Weight-loss tips for men: Listen to your body

　　I wrote, “Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full – a simple piece of advice”. But is it that easy?
A reader commented on that tip which I included in the June 2009 issue of Healthy Food Guide magazine.They said this wasn’t good advice for weight-loss because it’s near impossible to trust your appetite when you are trying to lose weight.
When I was over 130kg, if someone had told me I should “eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full”, there’s no doubt I would have had a similar reaction – in fact I still feel that way sometimes! But if you ask a bloke who has never struggled with weight and body image issues, this tip is just commonsense.

The difference is in the function of a person’s appestat (that part of your brain that tells you when you are hungry and full). In my view, this ‘appestat’ is both physical and psychological: although we have physical hunger and fullness cues, we can confuse physical hunger with some other type of desire – favourites for men include relieving boredom, anxiety, anger or frustration. The function of the physical side of the appestat is the basis of the normal ‘portion control’ weight-loss advice as this will give your body a chance to physically register the food and respond with a physical signal of fullness.
This can work but it’s not ideal advice for everyone as portion control will certainly not satisfy psychological hunger. This is not to say I don’t attempt to control portions – it’s just that sometimes I don’t have enough food and other times I have too much, and these days I try to let my body tell me which is which.
Recognising feelings of hunger and fullness is a fraught business, and it can be tricky explaining to those trying to lose weight what people who have never had weight issues experience. By allowing your body to call the shots I think you can reinstate the function of your physical and psychological appestat (most of the time) and develop a relationship with food that feels more natural.

Weight Loss Surgery’s Family Effects

　　In the study, researchers observed the weight and lifestyle changes of 35 people who had gastric bypass weight loss surgery and their families, including 35 adult family members and 15 children under age 18.
One year following the bariatric surgery, the weight loss in the patients was typical for those who undergo weight loss surgery, about 100 pounds.
When researchers then looked at obese adult family members they also found a significant weight loss, from an average of 234 to 226 pounds. In addition, average waist circumference decreased among obese adult family members.
The study also showed that obese children of people who had weight loss surgery had a lower than expected BMI (body mass index) for their growth curve one year later after the surgery, but this was not considered significant. BMI is a ratio of weight in relation to height used to indicate obesity.
One year after the weight loss surgery, the study showed the people who underwent surgery and their family members had adopted healthier lifestyle habits. For example:
People who had a gastric bypass increased their mental control of eating and decreased uncontrolled and emotional eating.
Adult family members of people who had weight loss surgery also decreased uncontrolled and emotional eating.
Children of people who had bariatric surgery were twice as likely to report being on a diet.
Children had fewer hours spent watching TV and increased hours of physical activity.
"If one member of the family makes drastic lifestyle changes following surgery, it is possible that other family members will adopt similar healthy habits," the researchers write.

How to weight loss

　　Whether you are trying to lose 5 pounds or more than 50, the same principles determine how much weight you lose and how fast your weight loss will occur. Remembering the following simple guidelines and putting them into practice can lead to weight loss without the aid of any special diet plans, books, or medications.
Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy that we take in as food and the amount of energy we expend in the activities of our day. Energy is measured in calories. If your weight remains constant, you are probably taking in the same amount of calories that you burn each day. If you're slowly gaining weight over time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number of calories you burn through your daily activities.
Everyone is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon
1.our basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions
2.and our level of physical activity.
For some people, due to genetic (inherited) factors or other conditions, the resting metabolic rate (BMR) can be slightly higher or lower than average. Our weight also plays a role in determining how many calories we burn at rest -- the more calories are required to maintain your body in its present state, the greater your body weight. A 100-pound person requires less energy (food) to maintain body weight than a person who weighs 200 pounds.
Lifestyle and work habits partially determine how many calories we need each day. Someone whose job involves heavy physical labor will naturally burn more calories in a day than someone who sits at a desk most of the day (a sedentary job). For people who do not have jobs that require intense physical activity, exercise or increased physical activity can increase the number of calories burned.
As a rough estimate, an average woman 31-50 years of age who leads a sedentary lifestyle needs about 1,800 calories per day to maintain a normal weight. A man of the same age requires about 2,200 calories. Participating in a moderate level of physical activity (exercising three to five days per week) requires about 200 additional calories per day.

Foods and Loss Weight

What would be something good to buy at the store to help me lose 10 lbs? Website for good weight loss recipes?

Yes you got a good selection! But the cheese and crackers, cheerios, P and J arnt all that good. Cheese is very fatty. But the veggie burger and tuna could really help you gain muscle. Green tea is great because it speeds up your metabolism. Broccoli is also really good for weight loss  ! Good luck.

cantelope?
cheese and crackers?
veggie burgers?
cheerios? (not honeynut)
peanutbutter and jelly?
fishsticks?
tuna?
veggie soup?
grapefruit?
almonds?
granolabars?
bananas?
broccolli?
coconuts?
pita bread?
green tea vitamins?
green tea?

You would need to be careful with the amount of cheese consumed. The fishsticks are not a Great choice, neither is the Jelly. PB is high in calories yet healthy.

As a Sports Nutriitionist and Certified Trainer I would be excited to help you lose those 10 lbs. Call or Email Me if you would like my assistance and we can discuss your goals and diet in detail.