Whether you are a vegetarian or a meat eater, if you want to lose fat, experts agree you need to increase protein in your diet.
My colleague Lucy Beale, an expert in natural weight loss, argues that most dieters need to consume 45 percent of their total calories from some form of protein.
There’s a reason why we at Total Fitness have focused on nutrition, developing expertise in body-type dieting and offering a wide range of the highest quality nuritional supplements. Those of you who train with me have heard me say—usually repeatedly—that you will not be able to change your body unless you alter your eating habits—what you eat, how often you eat and how much you eat.
A study of 24 women at the University of Illinois shows that for true weight loss, a higher protein intake makes the difference. Those who followed the traditional food guide pyramid, 55 percent carbohydrates, 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat, for 10 weeks lost 10.4 pounds of body fat and 3 pounds of muscle. Those who followed a Zone-type diet—40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, 30 percent fat—lost 12.3 pounds and just 1.7 pounds of muscle.
Calculate Your Protein Intake
One simple way to tell whether you are not you are consuming enough protein is by whether you have sugar cravings. When your brain gets enough L-glutamine, an amino acid found in protein, your carbohydrate cravings will decrease dramatically.
Here’s the process I use with my clients:
We determine your body type. Knowing your body type will give you a tremendous amount of information. Many lose weight more easily with vegetarian, low-fat protein sources. Others will not lose weight unless they consume adequate fats and meat. Timing is also important—one client started losing weight when she ate her protein primarily at breakfast and lunch.
Determine your activity and stress level. Research shows that stress—whether it be mental or physical –may increase the body’s need for protein by 2 1/2 times. Couch potatoes need less of everything.
Determine your total calories, and plan to spread your protein through the day. Why? Improve digestion to improve your absorption,and raise metabolism with small, frequent protein feedings.
“Women eating the lower protein diet were less capable of burning calories at the end of the study as when they started,” said Dr. Donald Layman, author of the recent study.
Obesity Tops Smoking As Risk
The Associated Press reports that obese adults have more chronic health problems than smokers, heavy drinkers or the poor.
If you had been thinking that being fat was just a detriment to how you look, think again. Now the research is shiningly clear—it is important to lose weight for health reasons.
A report by the RAND Institute in Santa Monica, California, found that on average, obese people average nearly twice the chronic health troubles of people of normal weight.
The telephone survey, conducted of 9,585 adults in 1998, found that about 59 percent of Americans are at least overweight.
People of normal weight have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9. To calculate your BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703 and divide the result by height in inches squared. Overweight scores between 25 and 29.9. Obese scores over 30.
“We didn’t expect this big difference,” said Roland Sturm, a RAND economist and lead author of the survey, which was published in the latest edition of the British journal Public Health. He believes that public officials should at least match the public health campaign against smoking.
Medical Newsletter Advocates Weights and Stretching for Joint Pain
Tired of your aching back or joints? Take a hint from The Townsend Newsletter for Doctors: start strength training and stretching.
The standard medical approach to joint pain is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The trouble with NSAIDs, however, is that six studies show that continued or long-term use may actually lead to the destruction of the very joints the drugs were supposed to help. “At this time, it is not clear what is meant by a ‘high’ dose or for how long someone can ingest NSAIDs before joint destruction begins,” Anna MacIntosh, PhD, ND, a professor of nutrition & exercise therapy at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Beaverton, Oregon, wrote in the journal. MacIntosh recommends strengthening joints through weight training and stretching and the use of nutritional supplements to maintain joint health.
Eloise Hanby To Teach Kinergetics in Atlanta Aug. 17-19
Mark your calendars now to join Eloise Hanby for Kinergetics 1–2, Aug. 17–19 at Total Fitness.
Kinergetics was developed by Philip Rafferty, an Australian. It combines the muscle testing techniques of kinesiology with energy healing practices. This class is ideal for those who have been studying Brain Gym with me, as well as all those who are interested in improving their health. The primary topics we’ll cover in this 2 1/2 day class include methods of improving the body’s ability to absorb water, which is key for weight loss, brain function and overall health, as well as basic emotional clearing techniques.
Eloise Hanby is a certified Brain Gym consultant, Touch for Health teacher and specialized kinesiologist. For more information, please call 404-350-8581 or consult www.totalfitness.net.