PEERtrainer

Jackie's PEERtrainer Spinach And Bean Magic Mix

I just received this email:

Hello, Jackie;

I just read your article on Diet Fusion and I'd like to try the recipe you
mentioned with spinach and black beans.  It sounds tasty.  Do you happen to know the
weight watcher points for the recipe? and how many servings it makes? 

Many Thanks,

"J"

Dear J,

Yes, I do!  I eat it almost every day.  Takes about 20 minutes.  Serves 5, unless your my husband and I and this only makes it through one day. 

Jackie's PEERtrainer Spinach And Bean Magic Mix

1 can of black beans (rinsed)
1 can of small red beans or garbanzo beans (rinsed)
1 large bag of frozen organic spinach (doesn't have to be organic but it's only $1.99 so why not?)
1/2 an onion, slices (big slices, depending on your taste)
2 large "stems" of fresh ginger, peeled
red pepper flakes
little salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 dried long chili peppers
6 cloves of garlic
muchi curry ($4.99, available at Whole Foods)

In a cuisinart or blender or by hand, mince the garlic and the ginger together, put to side.

In a very large skillet on medium high, drop in the olive oil and the 4 dried chili peppers.  Then pour in the garlic and ginger combo.  Mix around a bit.  Throw in the onions and saute until light brown, and add a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  Pour in the frozen spinach.  You can add or subtract the amount of spinach according to your taste.  The more you can "hide" the taste of spinach the better so we put in the entire bag.   Add about 5 shakes of muchi curry, a little more if you like more "Indian" taste.  Keep mixing.  Add both cans of beans (make sure you've rinsed to get the sodium off) and and a few more shakes of red pepper flakes and muchi curry.  Taste.  Add one or two shakes of salt (depending on your dietary needs.  It's optional, but I like it).  Mix and stir on low heat until the beans have come to a boil.

Turn off heat and cover and let cool a bit.  Serve!

Serve with lowfat yoghurt, or avocado slices squeezed with lemon depending on your preference.  Excellent when paired with rice. Bon Appetit!

New Balance Tennis Shoes: Why They Work For Me

I picked up tennis about 10 months and if anyone has followed my logs, you'll know that I am completely and hopelessly in love with the sport.  My goal is to go up a level by the end of March and I'm really excited to get there.   Now that I have a focused goal and expectation, I've noticed how many small changes I'm making on a daily basis to get there.

The one thing I wanted to give here is a plug for my New Balance tennis shoes.  New Balance sponsored a big part of PEERtrainer and I have to say that when I found out they wanted to I was thrilled because I love love love their tennis shoes.   They've always been known for their superior running shoes and every successful runner I know swears by their gray 991's but I like their tennis shoe.

The shoes have this "AZORB technology" I'm sure there is some fancy "stability" word for it but I'm not sure what it is and at the end of the day, I don't care about the description as much as I care about the shoe.    The shoes have a "wall" like feeling that actually freezes your sidestep to help you position yourself for a forehand or backhand.  I am somewhat new to the "side-stepping" part of tennis so for me they give me that extra "stop" that I need.

The staff at my local New Balance Store told me people either love the wall effect or hate it and I am a total convert.  I am only a recreational player:  I play at about a level of 3.0 so I'm not sure if they are right for a high performance player but they are great for me.

The specific ones I have?  I've linked to them here: WCT1003 - Womens.

They rock!

Jackie

The South Beach Diet Controversy

One of the great things about having a group of doctors participating in PEERtrainer is that often they can bring some insight or perspective that one would not normally get. We have observed that many people have been successful on South Beach, at least in the short term.

But in the course of our work with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, he began to take strong exception to our highlighting the South Beach diet as an option one might consider, among many, to hep them lose weight. He has written a fairly extensive and footnoted article that we have just published, and you can view it here.

The basic argument is that any diet that puts people into a "Ketogenic" state can expose them to sudden cardiac death. We did some research into this ourselves and it does seem that this controversy has been out there. And there are people who argue strongly against this view point. But we did find external research to support at least delving into this debate. We are sure there will be a ton of debate, and we are interested in hearing all viewpoints on this issue.

Update: There is some HEATED debate in the community from people who have lost a lot of weight with SB and who have kept it off. There are also some links to some of the references Dr. Fuhrman cites- different researchers and doctors who also point out the danger of low-fat, low carb, ketosis inducing diets- also pointing out the risk of sudden death. Very interesting all around. Would love to hear from Dr. Agatston and will publish any comments from him on this subject.

Discuss The South Beach Diet Controversy In The PEERtrainer Community

NutriSystem Flex Program

NutriSystem has just launched their "Flex Program", where you are on the program for 5 days and then off for two "Flex Days." NutriSystem Flex is also their cheapest program ever. The women's program is $200 a month or $7 a day, and the men's program is $230 a month or $8 a day. On your flex days you can buy frozen vegetables in bulk and add high doses of very healthy foods for cheap. 

Does NutriSystem Flex Work As Well As Their Regular Program? Will It Help Me Lose Weight?

This is a commonly asked question. People often see the success stories on TV or hear about them from friends. The idea is that if you follow this plan and eat their foods, you will lose weight. But what happens on those two days a week that you are off the program? Will you do so much damage that you will lose the benefits of the previous five days? In our view this is both a risk and an opportunity for you. We have written much more about it here in a review of the NutriSystem Flex program which goes into the detail of the overall program and what you might want to be doing on those flex days.

Is NutriSystem Select Offered In The 5 Day Flex Format?

It would make sense if they did, because it would help to manage the cost a little. NutriSystem Select is a new, more expensive version of their plan that delivers foods that are frozen fresh and that feature fruits and vegetables in the meals that are delivered. Adding high levels of fruits and vegetables to your diet is seen by many as being the only path to sustainable and healthy long term weight loss.

What Fruits and Vegetables Can You Eat On NutriSystem Flex?

The overall NutriSystem Diet plan is based on the Glycemic Index, which is basically a good carbs, bad carbs approach. This is especially helpful for Type 2 Diabetics and people at risk for Metabolic Syndrome. Most doctors simply tell you to "avoid the white stuff"- so maybe go easy on the potatoes. But hit the greens hard. Things like spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, romaine lettuce salad- those are going to juice your diet, give you a ton of nutrients you really can't get elsewhere in this high a level of concentration. Same thing for fruits like Strawberries and blueberries. Those are high in cancer fighting anti-oxidants and nutrients.

How Long Does It Take To See Results From NutriSystem Flex?

This obviously depends on you personally, and how much weight you have to lose. In general we observe that when people really focus on their portion control and have a way of measuring it each day lose weight. If you are on NutriSystem Flex specifically, you are going to have to really pay close attention to your flex days, and learn to do "Diet Fusion" where you incorporate different elements of other proven diets. For example you might want to count Weight Watchers points on your flex days if you know that system. You will also want to try eating a cleansing diet very high in salad, greens and fruits that you like. Doing a combo of controlled points with a cleansing diet will help you see results very quickly.

How Long Should I Be On The NutriSystem Flex Program?

Your long term goal should be to develop solid eating habits where you eat a diet high in plant-based nutrients and low in animal protein. A decent target to shoot for is to bring your animal-based foods down to about 10% of your diet. Things like meat and cheese should be used as dressings for salads, not the meal itself. As your intake goes above 10% your risk of disease goes up, and unless you are a hardcore vegan, you really don't want to get too far below this level based on available science.

So use your flex days to begin to develop these habits of high fruit and vegetable intake. You will find specifically that this approach helps fight hunger. Weight Watchers focuses a lot on this with their new "Filling Foods" list, which include things like Avocado and Hummus. The idea is that those foods are high in protein but also contain high levels of important nutrients. Your body is pretty smart and knows when it is getting what it needs. The result is you are less hungry.

NutriSystem Flex can be a great tool to give you some "training wheels" to get you to this long term point. At PEERtrainer we call this "The Point Of No Return" and many of you who read this blog are members of this coaching program that focuses on the mindset issues with weight loss, and assumes you are going to be on your own chosen combination of diet approaches. Our coaching team at PEERtrainer has put together a series of articles to help you with the psychological aspects of weight loss and how to develop the motivation to lose weight. One of our most popular articles focuses on the importance of understanding the difference between desire and expectation. There is a big difference between the two and one needs to develop an expectation of weight loss in order to really succeed.

Can I Choose My Flex Days?

According to the NutriSystem website you can choose any two days a week to be your flex days. They say some people will choose the weekend for convenience. What is interesting is that this new program really allows people to mix and match their diet approaches.

What Should I Do On My Flex Days?

NutriSystem has some sensible recommendations on their website when you sign up. Many people do NutriSystem and participate in PEERtrainer to give them added support and a very broad range of ideas. One idea is to make use of ideas put forth in our free Tip Of The Day weight loss coaching program.

Are There Coupons Or Savings Offered?

Right now the company is running the following offer:Save $100 with NutriSystem

This offer is good for the basic program, diabetic program, silver program and the vegetarian program.

Should I Do South Beach On My Flex Days?

We have been alerted to some of the dangers of diets like South Beach and Atkins. While we hear that they work in the short term, there are a series of health risks associated with these diets. Follow the instructions from the company and also start adding high levels of green vegetables and salad on the flex days to lose the most weight and fight any cravings.

The Candy Bowl At Work Makes Dieting So Hard

In the tip of the day email I ask a simple question:  What is the one thing that "trips you up"?  I get all sorts of responses but this one seems to land in my inbox frequently:

"Several people have candy dishes at their desk which we all eat and since sweets are one of my biggest
weaknesses, I am going to TRY to not eat any candy for the next week."

The candy bowl is kryponite for so many of us.  The only thing I've found that works is to make it an absolute, off limits, can not have, ever, not even one, no matter how good you've been doing type of thing. 

If you are one of those that thinks you're doing a favor for everyone by having Hershey Kisses in a bowl at your desk, you're making it that much harder to stick with a diet plan.  I know, dieting "discipline" comes from within, but please get rid of it or keep it in your desk.

Welcoming Kim Komando Subscribers and Listeners To PEERtrainer!

We got a heads up from the people at Kim Komando that PEERtrainer is being featured as a "Cool Site Of The Day" and we want to return the favor by creating some dedicated resources for you all.

We have started a new weight loss support community for you, called "Komando's Commandos" and you can join it via this link:

Komando's Commandos Weight Loss Support Community

We are in the group right now welcoming you all, answering as many questions as we can. Again, great to have you all here. And make sure to join our Tip Of The Day weight loss coaching program if you have not already.

Support Group For The Formerly Morbidly Obese

We just got this email and are putting together a team to support this endeavor. We will also be blogging about these issues from time to time:

"I just have a quick request. I unfortunately am not too computer savvy-somewhat of a 'cyber-virgin' as I like to say, but I recently thought it would be nice to share and hear from others who have been morbidly obese and share their experiences about expectations, social and otherwise. On April 18th, 2008 I will celebrate if you will, my 31st year having lost around two hundred lbs. At 5'4, I tipped the scales at, as close as I could tell, (since I broke my scale trying to see if I could move the needle past the 350lb.limit) four hundred lbs.or thereabouts. I just want to know if there is an organization or group that I can chat with about the success and challenges after obesity. I've spent the better part of an hour on my computer and get page after page of ad's for surgery and weight-loss programs, etc. Any help in this matter is appreciated!"

Ok, lets start here by creating a team:

Support Group For The Formerly Morbidly Obese

And we look forward to your story, which will be helpful to others.

NutriSystem Select: New Plan That Includes Fresh Frozen Foods

NutriSystem Select is a new offering that improves the taste and increases menu choices by including fresh frozen foods from the Schwans food delivery service. When you sign up for NutriSystem Select you get 28-35 menu items (depending if you are a man or a woman) that you eat in addition to the regular "ready to go" entrees. This appears to be a very good move for the company, and it allows people to add more fresh foods to their meals.

Is NutriSystem Select A Good Program?

From our perspective any program that increases your food choices and improves the levels of fruits and vegetables is a good one. This page has a list of the new fresh frozen menu items and choices:

NutriSystem Select Menu Items

Tip Of The Day readers know we had written very recently that we expected the company to come out with some new offerings that improved the amounts of plant-based foods in the diet. Select appears to be a nice balance between great taste and health. To get a free diet consultation from the company, order Select or to ask questions on how it works click here. 

How Is NutriSystem Select Different From NutriSystem Flex?

NutriSystem Flex is another new, different offering that allows you to order 5 days of food a week instead of seven. The idea is that you have "flex" days to follow your own plan. Right now, you cannot order NutriSystem Select with the Flex option. 

How Do I Order NutriSystem Select And Can I Choose My Own Foods?

With NutriSystem Select you have two options for ordering the program:

1) You can either order the pre-selected Favorites Package- the easy option

2) Or you can choose to customize your 3 weeks of ready-to-go entrees and desserts, plus a bonus free week to fit your preferences (in this option, you select your own menu items, ready-to-go items only). 

Then, in addition to your ready-to-go meals, you will receive a pre-selected assortment of delicious frozen breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts (one week's worth or 28 menu items (35 items for Men's Program)) to add into your meal plan as you choose

How Much Does NutriSystem Select Cost And How To I Get The Best Price?

This is a premium product and they are offering an initial discount of about $100. The program is $369 a month for women and $30 more for the men's program. Both men's and women's "Silver" programs are $360 a month. I would observe that money spent on a healthier diet is money well spent. If the program does end up costing a little more it would be something to prioritize. I would imagine that the overall food quality is higher as well. We will see.

NutriSystem Select FAQ:

When Will NutriSystem Select Be Available?

The product has just launched in February of 2009 and is available now.

What Foods Are Available On NutriSystem Select?

There seems to be a very big selection of foods available through Schwan's "Live Smart" product line. One big problem with the old NutriSystem line is that they made you buy your own fruits and vegetables and the new Select program allows you to order everything you need once. Makes it easier to eat healthier. And the added cost is probably mitigated because you no longer have to buy a ton of extras to make it a healthy meal.

How Expensive Is NutriSystem Select In Comparison To Jenny Craig or Other Meal Delivery Services?

According to a recent Forbes Magazine story, NutriSystem was the cheapest of any diet out there when you analyzed all the costs of buying food, going to meetings, buying extras, equipment like blenders. Forbes compared NutriSystem to Weight Watchers, The Zone, The Abs Diet, South Beach, 5 Factor and the Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox and found NutriSystem to be cheaper by quite a bit after a total cost analysis.

Does NutriSystem For Men Now Include An Option To Do Select?

Yes, if you are a man, woman or a senior you can opt into the select program. Men pay a little more, I would assume because they get more calories a day and will eat more food.

Will The Foods Taste Better On NutriSystem Select?

That seems to be the idea, and their partner, Schwans, has a strong reputation and track record of delivering healthy and tasty foods. NutriSystem seems to be

How Can I Find A Coupon, Coupon Code Or A Discount For NutriSystem Select?

NutriSystem often gives incentives to join a program or commit for a period of time. When you click on one of the banners you will see some incentives to get you to start. Most companies do things like this to get business. We have also created a page where we link the latest NutriSystem coupons.

What Is The Cost Of NutriSystem Select In Comparison To Buying Your Own Groceries?

I am sure that one could buy a great amount of healthy frozen foods for cheaper, but what you are paying for is the convenience and the knowledge that you are on a program with a certain expectation. Over time ideally you will start buying bags of frozen spinach and broccoli every time you go to the store. But keep in mind that even with the higher price of NutriSystem select you probably will not spend a ton more than you already are.

Does NutriSystem Offer Select Or Advanced Especially For Athletes Or Other Very Active People?

We need to look into this. Men already get a higher caloric intake and obviously if you are burning more calories you need to eat a little more. One thing we observe is that higher quality foods such as fruits and vegetables will give one more energy as a general rule. There is great micronutrient and phytochemical concentration.

Does NutriSystem Really Help You Lose Weight?

We observe that the company has been very successful in the past in helping people lose weight, especially in the short term. But what the company lacked was a focus on high levels of fruits and vegetables which are critical to getting people off the food addiction cycle. So Select will probably improve the ability of NutriSystem to lose weight. For permanent weight loss and the odds of the best health possible one will have to graduate to a nutritional approach like the one pioneered and advocated by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. But NutriSystem is an excellent first step, especially for people who have not been successful getting started.

Do NutriSystem Select Meals Have Fewer Preservatives?

It would seem that by freezing foods you are able to keep them fresh for a long time without preservatives which increase one's overall toxic load.

Should One Join The Select Program Instead Of One Of The Legacy Programs?

Based on everything we have observed in the last 4 years running PEERtrainer, we feel very strongly that if NutriSystem is a solution for your particular needs, you should definitely pick this plan over the other ones. No question.

What is the Favorites Package?

The NutriSystem Favorites Package, gives you a pre-selected assortment of their most popular ready-to-go menu items for each meal occasion. If you’d like to try the wide array of NutriSystem foods, this may be a good choice for your first order (versus choosing your own foods). Once you’ve tried the NutriSystem favorites, you can always customize your ready-to-go items in any subsequent orders.

Does NutriSystem Help You Keep The Weight Off?

The company has spent a lot of effort building support groups on their site. This is a fundamental aspect of their program now. PEERtrainer has also started a NutriSystem Select Weight Loss Support Group for the members of the site who end up choosing this program as part of their overall weight loss efforts.

Discuss this in the PEERtrainer community:

How will my NutriSystem Select Order be Shipped? 

Your order is divided into two separate shipments: Your first shipment will contain your 3 weeks of ready-to-go NutriSystem entrees and desserts, your bonus free week of ready-to-go menu items, and your Results Kit with a Meal Planner that outlines how the program works. They will help you understand which foods to eat and when, as well as guide you in selecting the add-in foods to complete your diet. This way, you can get your program underway before your frozen foods arrive. 

Within the next 14 days, your second shipment will arrive containing your frozen items, which you can then begin to incorporate into your program. There are a couple caveats: If you refuse to accept the shipment once it is delivered, you will be charged a $30 cancellation fee. Residents of Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are not eligible for the NutriSystem Select program. Select cannot be shipped to PO Boxes, APO boxes, or military addresses.

What If You Are Not Sure About Ordering NutriSystem?

There are all sorts of options out there to help you lose weight. NutriSystem seems best for people who need some real hand holding during the weight loss program and don't want to have to follow a plan. Over time you are going to have to change your diet to increase fruits and vegetables, decrease animal protein and keep your portions in check for long term success. If you go to restaurants a lot you probably would do better with the NutriSystem Flex program. You also might want to consider the Weight Watchers Momentum program.

If you do think you want the convenience and the low relative cost of the program compared to other diet options, you might want to start your process by taking the weight loss assessment on their site.

How will my frozen food remain frozen for delivery and how will it be shipped?

From the NutriSystem site: "Your frozen food shipment will be shipped separately from your ready-to-go items and delivered by a special Schwan’s Home Service truck that is designed for frozen storage. If you are not available to accept your food upon delivery, your frozen items will be packed on special ice packs and placed inside an insulated bag to keep your foods frozen for approximately four hours. Some customers may have their frozen food delivered by UPS. In this case, your frozen shipment will be packed on dry ice and placed in a Styrofoam cooler."

Can I order extra items? 

From the NutriSystem site: "The "A la Carte" area is good for picking up a few extra items beyond your total program (not for building a meal plan). It’s also the place to get things like vitamins, supplements, and other individual items. Browse through the A la Carte menu before checkout and you can find some great items which make weight loss that much easier. Simply select the category in which you’re interested, and choose individual items to be added to your shopping cart. Then proceed to checkout."

What is Auto-Delivery? 

From the NutriSystem site: "With Auto-Delivery, you get a 10% discount off the regular 28-Day program price and FREE shipping within the Continental US when you remain on the program for at least 2 shipments. Plus, your discount increases to 15% after your third consecutive 28-Day program delivery. You are automatically charged and shipped your 28-Day order once every four weeks unless you cancel. You will be sent an e-mail reminder when your next order is to be shipped. You can edit, customize or delay your Auto-Delivery order at any time."

Does NutriSystem Offer A Money Back Guarantee?

The company offers this money back guarantee: "Try our foods for a week. If you do not like them for any reason, simply call within seven days of receipt of your first order and return the three remaining weeks of food, and we will give you a full refund of your purchase price, less shipping. NutriSystem Select Program customers must return two weeks of non-frozen foods only. Frozen food items are not returnable."

Can You Exchange Foods You Don't Like?

Here is the NutriSystem Exchange policy:  "Our exchange policy is simple. Within 30 days of receipt of your order, you may return any item in its original condition, for an exchange. Simply contact the Customer Service Department for an Exchange Code. Please make sure you have an adequate supply of NutriSystem food to stay on the program, as you need to allow 14 business days to process your exchange. Make a list of the items you are sending back and a list of the items you would like in exchange (breakfast for a breakfast, lunch for a lunch, etc.). On your list, please indicate the order number, your name and address and send the package to the below address: NutriSystem Returns Dept - (Your Exchange Code) 200 Welsh Rd Horsham, PA 19044"

The 4 Mindset Keys to Permanent Weight Loss Every Serious Dieter Must Know

We just completed week one of the PEERtrainer Coaching/Training Intensive and want to communicate very clearly what we are doing with this program. If you're anything like many of the PEERtrainer users we hear from, this is not the first time you have tried to lose weight.

If so, then you've probably successfully lost weight in the past, but you then had trouble keeping it off.

Our goal with the PEERtrainer coaching program is to give you all the tools you need for permanent weight loss. By permanent weight loss, we mean that you can keep the weight off for as long as you want- whether that's a year, five years or the rest of your life.

Even more importantly, we're going to show you how to do it within the current circumstances of your life. This is so important because most us, at one time or another, have the belief that something has to change in our life (a job with better hours, more money to hire a personal trainer or hire a babysitter, etc) in order to lose weight.

Because we don't know if or when this will happen, it's so crucial that you figure out how to successfully lose weight and keep it off within the current circumstances of your life. We completely believe this is possible for anyone, and our coaching program will show you how.

The program will show you the full range of tools you need to do this- from having a bulletproof mindset in place to knowing how to choose the right diet and exercise program that will fit into your lifestyle.

During our first call focused entirely on key "Mindset" issues, Personal Development Coach Joshua Wayne, MA identified 4 key principles that are crucial to bear in mind at the outset of your weight loss program that are key to making it succeed:

1. Being crystal clear on exactly why you are losing weight 

2. Believing that permanent weight loss is possible (and what to do if you don't) 

3. Identifying and challenging your 'faulty beliefs' about weight loss 

4. Developing a plan that fits into the current context of you life.

Click Here To Learn More And Sign Up

NutriSystem: How To Make This A Long Term, Sustainable Success

One of the most interesting things about our Tip Of The Day email program is the feedback we get from people. One thing we hear over and over is how hard weight loss can be for so many people. It is tough because we tend to steer people towards diets with very high amounts of fruits and vegetables with a specific focus on greens on a daily basis. 

A lot of people, though, are in such a state of struggle that they need or gravitate towards things that are either easy or fun. So our challenge is really to try and connect the two. To show a path between the easy and fun and the more longer term and sustainable. We have been focusing recently on NutriSystem because we hear from many that it is very easy, convenient and for many people it is the only thing that worked for them. They just needed that combination of ease and structure.

But we also hear from many, and from the medical community especially, that success on this program can often be short term in nature. So the question really is, how does one make this part of a long term plan. I asked Dr. Laurie Rothman this question and here were her thoughts:

"-I would introduce the concepts that we want the "dieter" to carry on into his/her real life after Nutrisystem or similar plan, immediately. 

-Most of these plans give you unlimited non-starchy vegetables in addition to the foods provides. I would recommend having full servings of raw or steamed vegetables and salads before meals. 

-This will encourage healthy eating habits and likely promote more weight loss and decrease food cravings. In addition, there is some choice of meals in the plans. 

-I would recommend staying away from the meals with red meat and cheese, etc. As these may be okay in the small amounts provided by the pre-packaged meals, but most people are not good at continuing those portion sizes. 

-Also, stay away from the plan's desserts. Have fresh fruit instead. As weight loss occurs, I would recommend replacing one meal at a time with home prepared food. As long as weight loss continues or is maintained as desired, the client is doing great."

The advice is essentially to start learning and adopting the basics of Eat To Live/Eat For Health as soon as you start NutriSystem. One of the most important things these book teach you is that many vegetables, especially greens, can help fight hunger cravings. 

We also hear from many of you that "mindset" issues often overwhelm any knowledge or desire. One man emailed me recently and said he had been to Weight Watchers and done many diets but knew that his mindset was the problem. We hear this a lot and this is one of the reasons we have developed a coaching program around this specific idea. Personal Development Coach Joshua Wayne, MA leads this program. You can learn about it here:

http://www.peertrainer.com/coaching

This program is for people who feel like they know all they want to about "dieting", and want to focus on the mental aspect of weight loss, health and fitness.

Weight Watchers As A "Backup Diet" If You Are On Fat Smash, Eat To Live or South Beach

If you've picked Fat Smash or Eat To Live Or South Beach as your "diet", the thing that is SO important to having a "back up" diet like Weight Watchers or counting calories is because sometimes you just don't feel like eating vegetables or eating anything that resembles "healthy".  You know you should, but you just don't.  All the positive self -talk and all that you do to avoid eating pasta or pizza or a cheeseburger just isn't going to happen.  You just don't care.  Your mind goes on automatic pilot and you head straight for the nearest comfort food.  And unfortunately, sometimes you stay there for DAYS.  One choice after another becomes pizza, more white bread, dessert and so on. 

Until you get back to your Fat Smash Diet regimen, or Eat to Live or South Beach, or whatever you've chosen, you have to have a way to "portion control" the really bad trajectory of crazy comfort foods because the reality is, it happens to everyone.  If you have a "back up" diet and you're incorporating diet fusion for those days that no matter what anyone says, you're not going to pick the salad, you're just hungry for white bread and you're going to have it, you'll be able to monitor yourself and frame the "bad days" with a semblance of control. 

If you count Weight Watchers Points, you know that 2 slices of pizza is 12 points, and if you have a white bread sandwich at dinner, you'll count the points again.  If you have some method -whether it's points or calorie counting or whatever -to be able to hold yourself accountable, you will not eradicate all the effort you put into the Fat Smash or other plant based/vegetable diet you did.  And when you "come to", when you get back on the more nutrient dense road, you won't have an extra 10 pounds to fight.  This is why you have to have a "portion control" back up plan. 

What Is Your Backup Diet?

Challenging Yourself Can Help You Exercise More And Fight The Dreaded Plateau

We just got an excellent email from a subscriber to the Tip Of The Day program, and we thought that it would be helpful for those of us looking to stick to the weight loss or fitness journey. The question we had asked in one of our coaching calls was "are you brave enough" to do it. What was interesting about this email is this person was in law enforcement. Already plenty brave, but found it helpful to apply this question to working out:

"I'm really a newbie at this website, I stumbled upon it recently and have enjoyed it so far. I am not new to the diet and fitness routine, but am at the last 10 pound mark after having lost about 50 pounds and have kept that off for 5 years (I never officially joined a club or gym, I got the weight watchers books on eBay and use hiking and kickboxing type videos along with jogging in my fitness routine). 

I am realizing that to lose that last 10, and maintain the loss, I may have to modify (read: give up??) some things I treasure, like my coffee with cream every morning, or at least work it into my calorie count by eating a smaller dinner, etc. Anyway, I have enjoyed your website and especially the calls. I just wanted to say that from the first call, there was something that really stuck in my mind, and it has sort of become my mantra when I'm jogging on a day that I'd really rather not be out there.

Please forgive me that I cannot remember which of you stated this, but it was just a comment about starting and sticking to the weight loss / fitness journey, and the statement was "are you brave enough?". Well, to me, that's a challenge! I am in law enforcement and consider myself pretty brave, so to consider the work out on that level really helped. I am now trying to figure out if I am "brave enough" to run a half marathon this year. That's a bit harder than being challenged into getting out for a 3 1/2 mile run. But, when I'm tired, I ask myself that question, and not being brave enough is not an option, so it keeps me going.

Thank you for what you do, and for so candidly sharing your own experiences with everyone! Best of luck and continued success!"

We will keep posting great feedback like this. We have also created a 12 week coaching/training intensive that goes way beyond the ideas presented in the 4 calls. You can learn more about that here:

http://www.peertrainer.com/coaching

You can start this program at any time and get sent the calls each week along with a guide/lesson plan to work on that week. People love the program so far and they are also in their own private team which is crackling with activity.

NutriSystem: Why You Need To Learn Portion Control and Get Social Support To Make It A Long Term Success

I was talking to Dr. Laurie Rothman at a party recently, and we were discussing NutriSystem. We talk about all sorts of diets, because as a women's health doctor, she sees first hand the impact and results of all these diets. Her observation about NutriSystem is that she sees people lose weight on this consistently, but that people often gain it back.

So we started talking about things people could do to ensure greater odds of long term success on that diet. If there is one thing we have learned at PEERtrainer, it is that support works. And a recent trip to the NutriSystem website showed that they place a very heavy emphasis on support and teaching people fundamentals. It would be interesting to hear from the company itself on the impact of social support on the success rate of NutriSystem.

Learning portion control on your own can also be a challenge, but there are people who have done this. I found this great example in the PEERtrainer community:

"I used NutriSystem (NS) during a period of time that I knew that I would have very little time to prepare or shop for food (because of work). I lost 3 lbs in one week, but this is due to the fact that everything is already measured for you. The food wasn't great (I liked the italian the best), but it helped me learn how to "eyeball" the right portions and to find out what my body needs in order to function every day.

If I stayed on NS, I am sure that I would have lost quite a bit of weight in 2 months; but I knew that I needed to have a lifestyle change rather than a quick weight drop, so I started cooking my food again when my schedule allowed for it. 

Overall, I think it was a helpful experience seeing what portions sizes were and being on a regimented eating plan. I purchased the food on the Internet (NS website, Amazon, and EBay!). No foods were moldy and there are lot numbers and expiry dates on each box. This doesn't mean the food will taste great, but at least you know when the food officially expires."

This is an interesting observation- there is an element of personal responsibility involved. It might be that something like NutriSystem is so easy that it can lull people into complacency. There was another comment in the same thread in the PT community and someone pointed out that people on Weight Watchers can have the same problems with portion size. Once you stop counting points, you can have a tough time with portion control:

"You get out of it what you put into it. My husband was on Nutrisystem for a while and he lost weight. He has been off it for almost 4 months and he hasn't gained an ounce back. I have been eating some of the leftover stuff and I've never had a problem with moldy food. Some items are really tasty, too.

You don't have to stick with them forever but you MUST learn about portion control and making healthy choices. If you can't go out to a restaurant and order something appropriate and not overeat, you will probably have a problem when you go off the program.

The same goes for every other 'diet' program out there, food-included or not. If you don't change your bad habits forever, you will gain. Every single person I have known that has followed WW and it's point system has gained all of their weight back because they stopped paying attention after they reached their goals."

Related Posts:

NutriSystem For Men: How It Works, Price, Features And Benefits

The Glycemic Index And NutriSystem: A Look At The Fundamentals and Science Of The Diet

Beyond The Glycemic Index: Some Observations On How To Improve Upon This Proven Tool

NutriSystem Success Story: What Kinds Of People Do Well On This Diet

Weight Watchers New Momentum Program: Some Thoughts On The NutriSystem vs. WW Debate

Sweet And Sour Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

This is so tasty and so easy. I had a can of organic butternut squash on the shelf, probably left over from Thanksgiving. I turned it over and there was a recipe for traditional butternut soup. I did not have all the ingredients and I was really not interested in a recipe that called for 2 cups of half and half. Just not all that into dairy unless it is totally necessary.

So I experimented and just started to cook. I put a couple spoons of olive oil in a saucepan and then added Whole Foods Muchi curry to the heated oil. I learned a secret from my mother in law about Indian cooking- and that is you really need to fire up the spices to bring out the flavor. Whole Foods Muchi Curry is the Cliff Notes of Indian cooking. It has turmeric, cumin, black pepper, ginger, coriander, fenugreek, garlic, celery seed, cloves, cayenne pepper, carraway seed, white pepper. Basically if you have eaten Indian food odds are these ingredients are in it in some way. You are not going to be Madhur Jaffrey in a day, but you will have a powerful edge over the competition with Muchi Curry in your spice rack

This little jar of Muchi Curry is my secret sauce to making anything taste great. So I heated it up in the olive oil and then mixed in the can of butternut squash. There are very few calories in butternut squash but there are a TON of good nutrients. It is especially high in Vitamin A as well as a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals.

I threw in a couple cardamon pods to give it some more flavor. I then added some cinnamon and then some sugar! The combination was very interesting and very tasty. I added a little water to make it soupier. I realized why the Chinese feature sweet and sour dishes- the combination of the spices can make for a powerful flavor combination. Try it and don't be afraid to mess it up. It is very filling and you can even chill the soup and use it for a vegetable dip. I cut up some tomatoes and dipped it into this mix. Very very good.

The Limitations Of The Glycemic Index: Dr. Joel Fuhrman Argues For A "Micronutrient Index"

In an earlier post on the Glycemic Index and NutriSystem we published some notes from Dr. Laurie Rothman on the subject. And we mentioned that we wanted to get Dr. Joel Fuhrman's take on it as well. We got it, and here it is. It is a dissenting view, and we work to present a wide array of views and approaches. This is also an interesting perspective on the dominant approach to fight metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Joel is essentially arguing against what most MD's are telling their patients. He also takes a swipe at our "Diet Fusion" idea- arguing that this is just "watering down" the ideal diet. We agree and just point out that "Diet Fusion" is methodology, not a diet. And this methodology leads to a very high level of micronutrient intake over time.

Glycemic index Versus Micronutrient Index-- No Contest 

By Joel Fuhrman, M,D.

In diabetes research the glycemic index (GI) of carbohydrates has long been recognized as a favorable aid  for diabetics to control blood sugar.  The same is now often the case in lipid research as it has been demonstrated that high glycemic diets, rich in white flour, refined sweets and processed foods are unfavorable to both glucose levels and lipid parameters.

Authors and writers who advocate a high protein (meat-based) diet, hang their hat on the low glycemic index of animal products to explain the advantages of a diet rich in animal products and lower in vegetation.  This view oversimplifies the multi-factorial nuances of nutrition and results in a distorted understanding of nutritional science.

Ranking food on glycemic index alone ignores many other factors that may make that food favorable or unfavorable.  Because a carrot has a higher glycemic index than a slice of bacon does not make the bacon a better food for a diabetic or heart patient.  There are other more important nutritional considerations besides the glycemic index, including the toxicity, micronutient density and fiber in the food.  .

A good example of such nutritional nonsense is when Barry Sears of the Zone diet, warns against the consumption of lima beans, papayas and carrots because of their glycemic index and Atkin’s excludes or limits those carbohydrate containing fruits and vegetables with proven powerful anti-cancer benefits.

The studies that have looked at the negative effects of a higher glycemic diet are always diets that are low in nutrients and fiber, with lots of processed grains and sweets.  Obviously this diet-style is not unhealthy merely because the diet has a high glycemic response.  Processed foods are also low in fiber, phytonutrients and anti-oxidants and rich in those toxic acrlyamides; they are disease-promoting foods and one of their features is that they have a high glycemic index. 

When a diet is rich in high nutrient containing, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fresh fruits the disease-protective qualities of these foods and the weight-loss benefits overwhelm any insignificant drawback from the high glycemic index of the carrot. Even though the entire diet taken as a whole happens to have a low glycemic index, eating lot of high micronutrient containing vegetables is the most effective way and the healthiest way to lose weight because it removes food cravings and the drive to overeat. The high phytochemical index is the main factor curtailing overeating, not the glycemic index of this diet.  

Recently, a systematic review was performed of published human intervention studies comparing the effects of high- and low-GI foods or diets on appetite, food intake, energy expenditure and body weight. In a total of 31 short-term studies.  The conclusion was that there is no evidence that low-GI foods are superior to high-GI foods in regard to long-term body weight control.   More carefully performed research done recently compared the exact same caloric diets one with a lower and one with a higher glycemic index and demonstrated that lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects.

The important point to remember is that a diet with a high micronutrient density already has a favorable glycemic index, but it also is low in saturated fat, high in fiber, rich in phytochemicals, and naturally alkaline.  In other words, instead of focusing on one aspect alone consider all the positive features of what makes a diet-style disease protective.  When you do this all popular diets look just second-rate and this fusion idea is just watering down the healthiest and most effective diet-style to be politically correct.  Eat For Health results in people losing weight more effectively than gastric bypass and it is the most effective weight loss methodology ever recorded in the medical literature.

Joel Fuhrman is a board certified family physician specializing in nutrition and the author of Eat To Live and Eat for Health.  Visit him at  www.drfuhrman.com

 

REFERENCES

Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Merz CN, Brewer HB Jr, Clark LT, Hunninghake DB, et al. Implications of recent clinical trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Circulation 2004;110:227-39.

American Dietetic Association. Hyperlipidemia medical nutrition therapy protocol. Chicago: American Dietetic Association, 2001.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Behavioral counseling in primary care to promote a healthy diet: recommendations and rationale. Am J Prev Med 2003;24:93-100.

Sarter B, Campbell TC, Fuhrman J. Effect of a high nutrient density diet on long-term weight loss: a retrospective chart review.  Alt Therapies in Health and Medicine 2008;14(3):51-53.

Embarrassed To Show Up To A Weight Watchers Meeting?

I had emailed one of our Tip Of The Day subscribers to see how their weekly Weight Watchers meeting went. I was interested to hear more feedback about the new Momentum Program. So I was a little dissappointed when I got the response:

 "I didn't go this week. I ate so much, I couldn't weigh in. I'm going Saturday morning. One thing you can do is make a comment about how people are eating so badly that they are ashamed to even show up and weigh in at weight watchers. There's a story in there somewhere.  And if it's happening to me, it's happening to the masses - you can count on that!"

This is interesting and I want to see what others think about this. I can relate to this, but am not sure what feedback I can give. I will ask Joshua Wayne and update the post. We are going to continue this discussion in the PEERtrainer community. There are some excellent comments below, one from someone who has experienced the same thing, and another who is a receptionist at Weight Watchers meetings and commented on how WW deals with this.

 

It may also be that you are not totally ready to commit to something like Weight Watchers. PEERtrainer has put together a short quiz to find out your odds of actually following through.

The Glycemic Index: How The Glycemic Index Is Used In Diets Like NutriSystem

We have been looking into the NutriSystem diet recently, and specifically NutriSystem for men. We are seeing some merit in this approach for some men because it is so easy and very low cost because you are already paying to eat each day. But we wanted to dig into the actual diet itself and begin to analyze the science behind it. One of the core ideas behind the program is the concept of the Glycemic Index. It was developed by a scientist in Canada in 1980 and is used widely in the weight loss industry. And NutriSystem makes it part of the core of their program. This is an excerpt from their site (and I hope this is ok to print here):

"The Glycemic Index is the science behind the NutriSystem program. It measures the quality of carbohydrates and their impact on your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down slowly in your body encourage stable blood sugar levels, which is good, so they rate well or "low" on the Glycemic Index. On the other hand, carbs that break down too quickly cause your insulin levels to spike, and high insulin levels can cause your body to store fat. These "bad carbs" are given higher glycemic values and most often leave you hungry soon after a meal. So if you’re looking to lose weight, you should stay away from "bad carbs" and instead, seek to incorporate more "good carbs" with low glycemic values into your diet to help keep your blood sugar levels stable and your appetite in check. NutriSystem ready-to-go foods make that simple."

I asked Dr. Laurie Rothman her take on the Glycemic Index and if she used it with her own patients. Because I know there is some controversy around this. There seems to be controversy about everything!

"It is not something I rely on heavily. It is a good concept for people with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome to get a handle on what foods to eat. For example, white rice has a very high glycemic index -raises blood sugar and insulin levels quickly, as do white potatoes. Sweet potatoes would have a lower glycemic index. I would have to reference an article or 2 up to give a better clinical answer...Honeslty, I just give my patients the concept of whole grains and complex carbohydrates rather than having them need to refer to yet another chart. At the end of the day, avoid anything white....flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, pasta and you are good to go for lower glycemic index foods."

This is an interesting comment because it bolsters our observation that NutriSystem can be a great starting point for people who need to get jumpstarted on weight loss. Most people need things to be easy at the start. Long term people really have to learn the concept of nutrient density. But if you have not yet lost weight, you have to for long term survival and quality of life. It is not an option. 

If you are a man or are concerned about one, do something now. There are solutions out there, and there are diet approaches that work, especially when you understand that you have do different diets and different stages. Men can start with the NutriSystem Diet, then learn Weight Watchers, then read Dr. Fuhrman's work, then get some expert help with the mindset issues around weight loss.

There is no failing on this approach- and there is no magic bullet. You are the magic bullet when you learn to master a wide array of tools and master what we at PEERtrainer call "Diet Fusion." The most important thing we try and advocate is that "weight loss is possible." Whatever starting point works for you, just do it and find it. And keep going along this path. If you get frustrated just try a different starting point. Something will work as long as you keep working. One thing we have observed also is that when people join our Tip Of The Day program, sometimes they will get the messages for 30 days and then take some action. It helps them manufacture "readiness." At that point they might start logging on PEERtrainer, they might join Weight Watchers. Again, we are trying to point out a very broad array of ideas here.

The reality of long term weight loss is that the apex of an ideal diet is bringing your consumption of greens and vegetables to a very high level each day. Higher than you might think. And you need to bring your consumption of animal protein lower than you think. Dr. Fuhrman recommends about 20oz a week as an ideal target.

I am going to ask Dr. Fuhrman his thoughts on the Glycemic Index and if he uses anything like this with his own patients and in his books. We are also continuing this discussion in the PEERtrainer community, so if you have some experience or input, please chime in.

NutriSystem For Men: Review Of The Diet, What Foods You Eat, Who This Works For and Cost

NutriSystem can be a very effective weight loss tool for busy and active men. Many men simply are not into group support environments, and many do not have the time to do the work necessary to craft their own diet programs, even with great assistance. The core service they provide is convenience, and the core benefit is that this approach works for many people.

If you are 25 pounds or more overweight and have not yet made real progress, you need to do something. The most important thing is that you learn that you can lose weight, and that you get accustomed to this process. On PEERtrainer we have seen that many men have used NutriSystem to lose weight, especially those first 20 pounds. If you need to lose weight they offer a free diet analysis to show you how a plan like this would work for you.

NutriSystem has been very successful in reaching out to guys through ads like the one with Dan Marino below. A whole range of very active and physical guys have found this approach helpful. They send you the food and you follow the plan. I think the most important thing is that they don't make you go through "brain drain"- not being overwhelmed is a critical part of succeeding on a diet.

How Is NutriSystem For Men Different From The Regular NutriSystem Program?

 

A key difference is simply in the calories allowed. Men eat roughly 1500 calories on the diet and women are allowed 1200. The other difference is simply focus. It takes into account that a lot of guys eat hearty meals, like to feel full and basically don't want to eat tofu. But they balance these hearty foods with healthy stuff like salad and broccoli. This blended combination seems to work.

 

What Are The Fundamentals Of The Diet?

 

They are aiming for a healthy diet that balances protein, carbs and fat. This is similar to the basics of the The Zone Diet, but the exact percentages differ. What is important for men in particular is that they feel full and have energy. There is a reason that athletes have found success with NutriSystem.

The diet is also designed to be low in the general bad stuff like sodium and bad fats. They encourage whole grains and fiber, and have a strong focus on portion size and social support. If you start playing around with their online tools you have the option of joining their community for free. They also encourage you to eat fruits and vegetables with the packaged meals, and if you have read the work of Dr. Joel Fuhrman you understand clearly the association if fruits and vegetables to long term weight loss.

 

And What Foods Do You Eat On This Diet?

They have a really big menu of options, and when you sign up online you can go through all sorts of choices of foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Lots of grains, cereals and oats for breakfast. If you look at the menu it is foods you are familiar with. Same thing with lunch, things like Tex-Mex rice and Spicy Oriental Noodles with vegetables. For dinner offerings include Beef, Beans and Rice with BBQ sauce, pizza, lasagna, chili. All foods you would normally eat.

New NutriSystem Select Program

If you want to add more fruits and vegetables to the foods that are delivered the company just launched the NutriSystem Select program where fresh frozen foods are delivered to your house. This program expands the food choices and also improves the overall health profile of the food. We would observe that going with the Select option is the best one for long term health and long term weight loss success.

How Much Does NutriSystem For Men Cost?

The cost is roughly $11 a day or $300 a month. Many people say they actually save money doing this approach. And with the money you save, you can spend extra on fresh fruits and vegetables. The company has also introduced the NutriSystem Flex program where you can do the diet 5 days a week with two Flex days. This program is $230 a month for men.

NutriSystem For Men Coupons:

We have a list of NutriSystem coupons here. The company is currently offering $100 off the first four weeks or month of food, which is a nice incentive to get started.

What Support Does The Company Provide?

NutriSystem has begun to focus a lot on providing support and teaching people a lot of the fundamentals of weight loss. Their efforts are in an attempt to provide some of the things that are at the core of Weight Watchers. But there are no in person meetings, so this is very different in some respects. When you sign up you will start getting helpful emails telling you exactly what you need to do.

Will NutriSystem Help You Lose Weight Long Term?

With any diet approach you need to do a lot of work yourself to develop the proper habits and mindset. The best thing about NutriSystem is that they easily help you get on track if that is what you need. And it is a cost neutral thing for many people. Weight Watchers has a proven track record for men as well. If you lose a lot of weight following NutriSystem, you might want to join Weight Watchers after to help focus on the long term adjustments and habit development. 

All these tools work well if you use them the right way in the proper context. It is like tools to build a house- you need a hammer for this, a saw for that etc. This is at the core of the work we do with the PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day. We encourage you to find the mix of tools you need at different stages of your life and to not use just one diet approach. Your body is your house and you need all sorts of tools to build and maintain it. 

View The Full Meal Plan On The NutriSystem Website

Tips On Making NutriSystem A Healthy Diet Approach:

-Augment the meals with large servings of spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce

-Make sure to start mixing in fruit for your breakfast

-Every week find a way to eat a vegetable in a cheap and easy way.

It is easy to criticize diets like NutriSystem. Some people say that it does not teach you to make proper food choices, or that the food is not as healthy as it could be. That is a fine criticism after you have lost a nice chunk of weight. But if you have not been able to make better or healthier food choices, the you need to do whatever it takes to help you lose weight. You need to know that this is a long process and you will need to learn many tools in addition to NutriSystem.

The questions of what is an ideal diet can be addressed once you have started the process of losing weight. And there are many men who have found success using NutriSystem. 

What If I Don't Like The Food?

They offer a 30 day guarantee, and you can just stop. They have been criticized in the past for food that does not taste good or tastes bland, and they seem to be working to address this issue. As we get more feedback we will update this post. One thing to point out is that they are selling $700 million worth of their meals each year, which means there are a lot of people doing this. They offer a pretty compelling value proposition- you don't spend much more than you already would and it is convenient.

Continue The Discussion In The PEERtrainer Community

How Much Meat In The Diet Is Healthy?

Joel sent us a pretty long piece on the subject of meat and fish consumption and we broke it up into two parts. You can read his view on fish consumption here. Again, this is his view that we are presenting. Dr. Fuhrman often highlights how much we just don't know from a scientific standpoint about nutrition. But we like to present our Tip Of The Day subscribers with as broad an idea and toolset as possible. Here is his take on meat consumption:

"Ignoring the ethical and environmental benefits to a vegan diet, which undoubtedly are substantial; claiming that a vegan diet-style is healthier and will make one live longer than one that contains even a very small amount of animal products is not an argument that can be made with good scientific integrity.

We have substantial evidence from not only the China Study, but thousands of other studies to conclude that animal products when consumed in even moderate amounts such as 20 ounces a week can contribute to the development of chronic disease and are not health promoting. Many of these studies are referenced in my book Eat To Live and some can be reviewed elsewhere on this blog. However, these studies and the China Study cannot be used to validate the necessity of a strict vegan diet for optimal health as vegan populations were not studied in this enormous project. The lowest ranges of animal products consumed in the China Study were in the range of 1.7 servings per week or about 10 ounces per week.

Below that level of animal product consumption supplementation with B12 become critical for populations. If there were studies with large populations on vegan diets, a J-shaped* curve would likely be experienced, showing that as diets get lower than one serving of animal products per week, later life morbidity and mortality would start to be increased. The reason for this is that strict vegans who don’t take supplements will likely develop B12 deficiencies (rural villagers do not take supplements) leading to life shortening events, lessening the reduction in heart attack or cancer deaths achieved by the reduction of animal foods.

Besides B12, there are also nutritional advantages to a small amount of animal products for some individuals, as there are individual differences in the production of non-essential amino acids, and reduction in the absorption and metabolism of essential amino acids that makes the ingestion of additional amino acids beneficial for some individuals, such as those with digestive impairments. For others, the addition of pre-formed DHA from fish or fish oil may be beneficial because the enzymes converting short-chain omega 3 fatty acids (obtained from plant) to these longer chain fats (what is already present in fish) may not be as efficient in some individuals. It also may be possible that some people have heightened needs for DHA, taurine or other protein components as they age and digestion and conversion is decreased. I have counseled thousands of individuals on vegan and near vegan diets over the last 15 years and have found these recurring issues when investigating patients with health problems and health concerns after doing extensive evaluations to discern a cause of their complaints.

It is too frequent that writers on both sides, the vegan proponents and those advocating inclusion of substantial amounts of animal products as health supporting, have pre-formed biases and try to defend their views, rather than evaluating all the evidence with logic and clarity. Nevertheless, the reality is that for the majority of individuals, allowing under 10 -12 ounces of animal products per week does not appear to have disease risks as long as the animal products are low in saturated fat and not contaminated with parasites or toxic pollutants. Certainly, I have no desire to promote the consumption of animal products, and I am always willing to modify my recommendations if more science suggests that this guideline is not accurate in any way. However, we have to go with whatever data we have available today, and I suggest that for those who want to include animal products in their diet, we cannot with good science insist that this small amount is cancer or heart disease promoting.

I argue that either way of eating (vegan or non-vegan) can be made health-supporting (and should be supplemented appropriately to assure nutritional adequacy) and that debating which is better is not a valuable exercise. Therefore, I advocate a plant-based (vegetable-based) diet that is either vegan or one that is near vegan with a small amount of animal products, and my food pyramid designed for public guidance contains two to three servings of animal products permitted per week, assuming that the total ounces per week is under the 10 – 12 ounces range. Red meat and cheese are too high in saturated fat and should not be considered health supporting foods to be utilized on a regular basis in one’s diet. Plus those animal foods rich in fat are much higher in environmental pollutants."

Discuss This In The PEERtrainer Community

Is Fish A Health Food?

This was part of a longer article Dr. Joel Fuhrman sent us on meat consumption- how much to eat, what kinds of meat, how often to eat it. This deals with the question of fish as a health food, and the risks vs the benefits. I thought this argument interesting because everyone thinks of fish as health food, and I love to eat sushi! Here is what he says:

"Even though some fish in the diet has been shown to be beneficial at reducing heart disease risk, presumably because of those beneficial fish oils, and there are studies that indicate some fish in the diet is longevity promoting, I still do not recommend people eat much fish. 

We do not need to eat fish to get those benefits from fish oil, we can take a supplement for that and there is too much good evidence linking fish consumption with higher rates of breast cancer, plus the pollutants in fish are of a major concern. 

Whether it is the pollution in fish or the cancer promoting effect from the high level of animal protein, eating fish is linked to a higher rate of breast cancer. When 23,963 women were followed as part of the Diet, Cancer and Health study, what stood out most was the link between fish consumption and breast cancer. The conclusion of the researchers was, “this study showed that higher intake of fish was significantly associated with higher incidence rates of breast cancer. 

Surprisingly, women consuming little or no fish were found to have approximately half the incidence of breast cancer compared to high consumers of fish. This study should not be ignored. It received scant media attention. Frequent fish consumption has also been linked to increased occurrence of thyroid cancer. 

If fish are consumed on a regular basis it should be a maximum of once per week and it should be of the cleanest variety, not those in the highest range of mercury or other pollutant contamination. That limits the choice in most cities in the continental US to ocean perch, shrimp, haddock, scallops, talapia, hake and trout, eliminating swordfish, pike, mackerel, shark, lobster, tilefish, grouper, sea bass, marlin, snapper and halibut as simply too high in mercury and bluefish, herring, clams, crab and oysters as simply too polluted. 

Most other fish are in-between these two categories. Therefore, I do not recommend the eating of fish more than a few times a month, and I would much rather people who eat some animal products utilize eggs, (especially those high omega-3 eggs) and white meat fowl, such as turkey, chicken or fat-free dairy. 

To conclude, if you want to eat animal products on a regular basis, limit the consumption to one or two servings of two eggs or egg whites, or one serving of eggs and one serving of white meat turkey a week, or one serving of eggs and one serving of low-fat dairy and one serving of white meat or an occasional fish. Do not eat fish for the supposed health benefits of fish. It is not advisable to consume enough fish to get enough omega-3 fats for your heart health. It is much more reasonable to just take a daily amount of DHA to assure nutritional excellence and adequacy, such as my DHA Purity, which is algae-derived DHA and refrigerated to maintain freshness."

This is an interesting perspective and not something we normally read. The World's Healthiest Foods website has a different take on this subject, only focusing on the health benefits and not mentioning the risks.

Continue the discussion in the PEERtrainer community.

Citation for The Study On Breast Cancer and Fish Correlation:

Stripp C, Overvad K, Christensen J, et al. Fish intake is positively associated with breast cancer incidence rate. J Nutr 2003;133(11):3664-3669. J Urol 2004 Apr;171(4):1402-7.    

"There Is Always Hope"

I received this note from a member today describing why the PEERtrainer TIp Of The Day is "interesting" and "useful":

"It is great to know that so many women, struggling with their weight and the way they see themselves, are not alone and that there is always hope. That’s the key to start making a difference and that’s what all of you at PeerTraining do. I find the topics on the e-mails highly interesting! I feel I am learning something new everyday; something I can apply to my life and keeps me motivated to achieve my personal goals.

It is all the small things that we give for granted everyday what can really change the way we perceive ourselves.  Personally, I have noticed a difference and I have now the confidence to say that I will succeed. Once there, I will remember that you don’t need to do big things to impact someone’s life.

Thank you so much for all you do and I really hope more and more women can see the benefits of your work."

E., thank you so much for your kind words and your thoughtful email.  Everyone at PEERtrainer was so psyched to read your email.

Jackie

Why It Does Not Cost More To Eat A More Healthy Diet

We have a great conversation going on with Dr. Joel Fuhrman with this blog, and he wanted very much to share the story of one of his clients, Rebecca, who started his program at 500 pounds and has lost over 300 pounds. It is a very long and detailed story and we are going to blog about bit by bit. It is very interesting.

We asked her a series of questions about her whole experience, but one question I wanted to ask because people ask us this all the time:

Is your new way of eating more expensive than what you used to do? Was there a lot of cost to manage?

"No, I find it’s actually less because of the highly dense nutrient foods you consume, you satisfy your hunger with less food. My prior way of eating food was expensive, as it did not fill me up so I ate a lot of it; got very little nutrients BUT lots of excess calories which gave me lots of excess poundage!

For example, a typical drive-thru value meal super-sized at the time was almost $5.00—I could and would easily eat 2 of those meals and STILL be hungry and buy more snack foods like pretzels and chips! However, with Eat To Live, I could go into a grocery store salad bar and for the same $10.00, get a pound of salad with lots of greens, some chick peas, a few raw sunflower seeds, purchase 1-2 pieces of fruit, and get a bottle of water---AND still have 2-4 dollars back in change!

But the best part was, I would feel full—actually I ate half the salad for lunch and saved the other half for my dinner. So, eating this way is much more cost efficient, not to mention, I think I saw my family physician just 4 times during those 4 years, because I needed a physical each year for work. So, there, even more money saved eating this way because your body just gets so pumped up with so many crucial nutrients that you just don’t sick and you save money on doctor visits!"

What is interesting about this part of her story is the idea that when you eat a more nutrient dense diet- more greens and vegetables, these things help you feel full. They help you feel full because your body is getting the nutrients it needs. After Eat To Live, Dr. Fuhrman wrote a two book set called Eat For Health, which introduces the MANDI points system which makes it easy to quantify the levels of nutrient dense foods. This way of eating does not have to be expensive and it can be very easy.

Fitbottomed Readers:

Welcome to PEERtrainer--we highly recommend buying a copy of Eat For Health, and the link above takes you to a page where you can buy the book for a $15 discount, plus you get a portable food scoring guide for free. 

Weight Watchers Weight Loss Readiness Assessment Tool

Weight Watchers offers a weight loss readiness assessment that asks you a simple question: "are you ready to commit to losing weight?" This has proven to be a very popular tool. Not sure how new this is, but the new Weight Watchers Momentum program does have a much greater focus on the mental aspect of weight loss.

As part of their overall tool set to get you ready to lose weight, they also offer a BMI calculator and a health assessment. The idea is that by highlighting the health risk to one's weight, that can help give you the motivation to sustain long term weight loss. 

What is interesting is that the mental aspect of weight loss can be helped along by changes in your diet. It is a chicken and egg sort of situation, but when you "scratch the CD" of your patterns, it becomes easier to make any change you want.

In essence you need to manufacture your readiness. Which in turn will provide fuel for motivation. It is simple physics if you think about it. Objects are hard to get in motion, but once they are, they are easy to keep in motion.

The key is that you need a good jumpstart to get the object in motion. PEERtrainer has put together three tools that could help you get "in motion" as part of a free weight loss program. You don't need to do all three. Just take a look at the three options, see which one is a fit for you, and give it a try.

The key to readiness is to create it yourself!!!

Perfect Pushup: A Review of A Cool Product That Works

This is Habib guest blogging and I want to talk about a product that both men and women might like. The marketing team for the Perfect Pushup product sent us a sample of the new mobile version of the product. It folds up and goes in a nice little pouch. I have had it for a couple months and felt compelled to blog about this for three reasons.

1) The product works as advertised. When I use it, I usually get sore the next couple days. I am not a huge exerciser, but I do pushups from time to time because it is easy to do it. 

2) It is a great product to have in the bedroom. I have a set of 25 pound dumbells and the Perfect Pushup side by side. I can see it, and that serves as a reminder each day to do it.

3) The product seems to be very well built. We have a 5 year old and a two year old and they like standing on top of one Perfect Pushup and spinning around. I am pretty sure that this is not what the company recommends, but it seems to be able to withstand a beating.

I could probably use a little more instruction on how to best use it, but I love having it in my bedroom. Thanks for sending us one!  www.perfectpushup.com 

Zone Diet: Best Food Combinations That Give You Energy And Keep You Full

We've been talking a lot about Weight Watchers, Eat To Live and Nutrisystem lately but as I was making a video about satisfying snacks, I recalled how the Zone Diet, with its fat/protein/carb ratio, has great ideas for food combinations that will make you feel full.  Here's the video:

We know a lot of people at PEERtrainer use the zone diet for "the unlimited energy it gives you" as well as the "the feeling of appropriate protein, carbs and fat for a meal". Another member said "it teaches a quick way to balance foods and if I'm not balanced, I literally cannot workout." A ton of professional athletes are zone devotees and Jennifer Aniston has often credited the zone publicly for her sleek look.  They have a great page that totally explains how it works.

If you don't have time to cook, they have amazing snacks, bars and other foods with the "perfect zone" combination that you can grab quickly and at least know you're eating something good that will give you energy.

Dr. Fuhrman, Author of "Eat To Live" Explains Why "Nutritarians" Seek Broad Array of Micronutrients.

This is a guest blog post from Joel Fuhrman explaining in detail his basic philosophy of nutrition. It is a bit of a read but well worth it. What I find interesting is his assertion that the best diets are "adjusted to meet individual needs." This is congruent with our whole "Diet Fusion" philosophy that we talk about in the PEERtrainer coaching programs and the Tip Of The Day newsletter.

Dr. Fuhrman coined the new word, “nutritarian” to represent his recommended diet-style

What IS a Nutritarian?

A nutritarian understands that food has powerful disease–protecting and therapeutic effects and seeks to consume a broad array of micronutrients via their food choices. It is not sufficient to merely avoid fats, consume foods with a low glycemic index and low in animal products, nor eat a diet of mostly raw foods. A truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich and the micronutrient richness must be adjusted to meet individual needs. The foods with the highest micronutrient per calorie scores are green vegetables, colorful vegetables, and fresh fruits. For optimal health and to combat disease, it is necessary to consume enough of these foods. 

A nutritarian is a person whose food choices are influenced by nutritional quality.

 The Fuhrman Philosophy:

The quality of a diet can be based on three simple criteria:

1)    Levels of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals) per calorie.

2)    Amounts of macronutrients (fat, carbohydrate, protein) to meet individual needs, without excessive calories that may lead to weight gain or health compromise.

3)    Avoidance of potentially toxic substances (such as trans fats) and limited amounts of other potentially harmful substances (such as sodium).

Dr. Fuhrman is the founder of the health equation, (first published in 1999 in his work, The Health Equation and later described in more detail in his book, Eat To Live (2003).

H = N/C

Health = Nutrients/Calories

The means your future health can be predicted by the micronutrient per calorie density of your diet.  Micro-nutrient per calorie density is important in devising and recommending menu plans and dietary suggestions for the most effective approach for both weight loss and for preventing and reversing disease. 

Dr. Fuhrman’s Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) and MANDI food scoring system are featured in his book(s) Eat For Health, so people can easily recognize foods, meals and menus sufficiently rich micronutrients to ideally meet individual needs.   

Assuring nutritional excellence means meeting every person’s unique nutritional needs which has profound therapeutic effects to treat and reverse disease.  Dietary micronutrient quality must be increased accordingly to utilize dietary recommendations therapeutically for disease reversal or to protect high-risk individuals.

 

Though micronutrient density is critically important, it is not the only factor that determines health.  For example Vitamin D levels, B12, and proper omega-3 intake are important for optimal long-term health and avoidance of sodium and other toxic excesses are not addressed in the H = N/C equation.  However, when the focus is consuming more micronutrient-rich natural foods, other important nutritional benefits, such as  low in sodium and calories, high in fiber and volume, a high satiety and phytochemical index, low glycemic index, and other positive qualities are automatically realized.  

Eating low nutrient foods fuels overeating behavior.

Last, but not least, Dr. Fuhrman’s unique contribution to the science of nutritional care, disease reversal and weight loss is his explanation of the physiology behind hunger and food cravings.

Recognizing that low nutrient eating (and toxic eating) leads to increasing cellular toxicity with undesirable levels of free radicals and advanced glycation end products (AGE’s), lipfusion, lipid A2E and other toxins that contribute to the development of chronic disease is important.  His findings are that these toxic substances lead to addictive withdrawal symptoms (toxic hunger) which results in the desire to eat more frequent and overeat, establishing a mechanism via low nutrient eating leads to food additions and food cravings that can’t be ignored.  This is the reason why calorie counting diets fail.  Without addressing dietary quality, excess food cravings are almost impossible to ignore.  

Fortunately the drive to over-consume calories is blunted by high micronutrient, high food antioxidant, consumption and the symptoms that people thought were hypoglycemia or even hunger, simply disappear after following his dietary recommendations.  Not only do people lose the symptoms of fatigue, headaches, irritability and stomach cramping, but you get back in touch with true hunger felt in the throat, which simply makes eating more pleasurable and directs you to a more appropriate amount of calories for your body’s biological needs. 

In a portion controlled (calorie counting) diet it is likely that the body will not get adequate fiber or micronutrients. The body will have a compounded sensation of hunger and cravings which for most is simply overwhelming.  It invariably results in people either unable to lose weight or losing weight then gaining it back.  The biochemistry and physiology behind food cravings are more thoroughly explained in Dr. Fuhrman’s books and lectures, but without a thorough understanding of these principles weight loss attempts are typically doomed to fail.

 

So, Are You a Nutritarian? 

Weight Watchers Online Is A Great Option If You Don't Like The Meetings

I got an email from a new subscriber to the Tip of The Day program this morning and it was really nice, but this woman really needed a lot of help in addition to what we provide. She made the following comment:

"Thank you for giving me a place to be supported that is not a large room with 50

shivering women in tears over a WW weigh in."

But she mentioned she was in a very high risk in terms of the health impact of her weight. It is great that she has joined the PEERtrainer family, but Weight Watchers Online is a great additional tool, made much better with the fundamental changes of the Momentum program.

If you are in a high risk category you need to be doing Momentum, you need to see someone like Dr Fuhrman. Maybe your own doctor has failed you but there are great ones out there. You can even do a phone consultation with Dr. Fuhrman. He has helped people successfully lose hundreds of pounds. So has Weight Watchers. 

If you are a little overwhelmed and don't really know where to start, get someone to start asking you some questions to help you assess your health and your overall readiness to lose weight. Weight Watchers has a great tool that does this.

This idea of readiness is also something that therapist Joshua Wayne talks about a lot. In particular he mentions the difference between wanting to lose weight and expecting to lose weight. The difference for most people is that we tend to get what we expect and not what we want. You can read more about this idea here.

Weight Watchers SETPoints: A Key Feature Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program

I saw this question of Weight Watcher SETPoints in the PEERtrainer community this morning. This is the first I have heard of it, but at first glance it seems to confirm what I have started to think- that the new Weight Watchers Momentum Program is a different and much better overall offering than before.

In the example the person gave in the community salmon was a certain points value with the regular Weight Watchers Point System and a lower value with the new SETPoint system. One is to conclude that this new system is incentivizing you to eat healthier foods.

If you are thinking about joining or rejoining Weight Watchers, you want to make sure you are really ready to follow through on their program. PEERtrainer has put together this weight loss readiness quiz that will help you ballpark how willing you are to lose weight and if is a true priority. This in turn helps you understand your "odds" of losing weight. Take a look at the quiz and really answer those questions as honestly as you can.

I checked out the Weight Watchers message boards and there was some discussion about this. Someone pointed out that if you are doing Weight Watchers Online you have the option of counting your points in either the old or new SETPoint system. If you go to meetings, the book you get will have these two different values as well.

In addition to this being a great overall move for them to make the best diet possible, they also make it harder to count points on your own. We have heard that the Weight Watchers recipes are great and that you have to sign up to get them. With this new SETPoint system, it makes doing Weight Watchers on your own pretty much impossible. They are forcing you to join. They do offer a great new free tool, the weight loss readiness assessment. There are options to save money when you join, and you have to go to their website to find exact pricing and details.

But overall we keep hearing good stuff from these guys. As we say in our coaching programs, you have to be open to the best tools out there and realize that you might be at a very different stage in your life then you once were.

Best Healthy Dessert Idea Ever: Hot Apple Sundae

This has been a very popular dessert recipe. You can make a "Hot Apple Sundae" in 2 minutes with your microwave. You can substitute whatever jam you want for marmalade. This is easy, cheap, healthy, low in calories. Really a perfect way to eat dessert.

Definitely let us know what your jam or flavor of choice is. You might try just mixing coconut oil, sugar and cinnamon.

Ingredients:

1 Apple

1/2 Teaspoon of Butter or Coconut Oil

Cinnamon

Sugar

Marmalade or your Jam of choice

Directions:

Core the top of the apple, leaving the bottom part of the core intact. Put your mix in, and microwave for three minutes. The mix will start to bubble, and cover part of the apple.

Cool and enjoy very slowly. It will be hot!

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How To Feed Kids: Some Ideas From "Disease Proof Your Child" By Dr. Fuhrman

I got a nice email from Joel after one of my recent blog posts and it reminded me to dig into one of his overlooked books "Disease-Proof Your Child- Feeding Kids Right."

I am going to do a series of short posts from that book because these are questions that I ask for my own kids. And I go to this book more and more, especially as I struggle with the questions of how to balance healthy food with the stuff they go for regularly like Mac and Cheese and pizza. 

One question I have is "how much should I feed my kids?" As I dug into the book I got some good answers to that question and also some great ideas for other blog posts.

How Much To Feed Children- And A Tip On Getting More Broccoli In The Diet! 

"The vast majority of children eat the precise amount of calories they need for excellent health." If good food is available to them "their bodies will given them normal signals that will control and the amount and even diversity of food for them to maintain excellent health." 

According to Dr. Fuhrman, kids eat when they are hungry and consume more food during growth spurts and times of heavy activity." He insists that kids sort of "adjust their caloric intake to match their needs." I have found success telling my 5 year old that broccoli makes him fast and that he will be faster than daddy if he eats broccoli. We even feign disapproval if he eats too much. As a result he wolfs it down.

He now orders broccoli at restaurants along side his mac and cheese or pizza almost always. You can click here for information on how to buy this book. We strongly recommend the book because he talks about lots of scientific stuff about long term health plus a whole slew of very practical suggestions on how to get kids to eat better. It is ten bucks in paperback, just add it to your next Amazon order.

Parents Sometimes Feed Their Kids Too Much, And The Processed Stuff Can Dull The Taste Buds...

Before I put this post up I emailed him to make sure it was ok to quote from his book and it turns out Joel uses the same strategy that we do with the broccoli. He also added to what he said in the book:

"I always serve my kids steamed kale chopped and mixed with a  sauce made with raw cashews blended with some soy milk.  They love it.

I also tell my son, stop eating so much of that kale.  You will get stronger than me and I can’t have that.  Once I was running away, saying don’t touch me after eating that kale, you might hurt me with all that kale power.  He of course ran over and gave me a tiny shove and I fell away doing a back flip over the couch, screaming, “get that kale away from that kid”.
 
The other point here is that parents are the main cause of overweight kids.  It starts out when are children are just toddlers and parents have this societal-induced, erroneous idea that it is better to have a bigger child.  Most children coaxed to consume food than they really need and want, and parents have to resort to deserts and processed foods to induce additional calorie intake.   Eventually, when hunger is no longer part of the equation, the child may even reject all healthy food, once they do not need to eat natural foods to satisfy hunger.   

And once their tastes have adjusted to the heightened flavors, and become deadened to the more mild flavors of vegetables, beans and fruits, they use food recreationally, and become little junk food addicts craving concentrated sweets and fats.  Now we have a nation of adult food addicts who were raised on processed cereals, candy and fast food and they are raising the next generation of children in this toxic food environment. "

Disease Proof Your Child is an important book and in many ways picks up where Dr Benjamin Spock left off many years ago. There is a lot of pressure to confirm to the realities of modern life and practices, but you need to consider the cost of the confirmation.

Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right