GET A HEAD START ON YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: LOSE WEIGHT AND SAVE MONEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

For most people, 2009 has been a difficult year financially but many have also experienced weight gain and poor health during these stressful times.  Add to this the typical weight gain of the holiday season (the average person gains seven pounds between Thanksgiving and the New Year) and you can see that 2009 is shaping up to be a very unhealthy year.  I want to motivate people to reverse this trend and become healthier and lose weight during the holiday season.

Losing weight means saving money.  Studies have shown that the heavier you are, the higher your cost of living.  Being leaner and healthier can mean fewer doctor visits and sick days, lower medication costs along with a whole host of other cost savings.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to lose weight either.  Most people report lower food costs while on a diet compared to when they are not. There are also lots of ways to save money and get extra physical activity at the same time.  Don’t use the money as an excuse; you can become healthier and wealthier at the same time.

Now that the holiday season is rapidly approaching, it’s a good time to make plans to break the cycle of poor health habits and make some simple changes to your lifestyle.  You can still enjoy all the holiday festivities.  You can celebrate the season with more joy because you know you be getting healthier.  Don’t fall into that same rut of gaining those seven pounds over the holidays and making a New Year’s resolution take it all off.  Now is the time to get a head start on that New Year’s resolution.

Your weight and health don’t have to be victims of the economy or the holidays. You can choose to make this holiday season a time to lose weight and improve your health.  Here are a few tips to help you stay healthier this winter without blowing your budget:

Start with a plan.

The holidays are a busy time with additional challenges and stresses.  You’ll have less time for your daily routine, not to mention adding in some new healthy habits.  Take the time to plan out what it will take for you to be successful.  You will need to plan out everything it takes to eat healthy, get regular physical activity and to relax and enjoy the holiday season.

• Make a schedule and write it down (or put it in your Blackberry or Iphone).  Writing down your plan increases the chances that you’ll get the job done.  If your calendar reminds you to wake up early next Tuesday to get in a morning walk, you’re more likely to do it.
• Have a plan for food.  You should plan to have healthy food around all the time during the holidays.  This may mean planning shopping trips days (or weeks) in advance so that you always have good food choices around.  Plan for how you’ll eat your every day meals as well as how you’ll eat before and during parties and special occasions.
• Have a plan for physical activity.  Even though you may have less time, it is vital that you plan part of each day for physical activity.  Set a goal of 60 minutes of physical activity daily and make it part of your routine.
• Relax!  The holidays are a time for joy and celebration, but most people feel stressed out during this time of year.  Make sure to work in some “down time” into your schedule.  Relaxation helps with balance stress hormones, making weight loss easier.

Eat when you’re not hungry.

It sounds counterintuitive, but this is a very important concept.  To lose weight effectively and permanently, you must never feel hunger.  Hunger is your enemy.  When you are hungry, you are likely to eat anything.  No one has “will power” when they are hungry.  Instead, avoid hunger.  Strategically plan out your meals during the day so that you can avoid hunger and stay focused on your goal of healthy eating. 

• Start with a high protein breakfast.  Research has shown that people who eat a healthy breakfast that is high in protein report less hunger at lunch and even at supper.  People who skip breakfast are more likely to feel hunger and overeat later in the day.
   
• Eat all the time.  You should plan for 3 meals and 3 snacks or “mini-meals” daily.  Frequent eating helps balance your hormones and supercharges your metabolism.
• Overeat vegetables and fruits.  I know it sounds crazy to recommend overeating any food as a way to lose weight.  But, the truth is that getting in a lot of servings of fruits and veggies is one of the best ways to fell full all the time.  By eating a large variety of these miracle foods, you also fill your body with lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.  I recommend eating as many colors as possible in one day (i.e. reds, greens, yellows, oranges, purple, etc).
• Pig out before the party.  You should overeat healthy foods before any party or any possible situation you will be tempted with unhealthy foods.  Enjoy the festivities of the season, but not all those unhealthy calories.
• For more information on Dr. Isaacs’ nutritional plan, please see The Leptin Boost Diet and Hormonal Balance.

Avoid “appetite stimulating” foods

Foods high in refined carbohydrates or high in sugar increase your appetite.  These foods push your hunger hormones into overdrive making your ravenous.

• Don’t eat bread before the meal.  This increases appetite and you’ll be more likely to overeat.  If you have to have a slice of bread, eat it during the meal instead.
• Eat more protein.  While refined carbohydrates increase appetite, protein has the opposite effect.  Start the day with protein.  One study showed that people who had an egg white omelet for breakfast consumed 44% fewer calories during the day compared to those that ate instant oatmeal.

Get sixty minutes of physical activity every day.

Although it may mean some serious preplanning, I recommend that you get sixty minutes of physical activity every day.  Physical activity is loosely defined as anything that is moving your body around.  So shopping, dancing, cleaning, etc. all are considered forms of physical activity.  Walking is my favorite and the favorite physical activity for many of my patients.  You can get the sixty minutes all at once or in little blocks.  The goal is sixty minutes every day, any way you can do it.  And more is better, so if you can do more physical activity, I recommend doing as much as possible.

• Turn shopping trips into workouts. Wear your running shoes to the mall and walk several extra laps.  Make the loop between stores, even if they are right next door.  Drop off each package in your car as you buy.  Take less cash with you so you shop less and walk more.
• Walk all around the mall to find the best price.  Many stores carry similar products with varying prices. Once you know what you want, go back and check out every store for the best deal.  Often times, stores will honor other store’s prices, so it pays to walk back and forth between stores to negotiate the price. 
• Enjoy the cool weather – bundle up and take a walk.  Walking can be done anytime of the day.  Don’t let the weather prevent you from getting physical activity.  Wear layers of warm clothes and a reflector vest at night.  You can park farther away from work, take a mini walk break several times a day, walk to lunch or take a walk instead of lunch. 
• Walk somewhere instead of driving.  You’ll save gas and money!
• Plan high physical activity days. Try to exercise on three separate occasions, one or two days each week. Start with an early morning workout. Then grab 15-20 minutes at lunchtime. Finish with a third bout of exercise in the evening. This will supercharge your metabolism and your body will love you.

Drink less alcohol.

Most people drink more alcohol during the holidays.  Even one alcoholic beverage has empty calories that can sabotage weight loss.  It is important to keep in mind that alcohol is very high in calories.  You don’t have to be a teetotaller, but try to drink less. 

• Offer diet tonic at your parties.  Regular tonic is very high in calories, but diet tonic tastes great and is almost never available in a restaurant or bar.  Diet tonic with lime is a great calorie free “mock-tail.” 
• Drink a glass of water or a diet soda instead of a high calorie drink, or at least have a few calorie free drinks between each alcoholic one. 
• When you do drink, avoid the high calorie mixers and sodas. 
• Don’t drink before a meal.  Like processed carbohydrates, alcohol (especially on an empty stomach) will send your appetite soaring.  Wait to have a glass of wine or a mixed drink with diet soda until your meal. 
• Think about how good you’ll feel the next morning after a party when you didn’t have too much to drink.

If you are doing everything right and still can’t lose weight, get checked out by a doctor. You may have a medical problem or hormonal imbalance that’s impeding weight loss.  Many hormonal problems are easily diagnosed or treated, so if you have any concerns you should see your physician or an endocrinologist.  And it is always a good idea to work with your physician as you lose weight, especially if you take medications.

 

 

Jillian Michaels’ New Book, Master Your Metabolism

I was very impressed with Jillian Michaels’ New York Times bestselling book Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!  The book is extremely well researched, well written and embraces the philosophy of hormones and your weight.  Jillian Michaels, star and personal trainer from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” describes her battles and frustrations with her own weight and how she overcame them and became a role model for countless people.  She discusses the interaction between hormones, nutritionally incomplete dieting and environmental toxins and how to overcome these problems following an approach similar to my books The Leptin Boost Diet: Unleash Your Fat-Controlling Hormones for Maximum Weight Loss and Hormonal Balance: Understanding Hormones Weight and Your Metabolism.  Jillian does an outstanding job explaining the various hormones that affect your body weight and metabolism and offers clear and simple solutions for many types of hormonal imbalance.  She also identifies the importance of good medical care and consultation with a board certified endocrinologist for many conditions.  Dr. Christine Darwin, endocrinologist and UCLA Medical School Associate Professor of Medicine, who wrote the forward, provides and important perspective for the basis of how Jillian’s book emphasizes the daily challenges we face and how taking a hormonal approach is the best way to “restore and reclaim a healthy body.”  I was honored that Jillian referenced my books more than ten times and even referred to me as “the guru of all things hormonal” on page 78.   Master Your Metabolism, along with my books are important resources for anyone who wants to better understand and overcome the challenges of hormones, metabolism and your weight.

Scott Isaacs, M.D.
Clinical Instructor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
Board Certified Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

January Diet Resolutions – Feeling the Pinch?

When it comes to losing weight this year, you may be feeling the pinch…in your waistline and your wallet.  Although joining a diet program may seem like a luxury, it could actually save money now, and in the long run as weight-related surgeries, medications, co-pays, and other medical expenses are reduced or eliminated.

 

See the link below to an article from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about one of my patients, Katrina, who has been able to lose over 50 pounds and completely come off her diabetes medication.  These results are definitely alleviating some personal pinch, both to Katrina’s waistline and her wallet.

 

http://www.ajc.com/hp/content/health/stories/2008/11/19/diabetes_katrina_johnson.html

 

For more success stories, see http://www.intelligenthealthcenter.com/weightloss/successstories.htm

 

 

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain Without Blowing Your Budget

     For most people, the holidays are a time to pack on extra pounds.  Add the stress of a bad economy and you’ve got the recipe for weight gain and poor health.  But your weight and health don’t have to be victims of the financial system or the holiday season.  You can choose to make this winter a season of losing weight and improving your health.  Even though our economy is unhealthy, there is no reason you need to be.   Here are a few tips to help you lose weight this winter without blowing your budget:

Burn calories and save money at the same time!

-Walk all around the mall to find the best price.  Many stores carry similar products with varying prices. So once you know what you want, go back and check out every store for the best deal.  Often times, stores will honor other store’s prices, so it pays to walk back and forth between stores to negotiate the price. 

-Turn shopping trips into workouts. Wear your running shoes to the mall and walk several extra laps.  Make the loop between stores, even if they are right next door.  Drop off each package in your car as you buy.  Take less cash with you so you shop less and walk more.

-Enjoy the cool weather – bundle up and take a walk.  Walking can be done anytime of the day.  Don’t let the weather prevent you from getting physical activity.  Wear layers of warm clothes and a reflector vest at night.  You can park farther away from work, take a mini walk break several times a day, walk to lunch or take a walk instead of lunch. 

-Walk somewhere instead of driving.  You’ll be saving gas and money!

-Plan high physical activity days. Try to exercise on three separate occasions, one or two days each week. Start with an early morning workout. Then grab 15-20 minutes at lunchtime. Finish with a third bout of exercise in the evening. This will supercharge your metabolism and your body will love you.

Holiday party coming up?

-Eat more healthy foods on the day of a party. Fill yourself up with inexpensive fruits and vegetables (fresh, canned or frozen – there is almost always something on sale).  Never go to a party hungry, where you will be tempted to eat less healthful foods.  It’s still okay to eat at the party, but you’ll eat much less if you show up full instead of ravenous.

-Watch alcohol consumption. Many people drink more alcohol (which is loaded with calories) during the holidays. Drink a glass of water or a diet soda before and after each alcoholic beverage to help pace you and dilute calories.  Better still have an alcohol free party – you’ll be saving calories and money.

-Throw a pot luck party.  Ask everyone to bring a low calorie or healthful dish.  You’ll be surprised how creative people can get and how delicious the food is.

Family coming into town?

-Take your family sightseeing or to a local museum or park.  It will be a great way to incorporate some exercise for everyone in the family and an inexpensive way to entertain them.

-Give healthy gifts this year.  Try giving homemade fruit baskets or an inexpensive pedometer as a stocking stuffer.  Give a pair of running shoes, or if you don’t know the size, a gift card to a sporting goods store.  Inspiring others to be more healthful may be the best gift you can give this year and money well spent!

Remember, the holidays are not just about eating. There’s much joy to be found in spending time with loved ones and just savoring the season.  Above all, remember to have fun in the New Year. When you’re enjoying yourself, you don’t feel the need to eat from stress or anxiety.  Keep in mind that in these tough economic times, it’s easy to feel out of control.  The one thing you can control is your body and your health.  Take your mind off the economy and refocus on your health.

If you are doing everything right and still can’t lose weight, get checked out by a doctor. You may have a medical problem or hormonal imbalance that’s impeding weight loss success.

Artificial Sweeteners

There has been a lot of controversy about artificial sweeteners and weight. The epidemic of childhood obesity has been linked to increased soda consumption. Sodas and sweetened beverages like sports drinks and flavored teas have surpassed white bread as the number one source of calories in the American diet. A six month study done at Children’s Hospital in Boston followed two groups of teenagers. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, compared teenagers who substituted sugar-sweetened beverages for bottled water or artificially-sweetened drinks with teenagers who continued to consume their usual amount of soda and sweetened drinks. The study found that the teenagers that consumed diet soda lost weight and the teenagers that drank normal soda gained weight. The researchers estimated that one 12-oz regular soda per day will lead to about one pound of weight gain in a month.

There is also research that suggests that artificial sweeteners can make you gain weight. Although promoted to help you lose weight, artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), or saccharin (Sweet’n Low) may interfere with your efforts to lose weight by confusing your body and disrupting hormonal balance. Critics claim that sugar substitutes sabotage the body’s ability to monitor food intake based on a food’s taste. This makes people more likely to overindulge in other foods. People who crave sweets turn to artificial sweeteners as a way of helping their sugar cravings, but they may make the cravings worse. They drink a diet soda and later in the day they are ravenous and craving sweets. Many people find that when they stop using sugar substitutes, their carbohydrate cravings stop.

A 2004 Purdue University study published in the International Journal of Obesity showed that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain in rats. In the study, rats were fed foods with artificial sweeteners. They were compared to a second group of rats that did not receive artificial sweeteners. The rats that consumed artificial sweeteners ate more food overall and gained weight. The rats that were not fed artificial sweeteners did not gain weight. The researchers concluded that artificial sweeteners made the rats gain weight because it was tricking the rats’ brains, stimulating appetite.

Researchers in at the Centre for Advanced Food Studies in Denmark performed a similar study on humans. Two groups of people were fed identical diets in a research setting. The only difference was that one group was served beverages with artificial sweeteners and the other group was served beverages that were sweetened with real sugar. The people who had artificial sweeteners ate more food than the people who had real sugar. Unlike the rats, however, the people who drank beverages with real sugar consumed more calories and gained weight and the people who drank artificially sweetened drinks, lost weight. The overall result of the study was the opposite of the rats. At the end of ten weeks, the people who had artificial sweeteners lost about two pounds and the people who had regular sugar drinks gained about three pounds.

These studies show that when you consume artificial sweeteners, your body craves more food. But humans are not rats. If you can’t judge the calorie content of a particular food based on its sweetness, you are more likely to overeat. This is why it is so important to read the labels. The food industry does more to alter food than just adding artificial sweeteners. Fat free products may cause the same effect. When manufacturers reduce the fat content in foods, they usually increase the sugar to compensate. For example, fat-free ice cream is usually higher in sugar content; sugar-free ice cream is usually higher in fat content. Sugar free or fat free does not mean calorie free and many times the regular counterpart has less calories and tastes better.

It is a problem if you drink more than one or two artificially sweetened beverages on a daily basis. A study presented at the 2005 American Diabetes Association meeting estimates that your risk of being overweight goes up 65% for every diet soda you drink each day. If you consume a lot of artificial sweeteners, you may have increased appetite and are more likely to overeat other foods. Humans have a major advantage over rats. Rats can’t read labels. You have to read labels to find out how many calories are in the food you eat.

There is still a lot of disagreement among experts regarding artificial sweeteners. My recommendation is to limit your consumption of diet drinks to no more than one or two cans per day. I recommend that you drink mostly water or unsweetened, low calorie beverages like iced tea or club soda. If you need to sweeten your coffee or tea, use a little bit of real sugar or honey, just don’t overdo it. Sodas and other sugary beverages have no nutritional value and should be avoided altogether.

Setback for Growth Hormone Treatment

Geref, also known as growth hormone releasing hormone is an agent used for the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency.  I use this medication quite frequently in my medical practice to evaluate patients for this disorder.  Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the maker of Geref, Serono has made a business decision to discontinue the manufacture of Geref Diagnostic (sermorelin acetate for injection), a drug used to diagnose growth disorders. According to a statement released by Serono, the active ingredient used to produce Geref Diagnostic is no longer being produced. The last day to order samples will be September 30, 2008.

This is a setback for the diagnosis of growth hormone disorders.  Other agents are available, however, in my practice, Geref has been one of the best.

Hormonal Balance

Welcome to the official author blog for Scott Isaacs, M.D.  My philosophy is simple: permanent weight loss through hormonal balance.  My books take the approach of balancing your hormones to help you achieve optimum health and weight management.  More than just diet books, my books teach you about your hormones and show you how you can keep them balanced.

My books include:

Hormonal Balance:  Understanding Hormones, Weight and Your Metabolism

The Leptin Boost Diet:  Unleash Your Fat-Controlling Hormones for Maximum Weight Loss

Overcoming Metabolic Syndrome

A Simple Guide to Thyroid Disorders:  From Diagnosis to Treatment

Hormones are as fundamental as life itself.  All living creatures, as a matter of fact, have hormones.  They are powerful molecules that control your metabolism.  Hormones regulate how much fat you have and where you have it; they control your appetite; they affect your energy level; they influence your mood, your emotions, even your desire to exercise.  Hormones determine the size and strength of your muscles.  And hormones help determine your body weight. 

In my blog, I’ll talk about how to balance your hormones and improve your metabolism, increase your energy level, lower your appetite, and improve your body weight.

What is hormonal balance?  It really depends on who you ask.  If you ask a gynecologist, he’ll tell you it’s the female hormones-estrogen, progesterone and prolactin.  If you ask a urologist, she’ll tell you it’s all about testosterone.  If you ask a diabetologist, he will tell you it’s about balancing your insulin, glucagon and blood sugar. 

An endocrinologist will tell you that hormonal balance is having all your hormones balanced.  Hormones like leptin, adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), neuropeptide Y, ghrelin, resistin, dopamine, serotonin, visfatin, cholecystokinin, thyroid hormone, insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, cortisol, growth hormone and many others all influence your appetite, metabolism and weight.  All your hormones affect one another. 

It’s one big circle.  When one hormone is out of balance, it has profound effects on all your hormones.  They are all connected.  Hormonal balance means having the perfect amount of every hormone.  It means having a body that’s healthy and resilient.

My blog and my books address all your hormones and gives solutions for people struggling with their weight.  The diets in my books have helped so many people balance their hormones, lose weight and become healthier.  I love to hear success stories.  Please contact me at drisaacs@yourendocrinologist.com.

For more information about hormonal balance, please visit my website at www.yourendocrinologist.com.