Calorie Counting Myths

Myths of Calorie Counting

1. Are their certain foods that burn fat because they have “negative” calories?
UH-no
There is no real evidence that this is true. While your body will benefit from eating more protein because it can help control appetite and eating more fiber may result in some calories passing through undigested, neither food will burn fat.
2. Should I eliminate all saturated fat from my diet?
Beyond a doubt, that is a great diet choice.
Not all fat is created equal. The fats that should remain off your radar screen are solid at room temperature and are referred to as Trans and saturated fats. These types of fats lead to weight gain and arteriosclerosis, particularly the arteries that supply the heart.
3. In one instance I read fats are bad and another I hear fat is essential. Which is it?
Thumbs Up to Unsaturated Fats and Thumbs Down to Trans and Saturated.
Unsaturated fats are fats that are liquid at room temperature and provided health benefits. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated boost your immune system and decrease the risk of heart disease.
Some good choices of unsaturated fats are:
nuts, salmon, tuna, flax oils, avocado
4. My friend is on a pineapple diet because she said it helps to burn fat. Is that true?
Veto. Sorry but your friend is miss guided. Pineapples do contain enzymes that aid in the digestion of fats but burning fat is a different scenario all together. Remember to lose weight the formula is simple. You must burn more calories via exercise and BMR than you consume or your body will store it as fat.  The bottom-line is pineapples and various other fruits and vegetables contain nutrients, fiber and digestive enzymes but do not stimulate fat burning.
5. What is the difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates?
Simple carbohydrate are absorbed quickly and utilized for energy immediately. If they are not used immediately they are stored in the body as fat. Complex carbohydrates take longer to absorb and supply energy longer which make them a better source for fat loss and healthy weightrange maintenance.  The best sources of complex carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.




Results Health and Fitness, Tammi Jacobs

Does it matter what I eat before and after my workouts?

Does it matter what I eat before and after my workout?

Absolutely.

    Eating a large meal right before your workout may lead to nausea, cramps and lack of energy as the blood necessary to transport oxygen and nutrients to your workout systems is caught up in your stomach and intestines to help you digest.

    By stark contrast, exercising on an empty stomach may lead to low blood sugar and leave you weak and faint. If your body gets to vote on the nutrient supply it would prefer complex carbohydrates from sources such as brown rice, fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread and pasta. It is not necessary to completely avoid protein and fat, however eat these macronutrients sparingly if you are going to enjoy a workout within a few hours.

EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRE WORKOUT FOODS  

•     Apple and handful of almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
•     Protein shake.



How to Get a Flat Tummy


•     Plain yogurt with fruit.

Post workout is equally as important to replenish your body with nutrients for growth and repair. The post workout meal should consist of protein, complex carbohydrates and monounsaturated fatty acids.

• Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread
• Lean protein such a tuna or chicken over a bed of fresh vegetable salad.
• Protein shake with fruit.

 “A light meal of shake with in an hour of exercise is perfect.”
Tammi Jacobs, Results Health and Fitness Center, AZ

Does eating more often actually work for weight loss?

Does eating more often actually work for weight loss?

Affirmative.
Eating every few hours raises your metabolism while closing off the release of fat storage hormones into your system. If you skip breakfast and than eat a small lunch and large dinner, you are priming yourself for fat storage. As soon as you complete dinner your body will store all calories for future energy needs. The goals is to eat every few hours a good sample diet click here.

Drop 10 Pounds in 30 Days!

Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert

50 Strategies to Decrease Fat Intake and Lose Weight.

A healthy body needs dietary fat, the key is to ensure that an individual eats the right amount. Too much dietary fat leads to increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and several forms of cancer.  Individuals not consuming enough dietary fat may be unable to absorb and use fat-soluble vitamins. A diet deficient in fat deprives the body of an essential component of hormones and other bio-chemicals, such as vitamin D and bile.  A fat-deficient diet can unhelpfully affect a child's growth.  Dietary fat is a fundamental component that sheaves nerve cells.  To little fat can affect the ability of these cells to fire off electrical messages.  An insufficient amount of fat in the diet can depose the body of a major source of energy. Restricting the amount of fat consumed reduces the feeling of satiety after eating. 

1. Avoid ordering items in restaurants that are fried, crispy, buttery, scalloped or cooked in their own gravies. READ MORE

Answer to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

1.  If I skip breakfast will that help me lose weight faster?  
Fitness fabrication at it's best. 
You may think by decreasing your calories by skipping a meal you will lose weight but deprivation is a key to weight loss disaster. A healthy plan is to distribute your meals and snacks evenly throughout the day, allowing for a steady supply of energy. Designing your food intake this way will help to keep your glucose level in control and avoid overeating.  

How to Get a Flat Tummy 

Tammi Jacobs,
Results Health and Fitness Center

Answers to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

4.  I am always hungry. What can I do?

            When the goal is weight loss, hunger is often a hurdle to overcome, however it may not necessarily be hunger. Reminisce for a moment the numerous occasions feasting until the point you thought you could not eat another bite and then dessert is presented. Somehow you are hungry again. Well, it is not hungry you feel, it is your appetite. To rein in your eating habits it is important to understand the two mechanisms controlling this particular situation.

            Hunger is a physiological response (internal stimuli) to lack of food, whereas appetite is the desire to eat due to environment (external stimuli) such as the sight or smell of food. Many things can trigger your desire to eat, and recognizing the difference between genuine hunger and stimulus driven appetite (the same signals that entice a smoker to want to have a smoke with a beer) are one of the many tools to place in your healthy lifestyle tool kit. Much of the stimuli in our environment prompt the desire to munch such as sizzling steak on the television commercials, smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, bill boards picturing beautifully prepared foods all trigger food intake when it is unnecessary.           

             What is often mistaken for hunger maybe “pseudo hunger”, and someone with a large appetite could possibly be someone who was taught to clear everything on their plate. Hunger vs. Appetite is a perfect situation to engineer your environment for success. Here are a few tips:

 1.  Before you eat, stop and ask yourself if you are really hunger or if you are just eating out of habit, boredom or temptation.

2.  Remove yourself from the temptation. Go for a walk, play with the dog, drink a large glass of cold water or even brush your teeth.
3.  Eat before you get hungry by planning your meals ahead of time. 5 – 6 smaller meals throughout the day.
4.  Refrain from eating treats (chocolate, candy, chips) when you are hungry as it conditions a belief system that only quick sugary treats satisfy hunger.
 5.  Fill up on high fiber foods that are low in fat.    

Drop 10 Pounds in 30 Days!
Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert
Results Health and Fitness Center, Chandler, Arizona

Fitness: Facts or Fiction by Tammi Jacobs

Fitness Facts and Fiction
Are you one of those people that believes the best way to flatten your abdominal section is to do crunches for hours on end? Then stay tuned into this blog and we will answer any of the exercise, diet and work out myths.


Exercise Question

1.  I used to workout and when I stopped my muscle turned to fat.

Negative 
Muscle and adipose (fat) tissue are two completely different tissues, and one will never turn into the other. However this situation is a perfect analogy for “use it or lose it”. If you are not using your muscles, they will atrophy, shrink. Additionally, if there has not been an adjustment for less activity concerning caloric intake, fat cells will fill.

Exercise Question
2.  Yo Yo dieting has ruined my metabolism and now it seems impossible to lose weight. Wrong

A person who repeatedly loses and gains weight should not have more trouble trying to reach and maintain a healthy weight than a person attempting to lose weight for the first time. Studies indicate weight cycling does not affect one's metabolic rate - the rate at which the body burns fuel (food) for energy, therefore weight cycling should not affect the success of future weight-loss efforts. A more plausible explanation to difficulty in weight loss is the decrease in lean muscle mass that may have occurred over time and a disproportional rate to fat increase with lack of physical activity. Making regular physical activity as well as healthy eating habits a part of your life will assist maintaining a healthy weight range and improve health overall. One study by the American College of Sports Medicine revealed that much of the problem with the inability to lose weight was not lack of the body’s ability to metabolize nutrients but actually the participants in the study underreported their true food intake by 47% and over reported their physical activity by 51%.

                                       
Exercise Question
3.   I should only do cardiovascular exercise while I am trying to lose weight as weight training will adversely affect my weight loss.

Negative  

Weight training is a very important component of a well balanced workout regime because it helps to increase lean muscle mass which in turn gives the metabolism a boost. Research studies indicate that after age 45, the average person loses about 10% of their lean muscle mass due primarily to lack of physical activity.

    A recent study which followed 164 women in Minnesota, one half of the women participated in weight training 30 minutes to 1 hour most days of the week while the other half did no weight training. The group that participated in weight training lost 3.7 % body fat while the control group did not change.

Exercise Question

4.   Overweight people should not exercise and only focus on diet.  
Not By Any Means  Recently the media and medical profession have begun to focus on obesity as not only a personal health issue, but as a driving force of the impending medical crisis. While evidence shows a genetic component, lifestyle factors are probably more important when the goal is to reverse obesity.

    My recommendation for people who are overweight (BMI 25) or obese (BMI 30) is a balance of healthy nutrition and exercise. But, what does that really mean. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends at least 200 minutes of exercise per week – translation - 40 minutes per day on 5 days each week. The same study also revealed another interesting fact concerning caloric intake and activity level. Exercise does work and weight loss will occur if more calories are burned than consumed. But, even if a person exercises for an hour, they may not lose weight if they consume an excessive number of calories that day.

Exercise Question

5. Sit ups are the best exercise to give me a flat tummy?    
Never  
If your desire is a flat tummy the best exercise for you is cardiovascular activities like, step aerobics, walking, jogging, coupled with a good diet. You must get rid of the layer of fat around the mid section to unveil the muscle hidden beneath. It is also important to note that you can not specify where you lose fat. Spot reduction and toning are another myth all within themselves.

  Keep in mind common exercises for the abdominal and the core like crunches, sit ups, leg lifts, trunk rotations are designed to strengthen and tone the muscles and to help provide support to the core allowing for better posture which is a good thing.  However these exercises will not decrease the waist line and give the flat tummy many people are looking for.


Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert
Results Health and Fitness Center Chandler, AZ

Your Walk and Tone Workout

Your Walk and Tone Workout

Stay Slim and Get Strong with Fat-Blasting Firming Moves

Yes, I know that working out takes time and energy. The good news? Interval workouts, combining fast and slow paced walks will help you reach your fitness goals quicker. Follow this fun workout that targets multiple muscles congruently. You will get a full body shape up and see results in less than a month. Plus you can pair the following toning routine with our meal plan to keep your metabolism in high gear and shed those 10 pounds before short season is here. 

Your Program at a Glance...

Success Secrets from Results Health and Fitness Members

Success Secrets from Results Health and Fitness Members

• Every night I planned and prepared my meals for the next day. 

• Keep a food journal and analyze it every night. If you get off course you can fix it the next day. 

• My husband and I plan our healthy menu, prepare our food, schedule our work outs and now we plan fun vacations together. 

Quick Diet Tips

100 calorie snack packs. 
Take them or leave them. I say leave them. A recent study from the Journal of Consumer Research, the small portions lure us into thinking that a little bit of unhealthy food is an innocent pleasure, which encourages us to eat more. The marketing and packaging is designed to make us think we are eating low calorie food however just because it looks like diet food does not mean it is.

Much better 100 calorie snack packs choices

• bananas
• apple slices
• oranges
• grapes
• carrots
• yogurt

                                               




Fast Food Salads actually drive up the sales of the foods that contain more fat like French fries and quarter pounders. Duke University’s Dr. Fitzsimons, PhD explains, “Seeing a salad satisfies a person’s unconscious goal of being healthy. People feel better with them on the menu, and then go wild on the fries.” Another interesting issue is the fact the salads are not always a healthier choice either. McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with grilled chicken and Newman’s Dressing have more calories than a Quarter Pounder.