How to Enjoy Thanksgiving without Gaining Weight!

 

It is very easy to eat upwards of 4,500 calories if you really go crazy and pay no attention to portion size, how many portions you are eating, and what you are eating. Given that the average person burns somewhere around 2,000 calories per day it means you would have to fast for more than two days to get rid of this holiday binge or do many hour of extra exercise!

The key to not ruining your waistline is to keep heavy calorie holiday meals to just 2 - 3 days and moderate your intake a bit. A few days of heavier than normal calories intake does not need to sabotage your progress in the gym.

For example let's take a look at a more restrained (yet enjoyable) Thanksgiving Day of Eating where you enjoy portions of everything in moderation over 3 - 4 hours and come in under 2,500 calories:

3 pigs in a blanket - 150 calories

1 ounce of Brie Cheese - 150 calories

4 ounce of Sweet Potato - 187 calories

1/2 cup of Green Bean Casserole - 227 calories

2 glasses of wine - 250 calories

1/4 cup cranberry sauce - 102 calories

7 oz white meat turkey with skin - 354 calories

1 cup gravy - 50 calories

1/2 cup stuffing - 195 calories

1 cup mashed potatoes - 237 calories

3 by 3 inch square cornbread - 198 calories

1 slice Apple Pie (1/8 of pie) - 300 calories

How to Enjoy Holiday Alcoholic Beverages without Gaining Weight!

 

The holidays are a time of celebration, and assuming you do NOT have a problem with alcohol and can drink responsibly, it is okay to imbibe. The key to not putting on fat from alcohol is to understand the calorie and carb content of alcoholic beverages and plan your intake ahead of time in terms of exactly what you choose to drink and how much you have.

All alcoholic beverages tend to drive insulin production so they are a big no, no for diabetics and other people taking certain medications.   ALWAYS check for drug and alcohol interactions before drinking any alcoholic beverage.

It is also important to understand that in addition to the alcohol content itself alcoholic beverages are often full of sugar which further drives insulin and fat production.  The good news is that there ARE alcoholic beverages that are much lower in sugar/carb and calories.

Champagne

One of the best deals for a low carb holiday beverage is champagne!   Champagnes have the lowest carb and calorie content of any wine so are a great choice – particularly dryer champagnes.   A 4-ounce serving contains just 1.6 grams of carb and only 84 calories making Champagne the best choice for holiday cheer!

Common White Wines

After Champagnes the next best choice is white wines (NOT including ANY dessert wines!)

Per 5 Ounce Serving Size:

Chardonnay -   120 calories and 3.43 grams of carb

Sauvignon Blanc – 120 calories and 3 grams of carb

Reisling – 120 calories and 5.54 grams of carb

Pinot Grigio – 122 calories and 3 grams of carb

Common Red Wines

Merlot – 118 calories and 4 grams of carb

Cabernet Sauvignon – 130 calories and 3.82 grams of carb

Burgundy – 122 calories and 5.46 grams of carb

Pinot Noir – 116 calories and 4 grams of carb

Shiraz – 116 calories and 3.79 grams of carb

Low Carb Beers

 Bud Select 55 – 55 calories with only 1.9 grams of carb

Miller64 – 64 calories with 2.4 grams of carb

Michelob Ultra – 95 calories with 2.62 grams of carb

Becks Premier Light – 64 Calories with 3.2 grams of carb

Miller Light – 96 calories with 3.2 grams of carb

Amstel Light – 95 calories with 5 grams of carb

Coors Light – 102 calories with 5 grams of carb

Bud Light – 110 calories with 6.6 grams of carb

Mixed Drinks

Liquors such as gin, vodka, scotch and rum, but are full of calories and to some extent act as a “super” carb driving insulin and hunger.    That being said they do not contain any carb whatsoever so as long as you mix them with no sugar/calorie mixers you can keep your carb and calorie intake somewhat under control.

One of the best choices is Vodka and Soda Water with Lime or Lemon coming in with zero carbs and about 100 calories!   Other examples are whiskey and diet coke, Seagram's 7 and Diet 7-up, Rum and diet cola, or Spiced Rum and Diet Ginger Ale.

What to avoid!

Watch those mixers when it comes to mixed drinks – most standard mixers such as all sodas, fruit juices, and tonic are full of sugar unless you use the diet versions.    All your Caribbean and Tropical drinks such as Pina Coladas, Daiquiris, Mai Tai’s, and Margaritas, etc. are chock full of sugar and calories.

Set a Budget for Your Intake!

Set a budget on your intake of alcoholic beverages and actually keep track as you drink them making a point of knowing how much you have had each hour.     Remember each beer, glass of wine, and mixed drink takes one hour to process for the average male (and longer for females) so anything above 1 per hour is getting you inebriated at some level.  

In addition to budgeting your intake drink a glass of non-alcoholic, no calorie beverage such as water or club soda for each drink/beer/glass of wine you have to slow yourself down and stay hydrated.

 If you want to catch a buzz drink your limit and switch to all non-alcoholic beverages for 2 – 4 hours before driving.     

Even better – get a designated driver or use Uber or Lyft for travel to and from Holiday Parties!

How to Eat and Exercise to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain

 

‘Tis the season again – we are entering that infamous Thanksgiving through New Years stretch where the average American will gain 8 – 12lbs!  One of the main reasons for this is that we get out of our normal routines for both exercise and diet.  It is even more challenging if you are travelling during this season because you are out of your home and have less control over your exercise and eating habits.

However, where there is a will there is a way.  Here are some key tips to prevent weight gain during travel:

1. Plan your meals and your exercise.  This is probably the most important tip because with a little planning you CAN eat healthy and get in your exercise.

2.  Start by looking at your travel schedule and planning your meals during travel.   We all know how lousy the food is on an airline so instead of being subjected to the lousy and unhealthy food bring your own.   In many airports today, there are plenty of healthy options that you can purchase and carry on the plane.  Great options include:

a.       Nuts – see below

b.       Ready to drink shakes (even starting to see these in an organic option in airports!).

c.       Nutrition bars – see below

d.       Hard boiled eggs

e.       Salads with chicken

3.  Even better, buy non-perishable food before you leave home.  Excellent choices for meals and snacks that are easy to travel with include:

a.  Nuts – come in cans and pouches with smaller packages being ideal because while nuts are healthy they are high in fats and even healthy fats have lots of calories!  No honey glazed and if you need to be concerned about salt stick with unsalted, roasted nuts.  Best choices include pecans and walnuts and brazil nuts followed by almonds, then peanuts and cashews in terms of sugar content.

b.  Nutrition bars – there are a ton of healthier bar choices now, and they have actually figured out how to make a healthy bar that tastes pretty darned good without a ton of sugar that have high levels of fiber, healthy fats, and protein.      Several variety of Kind bars fit this bill including Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt; Caramel Almond and Sea Salt; and Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan.    These bars taste great and will satisfy you and travel well.

c.  Ready to mix shakes – there are many great options for shakes that are low in sugar and high in protein that taste great and come in packets that are easy to mix in a plastic shake bottle after you add water.  Gone are the days where these options must be blended in a blender.   Experiment a bit and you can find shakes that come in single serve packets that mix quite well in a plastic shaker bottle.

d.  If you are driving, consider bringing some pre-made meals in a cooler that are either ready to eat cold or can easily be microwave or baked when you arrive.   When you bring some of your own food and healthy desserts you know you will have good options!

4.  Focus on a great breakfast because you can get eggs in every town in America both at restaurants and in people’s homes.  Eggs are a fantastic meal that really satisfies, and they can be prepared in many different ways.  Starting the day off with 2 – 3 whole eggs along with some sautéed vegetables, some cheese and some berries will keep your hunger at bay and provide a healthy meal that is easy to come by!

5.  Get your exercise in!    Plan before you leave – worst case you can use resistance bands and get a great workout in a very small physical space such as a hotel room.  For a great bodyweight workout try this one: https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-three-best-bodyweight-exercise.html

6.  Go for a walk and check out the neighborhood or go see some nearby sites.  Sitting on your butt all day while food is being prepared all around you is asking for trouble!   Get up and get out and be active for part of the day or offer to do some shopping for the group or pitch in with some of the physical chores if you are staying at someone’s home.   

Exercise to Reduce Alcohol Craving and Intake!

 

Yes – you heard that right – exercise has actually been proven to help people reduce or eliminate alcohol intake and mitigate alcohol dependence.    Multiple studies have proven that exercise is an effective adjunctive treatment for the treatment of alcoholism

For example, in a meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials using exercise interventions for the treatment of alcoholism exercise was shown to significantly reduce alcohol consumption!  This included all forms of exercise such as aerobic and resistance training.

The effects of Fibroplast growth factor 21 (FGF21) on Alcohol Intake

FGF21 is a hormone released by the liver and muscle during exercise.

When FGF21 was given to mice and vervet monkeys addicted to alcohol - it reduced their alcohol intake by 50%.  FGF21 cross the blood-brain barrier and binds to receptors in the hypothalamus where it alters dopamine signaling which plays a prominent role in alcohol craving.

The liver releases FGF21 after alcohol intake with a significant increase in blood levels.

Studies have shown that FGF21 is elevated from aerobic exercise and peaks 60 minutes later than returns to baseline 2 hours later.

A Mouse Study showed that:

Mice that were unable to release FGF21 consumed more alcohol

Mice given an FGF21 analog decreased their alcohol consumption by 50%

Another study used Vervent Monkeys.  Vervent Monkeys fall into three subtypes as it relates to alcohol in a distribution seen in humans:

Alcohol avoiders who do NOT like alcohol

Moderate alcohol drinkers

Heavy drinkers who will consume alcohol until drunk

Monkeys given FGF21 reduced alcohol consumption

Collectively these studies suggest that FGF21 is involved in telling our brains whether to drink more alcohol or not and does so across at least two species studied and that increasing FGF21 may decrease alcohol consumption in humans as well.

Exercise also modulates the brain’s dopamine reward system as well as boosting Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).   Low BDNF levels have been correlated with the severity of alcoholism in clinical studies of alcoholics!   In addition, regular alcohol use decreases BDNF and is associated with cognitive defects from alcohol consumption.

How Long does it take to burn off Halloween Candy?

 

In the big picture of weight loss it is not what we do on the occasional holiday that really determines our weight it is the week in week out eating and drinking habits that determine our weight.   That being said, if you are not careful you can eat/drink a ton of calories in one day which then turns into weeks of too many calories during the holidays starting with Halloween. 

The key is to plan and know what you are eating? Candy can be confusing because of all the different snack sizes. It is easy to assume that since you are eating smaller size candy that it is not that bad, but this is only true if you are not eating too many pieces!

Before you eat candy so how many calories you are eating - it takes no time to google calorie, sugar and fat content for any Halloween candy.

Here are some examples:

Nestle's Crunch Bar (60 calories) - 6 minutes of brisk aerobic exercise to burn off!

Kit Kat Bar (70 calories) - 8 minutes of brisk aerobic exercise to burn off!

4 Snickers Mini Bars (170 calories) - 18 minutes of high intensity exercise to burn off!

Full Size Twix Bar (80 calories) - 6 minutes of continuous kettlebell swings to burn off!

4.2 Oz Candy Corn (450 calories) - 4 - 5 miles of walking to burn off!

2 Peanut Butter Cups (210 calories) - 2 miles of running to burn off!

So eating a little candy is no big deal, but if you are not watching how many pieces you eat you can quickly rack up a ton of calories that would take hours of vigorous exercise to burn off!

Plan your candy intake and know what you are going to eat and enjoy it! The other key is to eat candy after a meal so you are not really hungry - candy and hunger make for a really bad combination.

The Benefits of Eating Apples!

 

It's that time again - apples are in season!  Not only do apples taste great - they provide powerful health benefits.

A medium apple is a low-calorie nutrition powerhouse - particularly if you buy organic and eat the skin.  A medium apple provides 4 grams of fiber, a nice dose of vitamin C along with being a rich source of polyphenols (a beneficial plant chemical).  Most of the fiber and polyphenols are in the skin!

Polyphenols stimulate the body to produce more antioxidants through a process called hormesis.  These plant chemicals are produced by plants to defend themselves and some are actually poisonous to insects.

Because of our size the doses of polyphenols behave differently in us and stimulate our cellular defenses and detoxification pathways.   Apples contain multiple types of beneficial polyphenols including flavanols, catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidins.   One of the most significant polyphenols in apples is quercetin which has many benefits. 

Apples and Alzheimer's Disease

High concentrations of polyphenols from apples have been shown to stimulate the generation of new neurons in the brain - a process called neurogenesis.   It is important to note that blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries all produce similar benefits to the aging brain.   Organically grown produce tends to have higher quantities of these beneficial plant chemicals because it must survive pests without the assistance of synthetic pesticides. 

If you cannot find organic apples make sure you wash them thoroughly to remove as much pesticide as possible.

A study following 921 people showed that those who consumed the highest levels of flavonoids had a 48% lower chance of developing Alzheimer's Disease.  Apples are among the richest sources of flavonoids - but remember most of them are in the skin!

How to Prevent Sleep Problems from the Fall Time Change!

 

It’s that time of year again – on November 2nd we will be setting our clocks back one hour.  Resetting clocks in devices is simple.  Unfortunately, your body clock is not nearly as easy to reprogram.  This comes with some serious health consequences.  An hour time shift does not seem like a lot, but your body runs on a tight schedule and this one-hour change throws us off.

Scientists have documented that the shift is linked to a much higher rate of heart attacks and car accidents.  Although we gain an hour to sleep during the fall time change – the change throws off the sleep cycle and that is where all the problems come from.

The body and cell’s circadian rhythm help regulate important functions such as sleep and metabolism. And increasingly, there's evidence that when our habits — such as when we eat and sleep — are out of sync with our internal clocks, it can harm us.

For instance, overnight shift workers are at much higher risk of developing diabetes and obesity. Research also shows that kids who don't have set bedtimes and mealtimes are also more likely to become overweight.

As days get shorter with less daylight, it's easy to fall into bad habits, and regulating light exposure is key to regulating circadian rhythm.    

Maximize Exposure to Bright Light During the Day

Maximize your exposure to daylight in the morning hours since it gets dark so early in the evening.   This simple step is every bit as powerful as avoiding blue light at night.   Ideally get outside immediately upon waking – just five minutes of outside light can do the trick!    

Outdoor sunlight is about 1500 lux on a cloudy day and 100,000 lux on a sunny day while indoor lighting typically maxes out at 500 lux!    Bright OVERHEAD light is the primary signal to shut-down melatonin production and wake up.    

If it is too cold to go outside - consider buying a 10,000-lux UV free light – ideally one that you can set to shine down on your face from above you.    

Minimize Evening and Nighttime Light

Exposure to light and electromagnetic fields from computers, phones, tablets, and T.V.’s all act as a stimulant, so it is important to minimize nighttime light exposure and blue light exposure in particular.  Blue light comes from artificial lighting.   Blue wavelengths – which are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost attention, reaction times, and mood – are disruptive at night.   Energy efficient lighting is packed with blue light as are our electronics.

Turn off lights or dim them as much as possible.   If you must use a computer or your phone install blue light filtering programs on both that will adjust the amount of blue light emitted by your computer, phone, and tablets.    Flux – https://justgetflux.com is a free program for your laptop or tablet and the Twilight app for your phone.   Both allow you to set times and adjust blue light output of your devices automatically based on time of day! 

You can also buy blue blocking glasses to use in the evening.   This may seem gimmicky but there is very well-done research supporting the effectiveness of reducing blue light in the evening through these and other measures!

For night-time bathroom trips use a red-light nightlight as redlight does NOT disrupt sleep which is why you see it used by the military on ships and submarines!

Avoid Alcohol!

Alcohol intake is extremely disruptive to sleep and for many just eliminating it results in much higher sleep quality within a week. Consider cutting down or completely eliminating alcohol intake particularly during the work week!

Stop all food and beverage by 8pm!

Ideally stop all food and beverage intake 3 hours before bed – late food intake can create digestive issues and late beverage intake can force bathroom trips disrupting your sleep.

Stay on a consistent sleep/wake cycle!

Get up and go to bed at the same time each day – this trains the body and mind.   It is NOT a good idea to sleep in on weekends – this just disrupts your circadian rhythm.

Minimize Caffeine intake after 10am!

There are slow and fast caffeine metabolizers and if you are a slow metabolizer it is critical to stop any and all caffeine intake by 10am!   

Exercise!

Yes – it’s true – for many a consistent exercise habit will dramatically improve sleep quality and duration!

Finish your morning shower with a cold shower!

While this may seem unpleasant at first cold showers dramatically ramp up the secretion of norepinephrine which is the brain's primary stimulant.  See this blogpost for the many benefits of cold showers:  http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2022/04/can-cold-showers-improve-exercise.html

Repetition Speed and Muscle Growth

 

Does your speed of movement during each repetition of a strength training exercise matter?

A new meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, looked at repetition speed aka rep tempo to determine the effects that it has on muscle growth (hypertrophy).  It reviewed 14 separate studies and considered how tempo – both during the lifting and lowering phases – affected muscle growth.

Study Results

The study showed that using slower and faster rep tempos made very little difference on muscle growth.  'In conclusion, resistance training tempo appears to have minimal overall effect on muscle hypertrophy, with potential differences emerging under specific conditions,' researchers stated.

During the lifting portion all studies reviewed showed slightly better results with a quicker, more explosive tempo.

During the lowering/eccentric phase differences in rep tempo proved essentially negligible for hypertrophy. Therefore slowing down the lowering phase does not actually provide more benefits than moving the weight more quickly.

What Does This Mean?

While it proves that focusing solely on tempo is not productive, it does not mean you should disregard the eccentric or lowering phase of lifts. For example, dropping down fast during a heavy squat is a sure-fire way to pick up an injury, so there still needs to be an element of control whenever you're lowering the weight. Plus, it is well established that concentric only training does not stimulate muscle growth as much as concentric-eccentric training.

In addition, there is a place for slower tempo movements to allow you to focus on controlling the movement.   In addition, a slower tempo helps avoid using momentum or throwing the weight.    Throwing the weight paradoxically deloads the muscle in one place and overloads it too much in another.

Non-Exercise Activity is as Important as Formal Exercise!

 

Everyone knows that exercise is good for the body, but formal exercise is not the whole story!    This becomes particularly important as we age because many experience injuries that limit their ability to exercise for long periods of time on a consistent basis.

So if we cannot exercise a lot how can we boost our daily calorie burn to avoid weight gain?   As it turns out non-exercise movement – aka – non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is as important as formal exercise.    This scientific term refers to all movement – not just exercise and it all counts!

NEAT includes all movement including but not limited to:

Taking groceries from your car into your house

Going up and down stairs in your home during the normal course of the day

Typing on your computer

Standing up and stretching during the course of the day.

Research shows that formal exercise does not necessarily compensate for many hours of inactivity, and that people who have higher levels of NEAT can often be leaner than exercisers who spend of the rest of their day sitting on a couch!

How Can You Increase NEAT?

It is actually very simple to increase your NEAT and make a big difference in your waistline in the process! Here are some examples:

1. Redesign your day around movement – Look around your home or office and see where you spend most of your time,   Then consider what you are doing in terms of movement.     Target opportunities to move more WITHOUT exercising such as:

a. Taking a flight of stairs instead of an elevator

b. Parking your car at the far end of the parking lot and walking back and forth to go to and from.

c. Track your steps using a phone or tracker and look at your totals 4 times a day and take “movement breaks” to increase your step count.

2. Prioritize doing household chores that involve movement

a. Vacuuming

b. Doing laundry – particularly if you have to go up and down stairs to access washer and dryer then put away clothing!

c. Dusting

d. Taking out the trash

e. Gardening

f.  Walking to and from your mailbox

3. Become a fidgeter!

a. Consciously move more – even when sitting – tap your feet as you listen to music

b. Stretch in your chair

c. Stand several times each hour

d. Consider setting an hourly alarm and moving around walking around your home or office.

e. Take calls on your cell phone while walking around your home or office.

f.  Do a set of 10 air squats after all meals

Believe it or not the science is very clear – you can make a big difference in your waistline and your health by consciously moving more throughout your day WITHOUT exercise.    Even better do both!