“Super Food” is a word that food marketers love to use to sell their products. But few options live up to the hype as well as eggs. In fact, when we asked our panel of nutrition advisors for the healthiest foods, one choice repeatedly made the list: Eggs. But don’t take our word for it. Here are 8 potential health benefits that you could enjoy by adding eggs to your diet.
Better Vision
Here’s a quick science lesson that you have to see to appreciate. According to the Journal of Nutrition, eating just one egg per day significantly boosts the levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in your blood. While this might not mean much to you, these two nutrients protect your eyes from free radicals and sunlight exposure. The benefit: Better vision and healthier eyes. And recent research shows that eating at least one egg per day may also lower your risk of developing cataracts.
Strengthened Immune System
Each large egg provides you with 15.3 mcg of selenium, a considerable portion of the 55 mcg that your body requires daily. Selenium boosts immune system function, which can help you ward off skin infections. What’s more, the selenium in eggs may also decrease your risk of skin cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.
Healthier Skin
While some cosmetic companies try to add eggs to their products, eating eggs can also help maintain your youthful appearance. That’s because eggs are filled with Vitamin A and copper—both of which help with tissue regeneration. Vitamin A can help prevent acne, while copper boosts the production of elastin, a compound in your body that keeps your skin strong and healthy.
Reduced Inflammation
Your body has a tremendous ability to heal itself, but sometimes that process can break down and you’re left feeling weak, tired, and with a mysterious number of ailments. One potential cause: Inflammation—which among its many detriments is linked to heart disease and cancer. The choline in eggs can reduce inflammation by more than 20 percent by helping you produce new cell membranes and improving your neural connections, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Muscle Growth
Most people know that protein plays a vital part in building muscle. That’s because your muscles are 25 percent protein, while the rest is primarily water. But what makes eggs so special is their high concentration of leucine—an amino acid that helps turn the protein in your meals into bulging biceps, a strong chest, or lean legs and a sexy back. In fact, research conducted at McMaster University found that even a small dose of egg protein after a workout (as little as 5 grams) improves recovery and growth. But for ideal results, the scientists found that your body responds best to at least 20 grams (which is the equivalent of 3 eggs).
Better Hair
While you can’t stop the aging process, you can fight against it. Eggs offer a vitamin cocktail to keep your healthy mane with a mix of vitamin D (which prevents hair loss, according to research at the University of Cal-Davis), vitamin A (scalp health), biotin (improves hair thickness), and B vitamins (prevents graying).
Improved Brain Functioning
Scrambled eggs might help unscrambled your brain. After all, according to research at Tufts University, the choline and lecithin in eggs might improve brain functioning. Choline helps regulate brain activity, your nervous system and cardiovascular health by maintaining the structure of brain cell membranes, which helps relay messages from the brain to your nerves and muscles. What’s more, many eggs are now include healthy amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help memory, enhance mood, and fight off cognitive disease.
Faster Weight Loss
When starting a diet plan, one of the easiest ways to jumpstart weight loss is to replace your morning carbs for eggs. In fact, a study in the International Journal of Obesity found that swapping your morning bagel with two eggs led to 65 percent more weight loss. Simple, right? That’s because eggs are an efficient source of protein that provides energy and keeps you full—while also helping you maintain your muscle as you work to burn away your unwanted fat.
EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING POST IS BY LIVESTRONG.COM NUTRITION ADVISOR MIKE ROUSSELL, AUTHOR OF "THE 6 PILLARS OF NUTRITION." FOR MORE GREAT INFORMATION FROM DR. MIKE, VISIT HIM AT MIKEROUSSELL.COM.
Kobe vs. Jordan.
Angelina vs. Jen.
Whole eggs vs. egg whites?
In the world of nutrition, few debates have remained as heated as the great egg debate. For nearly 40 years, researchers have tried to determine whether your omelets, scrambled eggs, and frittatas are actually healthy. The argument against has always revolved around two simple factors—eggs are high in fat and cholesterol. So it’d be easy to assume that removing the yolk (or avoiding eggs altogether) are part of any “get back in shape” diet plan. But a closer look at the research reveals that the real debate about eggs is why there was any question about their health benefits. In fact, a quick look at the most common myths shows that making eggs a standard part of your diet is one of the best decisions you can make.
Myth: Eggs make you fat
Truth: Eggs are a great food for weight loss
You may have heard that eating eggs will make you fat as 60 percent of the calories in eggs come from fat. However, eating fat doesn’t make you fat and eggs are a calorie-controlled food designed to maximize weight loss not prevent it. One egg is only 70 calories, with a great balance of 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. The protein/fat combination of increases satiety hormones (the ones that tell your brain you are full). The protein in eggs also causes your body to release the hormone glucagon, which encourages your body to release and use stored carbohydrates and fat.
To prove the point, compare eggs to rice cakes—a timeless “diet” food. Two rice cakes also contain 70 calories, but with no protein or fat. Those calories come from 14 grams of high glycemic, fat-cell stuffing, refined carbohydrates, which makes it a much less desirable choice.
Myth: Eggs raise your cholesterol
Truth: Eggs don’t impact cholesterol levels
Reducing blood cholesterol levels has been a major public health mission for decades. It would make complete sense that if you wanted to decrease the amount of cholesterol in your blood stream then you should reduce the amount of cholesterol that you are eating. That’s why eggs have typically been touted as dangerous, as it contain approximately 200 mg per serving.
The problem: Dietary cholesterol doesn’t actually raise cholesterol as much as you might think. In fact, only 30 percent of people experience significant increases in cholesterol levels following a diet high in cholesterol. Researchers from Harvard looked at the dietary habits of more than 100,000 people and concluded that daily egg consumption in healthy individuals didn’t increase risk of coronary heart disease. What’s more, a study from the University of Connecticut found that eating 3 eggs per day as part of a low carbohydrate improved HDL (‘good’) cholesterol without any negative health effects.
Myth: You should only eat egg whites
Truth: Enjoy the entire egg (yolk included)
The ‘egg white only’ movement was birthed out of the mass movement to remove as much cholesterol and fat from the American diet as a way to fight heart disease and obesity. An egg white contains all protein (3.5 grams per egg); the rest of the nutrients, protein, and fat are hiding in the yolk, which means the yellow is the most nutritious part. Egg yolks contain 240mg of leucine, the amino acid single handedly responsible for flipping your genetic muscle building switch. But egg yolks are much more than just a muscle building nutrient. They also include choline (essential for cell membrane function), cholesterol (which serve as the molecular framework for multiple hormones in the body), vitamin A , vitamin D, and vitamin E. You can also get eggs that come from chickens who were fed omega-3 rich feed, the omega-3s in their feed enriches the omega-3 fats in the yolk, giving you as much as also contain 150mg of the long chain omega-3 fat DHA . Enjoy the entire egg to take advantage of all the nutritional benefits.
Myth: Eating raw eggs allows you access to more nutrients
Truth: Cook your eggs to ensure you access all the nutrients
Ever since Rocky chugged down raw eggs as part of his quest to beat Apollo Creed, the lore eating raw eggs has appealed to nutrition fanatics. However, research shows that the only thing you’ll gain from your Italian Stallion style of eating is are a list of health concerns—without the benefits. One touted benefit of raw eggs is that you’ll digest cholesterol in its unoxidized form. However, the oxidation of egg cholesterol during the cooking process is minimal (and reduced even further if you cook your eggs at a lower temperature). Eating raw eggs has also been recommended to prevent the degradation of health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin. However, research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Journal of Nutrition shows that eating cooked eggs leads to increases in blood lutein and zeaxanthin levels.
On the flip side, raw eggs contain a compound called avidin which binds and prevents the absorption of the essential nutrient biotin. Cooking eggs deactivates avidin, rendering it biochemically useless. And while only 1 in 10,000 eggs are contaminated with salmonella, properly cooking eggs will effectively kill any salmonella that is present—as well as significantly reduce the risk of any food-borne illness that might exist.
When I decided to write about “abs” this week, I knew that I was taking a risk. It’s not that people wouldn’t be interested: Pick up any fitness magazine or look at a healthy-living website, you’ll see that there isn’t a more over-played sell than abs.
But many people hate the concept of abs because they represent a superficial goal that creates societal pressure to obtain a certain image. In reality, abs are not a representation of distorted body image. They are the end-goal of eating healthy, exercising, and working hard to take care of your body. And isn’t that what we should be doing on a daily basis?
At the core of the “abs debate” isn’t whether abs are good or bad (they’re good), it’s whether they represent an unrealistic goal that does more harm than good. After all, many people would argue that abs are NOT made in the kitchen or they gym—they’re created by your parents. And new research seems to support that idea. Leaving one simple question: Are some people doomed to be fat?
I found myself rethinking this question after reading a
great article by acclaimed fitness writer Lou Schuler. Lou is one of the best in the industry, and his blog post pointed out some thought-provoking research.
Most notably, a recent study estimated that 65 percent of your weight is determined by your genetics. (let that sink in)
In other words, if this research is accurate (keep in mind it’s just one study’s estimate), then all your hard work would only account for 35 percent of your results. Some might argue that even if you do your best, 35 percent won’t be enough to overcome your body’s predisposition to gain weight. (or on the other end of the spectrum, remain skinny)
The idea is based on a variation of “
set point theory,” which shows that your weight is a combination of genes and environmental factors.
On some level, this makes complete sense. There are plenty of people who diet, exercise hard, and can’t seem to lose weight (or gain muscle). Even when they track calories and log their works, nothing seems to change.
On the other hand, some people seem to be born with abs. I’ll be honest: After working with fitness models for years, some of the BEST looking models are surprisingly un-fit. And they’re not Photoshopped. They just happen to look much better than the average person.
Genetics are a great thing—if they work in your favor. And if not, your journey to lose weight can be frustrating and at times appear helpless.
So where does that leave you?
With a simple choice: Make excuses or work harder.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that it’s more complex. Whether you have great genetics or were dealt a bad hand, your health and longevity depend on how much effort you’re willing to spend to take care of your body.
Listen, it’s easy to quit. It’s convenient to have a scapegoat and say that you can’t get in shape or can’t lose weight because you weren’t designed to have a certain body.
But those are mental limitations. Not physical. That’s being intimidated by the hurdles instead of keeping your eyes on the finish line.
Nowhere in any of this research does it say that losing fat is impossible. Sometimes, even when you’re working hard, you’re
making mistakes and not even realizing how they are sabotaging your results. And as
Chris,
Robin, and
Joe have shown—you can lose a lot of weight and completely change your body. None of these people had bodies that made you think “genetically blessed.” But now they are fit, healthy, and look the way they want. And that has nothing to do with abs or body image. It's about self-respect and the desire and will to change.
Listen, I understand. I’ve been there too. Growing up I was always overweight. It used to be so bad that I told people I was allergic to chlorine so I could wear a t-shirt in the pool. It was a struggle and my weight hurt my soul and my confidence. My genetics appeared predisposed to me to a life of being overweight. Look at a piece of cake and I’d gain weight. Touch a barbell and I’d lose muscle.
Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you: I was overweight growing up (I needed pants specifically tailored for someone as short and wide as me). And when I lost weight (finally) I became so skinny-fat that you’d have thought my body was allergic to muscle.
But I worked at it. And I never quit. Because the only limits that really exist are the ones you place on yourself.
And I didn’t do it for abs or a rock-hard body. I did it because I wanted to be better. And I wanted to prove to myself what I could accomplish if I worked at it and never ever gave in.
Here’s what I learned from my journey and the hundreds that I’ve had the privilege to read: You can be the person you want to be.
For some, it just takes longer and more work. But when you achieve your goal—and you will—you’ll KNOW that you can achieve anything.
If at any point you’ve lost focus or maybe set aside a particular goal, this is for you. Whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle, have six-pack abs, lose baby weight, fight obesity, quit smoking, climb a mountain, play a sport, or simply have the urge to walk around the block and do it consistently. Your goal is personal. This is about creating a new mindset.
Forget your genetics. Realize that dreams are a reality that require patience and hard work.
Don’t worry about abs, or thinness or being skinny. They might be superficial goals, but they are someone’s goals. And as long as people aren’t obsessive or taking dangerous measures (neither is acceptable and both are very realistic problems) we shouldn’t judge people’s dreams when they are driven by a healthy passion.
I dream of making LIVESTRONG.COM the one-stop shop for fitness and health and starting a revolution that fights obesity—in both children and adults—to create a healthier world.
Some people might say that’s more impossible than overcoming genetics; that some people just can’t—or don’t want to change.
I say that’s just another doubt—and another roadblock—that I’ll overcome.
So who will you be? The person who accepts what is given to them or the person who fights for what they want?
That decision—and not your genetics—is the real set point that will determine whether you succeed or fail.
If you choose to fight, I promise that LIVESTRONG.COM will keep providing the support you need to find your way to the finish line.
And when that happens, we look forward to being part of the celebration.
At LIVESTRONG.COM we pride ourselves with working with some of the top experts in health, fitness, and nutrition. They are the foundation of our content, and the people who provide the answers that you desire.
In our continued effort to help you achieve your limitless potential, we’re proud to share two new original LIVESTRONG.COM video series:
The Yoga Solutionand
Healthy Cheats.
The Yoga Solution features yoga sensation Tara Stiles. Deemed the “coolest yoga instructor ever” by Vanity Fair, Tara tackles all of your common aches, pains, and problems and provides you with the exercises you can do in your own home to fix the problem. Even better? You can leave Tara a question or video, and you could be featured on the next episode.
Exercise isn’t the only new offering. Jennifer Iserloh brings her “Skinny Chef” brand back to LIVESTRONG.COM with Healthy Cheats. This new show takes a look at some of the most popular gourmet meals from around the country, and shows you how to recreate those same foods in your kitchen—but for less money and with fewer calories.
During the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time listening to you. January is the most important time of the year in health and fitness, as it’s usually the greatest opportunity to make lasting change. And yet every year healthy intentions transform into missed opportunities by December.
This was the motivation for our "Become Unstoppable" campaign. It's a dedicated approach to helping you believe in change, and then using that psychological advantage to create results that last.
Your ability to change is an issue of confidence. And as I listened to your complaints, I realized the severity of the problem: When it comes to health information, who can you trust?
As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, 2012 has to be the year when you
throw out excuses and look inward. It’s time to recognize that if you’re ever going to see results, it’ll be because you pushed yourself harder and let go of excuses.
But I’ve also acknowledged that education is the foundation of any effective plan. And the internet has created an illusion that makes it harder to put information into action. While no one will ever doubt that the internet is a good thing, in the world of health and fitness it has become a dangerous tool. Everyone is a publisher and all content looks the same. So how are you supposed to know what’s accurate and what will actually work?
Good content can be easier to identify if you know what you're looking for: Good sources, deep research, and a library of results that provide proof that the advice offered works. (and not just empty claims and faceless advice)
My goal in 2012 is for you to see the type of results using you want, so you can know that LIVESTRONG.COM is your trusted source. I want to walk the walk. And with more than 22 million pounds lost on the site, it makes it easier to talk confidently that we've found a formula for success. But it’s important that you understand what this site is, so you can take full advantage of the information, tools, community, and content.
LIVESTRONG.COM will find the best experts and information, but we won't preach a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s the problem with health in the first place, and the reason why so many people are frustrated with the industry and fail to achieve success. Fitness and nutrition is a very complex science, but we make it more complicated than it needs to be.
After I wrote my last article about “
The Dirty Diet Lie” people could be split into 2 camps: Those who thanked me for speaking the truth and those who criticized me for making "unfounded" health recommendations without a medical license.
It’s true: I’m not a RD or an MD.
But I do speak to the leading researchers, doctors (MD) and nutritionists (RD) on a daily basis and use their information as the foundation of all my articles.
I do not run a gym.
But I work closely with trainers, exercise physiologists, kinesiologists, and doctors to provide suggestions that are backed by science, and test the programs to make sure they work.
I am a filter for information. Prior to my days as an editor, I worked as a university researcher for years. The published studies that people like to read and dissect? I used to design them, gather and analyze the data, and then published the results.
I am a seeker of truth. A messenger for change. A mouthpiece for those who are smarter than me and who I learn from daily. And the information we share on the site has been vetted by those experts and then shared in such a way that you can take action and see results.
I’ve spent the last 13 years learning from the brightest minds in the industry. I am a byproduct of their knowledge. I take something from each of them, question what they share, and then continue on my search to determine what is right, what is wrong, and what can help people. That is the heartbeat of LIVESTRONG.COM and part of what makes us different and more effective.
Your health is not black and white. It is true that some diets and workouts are based on pseudoscience, broscience, lies…call it whatever you want. It’s a black eye for the industry and the white elephant in the room: Too much health content is grandfathered information that is passed down. It’s assumed correct, not challenged, practice by many and the real reason why so many people struggle with their health. But we’re going to change that.
This is not a condemnation of everyone else. We start with our own site, reviewing our content and making sure that the information is accurate. And if it’s not, we’ll make the changes and remove what's wrong or outdated.
That’s why we’ve created our
advisory board. These are some of the brightest minds in health, fitness, and nutrition. They are the back-bone of our content and the experts you desire. They are doctors, trainers, and nutritionists who are out in the real world, dealing with real clients, analyzing real science, and coming up with the solutions that you need. And we offer you unparalleled access to them and our editors (including myself). If you have questions, ask us and we'll take them head on.
But all of our experts don’t see eye-to-eye. They’ll disagree on the “best” diet or workout, but understand that there are many legitimate ways to achieve good health, provided that it's foundation is not based on hearsay and speculation.
That's how we arrived at the breakfast debate. As many of you have already pointed out, we have articles that say to eat breakfast. That is just one healthy option, but it's not the only one. As you can find from reading about
the simplest diet ever created, your macronutrient consumption and calorie intake is what determines your success.
Providing options does not create trust issues because the suggestions don't occur in a vacuum; it’s a matter of personal preference. We will vet and review the information, but at some point you have to become an active participant with the content on the site and select what's best for you.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again: Your goals are personal. There is no place for health dogma, or a one-size-fits-all approach. Would you rather be told what you must do, or select from a variety of options that will all lead to better health? We are the choose-your-own adventure of health sites—but with one caveat: Each route you take will lead to success.
Healthy living is not about who’s idea is practiced by the most people. It’s about what is safe, what is effective, and what provides consistent and sustainable results. Those three tenants are the foundation of our content strategy and the way that we’ll earn your trust.
But we realize that with all the content we offer you might still have questions. With that in mind, we’re bringing back our series “
One Great Answer.” This is your chance to be featured on the site and have your most pressing health questions answered. It’s the one additional step we’re happy to take to build your confidence and make change.
Leave us a question in the comment section below, and we’ll take that information to our advisors for personalized solutions.
At times it might seem like we’re making noise and creating controversy. In reality, we’re just drowning out the dangerous information that shouldn’t be part of the conversation so you can have faith in what you read. And we won’t stop until the content you find is the best solution for you.
I have never liked the idea of New Year’s resolutions; if I made resolutions then I didn’t like the thought of potentially letting myself down, which would lead to disappointment and guilt. Why would I want to do that? Well, the truth is that the personal growth and positive changes I made in 2011 have given me the strength and courage to write down goals for 2012. Goals vs. resolutions…it just sounds better to me.
You can see my list of goals below.
The list is not flawless. Historically I have been all about perfection. Something as simple as folding towels, to the cleanliness of my home or a work project – whatever I was doing it had to be the very best. I was under the impression that what is on the outside matters most. If it looks great, then everything is great. That is so far from the truth and it is an exhausting way to exist. One of my goals is to be more forgiving with myself and focus on me.
In the past I would have thrown my list away with the first mistake in writing – not anymore! This list is just fine the way it is – not everything has to be perfect. (Am I actually writing and believing that?) Yes I am!
It may have taken me a little time to figure out where I want to be professionally and personally, however, I am on my path. I am determined and focused, passionate and excited about my future. Why? Because I can and am creating the life that I want. I am listening to my voice and my intuition, which historically I had pushed aside. I wanted to please other people – be perfect – take on tasks that I thought would impress other people, all the while not impressing myself with these choices. I had a difficult time being truly honest in the moment. I didn’t want to ruffle feathers, and I wanted to make everyone happy. The end result: I was miserable.
I made changes in 2011 that were difficult and life changing. I am actually happy AND THAT’S BECAUSE I am being true to me. My friendships have grown, doors are opening for me career-wise, and my family life is better than ever. Choosing to be kinder to myself and go with my gut are the foundation of where and who I am today. I’m looking forward to conquering the list below – 2012 is going to be a great year!
One of the defining characteristics of a person is their ability to look at life through an unfiltered lens. That is, can you be honest with yourself about everything—including your own decisions and opinions—in an effort to become better and positively influence others. Admitting you are wrong about anything is very difficult. After all, ideas are like your child: You will protect and support them passionately.
But I have a confession to make: I was wrong.
For years I told people that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Eat a big meal to start the day and everything will be ok. The idea seemed to make sense, and there were plenty of correlational studies that “showed” how eating breakfast was necessary for improved weight loss.
The problem wasn’t that I made a mistake; we all do that. Rather, it was how I delivered the message, which made me a representative of one of the most frustrating aspects of the nutrition and fitness industry.
I’m here to admit I was wrong. I haven’t believed breakfast was essential for a couple years now, but I never made a public declaration because it meant admitting that I spread potential misinformation. But this isn’t about me—it’s about making sure you understand what’s right: Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day.
But neither is lunch, dinner, or snacks. This isn’t meant to be puzzling or a letdown to those of you trying to crack the weight loss code. Believing that one meal is the foundation of success can be detrimental to your healthy living goals.
The problem with the breakfast-is-best hypothesis is that it steers people into the “there’s only one way to eat” mentality. The truth is, it doesn’t matter when you eat your meals: Morning, night, or spread out through the day. It doesn’t matter if you eat three meals or six meals or anywhere in between. If you don’t believe me, I recommend reading this study and this one as well. Studies can be flawed, but our bodies biological nature is not meant to be deceiving. The bottom line is simple: Weight loss depends on how many calories you eat, the foods you eat, and the macronutrients you consume in your diet (that is, what’s the ratio of proteins, carbs, and fats). Add in your exercise tendencies, and that will determine how you look and feel.
I know that some people believe that eating more frequently has a host of benefits, such as curbing appetite. This can be true—but the opposite can also occur. Eating more can make you feel hungrier and consume more calories.
And there’s the thought that frequent meals improves your metabolism. But as long as total calories are equal (and macronutrients are balanced), your body will burn the same number of calories in the digestion process. That’s just science.
Yes, there are other processes in your body that can play a role in the weight loss process—most notably stress and hormones—but that’s at a higher level. Before you can even worry about those individual issues, you must make sure that you’ve established baseline eating habits that are the foundation for a healthy life. Once you do that, you might experience the type of change you didn’t think could happen for your body.
Here’s the problem with the breakfast hypothesis: The moment you insist that breakfast is essential, you create a mental block that over-emphasizes the importance of the meal. Suddenly if you miss breakfast, you believe that your fat loss will be slowed, you’re destined to eat more at the next meal, and your energy will be off. It’s the real issue with diets: They create psychological barriers that make the journey seem harder, rather than suggesting flexible solutions that make the process more convenient to your lifestyle.
Changing your body is as much a psychological process as it is a physical one. You need to believe that you can become better. But you also need to believe in the program you’re following, and use an approach that can be maintained.
Any time you want to make a change you’ll have to make sacrifices. But don’t confuse working harder and removing certain habits with losing all control. That’s a recipe for failure.
Here’s what you really need to know about breakfast: It’s great for some but not for others. (I love breakfast foods, but rarely eat breakfast anymore) Insisting that someone has to eat breakfast to lose weight could be the one change that actually makes it harder for them to experience long-lasting change. Some people aren’t morning eaters, and there’s no reason they have to change that aspect to be healthy.
Don’t believe in dogma. Just as you have a unique body, you can have a unique diet.
Here are the laws of dieting you need to follow:
1) Use sound principles that are backed by science. (sorry detox diets) This starts with understanding your calorie needs, and eating a good ratio of proteins/carbs/fats.
2) Rely on personal experience to adjust your diet as necessary. If a generalized plan isn’t working over time, don’t stubbornly stick to it.
3) Let your eating habits be guided by your personal preferences.
If you like breakfast, eat it. If you like snacking, make that your habit. But don’t let anyone convince you that your success will depend on any one meal.
My goal is to remove the boundaries that make dieting and exercise stressful. You will have your battles, and as I said before you will have to work hard and push yourself. Change isn’t easy.
But the process can be made easier. It can be enjoyable. And most of all, it will be effective if you take the right approach.
I want you to see results. I want you to change your body. And I want you to feel empowered and then help others make a change.
Who are you going to be? The person who always plays by the rules…or the one that realizes rules are just guidelines to help steer you in the right direction and away from danger.
Let’s make some change. Let’s kill the myths. And let’s have you eat and exercise in a way that isn’t driven by fear or beliefs that restrict your ability to live comfortably.
Eat breakfast. Don’t eat breakfast. That choice is yours.
And by making that choice, and determining what’s best for YOU, you’ll finally be on the path to change that lasts. I’m just sorry it took me so long to share the right message.
EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A GUEST POST FROM LIVESTRONG.COM FITNESS ADVISOR JOHN ROMANIELLO, AUTHOR OF FINAL PHASE FAT LOSS. FOR MORE ABOUT JOHN, VISIT HIM AT ROMANFITNESSSYSTEMS.COM.
You’ve probably experienced the frustrating fat loss phenomenon before. You exercise, eat healthier and lose weight...and then suddenly your success stops. Your solution? You exercise more, diet harder, or combine the two and expect to bust out of your plateau. Only nothing happens.
The reason: At some point, just thinking about “calories in versus calories out” isn’t enough.
Your better-body goals are dependent on the type of deficit you create. You see, once you’ve hit a fat loss plateau or when you’re trying to lose the last few pounds, fat loss becomes a game of hormonal balance. And if you're not taking the right approach, your metabolism slows and it becomes harder for you to transform your body.
That’s why I created Final Phase Fat Loss. It’s an inside look at what really plagues “real” people's bodies, while making sure you’re never on a diet that’s so severe that you halt your progress. (this is what typically happens)
Your hormones can cripple your physique. They don’t just determine IF you gain fat—they determine where you gain it and whether you’re able to lose if from those areas.
This is why “problem” areas exist. They are a result of your hormonal environment, and they can force your body into particular fat storage patterns.
Consider this your guide to understanding why you store fat in certain areas, and the hormones that are to blame.
THE PROBLEM: BELLY FAT
Without question, the most common type of regional fat storage is belly fat. Abdominal fat storage obviously has a lot to do with your diet and overall body fat level; but outside of that, it’s all hormones.
The villain: Cortisol—oftentimes referred to as the stress hormone. When your body is under any type of stress—whether emotional or physical—your body produces cortisol, which encourages the storage of belly fat. That means while drinking less or sleeping more can help, it’s not the end-all solution that crushes your belly fat.
What you really need is resistance training; but any type of exercise won’t do.
Remember: cortisol is produced by physical stress, and exercise is actually one of the primary means through which your body will produce this sneaky little hormone. More specifically, long-duration cardio and extended lifting sessions are what produces the most cortisol. It’s the reason why so many runners end up looking “skinny fat.” Sure they lose weight—but their cortisol remains elevated and they still look fat.
Instead, short, intense training sessions using a particular type of training modality will help to counteract the effects of cortisol; both the muscle-wasting effect and the cortisol related belly fat storage. The result: You’ll not only lose weight, but also melt body fat in record time.
THE PROBLEM: FAT IN YOUR LOWER BODY
One of the most common types of fat storage that we see in women is the "pear shape" - fairly thin on top but heavy on the bottom (and IN the bottom, if you know what I mean).This type of fat storage is also heavily dependent on the female sex hormone estrogen.
High levels of estrogen are awesome for enjoying Grey’s Anatomy and makin’ babies, but terrible for fat loss, which is why women usually have more trouble losing fat than men. However, anyone—male or female—with high estrogen levels will have trouble losing fat, especially from the lower body. In essence, the higher your estrogen levels, the greater the likelihood you’ll store fat in your lower body; mainly in your hips and thighs.
And yes, it IS possible for men to have high estrogen levels. Unfortunately, outside of having to deal with a declined rate of fat loss and lower body fat, these guys ALSO have to deal with the ignominy of man-boobs.
Fortunately, you can offset the negative impact of estrogen with certain types of training. In addition to helping you lose fat stored in the lower body, these specifically designed workouts will also be great for fat loss in general. Essentially, they’re great for burning calories and for shedding lower body fat through estrogen management. Combine the two and the result is rapid fat loss, with a heavy concentration on lower body fat stores.
THE PROBLEM: LOVE HANDLES
Probably my least favorite incarnation of regional fat storage is love handles and lower back fat. Even when I am in lean condition - I’m talking shredded pretty much everywhere else - I store some fat in my love handles and lower back. It used to take me an extra 3 weeks to get rid of it!
The reason I tend to store fat this way is because of how my body reacts to certain hormones, and because of the effect those hormones have on fat storage. The degree to which you are able to process and respond to glucose (sugar) in your body is called insulin sensitivity. The higher this is, the easier and more efficiently your body utilizes carbohydrates for energy, and the less likely you are to store carbs as fat.
On the other hand, insulin resistance is the opposite; you don’t deal well with carbs. And anything other than a low carb diet pretty much means you’re going to store more fat.
The good news is that insulin resistance (and the resulting regional fatness) can be mitigated with certain types of training. For example, with careful planning and workout progressions, you can start to whittle away at your love handles and lower back fat while you increase insulin sensitivity.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
While this knowledge alone can arm you for combat and allow you to get incredible fat loss results, there are specific training techniques that you can use to take your results to the next level.
The fastest way to release more testosterone and lose estrogen-related fat is with density training.
Training density can be defined as the amount of work you do in a given amount of time during a training session. So, if you want to increase density, you can...
(1) Do more work (sets, reps, or both) in the same amount of time
OR
(2) Do the same amount of work and decrease the time in which you do it
However, I’ve come up with a method of density training that is specific to radical fat loss. This means that not only will you produce the testosterone necessary to mitigate your regional fat issue, but you’ll also lose more fat on the whole.
Here’s how to make it work for YOUR body:
As an example, let’s pick 3 exercises: the overhead press, the dumbbell row, and the squat.
Setting these up in a circuit fashion, you perform them one after another with little rest in between. Sounds like just about any circuit training protocol, right? WRONG!
Instead of having a set number of reps, we’re going to be performing each of these exercises for TIME - you simply have to do as many as you can in a given time period. To make it easy, let’s say you did each of the above exercises for 30 seconds. In performing such a circuit, your results might look like this:
Overhead Press - 25 pound dumbbells for 20 reps
DB Row - 40 pound dumbbells for 18 reps
Squat - 100 pound barbell for 22 reps
Now, HERE is where my approach is a little different.
We’re going to take advantage of some cool things that happen in your body; triggers that will make you more efficient and more capable. To do that, we’re going to INCREASE the weight by 10-20% and try to do MORE reps.
Your second attempt at that circuit might look like this:
Overhead Press - 30 pound dumbbells for 23 reps
DB Row - 50 pound dumbbells for 20 reps
Squat - 120 pound barbell for 25 reps
Now, I know you’re having trouble believing that outcome is even possible (much less common), but I implore you, try it for yourself. You can pair any three (or four or five) exercises in a way that works your entire body, and utilize that type of training. Create two or three circuits and you'll have a fat-burning, hormone-altering workout. In fact, that's just one of three training approaches I applied in Final Phase Fat Loss, and and one of the staples of my fat loss approach.
Density Training is fun, challenge-based, burns a heck of a lot of fat, and most importantly, is one of the best training modalities around for increasing testosterone production and release. Combine all of those elements, and you have a hormonal environment that will finally burn that stubborn fat.
THE FOLLOWING IS A GUEST POST FROM LIVESTRONG.COM NUTRITION ADVISOR BRAD PILON, AUTHOR OF EAT STOP EAT. FOR MORE EXPERT ADVICE FROM BRAD, VISIT BRADPILON.COM.
What if I told you that the most common approach to weight loss was misguided? That the debate about good foods versus bad foods had flaws, meal timing didn't matter as much as you think, and the process of losing fat could be simplified. And that by making four simple changes you could unlock fat loss unlike ever before.
Would you be interested?
You might think it sounds too simple, but losing weight isn’t supposed to be complex. Yes, calories are still important. And certain foods might make you more likely to gain weight. But there are many common nutrition mistakes that that have nothing to do with food.
That's why it's time to take a new approach to eating. Avoid these four common mistakes, and you might finally solve the fat loss equation.
MISTAKE #1: YOU IGNORE YOUR HEIGHT
Do you have a friend who can eat "whatever they want" and still stay thin? Chances are your friend is taller than you, and this isn’t a coincidence.
Your metabolic rate is highly influenced by the amount of lean body mass you have. That is, the amount of muscle on your body relative to your total body weight. And the taller you are the more likely it is that you’ll have more lean mass. You see, your internal organs—the real metabolic power plants of your body—are also dependent on your height. So the taller you are, the bigger your heart, lungs, liver, and every other organ that requires energy to function. And in order to keep those organs functioning, you need calories. That means those with bigger organs burn more—and can eat more without gaining weight.
In fact, your height can make a significant difference in how much you can eat every day. Consider a person who is 6 feet 4 inches tall. Compared to someone who is 5 foot 8 inches, the taller person could be burning as much as 400 calories more per day, and that’s just when you’re inactive. And the impact is only increased during activity simply because of the size of their body.
It may not seem fair, but it’s true: The taller you are the more you can eat. What’s more, this phenomenon is further heightened between sexes. Men’s bodies burn more calories than women.
YOUR FIX
Eat for your Height. Don’t follow a template that works for someone else. The “It works for them, it must work for me” is the exact reason why so many people fail in their attempts to lose weight. And the stubborn approach to stick with a program that isn’t making changes only enhances doubts about your ability to make the number on the scale shrink. Be mindful of your height when planning your eating approach.
MISTAKE #2: YOU TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT SLOWLY
Tell me if this story sounds familiar: You start a new diet and instantly start losing weight. Maybe it’s 4 pounds the first week. And then a few more pounds the next week. But after that initial surge the weight loss slows down, and by the second month your progress has come to halt, and in some instances you might have put weight back on.
Naturally you go searching for answers and determine that your body has gone into “starvation mode” and your metabolism has slowed down. Both options seem reasonable, and you become convinced that you need a diet that’s even more extreme, or you tell yourself that fat loss pills are necessary for an extra boost. But when nothing works, you become convinced that the problem is you.
The reality? Nothing is wrong with your body. Slowed fat loss is natural and something that happens to everyone. You see, body fat is just stored energy. When you diet you create a deficit between the amount of calories you eat and the amount you burn in a day. That deficit is ‘made up’ by the calories stored in your body fat. I call this the theory of fat availability. As you get leaner there is less fat available as an energy source – meaning you can lose lots of fat at the beginning of a diet, but less and less fat as you get leaner.
The result is that you’re body simply has a hard time keeping up with your calorie deficit as you continue to lose bodyfat. You end up feeling grumpy, tired, lethargic, and even risk losing your hard earned muscle.
You need to adjust your expectations as you diet. Unfortunately, most people approach weight loss the wrong way. They start with a small calorie deficit, and as time progresses they become more extreme in their efforts and increase the strain on their body. This is the opposite of what you should be doing.
YOUR FIX
Based on the theory of fat availability, you should start off pushing your body hard, trying to drop as much weight as safely as possible in the first few weeks and then ease up. With each week reduce your expectations a little bit. Think of this as easing your way into your new body as opposed to starving yourself into it.
As a rule of thumb, you should match the size of your calorie deficit (calorie you eat minus the calories you burn) to the amount of body fat you have. The more fat on your body, the larger the deficit you can handle. However, if you are already lean and are trying to become even more defined, then your best bet is to go with a smaller deficit spread out over a greater amount of time. It takes a little longer, but you won’t be faced with a lack of energy or muscle loss.
MISTAKE #3: YOU FOCUS TOO MUCH ON POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION
Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, there was massive upswing in the supplement industry. Suddenly, the chalky protein powders and concrete tasting bars were suddenly more palatable, and for some they became enjoyable. As the supplement industry grew to a multi-billion dollar business, a-not-so-coincidental emphasis on post-workout nutrition began to take hold of nutrition research.
While post-workout nutrition is important, there was an over-reaction to its importance—especially for someone on a weight loss plan. In fact, if your primary goal is weight loss, you could be erasing all of the fat-scorching benefits of your workout if you eat too many calories (and carbs) after you finish your sweat session.
The reason for eating after your workout goes like this: After your finish training, you need to replenish the glycogen (stored carbohydrates) that you burned during exercise. But the truth is, the glycogen in your muscles will replenish themselves over the next couple of days, and this slow approach will help you lose body fat.
However, if you stuff yourself with massive amounts of carbs and proteins after your workout, you can completely erase the fat-burning environment you created in the first place. That’s because the calorie deficit you created by exercising would be eliminated.
YOUR FIX
Be conservative with your post-workout nutrition if you are trying to lose weight. If you’re working out with any consistency, then technically every meal you eat is both pre and post workout (because metabolic effects of a single workout can last up to 48 hours). Every meal is important to your weight loss and muscle building goals, so there is no need to cram your calories in during the 60-minute ‘post workout window,’ especially if you are trying to lose weight.
An exception to the rule exists if you are already lean. At low levels of body fat (visible six-pack) post-workout nutrition does become more important, and the timing can be emphasized more.
MISTAKE #4: YOU DON'T ADJUST YOUR PLAN
Counting calories is a great way to lose weight—with one small exception: Your calorie goal is nothing more than a guestimate. And that has nothing with the choice of calculator you use or the foods you eat. The fact is many foods are mislabeled and your body works on a unique set of variables. So while using calorie calculators and applications may seem like a foolproof plan, you need to adjust how you eat based on your results.
Consider the following example, using a common caloric formula:
Let’s say calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the daily calories you burn) as 1720 calories. As part of the equation, you then multiply that number by 1.3 to get the exact number of calories you burn in a day. (2,236) Then, you subtract 500 calories to get 1736, or the “exact” number of calories you need to eat to lose a pound of fat in one week.
If you were to spend the next 7 days tracking every single calorie you put in your mouth, one of two things could happen. You’ll either lose the weight or you won’t. So what happens when you don’t drop the pounds? For most people, you might blame your metabolism, your workout, or even the foods you eat (you knew those apples weren’t organic!)
But the problem most likely has nothing to do with any of those factors. The calculators are great for helping you track what you eat, make adjustments, and learn portion sizes. But they cannot accurately measure your metabolism. What they do provide is a starting point and way to be honest with how much you eat and exercise. But it's still your job to test out your plan and determine if you need to make adjustments.
More importantly, the calculators can’t be held accountable for bad food labeling. If you were to visit your local health food store and buy 3 protein bars and weight them, you might be shocked to determine that many are inaccurate. I did this exact experiment, and in some cases a protein bar that is labeled 85 grams and 350 calories turned out to be 115 grams. If we assume the 30 extra grams is only from carbohydrates or protein, then that is an extra 120 calories you would be consuming simply because the label is wrong. If some of the excess 30 grams are from fat you could be overdoing it by as many as 200 calories! And that’s just one little protein bar. Imagine if you were diligently counting your calories while trying to lose weight and you ate one of these protein bars every day. You’d go insane trying to figure out why you weren’t losing weight as fast as you predicted based on your calorie counts. The truth would be that all along you were just eating more calories than your food labels were indicating.
YOUR FIX
There is no perfect math with the human body, especially when it comes to losing weight. Using tools can be very helpful, and it’s something next necessary for most people. But if you don’t lose weight, it’s not because the tool is broken. Use these tools as a way to determine a starting point. From there, the key is finding what works for you, and adjusting until you find out what you need to eat and how much you need to exercise to produce results.
EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A GUEST POST FROM LIVESTRONG.COM NUTRITION ADVISOR ALYSE LEVINE. FOR MORE INFO FROM ALYSE, VISIT HER AT NUTRITIONBITE.COM.
One of the hardest parts of starting a new diet is finding enough snack options to keep you satisfied and prevent overeating. Here are my 12 favorite snacks that you should try.
1) Roasted seaweed strips
When you are craving something salty and crunchy (and low-calorie) this is the perfect snack! An entire package contains just 60 calories and offers a healthy dose of vitamins A and C and iodine. My favorite variety is the wasabi flavored ones which are made by Annie Chun’s and can be found at Trader Joe’s.
2) Popchips
These delicious “popped” chips still remain my favorite chips on the market! With no fake colors, flavors or preservatives, they are one of the healthiest chips out there and they come in nine delicious flavors (sour cream and onion is still my favorite!)
3) Hummus topped with pomegranate seeds-
The foundation of any hummus is chickpeas and tahini – chickpeas are high in protein and fiber (both great for craving control) and tahini is rich in essential fatty acids, calcium, protein and B vitamins. A great twist to this healthy spread is mixing in some pomegranate seeds. They add a sweet accent to the creamy hummus blend and provide a healthy dose of nutrients including fiber, potassium and vitamins C and K.
4) Salt and pepper flavored pistachios –
Pistachios have always been one of my favorite snacks. They are loaded in nutrients and you get a whopping 49 nuts in just a 1 ounce serving (more than any other nut you’ll find!). My newest obsession is salt and pepper flavored pistachios – I can’t seem to get enough of this classic combination.
5) Honey-Nana Chobani Champions yogurt
Freeze this for a delicious and sweet frozen yogurt treat! While these yogurts are marketed to kids, adults will love them too. At just 100 calories per container, they are packed with protein, calcium and vitamin D without any preservatives, artificial sweeteners or synthetic growth hormones.
6) Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds have a delicious subtly sweet and nutty flavor and are loaded in nutrients, including zinc, magnesium, iron, protein and healthy fats, just to name a few! You can buy them roasted, or roast them yourself. You can try a variety of flavors for an extra kick-- chili-lime (toast seeds in a little lime juice and add some chili pepper spice) or spiced (toast seeds with some butter, salt, garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce).
7) Unshelled edamame
This is a great high protein snack that is rich in healthy fat and very satisfying. One cup in shells is only 120 calories. You can stop by any Japanese restaurant to order some, buy them pre-cooked at some grocery stores or boil them yourself if you can find them in the freezer section of your grocer.
8) Hard boiled egg and apple slices
Hard boiled eggs are one of my favorite on-the-go snacks because they are a complete protein source (they contain all nine essential amino acids) and are very satisfying for only 70 calories each. Pairing an egg with an apple provides the perfect salty/sweet combo. However, make sure to go organic with the apple because conventionally grown apples are loaded with pesticides!
9) Almond butter on Ak Mak crackers
Almond butter is a nutritional powerhouse, rich in vitamin E, folic acid and magnesium. Spread on Ak Mak crackers (or any other whole grain cracker) is my favorite way to enjoy it.
10) Mini cheese and bean quesadilla
There is something so satisfying about this snack. Simply heat (in oven or microwave) black beans and some shredded cheese in a small whole grain tortilla – this delicious high fiber, high protein snack will definitely carry you through until your next meal.
11) Baked kale chips
This is one of the tastiest and simplest ways to get dark leafy greens into your diet. Simply top fresh kale pieces (often available at the grocery store pre-washed) with spray olive oil and a little sea salt and bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes (shake the tray every 10 minutes or so to prevent burning). Even my 2 year old son loves eating these green “chips”!
12) Air-popped popcorn
While popcorn can be a healthy, satisfying high fiber snack, skip the microwave bag version and look for short ingredient lists when buying bagged popcorn (lite kettle corn, low-fat olive oil, etc). The lining of microwave popcorn bags contains the chemical PFOA (perfluoroctanoic acid) which has been identified as a carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some of my favorite brands include Trader Joe’s lite Kettle Corn and Popcorn, Indiana aged white cheddar.
