Best diet to keep weight off

The Best Diet to Keep Weight Off

http://news.menshealth.com/post-diet-diet/2012/07/03/

by Markham Heid July 3, 2012, 05:00 am EDT

Like your golf score, this is one number you don’t want to see go up.

You’ve lost weight, but will you keep it off? A low-glycemic-index diet may work better than others at burning calories and helping people ward off those pesky Lbs, reports a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the study, researchers had 21 people who’d lost 10 to 15 percent of their body weight try three different diets, each for 4 weeks. The diets consisted of a low-fat, a low-carbohydrate, and a low-glycemic-index—which endorses carbohydrates that keep blood sugar levels low—eating program.

The result: Even though the participants ate the same amount of calories on each of the plans, they burned an average of 300 fewer calories per day on the low-fat diet compared to the low-carb option.

But the low-carb diet wasn’t a win-win alternative, either. Although it was better at encouraging calorie burn, it also caused the greatest increases in cortisol and C-reactive protein levels—both of which may elevate heart disease risk—among the study participants.

The low-glycemic-index diet, however, seemed to strike the right balance in terms of heart health and resting metabolism, says study authoer Cara Ebbeling, Ph.D., associate director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. And any help you can get torching extra calories is beneficial after a big weight loss. That’s because the more weight you lose, the more your metabolism slows, making it increasingly difficult to burn calories, explains Ebbeling. (Here’s the truth behind the glycemic index, a notion many experts disagree with entirely.)

So is a low-glycemic-index diet the savior for people who want to keep the excess baggage from creeping back? The problem of “weight maintenance” may not be so easily solved, warns Alan Aragon, M.S., and a Men’s Healthnutrition expert. “You can’t tell a whole lot after 4 weeks,” he says. “And looking at the nutritional makeup of the diets used in the study, you’re really comparing two extremes in the low-carb and low-fat diets to a more moderate diet, which will almost always be best in the long run.”

Avoid diets that condemn whole nutrient categories, he suggests. Instead, eat proven weight-managers—whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, as well as proteins like fish and meat. “Your body requires about ten times more energy to process a gram of protein than a gram of fat. So you’ll burn more calories just by eating more protein-packed foods,” Aragon explains. Follow our 6 Grilling Recipes for Weight Loss to cook up some of the leanest, healthiest, and tastiest dishes of the summer—and effortlessly drop pounds while you’re doing it.

Exercise will also play a big role in whether you’re able to fend off the old weight, Aragon says. Running or other aerobic exercise is good, but you should mix in weight training at least half of the time. “Resistance exercise boosts lean body mass and metabolism, both of which help your body burn calories even when you’re not working out,” he says. Shoot for a minimum of three 30-to-60-minute workout sessions a week, he advises. Try the 18 cutting-edge workouts found in the Speed Shred program. They’re fast-paced and designed to blast fat and light your muscles on fire.

11 terrible breakfasts to avoid

11 TERRIBLE BREAKFASTS (NEW SWAPS!)

11. Terrible Breakfast Bagel: Dunkin’ Donuts Sesame Bagel with reduced fat strawberry cream cheese

 

510 calories, 16 g fat (6.5 g saturated), 860 mg sodium

 

Remember, bagels are shaped like zeros for a reason. You’d be better off with two glazed doughnuts. Or, simply move outside the menu’s concentration of doughnuts and pastries and Dunkin’ Donuts proves itself to be one of the better on-the-go breakfast joints in the country. Pair a couple of the Wake-Up Wraps with a zero-calorie cup of coffee to switch your metabolism from sleep mode to high gear.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Egg & Cheese Wake-Up Wraps (2)

 

360 calories, 22 g fat (8 g saturated), 940 mg sodium

 

 

10. Terrible Breakfast Panini: Panera Bread Grilled Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich

 

510 calories, 25 g fat (10 g saturated), 1,170 mg sodium

 

There are two differences between these two sandwiches. First, the Grilled Bacon, Egg & Cheese is built on ciabatta, which provides 50 more calories and half as much fiber. And second, it replaces the ham with bacon, which means an extra 100 calories of mostly fat.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Breakfast Power Sandwich

 

340 calories, 15 g fat (7 g saturated), 820 mg sodium

 

 

9. Terrible “Healthy” Breakfast: Jamba Juice Chunky Stawberry Topper Parfait (16 oz)

 

570 calories, 17 g fat (3 g saturated), 59 g sugars

 

Similar approaches to breakfast with very different results. Replacing an oatmeal base with sugars and granola is never a good swap.

 

Beware of these: The 20 Worst Drinks in America!

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Fresh Banana Oatmeal (oatmeal, bananas, brown sugar crumble)

 

280 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated), 23 g sugars

 

 

8. Terrible Breakfast Croissant: Jack in the Box Sausage Croissant

 

565 calories, 39 g fat (16 g saturated, 1 g trans), 776 mg sodium

 

Two simple but immutable rules are at play here: 1. Bacon always beats sausage, and 2. buns always beat croissants. The Breakfast Jacks are a bright spot on the menu, made even brighter by the fact that they’re available all day. Take advantage.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Bacon Breakfast Jack

 

310 calories, 14 g fat (5 g saturated), 790 mg sodium

 

 

7. Terrible Breakfast Burrito: McDonald’s McSkillet Burrito with Sausage

 

610 calories, 36 g fat (14 g saturated), 1,390 mg sodium

 

For all intents and purposes, this breakfast burrito isn’t actually a terrible morning choice—as long as you take it with water, and very strictly watch what you eat for the rest of the day. But why choose the 610-calorie version when you can eat an equally tasty breakfast burrito for half the calories, and 20 fewer grams of fat? This leaves you room for other nutritious foods—fruits, vegetables, whole grains—to eat without worrying throughout the day.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Sausage Burrito

 

300 calories, 16 g fat (7 g saturated), 830 mg sodium

 

 

6. Terrible Breakfast Combo Plate: Bob Evans Pot Roast Hash

 

759 calories, 53 g fat (18 g saturated), 1,463 mg sodium

 

There’s a lot of good in this dish—eggs and roast are both packed with protein, which, as we’ve hammered home in this slideshow, is a nutrient you should consume every breakfast. But here’s what else the Pot Roast Hash comes with: Home Fries. As in fried potatoes. As in fried lumps of carbohydrates. A better option: Stick with the good, cut out the bad.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Border Scramble Omelette with Egg Lites

 

416 calories, 24 g fat (12 g saturated), 1,162 mg sodium

 

 

5. Terrible Biscuit: Hardee’s Monster Biscuit

 

640 calories, 44 g fat (16 g saturated), 2,130 mg sodium

 

The pieces of this biscuit individually aren’t what make it so dangerous. It’s the fact that they’re all added together in one big jumbo slop heap that causes trouble. Here we’re looking at bacon, sausage patty, several slices of ham, “folded egg,” and two slices of American cheese. A more reasonable biscuit is what you’ll find below: Simply bacon, egg, and cheese. No need to get fancy with extra toppings.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit

 

400 calories, 25 g fat (8 g saturated), 1,190 mg sodium

 

 

4. Terrible Omelet: IHOP Spinach and Mushroom Omelette (no pancakes on the side)

 

910 calories, 70 g fat (26 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 1,570 mg sodium

 

You can make this same omelet at home for roughly 300 calories. What sets IHOP’s apart? The absurd amount of cheap fats being tossed around the kitchen. This thing has more saturated fat than a half stick of butter, and if you opt for the pancakes on the side, you can tack another 450 calories onto your nutritional debt.

 

For tons of weight loss tips, tricks, and strategies, sign up for the FREE Eat This, Not That!newsletter!

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Two x Two x Two (with bacon)

 

560 calories, 31 g fat (11 g saturated), 1,280 mg sodium

 

 

3. Terrible French Toast: IHOP Stuffed French Toast with Strawberry Topping

 

1,030 calories, 39 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans), 755 mg sodium, 61 g sugars

 

IHOP’s menu is full of gut-busting sweets—Stuffed French Toast, Belgian Waffles, Strawberry banana Danish Fruit Crepes… you name it. The problem with each and every one of these super-sweetened, carbo-loaded meals isn’t just that they’re all packing at least half a day’s worth of calories; it’s that they’re setting you up for a massive sugar crash about halfway between breakfast and lunch. If you’re set on the sweet stuff, stick with the Simple & Fit menu at IHOP. The Seasonal Fresh Fruit Crepes are great because they offer a thin layer of pancake, and a lot of fresh fruit. (So at least you’re getting something out of it, nutritionally).

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

SIMPLE & FIT Seasonal Fresh Fruit Crepes

 

580 calories, 24 g fat (5 g saturated), 430 mg sodium, 42 g sugars

 

 

2. Terrible Pancakes: IHOP Harvest Grain ‘N Nut Pancakes (4) with Cinnamon Apple Compote and Whipped Topping

 

1,060 calories, 51.5 g fat (13 g saturated), 1,945 mg sodium, 50 g sugars

 

Whatever you do at IHOP, don’t add a fruity compote to your waffle or pancake platter. That’ll guarantee that you double your plate’s sugar count and add at least 150 calories to the final tally (which, if you order more than 3 pancakes, is already going to be mighty high). The reason that fruity compote is so bad for you is because it’s not fresh fruit we’re dealing with—it’s more like a sugary goo that has fruit chunks drowning in it.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Original Buttermilk Pancakes, Short Stack (3)

 

490 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated, 1 g trans), 1,610 mg sodium, 13 g sugars

 

 

1. Terrible Slamwich: Denny’s Grand Slamwich with Hash Browns

 

1,520 calories, 101 g fat (44 g saturated, 1 g trans), 3,550 mg sodium

 

Bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, cheese, and mayo conspire to create the worst breakfast sandwich in America. Start your day with this and you’ll need to wait 48 hours before consuming another gram of saturated fat. And that’s before you get to the hash browns that come on the side.

 

Click here for all of today’s nutrition, health, and fitness news!

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Fit Slam

 

390 calories, 12 g fat (4 g saturated), 850 mg sodium

 

 

You can find this article online at:
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/new-worst-breakfasts-america

Low Blood Sugar

Whether you are a diabetic or not, every person is susceptible to a drop in blood sugar as the body uses insulin to maintain proper blood sugar levels. If you are not eating regularly your body does not have the level of blood sugar it needs to fuel its activities. As the sugar drops it causes:

• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Feeling shaky
• Hunger
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Pounding heart; racing pulse
• Pale skin
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Weakness
• Anxiety

And it is allowed to continue it can lead to:

• Headache
• Feeling irritable
• Poor coordination
• Poor concentration
• Numbness in mouth and tongue
• Passing out
• Nightmares or bad dreams
• Coma

Click here for more info on Hypoglycemia. It is very important that you eat regularly. Allowing your blood sugar to fall can also lead to gorging. To correct the low blood sugar a person will eat, but the symptoms of low blood sugar do not go as soon as he or she eats. This can cause the individuals to eat more and more until the symptoms are gone. The continued eating causes an increase in calorie intake and will lead to weight gain.

Instead of waiting all day to eat it is important to eat on a regular basis. That may be meals with snacks in between or smaller meals more often. Doing so will help the body continue to function at an optimal level without the problem of low blood sugar.