How to Lose Weight 101: Understanding energy balance

If you're trying to lose weight but don't understand how your body works, your odds of success aren't good. However, learning accurate information about how your body works isn't an easy proposition! That's because (no kidding) most medical professionals don't know either. The (magic) diet book and other weight-loss-gurus don't care (they're interested in your money, not your success). So it's fair to say that too often we have a case of the blind leading the blind. Is it any wonder that so many find it so hard to lose weight, and even harder to keep it off? Sadly, not.

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Set Point Theory: a few more thoughts

As I talked about in my last post, the set-point, starvation-response, and metabolic-adaptation theories have kept changing over the years as their advocates attempt to maintain a viable theory. The Truth? Are there physiological changes associated with energy restriction? Yes. Do they prevent weight loss, or maintenance of weight loss? No.

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Set-Point Theory: Fact or Fiction?

It’s not uncommon to hear both lay persons and professionals matter-of-factly refer to the “starvation response” (also called metabolic adaptation) and “set-point theory” as if they were accepted facts. The supposition of these theories is that the body reacts to reduced energy intake, or weight loss, by lowering its basal metabolic rate in an attempt to maintain the current weight or return to a higher weight.

These theories however, have not survived sound scientific investigation, and those researchers who are familiar with this area of medical literature have known that for almost 20-years. Three comprehensive reviews of the literature in 1992, 1994, and 1995[i]^,[ii]^,[iii] all reached the same conclusions that:

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Would your food log look like a crime scene?

 If you want to lose weight, but are avoiding keeping a food journal you may need to ask yourself why you’re avoiding that task? What you’re eating can all be healthy, while at the same time the amount you’re eating and drinking can be adding up to way too much.

Without keeping a food record it’s easy to not be fully aware of your portion sizes, and it’s easy to forget the extra calories in side items, between meal snacks, and beverages.

For example, years ago when I was a rooky health educator, a patient from the hospital-based weight maintenance program I was working in came to my office asking for help.

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6 Keys to Mastering the Evening Meal (Part 2)

Part Two: Keys 3 - 6

Yesterday we talked about planning ahead, and creating a cook-friendly kitchen, all in the effort to make getting a healthy and nutritious meal on the table easier than you believed is possible. Today we cover four more keys to that end.

3. Keep staples stocked. There are certain items that store well and that can be used in a number of dishes or that can make meals themselves (pasta, spaghetti sauce, rice, etc.). Having these items on hand can help ease nightly preparation, as well as serve as quick-fixes when in a pinch.  Here’s a minimal basic list of staples to start with, which you can add items to as you determine what best suits your needs.

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