Top Weight Loss Foods for 2010

Top Weight Loss Foods for 2010

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/41903/top-weight-loss-foods-for-2010/

By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding - Posted on Tue, Jan 05, 2010, 10:05 am PST Eat This, Not That

by David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding a Yahoo! Health Expert for Nutrition

Top Weight Loss Foods for 2010



If you're like most Americans, you've gained about 5 pounds since Thanksgiving. Each small holiday-season indulgence may have seemed like no big deal at the time, but added all together, they created the perfect storm for a juggernaut of jiggle. Don't believe us? Consider the caloric damage of typical holiday activities—weekly parties, with buffet tables lined with goodies and treats; cookies and cakes delivered by your well-intentioned neighbors; and seasonal beverages, from holiday lagers to rum-spiked eggnogs, that had you washing down those hundreds of extra calories with, well, hundreds of extrea calories. It’s no wonder Baby New Year always makes her debut toting a gargantuan gut!




In 2010, vow to eat better—not less, just better. Add these 9 best foods for weight loss to your daily (or weekly) diet, and watch as the pounds melt away. The best-selling weight loss series Eat This, Not That! shows you how to make a weight-loss resolution worth sticking to.




Full-Fat Cheese
This dairy product is an excellent source of casein protein-- one of the best muscle-building nutrients you can eat. What's more, Danish researchers found that even when men ate 10 ounces of full-fat cheese daily for 3 weeks, their LDL ("bad") cholesterol didn't budge.


Bonus tip: See which cheese won the distinction of “best” in the annual 125 Best Supermarket Food Awards.




Pork Chops
Per gram of protein, pork chops contain almost five times the selenium--an essential mineral that's linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer--of beef, and twice that of chicken. And Purdue researchers found that a 6-ounce serving daily helped people preserve their muscle while losing weight.




Ice Coffee
Coffee reduces your appetite, increases your metabolism, and gives you a shot of antioxidants. A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that the average metabolic rate of people who drink caffeinated coffee is 16 percent higher than that of those who drink decaf. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system by increasing your heart rate and breathing. Honestly, could there be a more perfect beverage? Plus, frequent mini servings of caffeine (8 ounces of coffee or less) keep you awake, alert, and focused for longer than a single jumbo one would, according to sleep experts. When you quickly drink a large coffee, the caffeine peaks in your bloodstream much sooner than if you spread it out over time. Start your day with an 8 ounce coffee (the "short" size is available by request at Starbucks). Or, ask for a large half caf. Then keep the caffeine lightly flowing with a lunchtime cappuccino (it's got only 75 mg, which is about one quarter of what you'd get in a 16 ounce coffee).


Bonus tip: Don't derail your diet. See our indespensible list of the 20 Worst Drinks in America.




Grapefruit
In a recent study, Louisiana State University scientists discovered that people who ate half a grapefruit three times a day lost 4 pounds in 12 weeks, even though they hadn’t deliberately altered any other part of their diets. Although the mechanism isn’t clear, the researchers speculate that grapefruit’s acidity may slow your rate of digestion, helping keep you full longer.




Apple
Turns out, an apple a day may also keep the extra weight away. Penn State researchers discovered that people who ate a large apple 15 minutes before lunch took in 187 fewer calories during lunch than those who didn’t snack beforehand. (The apples had around 128 calories.) What’s more, they reported feeling fuller afterward, too. Sure, the fruit is loaded with belly-filling fiber, but there’s another reason apples help you feel full: They require lots of chewing, which can make you think you’re eating more than you really are, says study author Julie Obbagy, Ph.D.



Eggs
Skip the cold cereal: Eating eggs and bacon in the morning can help you control your hunger later in the day. Indiana University scientists determined that dieters who consumed their biggest dose of daily protein at breakfast felt full longer than those who ate more of the nutrient at lunch or dinner. The upshot: “They were less likely to overeat the rest of the day,” says study author Heather Leidy, Ph.D. To fend off hunger, shoot for at least 20 to 30 grams of protein at breakfast.


Bonus tip: Just because it’s made with eggs doesn’t make it good for you—see our worst omelet in the list of 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America 2009.




Beans
If you're not a legume lover, consider this: In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, scientists found that people who consumed beans were 23 percent less likely to have large waists than those who said they never ate them. The bean eaters in the survey also tended to have lower systolic blood-pressure measurements, says research Victor Fulgoni III, Ph.D. Legumes are rich in belly-filling fiber as well as potassium, which helps fight hypertension. Aim for half a cup of cooked beans 3 or 4 days a week.




Salmon
Fish isn't just good for your heart; it's good for your gut, too. That's because omega-3 fatty acids help you feel full longer, report scientists from Iceland. In the study, dieters who ate salmon felt fuller 2 hours later than those who either didn't eat seafood or had cod, a fish with little fat. The researchers found that eating foods high in omega-3s (like the ones to the left) increased blood levels of leptin, a hormone that promotes satiety. Hate fish? Take a fish-oil capsule every day - one that has 500 milligrams of the omega-3s DHA and EPA. It offers the same benefits as salmon.




Milk
Instead of fruit juice, reach for moo juice in the morning. Drinking milk at breakfast can help you eat less at lunch, Australian scientists say. In their study, overweight people who downed about 2 1/2 cups of skim milk in the morning consumed 8.5 percent fewer calories at an all-you-can-eat lunch spread than people who drank the same amount of fruit juice. Both beverages had an equal number of calories, but the milk contained 25 grams of protein while the fruit juice had virtually no protein and 63 grams of sugar. Those may be big servings, but the principle remains: Protein helps you feel fuller throughout the morning.


For thousands of great tips like these, be sure to download the Eat This, Not That! iPhone app—it’s like having your own personal nutritionist always at your fingertips!
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It's Jan 1st. Do you know where your scale is ?

Resolving to loose weight is easy. Sticking with your diet is hard.

Have a Happy New Year !


http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2010/01/post_18.html

It's a new year: Do you know where your scale is?
By Molly Kimball, The Times-Picayune
January 06, 2010, 11:28AM
If you’re like most people, it’s directly underfoot, the first few days of your annual New Year’s resolution to lose a little (or a lot of) weight.

It’s a safe a bet that Jan. 1 is the single biggest dieting day of the year — and just as safe a bet that by Jan. 31, most of those dieters are back to their old eating habits.

But you swear this year will be different. This year, you’re going to take that weight off and keep it off, right?

Not without a plan, you’re not. Which is why, for the next five Fridays, I’ll give you a step-by-step guide to turning your resolutions into results.

I’ll arm you with knowledge and heighten your awareness of your habits and tendencies. I’ll show you how to develop a personalized nutrition plan, and provide you with the necessary resources to help you meet your weight loss goals.


The Times-PicayuneIf you’re not ready to make these changes right now, I understand. Just clip and save these five columns for later. Because it doesn’t have to be January for you to make a positive change in your life.

Those of you who are ready for a change should start by using these first days of 2010 to focus on understanding your eating and drinking behaviors, and setting realistic, attainable goals.

Reflecting on your past weight loss failures can be tough — it’s never easy to acknowledge our flaws. But you can’t keep doing the same things and expecting different outcomes. Wishing doesn’t burn calories. If you want to change your body, you have to change your routines.

So what are your weaknesses? What are your behaviors or habits that can use the most improvement?

Think back to what has prevented you from losing weight over the years. It could have been major life-changing events (a move, a marriage, a divorce, a hurricane or flood), or recurring situations (sporting events, vacations, parties). Even certain times of day can provide an extra challenge (post-lunch sweets, after school snacks, late-night munchies). Or you may be emotion-driven, using food as a distraction from feeling stressed, lonely, or bored.

Identifying these triggers, and taking action to modify your behaviors and reactions, are keys to preventing a repeat of past weight-loss efforts.

For example, if you know that trouble hits when you don’t have dinner planned — so you order pizza, again — then lay out a dinner plan for each night and stick with it. It may be as simple as cooking extra on the weekends, then portioning it into meals for the following week.

If you’re not handy in the kitchen, take some time to peruse the menus of neighborhood restaurants to identify a few healthy take-out options to rotate into your weekly dinner schedule.

If your big downfall comes in the evening when you’re tired and can’t resist a pantry full of snacks, talk with your family about not bringing the stuff into the house in the first place. Not an option? Ask them to stash their treats in another place, out of view.

Once you’ve recognized your obstacles and barriers, decide what specific changes you’ll make to maximize your odds of achieving your goals.

Making your goals realistic is a fundamental component of any successful weight-loss plan. No matter how diligently you follow a nutrition and exercise regime, you’re setting yourself up for failure if your goal isn’t attainable.

So think back to when you were in the best shape of your life. How many years (and kids) ago was that? Point being, is it reasonable to expect your body to return to that size, shape, or level of fitness? If so, go for it! But if not, you may want to rethink your plan, set a more modest initial goal. When you reach this preliminary target, re-evaluate to determine your next goal.

Once you’ve set your sights on a particular goal, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to achieve it. Step by step. Literally.

It’s not enough to simply decide that you’re going to exercise more and eat less. What kind of exercise will it be? How many days a week? And when are you going to fit it in?

And just how are you going to eat less? By eating smaller portions? Cutting back on starches at dinner? Snacking less after dinner?

Make sure that you have realistic expectations of success, on a daily, weekly, even monthly basis. Your pounds lost may not be in the double digits each week like they are for the contestants on “Biggest Loser,” but you’re probably not working out full-time like the show’s contestants, either. And thankfully so. Who wants to miss out on time with family and friends — or partying it up for the Saints games — to work out like crazy?

So what’s a realistic goal in terms of the number on the scale? One-half to two pounds per week.

I know, it sounds sloooow. But look at the big picture: You can expect a loss of 12 to 24 pounds in the first three months. By month six, you could be down 50 pounds.

But the number on the scale is just one way to measure your progress, and it’s often not the best way.

If you’re incorporating strength training into your workout regime, you’ll be getting stronger. This newly-developed muscle mass will show up as weight on the scale, so the number on the dial may not reflect the full amount of fat lost.

Instead, go by how your clothes fit. If your jeans are getting looser by the week (even after washing and drying), who cares what the scale says? You know that you’re losing body fat, and that’s all that matters.

Another option is to measure your body fat. One of the most accurate tests is a DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) full-body scan. The cost is usually about $100 to $150 and is conducted at facilities like research centers and hospitals.

Many fitness centers offer a body fat assessment using skin-fold calipers. Though not as accurate as a DEXA scan, it’s far less pricey, and it will at least give you a starting point. Two things to keep in mind: The accuracy of a skin-fold test depends on the skill of the tester, and results can vary from tester to tester, so try to have the same person measure you each time.

Body fat scales, though generally not noted for their accuracy, are one of the most convenient ways to track the of loss or gain of body fat. Since results vary depending on our hydration status and food intake, it’s best to use the scale at the same time of the day, under consistent conditions (such as first thing in the morning, before breakfast).

Whichever method you choose, tracking your progress will let you know if your plan is working, or if it needs some more tweaking. And reading the results will help you stay motivated to continue with your new lifestyle.