5 Ways To Move Beyond A Weight Loss Plateau

Have You Hit a Weight Loss Plateau?

It’s hard to comprehend that for weeks your weight loss program is steaming ahead, the pounds are melting away, and then you come to a screeching halt with a weight loss plateau. The scales won’t budge another ounce. Take heart. Your weight loss plateau is perfectly normal.

Here are five easy and effective weight loss plateau-busting strategies to try, starting right now:

1. Visualize your Success! It has been proven that people who can visualize and see their success have a much greater chance of achieving it. Close your eyes and see yourself fitting into your skinny jeans. It’s fun and it works.

2. Record your food intake. Often, you may think you’re following a program, but you’re not. I call it “forgotten calorie syndrome”. You’re made accountable for what you eat by writing it down. Reality will look you in the eye.

3. Make sure you eat a protein-rich breakfast. Protein in the morning is key to revving up your metabolism and getting your day off to the right start.

4. Is sugar or alcohol in your system? Sugar (including fruits) or alcohol will stop fat metabolism as they raise insulin levels which will cause you to stop burning fat.

5. Are you drinking enough water? Lack of water will stop fat burning just as quickly as sugar, so drink your water, faithfully.

Expect To Have  A Weight Loss Plateau – It Happens

Weight loss plateaus, stalling & re-starting, it’s all to be expected:

Everyone wants to lose weight in a linear fashion and keep it off-as seen in the graph to the left. This rarely ever happens. Most successful people lose in spurts; losing, re-gaining a bit, then restarting-as seen in the graph to the right.

The key is to accept this natural rhythm, set a stop point for yourself, and get back on the program any time you find yourself moving away from your goal. Weigh yourself each week and pay attention to what your body is telling you so you can avoid a weight loss plateau yourself. Give us a call so we can help you reach your weight loss goals at 888-799-2622.

To your health,

Dr. Sass
Medical Director, Smart for Life® Weight Management Centers

P.S. Hitting a weight loss plateau is normal and manageable. Don’t give up!

Fast Weight Loss Tips By Smart For Life

Fast Weight Loss Tips From A Doctor that Specializes In Weight Loss

As a Bariatric doctor, many people tell me they want to lose weight fast; so I decided to write this article about the pros and cons of fast weight loss.

First of all, you should not lose more than 2 to 3 pounds a week.   After the first week, if you are, you’re losing muscle or getting dehydrated.  You are not losing fat.  Limiting salt and starches may also mean losing more weight at first—but, again, that’s mostly fluids and you’re not losing fat.

In regards to exercise during your weight loss phase; working out has shown to actually work against most people as they generally eat more after they work out.  For example, they go to the gym and burn 500 calories, but get hungry and go home and eat 700 calories.  Now, don’t get me wrong…working out and regular exercise are key for long term weight maintenance.

So what is a healthy weight loss speed?  At SmartforLife® our experience shows, based on thousands of fat, muscle, and water measurements on our clients, that to maintain muscle mass and good hydration, average monthly loss for women was about 12 pounds and for men about 15.  At these rates muscle loss was negligible and fat loss was maximized.

We also found that people who go too slowly, losing only a pound a week, lose their motivation and generally give up.

Fast Weight Loss Tips

Here are some helpful tips to keep you on track to success:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Get unhealthy, tempting foods out of your home.
• Stay busy – you don’t want to eat just because you’re bored.
• Eat small meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day.
• Eat vegetables to help you feel full.
• Be sure to get enough protein.  *See table for requirements.

So the take away message is to go as fast as is safe, about 12 pounds per month for women and 15 per month for men.  This is for the first month.  As you lose more weight, the rate of fast weight loss will decrease until you reach a plateau.

To read about how to beat a weight loss plateau; read my next blog.

Fast Weight Loss Minimal Protein Requirements

This chart presents the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) of protein for men and women at various ages.

Males:

11-14 years     50 grams/day

15-18 years     59 grams/day

19-24 years     68 grams/day

25+ years         70 grams/day

Females:

11-14 years     46 grams/day

15-18 years     50 grams/day

19-24 years     52 grams/day

25+ years         55 grams/day

This chart does not take into account your size—and larger people tend to have greater protein requirements.  The following calculation is a more popular method for calculating daily protein amongst most health professionals:

Your weight in pounds multiplied by .36 for women or .50 for men = Daily protein requirement (in grams).  Avid exercisers and athletes require even more. Fast weight loss is achievable and you can do it while eating and being healthy at the same time- Dr. Sass.

Can diet be an essential therapeutic strategy for cancer patients?

Learning From Nutrition and Diet Experts

Medscape recently spoke with two renowned diet, nutrition and food experts on the subject of nutrition and its effects on cancer patients.  Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, is a dietician; author; speaker; and internationally recognized expert in chronic disease prevention, health, and cancer.  She commented on the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS). “This is an important study because women with estrogen-receptor negative cancer have fewer treatment options.  The low-fat diet had a profound effect on recurrence in this group.”  Evidence is mounting toward the belief that diet can, in fact, prevent cancer and its recurrence involving breast cancer patients who were on curative therapy.

A Plant Based Diet and Exercise

Additionally, in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study, an intense plant-based diet high in fruits and vegetables did not appear to improve survival, but when combined with a regular schedule of moderate exercise, it did reduce recurrence.  Dixon added that women with breast cancer often have a difficult time shedding excess weight, so even if you don’t buy into the effect your diet may have on the disease; it’s still a much healthier choice.  She points out that having cancer does not serve as a deterrent to other maladies such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension and other chronic diseases, so choosing a healthy diet is always the better path.

The second individual who spoke with Medscape on this subject is Rebecca Katz, MS, who is a chef, nutritionist, national speaker, and award-winning author.  Her books include: One Bite at a Time, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen and The Longevity Kitchen.  In her book, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, Katz discusses foods that a patient and their family can prepare to help them surpass that feeling of helplessness.  She believes that too much emphasis is placed on what shouldn’t be done and chooses to shift that to a more positive message; sharing what is good to do through her healthy recipes.  In The Cancer-fighting Kitchen, Katz dedicates an entire chapter to an A-to-Z resource that details the evidence-based cancer-fighting properties of foods, herbs, and spices.  These are, of course, the foundation of the book’s recipes. The more these compounds are utilized and combined; the greater the chances of realizing their benefits.

Foods have many cancer-fighting properties, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and pro-immune system effects.  Along with regular exercise, maintaining a healthy attitude, and avoiding illness and infection, research indicates that diet does influence cancer progression, risk of recurrence, and survival.

Eating a Healthy Diet Assists You In Preventing and/or Healing From Cancer

So, whether you’re healthy and want to do all you can to continue on that path or you’re currently in the process of releasing cancer from your system (or that of a loved one) the evidence is quite compelling to lead you toward these healthier lifestyle choices.  The foods you put into your body are a major factor.  How could they not be?  You wouldn’t put a low octane gasoline in your Ferrari and expect it to run at its peak performance level for long.  Food is fuel.  It really matters.

Wishing you the happiest and healthiest New Year, -Dr. Sass

FDA nears ban of trans fats in processed foods

A Ban Of Trans Fats Is Good For All

In last month’s Boston/Washington Reuters article

by Toni Clarke and Ros Krasny, I read that the FDA is finally closing in on a very importantissue, the ban of trans fats.  They have actually proposed banning artificial trans fats in processed foods because of the risk of heart disease linked to their consumption.

Simply put, hydrogenation is a chemical process that converts liquid vegetable oils into solid or semi-solid fats.  Partially hydrogenated oils extend the shelf life of foods, and many processed foods rely on their taste and texture.

A Ban of Trans Fats Would Save Lives

By now, certainly, we’ve all heard that trans fats are dangerous and we need to buy products with labels that read “NO TRANS FATS”, and for very good reason.  These partially hydrogenated oils increase our bad cholesterol and may be responsible for approximately 7,000 deaths and 20,000 heart attacks, annually.  Rest assured, Smart for Life® products never have and never will have trans fats or any toxic ingredients.

According to experts, it may take about two years for a company to complete an ingredient switch-over from the time they are introduced to the alternative.  There is considerable research, recipe experimentation, and subsequent cost involved in any such project.  Thankfully, we never used these types of ingredients.

Even though it’s taken the FDA some time to get to this point, many companies have felt the pressure to move in the right direction over the past several years.  Since the FDA’s 2006 requirement to disclose these harmful fats on food labels, their presence in the marketplace has declined, significantly, but the task is far from complete.

Some specifics to be very cautious of include certain brands of the following processed foods:  pies, fish sticks, microwave popcorn, crackers and cinnamon rolls, to name a few.  Be sure that you read the actual labels, not just the name of the product or a descriptive tag line printed on the packaging.

Until The Ban of Trans Fats- Check Your Labels

Until an FDA ban of trans fats comes to fruition and these large companies are forced to eliminate these dangerous products from our grocery store shelves; don’t buy them, period!  We must be our own best advocate in our daily pursuit of healthy choices and lifestyle changes… stay informed, stay aware and treat ourselves and our families to the gift of delicious whole foods and healthy alternatives, such as Smart for Life®.

I’ll keep you posted on this ban of trans fats and in the mean time, to your health and happiness, -Dr. Sass

Smart For Life Releases Results Of Its First Clinical Weight Loss Study

Smart For Life Releases Results Of First Clinical Study On Its Weight Loss Program

On a review of 46 weight loss patients: 40 female and 6 males clients who used their portion-controlled, protein-rich, low-fat cookie with

unique fiber technology,  all subjects lost weight with an average 13.1 pounds loss in 35 days. Five people lost more than 20 pounds, and 20 people lost more than 15 pounds in 35 days. The 46 participants lost a total of 601 pounds. One patient lost 38.7 pounds in 35 days. This study was a significant success for the SmartforLife® weight loss program and it’s clients.

This is very clinically significant because a weight loss of 5% to 10% has shown clinical improvements in someones health. Their clients lost far greater than the 5-10%, thus helping them achieve even greater success in their overall health.

Weight Loss By Eating Healthy Cookies

Their clients were allowed to eat 6 SmartforLife® cookies or cupcakes daily (SmartforLife® also offers bagel chips, shakes, crunch cereals and more that are cookie equivalent). Clients also had a lean protein dinner with 5 servings of vegetables. All clients were seen by a physician before starting with their first weigh-in. They then weighed-in weekly and had a choice to see a counselor or a physician and were also offered telephone support if needed.

SmartforLife® has proven that their program is easy and gives quick, safe weight loss results.  They are only one of the so called “cookie diets” that have released such a case study. They have always known that they have the best weight loss products and support.  “This study goes farther to support our thinking. We offer the widest and healthiest choice of products using organic ingredients and we pack our cookies with nitrogen to avoid preservatives”, says Dr. Sass Moulavi, Founder of SmartforLife®.

The average client lost 8% of their body weight and dropped their BMI by 2.5 points. The study was finalized on February 23 , 2010.

SmartforLife® has seen its growth explode in the last few years due to how easy and inexpensive their delicious program is, and how supportive their team is.

To get more information on weight loss with SmartforLife®, call toll-free at 888-799-2622.