November 2005

November 6, 2005 08:03 - Burning Fat Faster On An Empty Stomach?

It is confusing whether or not it is the best thing to do to exercise on an empty stomach.

Some experts argue that exercising on an empty stomach is detrimental because your body needs immediate glucose to be able to exercise. Some experts say that it doesn't really matter when you exercise, as long as you exercise.

The available research on the topic suggests that exercising on an empty stomach induces greater fat loss.

The main point worth considering is not what you're eating or not eating but drinking. If you are exercising before breakfast, make sure that you stay hydrated with lots of water.

My opinion on the matter is that in the long term, you may be better off eating before exercising, to give your body the right start to the day. You may run out of energy in the afternoon. You should also be trying to develop healthy habits for long term lifestyle change. In the long term, after you've lost a lot of weight you will just want to maintain it, not lose more. So my personal feeling is that eating before exercise may be more beneficial psychologically in the long term.

You also do not want to lose weight too fast. Fast weight loss has a greater chance of coming back with a vengeance. If you lose weight slowly, you are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term.

Source:

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/3644.html

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/24074

http://hermes.hhp.ufl.edu/keepingfit/ARTICLE/STOMACH.HTM

Katch, Katch, McArdle (1986) Exercise Physiology Lea & Febiger

November 14, 2005 14:33 - Gaining Weight As We Get Older

While reading a survey conducted on the weight maintenance success of clients participating in a popular weight loss program, I noted how they attributed some weight gain not to poor diet and lifestyle choice but simply to the effects of aging.[1]

The American Dietetic Association report that as women get older, weight gain seems to accompany the symptoms of menopause due to either a slowing of metabolism or a decrease in exercise levels.[2]

There is certainly something to be said of weight gain as we get older. I know I can remember when I fit into a small size dress. Now I feel happy if I can fit into a size 14.

Certainly weight gain can be attributed to the fact that some of us sit in offices all day, virtually sedentary, while some weight gain could also be attributed to increases in the body's set-point.

Source:

[1] Gosselin and Cote; Weight Loss Maintenance in Women Two to Eleven Years After Participating in a Commercial program: A Survey. BMC Women's Health 2001, 1:2 Full Text

[2] American Dietetic Association

November 18, 2005 01:16 - Caffeine, Obesity and Hypertension

While recent media reports have focussed on the study that did not find a link between consumption of caffeine and the development of hypertension, I felt that we should look at links between caffeine and hypertension in individuals who are already hypertensive, as obesity and hypertension can often coincide.

The article discusses whether caffeine has the same affect in obese people, should hypertensive people consume caffeine and what you should do if you are thinking of excluding it from your diet.

(Read Article)

November 21, 2005 23:13 - A banana a day keeps the fat away !

How do you make a normally fiber-less milk shake into a power-packed fiber-filled drink?

Easy ! Add a banana.

1 large banana holds between 3.6 and 4 grams of fiber. Bananas have a source of dietary fiber called pectin. Pectin forms a thick gel when combined with water. When it reaches our intestines, it helps to trap nutrients and slow absorption. Slowing absorption also may help to lower the body's release of insulin - the hormone that stimulates fat production. Pectins are also found in apples, strawberries and citrus fruits.

Depending on where you get it from, a banana is also low GI, so it provides long lasting energy for extended work-outs.

So how often do you eat a banana ? Do you eat on average 2 pieces of fruit a day ?

Poll your answers - click on the "What Do You Think?" link !

P.S. There is such a thing as having too much fiber. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure about the amount of fiber you are getting.

November 22, 2005 17:34 - Hot and Cold Banana Recipes

If you're living in the Southern Hemisphere - we're coming into Summer. After my last post, I thought it would be good to post some banana recipes, as there doesn't seem to be an awful lot of them out there. Banana Popsicles Nutrition Data

Try this banana recipe:

Banana Popsicle

Mash a banana and mix with 1/4 cup of skim milk. Fill a popsicle mould. Place it in the freezer and leave until frozen.

Take out for preservative-free Banana Popsicles.

Makes 1 popsicle.

If you're living in the Northern Hemisphere - you're coming into Winter. I'll be posting a banana recipe for you tomorrow.

November 23, 2005 22:11 - Hot Banana Dessert

Hot Banana Dessert Picture

As promised here is a hot banana dessert you can serve without the guilt.

It takes about 2 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes in the oven.

What you get is a hot dessert to rival the expensive and much more calorie laden commercial desserts. For a 100g serving of commercial apple pie, you will be consuming about 230 calories. 1 serving of this recipe is around 160 calories - a saving of around 70 calories. Hot Banana Dessert Nutrition Panel

This recipe does have sugar in it, so if you are a diabetic or pre-diabetic, then reduce or leave out the sugar.

Hot Banana Dessert

Ingredients

4 Firm and Peeled Bananas
1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, without sugar.
1 cup of skim milk

Method

Peel the banana, removing all the stringy bits from the banana.

Combine the cinnamon, brown sugar and bananas in a small casserole dish. Coat the banana in the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Pour the skim milk over the banana.

Place in the oven at 180 degrees centigrade or 356 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

Turn the banana and replace into the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven. Cut the banana into portions and serve in dessert bowls, drizzling with the milk mixture.

November 25, 2005 21:06 - How many people do you eat for ?

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four, unless there are three other people.

   - Orson Wells

With today's culture of super-sized take-away meals, all you can eat buffet's and competitions to see who can stuff the most pie into their mouths within a 5 minute period, it's sometimes hard to get a handle on how much we should be actually putting into our mouths.

Portion control for at least some of us, is an important issue.

The American Diabetes Association gave these important tips for enjoying eating out without over-eating:

1.  When a large meal is served at a restaurant, eat half of it and ask to take the other half home for lunch the next day;

2.  Make some fun by sharing your dessert with your partner or the person sitting next to you;

3.  Ask if the restaurant can replace the chips with a fresh salad, or steamed vegetables;

4.  Ask the chef to put sauces and gravy on the side, so that you can dip the food in the sauces. This allows you to still get the flavor of the sauces, but not eat more than you usually would.

What other techniques can you think of to avoid over-eating?

Source:

American Diabetes Association

More Information

Try the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Portion Distortion Quiz.

November 28, 2005 22:42 - Are you addicted to junk ?

People hate being told what they can and can't eat. Don't you think?

A close relative of mine at the moment is suspected to have gestational diabetes and has been given a diet by her Doctor to follow.

The comment was made that she's in a bad mood, because she can't eat what she wants and has to eat the pre-defined diet put together by the Doctor.

As much as I've tried to persuade her to eat healthily in the past, she still regularly ate one too many fast food meals.

So now we are keeping our fingers crossed that she doesn't have gestational diabetes, and trying the best we can to encourage and support her to make healthy dietary choices.

I have come to think of junk food as addictive. I know when I have weakened and bought greasy chips and a burger to eat for lunch, that this actually resembles the signs of an addiction.

I know that these foods contain trans fatty acids, I know that these foods aren't good for me, but they taste so-o-o-o-o good, that I just can't resist.

Repeating the same behavior over and over again, even though the individual knows that that behavior is harmful begins to look like an addiction.

Junk food every now and then, is fine. But it should be thought of as food eaten on occasion, not on a regular basis, to make up for the time spent in traffic or for time spent at other activities.

And that's where I think things go awry, and because it tastes good, we get too used to eating junk food too often.

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