Healthy Aging: Body, Mind & Spirit

A healthy reaction to stress and emotional eating

Stress takes more than just an emotional toll on a person; stress has direct physiological results, including an increase in blood pressure, an increase in hormonal activity and an overall decline in the functioning of the immune system.

How to react?  When you feel like some emotional eating, try almonds.  They are bursting with vitamin E, an antioxidant which boosts your immune system and are known to have properties which alleviate stress.

Learn more over at BRAIN WORLD!

New book says happiness precludes success

Happiness comes when we strive toward our potential and think about what we like about ourselves, according to Harvard lecturer Shawn Achor.

In his book, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work (Crown Business, 2010) shows that by increasing optimism, gratitude or social support first, “our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, resilient, and productive at work.”   Increasing our positivity first can also help turn dieting and exercising into a more pleasant experience.

Maybe the way to succeed is to be happy first, rather than trying to succeed first in order to be happy.

Learn more over at my favorite magazine BRAIN WORLD!

Don’t get too carried away with those high protein diets

According to an international study, “mice on a high-protein menu similar to the popular Atkin’s Diet had a brain weight 5% lower than their carb-eating counterparts.  The study also found that the diet affected the hippocampal region of the brain, which is responsible for long-term memory and an area largely affected by Alzheimer’s.”   See full article here.

BE sure and eat lots of vegetables and fruits with your protein.

Don’t believe Australian study about maintaining weight loss!

It doesn’t matter how fast you’re climbing a ladder when it’s leaning against the wrong wall.

I have been thinking about the study summarized below, and now I realize it is a totally unrealistic test of how difficult or easy it is to maintain weight loss.

The main flaw in this study was the amount of time and methods the participants used to lose their weight originally.   They said they lost an average of 30 pounds over a 10 week period by eating only 500 to 550 calories a day.  And instead of eating any thing like regular meals, they were only given a meal replacement called Optifast plus vegetables for eight weeks.

I have learned from my own experience of recently losing 30 pounds over four months, how important it is to re-train yourself on making different food choices.  A part of that process is the daily testing we all do by trying small amounts of foods which are not on the plan, and in that way convincing ourselves that we really cannot “cheat the scale” by much.

Real changes need to be made and then reinforced over and over again.  In my case those changes included increasing my protein intake by three to four times what it has been most of my life, and severely cutting back on the amount of starch I consume, while also increasing vegetable and fruit intake considerably.   In other words, this has been a slow and steady lifestyle change for me, not a quick attempt at dieting.   Any diet that is based on consuming 500 calories a day is not only dangerous, it is useless for long-term success.

The reason this flawed study bothers me so much is that it will appear as the perfect excuse for millions to remain obese and unhealthy, a decision our health care system cannot afford.  Public health officials already fear that an entire generation of Americans will suffer poorer health and earlier deaths due to the extra pounds they carry.

New Australian study on maintaining weight loss

Any dieter knows that it’s hard to keep off weight you’ve lost. Now a study finds that even a year after dieters shed a good chunk of weight quickly, their hormones were still insisting, “Eat! Eat! Eat!”

Dieters who regain weight are not just slipping back into old habits, but are struggling against a persistent biological urge.   “People who regain weight should not be harsh on themselves, as eating is our most basic instinct,” Joseph Proietto of the University of Melbourne in Australia, an author of the study, said in an email.    The research appears in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Weight regain is a common problem for dieters.   To study what drives it, Proietto and his colleagues enrolled 50 overweight or obese patients in a 10-week diet program in Australia to see what would happen in people who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight.   Ultimately, only 34 people lost that much and stuck with the study long enough for analysis.

The program was intense.   On average, the participants lost almost 30 pounds during the 10 weeks, faster than the standard advice of losing 1 or 2 pounds a week.   They took in 500 to 550 calories a day, using a meal replacement called Optifast plus vegetables for eight weeks.   Then for two weeks they were gradually reintroduced to ordinary foods.

Despite counseling and written advice about how to maintain their new weights, they gained an average of 12 pounds back over the next year.   So they were still at lower weights than when they started.

The scientists checked the blood levels of nine hormones that influence appetite, and their key finding came from comparing the hormone levels from before the weight-loss program to one year after it was over.   Six hormones were still out of whack in a direction that would boost hunger.   The dieters also rated themselves as feeling hungrier after meals at the one-year mark, compared to what they reported before the diet program began.

Experts not connected to the study said the persistent effect on hormone levels was not surprising, and that it probably had nothing to do with the speed of the weight loss.   People who lose less than 10 percent of body weight would probably show the same thing, though to a lesser degree, said Dr. George Bray of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

A key message of the study is that it’s better not to gain weight than to try to lose it.

Why would a dieter’s body rebel against weight loss?   It’s an evolutionary holdover from earlier times, when weight loss could threaten survival and reproduction, says Dr. Rudolph Leibel, an obesity expert at Columbia University in New York.    “It’s not surprising at all that our bodies would fight back for at least a year,” he said.   “This is probably a more or less permanent response.”

People who lose significant weight not only gain bigger appetite but also burn fewer calories than normal, creating “a perfect storm for weight regain,” Leibel said.

He said avoiding weight regain appears to be a fundamentally different problem from losing weight in the first place, and researchers should pay more attention to it.

Are you tired and hungry all of the time?

Your body depends on food for energy, but if you’re not eating the right foods, you could easily be malnourished.  Typically, most people associate malnourishment with being very thin, but in the United States many of the foods that will lead you to become malnourished will also make you fat.

“You can’t always tell if a person is malnourished with your eyes,” according to Dr. Marinos Elia, a professor of clinical nutrition and metabolism at Southampton University. “People may be eating too much food, but they may not be eating enough fruits and vegetables.”

If your diet consists of heavily processed, refined foods like fast food, candy, white bread, cookies, potato chips, ready-made meals and frozen pizzas, your body is probably starving for healthy nutrients while quickly packing on the pounds.

What Types of Foods Will Give You Energy and Help You Lose Weight?

Whole foods!  Fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, dairy products and other foods that do not contain a paragraph of ingredients or come in a microwavable bag are real or whole foods. You can typically spot a whole food by the following:

• Typically comes from the ground, a tree or an animal
• Does not have lists of ingredients (the only ingredient in an egg is … an egg)
• Requires some preparation (washing, cleaning, slicing, cooking, etc.)
• Contains no preservatives, food coloring or artificial flavors

If you build your diet around these foods, you will feel full and energized.   Generally speaking, you will find these foods around the perimeter of your grocery store – in the produce section, the meat section and the dairy section – although you may be able to find fresher, higher quality foods at your local farmer’s market or food coop.

How much protein do you need daily?

Everyone’s protein needs are different, based on their weight and daily activity level.   When it comes to knowing what your recommended daily intake is for protein, just multiply your weight in pounds by .36, or your weight in kilograms by .8.   If you’re an extremely active person you will need to multiply your weight in pounds by .5, or your weight in kilograms by 1.1.   Also, your protein needs increase by 30 grams if you’re pregnant, and 20 grams if you’re nursing. Check out the chart below to see where your protein needs lie.

If you’re consuming more protein than you need for your weight and activity level, then you’re also consuming extra calories which can lead to weight gain.   I found I was far too low in my protein intake before I started Slimgenics, and pretty much addicted to bad carbs.  I increased my protein to over 50 grams per day, and cut way back on starches.  So far I have lost 50 pounds over eight months!

Another way our brains fool us!

In new research, they have found our brains like to error on the side of optimism.

For example, “Smoking kills messages don’t work as people think their chances of cancer are low. The divorce rate is 50%, but people don’t think it’s the same for them. There is a very fundamental bias in the brain.”

Here’s the full article!

The most important thing I have learned about midlife weight loss

After losing 30 pounds in the past few months, I am now amazed at how little I need to eat each day to feel full, comfortable and content.

I see now that most of my previous food consumption was simply based on what I learned growing up, and not on what I actually need to eat to stay alive.   Yes, there are always the thousands of calories we consume for “entertainment” or emotional reasons. Those have mostly been replaced with delicious healthy protein snacks. What I am talking about here are the habits we have grown up with that keep us fat.

In my case, I believed that I “should” be eating starches like cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, etc. at most meals, and our culture is so set up that way!   Now, instead of cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and some other starch for dinner, I limit those “filler foods” to one small piece of excellent whole-wheat bread in the morning with my eggs, and one quarter cup of rice or potatoes (sweet or white) with dinner.

At first I was appalled at the thought of cutting back so drastically, but as I replaced those empty calories with high quality protein, vegetables and fruit, I found I was never hungry, even without eating anything for lunch but a 15-gram chocolate protein bar. Like I said, I AM AMAZED, especially at age 56, well into menopause.   Our brains are powerful and full of previous training and food expectations!

I just want to let you know what can be accomplished with some diet changes and of course a bit of serious determination… I may have to get old, but I don’t have to be fat!

The best deal I have found for healthy 15 gram protein bars, breakfast foods, drinks, puddings and entrees is over at Nutmeg State Nutrition.  I have received excellent service from them.

If you do decide to place an order with them, please mention “Healthy Aging Blog” in your comments, and you will receive a free snack on me!

BTW, I am officially allergic to soy products, but I do not react to protein products made from soy isolate...good to know!

Tips for keeping your marriage strong & happy

In order for any marriage to succeed, both partners must be willing to put in the effort needed to keep things fresh, fair and fulfilling.   This is true no matter what your ages and whether or not an age gap exists.

If you hit a snag along the way, and most people do, the following tips can help to keep your marriage strong and both you and your spouse healthy.

• Keep critical things to yourself. “Editing yourself” sometimes is a key secret of happy couples.

• Talk about your problems, but do so gently and without blame.   Starting a discussion with a criticism or accusation is a surefire way to escalate the conflict.

• Men, accept influence from your wife.   A marriage can only be successful if a man can listen to and be influenced by his wife.  Why?   Studies show that most women easily accept influence from men, so a “true partnership” can only be formed if the man can also do the same.

• Don’t accept hurtful behavior. Having high standards of how you expect to be treated helps couples stay happy in the long run.

• Don’t let arguments get out of control. The happiest couples are those who can repair an argument by changing the topic, saying something caring or looking at the humorous side, and then let it go.

• Say positive things. Couples in happy marriages make at least five times as many positive statements about their relationship than negative ones — even while talking about a problem, according to Gottman.

• If you’re having continuing unresolved problems, seek help right away. The average couple waits six years before seeking marital counseling, which means they’re living unhappily for far too long.