Lose Weight with Energy Balance

Many of my clients ask what is the best and healthiest way to lose weight? So I have decided to put in writing what I have been telling them:

Maintain a proper energy balance

Energy balance is important for maintaining a healthy weight. The amount of energy or calories you get from food and drinks (energy IN) is balanced with the energy your body uses for things like breathing, digesting, and being physically active (energy OUT):

• The same amount of energy IN and energy OUT over time = weight stays the same (energy balance)
• More energy IN than OUT over time = weight gain
• More energy OUT than IN over time = weight loss

To maintain a healthy weight, your energy IN and OUT don’t have to balance exactly every day. It’s the balance over time that helps you maintain a healthy weight.
You can reach and maintain a healthy weight if you:

• Follow a healthy diet, and if you are overweight or obese, reduce your daily intake by 500 calories for weight loss
• Are physically active
• Limit the time you spend being physically inactive

This information comes from the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute. They have a great website with lots of tools to help you lose weight and stay healthy. You can visit them by clicking the link at the bottoms of this blog.

One last word of advice: You won't find weight loss in a bottle or in a pill.  Losing weight takes a lifestyle change, and you won't lose pounds overnight. After all, how many years did it take you to put them on? Also, if you are obese, the best thing to do is talk to your doctor, and work out a plan of action to help you lose weight. You might want to check with your insurance company as well. Many of them have wellness programs available for you to use free of charge or with a small co-pay.

Yours in the Dao,

Tom

Here's the link I told you about:
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

World's oldest man

Walter Breuning, the fourth-oldest living person on earth and the world's oldest living male, turned 114 years old on September 21. Born in 1896, Walter has lived in three separate centuries.
His advice? Watch your diet - if you are overweight, get the weight off. Keep your brain and your body busy - exercise them both every day. And finally - be kind to everyone, the more people you help, the more you help yourself.

Great advice Walter, and Happy Birthday!

Easy Way to Lower Blood Pressure

Diet is a major cause of high blood pressure. But changing your diet is difficult. However, if you can cut one food from your diet, you can easily lower your blood pressure.

Dr. Liwei Chen of Louisiana State University led a team that followed 810 adults with borderline hypertension. The study lasted for 18 months. At the start of the study, the participants drank (on average) one 12-oz sugar-sweetened serving each day. The researchers asked the participants to simply cut their consumption.

Those who were able to knock out the sugar drink totally reduced their systolic pressure by 1.8 and the diastolic by 1.1. That may not seem like much, but even a small decrease in blood pressure can significantly reduce your risk of vascular events. And over the years, the drop would be even more significant.

Sugar increases insulin. Insulin will raise your blood pressure. Sugar might also make your blood thicker. Increased viscosity is a major heart disease risk. It leads to a need for higher pressure to move the thick blood.

So, eliminate sugary foods from your diet. That includes high fructose corn syrup. It does NOT include fruit! The natural fiber, vitamins, minerals, and water in fruit are good for your body!.