The Argument Against Cheat Days

So cheat days sound like a good thing, right? Not so fast. The logic behind these days has more than a few flaws, and it’s due to the psychology and physiology behind them.

The Name Is to Blame

The trouble with cheat days starts with the wording.

“The very phrase ‘cheat day’ sets up enjoying a meal as something forbidden,” says Sondra Kronberg, R.D., executive director of the Eating Disorder Treatment Collaborative. “Separating foods into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ categories encourages you to associate eating with guilt and shame.” This means that instead of enjoying everything we eat, we feel bad about ourselves when we eat something we consider “bad.”

What’s more, when we deem certain foods “bad” or “cheating,” the negative name doesn’t help us pump the breaks.

“When a food is off-limits, it can develop a specific, emotional charge,” explains Melainie Rogers, RD, a nutritionist and eating disorder specialist. “You begin obsessing over it, fantasizing about, and looking forward to that ‘indulge day’ all week. Then, when you finally have access to it, you overeat.”

On the flipside, labeling foods as “good” or “healthy” can also backfire. Science shows when we think something is healthy, we’re not concerned with portion control and thus overdo it—whether it’s a “normal” day or a “cheat” day. Yes, there can be too much of a good thing.

Along these same lines, thinking of a meal or snack as “healthy” can have a surprising affect on our hunger. Studies show merely considering items we put in our mouth as “healthy” can literally make us feel hungrier—especially if we select a “good-for-you” item out of obligation over something we’re truly hungry for.

I want to add something, if your labeling your food you will start to recent the "good food". You will begin to crave more comfort food. The food you crave is not really "bad" food but pizza, burgers, fries, cheesy mashed potatoes, etc. just have too many calories and not enough nutrition. If you make your own hamburger on your grill and you use a healthy bun, and you put lettuce and tomato on it, I don't see anything wrong with that. Once a month I eat beef, but I cook my own. If you make your own food you know what's in it and you'll eat healthier and consume less calories.

Attack of the Calories

Folks who assume they can compensate for giving into temptations—say, by holding themselves back on all days except their cheat days—are actually less likely to reach their dietary goals. This is because they’re more likely to consume a greater number of calories, not just on their cheat day but on the days following it.

Restricting ourselves throughout the week and then slamming our bodies with sugar and fat once our cheat day rolls around, can have “a massive impact on blood sugar and insulin levels,” Rogers says. “You’ll wake up the next day craving more sugars and simple carbs, and you’ll find yourself feeling pretty ragged. And if you repeatedly increase your caloric intake above baseline, you may inadvertently end up gaining more weight over time.”

Cravings serve as a sign that your nutritional approach isn’t sound. “Most cravings come from overly restricting your food intake, using food as a drug, or over exercising,” Kronberg says.

A cheat day use to mean that for dinner on Sunday you could eat dessert. You could have an extra 200 or 300 calories, but today it seems to be a day you can go crazy and stuff yourself all day long. That's why I don't like "cheat days". Years ago when someone would diet they would restrict their calories and pretty much starve themselves, but today you quit doing that. Today when we want to lose weight we stop eating "comfort food" and we eat start eat healthier. We eat enough to keep from having craving but we are eating healthy and that's how we lose weight.

Being overweight may lead to joint replacement

A post on Medicinenet.com explains how being overweight can lead to joint replacement.  Obesity is a major risk factor for knee osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that often leads to joint replacement surgery. The new study included just over 500 overweight and obese Americans who either had mild to moderate osteoarthritis or risk factors for the disease. The study participants were randomly assigned to a control group that lost no weight, a group that lost a little weight, or a group that lost more than 10 percent of their body weight. Four years of follow-up showed significant weight loss protected against cartilage degeneration and that larger amounts of weight loss provided more protection, according to the study to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, in Chicago. "Cartilage degenerated a lot slower in the group that lost more than 10 percent of their body weight, especially in the weight-bearing regions of the knee," study author Dr. Alexandra Gersing, from the department of radiology and biomedical imaging at the University of California, San Francisco, said in a society news release. "However, those with 5 to 10 percent weight loss had almost no difference in cartilage degeneration compared to those who didn't lose weight," she added. Significant weight loss not only slows the loss of knee joint cartilage, it also reduces the risk of osteoarthritis. Along with moderate exercise, weight loss is one of the best ways to prevent the disease, Gersing said. "It's most helpful if these lifestyle interventions take place as early as possible," she said. -- Robert Preidt

Rapid Resting Heart Rate tied to Early Death

You might wonder why I'm writing about this, but when I write about losing weight I always write about diet and exercise. My readers always ask the same questions, "What so important about exercise, I don't have time to learn all that". 

The idea of losing weight is to reduce the work your heart has to do. And why should we do that you might ask. The idea is to make your heart last longer which will help you to live longer. The reason you want to exercise is to strengthen your heart among other things. The stronger your heart, the stronger your blood circulation  and the lower your heart BPM when your resting. 

Read this short post from HealthDay and you'll see the science behind my conclusions.

A rapid "resting" heartbeat might mean you have a higher risk of dying early, researchers suggest.

"Higher resting heart rate is an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular death," said lead researcher Dr. Dongfeng Zhang, of the department of epidemiology at the Medical College of Qingdao University in Shandong, China.

Your resting heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats a minute. When you're seated or lying down and relaxed, a normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats a minute, according to the American Heart Association. 

Zhang's team analyzed 46 studies involving more than 2 million patients in all. Compared to people with the lowest resting heart rate, those with a resting heart rate of more than 80 beats a minute had a 45 percent greater risk of death from any cause, while people with a resting heart rate of 60 to 80 beats a minute had a 21 percent greater risk, they found. 

However, Zhang said the absolute risk is small -- that is, the odds of any one person dying from a rapid resting heart rate are low, he said. Also, the study doesn't prove that heart rate actually caused premature deaths; it merely finds an association between the two.

"However, people should pay more attention to their resting heart rate," he said. "These results also indicate the importance of regular physical activity that could lower resting heart rate."

You can check your heart rate by putting your finger over your pulse and counting the number of beats in 60 seconds, the heart association says.

For every 10-beats-a-minute increase in resting heart rate, risk of dying from any cause rose 9 percent, and risk of dying from heart disease increased 8 percent, the researchers found. 

When resting heart rate approached 100 beats a minute -- a rapid heart rate called tachycardia -- risk of death from heart disease grew significantly. Tachycardia can be a sign of serious heart problems, Zhang said.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, "Further studies are needed to determine whether using the resting heart rate to predict the risk of dying has meaningful impact and whether specific interventions to lower heart rate translates into improved outcomes." 

Numerous studies have shown that higher resting heart rate is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and death in men and women, Fonarow said.

However, whether higher heart rate is a marker of poor physical fitness or heart disease isn't clear, he added. A fundamental question is whether the higher heart rate is a modifiable risk factor for premature death, he said.

A fast resting heart rate can affect the body in ways that may be bad for the heart, Fonarow said.

Resting heart rate reflects the activity of the autonomic nervous system and hormone levels as well as heart fitness, he said. Increased activity of the autonomic nervous system and higher hormone levels can contribute to the start and progression of heart disease, Fonarow said.

For The Dieters Trying To Recover

This is a rough time of the year for anyone trying to lose weight. Back in the days when I was 50 pounds heavier, I would always gain about 10 pounds around the Holidays. The big problem though was after New Years I became accustom to overeating and the rest of the winter I couldn't stop indulging in comfort food. The winter was always my favorite time of the year because I loved all the food that you only see in the cold months.

The best way that I know to recover from Thanksgiving is first take those leftovers and put them in the freezer. You don't want to look at them for at least one week. Next for three days double up on water. Just plain water, about 8- 12oz. bottles a day. I know that sounds like a lot but this is the best way to flush your system. Drink one bottle every two hours. Today especially stick to salads, no carbs and no meat. You did too much of that yesterday. Saturday and Sunday stick to veggie and some meat, but no dark turkey meat for several days. Dark meat has lots of cholesterol and you probably had enough of that on Thursday.

Next week just try and go lite on the carbs until you feel normal again. I wouldn't weigh myself until next Friday morning. If you still feel bloated you'll have to keep drinking water until that feeling goes away. Don't skip any meals, just go easy, you could even eat RAW for a few days.

Ah, the Holidays, I love Thanksgiving

It's a great time to get friends and family together, share a holiday meal and give thanks for all we have. It's also hard for those trying to lose weight. 

What I've always done and it works for me. I fill my plate at dinner, not over full but some of everything just so everyone knows I tried all that was on the table. Then after dinner If I can't brush my teeth I always have some strong mint gum with me and I chew gum long enough to change the taste in my mouth. I found that after dinner I don't really like the taste of food in my mouth and I'll go back and pick on sweets or something else just to change that taste in my mouth. 

The gum does that for me and I don't have to pick after dinner. I know I'm not hungry so why did I feel that urge to eat? And finally after years of overeating I figured it out. I was trying to get the taste out of my mouth. I read something about chewing a strong mint gum after dinner and it really works. 

When I try and think back to my younger days, I remember my parents and grandparents would always drink either strong black tea or coffee after dinner. It does the same thing, it removes the taste of food from your mouth, but I prefer the mint gum.

For those Starbucks people I know strong coffee will do the same thing. The whole idea is that you try everything at dinner without gorging yourself and then you stop eating and the gum helps me do that. When the others are having dessert you can try something but watch those calories and remember you don't have to finish your plate.

Why Can't I Lose Weight?

A post I found on WebMD.com that will answer a commonly asked question 

You try hard, but that scale won't budge. It's only human nature to wonder if those pounds will ever come off. But don't raise the white flag and chuck your diet just yet. See if one of these sneaky things is secretly messing with your weight loss hopes.

Is it because I skip breakfast?

It could be. When you take a pass on that first meal of the day, it can work against you. You're likely to get hungrier later, so you may overdo it at lunch. Try to eat within an hour of waking up. A high-fiber, protein-packed breakfast can help you feel full, longer. Try cottage cheese with fruit, eggs with whole-wheat toast, or Greek yogurt with a banana.

Do I eat too close to bedtime?

A late-night meal can spell trouble for your weight loss plan. It may raise your body temperature, blood sugar, and insulin, which makes it harder for you to burn fat. Try to eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to sleep. Be careful about snacking after supper. You take in more calories than you realize when you nibble while you watch TV or use the computer. You may also be tempted to eat unhealthy foods like ice cream or potato chips.

Is it because of my gender?

It could make a difference in how you lose weight. A recent study suggests it's easier for men to drop pounds quickly. But women tend to have more success with long-term efforts. Where you lose weight can also differ. Guys lose belly fat first, but that area can be tougher for the ladies.

Do I burn calories more slowly than other people?

Possibly. How fast you burn them is based on your metabolism -- chemical reactions that maintain your body. If you have a slow metabolism, your genes may be to blame. Or you may not have enough lean muscle mass. People with lean, muscular bodies burn more calories than people with a higher percentage of body fat.

Do I burn calories more slowly than other people? continued...

Other things that can affect how you burn calories:

Getting older. Your metabolism slows down about 2%-8% every decade. That may be from decreased muscle mass.
Eating too little. It sounds strange, but the truth is, if you skip meals or follow a very low-calorie diet, it can backfire by making you burn calories more slowly. Want to ratchet up your metabolism? Lift weights to boost your lean muscle mass. And avoid diets that have extremely low-calorie counts.

Am I getting enough sleep?

When you don't get your ZZZs, it can make it harder to lose weight. Your metabolism may slow and you won't burn calories as fast as you'd like. You may also have less energy when you don't get enough sleep. That makes it harder to exercise. When you're tired, you're more likely to make poor diet choices, like choosing sweets over fruit. In a recent study, people who didn't get enough sleep ate about 300 more calories per day than those who got more rest.

Is it my genes?

Maybe. Some bodies are simply better at burning fat than others. It's something you inherit from your parents or grandparents.

Is it due to a problem with my overall health?

Medical conditions make it tougher to slim down. Some things that could be causing your weight problems are:

• Eating disorders like bulimia
• Heart disease
• Hormonal disorders
• Sleep disorders like sleep apnea

Some medicines can also deal a blow to your efforts to drop some pounds. For instance, you might have trouble losing weight if you take drugs for:

• Allergies
• Birth control
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• High blood pressure
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia

If you have one of these conditions and weight is a problem for you, talk to your doctor. He may be able to change your medications.

WebMD Medical Reference

Turn Your Body into a Fat Burning Machine

I once had a client who asked, "When I eat too many calories, how do they know to go straight to my thighs? Do they have some kind of homing device or what?" I suppose that's one way to look at it since our genes usually determine where we store excess fat and how and where we burn fat. A more important point is that, if we didn't eat too many calories, we wouldn't have any extra calories to store. I don't believe "obesity" is genetic. We all have fat cells but they're not full of fat but when your body stores fat it will go to those areas that your genes send it.

 If you are storing fat because of what you eat, then those places where the fat goes is genetic. You will store fat in the same parts of your body that your mother and father did. So if fat legs runs in your family when you add fat to your body the fat will probably go to your legs first. But if your dad for example always had a big waist then you might have a big waist too. You need to remember that you got your genes back in the days when your parents were young and healthy. If they gained weight as they grew older that doesn't mean you will. Your build and your weight depend and your diet and exercise.

We have no problem gaining fat but trying to burn fat is another problem.

We all have areas where fat cells seem to congregate and, sadly, thrive. The real challenge is how to burn that fat off. We hear a lot about fat burning, from working out in the 'fat burning zone' and spot reduction to eating foods or taking supplements that supposedly burn more fat.

But, gimmicks aside, what we all want to know is: What's the best way to burn fat? Knowing a little more about how your body works can help you become a better fat burning machine.

The Basics of Burning Fat

If you're trying to lose weight, knowing how your body uses calories for fuel can make a difference in how you approach your weight loss program. We get our energy from fat, carbs and protein. Which one our bodies draw from, however, depends on the kind of activity we're doing. Most people want to use fat for energy, which makes sense. We figure, the more fat we can use as fuel, the less fat we'll have in our bodies. But, using more fat doesn't automatically lead to losing more fat.

Understanding the best way to burn fat starts with some basic facts about how your body gets its energy:

• The body primarily uses fat and carbs for fuel. A small amount of protein is used during exercise, but it's mainly used to repair the muscles after exercise.
• The ratio of these fuels will shift depending on the activity you're doing.
• For higher intensity exercise, such as fast-paced running, the body will rely more on carbs for fuel than fat. That's because the metabolic pathways available to break down carbs for energy are more efficient than the pathways available for fat breakdown.

• For long, slower exercise, fat is used more for energy than carbs.
• When it comes to weight loss, it doesn't matter what type of fuel you use. What matters is how many calories you burn as opposed to how many calories you take in.

This is a very simplified look at energy with a solid take-home message. When it comes to weight loss, what matters is burning more calories, not necessarily using more fat for energy. And, the harder you work, the more calories you'll burn overall. Think about it this way: When you sit or sleep, you're in your prime fat-burning mode. But, you've probably never contemplated the idea of sleeping more to lose weight, as lovely as that thought is.

The bottom line? Just because you're using more fat as energy doesn't mean you're burning more calories.

The Myth of the Fat Burning Zone

One thing we know is that exercising at lower intensities will use more fat for energy. This basic premise is what started the theory of the 'fat burning zone,' or the idea that working in a certain heart rate zone (around 55 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate) will allow your body to burn more fat.

Over the years, this theory has become so ingrained in our exercise experience that we see it touted in books, charts, websites, magazines and even on cardio machines at the gym. The trouble is that it's misleading. Working at lower intensities isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it won't burn more fat off your body unless you're burning more calories than you're eating. One way to increase your calorie burn is to exercise at higher intensities.

Does this mean that, if you want to burn more fat, you should avoid low intensity exercise? Not necessarily. There are some specific things you can do to burn more fat and it all starts with how much you exercise.

This post first appeared on Healthnet.com and I added to it, and were I do agree with the theory I believe in low-intensity exercise to burn excess body fat, but I believe you have to be on a low-fat diet to make it work. If your eating animal fat at all your meals your body won't be able to burn all the animal fat your consuming every day. So you might be burning fat but at the same time you might be storing more fat at the same time.

Thirty percent of all the calories your body burns in a day are calories from fat and it doesn't care where it gets the fat. If you didn't eat enough the body will go into stored fat and get some of that fat. That's why your body stores fat to begin with. It has to burn fat every day. But we eat so much fat in our diets that we are constantly adding fat everyday.

If you want to burn stored fat you have to cut back on the fats you consume. That's the simple answer and exercise will help speed up the fat burning process.