The Beauty of Breakfast in Weight Loss

So you’ve got a super fancy idea.  You just started your new diet and your brother-in-law is throwing a super swanky shindig tonight.  The whole thing is catered with an (excited squeal) open bar and everything!  You know you will indulge later, so how do you prepare?  You skip breakfast to save calories.  That way you can get lost in the fondue and cocktail franks without repercussion.

Pretty crafty thinking, ay?  Not so fast

Let me ask you a question.  What kinds of activities burn calories?  Walking you say.  Jogging, cleaning the house, sex.  Well, that is a start.  But do you know what else burns calories? There is a significant amount of energy expended to digest and metabolize the foods you eat.  Pretty awesome right?  You burn calories just by eating!  This is every dieter’s fantasy.

So now onto why eating all your calories at night won’t work.   First of all, if you don’t eat in the morning, your body has no need to digest until midday.  This means that your metabolism is completely inactive until your first meal.  Thought you need 1600 calories a day?  Not anymore because you wasted your calorie burning potential in the morning.

Next, studies have shown the people who skip breakfast have higher levels of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.  This is also a hormone that is responsible for turning energy into fat.  So when you finally have lunch, your meal is more likely to turn into your double chin.  You will also have more of the hormone called ghrelin that tells your brain that you are hungry.  No wonder your stomach is ferociously growling!  By the time you start eating, your body is so desperate for calories that it will push you to binge.  You will likely take in many more calories than if you had actually eaten breakfast.  This isn’t lack of willpower.  This is a biological response to excess ghrelin. 

Want one more reason why you want to limit your trips to the make your own sundae bar at the soiree?  Eating before bed is one of the worst things you can do for weight loss.  This is because your metabolism shuts down while you sleep for other important functions like detoxification and repair.  Without much energy to burn, where do you think that ice cream sundae goes?

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big meal.  It can be something as simple as a protein smoothie.  Eat breakfast and you will be able to taste, savor and enjoy the food at the party.  You can still eat.  You are just much less likely to binge.  I promise you won’t miss the binge because you barely taste what you are eating when you are inhaling calories.  Yay breakfast!

Cardio Barre, Zumba and Anit-Gravity Yoga – Why Even the Hippest Exercise Trends Can Fail to Take Off the Pounds

http://ericamesirov.com

I see it all the time.  A person gets into that super motivated place where they are ready to climb mountains to lose weight.  So what do they do?  They try to climb a mountain…literally.  The gym is filled with the hopeful, sweating and pumping and stretching up to seven days a week, with the idea that the more they sweat and pump and stretch, the more weight they will lose.  What usually happens to these ambitious fitness enthusiasts?  Most of the time they build muscle, their hearts get healthy…yet those size six jeans only fit in the blissful dreams they have after collapsing at night from all that exertion.

Yes, exercise will be the magic pill for some, but it isn’t the complete answer for all.  Confused?  Don’t worry, I’ll explain.  Your body is the super coolest machine you will ever encounter and it is programmed to keep things in balance.  Keep in mind that we were constructed for a time in history when food was hard to come by and famine was a real concern.  What does your super smart body do after an afternoon of vigorous ping pong?  It starts growling for food like the plant Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. 

The answer then is to eat less, right?  Well, not exactly.  Remember what I said about your body being smart and wanting to create balance?  Have you ever been able to stick long term to a calorie deprivation diet?  Your body’s job is to stay fueled with a full tank of gas.  Deny yourself now and your body is going to pester you for food even louder later.  Don’t feed it and it will start working more efficiently.  Efficient is good right?  Well, this means it will expend less energy now so you can build up your fat reserves for later.  Starve yourself and gain fat??? Yay for efficiency! (Heavy sigh).

So is the answer to give up exercise for a sloth like existence?  Hell no!  The answer is to exercise in moderation, give yourself enough rest to repair and learn to eat SMARTER.  This will help your body work more efficiently in a way that encourages fat loss. How does this work?  Well, the answer is a little different for everyone since we all have unique bodies.  Nonetheless, this probably means:

1)      Eating more good quality, lean protein.  This helps build muscle as well as remove toxins created by exercise that can be getting in the way of weight loss.

2)      Eating whole grains like quinoa, brown rice or barley which slowly release fuel into our bodies making us fuller for longer. 

3)      Eating healthy fats found in foods like fish and flax seeds to fight the inflammation in the body that encourages fat storage. 

4)      Using food to heal your body and create balance despite fat loss.

5)      Removing man made food products like high fructose corn syrup and hydrolyzed soy protein that get in the way of repair.

So keep training for that marathon.  Because weight loss is like a marathon.  Sweating off quick pounds rarely leads to long term sexiness.  What does work is treating your body like the high-end machine that it is and learning to use exercise as just one tool to create long term fat reduction.

Being Good to that Person Inside the Mirror

How often when you look at your reflection do you feel like you are looking at one of those fun house mirrors?  There are days when I look in the mirror and I’m not really sure what I see.  Do I look fat, thin, ugly, pretty, put together, unkempt?   As far as I know I have 20/20 vision.  So why is it so difficult to see myself accurately?

How many of you have been there?  You look in the mirror and the more you stare at yourself, the more the image starts to shift in your head.  My thighs will grow from being normal to looking huge right in front of my eyes.  Were they always like that?  Or maybe my stomach has gotten a little smaller which is making my thighs look larger.  Or maybe my shirt is hitting my pants in a weird spot accentuating my big thighs.  Or maybe my hair is just out of place, throwing the rest of me off-balance.  Or maybe….

Gosh, sometimes you just need to take a breath. 

The thing to remind myself when my mirror is acting wacky, is that my mirror is just a piece of glass.  It doesn’t have special powers.  It isn’t going to tell me that I look ugly.  It isn’t that mean kid from junior high who shouted nasty one-liners at me down the hall.  It is a lifeless object.  Just an innocent piece of wood and glass.

The mean bully is my own mind. 

Next time I look in the mirror and the reflection starts acting funky, I ‘m going to have a few choice words with my bully of a brain.  I’m going to tell it to stop shouting nasty things at me.  I’m going to tell it to stop making up rumors and lies.  I’m going to tell it to stop being hateful and spiteful. 

Fun house mirrors are for carnivals, not my house. 

Then once my brain is better behaved, I’m gonna look at myself again.  This time my brain is going to say something nice to me.  Because once you have a cooperative brain, the mirror will reflect something beautiful.  

The Fear of Birthday Cakes and Your Inner Two Year Old

You've eaten really, really well lately.  So well that you posted a picture of your 10 pound weight loss on Instagram and got 84 likes! You wake in the morning and feel ready to leap into your day.  Then it happens. (Signal Jaws music)  You see a group of people walking in unison.  They are smiling and singing.  Then you see the object in their hands with candles flickering as a warning sign.  You remember it is Steve from accounting’s birthday. (Cue damsel in distress scream)  Not a birthday cake! 

So what are you to do?  There is a cake 10 feet from you.  You didn’t plan for it, but there it is, mocking all your hard work.  Someone is shoving a piece in your direction, just assuming that you want some.  It smells so chocolaty good.

Sure it’s easy to eat well in a vacuum.  The real test is to see how you eat when temptation is thrust in front of you.  I am a confessed sugar addict.   I curbed my Frappuccino drinking, ice cream licking, jelly bean gorging ways out of pure desperation.  My motivation:  nothing made me lose weight and keep it off quite like limiting refined sugar. 

So what do I do when put in this dreaded situation?  The first thing I do is attempt to bargain with myself.  The part of us that craves sweets has the maturity of a two year old.  You have to give her something to quiet her screams.  I think of my jar of unsweetened applesauce in the fridge.  I could go home tonight and put some cinnamon in it and it would taste kind of like apple cobbler.  Or I tell myself I will reward myself for not eating cake with a mani and pedi.  Some times these bargains will work magically.

Other times, this makes my two year old throw a full blown temper tantrum!  She says, “I know applesauce isn’t cake and I want cake now!” Ok, what now?  I put about two bites worth of the treat on my plate.  Then I slowly savor, enjoying all the flavors.  The result?  The two year old stops crying and the adult in me takes charge.  The adult recognizes after two bites, “that was good but nothing to get all bent out of shape about”.

What happens though if that doesn't work?  What happens if I eat the whole piece of cake?  This will result in a blood sugar rush and then dip, leading to more intense cravings for sugar.  That is when people ditch the diet and fill their shopping cart with pints of Ben & Jerry’s.  Think of this phenomenon as a two year old, overdue for naptime, running out of control on a sugar-high.   My response is to run right to the fridge and grab as many vegetables, whole grains and as much good quality protein as I can.   Good quality whole foods will help restore proper blood sugar, keeping a cheat from turning into a binge.  In fact, much of the time we crave sugar, our bodies are just trying to tell us that we need protein.

The bottom line is there is a place for cake in any healthy diet.  My rule though is that I decide when I’m going to splurge, not somebody else.  I choose the situations to indulge because I know it will be worth it and I make the decision ahead of time.  Don’t give someone else power over your diet!  Just look that two year old in the eye and tell her it is naptime.  She may cry at first, but before you know it she will be out.

Now that you survived cake, you are ready for any hurdle that comes your way!

Top five reasons to work with a food coach

What the heck is a food coach anyway?  Seriously, we’ve eating solid food since we were in diapers.  So what is the point of having someone looking over our shoulders telling us how to eat?

Erica Mesirov Food Coach  http://www.ericamesirov.com

Well, since you asked, here is a little list I put together.  It is my top five reasons to work with a food coach:

1)      Ever work with a personal trainer?  You pay money for someone to torture you with sit-ups, jumping jacks and whatever other sadistic trick they have up their sleeves.  Seriously, you pay someone to beat the crap out of you.  I mean, you already know how to move.  Why do you submit to torture?  Because you want to do it BETTER!  Now look at your diet.  Perchance there is room for improvement?

2)      The food choices you make are really, really important for your waist line.  Studies have shown that people lose significantly more weight by modifying their diets than by exercising without dieting.  It’s awesome that you spend hours at the gym.  Yet do you know how to eat for your specific body?  No two people are the same.  The foods your friend needs to support a healthy weight may not be the same foods that work for you.  I know, but you and your bestie do everything the same!  Not this time, sorry. 

3)      You need a little help from your friends.  It has been found that people who work with a coach or a counselor do better with their diets than people who do it on their own.  You can feel super isolated when starting a new way of eating.  A coach gives you someone who has “been there” for support and accountability.  If you talk to me before loading a pound of Oreos into your deep fryer, you probably won’t over indulge. And if the idea of me glaring at you at the window of the McDonald’s drive through leaves you a petrified, shivering mess, all the better.

4)      You don’t know as much about nutrition as you think you do.  Did you know that most of us get the majority of our nutrition knowledge from ad execs?  Yes, as I type, a middle aged, balding, pot bellied man is developing the next catchy jingle for the latest “health” food.  Look at him!  (Yes, look at him in your imagination).  He has ketchup stains on his golf shirt and a snickers bar smashed in his side pocket.  Stop falling for marketing gimmicks.  Just because a food is advertised as healthy, natural, sugar-free, fat free or even organic, doesn’t mean it is healthy and nutritious.

5)      Wouldn’t you like to understand once and for all why what you’ve done so far hasn’t worked?  As satisfying as it is to work really hard and get no results, wouldn’t it be even more fulfilling to actually achieve your goals?   Many of us feel that since we have been eating since birth, we should know how to properly nourish ourselves.  Not true.  In our packaged food, faster is better world, it is very hard to distinguish the right food choice.  There is no shame in asking for help.  Lack of results doesn’t necessarily signify a lack of willpower, but more often a lack of knowledge.  A coach can help.

Oh, and you can eat that deep fried Oreo when working with a food coach.  You’re just going to add a bunch of leafy greens to go with it!

You can learn more about Erica Mesirov Food Coach at http://www.ericamesirov.com

Gimme 5! 5 healthy diet tips as we go into the New Year.

Want to be healthier in 2014?  Here are some of my favorite easy changes to get you on your way!

1)      Its 3pm, you’re starving and all you can think of is pouring your laundry quarters into the vending machine for something chocolaty and sweet.  A lot of times we crave sugar because we need protein.  Have a plain yogurt with fruit, turkey or tempeh wrapped in lettuce or no-mayo tuna salad with celery.

2)      Carbohydrates get a bad wrap these days and refined carbs should definitely be consumed in moderation.  Yet when you must have a piece of bread or a bagel, make a better choice.  Sprouted, whole grain options will offer more nutrition and will be metabolized slower, keeping you fuller for longer.

3)      At some point, it became assumed that vegetable oils are best for our health.  Not true.  A better choice is olive oil.  Vegetable oils have a low smoke point, meaning they can burn easily and become toxic.  Olive oil is much more stable when cooking over medium heat, helping your food be more nutritious. Second, vegetable oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids.  Olive oil has a much better balance, meaning your body will be more balanced as well.

4)      I know you’ve heard it before, but I’m gonna say it again.  Eat breakfast!  Breakfast will kick start your metabolism for the day.  When you starve yourself by saving your calories for the end of the day, your body goes into a state of shock and stress.    Your adrenals secrete adrenaline which forces your metabolism to shut down.  This ensures that everything you eat later will go straight to your hips or your stomach.   No time in the morning?  Cook oatmeal overnight in a slow cooker so it is ready by morning or grab a smoothie with protein powder and fresh fruit.

5)      Starting an exercise program is an imperative part of any weight loss plan.  My advice is to start slowly.  If you go right from being inactive to exercising five times a week you will likely burn out quickly.  Find a class that meets once or twice a week that excites you and build up from there.  Maybe you’ve always wanted to try martial arts, belly dancing or figure skating.  Make exercise something to look forward to as opposed to something you dread.  Can’t afford a class?  Get a group together and try different exercise DVDs.  The group will help keep you accountable to your goals and will provide motivation.

These are my five tips!  Give them a try!

What will be your metamorphosis in 2014?

 So long 2013.  As I look back to the last 12 months, I have a lot to be thankful for.   Now I look forward to seeing what 2014 has to offer.  Each New Year is a birth of possibilities.  We get a fresh, untarnished year as a blank slate on which to create.   Most people make New Year’s resolutions.  This year my resolution for the New Year is simple.  I want to stress less and be good to myself more.

We wear stress like a badge of honor.  We believe we aren’t really working if we aren’t overwhelmed.  Life can come at us from every direction.  There is the family, the kids, the messy house, the demanding boss, the horrible bumper to bumper L.A. traffic and a million deadlines.  On top of that, there is the voice in our heads telling us that we aren’t doing enough, we aren’t trying hard enough and that if we only could work a little bit more we wouldn’t be letting everybody else down.

All this stress is downright unhealthy.  As a food and weight loss coach, my job is to help people live a healthier lifestyle.  Yet I struggle with one of the unhealthiest habits.  Stress is bad for the entire body.  It causes inflammation and puts us into fight-or-flight.  The whole body from our immune system to our digestive system to our metabolism shuts down creating a disastrous situation.

I want to be good myself and forgive myself for not having everything under control at all times.  I want to appreciate taking time for myself to just enjoy moments.  I want to stop during the day and just feel myself breath.  Conscious breathing is good for our health and reminds us that we are so fortunate to be alive at this very moment.  Because no matter how many stressful things are happening in the moment, we only get one life. 

I urge everyone to make improved health one of their New Years goals.  This can mean handling an illness, eating better, exercising more or being supportive of yourself emotionally.  Making yourself a priority declares to the universe that you matter.  It is finding the greatness that already exists within.

Now that seems like a great way to fly into the New Year, don’t you think?