Today is Friday and so ...it must be Fitness Friday. I'm linking to Sandy's blog @ God Speaks Today. After all, she's the one who started Fitness Friday. And I have to say, the more I read her blog posts ...the more I've grown to love her. Sandy is very real and transparent. I would encourage you to read her latest series called God Speaks Through the Storm. I'm amazed that after all she's been through, she still has such a loving, kind and fun heart. I think you'll be encouraged as you read her words. I'm so glad I can call her a blogging friend of mine.
Well, on to my Fitness Friday post!
I decided to write about something I learned about weight loss at the Pritikin program. This program was originally started by Nathan Pritikin who is no longer with us. It's a medically based health program for people who want to get serious about their health.
Greg and I had the opportunity to stay at their facility a number of years ago for three whole weeks. At that time, they were located in the Santa Monica Hyatt, which is oceanfront and next to the world famous pier. That's the one that you can often see in movies with the ferris wheel.
They've since moved to the east coast and the center is located at the Yacht Club at Turnberry Isle in Aventura, Florida. Hmm ...maybe I'm due for a healthy vacation? The Pritikin program claims to have an important key to losing weight!
And since I believe it's important to be a life long learner, I thought I'd give you some information about this important key. It's called calorie density.
Most diet programs tell you what you can't eat and include all the "don'ts" that you shouldn't do like ..."you must cut calories" and "don't eat carbs".
But the strategy that the Pritikin program encourages is to ...add nine or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This will help you to lose weight.
And believe me, it works!
Both Greg and I lost weight during our stay and continued to lose after we returned home. Of course, they had us exercising our buns off, which were getting smaller over time.
Low calorie density foods are filled with water and fiber, which makes them heavy and more filling. So there are less calories contained in them. One of the main problems with trying to lose weight is the hunger that often accompanies cutting back on calories. If you eat lots of low caloric density foods, you won't experience chronic hunger.
In contrast, high caloric density foods have lots of calories. Examples include things like brownies, breads, cookies, butter, tortilla chips and oils.
It's all about the volume of food you eat. If each bite you eat has an average of 5 calories (like an apple), it's much better than each bite being about 50 calories (like a double cheeseburger).
With each bite, high calorie density foods can be up to 10 times the number of calories of low calorie dense foods!
So, here's your choice.
An apple= 60-100 calories
A plain Dunkin Donuts cake donut= 300 calories
Now, I'm not saying you can never have a donut again. But let's get educated about this and see the difference in calorie density.
One donut isn't very filling. I don't know about you but when I have a donut an hour later ...my blood sugar plummets and I feel terrible. And then I end up looking for something else to eat so I'll feel better.
If you increase the amount of fruit and vegetables (which are basically low calorie density foods), it will help control your feelings of hunger. It will also promote a feeling of satiety and at the same time ...reduce your energy (calorie) intake.
There have been many research studies to back this up. Recent NIH funded research from Penn State University analyzed 658 overweight people who also had high blood pressure. They were attempting to lose weight over a six month period.
The people who made the greatest reduction in calorie density lost the most weight averaging 13 pounds. Those who made the smallest reduction in calorie density lost the least amount of weight, averaging 5 pounds.
So, what does this mean for you?
Increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet. Grab an apple instead of a donut when you need a snack. And don't forget to exercise!
Now how about you? What do you grab when those hunger pangs hit you? An apple or a donut? I really want to know!
And don't forget to visit Sandy for her Fitness Friday post.
