteers were considered to have "consistent use", "some use", or "minimal use".  The weight loss study investigators reported that:

• 61% of the volunteers showed consistent use, 18% showed some use, and 21% showed minimal use of the internet weight loss site.  
• Consistent users re-gained less weight than individuals in the "some use" and "minimal use" groups.
• 51% of consistent users maintained a weight loss of at least 9 lbs compared to 27% in the "some use" and 24% in the "minimal use" groups.
• Better weight maintenance was linked to greater number of log-ins to the website, minutes spent on the website, weight and exercise entries, and bulletin board use.

These results show us that an internet website can be an effective weight loss and weight maintenance tool.  Like other weight loss or weight maintenance plans, sticking with an internet weight control program can be difficult for many of us.  In this study, 39% of the study volunteers found it difficult to consistently use this internet website.  However, the majority of those that did consistently use the website were able to maintain their weight loss.  Being able to record one's weight and exercise and chat with other people trying to lose weight or maintain their weight loss appear to be important components of a successful weight loss website.  This seems to reflect upon the importance of accountability, both to ourselves and to others.  Other studies have shown the importance of accountability to weight loss and weight maintenance.  Finding a good weight loss partner or an active weight loss website can be an important part of a successful weight management plan.

In addition to finding an accountability partner, finding a weight loss plan that you can follow is critical to weight loss success.  My diet plan is easy to follow with low-glycemic, hunger-satisfying, protein-rich bars and shakes.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more.

Black Tea Polyphenols for Weight Management

Green tea has become one of the most popular dietary supplements, whether taken in pill form or consumed as a beverage.  This is because research continues to demonstrate the potential health benefits of green tea and its main constituent, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).  One of the many proposed benefits of green tea is as a weight loss aid.  While green tea continues to shine, the potential benefits of other teas (black tea, white tea, and oolong tea) for weight loss are not as well studied. 

A new weight loss research report published online ahead of print in the journal Nutrition, examined the possible benefits of a black tea extract rich in black tea polyphenols (antioxidants) for weight loss in pre-clinical animal studies.  In their first study, weight loss researchers measured the activity of an enzyme responsible for lipid (fat) absorption in a cell culture system.  Additional studies determined the effects of this black tea polyphenol extract on blood lipid levels in rats and body weight in mice.  The results of these studies were very positive:

• The black tea polyphenol extract substantially reduced the activity of the enzyme involved in fat absorption.
• In rats, consumption of the black tea extract supported healthy blood lipid levels with greater amounts providing better benefits.
• In mice fed a high fat diet, the black tea extract fed as 5% of the diet prevented increases in body weight and fat mass.

Overall, these results suggest that black tea polyphenols, plant chemicals with antioxidant properties,  might support healthy weight loss and reduce body fat due to their ability to reduce fat absorption.  While these initial results are very positive and quite intriguing, it is important to remember that these studies were done in pre-clinical models and additional research in human subjects will be needed.  In the rat study, the lowest dose tested was 500 mg/kg of body weight.  This would be equal to 35 grams of black tea polyphenols in a person that weighs about 150 lbs, which is a massive amount!  Therefore, studies to determine if lower doses are effective will be needed.  While additional research into the weight loss benefits of black tea are clearly needed, this new research suggests that black tea might have a future place as part of a healthy weight management plan.

Maintaining a healthy body weight can be very difficult for many of us.  My easy diet plan takes the usual difficulty out of losing those unwanted pounds and successfully maintaining a healthy body weight.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my easy diet plan!

Weight Cycling Might Effect Appetite Hormones

For many people losing weight is a cyclical process where we go on a diet, lose the weight we want, and then over time regain the weight we lost.  After we have regained the weight, many of us will start the process all over again, often several times.  Unfortunately, research has shown that this weight cycling might cause weight gain over time since many of us will often regain more weight than we lost while dieting.  However, the reasons for this weight gain over time with repeated weight loss attempts are unclear.

A new weight loss research study has explored the potential relationships between weight cycling and changes in appetite hormones and sex hormones.  For this study, the weight loss researchers recruited 159 overweight postmenopausal women.  Their history of weight loss attempts was determined with a questionnaire and blood samples were taken to measure a number of hormones.  The results of the study showed that frequent weight loss attempts were associated with:

• Higher concentrations of ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite
• Lower concentrations of glucose and insulin
• Lower androgen (testosterone and androstenedione) concentrations

This is interesting research suggesting that frequent weight loss attempts might effect hormones involved in appetite control.  The increased ghrelin levels coupled with the lower glucose and insulin levels represents an appetite-stimulating hormone profile, which might lead to increased food intake over time.  These hormonal changes might explain part of the reason many of us regain more weight than we lost on our diets.  Weight cycling can become a vicious circle where we go on a diet to lose weight, regain more than we lost, and go on another diet.  Breaking this cycle of repeated weight loss attempts is an important step in maintaining a healthy body weight.

Once we've found a good diet plan and lost our unwanted pounds, it is important to find a good weight maintenance program.  This is essential to maintaining a healthy body weight and avoiding the weight cycling trap.  My weight maintenance plan can help you break the vicious circle of repeated weight loss attempts.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more.

Determining the Impact of Exercise on Weight Loss

Losing weight is successfully accomplished by putting ourselves into a negative energy balance, that is burning more calories than we consume.  This negative energy balance can be achieved by lowering caloric intake, increasing calories burned or both.  While this sounds simple, it is difficult for many of us to achieve.  Part of the reason for this difficulty might be the complexity of effects that exercise has on our body.

A story in the New York Times does a nice job of discussing some of the science behind the effect of exercise on our bodies and how this might impact weight loss.  Some of the points discussed are outlined briefly below.

Differences Between Men & Women:  Some studies suggest that when men exercised for 90 minutes, their appetites were suppressed.  In contrast, at least one study suggests that exercise caused changes that increased appetite in women, theoretically to maintain body stores for reproduction.

Maintaining Weight Loss:  A recent study suggests that exercise might be most important for weight maintenance once we've reached our weight loss goals.  According to the results from the National Weight Control Registry, the vast majority of the people who successfully kept the weight off exercised regularly.

Overall, the science explored in the New York Times article suggests that exercise is still an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  However, the research indicates that exercise might effect men and women differently, which can have an impact on weight loss strategies.  Additionally, it is becoming more clear that once a person's excess weight has been lost,  exercise might be one of the most critical components of keeping it off.

My easy diet plan is a great way to start losing weight and developing a healthier lifestyle.  Learn more by visiting us at www.drtabor.com. 

Reduce Obesity Risk by Finding a Balance

With two-thirds or more of the U.S. population already overweight or obese, it is important to find ways to not only reduce that number but prevent it from increasing.  Finding a balance between healthy eating habits, good exercise habits, and an overall healthy lifestyle are important factors in managing one's body weight.  The video below from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discusses ways to find this balance and the benefits of achieving this balance.



You can find more videos from the CDC at CDC-TV.

My Slim and Beautiful diet is an easy plan to follow and can be a good first step towards developing a healthy lifestyle.

Physical Activity Requirements for Maintaining Body Weight

We are all aware of the importance of physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.  Getting regular exercise can help with weight loss, building muscle, supporting healthy bones and more.  The numerous benefits of exercise have been explained in good detail by places like WebMD and the Mayo Clinic.  However, the amount of exercise for which we all need to strive isn't always as clear and might vary based on our goals. 

In regards to obesity and preventing weight gain, recommendations for exercise tend to vary from about 150 minutes per week to about 420 minutes per week (60 minutes per day).  A new research study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the relationship between 3 different amounts of physical activity (less than 150 minutes per week, 150 - less than 420 minutes per week, and at least 420 minutes per week) and body weight changes over time.  This study was done in over 34,000 women with an average age of 54 years and consuming a usual diet.  The results of this study showed:

• Over an average of 3 years follow-up, all three groups of women gained weight over time, but weight gain was less in the group exercising at least 60 minutes per day.
• Women exercising less than 150 minutes per week were 11% more likely to gain 5 lbs over the 3 year follow-up, while women exercising between 150-420 minutes per week were 7% more likely to gain weight.
• Body mass index (BMI) effected this relationship between exercise and weight gain prevention such that only women with a normal BMI (< 25) were able to prevent weight gain with higher levels of physical activity.
• Among women who successfully maintained their weight over the long term, the average amount of physical activity was 420 minutes per week (60 minutes per day).

These are interesting results that might impact future guidelines for physical activity in regards to maintaining a healthy body weight.  Based on this study, women who are at a healthy body weight will need to participate in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes per day in order to maintain their body weight over time.  Interestingly, this level of physical activity had no benefit in regards to weight maintenance in women who were overweight at the beginning of the study or who were over 65 years of age.  It is important to remember that this study was done in women following their normal dietary habits, so it might be necessary for some women to not only increase their physical activity, but also to modify their eating habits to prevent further weight gain over time.  The lead author discusses this study in the JAMA video below.



Finding your right combination of healthy eating and physical activity is an important part of developing a healthy lifestyle.  My easy diet plan is a great place to start!