Archive for the ‘Health’ Category



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How to Move Beyond a Weight Loss Plateau

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

It’s hard to understand why for weeks pounds of weight are coming off and then all of sudden nothing. Hitting a weight loss plateau is completely normal and it eventually happens to everyone trying to lose weight. The progression from initial weight loss to a weight-loss plateau follows a typical pattern. During the first few weeks of losing weight, a rapid drop in pounds is normal. When calories from food are reduced, the body gets needed energy by releasing its stores of glycogen, a type of carbohydrate found in the muscles and liver. Glycogen holds onto water, so when glycogen is burned for energy, it also releases the water — about 4 grams of water for every gram of glycogen — resulting in substantial weight loss that’s mostly water.

According to the Mayo Clinic a plateau occurs because your metabolism slows as you lose lean tissue (muscle). When you lose weight, you lose both fat and lean tissue.  Your weight-loss efforts result in a new equilibrium with your now slower metabolism. This means that in order to lose more weight, you need to increase activity or decrease the calories you eat. Using the same approach that worked initially will maintain your weight loss, but it won’t lead to more weight loss.

There are several things you can do to overcome the plateau:

  1. Take a Look Back – Look back at your Food and Exercise journal, make sure you have been progressing with your exercise like you should and that you haven’t started eating larger portions of food or snacking when you should not be.
  2. Reduce Calories – Reduce your caloric intake by a couple hundred calories. Just make sure that does not put you below 1200 calories.
  3. Intensify Your Workout - Increase the amount of time and intensity of your workout.
  4. Add More Physical Activity – Be more aware of your physical activity throughout the day and try to find more ways to work more activity into your day.

Hopefully these simple tips will help you move beyond your weight-loss plateau and continue on the road to your desired weight.

Shrinking – Losing Weight is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The Weight-Loss Showdown Update

Friday, July 9th, 2010

We’re about 2/3 of the way through our weight-loss showdown and I wanted to give an update on our progress. Just as a reminder of what we’re doing… Jim (me) and Jason, two of the minds behind Shrinking, decided to have a little weight-loss contest, Biggest Loser-style. The winner gets $100 and will be determined by the biggest percentage weight-lost on July 31, 2010.

Here’s where we are. I have lost about 4.4% and Jason has lost 3.03%. I’m definitely in the lead at the moment, but anything can happen in the last 3 weeks. We’re both really excited with our progress and hope to see those number keep improving.

You can follow us both on Twitter and we appreciate any encouragement you can give us. Our Twitter accounts are @jimlast and @i_am_hardy.

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How many calories in eggs?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Here at Shrinking we are committed to helping you lose weight easily! And we feel knowing your daily calorie consumption and how many calories you burn with exercise can be a very important and helpful tool in your weight loss journey.

Please visit our new page to learn more about our new Food and Exercise Calorie Counter.

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How Metabolism Affects Your Weight

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Metabolism is the rate at which your body consumes calories. Someone with a high metabolic rate is able to burn calories more efficiently than someone with a slower metabolic rate. Assuming these two people eat roughly the same amount of calories, the individual with a faster metabolic rate “burns up” more of the calories she eats; the person who has the slower metabolism doesn’t burn all the calories taken in, so the extra calories are “saved” and then converted to fat.

Since many factors can affect your metabolism (e.g. age, overall health), it can actually slow down without you making any lifestyle changes. The good news is that aerobic exercise is an ideal way to increase your metabolism and combat weight gain.

Aging in particular has a noticeable impact on your metabolism, due to changes in hormone balance. That doesn’t mean aging makes weight gain inevitable. A 2001 study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service showed that older people can significantly improve their metabolism and fend of weight gain by participating in strength training (using weights or other resistance) exercise. The reason both exercise and strength training can improve your metabolism? Muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat; the more muscle you have in relation to your body fat, the higher your metabolism will be.

Metabolism is an important part of the weight-loss formula. It’s important to burn as many calories as possible when trying to lose weight, and metabolism plays right into that.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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5 Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Your Cholesterol

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Small changes can lead to a big difference when it comes to lowering your cholesterol. According to the mayo clinic here are 5 lifestyle changes that may help to reduce your cholesterol.

1. Lose Excess Weight. This goes without saying. Even losing as little as 5 or 10 pounds will reduce your LDL levels

2. Eat Heart Healthy Foods. Making smart choices for your regular diet, such as whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies, can help lower your cholesterol.

3. Get Some Daily Exercise. Small things such as short walks and taking the stairs can help you lose weight, which can only help the cholesterol battle.

4. Quit Smoking. Smokers tend to have higher cholesterol and overall risk of heart disease.

5. Drink Alcohol Only In Moderation. If you drink, you should only drink in moderation to control your cholesterol. If you don’t drink there isn’t enough benefit in terms of cholesterol improvement to warrant starting.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The Health Benefits of Soy Products

Monday, March 29th, 2010

What can soy do for you? The American Heart Association says consuming 25 to 50 grams of soy a day can help lower our LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) by as much as 8%. Research has also shown promising results for soy in preventing stroke, cancer (notably breast cancer), osteoporosis, and hot flashes.

Here are just some of the soy products out there and some tips on ways to sneak them into your diet.

Edamame, more commonly known as a soybean, has become a popular snack which can be bought in the freezer section of the super market. Just heat them up and add a little salt and pepper if desired, pop them out of their shell and enjoy!

Tofu is the well-known vegetarian favorite made from soybeans. It is high in protein and calcium and well known for its ability to absorb new flavors through spices and marinades. Tofu food can be added to almost any dish as a meat substitute or right along with it.  If you have a family member unsure about tofu you might want to try mix it into a casserole or stir fry. Add the soft or silken variety to sauces, soups, smoothies, dips or spreads.

Soymilk is becoming increasingly popular and can be purchased plain or in flavors such as chocolate and vanilla. You can drink soy milk just as you would regular milk or you can use it in smoothies, cereal, coffee, oatmeal, or just about anywhere you would use milk.

Soy is quickly becoming a popular alternative food and it has definite health benefits.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The ‘Dirty Dozen’ of Fruits and Vegetables

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Here is a list of the twelve fruits and veggies, nicknamed the “Dirty Dozen”, that typically have the highest pesticide-load; meaning that they require the most pesticide use to reach maturity. Then we have the “clean(er) dozen”, which you can safely buy non-organic.  This is a handy little list to keep handy while you do your shopping because it’s very easy to forget which fruits and veggies are on which list.

Shop organic-only:

  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Sweet bell peppers
  • Celery
  • Nectarines
  • Strawberries
  • Cherries
  • Lettuce
  • Grapes (imported)
  • Pears
  • Spinach
  • Potatoes







Safe to buy conventional:

  • Eggplant
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Bananas
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet peas (frozen)
  • Mango
  • Pineapples
  • Sweet corn (frozen)
  • Avocado
  • Onions

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The Mathematics Behind Weight-Loss

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

All weight-loss simply boils down to burning more calories than you consume. This is the principle behind diet & exercise, bariatric surgery, and any other weight-loss methods. If you burn more calories than you consume your body will have to start burning fat stores for the energy it needs.

Exercise is important because it increases the number of calories that you burn daily, while eating less and maintaining a healthy diet helps to limit your calorie intake. Understanding these basic facts let’s us start looking at weight-loss from a more methodical and mathematical standpoint. A pound is 3500 calories. So for each pound you want to lose you will need to burn 3500 calories more than you intake.

Here are a couple of examples to show you how to think about your weight-loss program mathematically.

Example #1
First, let’s say that Joe weighs about 350 pounds and wants to get down to 250. He has a Basal Metabolic Rate of 2920 calories per day. If he maintains a diet of 1800 calories per day then he will have a net loss of 1120 calories per day. And since there are 3500 calories in a pound, he can expect to lose about .32 pounds per day. So it would take him about 313 days to reach his weight-loss goals if he just maintains his diet of 1800 calories per day.

Example #2
If Joe is more aggressive and adds a daily workout to his weight-loss plan then he can accelerate the weight-loss. If he does a moderately intense workout and burns 750 calories each day, in addition to the 1800 calories diet, he can have a net loss of 1870 calories per day. With a calorie deficit of 2670 calories (.53 pounds) he can expect to reach his weight-loss goal in about 189 days.

Here is a simple formula to help you calculate your weight-loss and show you what you can realistically expect.

The Weight Loss Formula

Ever wonder how contestants on The Biggest Loser lose so much weight? It’s simply because of the same formula. Contestants on the show spend about 6 hours per day in the gym, so they can burn 6000-7000 calories per day. Let’s look at an example.

Example #3
Jane is a contestant on the show and weighs 310 pounds. She has a BMR of 2140 and maintains a diet of 1800 calories. If she burns 6000 calories per day, then she can achieve a deficit of 6340 calories, which is about 1.81 pounds. So in a week she would be able to lose around 12.5 pounds.

It’s also important to note that your BMR will change as you lose weight. As you get smaller you will need less calories to maintain your weight, so the BMR will drop correspondingly.

All methods of weight-loss target one portion of the weight-loss equation. Diets and bariatric surgery focus on the calories consumed part, exercise increase the number of calories burned, and so on. Understanding what it actually takes to lose weight is an important part of the process and can show you the commitment that you need to make to be able to achieve your goals.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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Portion Size Guidelines

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

As you know, a key to any successful weight-loss program is controlling what you eat. Watching the portion sizes of your food is a very important part of controlling your calorie and fat intake. It’s easy to overeat when you’re confronted with out-of-control portion sizes at most restaurants and the never-ending buffet. How much we eat can be just as important as what we eat. So, it might be time to take a look a what kind of portions you’re really putting on your plate.

WebMd had some great tips on how to keep your portion sizes in check. When you are at home:

  • Use smaller dishes at meals.
  • Serve food in the appropriate portion amounts and don’t go back for seconds.
  • Put away any leftovers in separate, portion-controlled amounts. Consider freezing the portions you likely won’t eat for a while.
  • Never eat out of the bag or carton.
  • Don’t keep platters of food on the table; you are more likely to “pick” at it or have a second serving without even realizing it.

At restaurants

  • Ask for half or smaller portions.
  • Eyeball your appropriate portion, set the rest aside, and ask for a doggy bag right away. Servings at many restaurants are often big enough to provide meals for two days.
  • If you have dessert, share.

Take a look at this list from the USDA and you will probably be as shocked as I was at how little an actual serving size is.

  • one slice of whole-grain bread
  • 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
  • 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
  • three to four small crackers
  • one small pancake or waffle
  • two medium-sized cookies
  • 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
  • 1 cup (four leaves) lettuce
  • one small baked potato
  • 3/4 cup vegetable juice
  • one medium apple
  • 1/2 grapefruit or mango
  • 1/2 cup berries
  • 1 cup yogurt or milk
  • 1 1/2 ounces of cheddar cheese
  • one chicken breast
  • one medium pork chop
  • 1/4 pound hamburger patty

A good guideline to help you understand portion sizes is to translate the abstract information represented by the serving size into something visual that’s easily remembered. So instead of trying to memorize lists of ounces, cups, and tablespoons, simply compare the serving sizes of particular foods to familiar physical objects. For example, a single serving of:

  • Vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
  • Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream.
  • Meat, fish, or poultry is the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers).
  • Snacks such as pretzels and chips is about the size of a cupped handful.
  • Apple is the size of a baseball.
  • Potato is the size of a computer mouse.
  • Bagel is the size of a hockey puck.
  • Pancake is the size of a compact disc.
  • Steamed rice is the size of a cupcake wrapper.
  • Cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb (from the tip to the base).

Seeing portion sizes listed in black and white will hopefully make us realize just how much we overeat and help us get them back under control.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The Benefits of Eating a Healthy Breakfast

Monday, February 15th, 2010

BreakfastEveryone’s been there. You’re in a rush with so many things to do and trying to get out the door on time. So what do we do? Skip breakfast. Sadly, this is an all-to-common occurrence. It seems to be the most overlooked meal of the day, which is not a good thing considering it is also the most important meal of the day. Eating a healthy breakfast really sets the tone of the day as far as your eating goes. If you don’t eat breakfast or eat too little then you’re likely to snack before lunchtime or overindulge at lunch.

You shouldn’t trick yourself into thinking that by skipping breakfast you will be helping yourself lose weight. Studies have shown that eating breakfast is important in maintaining a healthy weight. When you eat breakfast you are jump-starting your metabolism -  getting your body ready to burn fat and calories for the day.

Here are just some of the benefits of eating a health breakfast:

  • More energy for the day
  • More complete diet: you will be consuming more vitamins and minerals that your body needs
  • Lower cholesterol levels
  • Better productivity, especially in the morning
  • Control your weight: You will be less likely to snack mid morning or eat a heavier lunch if you had eaten a healthy breakfast

Eating a healthy breakfast has benefits for yourself as well as your children. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and on the playground, with better concentration, problem-solving skills, and hand-eye coordination.

Stay tuned for some healthy breakfast ideas!

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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