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.

My easy diet plan is a great way to start developing healthier lifestyle habits and reaching a healthy body weight.  Instead of being punished with hunger, my protein-rich bars and shakes help you feel satisfied and keep you full.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more and tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

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!

New Menu Nutrition Labeling Laws

On March 23, 2010, section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law.  Section 4205 establishes new requirements for nutrition labeling of regular menu items in chain restaurants, similar retail food establishments, and chain vending machine operators.

This law was enacted as part of our fight against obesity.  According to the background information in a recently released FDA Guidance on the menu labeling, we Americans on average consume one-third of our total daily calories while eating out and in most cases, we are unaware of the amount of calories we consume while eating at restaurants.  By implementing this new menu labeling law, the FDA hopes to provide us consumers with access to nutritional information in restaurants and allow us to make more informed dietary decisions.

For chain retail food establishments (20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering substantially the same menu items), the new law requires the following:

• Disclosure of the number of calories in each standard menu item on menus and on menu boards.  This includes both food and drink (including alcoholic beverages) routinely presented on the menu and/or menu boards of such restaurants.
• Make additional written nutrition information available to consumers upon request and provide a statement on menus and menu boards that such nutrition information is available upon request.  Should a customer request additional nutritional information, the restaurants must supply the total number of calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, and total protein.
• Provide calorie information for most self-service items and foods on display by posting a sign adjacent to each food item.  This covers such items as foods at a salad bar, buffet line, cafeteria line or other similar self-service facility.

In regards to chain vending machines, operators of such chains must post the calorie content of each article of food sold in the machine in a clear and conspicuous manner.  This only applies to articles that do not allow the consumer to view the nutrition facts before purchasing the item.

While this new law will certainly cover most of the foods at restaurants, it will not cover all of them.  Foods not covered by this new law include condiments and other items placed on the table for general use, daily specials, temporary menu items appearing for less than 60 days per year, custom orders, and food that is part of a market test appearing on the menu for less than 90 days.  Pre-packaged food that lists the nutrition facts and can be viewed before purchase also are not covered by this new law.

While the federal law only went into effect earlier this year, a number of cities and states have previously established menu labeling laws.  It will be interesting to see how this information is both received and utilized.  The idea, of course, is that we will avoid eating less healthy options when we learn just how many calories they provide.  In many cases, menu options contain more that half (sometimes more than all) of our daily energy requirements.  However, it will remain up to us as consumers to use this information and actually choose the healthier option.  This might also impact what restaurants offer to consumers.  The hope is that once restaurants have to disclose the number of calories in their food items, they will start offering healthier, lower-calorie options more regularly.  Whether this strategy will be effective or not remains to be seen, but it has the possibility to help us develop healthier eating habits.

Maintaining one's weight at a healthy level can be a challenge for many of us.  That is why I made my diet plan easy to follow while still offering some of our favorite flavors.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more and Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Lose Belly Fat - Support Normal Blood Vessel Health

Just a few days ago, I mentioned the fact that excess belly fat is dangerous to our health.  These research studies have reported that excess belly fat (also called abdominal obesity) has been linked to poor heart health, poor blood sugar health, and overall mortality.  Previous studies have implied that belly fat gain might be linked to poor heart health by inducing changes in blood vessel health and the ability of blood vessels to stretch normally.  However, this potential link between belly fat and blood vessel health was unclear.

In an attempt to start better understanding the potential interaction between belly fat and normal blood vessel health, heart health researchers examined changes in blood vessel health during a short-term belly fat study (free to download).  For this study, the investigators recruited 43 healthy volunteers with a normal body weight and assigned them to either (1) maintain their weight for 16 weeks or to (2) gain weight for 8 weeks and then lose weight during a second 8-week period.  Changes in the ability of arm blood vessels to stretch and relax were measured at the beginning of the study, after weight gain and at the end of the study.  The heart health researchers reported that:

• Volunteers assigned to gain weight gained about 9 lbs on average over 8 weeks with over 80% of the weight gained as fat.
• In study volunteers that were asked to maintain their body weight, blood vessel health remained normal and unchanged.
• Volunteers who gained weight and belly fat developed poorer blood vessel health with substantial loss of blood vessel stretchability.
• Weight loss after the short-term weight gain resulted in a return to normal blood vessel health.

This is a fascinating study indicating the importance of maintaining a normal body weight or losing excess belly fat  for the support of normal blood vessel health.  According to these current study results, even a modest belly fat gain like seen during vacations or around the holidays can negatively impact blood vessel health.  Fortunately, losing this excess belly fat helped support normal blood vessel health.  While this study shows the possible impact of belly fat on normal blood vessel health, it also raises some interesting questions that will likely be the focus of future research studies.  For example, what happens to normal blood vessel health during long-term (over several years) weight gain, which is typical in many of us?  Also, can losing weight after years of carrying around excess belly fat still help with the support of normal blood vessel health and if so, to what extent?  And, how does weight cycling effect normal blood vessel health.  I look forward to seeing the answers to these types of questions in the future.

My easy diet plan and physical activity plan, using my delicious, hunger-satisfying milk protein or soy protein bars and shakes, may help dieters to lose weight and reduce belly fat.  Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Watch What You Eat - Choose Healthy Carbs

Obesity has become a serious problem in the U.S. with approximately two-thirds of our population considered overweight or obese.  In fact, it has been reported that obesity rates have increased in 28 states and 8 states have obesity rates higher than 30% of the population.  Dietary changes, like increases in portion sizes and increases in sugar consumption, have been reported to be partly responsible for this increase in obesity.

Sugar consumption, both the amount consumed and the type consumed, has been a focus of serious and sometimes heated debate in regards to its importance to our current obesity epidemic.  This is due to the fact that sugar, particularly added sugar, has the potential to lead to excess calorie consumption.  Despite the concerns about dietary sugar, sugars will remain a very common part of our food supply.  Many sugars like glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose are natural components of fruits, vegetables, grains, and more.

A recent nutrition study (free to download) examined changes in energy, total sugar, and added sugar intakes from the 1970s to the 1990's using the NHANES I and NHANES III data sets.  According to the authors of this study, many previous studies assessed dietary changes on a per capita basis, which does not always take into account amounts of food purchased and consumed.  In hopes of getting a clearer picture of dietary changes, the investigators assessed dietary changes using the NHANES data, which assessed actual food consumption and has previously been used to show the nations increase in obesity.  The results of this analysis provided some interesting information...

Energy Intake:  Total energy intake increased from the 1970s to the 1990s by 144 Calories per day on average.  Interestingly, calorie intake decreased by about 56 Calories per day in people 18 years of age or younger, while people over 18 years of age increased calorie consumption by a whopping 226 Calories per day on average.

Total Sugar Intake:  Total sugar intake, which includes added sugars, increased by 10 grams per day on average.  Average total sugar intake did not increase in people 18 years of age or younger, but increased by 14% in people over 18 years of age.

Added Sugar Intake:  Similar to total sugar intake, added sugar consumption increased by 9 grams per day on average with adults over 18 years age showing the greatest increase (18% or 13 grams per day more in the 1990s than in the 1970s!) in added sugar consumption.

Total Carbohydrate Consumption:  While increases in total sugar and added sugar were evident, the increase in total carbohydrate intake was even greater.  From the 1970s to the 1990s total carbohydrate intake increased by 40 grams per day overall with an increase of 15 grams per day in individuals 18 years of age or younger and an amazing increase of 53 grams per day (25%)  in people over 18 years of age.

However, not everything looked bad.  While carbohydrate and sugar intake increased, total fat consumption remained steady and actually decreased when looked at as a percentage of total energy intake.  Additionally, saturated fat and cholesterol intake decreased, while dietary fiber increased from the 1970s to 1990s as did intake of several vitamins.  Interestingly, while sugar intake increased, it actually decreased when examined as a percent of total carbohydrate intake.  According to these study investigators, previous research studies using per capita data might have substantially over-estimated sugar consumption.

According to the study investigators, the biggest change linked to the increase in total calorie consumption was the dramatic increase in the consumption of foods classified as "mixtures of mainly grain", which included food items like burritos, tacos, pizza, egg rolls, spaghetti, rice, other pastas, and frozen meals where the main course is a grain mixture.  Regular carbonated soft drinks, remained the biggest source of added sugars regardless of the age of the population of the decade examined.  In fact, total sugar intake from soft drinks increased by over 40% from the 1970s to the 1990s.

This is an interesting paper with quite a bit of information in it about our dietary changes that I've not discussed here, making it a good read if you have the time to spare.  Based on this study, consumption of total sugars, added sugars, and total carbohydrates have increased from the 1970s to the 1990s, but the increase in carbohydrate consumption was dramatically greater than the increase in sugar consumption.  These data and the study authors suggest that the increase in "mixtures of mainly grain", which are present in common frozen and fast food meals, might be the major contributor to excess calorie consumption and the rise in obesity rates since the 1970s.  With the increasing abundance of these foods, it becomes more important for each of us to be nutritionally aware and make healthy choices whenever possible.  While sugar and carbohydrate intake has increased, we can counteract that to some degree by choosing low glycemic options.  By targeting low or even medium glycemic foods, we can minimize rapid blood sugar changes and gain better control of our food cravings and eating habits.

My easy diet plan is a great way to add delicious-tasting, low-glycemic foods to your daily plan.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more and tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Reducing Belly Fat Might Reduce Risk of Dying!

There are lots of names for it (pot belly, belly fat, etc.), but no matter what we call it abdominal obesity is dangerous to our health.  Numerous research studies have reported that abdominal obesity, or excess belly fat, has been linked to poor heart health, poor blood sugar health, and chronic inflammation.  It has also been shown that a large waist size is linked to an increased risk of death regardless of one's body mass index (BMI).  However, the effect of a large waist size within different BMI categories remained less clear until a new obesity study published in the recent issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

For their study, obesity researchers analyzed data from over 48,000 men and over 56,000 women who took part in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort.  Associations between deaths from 1997 - 2006 and waist size were examined after adjusting for BMI and various other risk factors.  The obesity investigators reported that:

• Very large waist sizes (> 47 inches in men and > 43 inches in women) increased the risk of death by more than 2 times.
• In men, an increase of about 4 inches in waist size was linked to an increased risk of death for those with a normal BMI (16%), overweight BMI (18%), and an obese BMI (21%).
• In women, a similar increase in waist size was also linked to an increased risk of death in all three BMI categories; 25% increased risk in normal BMI, 15% in overweight BMI, and 13% in obese BMI.

This new obesity study emphasizes the importance of getting rid of belly fat and maintaining a healthy waist size, regardless of one's body mass index!  Research suggests that abdominal obesity is particularly dangerous because it is linked with the development of fat tissue around internal organs.  According to the National Institutes of Health, a waist size over 35 inches in women and over 40 inches in men are linked to poorer health.  This new study expands upon that information indicating that very large waist sizes are linked to an increased risk of death.

Of course, the most interesting part of this study is the fact that this increased risk of death with increased waist size was even seen in men and women with a normal body mass index.  Therefore, even if one has a healthy body weight for their height, an overly large waist can still negatively impact their health.  The exact reasons for this are currently unclear and will require further research.  This finding may also add fuel to the debate on whether body mass index or waist:hip ratio are better measures of overall health.  In either case, be sure to make waist size an important part of your weight loss or weight control strategies.

My easy diet plan and physical activity plan, using my delicious, hunger-satisfying milk protein or soy protein bars and shakes, may help dieters to lose weight and reduce belly fat.  Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Fighting The 'Freshman Fifteen'

It's the time of year when many recent high school graduates start heading off to begin their college careers.  One of the many challenges these aspiring young adults will face is avoiding what has been called the "freshman fifteen", the typical weight gain experienced by young adults during their first year at college.  The change in lifestyle experienced when starting college and the freedom of choice that goes with it can lead to unhealthy eating habits and subsequent weight gain, though the actual average weight gain has been reported to be less than the name suggests.

While a number of factors impact weight gain during this transitional phase, less is known about some of the environmental factors that influence a person's body weight during their first year of college.  A recent health and nutrition study examined the impact of some environmental factors on college freshman weight gain.  For this study, obesity researchers investigated the impact of college dormitory characteristics on freshman weight gain, eating habits, and physical activity.  The results of this study showed that:

• Freshman students assigned to dorms with on-site dining halls gained more weight than students assigned to dorms without on-site dining halls.
• Female freshman residing at dorms with on-site dining halls weight more and exercised nearly 1.5 times less than female freshman living at dorms that did not have on-site dining halls.
• Living in dorms with on-site dining halls was linked to male freshman consuming more meals and more snacks each day.
• Dormitories located near a campus gym led to increased physical activity by female freshman compared to dorms located near the center of the campus.

This nutrition study indicates that living conditions and physical environment can influence a college freshman's eating habits, exercise habits, and body weight.  While on-site dining halls can be wonderfully convenient, it appears that this convenience might come at an unexpected price.  These environmental factors can be important for new college students to keep in mind when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Developing and maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits can not only help fight off the 'freshman fifteen', but can help develop healthy habits for life.  According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), unhealthy habits developed during this transitional period can turn into lifelong habits that can negatively impact a person's health in the long term.  The AICR recommends the following five strategies to help college freshman stay fit:

1. Aim for proper portions with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
2. Plan meals in advance
3. Limit the amount of alcohol consumed, particularly since these contain non-nutritive calories
4. Remain or become physically active
5. Become more aware of the nutritional value of foods

Avoiding the 'freshman fifteen' can be tough, but by being aware of the risk, planning ahead, and developing healthy lifestyle habits, it is possible for any new college student to successfully fight the 'freshman fifteen'.

My delicious protein-rich bars and shakes make an excellent, low-glycemic choice for anyone wanting to manage their weight.  Learn more about my easy diet plan by visiting us at www.drtabor.com.