Is The Time I Eat Really Important?

Watching when you eat, without necessarily changing what or how much, may yield big health benefits, including weight loss.

Although more research is needed, intriguing new findings in people and mice suggest that eating within a strict 8- to 12-hour time frame each day changes metabolism at the genetic level, lowering blood sugar and body weight, even without cutting calories.

Scientists think the changes may be powerful enough to lower the risks for cancer, heart disease, dementia, and diabetes.

The latest study on this phenomenon, called time-restricted eating, looked at the link between meal timing and blood sugar control in more than 2,200 women. The average age of women in the study was 47, and the average body mass index (BMI) was 28, making them overweight, but not Obese.

Poor blood sugar control is a risk factor for diabetes and cancer, among other things. Blood sugar that swings wildly before and after eating indicates that the body isn’t very sensitive to insulin, the hormone that signals cells to take in calories from food. That means more insulin has to be released from the pancreas to get the blood sugar into cells. The trouble is that extra insulin doesn’t just impact blood sugar. It also promotes the growth of cells -- including cancer cells. And over time, the body can’t keep up with the demand for more and more insulin. When that happens, blood sugar levels climb dangerously high, leading to diabetes.

The women in the study reported what and when they ate and gave blood samples. Researchers could see how high their blood sugar climbed after meals and how steady their blood sugar had stayed over the previous 2 to 3 months. About half the women reported not eating or drinking anything for at least 12 hours, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., for example. The other half fasted for less than 12 hours, eating both early and late.

“What we found, in general, [is] that women who fasted for longer nightly intervals had better blood sugar control than those who didn’t fast as long, and that was independent of other eating behaviors such as how many calories women were eating,” says study researcher Catherine Marinac, a doctoral candidate in public health at the University of California at San Diego.

It's a very interesting study of eating behavior and not calories. The whole idea of fasting everyday for 12 hours and not really watching your diet is very interesting. I'd like to see more research done on this. Maybe this is really the way to lose weight.

Why Can't We Lose Weight?

Typically we all have similar problems that keep us from losing weight. We start out with good intentions but after time we tend to fall into one of the three categories listed below. 

1. "All or None" Mindset
Many people adopt and hold true to the mindset of PERFECTIONISM or "All or None". This mindset shows itself in numerous ways, but most often, it rears its ugly head during conflict. Many clients I have had are OK as long as everything is going well. Their choices are sound, their thinking is pure and their mood is good. However, as soon as one area of life causes stress this creates a spiral of negative thinking and their mindset goes from "I am in control" to "This isn't working, I quit!" The stress could be a work conflict or poor food choice or a missed exercise session.
The "All or None" mindset makes it difficult to maintain success because the thought process relies on Perfection. A better plan is to understand that negative situations happen to everyone and will happen to you on occasion. Learn to handle stress with a proper perspective and the ability to understand that every choice counts towards achieving your goal or to delay it.

2. Failing to Plan
A second pitfall I often see is that many people do not plan their meals or workouts. We wait for motivation to strike before we act. This is the opposite of what needs to be done to gain success.
You must schedule your workouts as a "non-negotiable priority" and attend these important appointments with yourself. You must plan and schedule your meals in advance. If you wait until you get hungry to think about what you are going to eat you increase your risk of making poor food choices and eating items that are not in your plan. This may lead to a loss of control (see "All or None").

3. Lacking Consistency
Often, individuals begin a plan when they become distressed about something (health, appearance and/or fitness), making multiple drastic changes at once, in an all-out effort to achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible. Generally, repeating mistakes from their recent past.
When you attempt this method in addition to the busy schedule you may already have, you can become overwhelmed and may cease a few of the more important acts of attaining your goal. Consistency is accomplished by placing priority on the actions that are most vital for your desired outcome and continuing these actions. You cannot get to your goals with a "tomorrow" attitude.

So, what's the answer, how can I be successful at losing weight. The same way you succeed in your job or business. You never stop trying and never give-up. If your not succeeding your just doing it wrong and you need to start over and make a new plan. There's a hundred different  diets to lose weight and none of them work for everyone. You have to find one that works for you.

New USDA Dietary Guidelines

U.S. dietary guidelines, the government’s benchmark for balanced nutrition, have changed. Nutrition experts now provide different dietary recommendations including scrapping high-cholesterol foods and the 300-milligram-a-day cholesterol limitation.

The guidelines endorse a diet that includes limited amounts of meat and suggest more plant-based foods and seafood. Diet should include fruits, vegetables and whole grains while limiting salt intake and saturated fat.

This is an important change , the government has actually gotten on the same page as a lot of diet gurus. I think we'll be seeing some changes now and in the future on labeling of packaged foods, school lunches, and other institutional meal programs and also restaurant menus. All the changes will take time, but I think public pressure has finally taking over. Personally, I want to see better labeling on foods. Some foods still have no nutrition labels and I still see menus with almost no nutritional information. Restaurants in particular use sauces and creams which make it difficult to estimate nutritional value. I can't help but think that it's done on purpose. Some entries you order can't be served without the sauces. I would rather see menu items that can be ordered with or without. Then list the nutritional value of the sauces separate from the entrée.

How to lose weight and keep it off:

The new guidelines:

Eat breakfast every day (instead of just having a cup of coffee or tea)

Eat smaller meals more often (instead of a large lunch and larger dinner)
Eat fish 2 or 3 times a week (instead of just red meat)
Eat blueberries or strawberries (instead of just pie, cake, cookies, and candy)
Eat heart-healthy nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts
Eat more vegetables like tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts
Eat more slowly, taking at least 1/2 hour for each meal

For information on the Mediterranean Diet look at the pages listed on my first webpage.

Drink More Coffee--Live Longer

A National Institutes of Health study found that older coffee drinkers, even those who drink decaf, have a lower risk of death than those who don't drink coffee, and people who drink more coffee actually live longer and have a reduced risk of diseases like Alzheimer;s and diabetes. Coffee is the largest source of antioxidants in our diet--even more than fruits and vegetables combined. To achieve these benefits you must drink 4-5 cups of coffee per day. Drinking more than 5 cups does not improve your benefits.

Drink More Water

5 glasses of water a day (or as much as you can)
Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body
2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed - helps avoid stroke or heart attack

Eat More Vegetables

The U.S. advisory panel revamping the government's dietary guidelines recommend Americans eat at least 3 cups of dark green vegetables like broccoli or spinach; 2 cups of orange vegetables like carrots and squash; 3 cups of legumes like lentils and chickpeas; 6 cups of starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and green beans; and 7 cups of other vegetables like tomatoes, onions and lettuce.

Addressing weight loss, the advisory panel wrote: "The healthiest way to reduce calorie intake is to reduce one's intake of added sugars, solid fat and alcohol - they all provide calories, but they do not provide essential nutrients." Living longer and having a better quality of life is a subject addressed by countless experts and non-experts alike.

Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician.

Want To Live A Long Healthy Life?

If someone told you there really is a fountain of youth, would you believe him? What if it was one of the world’s leading cancer doctors? David Agus, MD, says you can live longer, stave off disease and feel younger than you ever thought possible if you follow his advice. Dr. Agus teamed up with Mehmet Oz, MD, to share these longevity-boosting tips.

Tip # 1: Automate Your Life
We all have busy schedules, and sticking to a routine can be difficult. But Agus says automating things like when you go to sleep, eat meals and exercise can add years to your life. According to Agus, it doesn’t matter how many meals you eat -- it could be three or even five -- as long as you eat them at the same time each day. Why? Eating meals at different times causes your body to go into stress mode, which raises cortisol levels, says Dr. Oz. High levels of cortisol lead to spikes in insulin, which causes inflammation and can increase the risk of cancer.

“If you want to live a longer, healthier life, schedule it,” says Agus.

Tip # 2: Pop This Pill Daily
You don’t have to wait for a headache to take an aspirin. Agus suggests you ask your doctor about taking this powerful anti-inflammatory pill once a day. Studies have shown that daily aspirin reduces the risk for heart attacks and strokes as well as for dying from common cancers, including colon, prostate, brain, lung and pancreatic cancer.

Aspirin therapy isn’t for everyone, so talk with your doctor before you start.

Tip #3: Stand Up
Sitting all day could be worse for your health than smoking cigarettes, says Agus. “Women seem to be more severely affected by inactivity than men,” he adds. A recent study found that women who sat for six or more hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the 13-year study than those who sat fewer than three hours a day.

“Bursts of exercise is not the answer; 2 hours of exercise per day will not compensate for 22 hours of sitting,” says Agus. He suggests finding ways to move more during the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and pace when you’re talking on the phone. When you’re watching TV, don’t just sit there. Cook, fold laundry, empty the dishwasher or march in place. I have a stationary bike that I ride when I watch TV. If you have a desk job, make sure you get up and move every 30 minutes.

“Medicine can’t do it alone,” says Agus. “Patients need to take matters into their own hands -- and only then can we end illness and enjoy the fountain of youth.”

20 Minutes a Day to Younger Muscles

Just 20 minutes of this stuff a day can help keep your muscles young. We're talking about exercise.

Yep, the timeless physique is just minutes away. It appears that, regardless of age, 20 minutes may be all the daily exercise needed to somehow reverse age-related decline in muscle stem cells, those master cells critical to new muscle growth.

20 Minutes to Youth
Remember Jack LaLanne, the country's first uberfit exercise guru who lived to the ripe old age of 96? Turns out he was really on to something. But don't worry. You probably don't have to become an exercise fanatic like Jack to keep your muscles regenerating as you grow older. In an animal study, just 20 minutes on a treadmill 6 days a week was enough to bestow up to triple the number of stem cells produced in the test subjects. And those extra stem cells are likely behind the subsequent jump in new muscle fibers and additional muscle mass that those test subjects experienced as well. One other benefit: The older rats in the study also exhibited an uptick in "spontaneous locomotion" — a naturally occurring increase in their physical activity levels. 

Exercise has turned back the clock

It's not clear exactly how exercise increases the number of stem cells in muscle, but stem cells normally remain dormant in adults until a muscle injury or some other event triggers the stem cells to crank out new muscle fibers to replace damaged or dead ones. Exercise may work the same way, increasing stem cells and enhancing their capacity to renew old muscle tissue. 

I prefer to use a stationary bike because of my knee problem but I agree with everything and I also do some Yoga to stay flexible and give me better balance.

4 Myths and plenty of truths about running

When it comes to running, there are plenty of truths: It improves your health. It can help you lose weight. It can even make you happier. But there’s a lot of misconceptions attached to running floating out there, too. Here, we bust some of the sport’s major myths—and offer even more reasons to call yourself a runner.

The Myth: “Running is bad for my knees!”

The Truth: Sure, your entire body—including your knees—takes a pounding with every step you run. But studies show that running actually strengthens your knees and other joints, and improves your bone health. “Running is not bad for you,” insists Ryan Bolton, a running coach with Training Bible in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “We were all physically made to run.”

To prevent damage to your knees or anywhere else on your body, first start with the right pair of shoes. Not sure which sneaks to select? Head to your local running specialty store for a gait analysis, which will reveal the type of shoe that has the right combination of cushion and support for you.

Then, gently ease into running by alternating between walking and jogging, gradually decreasing the time you walk. Bottom line? To avoid completely shocking your system, give your body time to adjust to running before you really start pounding the pavement.

The Myth: “I’m going to lose a ton of weight as soon as I start running.”

The Truth: While running can be one of the most effective ways to lose weight, you’re not necessarily going to see instant results. And there’s a variety of reasons why, ranging from your approach to running (long, slow runs may keep your metabolism static) to the fact that high-intensity exercise can increase appetite—so just be wary that you’re not eating more than you burn when trying to lose weight.

The simplest way to see results from running? Stop looking at the scale.

“Scales don’t differentiate between fat, muscle, water retention, or the clothes you’re wearing,” says Shannon Downey, a health and fitness expert in Chicago, Ill. “If you feel good, have more energy, and notice that your clothes fit better, you’ll know [the running] is working.”

The Myth: “I don’t need to do any other type of exercise if I run.”

The Truth: Wouldn’t life be so simple if all we had to do was lace up our shoes and head out the door? While running provides a total body workout, it’s not the end-all-be-all when it comes to exercise. That’s why we have cross-training—or non-running exercises like cycling, swimming, or even a Zumba class.

“For the best results, it’s important to mix three forms of training: higher intensity interval training to help raise your metabolism; strength training to build lean muscle, which burns fat; and steady-state cardio training to burn extra calories at lower intensities,” explains Brett Hoebel, a professional trainer in Los Angeles. “Choosing one different cross-training exercise a day can target all three areas.”

Besides that, a regular cross-training routine can help you prevent injuries and bust boredom—both of which may come along with running only. So supplement your running with some cross-training, and you’ll be a better (and stronger) runner for it.

The Myth: “I’m not skinny or young enough to start running.”

The Truth: Anybody can be a runner. Just head out to a local road race and you’ll see people of all ages and body sizes streaming by. Or take a look at runners like Fauja Singh, the Indian-born Brit who retired from running last year at the age of 101—after taking up marathons at the age of 89. And 39-year-old professional runner Blake Russell, a mom of two, who became the second-oldest woman to snag an American marathon title with her win at the 2015 U.S. marathon championships in Los Angeles. So what’s your excuse again?

While it can be super scary to start up a running routine as an adult, it’s completely doable—even if you don’t consider yourself to have an “ideal” runner’s body.

As writer John “The Penguin” Bingham wrote: “If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for 20 years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

So what are you waiting for? Just run already.

Compulsive Eating

Compulsive eating is your diets biggest enemy

How does it start?

In some cases, people simply overeat out of mindless habit, like always sitting down with a bag of chips in front of the TV at night. But often times, it’s the result of underlying emotional problems. Having a negative body image can play a big role. Most compulsive eaters don't even know they're doing it. A bag of chips at night while reading or watching TV. A container of ice cream while watching a movie. 

For many people, compulsive overeating is part of a cycle that starts with a restrictive diet. May calls it the “eat, repent, repeat” cycle. You might begin a diet because you feel bad about your weight or size but find that it’s too hard to stick to -- especially if you use food as a coping tool. Eventually, you hit a breaking point and binge on “forbidden” foods, and then the guilt and shame set in, and the restrictions begin again.

The cycle can be hard to break. “Even people who say they’re not on a diet often have ingrained ideas about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods,” says Marsha Hudnall, president of Green Mountain at Fox Run in Vermont, a center for women who struggle with overeating. “But when you have a substance that is naturally appealing and soothing and comforting, and you make it off-limits, it just becomes more attractive.”

Can people be “addicted” to food?

In recent years, food addiction has become a popular idea among some scientists. Those researchers say that certain foods high in fat, sugar, and salt are addictive, causing changes in the brain similar to those made by drugs. Studies in animals have shown that rats that binge on sugar, for example, can develop signs of dependency.

But the idea of food addiction is controversial. For one thing, the standard treatment for addiction is abstinence, and that’s not possible with food. Also, “dieting is a very strong component of the binge eating cycle,” May says. “From that standpoint, it’s counterproductive to label certain foods as negative.”

There’s no doubt that eating can stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, Hudnall says. “But that doesn’t make food an addictive substance. There’s evidence that it’s actually the behavior -- the restrict/binge cycle -- that causes the signs of dependency, not the food itself,” she says. Some researchers have even stated that the term “eating addiction” is a more accurate term than “food addiction.”

Personally, I think it's more about the "feel good" feelings you get from comfort food. Comfort food is a calorie problem for dieters. It's not really comfort food unless it's high in calories. Not from sugar but from carbs. Popcorn with lots of butter doesn't really contain any sugar but it has lots of carbs. Chips has little sugar but lots of carbs. So the point is that watching calories will help you control carbs. It's not only the sweet things that contain calories. Read the labels and remember if your trying to lose weight, 1500 calories is about right for the average person. A little less for a women. You can adjust that number depending on your size and activity level.