Guest Post Pt. 3

Here’s the third post from Dr. Andersen. Enjoy!

Is there a certain age group where losing weight becomes
impossible?

Absolutely not!  There is no age group where you cannot lose
weight.  The bottom line is that there is a very simple equation concerning
energy management.  This responds to the principles of energy.  If you
consume less energy than you expend, you will loose weight and there is no
way around it.  It is like e=MC2.  You have to ask yourself every day if you
are consuming less energy than you are expending.

There are four macronutrients we consume:
1)   Protein, which has 4 kcal per gram
2)   Complex carbohydrates, which also has 4 kcal per gram
3)   Fat, 9 kcal per gram
4)   Alcohol, 7 kcal per gram.

These are all the sources of energy that we consume.  We can actually
identify what we are consuming and how much of it so we can track how much
we need to expend in order to lose weight.  I use portion controlled meal
replacements because they provide the correct amount of calories to help me
control my energy intake.  Habits of Health helps people to realize how many
calories they are allowed in a day‹keeping within those limits ensures you
will lose weight.
Energy expenditure falls into three main categories.  The first
and largest amount of energy that is expended comes from basal energy
expenditure, which is the amount of energy required to keep everything going
in your body including your brain, muscles, intestines and so forth.  This
accounts for 60-65% of your total energy expenditure. The next big source of
energy output deals with physical activity.  This is your daily life energy
expenditure, which entails movement throughout the day and exercising.
There are two main categories of physical activity.  The first is
non-exercise and the second is exercise expenditure.  Together these two
account for 30-35% of your total energy expenditure.  The last category of
energy expenditure is in eating food. It actually takes energy to eat food
(some people don¹t realize that), resulting in about 10% of your total
energy expenditure.
If someone is not losing weight, it is because the energy intake
is not less than the energy expenditure.  Steroids, drugs, metabolism and
the foods you eat could affect this.  For some people it actually may be
harder to lose weight.  As you get older you lose about a pound of muscle
every year.  You begin to lose this muscle mass when you turn about 20 years
old.  This results from lack of vigorous exercise once we take on the tasks
of adulthood.  It isn¹t inevitable.  If you add daily movement and have a
specific movement plan, you can avoid losing that muscle.  Muscle burns
40-70 kcal per pound, whereas fat burns 2-5 kcal per pound!

Dr. Andersen is a a board certified critical care physician, and he is currently Medical Director of Medifast, Inc., an innovative leader in the production, distribution and sale of weight management and health management products. He is also the chief architect of Take Shape for Life. His book, Habits of Health, does not advocate fad dieting or a miracle wonder cure; rather, it provides the knowledge and support to help people achieve optimal health. The book seeks to offer an easy guide to establish long-lasting, improved health. Habits of Health seeks to help people to be the healthiest they can be with what they have. Through his book and the accompanying workbook, Dr. Andersen provides a roadmap and an opportunity for people to choose a better life.

Don’t Make Excuses

Don’t make excuses, make it happen.

That’s the quote of this week. Whatever your goals may be, you know what you need to do to get there.

So if you’re trying to lose weight or fat, wanting to build strength, or just improve your health, you know that you need to eat more whole grain foods, more fruits and vegetables, less processed foods and sugar, and get some exercise in every day.

You know that you don’t have to make drastic changes immediately; unless that’s how you usually reach your goals, you are probably setting yourself up for failure. Take little steps a day, and you will eventually achieve your dreams.

But whatever you do, don’t make excuses. Do what you can today to make it happen.

Back at it

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the NCSF Workshop. Going there was well worth the money I paid; I feel that I’ve been preparing myself for the exam properly and I feel assured that I’ll be fine. Every once in a while, that little voice of doubt and fear was telling me that I was going to fail. I even pictured myself looking at the screen at the end of the exam that told me I was a huge failure.

Of course I quickly shifted my thoughts back to success, where they belong in the first place. We all know that was you think is what we become, and I’m definitely no failure, so why should I think like one?

I’ve also been on track with rehab for my hamstring. I’ve been running about a little over a mile at a time, except for this one long run I did last week with my best friend in the park (which was amazing).

I’ve given exceptional focus to strengthening my hamstring, and I can tell the difference in strength already. I’m up to deadlifting 105lbs, which will only get better as my hams get stronger. Hopefully I’ll be back to squatting 1.5x my bodyweight soon.

This injury has only sharpened my perspective on how important strengthening the hamstrings and hip extensors is. Those muscles, the “non-mirror” muscles (those you don’t see in the mirror when you’re working out), hold the balance between high-performance and injury.

So what can you do to strengthen this crucial area?

If you’re new at exercising, start with a bridge progression. Lay on your back and put your feet in a position as if you were doing a situp.  Instead of bringing your shoulders up, push up your hips and keep your shoulder on the ground. Squeeze your glutes as you come up and make sure when you push your hips down back to the starting position, do so in a controlled manner. Don’t let gravity take over and let your body flop down. You should look similar to a decline bench.

Once you get good at that, try doing that with one leg up. By decreasing the stability of the exercise, you will be able to recruit more muscles to stabilize you, which means more calories burned. And it’s great for building even more strength.

Also try doing this on a ball. Sit upright on a ball, and slowly step your feet out, one foot at a time, until your upper back and neck are supported by the ball, and nothing else. Dip your hips down, and bring them back up to make your body flat, like a table. The same principle applies: do all movement in a controlled manner!

I’ll talk about other hamstring and hip work later on this week. I’ve been up since 5am and I’m tired.

Stay tuned.

So, I have learned my lesson.

I will be back on the field this fall. Now I just need to find somewhere to play.

Guest Post from Dr. Andersen, Pt. 2

Here is another guest post from Dr. Andersen. You may remember his post last week on the glycemic index and its importance in losing weight. This week’s topic is the 6 steps of his fat loss method featured in his new book, Habits of Health. As usual, leave your thoughts and comments!

What are the 6 steps of BeSlim in your book Habits of Health and why
are they so important?

The six steps of ³BeSlim² are really just the beginning Habits of Health.
³BeSlim² is an acronym to help you remember the six main components of this
program.

The B stands for breakfast every day. You should get in the habit of eating
a healthy breakfast every single day of the week. This is very important
for long-term weight loss.

E is for exercise, which is incredibly important to this program. This
program isn¹t based around vigorous exercise for hours on end, but rather,
it is simply adding motion to your everyday tasks. Be active in all you do!

S stands for support. It¹s never an easy thing to try to change your
lifestyle, let alone doing it alone. Having some support will give you the
extra boost you need when you¹re having a hard time sticking to the diet.

L is for low-fat, low-glycemic, lower-calorie eating every three hours. If
you can have smaller meals more often throughout the day, it will boost your
metabolism and give your body the fuel that it needs throughout the day.

I is the individual plan. Reaching optimal health is up to you, and having
a plan that is made for you individually is very important. It needs to be
designed to fit your needs and goals, not someone else¹s.

M is for monitor. Track how you are doing with your weight, but also track
how your energy balance is doing to make sure you are eating the appropriate
foods that will help you become the healthiest that you can be.

What do you think of ³BeSlim?² Is it something that you could incorporate
into your lifestyle?

* BeSlim is Trademarked to Take Shape for Life

Dr. Andersen is a a board certified critical care physician, and he is currently Medical Director of Medifast, Inc., an innovative leader in the production, distribution and sale of weight management and health management products. He is also the chief architect of Take Shape for Life. His book, Habits of Health, does not advocate fad dieting or a miracle wonder cure; rather, it provides the knowledge and support to help people achieve optimal health. The book seeks to offer an easy guide to establish long-lasting, improved health. Habits of Health seeks to help people to be the healthiest they can be with what they have. Through his book and the accompanying workbook, Dr. Andersen provides a roadmap and an opportunity for people to choose a better life.

With this, comes achievement

I read a post earlier today about consistency and momentum being the keys to success. The post went on to talk about how being persistent will get you your goals.

This is so true.

Just thought to share it with you.

Also, the quote of the day that is sent to my inbox everyday is:

What separates winners from losers is the courage to persist long enough to win.
– David Cottrell

Think about it.

Then ask yourself, “What have I done today to get me closer to my goals?”

And if you don’t have goals, then it’s time to get SMART about it and take the time to give yourself a sense of direction.

Every little bit helps, just as long as you keep at it.

Off to be persistent in my studies.

Just another reason to go play outside

If you need just one more reason to take your butt outside to play, work out, garden, run, bike, or walk, a study conducted in Scotland has concluded that a lack of sunlight is linked to higher rates of obesity. This study showed that vitamin D, which is provided by exposure to sunlight, is lower in overweight people. When vitamin D levels are too low, they interfere with the hormone leptin and prevents it from signaling fullness.

This does not mean that to lose weight, all you need to do is sit outside. This is a side effect of today’s sedentary lifestyle and shows that not only does sitting inside all day lead to being overweight, but also leads to deficiencies in vital vitamins.

Anyway, go outside and play. Not only will you work off some calories and be able to enjoy a rush of endorphins, but you will also give your bodies the nutrients it needs to live strong and healthy.

What’s so special about weight loss drinks?

After watching the US women national team beat Brazil 1-0, I was channel flipping and came across a commercial advertising a trial for Right Size smoothies. It’s yet another weight loss product aimed at people who are looking for ways to lose weight and fight fat. The creators of the product prided themselves on the fact that this smoothie was not only able to provide 20 (or more, I can’t remember) nutrients and taste good, but it was also an appetite suppressant.

A few chapters back in my studying for my cert exam in August, I remember reading about weight management, including hunger mechanisms and appetite. I read that appetite is partially psychological and is also genetic, and is used by the body to get the person to eat to avoid starvation. Hunger is different from appetite, in the sense that appetite is the desire to eat and can occur without being hungry, although they are both controlled by the hypothalamus with the use of hormones.

My question is how can a drink or commercial weight loss product control your appetite? I suppose if you drink it, you will feel full and won’t eat anymore, but doesn’t that happen when you just eat normal, healthy food? Is there something special in weight loss “foods” and “drinks” that actually maintains the release of hormones related to appetite? And just to make it clear, I’m not talking about prescription products, but commercial products that make claims that they control your appetite.

I don’t know much about these kinds of products yet, but watching that commercial just made me wonder. As usual, leave your two cents!

New Job, New Gym

So a few posts ago I said I was going to Bally in DC to be a personal trainer. Since then, I found a place that was a much, much better fit for me. I am now a proud employee of City Fitness in Cleveland Park, near the zoo (probably doesn’t mean much for you non-DC people). Today was my first day of training, and I LOVE it. It’s amazing how people can make a job loads of fun, or literally hell. The staff and the clients are friendly, fun, and don’t take themselves too seriously. Even my boss is fun! How cool is that?

Anyway, before I left, the two guys I was working with said I couldn’t go home until I did this week’s Crossfit-inspired challenge. It was 5 rounds of 5 deadlifts and 10 burpees for time. I did it using 95lbs for my deadlift (gotta watch my hamstring since it’s finally healing!) and did it in 6:10. It felt great and I can’t wait to learn more from the Crossfit instructors at City Fitness.

I’m so grateful to have found City Fitness and my new mentors. Now time to work towards my goal of opening my own fitness business. It will be ready in no more than 2 years. Take note of this date. Ok, out for a run and then back to studying. Come back on Monday for a fitness-focused post.

Go out and do something good for you body!

Guest Post!

For the next few weeks, I will have Dr. Andersen, whose bio appears below, writing a few guest posts for me about health and fitness. I will also be reviewing his new book, Habits of Health, in a few weeks. Enjoy!

Why is it important to eat low glycemic foods to lose weight?

The glycemic index is a way of looking at how glucose is released into the
bloodstream as the carbohydrates you eat are broken down.  A professor at
the University of Toronto in Canada was studying diabetes and found that the
body breaks down sugars that come from the carbohydrates and releases them
into your bloodstream.  Therefore, it is important to eat low glycemic foods
because meals high in sugar raise your insulin, and then that food turns
into fat storage.

The higher the glycemic index in a food, the more likely it is to create
this fat storage. Low glycemic foods on the other hand, don¹t stimulate fat
storage, but they keep your blood sugar stable.  Most fruits and vegetables
are considered to be low glycemic foods. These are the foods that should
make up a majority of your meals.  Some examples of high glycemic foods
include: corn flakes, baked potatoes, white rices, white breads, candies,
etc.

Stick with the low glycemic foods because they actually turn off fat storage
and turn on fat burning.  Eating low glycemic foods is just one of the steps
in my ³Habits of Health² program to keeping weight off.  My recipe or
acronym for success is ³B.E.S.L.I.M.²  The L portion of this saying stands
for low-fat, low-glycemic, lower-calorie eating every three hours.   Eating
low-glycemic foods keeps your body from storing fat, and therefore helps you
keep the weight off.

Dr. Andersen is a a board certified critical care physician, and he is currently Medical Director of Medifast, Inc., an innovative leader in the production, distribution and sale of weight management and health management products. He is also the chief architect of Take Shape for Life. His book, Habits of Health, does not advocate fad dieting or a miracle wonder cure; rather, it provides the knowledge and support to help people achieve optimal health. The book seeks to offer an easy guide to establish long-lasting, improved health. Habits of Health seeks to help people to be the healthiest they can be with what they have. Through his book and the accompanying workbook, Dr. Andersen provides a roadmap and an opportunity for people to choose a better life.

Click here for his website.

I’m supposed to be studying, but…

I was browsing the web and have found some interesting websites via other people’s blogs and Google.

In a perfect world, this is the kind of gym I would love to own or train at. There’s a gym similar to that in DC, Balance Gym. The owner of Monkey Bar Gym has a great philosophy and outlook on fitness.

If you need help remembering the importance of patience when working towards your goals (as I did this past week, but that’s for another post), then read this one on Ross Enamait’s website.

For sports training, check out Dr. Yessis’ blog, where he covers so many aspects of sports training; this is an invaluable resource for those seeking performance improvements.

This blog focusing on healthy high achieving fits right into my philosophy on what’s important in life: achieving your goals in business and life without sacrificing your health. That, to me, is the key to happiness. Read this post to get an idea of what a healthy high achiever is.

Ok, I’m studying now, I really am!