February 2012 Nutrition Notes
The Truth about Diets
Meg Burnham, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN
We live in a society bombarded by messages about dieting. From your co-workers to your gym buddy, it seems everyone is trying a new way to lose weight. The truth is simple, in order to lose weight, you must consume fewer calories from food while increasing the amount and intensity of your activity.
No one diet or weight loss method is right for everyone. The key is to choose a method that is safe, fits into your lifestyle, avoids rigidity, and promotes healthy eating habits that you can maintain for life.
Steer clear of diets, pills, and products that seem too good to be true or make the following claims:
- Rapid Weight Loss – Healthy plans aim for a loss of no more than ½ pound to 1 pound per week. If you lose weight quickly, you’ll lose muscle, bone and water. You also will be more likely to regain the pounds quickly afterwards.
- Rigidity – Ditch diets that allow unlimited quantities of any food, such as grapefruit and cabbage soup. Avoid any diet that eliminates or severely restricts entire food groups, such as carbohydrates.
- Specific Food Combinations – There is no evidence that combining certain foods or eating foods at specific times of day will help with weight loss. Eating the “wrong” combinations of food doesn’t cause them to turn to fat immediately or to produce toxins in your intestines, as some plans claim.
- No Need to Exercise – Plans that state there is no need to exercise or restrict exercise increase your risk of losing muscle mass, decreasing your body’s ability to burn calories. There is no avoiding it, you need to exercise.
Want more nutrition information? Call (815) 444-2900 to speak with one of our Registered Dietitians today!
January Fitness Notes 2012
A Change for the Better
Kathie Clark
Certified Fitness Coach
Advanced Strength Training
Executive Trainer
Medical/Sports Massage Therapist
Over weight, unfit, out of control and lost in a state of denial – I was living with a perpetual acceptance of a body and life headed for disaster. That was my life 8 years ago.
It was a stark difference to where I am today- a fit, healthy, self-employed fitness professional.
Eight years ago I was 360 lbs. and a size 34/36. I had just buried my grandmother whom I was the primary care giver for in my home, where she had passed away. It was a month after this experience that I decided it was time to start caring for my own needs and taking responsibility for making the necessary changes that I needed to make in my life.
It was a moment of clarity and purpose that I must loose the weight. I was determined to succeed but didn’t have a real clue as how to achieve or meet my new goals.
Although I thought I was in good health, I knew that it was only a matter of time before a serious health problem would rear its ugly head. It was hard to walk any distance without getting out of breath. Exercise was non-existent and I was familiar with many fad diets of the time. In my desperate search for the perfect diet and exercise program, I made many mistakes along the way. These mistakes are a few of the following examples:
- I tried a high protein diet (actually nothing but protein). With this diet disaster I entered a state of ketosis, rendering my ability to do higher math functions and to think rationally useless.
- I tried an extremely high fiber diet which briefly included eating peanuts, shells included. Just suffice to say the results were painful.
- I tried ephdra, caffeine products and thermogenics. They were moderately effective in the beginning but interfered with my sleep and mood; making me cranky, irritable and nervous.
- 2 gallons of liquid a day – no explanation of its effect are necessary.
At first, my exercise started out by just walking 1 block. I gradually increased my distance, block by block, mile by mile. It was at this time that my well-meaning brother almost killed me with a workout that was far too advanced for where I was at the time. The inability to move without pain for a couple of weeks was (as I found out later) totally unnecessary. It was at this point that I decided to go back to school to learn what I could about exercise and nutrition as there was so much conflicting information in the media and in books.
I made a lot of mistakes along my journey to get fit but made a lot of discoveries along the way. It was good to educate myself with a knowledge of the body which led me to make heathlier choices than I would have once made. The most valuable lesson I learned was that the mind, body and soul are truly connected and are one. If you positively (or negatively) affect one, then the others will follow suit. If you feel better in your own body, your self esteem is elevated and your sprit is set free from that which weighted it down.
Today, I have the best job in the world – one that allows me to help people work towards their goals and change their quality life for the better. It is towards this end that I hope to help others through information, education, sharing experiences and motivating others in articles to follow.
If you have a similar experience, or have been in those shoes, know that you are not alone. There is a way out and I would be happy to share my experience with you.
-Kathie
