5 Top Weight-Loss Myths
Trainer Michelle Bridges has taken the world by storm. A star of Australia’s version of the TV show “The Biggest Loser,” Bridges is leading a national health challenge in her country that has helped thousands of people lose nearly two million pounds. Last week, she decided to share some of her great advice. Here, she debunks five of the most common myths about weight loss?
1. Myth: The best time to start a diet is when you realize none of your clothes fit and you are nearly hysterical about your need to lose weight.
Fact: ”That’s the absolute worst time to start a diet,” Bridges says. When you make a decision based on intense emotion, your willpower will probably last just a few days.
2. Myth: Walking is a best way to lose weight.
Fact: “Walking is not the best way to lose weight,” Bridges advises. She suggests walking for about five minutes, then running or jogging for three minutes, to work your way up to moving at a brisk pace. “When you run for 10 minutes you burn about 100 calories,” she says. “When you walk for 10 minutes, you burn about 20 calories.”
3. Myth: You should never work out on an empty stomach.
Fact: “It’s great to work out on an empty stomach,” Bridges says.
“You immediately start burning fat when you work out before you eat.”
4. Myth: Pilates and yoga are good ways to lose weight.
Fact: “You need a real cardio workout to burn enough calories to take off pounds,” Bridges explains. Yoga burns calories, but not enough to be your primary workout if you have weight to lose.
5. Myth: Weight lifting will make me big and bulky, and it’s not safe to do it every day.
Fact: “Weight lifting will not make you bulk up, especially if you use light weights and do a lot of reps with each exercise. This type of lifting can be a great cardiovascular workout. And you can train every day; just do a different part of the body each day.” Bridges recommends three days of hard training a week and two days of a lighter workout.
High-Fat Diet During Pregnancy Harms Baby’s Health
If you’re planning to get pregnant, achieving a healthy weight may be one of the best things you can do for your baby. New research published in Cell on Jan. 23, reports that pregnant women who are obese or eat a high-fat diet are raising their baby’s lifetime risk of developing diabetes or being obese.
The news could be especially helpful for black mothers-to-be. We are more likely to be obese and we are twice as likely to develop diabetes as adults, than Hispanic or white Americans. It seems that eating a healthy, low-fat diet during pregnancy may be one way to turn these troubling statistics around and give our children a healthier start in life.
Research has shown that children of obese mothers have a greater chance of metabolic disorders as adults; now we may know why. A team of researchers from Yale University and the University of Cologne in Germany discovered that when a pregnant woman consumes a large amount of fat during her third trimester of pregnancy, they actually change the part of their baby’s brain that controls metabolism.
“The neuronal circuits become abnormal,” the research team reports. “Our study suggests that expecting mothers can have major impact on the long-term metabolic health of their children by properly controlling nutrition during this critical developmental period of the offspring,” says study author Tamas L. Horvath of the Yale University School of Medicine.
It’s best to follow these well-tested guidelines for healthy eating during your entire pregnancy.
Delicious Berries Aid Weight Loss, Lower Cholesterol
Finally, an easy, great-tasting food that wards off weight gain and helps your heart stay healthy. Scientists at the University of Lund in Sweden have discovered that one of the nation’s most popular berries — the sweet-tart lingonberry — lowers blood sugar, helps prevent weight gain and lowers cholesterol. Surprisingly, another, very popular berry that had been touted as a weight-loss aid — acai — was found to actually cause weight gain.
During the study, researchers found that the lingonberries completely prevented weight gain when mice were fed a high-fat diet. Acai berries had the opposite effect. To conduct the research, the team used mice that were bred to gain weight quickly so that they could be used as a model for overweight humans. Some mice were fed a low-fat diet; others were fed a high-fat diet. All of the mice, except the control group, were fed a type of berry — raspberry, crowberry, blackberry, prune, black currant, lingonberry and acai.
The lingonberry produced great results. Researchers think the key may be the berry’s high polyphenol content. Jam-packed with antioxidants, the powerful lingonberry has also been found to prevent cancer and lower levels of inflammation.
The researchers make one thing absolutely clear though: This is not an excuse to eat generous helpings of lingonberry jam or the sweetened juice. Instead, they suggest you munch moderate amounts of the fresh-frozen berry, toss it onto cereal or into a smoothie.
Check out Dr. Oz’s Lingonberry Smoothie recipe or shop for your own fresh-frozen lingonberries here. (Fresh lingonberries are seldom available in the United States.)
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Fierce Health News 1-27-2013
News on Five Top Weight-Loss Myths
Trainer Michelle Bridges has taken the world by storm. A star of Australia’s version of the TV show “The Biggest Loser,” Bridges is leading a national health challenge in her country that has helped thousands of people lose nearly two million pounds. Last week, she decided to share some of her great advice. Here, she debunks five of the most common myths about weight loss?
1. Myth: The best time to start a diet is when you realize none of your clothes fit and you are nearly hysterical about your need to lose weight.
Fact: ”That’s the absolute worst time to start a diet,” Bridges says. When you make a decision based on intense emotion, your willpower will probably last just a few days.
2. Myth: Walking is a best way to lose weight.
Fact: “Walking is not the best way to lose weight,” Bridges advises. She suggests walking for about five minutes, then running or jogging for three minutes, to work your way up to moving at a brisk pace. “When you run for 10 minutes you burn about 100 calories,” she says. “When you walk for 10 minutes, you burn about 20 calories.”
3. Myth: You should never work out on an empty stomach.
Fact: “It’s great to work out on an empty stomach,” Bridges says.
“You immediately start burning fat when you work out before you eat.” [Some people say you need something in your system.]
4. Myth: Pilates and yoga are good ways to lose weight.
Fact: “You need a real cardio workout to burn enough calories to take off pounds,” Bridges explains. Yoga burns calories, but not enough to be your primary workout if you have weight to lose.
5. Myth: Weight lifting will make me big and bulky, and it’s not safe to do it every day.
Fact: “Weight lifting will not make you bulk up, especially if you use light weights and do a lot of reps with each exercise. This type of lifting can be a great cardiovascular workout. And you can train every day; just do a different part of the body each day.” Bridges recommends three days of hard training a week and two days of a lighter workout.
High-Fat Diet During Pregnancy Harms Baby’s Health
If you’re planning to get pregnant, achieving a healthy weight may be one of the best things you can do for your baby. New research published in Cell on Jan. 23, reports that pregnant women who are obese or eat a high-fat diet are raising their baby’s lifetime risk of developing diabetes or being obese.
The news could be especially helpful for black mothers-to-be. We are more likely to be obese and we are twice as likely to develop diabetes as adults, than Hispanic or white Americans. It seems that eating a healthy, low-fat diet during pregnancy may be one way to turn these troubling statistics around and give our children a healthier start in life.
Research has shown that children of obese mothers have a greater chance of metabolic disorders as adults; now we may know why. A team of researchers from Yale University and the University of Cologne in Germany discovered that when a pregnant woman consumes a large amount of fat during her third trimester of pregnancy, they actually change the part of their baby’s brain that controls metabolism.
“The neuronal circuits become abnormal,” the research team reports. “Our study suggests that expecting mothers can have major impact on the long-term metabolic health of their children by properly controlling nutrition during this critical developmental period of the offspring,” says study author Tamas L. Horvath of the Yale University School of Medicine.
It’s best to follow these well-tested guidelines for healthy eating during your entire pregnancy.
Delicious Berries Aid Weight Loss, Lower Cholesterol
Finally, an easy, great-tasting food that wards off weight gain and helps your heart stay healthy. Scientists at the University of Lund in Sweden have discovered that one of the nation’s most popular berries — the sweet-tart lingonberry — lowers blood sugar, helps prevent weight gain and lowers cholesterol. Surprisingly, another, very popular berry that had been touted as a weight-loss aid — acai — was found to actually cause weight gain.
During the study, researchers found that the lingonberries completely prevented weight gain when mice were fed a high-fat diet. Acai berries had the opposite effect. To conduct the research, the team used mice that were bred to gain weight quickly so that they could be used as a model for overweight humans. Some mice were fed a low-fat diet; others were fed a high-fat diet. All of the mice, except the control group, were fed a type of berry — raspberry, crowberry, blackberry, prune, black currant, lingonberry and acai.
The lingonberry produced great results. Researchers think the key may be the berry’s high polyphenol content. Jam-packed with antioxidants, the powerful lingonberry has also been found to prevent cancer and lower levels of inflammation.
The researchers make one thing absolutely clear though: This is not an excuse to eat generous helpings of lingonberry jam or the sweetened juice. Instead, they suggest you munch moderate amounts of the fresh-frozen berry, toss it onto cereal or into a smoothie.
Check out Dr. Oz’s Lingonberry Smoothie recipe or shop for your own fresh-frozen lingonberries here. (Fresh lingonberries are seldom available in the United States.)
.
