New Research on Cholesterol

It has long been believed that a high cholesterol level is not good and those whose numbers were high were advised to stay away from high cholesterol foods like eggs and shrimps.

However, there is new research on cholesterol that shows that dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on blood cholesterol levels. But if your cholesterol level is high your doctor will still recommend that you watch what you eat. Confused? I'm sure, you are used to getting conflicting information on nutrition.

The good news is that once your diet improves overall, your cholesterol level will also be lowered.

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Best Foods For Belly Fat?

I see a number of articles recommending foods that burn belly fat or to eat or avoid to reduce belly fat. I wish it were that simple. Can you imagine? Eat this, not that and my belly fat will vanish like magic.

Most would agree that belly fat is more serious than fat on other parts of the body. It's recommended that women have a waist no larger than 35 inches and the recommended maximum for men is 40 inches. If you have belly fat, you likely have more visceral fat, not just fat that's under the skin. Viseral fat is highly indicative of obesity related illness such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain types of cancers.

The recommendation to reduce visceral fat is pretty much the same as fat on other parts of your body. Diet, exercise and sleep. As you saw from a previous post, you can't spot reduce. Foods with more soluble fiber will help reduce belly fat. Just like other diet recommendations you have seen. Again, no magic, no short cuts.

Here is more info from WebMD on belly fat.

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No, You Can't Spot Reduce

It has long been debunked that you cannot spot reduce. You can't do 100 ab crunches and end up with a six pack or target your legs or buttocks. As you may have noticed from your previous weight loss, essentially your entire body changes as you lose weight and fat. It has a mind of its own, but you generally you are a smaller version of yourself.

One of the best studies on spot training or reducing was done at the University of Massachusetts in the 1980s. During the 27-day study, 13 male subjects were required to perform 5,000 sit-ups. Fat biopsies were taken from the subjects’ abdomens, buttocks and upper backs before and after the 28 day period. Although the men only focused on their abs, at the end of the study their fat decreased similarly at all three test spots. Who would have thought?

It's tempting but forget all those best exercises for [insert body part] and just do it the only and best way - diet and exercise.


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Journaling Your Way to Weight Loss Success

If I were to tell you that you can lose twice as much weight by simply writing down what you eat, would you do it? It's true research has shown that dieters who kept a food diary or journal were more successful than those who don't. I know from my previous attempts of journeying I was more cognizant of what I ate. I also make better choices because quite frankly I didn't want to write down that I ate 4 pieces of fried chicken.

Here's the research on keeping a food diary.

So lets start keeping a food journal! There are many options available to you. You can use anything from the good, old fashioned notebook to a spreadsheet on your computer to an app on your phone (myfitnesspal has a very popular app). You can also log your workouts, your water intake, hours of sleep, weight loss and inches loss.

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How Much Water To Drink?

Are you like me, confused about how much water we should drink daily? Of course, you have heard 8 glasses is the optimum level. Some experts also recommend more if you are overweight. I have also heard advice such as drink two bottles of water before every meal to reduce the amount you eat. This just leaves me very uncomfortable. So often we see individuals walking around with their water bottles like they are running a marathon in the Sahara Desert. Recently, I completed an online hydration calculator and it was recommended that I drink 130 ounces or 13.6 liters daily. That's just under 8 bottles of water! I'll never be able to be far away from a restroom!

When in doubt, I go the Mayo Clinic for the best advice. One observation is that we get about 20% of daily water requirement from food. Taking that fact into consideration, their recommendation for those of us who have no health issues is about 1.5 liters or about 3 bottles of water daily. I could definitely do this without feeling waterlogged. Technically, this doesn't all have to be water, other drinks can also qualify. But, calorie-free water is the best to stay hydrated.


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Eat. Move. Sleep

Most of us don't realize that there is a connection between sleep and weight. We need 7 to 9 hours sleep, but most of us get less than that. Lack of sleep affects our fullness and hunger hormones. One hormone, ghrelin, tells the brain when it's time to eat. When you're sleep deprived, you produce more ghrelin. Another hormone, leptin, tells your brain when you're full. When you don't get enough sleep, your leptin levels are lowered.

In addition, studies have shown the following:

1. When you go to bed late, late nigh snacking increases
2. When you're sleep deprived you tend to reach for unhealthy food options, particularly high carb foods.
3. Lack of sleep leads to eating bigger portions

The bottom line is to get the optimal hours of sleep that your body needs to help you on your journey to healthy and fit.

Read this article from WebMD for more information on the correlation between weight and sleep. You'll also find tips on getting a good night's rest.

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Best Exercise for Weight Loss

The best exercise for weight loss is any exercise that you love and will continue to do. So often I have read about exercises or workouts that are difficult to do for the absolute beginner.

According to mydiet.com the best exercise for weight loss is walking. However, as you continue to read you'll see that they are referring to walking 3 miles per hour. For some of us that may be too ambitious. So if you want to walk start at a rate that you're comfortable with.

If you don't like walking, pick anything that you like. There are dozens of options to choose from. Take a look at the other 17 best exercise for weight loss by mydiet.com for choices.

However, anything that will get you moving will be the best exercise for you to lose weight!


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Best Diet For Weight Loss

What's the best diet for weight loss? We are all in pursuit of the holy grail of diets. Low carbs, high protein diets? Low fat? Count calories? Clean diet?

When you consider the failure rate of all diets, the best diet is one that you can stay on for the rest of your life. I repeat - the best diet is one that you can stay on for all of your life. Instead of focusing on weight loss, I found it's better to think of gaining health rather than losing weight.

It's also important to note that while we all want to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, it is best to aim for small but significant changes that will lead to long term success. Add wholesome foods that mother nature provided to your diet while avoiding or eventually removing junk and processed foods.

This article in UK's The Daily Mail provides excellent advice for you to consider before embarking on yet another commercial or celebrity diet.

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Lent and Your Journey to a Healthy and Fit Body

Today is Ash Wednesday and it is the start of Lent. In the Christian tradition you give up something for 40 days and 40 nights. For example, sugar, fried foods, junk food, fast food, processed food, red meat, pop, etc. If you can't commit to giving something up. Think of this as one of the many 30 day exercise challenges that's out there that you may be comfortable doing. My Lent will be walking at least 1/2 mile every day. What's yours going to be? You could be a little further on your journey to a healthy and fit body by the time the tulips are in bloom!

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

Research has shown that dieters who weigh themselves daily lost the most weight and kept it off longer. Everyone is unique so do what works best for you. But I find that stepping on the scale daily helps me to stay on track. I am fully cognizant that my weight fluctuates daily so I don't get too stressed with small gains, but I love the small decreases. So now I record my weight whenever there is any small decimal decrease (yes, I'm paying attention to the decimals). Why wait for 7 days to see success!

Stepping on the scale daily will also give you some insights into how YOUR body reacts to your diet and exercise on the previous day(s).

Get more information here from The Guardian.

Most of us start a diet on Monday and therefore weigh ourselves every Monday to gauge success. The Guardian article also points out that, "we usually weigh the most by Sunday and Monday and then, over the course of the week, our weight generally decreases." If you find daily weighing is too much for you, then try weighing weekly on Fridays.

Another tip is to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after you empty your bladder and bowel; and without clothes and shoes.

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Measure Your Success

It's important to track your progress to healthy and fit. In addition to using your scale to weigh yourself, it's also a good idea to use a tape measure to track your success. Measure your chest/bust, waist and hip at the start of your journey to healthy and fit and then monthly. These measurements will come in handy if and when you see that the scale isn't moving.

How do you measure yourself? This sparkpeople article will help you take accurate measurements.

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Best Scale for Weight Loss

Many of us avoid the scale because the numbers are not what we would like to see. However, you can't change what you don't acknowledge. The best scale for weight loss is any scale. If you own one use it. Step on the scale and see where you are right now.

If you don't have a scale it's important to get one. (But, don't think you can't start your journey now since you don't have a scale.) I highly recommend a digital scale which displays the decimals. Those decimals will be important when your weight isn't moving as quickly as you like.

There are lots of brands and variety for you to choose. Take a look at this article from Women's Health with top new scales for 2015. One final note, depending on your current weight, you'll need to pay attention to the upper weight limit of the scale.


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Happy Valentine's Day!

Welcome to Journey to Healthy and Fit! Valentine's Day is the perfect day to give yourself some love and start your journey to being healthy and fit! Enjoy a healthy meal or meals. Move and be active today. You, your body and your heart deserve it!

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