Spring's Top 10 Tips for Healthy AND Delicious Holidays...Without the Deprivation

It is officially that time of the year... after a rather extended autumn and a lovely mild November with record-breaking LACK of snow in the Toronto area, tonight we are expecting our first winter storm. Well, we knew it had to happen at some point, right? And hey, it might just help us start feeling the spirit of the holidays, right?

Now, aside from snowmen, and busy malls, and twinkling lights, and gift giving, this time of year is also famous for something else: Weight gain. Now, reports of the average weight gain at this time of year do tend to be a little exaggerated... it's often said we average between 7 and 15 pounds gained throughout December. In reality, the average person only gains a pound or two. However, that pound tends to be permanent and difficult to shed. AND, those who are already overweight tend to gain more, closer to those old "averages" of 7 to 15 pounds. The thing that really smarts is, only one week after Christmas we have New Years Eve, that night when we all want to look our best, most glowing version of ourselves, and that one week isn't really enough to get things back under control to fit into that little black dress.

So, without further ado, here we have my Top 10 Tips to help you minimize the damage that can happen, while still allowing you to enjoy the indulgences of the holiday season:

1. Aim to maintain. Consider purposely building a plateau into your weight release plan. The break from strict monitoring can give you a boost both mentally and physically when you get back to it in the new year.
   
2. Always eat breakfast... and while we're at it, lunch too. Don't "save" your calories for that party later on. That's a sure way to set yourself up to lose all control when those plates of Christmas cookies, fudge, and other goodies are lined up on the dessert table before you, AND it's a sure way to set your body up to hold onto every calorie of those morsels you indulge in. Just eat a balanced diet throughout the day, and go the party with your appetite in check.
3. Be prepared when you hit the malls. You're going to get tired, thirsty, and unless you have the patience of Saint Nick himself, you're going to get annoyed. And if you're hungry on top of that, I fear for those people who wander aimlessly in front of you causing you angst. Bring some healthy snacks - a little baggie of almonds and goji berries or raisins, an apple and a piece of cheese (if you eat dairy), or if you'll be gone on a shopping spree, bring a tuna sandwich on whole grain bread. And for heaven's sake, don't forget your water!
4. Go easy on between meal snacking and sweets... if you must nosh, load up on veggies with a bit of healthy fat dip or dressing. If you do have some "treats", balance them out with a small handful of nuts or some lean protein to help minimize the impact on your blood sugar and keep you from crashing and cravings.
5. DO continue your workouts. It will help keep your energy up, help you sleep well, reduce your stress levels, and contribute to burning off some of those extra calories you may be consuming. Just do it!
6. Don't burn the candle at both ends. Get your rest, delegate, prioritize. Consider making your holiday get togethers a little less elaborate... make them warm and welcoming and don't strive for "perfection." Plan ahead and organize shopping lists and timelines... a bit of advanced planning saves a lot of stress. Consider hiring out some help such as a caterer or house cleaning service to take the pressure off. In a word: De-stress!
7. At parties, be mindful of alcohol. No one says you can't enjoy a glass or two of something... but pace yourself! You know that if you go overboard, not only will you pay for it the next day, but it will weaken your will and you will likely overdo it on the food as well. Have a glass of water (sparkling if you like) in between bevvies. And try to avoid creamy liqueurs, they're packed with fat and sugar. Stick with a glass or two of wine, light beer, or maybe some gin & tonic or vodka and cranberry.
8. Don't deprive yourself, but be picky about your indulgences. Make your choices "worth it", and be reasonable with portions. Practice what Darya Pino calls "rational indulgence." That is, enjoy things that you have reason to enjoy in quantities that leave you satisfied - don't abandon your health or get too obsessive. Remember, you will have the chance to eat another cupcake, you dont have to have 3 of them today!
9. Some will tell you not to take seconds... but I think that leads to overdoing it on the firsts and maybe on foods that looked better than they tasted. Take a little bit of whatever you like, but only a little... a taste test. Then you can go for seconds of only those things you REALLY liked.
10. Leave guilt at the door. Sure, the holidays are about spending time with friends and family, see the excitement on the kids' faces as they see what Santa brought them, and about extending good will to all mankind. But come on. Let's be honest here. They're also about cookies and cakes and stuffing and piping warm bread and chocolates and candy canes and... need I go on? Food is a big part of our celebrations at this time of year. It's nothing to be ashamed of, or feel guilty for, to partake in this part of the holidays. Do it consciously, do it with some restraint, but for heaven's sake, whatever you choose to do, ENJOY IT. Even if you do put on a couple of pounds, if you didn't at least enjoy it, it really is a complete waste for your waist!
    

Happy Celebrating Everyone!

Diet is "DIE" with a "T"

That is a direct quote from my Garfield the cat placemat from when I was in Grade 4. And wow, here is proof that you really can find just about anything on the internet:


Of course in the past 20 years, we've really started to "get" this concept. Garfield was ahead of his time. Let me quote, well, everyone: "Dieting does not work." Plain and simple. Anything you're going to do to an extreme, and/or for a temporary period of time, and/or which removes major food groups from your daily food intake is a diet. Ergo, it won't work. Oh, well sure, of course it will get you results. At least for a while. So I guess in that sense it does work. You DO lose weight when you completely cut all grains out of your diet. You DO lose weight when you only take in 1000 calories a day. You certainly DO lose weight when you wear a chain of garlic around your neck to ward off the evil spirits that call your name when cake is near. But does that mean your diet works? I guess if you just want to lose weight for a specific event like a wedding or New Year's Eve or something, and you don't really care if you gain it back later, then yes, it works.

Personally, I hate regaining weight. There is nothing that kills my mood and outlook on things more than realizing after working so hard to lose weight and change my diet, I've slipped back into old habits and regained some of that hard-won prize. And I've done it enough times to know it is just so much easier to keep doing what it takes to manage my weight than to have to corral my spirits to do it again... and again... and again. So, it stands to reason that if I'm going to just keep doing what it takes to lose weight, it better be something I can actually live with.

How about you? How many times have you lost and found the same 10, 20... 50+ pounds? It's taken me a lifetime to accept the fact that any quick-loss plan (ie: more than 2 pounds per week) is not going to get me the long term results I want. The lure of those diets is strong. Who wouldn't be compelled to go on a diet that promises fast results, especially when your pants are creating a muffin top that really qualifies as an actual cake, and double-especially when it "worked" last time.

One myth I'd like to debunk right now about the "results" those programs create is that you're actually losing fat when you lose "7 lbs in 7 days." Sure, a couple of those pounds are fat. But most of it is actually "water-weight." Usually these kinds of results occur when you cut "carbs" (starches and sugars) out of your diet. This depletes your glycogen stores ("reserve" glucose stored in muscles and the liver used for energy to fuel your daily activities), and since glycogen draws water into cells, you lose a lot of water on these plans. So while it looks great on the scale, and ya, you're a little less puffy, it's not fat. And I don't know about you, but I want to lose fat. Why am I going to deprive myself of all those yummy and healthy and appetite-satisfying whole grains and fruit (and yes, the occasional cookie), which makes me feel jealous of my carb-eating friends, makes me irritable and easily fatigued... all just to lose a few extra pounds of water? Pffft.

So what's the answer? Oh, I bet you know the answer. It's nothing groundbreaking. I know I'll sound like a genius when I say it, but really, it's pretty common sense. In fact, I'll quote, well, everyone: The key to long-term weight RELEASE (not "loss" because usually we want to find what we lose) and maintenance is - drum roll please - Balance & Moderation. That means balanced intake of all major nutrients (fat, carbs, protein), and moderate amounts of "treats." I like the 80/20 rule (or 90/10 if you only have a small amount of weight to release): 80% of choices should be healthy, and 20% can be less than ideal. This promotes health, vitality, a natural return to a healthy body weight, and keeps you sane! It's something you can maintain for life, which means you don't have to fear gaining it back again. You will no longer be "die-ing" with a "t" but LIVING with vitali-T (ba dum bum).



But whyyyyyyy don't diets work? Why do we regain weight? [insert foot stomp and pouty face here]
The reasons are plenty, but they all boil down to "because I couldn't sustain my die-t forever."

Cravings and Blood Sugar
OK so, this is basically the crux of the problem, right? We could and would gladly live on the 80/20 plan, if only we didn't have cravings that drove us to stuff our face in a pint of Haagen Dazs. "Moderation" is a great concept. In practice, it can become a little outta hand before we know it. So how do we conquer the cravings so we can keeping "living with vitalit-T?" One of the key things we need to manage is our blood sugar. You're probably thinking "well, I don't have diabetes or hypoglycemia, so I'm good here." Bzzzzt, wrong! (that was a buzzer, like on a game show). Everyone has fluctuations in their blood sugar throughout the day. It's part of the system that triggers the hormones that kick hunger and eating into gear. Ravenous cravings over which you have little control are often the result of wild spikes in blood sugar caused by eating high glycemic foods (high in simple sugars), such as well, sugar, refined carbs like white bread, white pasta, white rice, and to a lesser extent certain fruits like pineapple, bananas, and watermelon. Eating cookies for a snack gives you a surge of sugar into your bloodstream very quickly... and within a couple of hours, you get a sort of rebound effect that results in a crash in blood sugar and your energy and willpower along with it. This is a sure way to set yourself up to crave for more cookies.

Diets = stress
We are our ancestors' children, and since the fittest (most suited for their conditions) survive, we inherited the fantastic ability to store fat very easily. Afterall, they had to survive famines, and freezing temperatures at least part of the year, so the ability to store body fat was essential. When we diet, it's really a self-imposed famine... even if you're not following a VLC diet (very low calorie - less than 1200 calories/day for women, 1600 for men), you are operating within a "diet mentality" which is one of deprivation and starvation.

Add to "diet stress" the regular ol' daily grind type of stress - too much to do with not enough hours in the day, not enough time or money or energy to do the things we really want to do, not enough love in our relationships.... getting the idea? Chronic stress tends to come from LACK, or at least our PERCEPTION of lack. Dieting fits that mold perfectly too.

And like an alcoholic who is driven to drink, stress will drive you to eat. And to eat foods that make you gain weight the fastest. It's hard wired in our biochemistry, an inheritance from all those who came before us who needed to survive harsh uncertain conditions. Unfortunately it doesn't do us much good today, when food is literally everywhere. And it's not just twigs and berries we have out our fingertips. We can get the really good stuff that helps us gain weight fast - sugar and fat, fat and sugar.

Conditioning of our brain, biochemistry and behaviour
Every time we've made a choice of something to eat, we have the impact of that food on our bio and neurochemistry. Hormones and neurotransmitters are released in response to certain foods that trigger the reward centres of our brains, and drive us to seek out those foods. In a short matter of a few repetitions of eating those foods and getting your "fix" even the conditions around the food (location, people, activity, time of day, emotions, etc) will begin to act as triggers that compel you to satisfy the demands of the brain and body for the reward (literally opiates). Add stress on top of this and you see further why you're reaching for the Doritos and Mars bars.

So, what now?

Again, I think you know the answer. Balance, moderation, variety, 80/20. FEED yourself - fuel your body, nourish your mind, nurture your soul. Take a look at my article posted in July about the Ten Keys to Manage your Weight Naturally.

For anyone who is ready to make the change to get off the diet rollercoaster, and really feed themselves, but is overwhelmed at where to begin, or isn't sure she can really really do this for the long haul, please take a look at Spring's Inspire Yourself workshop. We've got proven strategies to help get your body working with your mind, and empower your mind to start running the show. If you'd like ongoing support in a group environment, we also have an 8 week Weight Release workshop that is coming up in the fall, where in addition to learning "motivational" strategies, you will also get more information and tools on food and nutrition for weight release. And of course, if you prefer one-on-one support, contact us for a complimentary consultation to talk about your needs and goals (use the sign-up form on this blog-site or at www.springrenual.ca).

Fake Sweetness >> Real Fat

In an effort to spare calories and avoid weight gain (not to mention tooth decay), many of us rely on artificial sweeteners to give us that hit of sweetness we crave, without the extra calories. There are a variety of artificial sweeteners on the market - aspartame/Nutrasweet, Equal, sucralose/Splenda, acesulfame-potassium, Saccharin/Sweet n Low, Neotame, and some of the newer sugar-alcohols like Erythritol, Sorbitol, Xylitol, Mannitol (not exactly artificial, and not calorie-free, but about 1/2 the calorie-content as sugar). We know that excess sugar leads to weight gain and tooth decay. It also contributes to the development of conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and even osteoporosis and other mineral deficiency conditions. But as bad as sugar can be in our diets (at the levels of intake typical for our society), are artificial sweeteners really the solution? More and more studies are showing that we really can't have our cake, and eat it too.

What's so bad about artificial sweeteners?
The internet is crawling with articles that outline the many negative symptoms and diseases that may be associated with intake of artificial sweeteners (check out the blog at www.drmercola.com for some really well outlined articles). Aspartame is the most controversial, and issues with Sucralose (now that it has been debunked as "natural" given that it was in fact discovered when manufacturing an insecticide, and is made of a combination of sugar and chlorines, a proven carcinogen) are appearing more and more often. These additives were approved based on short term studies, and only in recent years can we start to know the long term effects. Once again, we as a society have participated in one giant scientific experiment. What's more, we are now starting to see more and more products being created with a mix of different sweeteners, and we have no idea what the effects of this might be. Studies that indicate there are no significant negative effects are often funded by the very industries that profit from them. The range of symptoms that may be related to artificial sweeteners includes:

• headaches & migraines
  
• breathing difficulties
• skin eruptions/rashes
• cancer
• allergies
• aspartame disease
• depression
• fibromyalgia
• digestive disturbances
• liver and kidney toxicity
  

And... WEIGHT GAIN. I want to focus on this one, since the most common reason people choose to use artificial sweeteners is for weight control purposes. Given that these fake sweeteners have virtually no calories (or even if they have calories, they are so many more times sweeter than actual sugar that only small amounts need to be used to reach the desired sweetness level that the calories are negligible), how can they lead to weight gain? Aha, this is where we have a very clear demonstration that weight control is NOT all about calories in vs calories out!

How do artificial sweeteners contribute to making us fat?
Repeatedly, studies with rats are demonstrating two principal ways that artificial sweeteners contribute to weight gain*:

1. The sweet taste with the absence of calories "tricks" our body chemistry, breaking the connection between a sweet food and a high-calorie intake, and leads to a break-down in our body's ability to self-regulate caloric intake and satiety. This leads to overeating and constant cravings for more food.
2. Foods have thermogenic effects; when we eat them, our core body temperature and metabolism rise, increasing the calorie-burn capability. When we eat sugar, this occurs. When we eat artificial sweeteners, core body temperature does not rise like it does with higher calorie foods, and therefore LOWERS are metabolic burning ability.

These 2 effects combined will lead to weight gain in the long run if artificial sweeteners are used on a regular basis. In addition to the many possible health implications these additives may be related to, and you have to ask yourself if they are really worth it.

So now what?
If you've decided that you are ready to kick the fake sweetener habit, here are some strategies to help:

• Cut out diet pop first: This is usually the main source of intake of these additives. If you feel the need for the caffeine that is often in your beverage, substitute with herbal or green tea (try making some iced tea out of it if you prefer a cold drink). If you miss the fizz factor, have a glass of sparkling mineral water (aka: Perrier, etc) and squeeze in some fresh lime or lemon.
• Yogurt is another major source of intake: Replace sweetened yogurt with plain yogurt (goat's preferably), and "sweeten" naturally with fresh fruit (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, diced peaches), and/or a teaspoon of maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey. Add in some walnut chunks and a teaspoon of ground flax for a great serving of essential fatty acids, increased satisifaction, and fill-you-up goodness!
• Eat a well balanced diet: INCLUDING healthy sources of whole grains (whole wheat, quinoa, oatmeal, kamut, millet...) and essential fats (avocado, olives and olive oil, nuts and nut butters...). Skimping on these foods that are often avoided like the plague by dieters who believe that low-carb and fat-free will help them achieve the sleek physique they desire will in fact only lead to constant cravings due to imbalance and lack of satisfaction. Enjoy them in balance with healthy sources of protein to help reduce cravings.
• Use healthy sweeteners (minimally): Maple syrup is my favourite (full of all the health supportive minerals that are stripped out of refined sugar). Agave nectar (a syrup from a cactus plant, that does not have the same impact to insulin in the body that sugar does), and raw honey (unpasteurized) are also excellent. Xylitol is also becoming easier to find in health food stores; it looks like sugar but is much sweeter, you can bake with it, and it even has antibacterial properties so helps resist dental cavities. Finally there is Stevia, an all natural sweetener that contains phytonutrients and trace minerals, and is many more times sweeter than sugar. Personally I find it has a bit of an aspartame taste to it, but it's not bad and you really only need a pinch. Please note: Agave, Xylitol, and Stevia all have possible negative impacts and have not been thoroughly researched, so use with discretion and minimally!
  
• Do expect that you're going to go through a period of craving for sweets: You've trained your body to want them, and it will take some time to readjust and retrain your taste buds too. Hang in there!

*studies were conducted with rats and response to saccharin; it stands to reason that the same effects would occur with other artificial sweeteners, however further research needs to be done to demonstrate that. As well, while these studies have not been done with human subjects, anecdotal evidence of the increase in the rate of obesity since the 1980's when these sweeteners started to become widely used in a variety of foods and beverages does support that they are certainly not helping us to control our weight.