PEERtrainer

Have You Decided That You Don't Want To Live Past Your 70's?

I did a radio segment yesterday, (KGO in the Bay Area) and I was asked a very interesting question in the interview. We were discussing the latest (jaw dropping) obesity stats, and the host, Gil Gross, presented a theory that I thought was very interesting and worth some further discussion.

His theory was something that people think, but never say. Which is that a lot of people in the US have made the conscious decision that they would rather eat hamburgers and ice cream than live long. He thinks that people have looked old age "squarely in the eye" and made the decision that they don't want to live into their 80's or longer. 

In his view, most people are expecting a period of their life where there is going to be pain and suffering, and they are going to be a burden to others.

My response to this (and you can listen to the segment here) was basically, yes, for people who have not figured out the food formula, they really have given up, and decided on "the path of least resistance."

Key Point:

But for people who have figured out the food formula, they understand that you can live into your 90's AND be healthy and strong. Jack LaLanne came up in the conversation, and Gil responded by saying something to the effect of "but who wants to work out an hour a day?"

While it is true that Jack LaLanne was very physically fit and did work out, he was also a very early adopter of the nutrient dense diet. In fact he was an early fan and advocate of the work of Dr. Fuhrman. So yes, if your only perspective is the "conventional diet" one, you probably have a pretty grim view of your later years.

But when you make the shift to a higher nutrient way of eating, your life literally changes. In fact, we talked about this exact thing yesterday.

Gil's observation builds on this. Not only will your immediate life change, but your perception of how you will age and what the quality of your life will be as you age changes. For the better.

The big question we see at PEERtrainer is "ok, HOW do I do this?" Many people see something like the Cheat System or Eat To Live and can dive right in. Others need a ton of help, which is why we have developed our programs to help put these ideas into practice.

Conclusion: Please tell us what you think about Gil's comment. Do you see this in yourself or people around you? Has your perception of how you will age changed, if you are one of those people who has made "the shift?" Leave a comment here on this blog post, reply to the email that you were sent with this blog post or leave a comment on our facebook wall.

 

Related Resources:

PEERtrainer Point Of No Return (changes how you think permanently)

PEERtrainer Mastermind (lightweight program to keep you on track and keep the progress going)

 

Related Articles:

How To Change Anything

How To Live Without Apology

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Man Who Lost 14 Pounds in 3 Months Using The PEERtrainer Cheat System

From the inbox this morning:

"Hi Jackie,

It's not an exaggeration when I say the day I stumbled upon Peertrainer was a day that changed my life. I've always struggled with my weight, always thought I was eating healthy (a thought that was encouraged by nutritionists I saw who encouraged the idea that pasta, chicken and dairy are "health" foods...), and could never understand why I kept gaining weight despite being relatively disciplined.

The daily tips fixed some major holes in my nutritional strategy - for example, the first tip I received from you is to focus on the one thing that trips me up. I knew that I was generally good at portion control (or so I thought), but whenever I cook a fresh pot of something, about twice a week, I keep nibbling on it for a while after I finish my meal. I decided to focus on that, and discovered that when I don't nibble, the pot suddenly produces around 8 meals instead of the usual 6 - I was actually "nibbling" two extra meals twice a week!

Next, the Cheat System provided me with a simple and easy strategy to lose weight. I didn't really have to give up anything, just limit whatever is on the right column to a 1000 calories per day, and more importantly increase the amount of vegetables and legumes in my diet. I cooked sweet potatoes and chickpeas, and bought a bunch of bags of peeled mini-carrots, and I was good to go. I lost 14 lbs in a little over 3 months. Not only that, but I felt healthier and more energized than I ever felt even when I was 18 (I'm 34 now). Even my eyesight, that was starting to deteriorate, all of the sudden became perfect again. Probably saved me a lot of money on getting prescription glasses..."

2 Reasons This Email Is Important

The email keeps going but we want to keep this post short and simply point out that this is a GREAT email because it outlines very clearly the power of getting out of "conventional diet food" mindset. We hammer away at this idea because it is so embedded in people's minds that they eat "diet foods." We have a controversial suggestion- if you are eating anything that is labeled low calorie or 100 calorie snack pack stuff- that is a strong indicator that you are going to struggle.

For whatever reason, people are resistant to making this shift, but when they do things change.

It also shows how the (free) PEERtrainer Cheat System helps to provide a simple way to eat a plant strong, nutrient dense diet.

We are also posting this to show people that if they follow the Cheat System, good things can happen.  

Additionally, it is a great example of the power of the free resources at PEERtrainer. Good advice and help is the best support you can get!

What Successful Weight Loss REALLY Looks Like

Hint: It's not the weekly 7 - 20 pound loss you see on reality television!

We tend to see the same thing over and over at PEERtrainer: people can actually be on a successful weight loss track, but because they don't KNOW what a successful track looks like, they think they are failing.

Once they believe they have screwed up, then they say "screw it" and really screw up. If only they knew how well they were doing! While success does depend on your specific goals, starting point, body type and regimen, there are a few things that are consistent across the board. Once you measure your weekly weigh in against this checklist, you'll know if you're on the right track.

1. Weight loss does NOT come in the form of losing 2 pounds every week until you reach your goal, no matter how well you've stuck to your food and exercise plan.

When you were gaining, you didn't gain 2 pounds every single week in a measured fashion. You're not going to lose it in a measured fashion no matter how well you stick to your plan.  You might lose 2 pounds one week.  You might even lose three pounds in a week.  Then, you might lose 1 pound the next week.

Some weeks you might lose zero and there are weeks you even gain.  These weeks are the most frustrating and we all have these kinds of weeks where we feel like we're doing everything right and the scale doesn't give us what we want.

Keep track of the weekly weigh-ins but take a look at the month and see the overall trend. You might have gained a 1/2 pound one of the weeks but take note if you lost 4 pounds overall for the month. If the month is trending downwards, you are in the right place.  

2. Nobody is perfect 100% of the time.

Sure, there are a few people that are perfect.  I haven't seen them but I'm sure they're out there.  There are also a few people who can eat 3000 calories a day and have a perfect figure and that's just the way it goes. Just because you went out drinking and ate all the bread, stuffed your face with pasta, and had 2 desserts, and then woke up and had a cheese omelet the next day does not mean you have failed.

Everyone does this.

We all make a committment and we all slip up.  Just like Vince Lombardi says, it's not if you fall, it's if you get back up. You fell. So what? Learn what will work for you to get back on track. You can fall and still be on a successful weight loss track by simply making the decision to get back there.

3. You've been doing everything right and you're not losing anything. (aka The Dreaded Plateau)

We rarely see members who don't hit a plateau in the weight loss process. Some can last for a few weeks. I was on one for an entire year!

It's so easy to say to yourself, "I'm doing everything right so this is where my weight should be."  That might be true, but it might not be true. It wasn't for me. Once I changed my approach and made the decision to be thinner, no matter how long that would take, I dropped the weight. I increased the nutrients. I changed my exercise approach. I kept the principles of optimism by Martin Seligman in mind. Plateaus do not mean you are done. They are usually a sign that you need to make a change. Do you have the courage to figure it out and keep on going?

Keep in mind that a real weight loss track of ordinary fluctuations are boring to watch. The double digit weekly losses you see have to be created somehow, which is why it's television. Sometimes the loss is real and lasting. Many times, the weight loss results are usually over once the 6 week "sprint" has come to an end.

Real life is more like a marathon, some miles are effortless, some are excruciating and the only way you really fail is if you quit.

Jackie

How To Get The Motivation To Sign Up For Weight Watchers In 3 Days! (True Story From A PEERtrainer Member)

This email was just sent to us by someone who is on Day 3 of our course to Help Stop Emotional Eating. We are sharing it to show how quickly one can get back on track, EVEN if you have fallen WAY off track and gained a BUNCH of weight back"

"Hi, Peertrainer is helping me immensely. It gave me the motivation to sign up for Weight Watchers Online. I am a lifetime member but gained back 45 lbs now I have lost nine and feel empowered thanks to Peertrainer. WW has always worked for me when I work the plan, and with Peertrainer also, I feel very positive about my ability to lose those 45 lbs.

Peertrainer calls, (I am on call three,) helped me to re-frame how I define myself. I learned the importance of how we think about ourselves, and now I say I am not an emotional eater, I eat at times to avoid an emotion that I don't want to deal with. YAY, that is progress!

The second call stressed this and it is working for me. I stop myself before I eat and examine what I am feeling. I substitute exercise, journaling, or go to my list of activities I keep on my refrigerator and pick one. And, wow! It works!

It hit me when I scrolled down to see all the people in the group, and one member really caught my eye....2fat2lose I think that that person is setting herself up for failure, because she believes she is to fat to lose the weight, and this caused me to really think hard on all areas of my life, as to what I am saying as opposed to what I really want.

Thanks very much, love Peertrainer! 

Great Story Of A Man Who Lost 48 Pounds Following Dr. Joel Furhman's Eat To Live

Just got this comment on one of our YouTube videos about Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Eat To Live:

 

"I wrote the first comment on this video a year ago. I ended up buying the "Eat to Live" book rather than the "Eat for Health." It is my Bible!! I read and reread this book for motivation and to learn everything I can. I've since lost 48 pounds. 198 pounds to 150 pounds. Blood pressure is below 120/80, without any medication, and the blood test for cholesterol, LDL, HDL, etc. were all good. Thank you for suggesting this great resource."  Gary - In a Little Town in Northern NY

 

If you click into the video comments you will see his first comment was a year ago where he says he's going to buy the book.  There's some other great feedback there too.

You can find out all about the book at http://www.drfuhrman.com. 

 

 

New Article By Joshua Wayne: Let Your Light Shine!

Joshua's newest article ends with this great quote from Nelson Mandela:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

- Nelson Mandela in his inaugural address, 1994 

read the full article: http://www.peertrainer.com/let_your_light_shine.aspx

How To Be More Powerfully In Control Of Your Choices By Living Without Apology

We were recently sent the following question:

"I feel like I'm always apologizing for everything. I apologize when I order a salad instead of a cheeseburger by always saying, well I have a big event coming up, so I really need to watch what I’m eating".

I see other people do this as well. They "apologize" for their order with this: "I'm ordering a salad with grilled chicken because you should see what I ate last night! Margaritas, chips and salsa - I must have eaten three bowls of chips alone!" Why say anything?

It's everyone's dream to live without apology but no matter how many quotes we see, we take a step in that direction and we get hit so hard with a snarky comment that we go back to making excuses and "living with apology". How do you start to have the confidence - what is the first step to living life without apology?"

Joshua Wayne has created a detailed response to this question. Here is his answer:

http://www.peertrainer.com/how_to_live_without_apology.aspx

Is Coconut Bad For You Because It Contains Saturated Fat?

On the new PEERtrainer Facebook page recently somebody posted something to the effect of "Your vegetable soup recipe is great, but I took out the coconut milk because my friend the cardiologist says that the saturated fat in coconut is bad for you."

We had been thinking about this question for a few days. Then today a box arrived in the mail with 6 books from Dr. Jonny Bowden. He is someone that we have gotten to know recently, and have begun to dig into his work. What we have found so far is someone who has taken all the "health stuff" and made it very understandable.

Anyway, we were flipping through one of the books, titled "The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth." And one page 107 there was a section on Coconut, that answered this exact question! Bowden writes:

"I really looked forward to writing this section, because I felt that it would give me a chance to right one of the greatest nutritional misconceptions of all time: the idea that coconut, because it contains saturated fat, is bad for you."

Summary of Dr. Jonny Bowden's insights on coconut:

• Coconut and coconut oil are superfoods. Coconut is one of the most healthy, amazing things you can ingest.
• People in Asia and the Pacific Islands whose diets are high in coconut oil have low levels of chronic disease- cancer, heart disease etc. 
• The fat in coconut is actually good for you. The book explains the science in detail, but the basic idea is that the fatty acids in coconut are easier to metabolize, and are different from the fatty acids in other forms of saturated fat. 

These fatty acids are called Medium Chain Triglycerides or MCT's. From Wikipedia:

"Some studies have shown that MCTs can help in the process of excess calorie burning, and thus weight loss. However, close to half of the calories in one's diet would have to be from the MCTs themselves. Therefore, consuming medium-chain triglycerides in a regular diet may or may not be beneficial to weight loss; studies are still being conducted" 

Anyway, the bottom line here is that we now have a greater level of understanding now of WHY our soup recipe has been such a hit. Most of the calories in the soup come from the coconut milk, which might explain why so many people have found that it helped them lose weight.

And we have also found a great book, one that that we will be referring to again and again.  Also- if you are interested in our recipes, please keep reading this post for information on how to be sent new recipes from PEERtrainer that meet our criteria of being easy, tasty, cheap, nutrient dense, fill you up, give you energy....

Here Is One:

Spicy Thai Curry Recipe

 

Calories in Coconut Milk

What Kind Of Recipes and Food Ideas Are You Looking For?

We have just begun a big project so that everyone on PEERtrainer can get the exact recipes and kinds of recipes you have been asking for. We have teamed up with someone (Ivy Larson) who knows our approach, and will be helping us with recipes, some videos (and some other fun things that we are working on that many of you will really find fun and interesting....)

But we need your help in this process to make sure we give you 100% of what you want.

If this is an area of interest for you, we need you to do 2 quick things:

1. Please take a quick survey and tell us exactly what you are looking for, how we can help you with recipes, food ideas, cooking. You tell us and we give you exactly what you are looking for. (How cool is that?)

The PEERtrainer "What Kind Of Recipes Do You Want?" Survey

2. Sign up for our new Recipes Recipes Recipes email list. The plan is to send a couple emails per month as we get this project started. Here is the link:

Sign Up To Be Sent New Recipes From PEERtrainer

Everything we do at PEERtrainer is pretty interactive, and we are really looking forward to it. We will also be posting our progress in this area on the PEERtrainer Facebook page, so definitely check that out, hit the like button and jump in!!

In case the link above did not work, you can also sign up for the recipes list right here:

Sign Up To Be Sent New Recipes From PEERtrainer!

First Name:

Email:

We Will Send You A Couple Email Updates Each Month. Please Keep The Feedback Coming!

-Jackie and Ivy

Interview With Ivy Larson, Who Has Used Diet To Control Her MS And Become A Best Selling Author In The Process

By Jackie Wicks

This is a great story on so many levels. I just met and interviewed a woman named Ivy Larson, and I want you all to hear her story because it is so inspiring. Long story short is that she solved her own health puzzle by taking total responsibility for her own outcome and getting some of the best help and guidance that she could.

Interview Summary and Introduction:

Ivy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at age 22. Up to this point she was a very healthy, athletic person. Summer of 1998 she started having all sorts of very out of the routine medical problems. Many parts of her body just stopped working properly.

Visits to many doctors in Palm Beach County didn't get to the bottom of what was happening. Finally she ended up in the emergency room, and she ended up seeing a urologist in Miami. It was there the doctor realized that the problem was likely neurological.

After a battery of tests she was diagnosed as being in the early stages of MS. She was given three options. 1) trial for medication that was in the human trial phase. 2) Begin one of the FDA approved disease modifying medications. But I was told that there were huge side effects and she wanted to have children. 3) Third option was a dietary overhaul.

She knew nothing about nutrition at this point. She contacted a friend from high school who was at the University Of Pennsylvania Medical school at the time. His immediate reaction to the suggestion of using diet was to look up the credentials of the neurologist suggesting this course of action.

He did and this began a process where he began to understand the limitations and risks of treating MS with drugs as well as the power of treating the symptoms through dietary changes. Down the road, Ivy and her friend at medical school ended up getting married (MS: A Love Story!). They ended up writing a best selling book based on their experience tackling this problem called, The Gold Coast Cure: A Lifestyle Plan to Shed Pounds, Gain Health and Reverse 10 Diseases.

Ivy has also become an amazing cook in the process. You can find many of her recipes on her website.

The interview runs 30 minutes. Talking to Ivy was interesting, uplifting and motivating. We hope you enjoy it!

Click Here To Download/Listen To The PEERtrainer Interview With Ivy Larson

About MS, (From Wikipedia)

"Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata) is a disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females. It has a prevalence that ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000. MS was first described in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot.

MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other. Nerve cells communicate by sending electrical signals called action potentials down long fibers called axons, which are wrapped in an insulating substance called myelin. In MS, the body's own immune system attacks and damages the myelin. When myelin is lost, the axons can no longer effectively conduct signals. The name multiple sclerosis refers to scars (scleroses—better known as plaques or lesions) in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which is mainly composed of myelin. Although much is known about the mechanisms involved in the disease process, the cause remains unknown. Theories include genetics or infections. Different environmental risk factors have also been found.

Almost any neurological symptom can appear with the disease, and often progresses to physical and cognitive disability. MS takes several forms, with new symptoms occurring either in discrete attacks (relapsing forms) or slowly accumulating over time (progressive forms). Between attacks, symptoms may go away completely, but permanent neurological problems often occur, especially as the disease advances.

There is no known cure for MS. Treatments attempt to return function after an attack, prevent new attacks, and prevent disability. MS medications can have adverse effects or be poorly tolerated, and many patients pursue alternative treatments, despite the lack of supporting scientific study. The prognosis is difficult to predict; it depends on the subtype of the disease, the individual patient's disease characteristics, the initial symptoms and the degree of disability the person experiences as time advances. Life expectancy of patients is nearly the same as that of the unaffected population."

Do You Feel As If You Are Truly Capable Of Losing Weight?

This is something we emailed out Sunday, May 2nd: We are working on a "mission statement" at PEERtrainer, and in the process trying to hone in on "the thing we do best." It is a tough question to answer because we do a lot of things in response to the needs of different people.

From Habib's perspective the thing we do best is simply foster communication and conversation. Ideally we ask questions in a way that really gets you thinking.

Joshua Wayne is focused on the coaching aspect of PEERtrainer, and his response was very interesting. We had asked him "what is the single thing we do best with the coaching program and what have been the results?"

As an exercise this Sunday, read his response, and then think for a few moments about the question asked in the subject of this email:

"One of the key things we have set out to accomplish, from my perspective, is helping people feel like they are in control of their relationship to food so they can get where they want to go.

Feeling out of control is one of the worst feelings in life. Desperately wanting something, like to lose weight, and not feeling capable of getting there is a terrible feeling. Feeling like you'll always be overwhelmed by your lousy habits and that you'll never really be in control of them. Feeling like no matter how hard you try, and no matter how many times you try, that your negative emotions will ultimately derail you. These feelings build and build and build which leads to hopelessness.

So one of our main goals was to help people get back in control. One of the key ways we do that is to teach them to start being easy on themselves - not beating themselves up endlessly. People add insult to injury when they beat themselves up after they "screw up" on their diet. We see that many people have this "perfectionist"streak and we start to break that up by teaching them to be patient with themselves.

Simultaneously we're giving them REALLY good diet info. Not fad type stuff - in fact exactly the opposite. We help them lay the foundation for healthy, sustainable lifestyle change.

We also really embed this whole program smack dab in the middle of their lives too. This is crucial. We're not forcing them to create an alternate reality in their life where they can get healthy. They have to be able to do it in the middle of the crazy day with job, boss, kids, husband/wife because that's their reality and that's where they live.

If they have to attend to all that stuff, AND THEN have to go and carve out time for 3 elaborate meals per day (plus all the shopping and prep) so they can eat pistacio- crusted tilapia with carmelized onion asparagus consomme for dinner it's just not going to happen. Same with the exercise piece. It has to be centrally located in their life.

Not an alternate reality where they have to now squeeze 5 trips to the gym into their life.

Building on that, they have to be able to deal with: work dinners out, frenemies sabotaging them, the "crappy" food inertia of their family when they go home to visit. All that comes up and you have to have a "tool-kit" to deal with it. We give them that tool-kit.

Lastly, we provide consistent support. We're there for 12 weeks, at least a couple times a week. Sometimes with an email saying hi and a friendly reminder to look at the bright side, sometimes with a video or an article and of course the weekly calls.

Everyone needs consistency to make things happen, whether it's building a business, making a relationship work well or losing weight. We provide that consistent support which helps people internalize this optimism and get back to that place of self-control.

Fostering self-control is the key."

I thought that this was a very helpful observation for us, and a great question to ask everyone. This "Tip Of The Day" list that you are reading right now is designed to communicate with you and get you thinking.

And if you are one of those people looking to get in control, I would highly encourage you to try the first month of the Point Of No Return, and let Joshua work some of his magic. We often find ourselves "soft-selling" his work, but as we go through all the feedback from people who finish the program we see that he is very good at accomplishing his objective.

This isn't the kind of situation where we are promising this crazy quick weight loss. This is the complete opposite of all that. Joshua helps you take a step back, and helps you examine all of your assumptions.

At the core it is really about your relationship to yourself. So often at PEERtrainer we soft pedal what we do. But this is something we are doing well, and for many people it is the most important thing in their life that they can be working on.

When we help people to make better decisions for the rest of their life, the ripple effect that has is powerful. Frankly, if you are struggling with food and then do the work to gain control, there is almost nothing in life you cannot successfully tackle. The belief that you develop in yourself will be the new fuel that you can use in all parts of your life.

-Jackie 

P.S. One more thing I want to add here. Joshua wrote a book about emotional eating based entirely on what he saw in the PEERtrainer community, and we turned it into a downloadable digital guide. We sell it for $27, but we thought it made sense to offer it free to people who have opened this email and read the whole message for the next two days or so. If you are still reading this particular email, we have said something that has resonated with you.

Even if you decide to opt out of the program during the $1 month one trial period, Joshua's guide to emotional eating is yours to keep. The book is 175 pages, so there is a LOT in there to digest. Lots of ideas.

When you sign up via this link for the program, you will be sent the book in three days. There is a lot we throw at you, and we want to make sure you get acclimated.

http://www.peertrainer.com/coaching

"Why Am I Not Losing Weight??"

Hi There-

 

We have been sharing some older articles from Joshua Wayne recently where he shares some of his "mind secrets." Please keep the feedback coming- we know we are really connecting with this.

 

Today we pleased to tell you about a new article that we have from him that we just published on the site. We hope you enjoy it:

 

http://www.peertrainer.com/why_you_are_not_losing_weight.aspx

 

 

We also just uploaded a new video from the series I did with Dr. Joel Fuhrman. In this video he starts to answer the question: "is is better to eat raw or cooked vegetables?"

 

This is an increasingly common question, and as usual Dr. Fuhrman has a unique insight into this subject because of the deep amount of research and study he has done in the field of nutrition.

 

Just below the video is part of an article he wrote where he goes into much greater depth about the raw vs cooked debate. Very interesting:

 

http://blog.peertrainer.com/health/2010/03/is-it-better-to-eat-raw-vegetables-or-cooked-vegetables-dr-joel-fuhrman-gives-his-perspective.html

 

 

-Jackie

 

 PS- we continue to get a lot of feedback and insight from the articles we have been focusing on. This blog post contains an email we got from a reader with a very good tip on how to indentify and fight the foods that sabotage your efforts:

 

http://blog.peertrainer.com/tip_of_the_day/2010/03/interesting-strategy-to-combat-weight-loss-sabotaging-foods.html

 

 

 

How Much Protein Does An Athlete Need To Consume In Their Diet? Dr. Joel Furhman Explains What He Tells NBA Players and Olympic Skiers

Something we hear a lot is that when people start exercising more is "I have to now eat a lot more protein." Habib went through this himself in the last year, running 25-40 miles per week. The other runners and runners on PEERtrainer advised him to eat a lot of protein after a run. 

As a result the meat in his diet began to spike well above the recommended 10% level. He ended up emailing Dr. Fuhrman and asking if athletes were an exception to this 10% level. His response was that when you exercise more you need more calories. And if you are eating a nutrient dense diet with plenty of greens you are getting plenty of protein.

What interesting is that Dr. Fuhrman is an Olympic Medalist in figure skating. He also counsels the US Olympic team, world class skiers and NBA basketball players. In this video, he explains in detail what advice he gives professional athletes in terms of their protein intake:

Here is a bullet point summary of his main points:

• When you exercise and train hard you stress your immune system. If a world cup skier gets sick it might mess up their entire year. So they are financially incentivized to eat the best diet possible
• The more you exercise, the more calories you need. And you need more protein. The key is consuming high nutrient foods that are rich in protein. 
• For his athletes, he advises a green drink blended with 5 ounces of nuts and seeds. This would give them 1000 calories and 20 grams of protein for example
• It is not hard to get enough protein, and too much protein can be dangerous. Bodybuilders and football players who consume large amounts of whey and soy protein are putting themselves at risk for cancer. 
• From his perspective athletes need 1.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight.

Is Your Addiction To Normality Killing You?

Hi There-

This is something Habib has wanted to write for a while.....

One of the most important things to understand from the current health care debate (that political and industry insiders are engaged in among themselves) is that no matter what the eventual outcome, people are going to need to have to take responsibility for their health.

We have come to a point where it is no longer a good idea to improve your eating. It is an absolute requirement.

It does not matter whether it is the government, employers or individuals who end up carrying the load. We have built a food delivery system and consumption habits that lead to the highest rates of heart disease, cancer and diabetes in the world.

Diabetes alone is larger than the entire US tech industry. You stack Intel, Microsoft, Cisco and Apple up.

Diabetes is bigger.

What most of us think of as “normal” is killing us.

Not only is it killing us, but it seems that we now think of pain and struggle as somehow “normal”. We get the most incredible emails from people, describing to us the sheer agony of the reality of their lives. People are in pain, they feel hopeless and they have for years. And they are in this pain because they have done what everyone else has done.

This pain hurts, it sucks and is totally preventable.

But the change required to prevent these inevitable outcomes (for most) is hard. If most people are doing things one way, it stands to reason that that it takes a deal of effort to do things differently. We continually see that the people with the greatest willingness to go in a different direction have no idea where to turn.

If you have been around PEERtrainer for a while you know we present people that we get to know. People like Stu Mittleman and Joel Fuhrman are now friends of ours, in the same way that the guys I did keg stands in college with are. They are part of the posse.

And we share their ideas because they help guide people to the behaviors and mindsets that will help avoid the diseases that commonly trap the average American engaged in the relentless pursuit of normality.

So what I am going to do here is bullet out some of the key ideas that Dr. Joel Fuhrman puts forth to help people. I have a copy of Eat For Health open on my desk as I write this, and I am going to list out 25 of the key concepts. In no particular order. My thinking is that it takes a long time to process change. As Jackie says over and over, “repetition is the mother of skill.”

1. Greens are king. Green vegetables get the majority of their calories from protein. You need to eat them every day.
2. When you consume greens in the form of soup you retain the nutrients and you can make them taste any way you want. No excuses here- tasty, easy, cheap etc. (Blend with a Cuisinart Smart Stick to make it super easy)
3. Fresh fruits fight cancer. We have a natural sweet tooth designed to direct us to those foods most critical for our survival.
4. Pasta and bread, while cheap and filling are associated with heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
5. Veggies are great but you have to cook, pulverize or blend to get at the health promoting goodies that is locked inside the cell walls. Blended vegetable soup is better than salad for this reason. You can’t chew every plant cell.
6. Not all foods are created equally. Dr. Fuhrman has built an entire food classification system called MANDI that you can learn more about.
7. True hunger is much different than the hunger we commonly experience. We are hungry because we eat the wrong foods. This is not something that can be solved in any pill. It is solved in your grocery store and your kitchen.
8. When you are no longer hungry all the time you are healthy.
9. Cheese and butter are evil. Tasty, but evil.
10. The more high nutrient food (greens esp) you eat on a daily basis, the higher your quality of life.
11. Binge eating is largely a byproduct of toxic hunger. We are literally “addicted to food.”
12. Eat a bowl of vegetable-bean soup daily
13. Eat a pound of fruit and a pound of vegetables a day. (Stu would dissent on the fruit part- he is of the school that fruit is too high in sugar and raises acid levels in the body)
14. You can change your tastes. Americans in particular have a “brute force palate.” You will appreciate the subtlety of food over time.
15. Healthy food does not taste bad.
16. Heart disease is not the inevitable consepuence of aging.
17. Food addiction is a real thing, and a new mode of eating will solve this problem
18. Frequent small meals do NOT aid weight control long term.
19. It is not your genes. The numbers disprove this common assertion.
20. It takes a lot more than milk and yogurt to build healthy bones. The truth is much more complex.
21. You have to get inside your head to make these changes. A list like this is not enough.
22. 85 Percent of Americans will die from heart disease, cancer or diabetes.
23. 90 Percent will get high blood pressure
24. Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 40 percent of US deaths annually
25. You can prevent most diseases through a high nutrient diet.

Sounds easy enough? The problem that we see is that people have a hard time putting these ideas into practice. They also often lack the ability to map the consequences of their current diet to future risk.

Most of us think we eat better than we do. Much better. So if you have found the motivation to jump right into to a new diet and buck the trend of the relentless disbelief that “normal is killing us” then congrats.

Others of us need a much more specific plan and guidelines in the place of simple suggestions. Recently Joel and his team launched a new program called “The Nutrition Prescription” which is an online version of an office visit with him. After you take this survey, you are presented with the specific odds of getting diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

We have seen that this test “scares people straight” and also has the interesting effect of providing ammunition for the people who are often hellbent on disrupting your desire to change. We see that when people say, “hey I have to order the soup and salad- doctors orders”- this shuts people up. If you are at a party or out to dinner or dealing with your parents or friends and you say “right now the odds of me getting heart disease is 65%”- they have to basically keep quiet.

Of course they are dying to make a snide comment. But because a doctor has spoken, the conversation is over. Many of you have bought copies of Eat For Health and Eat To Live. We highly recommend Joel’s work, and have for years. The response has been powerful and consistent. If you are interested in his new program or you have not yet picked up one of his books, you can check out the following link:

Get A Virtual Office Visit With Dr. Fuhrman, Trial Offer

We could not endorse his work more strongly. This is true health care reform from my perspective.

Habib Wicks, PEERtrainer Co-Founder

What Has Worked For You In Terms Of Diet And Fitness?

In the Tip of The Day Program, after a bit of time, I ask subscribers this:

"One thing I need for you today is think about what has worked for you in terms of weight loss and diets, and email it to me. I talk a lot about "Diet Fusion" and how it is a very personal thing, that you need to tailor whatever diet you do to your own unique life. What have you done, what has worked for you, what stopped working for you. Things like that. Thinking about the successes can provide some insight."

I get some some of the best responses and realized, no one is seeing this great stuff but me!  So I'm going to start posting here.  Here's a recent one:

"My greatest success as a women health and fitness-wise is exercising in a group. I think that not only do women like to look good for men, they like to look good for other women. Women notice the little things, especially if you have achieved a weight-loss goal or fitness goal and you are looking a little trimmer.

Unfortunately, in today's economy, it is hard to afford to go somewhere where you have to pay for a membership. Thus, I have found myself falling off the wagon.

I am always trying, though, and have found the work-outs on cable TV (On-Demand) to be very helpful especially since you can choose from many different workouts to suit how you are feeling that day. Also, they are of various lengths of time so if you only have a little bit of time, there is that flexibility.

Having the right things in the fridge is always helpful. I am a "grabber" when it comes to hunger. I grab at the quickest thing possible and if you have grilled chicken breast on hand or things like yogurt, you can bring it along with you.

Today, there is nothing to "grab" that is healthy, so I just ate a piece of cake (my step-daughter made it for my husband for Father's day - I want to chuck it, but he says it stays!). I know I should not have eaten the piece of cake, but it was there.

Having the right things available is half the battle. As soon as my stepdaughter is gone from her visit with us, so is the cake!

Hope this was helpful."

Yes, pk, this was extremely helpful.  I have to have the right things in my fridge as well.  If I see fruit or carrots right there, at eye level, I just grab it.

Jackie

Simplifying Weight Loss: One Idea Help Fight The Overwhelm

We have just published a new article/guide/challenge on the site that discusses on important thought on the overall journey we are guiding people through here. We throw a lot at you in the Tip Of The Day and especially in our Point Of No Return training program. But sometimes it helps to just bring some real focus to the moment at hand. Forget the impending stuff, or the external stuff.

Take a deep breath and just shut out the outside influences. All that matters is this moment....and the next one...

How To Make Weight Loss Simple

And please make sure to give your feedback on the question posed at the end of the article.

Conversation With Matt Hoover, Winner of Biggest Loser Season Two

We had a chance to interview Matt Hoover who many of you know as the winner of season two of "The Biggest Loser." It ended up being a pretty interesting interview, especially from the perspective of keeping weight off, what happens after the weight loss. He talks about his upcoming Iron Man competition in Hawaii and his training for the 2012 Olympics. He was a member of 4 national championship wrestling teams in college, so the guy is a pretty amazing athlete.

We spoke for about an hour, so if you want to listen to the entire interview map out some time ahead of time. This is the link to the interview. It is pretty cool.

Matt mentioned in the call that he uses hypnosis as one of the tools to help keep the weight off. He uses the CDs from Roberta Temes, who we have known for a few years and who has written some articles for PEERtrainer in the past. We asked him to follow up on this subject, something we are increasingly interested in, because it works really well. But it is something that most of us have not tried. Here is his take on it:

"To be honest I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I had used hypnosis when I was competing in wrestling.  It helped me tremendously in sports but wasn't sure what would happen with weight loss. When I got Dr. Roberta CD's I did a session immediately.  

I didn't really feel different, but  I quickly noticed that many of the cravings I had, especially for Taco Bell were gone.  I didn't even think about it anymore. The biggest thing I notice was how rather than crave diet pop, I began to want water.  The sessions helped me to realize that I didn't have to be on a diet, I could program myself to crave healthy foods in moderation. In the past I would eat until I was full, even if it was healthy food.  

Now I eat until I am satisfied and I don't have to "force" myself to remamber to eat.  I just do it. I used the CD's nearly everyday when I first got them, now I use them a couple of times a month to remind myself of the tools I now have. Recently I used them before I left for vacation to help keep myself in the right state of mind to be consistent during a time when many people fall off track.  I use them anytime I am traveling, usually on the plane.  I have found that to be a great time to relax and get myself ready for my upcoming stay, wherever that may be. 

I am really lucky because my wife really supports my use of the program.  She will say when she thinks I need a session.  She has seen tremendous progress since I started the program and knows that it helps me to stay on track. I have lost 30 pounds so far and have reset my goal to get even leaner using Dr. Roberta's CD's. I love the CD's and have recommended them to everyone I know who is dealing with weight issues.  I know that with the success I have had that others will achieve their goals as well with the use of the tools I have learned from Dr. Roberta. These discs truly have helped me to develop a healthy mind set when it comes to my relationship with food and I fully expect to have continued success on my new weight loss journey with the knowledge I have gained from Dr. Roberta Temes."

We were first introduced to Roberta I think in 2006, and we need to circle back with her. We have recommended this product in the Tip Of The Day program, and it is nice to see a "celebrity" endorse something like this. Sort of a nice validation of something we had seen work. You can get the CD set through the Hypnosis Network. 

Btw, I personally use hypnosis for other areas of my life. Different products from different companies, but the bottom line is that these things really work. Be open to it!

How To Feel Great Physically and How To Get The Energy To Work Out

(By Habib Wicks, PEERtrainer co-founder)

After a recent workout I was hungry and tired and wanted to find something that could really build upon the good work that I had done. I fired up the frying pan and grabbed 4 cloves of garlic from the fridge. I smashed them with my palm in about 10 seconds and threw them in the pan with some olive oil.

I then grabbed a bag of spinach from the freezer and threw it in the pan. Covered the pan and cooked for maybe 4 minutes? I might have added a few grinds of pepper. The spinach got cooked and steamed pretty good and then I just dumped the contents of the frying pan right into the Cuisinart. Pressed both the buttons getting the blade to go in both directions and pureed the spinach.

I then dumped it on a plate and opened up a bag of Kettle chips to curb my carb cravings. I then ate the entire plate of spinach (a full pound) dipping the chips into them. It tasted really good and it was EASY to make. Today I feel better than I have in a while. 

 

I used to workout when I was single and lived in NYC. I would hit the gym and lift. But I never really felt great because I ate poorly. Of course I did not understand that at the time because I was not overweight. Later on, a business colleague (and former chairman of a big healthcare company) gave me a copy of Eat To Live (and then introduced us to Dr. Fuhrman) and this book totally changed my outlook on eating. If PEERtrainer seems like the Dr. Fuhrman show at times, this is the reason. This is my personal agenda, and it has to do with his advice getting my own health in order.

 

I am not a vegetarian by any stretch, but I do go out of my way to get my greens in especially each day. I also understand the need to really chop up the greens to really get the nutrients out. Dr Fuhrman explains that our body cannot digest the cell wall of a plant, and you can only chew your food so much.

 

Recently I have started to do a lot more strength training, adding this back to my routine. I am not hitting the gym or doing bodybuilding, but just getting the muscles themselves a good workout. The last few years I have just run, played tennis or maybe rollerblade from time to time. Pure cardio. 

 

Running PEERtrainer, companies now often send stuff to us to test, evaluate and then write or blog about.  If we like it or it really captures our attention and we actually make it part of our day to day we do so.

 

For example, Total Gym recently sent us their top of the line model, the Total Gym XLS. And luckily I have Joshua with me who is a fitness nut. We are going through all 80 of their exercises and really pushing ourselves. At the end of the workout yesterday we had the incline at the highest level and I found myself doing inverted bicep curls, pulling my weight up the incline keeping my elbows locked into place. A heck of a workout.

 

But my point here is that for the first time I am combining a high nutrient way of eating with strength and resistance training. And I feel fantastic. I have been doing this for about a month, and yesterdays tweak to the routine prompted this post. Was so easy to do and prepare.

 

This all started last month we were testing and working with resistance band systems. And I started this process of working out the muscles with those bands. Resistance bands work really well to isolate all sorts of muscles quickly. Then I started Total Gym and basically worked out the entire body in a short amount of time.

 

I just wanted to communicate this combo- and suggest that you find a way to get some daily training in where you engage the muscles with some form of resistance. Resistance bands are a great thing to have in your home. Bodylastics is hands down the best product on the market and we have written a review about it here. And also recorded a bunch of videos on how to use it in different ways. But the basic idea is that for less than $100 you get something that essentially functions as full gym in your house. Both men and women can use it, and it really works. 

 

Total Gym is another great option if you have the space. You can watch a video of Joshua using it. It can be a little expensive though. The list price for the top of the line model is about $1500, and there are less expensive options and ways to buy used ones. We talk about it on the page. The Total Gym is also pretty durable and you might be able to find one on Craigslist. As long as the pulleys work nicely and you can get the incline going I highly recommend using one.

 

Or go to the gym. But just get in the habit of working the muscles and then getting your nutrients in, and really work this combo. Carrot juice is another excellent source of concentrated nutrients. One of the things Dr. Fuhrman has done with a new book of his, Eat For Health, is put a "Point System" on different fruits and vegetables. The idea is that you want to hit 100 points a day for optimal nutrition. He sent us a copy of this a year ago and it helped to really focus my eating habits each day. The stuff at the top of his points list are all the greens, and things like Romaine lettuce, red peppers, escarole, broccoli.

 

This book again changed my daily food decisions permanently. I grill red peppers whenever I find them on sale. If I am at an italian restaurant, I order a side of esacarole and beans and a side of broccoli rabe for my entree. The server usually looks at me like I am crazy, and is probably a little tweaked because this meal will cost less than $10 at the best restaurants!

 

But this strategy has given me a lot of energy especially in the last year. Adding the resistance training and bodyweight training to the mix has just stepped up how I feel, and I wanted to share that with you all. Work the muscles and work the high nutrient veggies. And when you do, add a comment to this blog post. Tell us what exercise you did and what you ate afterwards, please!!

 

I also got Joshua to do a piece for us which you can watch below. Just click the arrow to play the video, and he also shows you some simple exercises you can do with just your own body and nothing else:

 

In addition to Joshua being highly entertaining he is also a core part of our Point Of No Return Program, and in this role he essentially takes people on a tour of the thoughts behind the thoughts in their head. He has studied tons of stuff in the area of the mind, and delivers what is some of the best advice available. Stuff that works. 

He is living proof of the idea of "mind-body connection" and is doing a great job with Jackie in giving people an experience that is literally changing the lives of many people. When you make different decisions in your life, you will get different results. I think the real trick is getting to the point of successfully making that shift, and this program does that. 

 

One specific result we see that people experience in this program is a real sense of hope. We keep hearing this word "hope", "I have hope" over and over from participants. I am very excited about the early feedback on this new effort we have undertaken. Please check it out if you have a weight loss or fitness goal you have not met. This will help. 

 

-Habib

"Strength For My Mind And Spirit"

We just got a very profound email from one of the members of the PEERtrainer community, and I thought it would be helpful to share some of the comments. It is an excellent articulation of the value of our Point Of No Return concept, and helps to show that we are able to deliver on the central premise with both our Tip of The Day And Point Of No Return Program:

"The things I am learning from the 'tip of the day' and also the 'point of no return intensive' is what makes me think that this will be the time that matters....the time I can reach my goals. I realize that there will be no more "times" after this because over the past 2.5 months my whole life has started to change."

This is really the whole point. Most of us have been through things like Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, South Beach. We own copies of Dr. Oz's books. We have Oprah Magazine sitting in our bathrooms and living rooms. Yet we don't make the progress we desire and we don't become the person we want to become.

We built the PEERtrainer coaching program with this problem in mind, and engaged with a talented therapist who is familiar with both the mind- and the spirit. And the email contained a great recognition of that, that we help move people to a different way of thinking about themselves which can trigger immense personal change:

"I knew how to get an awesome workout....I knew how to eat to lose weight....what I needed all these years is the strength for my mind and my spirit....all the tips and exercises and thoughts that I am totally addicted to now! Health and weight loss is not just a physical journey and I am so happy that I finally realize this."

This was one of the best emails we have ever received at PEERtrainer, and are very grateful for it.

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

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? 

How To Diet And Get Your Friends Off Your Back

Friends and family rarely have ill intent when it comes time to order dessert but the result often means you're at a loss of words, you succumb and you're left with frustration when you get on the scale.  Sometimes you just need simple suggestions of what to say or what to do to avoid a disaster.  Here are a few things to do when you're being cajoled into having an extra 400 calories of mud pie.

Situation:  When out at a bar or party and you're not drinking, your friends want you to be drinking with them and joining in the craziness of being buzzed.

• What To Do:

- Garnish in your soda, like lime or lemon, your friends will assume it is a rum and coke.

- A smallish bar glass of Perrier with a thin sipping straw and lime. Your friends will assume it's a vodka tonic. 

Situation:  You're out with your friends at a restaurant and your friends order appetizers and dessert and you want to pass

• What To Say:

- "I'm so lucky I'm not a sugar person. Now if there were a bag of cheetos in front of me..."

- "I don't care for any of these desserts! Why don't they have my (insert favorite dessert here)?  It's just not worth it. "

- And if you have the courage - (this will build in time if it's not here at this moment, it will be): "I've been working out so hard and have been so disciplined on my diet, I just don't want to throw myself off with dessert  It's been great to see the scale tip down - I am so excited that I'm finally on a track to get in shape."

• What You Can Do: 

- Incorporate the 3 bite rule.  Have three bites and no one will say a word. 

- Suggest an appetizer or dessert that you don't like, then you won't have a problem with wanting it.

Situation:  Dealing with the looks, disappointments and comments when you're at your  mother in laws, friends, or any other dinner party and you choose to pass on seconds thirds and fourth.

• What To Say: 

- "This is the best food in the world!  I am stuffed.  There's something about home cooking that makes you feel so nourished and satisfied, I just love it.

• What To Do: 

- Pack your plate with more vegetables (as long as you know they haven't been smothered in butter!)

Situation:  When you're out with your husband and he means well by saying, you've been doing so well!  Let's have fried clams!  Or Just order a tiramisu!"

• What To Say: 

- "Honey, you are so right, I've been looking this good because I haven't had dessert!  Why stop now?  If he presses:  Ask a simple question, "Would you like some and you don't want to be alone?  Probe him to find out what the reason is behind the desire for you to have all the extra food.

Final note:  If you are feeling pressured and you're not sure what to say, it's always a good idea to go on the offense rather than defense.  Rather than "answer" the pressure and explain why you're passing on dessert, it's a better strategy to employ "distraction and ask a question instead such as, "I'm going to pass, so I forgot to ask you, how was New Years Eve?"  Diverting attention and distraction, the number one strategy for a 2 year old, works for adults as well.

Continue the discussion on this post in the PEERtrainer Community....

Feedback And Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Plan: Great Recipes, Lots Of Choices Make For A Great Reason To Join Or Rejoin

 

Our new Tip Of The Day email coaching program has opened up a great feedback loop with our subscribers and members. I have been blogging about the big changes at Weight Watchers, and now am getting some great feedback. One bit of feedback surprisingly was from my own mom!

My mom has been a Weight Watchers member for most of her life. In fact, it was watching her measure her food and count her points growing up that helped me come up with the idea for PEERtrainer almost 5 years ago now. I knew that accounting for your food, writing it down, and getting support was one of those things you just had to do to lose weight.

So we were talking and I mentioned to her that we had been interested in the new Weight Watchers Momentum system and we were in the process of getting feedback from our users. She said to me "I will give you some feedback- because I re-joined one month ago!"

I tend to listen to her about stuff like this. She gave me strong encouragement to start PEERtrainer and has given me very honest and pointed feedback throughout the process. The first thing she said was that when she rejoined Weight Watchers she was "shocked at how good the recipes are."

She made a comment to the effect of "they must have actually hired good people and paid them well because the recipes used to be so bad." She said that now there are hundreds of recipes to choose from that look good and that she wants to make.

Recipes To Help You Lose Weight

I asked her what made her go back to the meetings. She mentioned that she went out of control for the last 6 months and needed the extra push to have to go in person to the meeting. She knew she needed to have to get on the scale and to have to sit through a "boring" lecture from the Weight Watchers leader because she knew it would just work for her. She was trying to assess the damage she had done using some tools on their website, and that triggered her decision to make the trek back to her local meeting in the DC area.

 

Feedback and Review Of The New Momentum Program

She also mentioned that she thought Momentum was really exciting - gave you lots of choices and ideas

for making healthy foods taste good. She said she was "excited" about the way Weight Watchers has "grown" and changed. 

What I found interesting from her comments and feedback was that it was consistent with what Weight Watchers was saying about their new program on their website.

Another Review Of Momentum Plan 

I also got an email from a Tip Of The Day subscriber and a long time PEERtrainer user and member. It is a big email and I am adding some headers to help people read it better. Here it is:

"It's almost like magic, it's like a commitment I have history with ww.  I've been successful.  for me, just the humiliation of having to walk back in and listen to someone who was good or bad or whatever she is, the leader, I'm stuck listening to her stuff. Something about it, RIGHT NOW, I'm reversing the pattern.  Something has changed.

The biggest thing I love about rejoining and going back is it's a big program.  Physicial program.  Learn the whole new pattern.  Everything about the new points, study the books.  I like the fact that I'm taking my life into control now.

Big Focus On Recipes To Start You Off

First of all,they give you a bunch of recipes in the starter book.  They give you two or three of their best - right now, you know, I could do this, this looks good.  The leader pointed out the best one so you can

make a good dinner right away.  

 

Healthy Recipes That Fill You Up

People Who Rejoin Weight Watchers Need To Sit In For An Extra 1/2 Hour Class

 

As a new returner, you have to sit in for an extra 1/2 hour class because there is a new system. There's always a new system, because they're always learning new things and refining their system.  

Keeping The Points System And Merging Flex and Core Into Momentum

This time they merged core and flex into the new system momentum. No one ever wants to give up points, because points are such a comfortable system because you can eat anything, you can have pizza, you can have liquor, any damn thing you want as long as you count points. 

Not only do you get a lot of points on weight watchers, you get 35 extra points for the week.  People love extra points because extra points means splurging, cookies, cake, an extra glass of wine, some butter on their vegetables or butter on their eggs, so you love your splurge points and you have 35 of them! 

Some Point Values Have Changed And Different Foods Are Now Emphasized 

You want to learn the new points of every food because you forget the points when you're going back and sometimes the points changes, and sometimes they just invent new things that you can have, like last time maybe they thought avocado was ridiculous, but this time they're kind of pushing avocado.

You can't wait to learn all the new points because you're designing your three meals a day.  You're designing your day. You're designing how filling your day can be.  LIke I do 5, 5 and 10.  5, break, 5 lunch, 10 for dinner.  Right away, you get your points, your book and you're designing your filling breakfast.  

New Program Helps You Eat A Lot Of Food And Not Feel Hungry

So right away you can see you're going to be able to eat a lot of food, so you're very happy, up and optimistic. Because basically, you want to eat a lot of food and now you know you can. Oh, I can do, this, this is wonderful.  You always forget how great weight watchers is, because you forget how much food you get.  Because as time goes on, you want to stay thin, and you eat less and less to maintain

and you start to. 

Very surprised to see this time how little I need to change my diet, because basically, I am always doing the weight watchers diet but when it comes down to it, I was eating all the extras. What happens is, just because you've made the commitment, you're suddenly not going to have all the extras, because you're thinking 5, 5, 10.

Helping Her Stay On Track Because She Doesn't Feel The Need To Snack On The Extras Anymore

Now, you're on the program, you're in the right direction, and you don't seem to need the extras anymore.  It's kind of strange, I don't even know why.  And let me tell you, I ate like an idiot last night, but it's ok, because I'm on weight watchers, and I know I'm on it.  It's psychological. Once you're on it, you know your weight is going down.

Looked at the points, and realized, wow, what I've been eating, oatmeal and blueberries is only 3 points, so I was kind of starving myself and didn't know it.  I can have a whole cup of blueberries and still stay under 3 points.  And now, I get two more points at lunch.

Getting Comfortable With Points Helps To Feel Comfortable With Choices

But what's interesting, when I have egg and avocado for breakfast, that turns out to be exactly 5 points, which is what I've always done, and now I find out that it is 5 points.  Because I actually know the points value, I feel comfortable with my choices.

The difference is, when you're on WW, because you have to count the points, you just stop eating the extras.

They Give You This Great Little Slider At The Meetings To Count Points

One of the things I love is the fact that you have that little weight watchers slider, you can take anything you eat and put the fiber,fat and calories and figure out right away how to figure out your day.  For

instance, I found out a luna bar, on the spot was 3 points so I could have a huge apple and that you can eat so much hummus!  

Really Great New Approach To Dieting

When you're counting points, you can eat so much more than when you're not counting and on the program.  You tend to starve yourself when you're not on the program because you're not really counting.  You always think you're overeating.  What it does is starves your body and your body hangs

on to the weight.  When you're eating the right amount, it boosts your metabolism and you start losing the weight."

Conclusion And Ways To Get Started On The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program

I will keep posting feedback like this. One thing that really seems to have changed is the focus on recipes and tailoring them to your tastes. This makes for a better product and is also smart from a business standpoint. It is no longer just about counting some points which you can really do on your own. You really now need to pay your $40 or whatever it is to get started and learn their new stuff.

People ask the best way to get started and I always come back to the readiness part of it. They have some tools on their site which help you with that. Here are some ways to get started:

1.  If you are thinking about joining Weight Watchers, do what my mom did and start with their online tools. You can measure your BMI, find out how much health damage you have done with your weight and also take an interesting quiz to gauge your psychological readiness to lose weight.

2.  If you want to find out pricing or just want to see if there is a meeting near you and the schedule you can look it up on their website by entering in your zip. There are a TON of meetings out there. And if you have feedback or experience on any diet, please let me know!

3.  If you are a guy maybe you have some questions about Weight Watchers overall- we are covering in another post titled Weight Watchers Momentum For Men- How This Compares To Atkins or South Beach.

Next: Recipe To Help You Lose Weight: Warm Applewood Bacon Soup



 

Everything You Need To Know About Weight Watchers

Readers of the PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day, this blog, listeners to our coaching programs know that we are fans of Weight Watchers, and generally advocate it as part of a broad toolset of stuff that just works. It is important though to not get into this mindset of "I am on this diet" or "I am on that diet". Just try and be open to mixing and matching what works for you. Because we have a deep and focused community on the site, we have accumulated lots of interesting bits of information.

This post will serve as a central place where we will gather important information about the program, as an "FAQ" for the program. It will be updated and if you see something, please feel free to post it in the comments section.

The Weight Watchers Momentum Program

This is the latest update of the program. Old concepts of Core and Flex are renamed although ideas stay the same. The Filling Foods List has some healthier versions and the general tone seems to be towards healthy foods. The basics of counting points, staying accountable and getting support at meetings remains the same. You need to sign up to get the details of this new program.

Here are some relevant discussions from our community:

What Do You Learn At A Weight Watchers Meeting?

This was the best response from that thread so far:

"You can learn a lot.

- How to estimate portions when you can't measure

- How to plan for specially occasions

- How to choose more healthy options

- How not to deprive yourself, but instead control yourself

- Great recipes

- Tips for cooking lighter

- Strategies for changing your behaviors to be more healthy

Most of all, you'll learn how to plan and make better choices that you can live with instead f depriving yourself of everything you love."

Weight Watchers, To Join Or Not To Join?

Here is one great comment from that thread:

"I just joined. So far i really am liking the plan. You are held accountable and you do weigh in every week (only one person sees it) and when you attain certain small goals the group recognizes those and asks you what worked for you and if anything you do may help the group to achieve their goals. I have found this part pretty motivational.

Also, I guess you could eat junk if you wanted to but if you did you certainly wouldnt be able to eat too much of it and still stay within their "diet" However I do enjoy the point system because I can eat healhty and eat a lot of food, but I can also have a SMALL treat and it is still ok and i am still on the plan and it does not make me discouraged."

Can Someone Explain Weight Watchers Activity Points?

"I've been using WW points for a long time and here is how I calculate the activity points: I weigh about 180 at the moment ...

if I'm working hard and sweating - I earn a point for every 15-20 minutes or 100- 150 calories if the machine I'm using calculates calories.

So if I work out on the elliptical for 30 minutes - 1 pt ... 45 minutes - 2 pts ... 60-75 minutes 3 pts

If I'm being active but not necessarily working up a big sweat - I calculate 1 pt per half-full hour. So if I'm out walking with my kids for half an hour - 1 pt but if I go out for the day with them and walk all over a park or an event with them for hours on end - I calculate 1 pt per hour I was out and on my feet. "

How Do You Calculate The Weight Watchers Points You Need:

"Thought this was helpful - new way to calculate your points for weight watachers.

Weight Watchers Updated: Your personal daily points target- use this formula

1. Are you

female?- score 2

Male?- score 8

A nursing mom?- score 12

2. How old are you?

17-26- score 4

27-37- score 3

38-47- score 2

48-58- score 1

over 58- score 0

3.What do you weigh?

Enter the first two digits of your weight in pounds.

(for example, if you weight 199, you will add 19 to your score)

4. How tall are you?

Under 5’1- score 0

5’1-5’10- score 1

Over 5’10- score 2

5. How do you spend most of your day?

Sitting down? score 0

Occasionally sitting? score 2

Walking most of the time? score 4

Doing physically hard work most of the time? score 6

Now add them all together and that’s your daily total. It might be higher for some. My WW coordinator said if this is the case, take the difference between your new and old and divide it in half and then add that much to your previous total." 

I would note that this is a very very rough guide and they have changed the program so much (for the better from the looks of it) that you really need to go to the meetings or join online. It is not longer just a thing of counting some points and learning some values. There is much more to it. We have more here on the recent changes.

Can Someone Explain The Pros and Cons Of The Weight Watchers Points System?

Tips For Success In Weight Watchers

This thread has a nice balance of reviews and experiences- some great, some not so great.

The Cost Of Weight Watchers

You can save 25% if you sign up for 3 months and you need to go to their site to get the current prices. This banner takes you to pricing for the new Momentum Program

NutriSystem Meal Delivery Program

I have started to get some questions about NutriSystem and I wanted to put something together to try and deal with this question fairly. And sort of present what we see from both the experts as well as our members. 

What Do PEERtrainer Members Think Of NutriSystem?

The first thing I would observe is that NutriSystem does not appear to have the level of grass roots support that Weight Watchers does. I did a search in our community for threads about WW in doing research for an article on their new Momentum Program. There was a lot out there, all sorts of detailed questions. And a clear level of enthusiasm for what they had done and what they are now doing.

And there was definitely a lot less written about NutriSystem, so I don't have a ton to go on from our community. But one comment that stuck out for me was this one:

"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."

There was also a very interesting comment from someone whose husband had used it successfully:

"My husband lost 20 pounds on Nutrisystem and it helped me get him to the next step of eating better. I couldn't get him to make any changes to his diet, but once he got a taste of "success" we were able to build from there. I'd agree that this is a short term thing, but I did want to point out how helpful this was as a first step."

What Does The Medical Community Think Of Nutrisystem? 

My search on the site also turned up kudos from a doctor on the subject of WW. But the same doctor did not recommend food delivery based diet plans for the following reason:

"I have avoided recommending diets where one needs to purchase the food from the diet plan. I explain to my patients that it is my belief that this is dieting "in a bubble" and they do not learn how to eat or manage their food choices and portions in their ordinary lives."

This is not a knock on NutriSystem specifically, just the whole idea of delivery services where you don't develop your own coping skills. If you make an effort to address these concerns, you are going to probably do ok.

Using NutriSystem As A Diet Transition Tool?

It is easy to be a critic and hard to do stuff. My thought is that if NutriSystem did work to help you lose a bunch of weight for a couple months that would be a really great thing. You would have to be aware of the weaknesses of the program and find a way to make it work for you. One of the things we talk about and observe in our Tip Of The Day weight loss coaching newsletter is the idea of "Diet Fusion" where you find the things that work for you, and not view dieting as just one tool.

Down the road you could then begin to transition to a nutrient dense diet like those advocated by Fuhrman, McDougall and now Weight Watchers. If you decide to go on NutriSystem, you might want to sign up for our Tip Of The Day email coaching program to give you a level of support so you are not alone. This would also teach you the real fundamentals of truly thin and healthy living.

NutriSystem would sort of function as a set of training wheels to get you on the path to a set of different habits that do take time to develop. Our motto is- whatever works for you.

Does NutriSystem Work?

This is a pretty interesting question given some of the criticism, but the answer is that it seems to, especially in the short run. The TV ads with famous football players seems to speak for itself, and you know those guys really did get helped by the program- you can see it with your own eyes.

Is NutriSystem Really Not That Healthy?

The fact is that they ship foods that are pre-packaged and can sit on a shelf. That limits somewhat their ability to deliver healthy food. And with Weight Watchers moving to a healthier model, they are probably under some pressure to improve the overall health profile of the foods they are shipping out. 

This is a common criticism, and I would bet that their management team is smart enough to be working one something right now. Imagine if all of a sudden they launched a special "all natural" program that featured Whole Foods as a co-branding partner- or something like that. These guys are very good marketers, and with the market moving in the direction of more plant-based, nutrient dense foods, they are sure to follow.

But you have to realize that if you lose 20, 30, 50 pounds on NutriSystem you are going to improve your health. If you made sure to start eating a lot of greens and some fruit each day you are going to be in very good shape. We are reaching out to them in hopes of getting some more granularity on these questions and will keep you posted on what they are doing.

3 Reasons To Eat Avocados and 3 Ways To Eat Them

In our Tip Of The Day program I often show you what we do in our own life. Avocados are something that I have as a staple in my diet and life and I wanted to take a second to sort of outline in a very practical sense why I do this and how I do this. I will make sure to prepare some specific recipe ideas as well.

(After the introduction of the new PEERtrainer Cheat System, we have further refined this advice. A small amount of avocado, especially in a salad is tasty and also helps your body absorb the nutrients in the other ingredients in the salad. Most vegetables do not contain fat, yet they need some for optimal absorption of nutrients in the digestion process.)

Reasons To Eat Avocados

1. For me they are one of the most satisfying foods out there. 

They are high in good fat, and they take the edge off when I feel like I could eat 5 large pizzas. For me, the edge is gone immediately

If I eat a normal size portion of pasta, and I cover it with butter and parmesean, it will take me three more servings like that to take the edge off that hunger feeling of wanting to eat everything in sight.

If I eat 1/2 of an avocado (or a tablespoon of peanut butter or cashew butter) it 100% takes the edge off so that I can make a healthier choice. I have found nothing to take the edge off. Especially after a workout.

2. They Make Food Taste Great

It is like putting sour cream or cheese sauce over everything you are eating for me. Anything you can think of that "this needs sour cream or cheese sauce" put avocado on it. Even a portion of vegetables. Put a portion of avocado and lemon juice over a plate of spinach and it tastes great.

Instead of eggs and cheese, have eggs and avocado. A block of cheese will never satisfy you like an avocado will.

3. Avocado Is A Transition And Replacement Food Into Your Thin Lifestyle

I used to use it to make the transition from cheese, sour cream and bacon, and now that I have transitioned into a healthier lifestyle it takes the edge off. But I found it a great transition food.

It helps you cope when you can't do the vegetable thing all the time. For me it has been a savior.

My 3 Rules For Eating Avocados

1. Never Eat Them Alone

Use them to make other healthy food taste good. If you don't like the taste of spinach, try the avocado and lemon. Like tomato sauce, they can make anything taste good. If you want a "satisfying salad" blend avocado into dijon mustard and lemon juice, throw a cup of beans in the mix and you have something that tastes great and really helps you feel full.

2. Always Squeeze Lemon Juice On Them

I make it a habit to always have lemons handy. For me, the combination of avocado and lemon really makes so many other foods taste good. It is also very quick and easy to prepare.

 

3. I only eat 1/2 avocado at a time. 

There are 380 calories in a hass avocado or 6 weight watchers points. So don't go crazy and use half which is 3 points and 190 calories or so in the avocado. But if you do go overboard know that Avocados are also an extremely healthy food and have been proven to help with your heart, overall health and also help fight breast cancer.

If you want some more "why" some specific health reasons, check out WHFoods page on all the research that is showing benefit after benefit. We have a quick summary here. They really are insanely good for you and really help you in the process of transitioning to a new lifestyle, something that is a huge focus for us in the Tip of The Day and Coaching programs.

In the current version of the PEERtrainer Cheat System, your first 1/2 avocado is a free food. Important to note that we are always refining that document.

What Are Your Rules For Eating Avocado?

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Ideas For Things To Focus On In The First Week Of A New Diet

One of the things we have found that really works for people to help them get started on a diet is to just focus on the one thing that they know will trip them up. Because people respond so powerfully to this, we have made this the very first tip in our PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day email coaching and training program.

I also ask people to think about that one thing for them, write it down and then email me back with it!! I read and reply to every one of these and they are all so great, so specific and so real.

We all are looking for the big ideas and the magic bullets, but we see that people who are successful really focus on these little details, and do the work one step at a time. Here is a list of recent responses:

Chocolate:

"i was thinking about the one thing that always trips me up 

and i have to admit in the end its always chocolate....

i know i have to work on this and maybe the next seven days will help..."

Finding Time To Work Out:

"The one big, big, big thing that trips me up, is making time for myself and my work

out. I can have the best intentions, but if someone else needs something, then my

workout gets put on hold. I know. I know. I should work out in the morning before

everyone is out of bed. But THAT feels like I am punishing myself. I take no joy in

that.

So, over the Christmas break, I will try to find even a 30 minute block each day

that is just for me."

Night Eating:

"Today and this week I will be thinking about how I tend to eat after dinner, right

up until bed time.

 

I need to eat more salad and vegetables during the day and at dinner, and not leave

myself open to hunger (or emotional hunger or whatever) after dinner.  It's a habit

that I've taken on in the last year or so, so it'll take awhile to work on."

Sweets:

"it is sweets. cookies cake, candy. everyday i ben saying i'm not having any

sweets.."

Eating More Slowly:

"The one thing I would like to focus on this week is eating more slowly.  I think I

eat too fast and don't allow my body enough time to feel full so I continue to eat

until I am stuffed.  I don't like how that makes me feel."

Fast Food:

Don't go to McDonald's!

Coffee:

"My seven day first step would have to be my coffee intake.  Even when I

don't need caffeine and/or I am just thirsty, I always go for the coffee

instead of water.  So for my first 7 days I will try to drink water instead

of coffee."

Reading The Labels:

"the idea i will be focusing on is to eat in moderation...limiting myself 

to the serving recommended on the box/bag/calorie counting book..."

Cookies And Candy Sitting Around The Office:

"we also have a couple of candy bowls setting

around the office.  My goal for the next seven days is to pass them up."

I hope this list might have triggered some ideas of the one thing you can focus on in your first week. You also might want to listen to week one of the PEERtrainer Weight Loss Bootcamp. It is a free program we have put together and people love it. Just click the link and you can get the first call sent to your email box.

If you want to share your one thing, or one that that you did, we have a discussion going on things you can do the first week of a diet.

Portion Control Is Key To Success With Any Diet Plan

We got permission to post this comment from the Eat To Live/Eat For Health Challenge team. It is important because it helps to illustrate one of the key components of our "Diet Fusion" framework. No matter what diet you are on, you need to do portion control. With so many people now adopting plant based diets, many of us are tempted to think that we can eat whatever we want. We see Dr. Oz on TV giving people huge piles of fruits and vegetables and they lose weight. But you really have to be careful with the oil, nuts and fats.....

"Other than my slip this past week, I thought I had been doing fairly well, but I lay awake early early this morning really thinking about what I am eating and why I'm not losing a little faster. And I think I am sabotaging myself in a couple different areas. I think somehow when starting to follow the E2L guidelines as well as using some McDougall recipes, I sort of adopted the idea that now I was eating for nutrition I could eat as much as I wanted - being careful of course not to ever stuff myself. While I do measure my flax meal, nuts & avocado, I also usually go back for seconds of whatever I have made for dinner. And my salads at lunch are huge. Even though I make my own dressings and count the fruit and nuts I use in them towards my daily totals, it's still a lot of calories for someone who wants to lose weight.

So today I am going to really pay attention, and start cutting back on quantities - because my activity is a little limited and I can probably eat less and still be satisfied. Maybe I needed to work my way towards this, maybe I needed to learn I don't have to restrict what I am eating - that I can eat tons of healthy food and not gain. And having learned that, maybe now I can trust in the quality of the food and accept that I don't need to eat quite as much since it is all so nutritionally dense. Speaking of which, that's the second thing I thought of. I've been using up the vegenaise that made it's way into the house over Thanksgiving, and those are empty calories. I think that's the last of the holiday extras and the house is once more a safe place."

Discuss this post in the PEERtrainer Community!

Diet Fusion- A Practical Approach To Long Term Weight Loss

I got an email last night from a subscriber to our Tip Of The Day weight loss coaching/training newsletter. The person asked for some general tips on what to eat now that they have decided to lose weight. We really refer out to the experts as much as we can, but I introduced her to something we call "Diet Fusion." This is something we talk about in the Point of No Return as well, I think in week three. But here is what I said to her in response to her specific question:

"This gives me a great opportunity to get a little more clear and focused on one of the key "organizing themes" of our overall coaching program.

First of all, you need to see your doctor for specific advice. That is not just boilerplate- we mean that. And you will see some videos coming from a great doctor who will be explaining the role they have in this process, and also what a great doctor should be doing. Not all doctors are great, but finding one is well worth the effort.

 

Now, one of the key themes we talk about in the overall PEERtrainer coaching/training program is an approach I have termed "Diet Fusion". Diet Fusion is customization, finding what works for you, depending on your life stage. If there is one thing we have learned, it is that having only one diet for fitness regimen works for very few people. This is a list of some of the diets we have seen work:

 

-Fat Smash Diet, this is something we see to help kickstart a diet. Very popular, very effective in the short term, very easy to fall off track. But it is a good shock introduction to better nutrition, and does take a page or two from Joel Fuhrman's work.

 

-South Beach Diet- another diet we have seen help people drop a quick 5 pounds. It works well especially if you are in metabolic risk. But this should be done in combination with WW points and a high nutrient diet like Eat To Live.

 

-Weight Watchers- we have seen really help people get a handle on portion control. They have also completely revamped their core diet with the introduction of the Weight Watchers Momentum Program.

 

-Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live/Eat For Health- The most important idea of his is that intense amounts of greens help you lose weight, and that not all foods are created equal. He has designed a point scoring system to guide you to the best foods. He is probably the primary innovator in weight loss today, with people like Weight Watchers now following his lead.

Again the idea here is really find what works for you. Here is also a list of some very general principles, things we have seen work, and ideas put forth that we have seen help people on PEERtrainer get off the yo-yo cycle.

 

1. Nutrient Density- What this means very generally is eating a diet very high in fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans with a specific focus on greens. We see this work over and over again when it comes to successfully losing weight.

 

One of the things we continually focus on in our program is tips and ways to practically, cheaply and easily get high amounts of plant based foods in the diet each day. And making them taste good. And uncover the myths we tend to cling to that prevent us from seeing these as easy choices.

 

If you want to learn more about the work of Dr Joel Fuhrman you can read what we have written about his new book "Eat For Health". We tend to reference tips from him, simply because we see the specific effect his ideas have on people in the PEERtrainer community. We also like to link out to specific experts in different fields, to really make sure our readers and clients are exposed to as many ideas as possible. The core idea of Diet Fusion is customization, and the more good ideas you have, the more tools in your toolbox. We want to keep filling up your toolbox with things we see work.

 

There are many other doctors out there as well who are all focusing on the idea of pointing people towards diets that totally rebalance what we assume to be a "proper diet." The reality is that a growing number of people are really challenging our widely held assumptions. Dr. Bradley Willcox for example is another who is focusing on examining the habits of people in Japan who regularly live to 100, do not gain weight when they age and who tend to not get disease at anywhere near the rate Americans do.

 

It is important to point this out because what worked for you when you were 25 and single might not work now that you have a husband who you are eating with every night. Maybe you are a 70 year old man who is still eating with the diet assumptions you had in 1955. If what you are doing is not working you really need to be open to a real examinations of your assumptions. That is Diet Fusion.

 

2. Weight Watchers Points- this is another proven tool in our "Diet Fusion" approach. No matter how well you eat at home- fruit with every breakfast, salad as an entree, low levels of overall "animal protein" intake, spinach at every possible point- you are going to continually get out of your comfort zone. You will go out to restaurants, go to parties, be at the mall, on the road. You will be in situations where the option of nutritional excellence is not available to you. 

 

So you have to be able very easy figure out how many points are in a bagel, and how to eat 10 point meals when you are out. A great way to do this is quickly to google "Weight Watchers Points Calculator" and start learning to add in calories, fat and fiber. Or go to a meeting or brush off your Points if you tried WW in the past and it did not work for you. This is much better than just plain calorie counting because the points system makes you look for high fiber, low calorie foods. Which incidently tend to be plant based. "Fiber" is the stuff in plants. 

 

I have even recorded a short video that explains my own process of how I thought I was making the right choices, until I really mastered portion control.

 

3. Focus On The Transition- this is another very key point in the "Diet Fusion" approach. Restrictive diets fail because they are often all or nothing approaches. You are not going to go from eating cheeseburgers and bacon, egg and cheese bagels to spinach and fruit in a week. It is going to take time and take some work. So give yourself time and realize you cannot fail at this. View each day and each meal as an opportunity to make incremental progress. Something as small as deciding to eat a plate of veggies at a party instead of what the waiters bring around is a win- and should be celebrated.

 

4. Focus On The Volume Of Food When You Have A Chance To Eat Well. We tend to think of dieting as simply limiting calories. This is an incomplete approach for many, especially for the long run. How many times have you started a diet and then fell off?

 

You sort of have to do portion control, which is why Points are so important. But you have to feel full, not feel hungry. A truly healthy diet probably will not leave you cranky and hungry all the time. A large salad, that only has a tablespoon of olive oil in it, some lemon juice and garlic for flavor, with beans to make you feel full, tons of vegetables- can an ideal thing. You get a lot of plant based nutrients, but you also feel full. You can also feel full eating a lot less.

 

This is something that we have seen work and is something that has worked for me. Here is something that I do at home all the time- I take a two dollar bag of frozen organic spinach and a one dollar can of organic black beans. I throw it in a frying pan and heat it up. Maybe a touch of olive oil, throw some garlic in there, maybe some curry spice for flavor. Serve it with some rice. Fast, easy, cheap. I eat it, my husband eats it, my kids eat it. In fact, my husband cooks this so often that our daughter refers to them as "daddy beans". And for guys, the volume aspect is particularly important, if you are familiar with what I call "insane man hunger."   I am using this as an example of how to think about the volume aspect of it.

 

Maybe you are out at the Cheesecake Factory for example. They serve HUGE portions of foods. But they also serve huge salads. Make that work for you. Order the salad, as for dressing on the side. Better yet, ask for 4 lemon wedges. Maybe get some steak or chicken on top of the salad. There are all sorts of options. (Their menu is like a book). Squeeze the lemon wedges on the salad, maybe some pepper (try to avoid the salt), a tiny tiny amount of whatever dressing they have. And wham- you have something that fills you up and will help you lose weight. 

 

And make sure to keep the cheese and butter out of it. Cheese and butter are diet killers because of the hidden calories. Restaurants for some reason put cheese and butter in everything. Get in the habit of asking for butter and cheese free dishes. Interestingly some of the higher end restaurant chains in the US have removed butter from the menu. Seasons 52, a very good restaurant chain in the Southeast US have no butter in their dishes. Each dish is designed to be less than 500 calories as well. So this seems to be a trend.

 

5. Rethink Your Notion Of Hunger. One thing that Dr. Fuhrman teaches, and I just saw this talked about in the PEERtrainer community, is the idea of "true hunger". What this simply means is that real hunger is something you feel in your throat and mouth. It is not a panicky feeling, it is your mouth watering. If you are between meals and feel like you have to snack on something, reach for a piece of fruit, or a Lara bar or Kind bar. Nut bars are great diet tools. Very practical things you can keep with you.

 

Overall, this idea of "Diet Fusion" is really finding what works for you, and making it a practical habit. Diets fail when we feel hungry, they fail when we don't correctly control our portions, and they fail when we feel like we can't do them. How often have you felt that "losing weight is just not possible", or that "gaining weight is just something that happens when we get older." It truly does not have to be this way.

 

So instead of simply restricting calories, focus on a gradual transition to more plant based stuff. And this does not mean that you be a vegetarian- although some people do that for many reasons. I don't. But I keep reading more and more research that indicates that you don't want more than 10% of your diet to be animal based. Again, this is very general and there is a lot of conflicting information out there. You have to find what works for you. 

 

The hardest part of all of this is developing these good habits in the face of overwhelming societal pressure. Maybe you are a mom struggling to feed healthy foods to your kids. Then the grandparents come to town and their version of love is force feeding them cheeseburgers. Maybe you are a guy who works in a stressful environment, job and the only choices seem to be sweets in the vending machine. Or you go to a restaurant and want to make some good habits, only to feel subtle but strong pressure from the waiter or waitress. One thing we focus on in our intensive coaching/training program is literally training you, ingraining in you a set of habits that help you get what you want. We do this with the help of a trained psychotherapist, because it is that hard!!

 

I will close this note with a simple idea- everyone talks about the importance of a "balanced diet". But what if you body is out of balance? Hitting the salads hard, and keeping the fat out of them, might be a great way to get back into balance.

Update: People have loved this basic concept over the years, and have found it "liberating." One thing people have said though is "ok, I get the basic idea. Now tell me exactly what to do." People wanted an eating plan to help put this advice into practice. So we developed a very simple to follow list of foods to focus on and foods to move away from. We call this the "Cheat System." It works incredibly well. It is free to download from this page.

 

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Weigh Less By Eating More?

I was just reading a post in the PEERtrainer community, and the subject was diets that work. The discussion was interesting, with some people talking about success with Atkins, some going on a dairy free and gluten free diet.

And then someone posted this comment, which caught my attention:

"My friend is studying chemistry right now, and explained to me that digesting animal protein puts our body into an acidic state. In order to bring the body back into a neutral state it robs our bones of calcium and potassium. The best way to get protein and calcium is to cut out the middle man (cow) and to eat plants.

Everyone does NOT know what healthy eating is, or we wouldn't be seeing threads on Atkins and cottage cheese diets. Atkins is where I started, and yes, eliminating white foods took away my heartburn and yeast infections. I was thrilled. But ultimately I couldn't live with the restrictions, and my research took me in a different direction."

The poster then provided a link to a video of a presentation by T Colin Campbell, who wrote "The China Study" many years ago. The one thing I know about this man is that he is controversial. 

So that was my bias going into watching this video, which has prompted this blog post. Anyway, this whole issue of does animal protein cause cancer, is the main protein in milk the most toxic thing on the planet- those I will leave for another time. (As a meat eater and non vegetarian I definitely am open to those ideas. But mostly I tend to focus on adding high levels of vegetables.)

But the thing that prompted this blog post in the presentation was Campbell's assertion, and this was based on studies with 6000 chinese office workers, was that the average Chinese person consumers 11% more calories than an American but they weigh less. 

This struck me because we hear over and over as stated fact that a persons weight is simply calories in and calories out. And I think this is important for a very practical reason when it comes to actually losing weight. Vegetables help you lose weight, and seem particularly good at it. There may not be total proof that animal protein (not just fat) causes cancer, but there is total proof that vegetables help you lose weight.

This is why I keep focusing on really practical ways of buying them, keeping them, making them taste good, making them cheap and finding ways to make them easily. The fact is, we really know all of this, but it still takes a ton of work to actually do this.

What Do You Think Of This Issue? Discuss In The PEERtrainer Community