Clues for a starving generation: Eating’s good, bingeing’s bad

Did you know that eating is not only the key to good health, it’s also the key to losing weight? To put it plainly, your body can’t burn what it doesn’t have. No food means no calories; no calories means nothing burned. If you skip meals and starve yourself regularly, you’ll find that you’re at a standstill, starving for literally nothing at all.

Chances are you’ve just been fighting a losing battle of the bulge, but all's not lost. Here are three steps—we’ll call them clues—to recovery:

1. Keep it simple. Experts recommend setting small and realistic goals. Try one change per week or two per month. Your main goal right now should be to approach weight loss bite by bite.

2. Take your first bite. Start at the beginning, with a good breakfast. Not only will eating breakfast jump start your metabolism for the day, it can also jump start your brain. (A 2000 study of 41 healthy senior citizens at the University of Toronto found that eating breakfast improved memory significantly). It’s okay to start light: try a bowl of oatmeal, some fresh fruit, or a slice of whole grain toast with a boiled egg.

3. Eating is fundamental. Understand that it’s not so much the act of eating that brings on weight, it’s what you eat. Let’s break calories down into two groups, friends and foes. The idea is to increase the friendly calories in your diet—those that will work with you—and to gradually cut down on the foes. Examples of friends would be whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice—foods that contain complex carbohydrates, which burn more calories than they have. The foes are easy, right? Goodies like high-sugar beverages, high-calorie treats and desserts, and more. Websites like www.mypyramid.gov and www.americanheart.org offer healthy eating plans that focus on accenting a healthier lifestyle, not just weight loss.

So, you’ve read the facts, now it’s time to put your diet where your mouth is. Try this handy quiz to check your healthy eating I.Q. …

Healthy Eating Quiz: Where Do You Fall In?

Types: (a)=anorexic, (s)=slightly starving, (b)=binger, (v)=average

1. How often do you skip a meal during the week?

a) once

b) more than three times

c) never

d) daily

2. What’s your typical breakfast look like?

a) Special K with a teaspoon of skim milk

b) Fast food “breakfast #1” (or 2, or 3, etc.)

c) what breakfast?

d) An energy/breakfast bar

3. Are you on a diet or eating plan now? If so, how many calories?

a) 2,000 per day

b) 500

c) as few as possible

d) 5,000

4. If you could eat anything, without worrying about calories, what would it be?

a) a dozen Krispy Kremes

b) a bowl of banana pudding

c) a thick slice of cheesecake

d) a candy bar

5. When were you last satisfied with your body?

a) less than a year ago

b) never

c) over 10 years ago

d) over 20 years ago

Answer: There are no perfect scores here, we’re just looking for the average; but here’s how you tally your points below.

#1: a=5, b=8 c=1, d=10

#2: a=8, b=5, c=10, d=2

#3: a=2, b=8, c=10, d=5

#4: a=6, b=4, c=5, d=2

#5: a=1, b=10, c=6, d=8

(a) anorexic = 38-46

(s) slightly starving = 27-37

(b) binger = 12-26

(v) average = 0-11

Don’t worry, if you scored as a type (a) as in anorexic, it doesn’t mean that you are (yet), it just means you should take a very close look at why and how you eat—and probably eat much more.

Burn, Baby, Burn!

10 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Metabolism and Improve the Way You Burn Calories

Are you ready to get ahead of the calorie game once and for all? If you’re tired of playing on-again-off-again with your weight, and you’re ready to make a change, the best answer may be to forget the weight and target your metabolism.

Try these ten easy steps to taking control of your metabolism today:

1. Feel it hot! Add a dash of salsa, red pepper or chili pepper to your food (provided you have no history of ulcers) and burn those calories while you eat.

2. Chew on this. Chewing gum (preferably low or no sugar) not only keeps your mouth busy so that you don’t eat when you’re not hungry, it also makes your stomach kick into digestion mode.

3. More is less. Eating more frequent, smaller meals during the day—as close as every two or three hours—keeps your metabolism up. But make sure you choose lean, low-calorie foods.

4. Fiber Fx. Get your daily fiber fix from apples and other fiber-rich foods (e.g. oat bran, barley, seeds, lentils). The fiber in these foods will help your body to rid itself of excess waste and calories.

5. Make it worth the weight. Weight lifting at home or at the gym builds crucial muscle mass that will allow you to burn calories longer and more effectively. Remember, though, when lifting that slower is better and you need a day in between for muscles to recoup. (Always warm up first!)

6. Walk on. Don’t just sit there, take a walk after eating. It’s the best way to aid your body through the process of digestion and to get rid of that bloated feeling.

7. Mix it up. Interval training—alternating high- and low-impact aerobic and weight activity—keeps your body challenged so that you burn more calories than you would in a level workout.

8. It’s simply Irresistible. Resistance training such as using a leg press or bench press at the gym, or resistance bands at home, also builds valuable muscle tone.

9. Get a guilt-free complex. Know your complex carbohydrates (e.g. whole wheat bread, whole grain cereal, brown rice) and eat plenty. They’re the good calories.

10. Tea off. Drink [certain] herbal teas at mealtime. Hot tea can aid in digestion and elimination.

Now that you have them, you don’t have to feel as if you have to tackle all ten tips at once. As always, start small and focus on making one change at a time consistently. Before you know it, you’ll be adding your own tips to the list. And please do; I’m always looking for great tips to share. Now get your burn on!

A Self-Made Makeover:

Seven Ways to Leave Your Cover

Ready to stop living undercover? You're secret's safe here. Remember this phrase?: “Are you tired, rundown, listless? Do you poop out at parties?” Well, while I can’t promise you the highs of Lucy’s “Vitameatavegamin,” I can suggest some ways in which you can give yourself a lift. Try these seven for starters:

1. Start a life journal. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean you can’t document your life. Begin to write about the things that matter to you and the plans you have for your life. Once you write it down, it will become more real to you. Also write down your problems, thoughts, concerns. You’ll find that once you’ve put them to paper, they’re not quite as overwhelming as they once were. Writing them out will also bring you a sense of release and control.

2. Plan a getaway. Start planning ahead for a vacation or journey you’ve always wanted to take, no matter how out of reach it may seem. In the meantime, steal some time alone, even if it’s just spending the day in a friend’s basement where no one can reach you. How about a walk in the park, or a bicycle ride? If you can’t get out of the house just yet, try a hot bath or walking on the treadmill while listening to relaxation tapes.

3. Find an old friend. Make a project out of finding someone you’ve lost touch with, whether it’s an old friend or long lost relative. If you parted on a bad note, just believe it’s never too late to apologize and start fresh. You can renew the relationship and learn something new from each other.

4. Breathe. That’s it. Breathe in slowly through your nose and hold your breath for ten seconds, then release it through your mouth in five. Sit there quietly, for at least five minutes, while you take deep breaths and listen to your body begin to relax.

5. Read daily affirmations. You decide on the text. It doesn’t matter whether it’s spiritual, humorous or even business related, as long as it’s designed specifically to accentuate the positives of daily life.

6. Loosen up. Try stretching at the beginning or end of the day. Before you begin, make sure to warm up by marching in place or using the exercise bike or treadmill, etc. for five to seven minutes. Now set a meditative mood with soft music or the sound of running water in the background…and stretch from your fingers to your toes. You’ll increase your flexibility of mind and body.

7. Eat to live. Don’t live to eat. You can’t let your appetite or meal plan dictate how you’ll live. It’s easy to get caught up in what will be your next meal, snack or treat, but if your focus is food, your goal will be food and you’ll win. In the end, you have the ultimate control because you are in charge of your body and your body is accountable only to you.