Last week after having a late dinner following my travels to NYC for another seminar tour, I was reminded of a nutrition myth that tends to create some undue anxiety for many striving to be more healthy. I’ll dispel that quickly with some research. Also, I’ll briefly share some success secrets from someone who has “been there and done that” and finally some pics of the kiddos from Easter.

Never eat after 7pm?

Many people adhere to the strict “rule” – eating nothing after 7pm. It is often mentioned by experts as a key to lose weight.

The reasoning goes something like this – when you eat at night, your body is in shut down mode, so all the nutrient you eat get stored instead of burned off.  On the surface, this makes perfect sense. The implications are strong – especially for those who are super busy. By the time we get home from work (often later that 7pm), feed the kids and put them to been, make our own meals, and set down to unwind and eat, it is almost always way after 7pm. On nights when I workout after work, my dinner might be at 9:30 or even 10. I’m many of you are in the same boat.

So are we doomed to pack on the pounds? Let’s check out the research:

Cameron, Obesity Research 2008.

Researchers had subjects consume 65% of their calories after 8pm and compared the effects to a group eating the calories in even proportions throughout the day. Both groups ate the same amount of calories. There was no difference between groups in weight gained.

So no need to worry about having dinner late. God knows we can’t all have the perfect 6pm dinner schedule and there’s no reason to fret about it. Just be aware that many overeat in front of the TV. so the issue is still poor food choices and too many calories, not necessarily the time.

Secrets to their success

A couple weeks ago I announced the winners of the last BBC. This is something our grand champion Amy Pasquerelli shared that I think leaves some good clues about how to succeed in transforming your health:

“I never would have guessed that being a part of the BBC challenge would have such a positive impact in my life. It has changed me drastically both physically and emotionally. I have lost a significant amount of weight and feel fantastic! Over the past 3 years I had steadily gained weight (about 40 pounds)- I bought every diet book and tried just about every diet out there with no success. The personal diet planning with the scheduled one to one sessions were a key to my success- writing down everything I ate helped me stay in check but having someone evaluate my choices and explain why other choices would be better was fabulous! Also, what I learned about exercise was a real eye opener. I have always been a cardio junkie and now I have incorporated resistance training and am amazed at the results! I now eat things that I never even thought about and enjoying it! I will never go back to the way that I ate or exercised again- I am very thankful to Mike and the staff at Spectrum for the coaching and encouragement!”

If you need help with your fitness goals, click here to schedule a consultation.

Finally, be sure to check out some Easter picks of the girls I posted on Facebook last week. You’ll see why I’m always smiling!

Another successful Body Balance Challenge has wrapped up recently, and as always, the participants acheived some amazing transformations. I am still surprised by what can happen in only 8 weeks. It isn’t just the numbers, it’s also the mindset and habits, the improved perspectives – just awesome!

Seeing such improvements is so inspiring, so naturally I wanted to share them with you.

These are the average results for the entire group:

Grand Prize winner: Amy Pasquerelli.

Amy received $700 for her accomplishment, and a completely new perspective.

“BBC has changed me drastically both physically and emotionally.”

Amy Before

Amy 8 weeks Later

 Amy’s Results:

1rst Runner Up: Shelley Delaney won 4 personal training sessions with Spectrum

Beth Before

Beth 8 Weeks Later

And finally, Maureen Foster won the “Super Woman” award. Not only did she lose 7.89 lbs of fat, but she didn’t lose any muscle at all. What is even more impressive is that she had already lost a significant amount of fat, increased strength, and most importantly reduced her pain levels. Maureen started exercising and changing her diet back in September. BBC gave her another push beyond her already amazing improvements.

Congratulations to all of our our BBCr’s Nice work! You are all an inspiration.

Now it’s your turn!

By July 4th, you can completely transform your health and enjoy the summer. The deadline for the next BBC is April 18th. We can only take 15 participants, so sign up now at www.beverlybodybalancechallenge.com

Succeeding with fitness goals comes down to 2 basic things: consistently exercising/eating well and doing the proper exercise program correctly.

As simple as this sounds, it seems like people have been baffled about how to solve these issues. I’m proud to say that feel quite sure we’ve “cracked the commitment code” at Spectrum.

There are  many people that exercise, but fail to get results because they aren’t doing the proper program, performing their program properly, or both. These people that are simply misinformed because of bogus fads and solutions spewed all over. With some knowledge and guidance, they learn a proper program best suited to their needs and how to perform it properly to get results. These people then flourish.

But there is a huge group of people that this doesn’t work for. I suspect that this applies to most people. If not you, then likely someone you know well.

Knowing vs Doing

Plenty people know what they should do. They want to get healthier. They read all of the books, purchase the products, and may even seek professional guidance.

Their problem isn’t knowledge. In fact, they are quite knowledgeable. They read blogs, magazines, books and research. They have learned to filter the B.S. from the truth, and can even recite the evidence on par with a fitness expert.

Their problem isn’t motivation. They genuinely want to be healthy and fit. They have demonstrated characteristics of high motivation in nearly all aspects of their life.

The more experience I have in working with patients and clients the more I realize that the most important and difficult aspect of achieving results is getting patients and clients to commit and comply with their care. I’ve lectured to hundreds of professionals throughout the country, and just returned from another seminar tour in LA. The professionals I speak to all point to the same problem – patient compliance.

Speaking to therapists in Anaheim last weekend

The problem is translating the fleeting motivation to be healthy and fit to a long term habit of eating well and exercising. For any moment, most can rationally commit to a three month commitment to exercise 4 days a week. However,when the moment comes to actually go to the gym, the ability to act on that each day is much more difficult. The daily trials of our busy lives or injuries often intervene before exercising regularly becomes a habit. “Life just get’s in the way”, as many people say.

So how do you translate the desire to get healthy and fit to compliance with regular, daily action to change your diet and exercise? And please, spare me the “we’re just all lazy” line of thinking. That’s simply not true for the majority of people. Ironically, this line of thinking is, well, lazy. You have to look at it a little deeper. People who have run businesses,raised families, fought wars, and mastered a craft still struggle from the same issue of making exercise a habit. Clearly, they aren’t lazy. Something else is going on.

The Bridge From Goal to Habit

Fortunately, I’m not the first one to wonder why people don’t commit to taking action on something they know is beneficial for them. This issue has been studied extensively in the field of economics. In fact, they even have a term for people wanting to do something in the future but failing to do so when the future becomes the present called “dynamic inconsistency” (Laibson 1997). This dynamic inconsistency is observed when people fail to save or invest money, even though they set out a plan to do so seeking the clear financial long term rewards.

In reviewing the research, it is clear that people need help conquering this dynamic inconsistency. What people need is a bridge from goal to habit. They need resources to translate intent to action. And action means not just for a little bit, but for the long term until it becomes an engrained habit. One study showed that habits can take up to 254 days to form (Lally et al. (2009). Studies also say that the longer you do something, the more likely you will default to keep doing it (Goldhaber-Fiebert et al. 2010). So when life circumstances come up that throw you off your routine, you will eventually default to going right back to your routine.

This is what we want if we expect to achieve a healthy fit body for the long term. We want not only a clear goal, but the support and guidance that will move us along the path to get to the goal until the actions are so engrained that they become habit.

I see this scenario play out all to often: People have a clear goal and the commitment, and begin acting towards the goal. They see results, feel great, and then something goes wrong. Their workout partner moves away. Their job changes. A family member gets sick.They get injured. If any one of these scenarios happens during the habit formation phase, then the wheels come off and they crash and burn. They default to their old habits because their new “healthy habits” were in the fledgling phase. You know what happens next. They stop exercising, they regain the weight, and with that comes the negative connotations that they are lazy, have bad genes, or simply are fitness failures.

The Carrot or the Stick?

What is needed are strategies to build these healthy habits. Fortunately, if we look at the research of behavior change and commitment, and expand our view beyond just the fitness realm and look into the world of economics and business, we see some clear solutions.

As mentioned previously, incentives are proven tactic to help facilitate action. Financial rewards are the most common example, Disincentives can be significant motivators as well. Imagine if you had to give $300 to your most reviled political candidate’s re-election campaign if you failed to hit your goal.

However accountability is valuable as well. Studies have shown that those who are held accountable to their goals by reporting on their progress to a coach are 33% more likely to reach their goals versus simply just writing them down. In fact, reporting to a coach has found to be even more effective than financial rewards in changing healthy behaviors (Long JA et al 2012).

Of course, education is critical as well. Studies found that the more someone understands how and why to do their exercise, the more likely they will stay with their program ((Medina-Miraplex. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009).

Coaching, the BTN workout, and a little help from your friends

And supervision is critical. Studies on exercise compliance reveal that supervised exercise is critical for proper performance and learning an exercise program (Medina-Miraplex. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009). Furthermore, those who are supervised work out harder and achieve better results.

However, I contend that there is a hidden benefit of a coach. Remember how we identified the “life circumstances” issue that knock us off of our rhythm as we attempt to form a new habit? Well a good coach plans for this, and accordingly establishes a version of a BTN workout that allows you to hold your ground until life let’s you get back to your regular plan. We’ve used a similar approach with our maintenance diet plan which is part of our BBC program. This has been a key factor in keeping our clients fit in spite of major life obstacles, and is the reason I have never missed more than a week of workouts in over 20 years. That includes when I was laid up and unable to walk for weeks after my surgery this summer.

Finally, social support is critical. This seems the basis behind the success of programs such as AA.

The Spectrum C.A.R.E.S System

What if an exercise and nutrition approach focused on these tenants? Rather than being fascinated with the latest “insanity”, exercise until you puke (ie cross fit), or stretching in a sauna to release toxins (yeah – that happens)  hot yoga fad, fitness professional should be focused on how to get people committed to exercise until it becomes a life long habit.

We have enough research and experience to tell us what needs to be done.

And at Spectrum we have recently figured out how to pull all of these elements together in our C.A.R.E.S program, which we released at no extra charge to all of our clients last week.

The CARES program takes accountability and support to a whole new level. CARES stands for Commitment, Accountability, Results, Education, and Social Support. Each of these concepts are vital to success, yet are not emphasized adequately by most to achieve true behavior modification and form lifelong habits.

To my knowledge, no fitness company is doing this. I believe this will be a major game changer in the fitness world. Say goodbye to failed commitments, and hello to healthy and balanced habits that are here to stay. If you want to join in on the revolution, come in for a free consult, and hop on board. It’s about time you get the results you want and deserve – for good!

As expected, the new year brings a renewed interest in improving health and weight loss, and along with that comes a barrage of solutions. Unfortunately, many simply don’t work and are based on misinformation or outright  lies.

I can’t possibly compete with the marketing budgets that can pump the airwaves and TV screens with “solutions” that scientifically appeal to your emotions that trigger a purchase. But I can reveal the truth about what works and what doesn’t.  So from amidst the roars of the misinformed and deceitful shucksters, I’ll squeak out some nutrition truth that hopefully will help you and those you care about. Here is my list of the top 10 Nutrition Lies:

1. Low Fat = Healthy

There is no debate on this: we need fat in our diets. That is why there is a class of nutrients called “essential fatty acids”. The Omega 3s are a well known example. From heart health to pain management to even fat loss, the benefits of fat in your diet are firmly established and mostly attributed to the anti-inflammatory effect of omega 3s. The risks of fat in our diet have been exaggerated or found to be untrue. I’ve written about this and the research in the past. Here’s the gist of it: 2 recent meta-analysis found no connections between saturated fat, stroke, or CAD (Siri-Tarino , 2010, Annals of Int Medicine 2009)

It is not uncommon for food companies to slap the label “low fat” usually accompanied by some symbol of health to promote the allusion that this means healthy. If your yogurt says “low fat”, but is loaded with sugar, do you really think that is healthy? Of course not. I won’t be surprised if we see “low fat” next to a picture of a heart slapped on a package of Pez one day.

2. Fat Blockers Work

I wrote about this back in 2008, and I’m sad to say I still run into people fooled by this. Here’s an excerpt:

“The recently hyped fat blockers just blow my mind. I’m referring to Orlistat, also know as prescription form Xenocal and non-prescription strength Alli (which I refer to as Axis). The idea is to impede the body’s absorption of fat. That would make sense if fat loss had anything to do with the absorption of fat in your diet, which it doesn’t.

Regardless, what is most interesting is the fact that manufacturers proudly site the #1 research study that reports a 7-12 pound weight loss (not fat loss) by subjects using Alli over 4 months, which really isn’t too impressive, especially if you consider the restrictions, like regulating your diet to 3 meals of less than 15% fat. (recent note: Not to mention it pales in comparison to the 18.8 average fat loss our BBC clients experience in half that time) Oh, and the side effects, like loose and oily stools, uncontrollable oily discharge,  the interference with the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, K and E, and the association of pre-cancerous polyps demonstrated in 2 studies on mice given Orlistat (the FDA didn’t think it was important to have studies on humans to follow-up on this issue). All for the price of $260! What a deal!

Funny, but Alli came out as the non-prescription form because Xenocal prescriptions were doing so poorly. So if it doesn’t work well, and Doctor’s don’t trust it (in spite of all the goodies the reps dole out),  bringing it direct to the general with a huge marketing campaign is a good idea?”

So no – they don’t work. They are harmful.

3. You must eat small, frequent meals

May people will say that eating small, frequent meals makes them feel less hungry and keeps them from over eating. Others will say that eating small frequent meals makes them think about food all day, and stresses them out because they can’t possibly live their life and prepare/eat 5-6 meals a day. But the latter flies in the face of conventional nutrition dogma: you MUST eat 5-6 meals a day! So what does the evidence say?

A review on the topic in ’97 (Bellisle, eta al. British Journal of Nutrition. 1997) found that when calorie intake was equal, there was no difference in weight loss for those who consumed frequent meals compared to those who consumed 3 or fewer meals.

A more research study (Holmstrup, M. et al, Europ. Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 2012) compared people eating identical diets, except one group ate 6 times, the other ate 3 times a day. The group that ate 6 times a day had 30% higher glucose (ie blood sugar) readings compared to the lower frequency group! So much for eating frequently to control blood sugar. Interesting side note: when they increase protein in the diet, glucose readings lessened – another reason why higher protein is better than high carbs for blood sugar control (or – another reason to ignore most nutritionists and the food pyramid).

Finally, the recent position statement by the International society of Sports Nutrition on the issue of meal frequency reflects a review of the evidence on this topic. Amongst the conclusions: Increased meal frequency does not cause favorable body composition changes, increase meal frequency does not increase calorie burn or metabolic rate, and increased meal frequency does not improve glucose metabolism.

To summarize, some may do well with increased meal frequency to control hunger. However, eating 5-6 meals a day is not mandatory, and in some cases it may be detrimental. This is what I talk about to my clients about nutritional balance. We get hung up on this dogma that really screws with complying to the proven issues  – and we lose focus on the big picture. We need to balance preferences and convenience with proven science. In this case, preferences and conveniences play a huge part, and science allows us to dismiss dogma that gets in our way.

Isn’t it nice to know that you don’t need to set your planner to alert you when it’s time to eat?

4. Cholesterol in food is bad for you.

Cholesterol in your diet is not clearly linked to cholesterol in your blood stream. This has been illustrated in many studies about eggs and shrimp consumption. I’ve blogged about this here and here.

5. Eating after 7pm causes weight gain

This is another myth for which there is no evidence to support. This was specifically studied (Cameron 2006) and the researchers concluded that, given equal calorie consumption, there is no difference in weight gain amongst those who consumed 65% of there calories after 7pm compared those who eat their calories more evenly distributed before 7pm.

I suppose this myth comes from the association between eating bad food in the evening. Some studies have shown that people over eat bad foods while watching TV. And many people settle in on the couch to watch TV in the evening. Based on this logic, making the conclusion that eating after 7pm causes weight game would be like saying going out after 9pm causes crime because that’s when most crimes occur!

The better solution is to restrict yourself from eating in front of the TV. Dr. Brian Wansik from Cornell has written some amazing research on this “mindless” eating pattern.

If you are like me and 90% of those who are busy, eating after 7pm is a must. So don’t fret and harbor the anxiety that you are screwing up your health. There’s better issues to spend your brain power on.

6. A calorie is a calorie

This is what many programs like Weight Watchers are based on. They are trying to shy away from it recently, but it is pretty inconvenient seeing that the whole point system is based on it.

The main reasons that it matters not only about how many calories you eat but the quality is based on thermodynamics, glucose control, general health, performance, and appetite control.

It is easy to understand that getting your calories from vegetables instead of oreos will deliver more vital nutrients, control blood sugar, and help with your daily performance, so I won’t write much on that.

The other big issues are appetite and thermodynamics.

Simply put, higher protein diets suppress hunger, and higher refined carbohydrate foods stimulate hunger. There’s more research than I can state that supports this. Good luck keeping your calories low eating your sugar filled vitamin muffins and 200 calorie health cookies for lunch. It might work for a bit, but not for long.

The issue of thermodynamics is quite simple. Essentially, your body burns calories converting what you eat into a usable form of energy. There’s a lot of chemical reactions to break that chicken breast into tiny molecules that can be transported through your bloodstream to body tissues. That costs energy, which is the thermic effect of food.

The more proteins, vegetables, and fruits you eat, the higher your thermic effect of food. 5-20% of your daily caloric expenditure can be accounted by the termic effect of food. That is a big range. In our Body Balance Challenge, I show participants how they can lose up to 24 pounds a year by making a simple shift in what you eat compared to a typical diet of the SAME caloric amount. Clearly – quality does matter.

7. Cleansers/ shakes cause fat loss

This is another way some try to get you to buy stuff and take your attention away from what matters for fat loss. There is no magic cleanser or shake. People who lose weight with these products do so because they are consuming less calories. That’s it. End of story.

Consuming  a shake only diet isn’t a good long-term strategy for obvious reasons. And here again we are avoiding the big issue: how to eat properly for the long term. Turning to shakes avoids this issue and sets people up for failure when they inevitably have to come across this obstacle.

And no, they don’t cleanse toxins. We have something called a liver that can do that just fine. Getting rid of bad food helps too, and that is the “magic” of the cleanse.

Yes, shakes can be very convenient, and for that reason we use them in our client’s nutrition plans. In fact, I have a smoothie or shake  everyday. I discuss which ones I use here. As long as they are quality options, they are fine to use. Just don’t let them distract you from the fact that quality calories and proper habits are the only magic for fat loss.

8. Effective diets must be rigid

Rigid diets are not always the best option, just like rigid plans. They must flex and  adapt to the ever changing circumstances. There is a balance between being flexible and compromising principles. To summarize this in a blog is impossible, that’s why we have clients! But is is something you can learn how to do, and the most efficient way I know how to do this is through our Body Balance Challenge. Until then, let me give you some examples of a flexible meal plan strategy:

Plan for alcohol. Not everyone is willing to give it up, and if it isn’t a problem for you it can be consumed in moderation and not harm you. So make an alcohol budget (ie no more that 4 drinks a week)

Plan for a free meal. Decided when you are going to go off your typical diet plan, like going out to dinner on Friday evening your going to have some ciabatta bread at your favorite Italian restaurant.

Plan for maintenance phase: Your mother in law is moving in, and your busy season for work is keeping you at the office 70 hours a week this month. Time to go one maintenance phase. Up your calories from your fat loss phase and the goal will be to not gain weight (you will need to assess every week though). Pick a maintenance phase deadline, then get right back after it.

There are thousands more examples, but just be aware that the balance between sticking to the principles but being adaptable is key. It make take time to learn how to do this, that is why having a coach is critical for most.

9. Eating a healthy will ruin your (social) life!

I’m not making a joke here. Lot’s of people think that eating well is a choice between having a fun life with their friends vs having their clothes fit a little better and making their vital signs look better. With this line of thinking, it’s pretty easy to default to the “I’ll take having fun with my friends” choice.

This mentality is problematic because it is simply untrue. But it is certainly understandable. Many nutrition folks tend to project their extreme view of nutrition upon everyone, giving you the notion that if you don’t think eating lettuce and mustard roll ups while hanging in watching Super-size me on Saturday night is the “funnest thing ever”, then you don’t get what eating healthy is all about.

This mentality is a huge problem. I know how fun eating pizza, beer, and wings is with the guys at a bar watching the game is, or knocking back a bottle of wine with some friends over a fancy dinner can be. Solutions that work, not just for the short term, but the long term must take these scenarios into account. Having fun needs to be prioritized, and nutrition planning needs to work with this, not ignore it.

There are thousands of ways we deal with this with our clients and ourselves. To get an idea how to do this, think about nutrition like finance. When you are in debt or saving for money, you need to plan your weekend fun a little differently. For example, if you are planning on watching the playoff game at the bar with your buddies next weekend and are on a fat loss program, be sure to be laser focused on your diet for the next 2 weeks (save up), fill up on healthy food before you leave to go to the bar to avoid over eating (make a deposit), and set some rules for yourself, like you have to have 3 glasses of water before you have any beer, you make a bet with your buddy that you won’t at more that 8 wings, or schedule a workout early the next am you’ll be less likely to overindulge (planning/budgeting).

There’s no reason why eating well should negatively affect your social life if you do it right. Of course, there are a lot of variables to consider here, like addiction issues (see below) or toxic relationships (friends/family members trying to sabotage your fitness goals)

10. Everything in moderation works well

I have seen this logic fall flat on it’s face too many times to count.

The fact is that some people are simply addicted to food. I wrote about the fascinating proof of this here. For many, having a little sugar is like an alcoholic having a little whiskey. This is a bad strategy for many people. It might go against the nice platitudes that fill pages in the popular magazines, but it’s the truth.

For sugar addicts, we find that taking a three week hiatus, including sugar substitutes, has a high rate of success. The 3 weeks are hard, but most feel so much better that they continue to stay with the no sugar approach.

Transfat is another example. The stuff has clearly been linked to just about every negative effect on the human body. Recent studies of it’s effect on brain health that I wrote about here is more evidence.

Hopefully this gives you some clarity about what to do to make changes to your nutrition that will improve your health. Please be sure to share this with your friends and family. There are so many people who are confused by these myths to such a degree that they don’t know what to do and simply give up. Don’t let that happen. I believe that being informed is the best solution to paralysis by analysis. That’s why I write these blogs.

I alluded several times to the Beverly Body Balance Challenge because this program contains in-depth solutions to the issues these myths raise, and more. And, it is simple a program that I believe in and has proven results. The deadline for registration is coming up this Friday so be sure to sign up soon. Thanks!

Happy New Years! I think this is a perfect time for me to share my favorite post holiday nutrition quote:

“It’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Years, it’s what you eat between New Years and Christmas.”

Stop feeling guilty about eating too much around the holidays. Instead, start changing your nutrition habits. No matter what “insane” workout, how many miles you walk or classes you attend, or what the infomercials tell you, you won’t be able to out-exercise a bad diet. So you will need to make some smart nutritional changes if you want results.

I came across some amazing research that shows how nutrition hasa significant impact on brain function. This will certainly serve as some great motivation to change your diet.

Bowman GL, Silbert LS, Howieson D, Dodge HH, Traber MG, Frei B, Kaye JA, Shannon J, Quinn JF. Nutrient Biomarker Patterns, Cognitive Function and MRI Measures of Brain Aging. Neurology 2012;78:1-1.

Researchers did something fascinating here. They wanted to see the effects of certain diets on brain structure and function. However, rather than relying on patient recollection of what they ate, they did blood analysis which is far more accurate in determining the concentration of substrates and vitamins in their blood. The researchers found that those who had higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins B, C, D, and E have significantly larger brains and higher cognitive functions. They also found the opposite in those that ate diets high in trans fats: they had smaller brains and lower cognitive function.

So What Should We Eat For Optimal Brain Health?

Diets rich in certain fats, vegetables and fruits are a great way to get these nutrients proven to impact brain health, and well as heart health amongst other benefits. Supplementing is a great idea as well. My clients and I use Prograde’s EFA Icon Krill oil for omega 3′s. They are absorbed better and are much less prone to rancidity (ie no fish burps) than fish oil. We also take their multi-vit: VGF 25. This is a non-synthetic multi-vitamin, meaning that it is made of a variety of organic vegetables and fruits. Some nutrients derived from vegetables and fruits have been show to have better absorption than their synthetic counterparts found in most other vitamins. You can learn more about these options here.

What Should We Avoid?

Those who eat margarine, and many baked and fried goods are likely eating trans fats. Cookies, pies, chips, and even some cereals are common offenders. These foods are also very low in nutrients and high in calories. Trans Fats have consistently been linked to just about everything that negatively effects health. If there is one thing to avoid in your diet, it’s trans fat. Here’s how you can spot trans fat: it should be listed on the nutrient label, but it can also be found in the ingredients label: if it says “partially hydrogenated” it has trans fat.

The First Step

When the Spectrum team consults with those interested in losing fat, some are surprised to here that the first recommended step in almost all cases is to eat more: more omega 3s, more vegetables, and sometimes more fruit. As you can imagine, a healthy body needs certain nutrients. Failing to account for this, and instead just tracking points without regard to having and ample amount of vital nutrients is not a healthy approach.

This is a delicate balance – getting enough nutrients for optimal health, yet cutting back on calories to promote fat loss. There are many obstacles and sources of misinformation to add to the challenge. Fortunately, we have had remarkable success in helping people achieve this balance. You can check out some of the evidence and life changing stories here and learn more about our Beverly Body Balance Challenge.

So it time to part ways with the guilty, and take the first step towards taking control of your health. Get more omega 3s, vegetables and fruits, and get rid of the trans fats. Clearly it’s the smart thing to do!

Stay tuned for much more about proper nutrition and fitness. I’ll do my best to contrast the crazy fat loss scams, fads , and misinformation with true real world solutions that actually work. Here’s to a healthy and Happy 2012!

I hope this finds you well amidst the excitement, and perhaps the chaos of preparing for Thanksgiving! I thought I would end the short work week with a few tips that might make your holiday more enjoyable and even healthy. These tips might seem a bit controversial, but they work!

But let’s start by dispelling a major myth about holiday weight gain.

7-10 pounds gained during the holidays?

You have probably heard this figure touted in the media as the average weight gained during the holidays. However, research shows that this is not the case. A study done at Tufts in 2000 (Roberts SB, Mayer J. Nutr Rev. 2000 Dec;58(12):378-9.) showed that the average gained from Thanksgiving to New Years was about 1lb. However, given that the average adult gains 2 pounds a year, it is significant that 50% of this gain occurs during a 6 week time span. Also of note, those who were overweight or obese were more likely to gain more weight during the holidays. 14% of the study participants who were overweight or obese gained over 5 lbs. This tells me that controlling  weight gain during the holidays is probably much easier than the myth would lead you to think.

Now for a few simple, and somewhat controversial Turkey Day Tips

1. Don’t over think tomorrow’s feast. I could tell you about making sure you eat a few small meals in the morning so you don’t over indulge at dinner. Or about how to practice portion control for your thanksgiving dinner. Or to limit to one starch. But I’m not convinced these ideas are necessary or effective. It is one day. It’s chaotic and stressful for some. For others it is the first time in forever that they just sit, hangout and relax. Sometimes taking a break about planning your meals is fine. For most, this is a good idea.

2. Don’t complain about how much you are overindulging! In all likelihood, no body wants to hear about that. If it bothers you that you over ate, pledge to be more active and return to your proper habits the next day. Simply do something about it, but don’t complain.

3. Start your fat loss plan on Friday. Given that most will gain weight during the holidays, I think starting a fat loss program during this time is a great idea. The reality is that it takes a few weeks to change the habits, learn the truths, and clear out the head trash and misinformation about proper health and fat loss.

It’s a myth that this process should be started when things are perfect – life is stress free and calm, allowing you to focus finally on your health. The truth is, in the world that my clients and I live in, life is never predictable or calm. It’s always busy. There is no “ideal” time to conquer fat loss or fitness transformation. There is nothing like taking control amidst chaos. It is the most empowering thing you can do. The best victories I have seen in helping clients transform their health is when they make significant health changes in spite of schedule, family,  and work challenges. These people are empowered. They feel like they can do anything. And they do!

So the above simple tips are my challenges to you. Don’t obsess over tomorrow’s food or beat yourself up over transgressions, and start your health transformation during the start of the holiday season.

What better way to give thanks than to do what you can to keep your body healthy? You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to try to do your best if you want to feel better. You will be grateful that you did.

And as always, I’m grateful to be a part of helping you get healthy in any way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Most of us are aware of the severity of the childhood obesity epidemic. But I think this issue escapes the consciousness of many parents, especial those who don’t have obese children. Bear in mind, treating obesity is not a matter of targeting children who are overweight or already obese. We should widen our scope, as behaviors and attitudes about nutrition and activity are shaped in childhood, thus affecting not only the short term, but also the long term risk for obesity.

But the question remains: how do we best address this issue? Should we focus on providing education and physical education to kids? Or should we focus on the parents? Or both? Although I’ve written about this issue before, there have been some fascinating studies since. Let’s check out some recent research on this – the answers might surprise you.

Boutelle, et al Obesity 2010

Researchers from the University of California  San Diego looked at the difference between enrolling parents only in a nutrition and fitness program versus a parent and children enrollment. They wanted to see how families with obese children between 8 and 12 years old responded to a 5 month weight loss program. The results indicated that the parent only group did just as well as the child-parent group. Researchers noted that this same phenomenon has been observed in other studies to influence child behaviors.

Okely, et al. Pediatrics 2011.

Researchers looked at 185 overweight children and their parents to study the effects of 3 different approaches on reducing children’s weight. The first group involved teaching parents about healthy eating behaviors to influence how the entire family eats. The second group involved putting the children through a physical education program. The final group involved both the parental nutrition education and the child physical education program.

The results showed that the parent only nutrition education program was more successful in achieving weight loss results after 2 years than the other groups. The researchers speculated that parents worked harder at changing the food environment when they knew that this was the only intervention.

So what does this mean?

This clearly shows that focusing on educating  parents about proper nutrition is the most effective strategy to address childhood obesity. Specifically, focusing on educating parents about nutrition is vital to change the food environment in which kids spend most of their time.

How Can We Do This?

The best strategy is to act proactively – before your child struggles with being overweight or obese. And the younger, the better. However, studies continue to show that even with overweight and obese children, parents have the greatest  influence on affective positive changes.

Learning about proper nutrition for you and your family is not easy. There is so much conflicting information, and little is based on sound research. And strategies that work in the real world are scarce.

Click here to find out how to change your perspective about nutrition and health, with evidence based strategies that work in the real world. It will open your eyes!

You’ve probably heard of nutrition and health professionals saying that your environment effects your eating behaviors. If you are around people who eat unhealthy, you will eat unhealthy. If you see commercials about certain foods, you will start craving those foods. You may have even heard that certain colors on food packaging or restaurant decor can influence attraction to food.

Well I used to think that this was a bunch of B.S. How could intelligent, self aware people be influence by such trivial things?

Certainly, it seems a well informed person would be less vulnerable to such influences about something as important as what and how much you put in your mouth.

But knowledge alone won’t lead to major body and health transformation, as our Body Balance Challenge has proven. When I say proven, I mean that over the last year, participants on average have lost 18.8 lbs of fat and improved their quality of life score on average by 21% – in 8 weeks! More on that in a minute.

Some amazing research forced me to rethink the notion that being smart and well informed is all we need to keep us on the road to better food and nutrition behaviors. It seems like we might be more susceptible to environmental influences on eating behaviors than we think and intelligence doesn’t seem to be a protective factor.

Need proof? Consider some impressive work from Professor Brian Wansink from Cornell University:

How much you eat is influenced by your proximity to food

One study showed that if a candy dish was at arms length versus several feet away from your desk, you would eat an extra 125 calories of candy a day. (This alone could account for an extra 12 pounds a year). And if the container was clear, you would also eat more.

Another study showed that when food was left on a table at dinner, people would eat 10-29% (men more, women less) more than if the food was on the counter or in another room.

How good it tastes depends on the presentation and description

People rated food as tasting better when it was on fancy dishware. When the same food was presented on cheap plastic plates, it was always rated as less tastey.

Another study found that when nutritious foods were displayed with more light and in the from of the cafeteria line, consumption increased.

And another cafeteria study showed a 27% higher consumption of meals when they were given a fancy description, compared to the exact same meal when given a plan description.

How much you eat is influenced by the size of the container

Multiple studies show that when a container is larger, you will eat more.

And it doesn’t even matter if the food tastes good or if you aren’t hungry. One study gave people stale popcorn, which they rated as poor tasting, about 20 minutes after they ate dinner. Then they gave them large containers of it, and they still ate 34%more compared to people given smaller containers – even though it was the same stale popcorn that they didn’t even like! After they were told that they ate more than those eating from smaller containers, every single person said they did not believe that was possible.

Smarty pants – you are just as vulnerable!

I’ll admit that when reading this, I thought the people in this study must have been pretty ignorant to be so easily influenced by subtle things to affect their eating behaviors. Well, Wansink sought out to address this with another awesome study.

Professor Wansink lectured his graduate student at Cornell about the phenomenon of how the size of the container you are eating out of will determine how much you eat. He quoted all of his studies showing that people who ate out of large containers ate more, even though they did not feel more full or believe they ate as much as they did compared to people eating out of smaller containers. They studied the research.

Then the students went on winter break. When they came back, the professor hosted a Super bowl party. Half of the students went to one room containing chex mix and small bowls, the others went to another room with chex mix and larger bowls. The ones in the room with the larger bowls ate 53% more, and when questioned after, they estimated that they ate significantly less than they really did. They all claimed that the bowls did not look bigger, and most provided some rationalization (“well I skipped breakfast the other morning”). So even though they were perfectly aware that that container size makes them eat more, they did so anyways! He even did a similar study at a meeting with the American Diabetes Association and found they were just as susceptible as random people from the mall.

Are we helplessly influenced by our surroundings?

I don’t believe so. Rather, I think this should raise our appreciation of just how strong the our surroundings can influence how we eat. I think we use our awareness of these influences to our advantage to reverse such behaviors. For example:

• Do not put candy dishes on your desk or near your work site. If your coworkers insist on having them out, then bring an opaque jar to work and put them in there instead. Not seeing them, and making them far away from you has proven to reduce how much you eat.
• When serving dinner, don’t leave food on the dinner table. Put it in the kitchen instead. It has been proven that you will eat more when food is on the table
• If you are trying to get your family to eat better, use fancy plates and give your dinner a seductive description (try “succulent terryiaki glazed Atlantic salmon with sesame sauteed broccoli” or ” Caribbean coconut shrimp with sugar snap peas, roasted almond slivers, and mango salsa”).
• If you are trying to get your family to eat more fruit, but a nice basket of fruit at eye leve on the kitchen counter or table. Since we’ve done this, both our kids have eaten an apple and bananna a day without any encouragement at all.

Will-power can only do so much

The point is that simply reading books or willing yourself to make changes just doesn’t work. The environmental influence and even addiction issues surrounding food are just too strong. Knowledge helps and a determined mindset is key, but you need more. You need to change your environment, your strategy, your thought process – and you need a plan, support, and accountability. Our egos tell us that we can do it on our own, but this approach has a long history of failure.

If you are struggling to improve your health, lose fat, and want your family to eat better, I have found the solution which provides quick results to keep you motivated, and a long term strategy to make the progress last. We revealed this solution last year, refined it, and continue to improve it. The program is proven, based on science and real world application, and most importantly -it works. The reason why it works is because we don’t subscribe to a myopic approach of “just eat right and exercise”. Clearly, there’s more to it than that. The results continue to show it.

Here’s the proof

Over the last year, Our Body Balance Challenge has dramatically changed the lives of those who’ve participated.

On average, participants of the Body Balance Challenge achieved the following in 8 weeks:

• 18.8 lbs of fat loss
• 6.92% Body fat reduction
• 3.55 lbs of muscle gained
• 21.2 % improvement in quality of life score…

…in 8 weeks!

It really isn’t that complicated or difficult. Incorporating all the evidence, the tried and true strategies, specific and individualized meal plans, frequent one-to -one assessments, group support, proper fitness programing, and accountability are amongst all of the components that has made this program a success and are surprisingly lacking in almost every fat loss and nutrition program I have come across before developing the BBC.

Be sure to go to www.BeverlyBodyBalanceChallenge.com to learn more. You’ll see some amazing success stories from past participants there. Hope to see you there!

There seems to be some controversy regarding the role of protein shakes in a healthy diet, especially when it comes to fat loss. Most accept that protein isn’t just for skinny football players trying to bulk up. However, does consuming extra protein via a shake really help for fat loss? What type is best? Can’t we just get protein from whole foods? These are the issues I’ll address with today’s blog.

Do Protein Shakes Help For Fat Loss?

Most studies agree that high protein diets do increase fat loss, maintain muscle mass, and prevent regaining weight long term after initial weight loss. In studies comparing high protein versus low protein diets with caloric restriction, subjects often lose similar amounts of weight, but the high protein groups lose more fat and retain more muscle. Some theorize that higher protein diets are more effective because they increase satiety, thus controlling hunger. A recent study (see below) found that subjects supplementing with whey protein had increased levels of the hormone ghrelin, which is known to suppress appetite. Others suggest high protein diets prevent muscle loss with is common with caloric restriction.

So What Type of Protein Shake is Best?

Sources of protein can be animal or plant based.  When it comes to shakes, the most common sources of animal protein are milk proteins, either whey or casein. Whey is the most economical and widely available. As far as plant proteins, the most common source is soy. So let’s look at soy versus whey protein shakes for fat loss.

Baer, DJ. The Journal Of Nutrition, June 2011

Researchers studied 3 groups of subjects. One group ingested a whey protein shake, the other a soy protein shake, and the other a carbohydrate shake. All shakes added a total of 104 grams to their normal diet. They all consumed the exact same calories (2200). Compliance with ingesting the shake was determined through a tracer that was contained in the shakes.

After 23 weeks, the carbohydrate shake group gained 2 pounds of fat, while the soy shake group did not lose any weight. The whey protein shake group lost 2 pounds of fat, increased ghrelin hormone levels, and decreased waist circumference. So whey was superior for fat loss.

It should be noted that this amount of weight loss was very small, but it wasn’t surprising, because they were not put on lower calorie diets, nor exercising. However, it does tell us that there seems to be a small but significant benefit to higher protein diets for fat loss, and that whey is a superior option to soy. Although the reasons aren’t clear, it is likely that the fact that animal proteins are complete proteins, where as plant proteins are incomplete, might be the key difference. A complete protein has all the essential amino acids, or building blocks of protein, where are as plant proteins are deficient in some essential amino acids.

Shakes Vs Whole Foods For Fat Loss

Based on the recent research and many studies in the past, it seems that protein shakes really do help for fat loss. However, I’m not convinced that they are superior to whole foods  or even necessary.

In fact, I think whole food protein sources are better. Here’s why:

1. Chewing food makes you feel more satiated

2. Whole foods take longer to digest, releasing nutrients slower and increasing the calories spent digesting food. This can facilitate better nutrient absorption, more satiation, and more calories burned.

3. It fosters better habits. We know that sustained fat loss and improved health is about behavior change. Learning how to prepare and cook food, and taking time to eat it is better than relying on a quick shake.

But…there is a flip side to this, with big implications:

Practicality and convenience sometimes trumps optimal. And shakes are very convenient and practical. It is hard to package chicken breasts and carry them around with you all the time for a lean healthy protein snack. If you have an incredibley hectic schedule with family, work, travel, etc, shakes can be a godsend.

They key is to use them as a supplement. I think occasionally using 30-60g of some type of milk protein is a great idea for those who need to increase their protein intake to help with fat loss. Of course, increasing protein intake is only one factor in facilitating fat loss, and not all people need to increase protein intake. But most do, and they find that having a shake option gives them one extra convenient source to supplement a healthy diet.

So What Protein Shakes Do I Recommend?

There are thousands out there and most have some drawbacks, especially in regards to protein type  and artificial flavoring. I advise people use a whey or casein protein. There are dozens of subtypes, but I think it is best to see what texture you prefer and what doesn’t cause any GI distress. I have found that whey concentrate can cause GI distress in some. Whey isolate seems to be well tolerated by most and is not too expensive. Casein is also well tolerated, but is more expensive.

As far as flavoring, go with one that has no sugar or artificial flavoring. Stevia is a fine flavoring option, as it is natural and well tolerated by most.

Unfortunately, few meet the above criteria. The two that I recommend and use based on quality, flavoring issues, and cost are True Protein and Prograde.

Prograde has a great product that tastes excellent and mixes well. Ordering is simple. You can check out their site and pricing here.

True Protein is a whole sale company selling mostly to fitness professionals. They have every type of protein imaginable. You can flavor it any way you want and order any quantity. The freedom and flexibility to design your own shake can be good for those who know exactly what they want, but confusing and overwhelming for others. We can help you if you’d like, just send us an email. Check out their site here.

It’s no wonder that obesity trends are on the rise, preventable diseases running rampant, and children are succumbing to diseases and injuries at increasing rates that were previously seen only in adults. Painful conditions like low back pain have reached epidemic proportions as well.

We are being deceived all the time about what is healthy, how to relieve pain and how to get fit. The medical community, fitness community, government policies, “fitness gurus” – they are all at least partially to blame. But this wouldn’t be so if there was an underlying belief that we are all personally responsible to seek the truth. Instead we are drawn to talk shows, infomercials, fads, and reality shows to get answers, and rarely question the same old advice that fails to get results.

People actually take her seriously?

Prevention is Everywhere, Results…Not So Much!

All these devastating conditions are on the rise in spite of advances in pharmaceutical, surgical, and  imaging sciences, as well as a flourishing multi-billion dollar fitness industry. How can this be?

The Cure for Misinformation

Whether you are an exercise newbie or a fitness freak, you likely are weighed down by a healthy dose of misinformation. In fact, the more time you’ve spent in a gym or a clinic, the more you are being weighed down by misnformation about fat loss, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. The reason why this country are going in the wrong direction towards improving health is because of misinformation. We are being fed irrelevant and inaccurate information.

Knowledge is the key

Researchers wanted to know the most important factor for determining long term compliance to an exercise program.  They discovered that the most important factor was…

KNOWLEDGE!

The more the subjects knew about how and why to do their exercise program, the more likely they would comply.

I would imagine the same would relate to nutrition.

Expose the Fallacies, Get the Facts

If you want to take an active role in seeking the true solution to improving your health and fitness and you believe that people should seek out the truth from credible sources, not just listen to the loudest, glitziest, and simplest fad of the week, then I can help. And if you think you know someone who has had the wool pulled over their eyes - please send this to them. (these people are easy to spot – they go to the gym, always have aches and pains, or have dozens of tapes and fitness gadgets in their home).

In effort to tell people the truth about getting healthy and fit based on research, experience, and common sense, I am hosting a seminar at the Spectrum Fitness Consulting Studio, titled, “Fitness Facts and Fallacies” on Thursday, July 21rst, from 6-7:30pm. Admission is $25 if you register after July 14th. If you register before July 14th, registration is only $15.

Here are some of the issues we address – see if you can distinguish fact from fallacy:

• Eating late causes more fat gain
• Cardio is the best way to burn fat
• Eating eggs increases cholesterol
• Resistance training machines are safer than free weights
• 60 minutes  of exercise/day most days of the week is best for health and fat loss
• Fat intake is associated with stroke and heart disease
• Strong abs prevent back injuries
• Eating small, frequent meals is best for fat loss
• Food is not addictive
• Most fitness trainers teach safe exercise
• More fat is burned at moderate intensities, known as the fat burn zone
• Rapid fat loss is less effective in the long run

Attend for Free!

If you bring another friend or family member with you, you can both attend for free! Be sure to call Kristine at 978-927-2065 or email at schedule@spectrumfit.net to reserve your spot today, as seating will be limited.