Now, a Little Story for You

Last week, one of my lovely lady clients told me that she eats nothing and can’t lose weight! In the morning, all she drinks is coffee and she doesn’t eat again till dinner because she doesn’t get hungry during the day. Then, after dinner, she just goes to sleep. Every year, she continually gains weight. My lovely client (who said I could share her story by the way—I always ask!) asked me, “Why am I not losing weight?!?!” I eat nothing all day! I looked at her and said, “Girl, you’re not losing a thing because at the moment, you’re currently following the sumo diet!”

Her eyes bulged out of their sockets and her curly hair seemed to spring in horror upwards. She looked at me as if I was off my rocker. I explained, “My dear, you may be eating nothing all day long, but your one large meal per day is enough calories for your day plus some because you let yourself get too hungry. This one-meal-a-day plan also screws your metabolism. You become efficient and start holding on to all ya got, since your body never knows when the next time food is coming. Plus, after dinner you go to bed relatively soon. And ya know what—that’s kinda what sumo wrestlers do. They exercise on empty stomachs, eat nothing all day long and eat one to two gargantuous meals before hitting the hay. And by the way, I’d like to reiterate that they DO NOT eat breakfast, snacks, or meals continuously throughout the day. Does this sound familiar?”

I get a STARE. A VERY LONG stare. “Oh my god!!!! I’m on the SUMO plan! All these years I thought my metabolism was just screwed, but I’m just on the sumo plan. This is fantastic!!! Fantastic. There’s hope. Okay—unsumo me!!!” Note: I kid you not, true verbiage here. Love this woman.

Me: “Okay, let the unsumoing begin! Ya ready?”

Client: “Yes, please.”

So, my lovely readers, if you’re on the sumo plan, for the love of the powers or whatnot above—you need to get off it! It’s sabotaging any healthifying or weight loss efforts. Even if your calories are 1400 for weight loss, and you eat all of them at one meal or only about 50-70% of them all day, but they’re at one meal—you’re less likely to lose weight. You perhaps may maintain or lose a little, but overtime it’s likely you will gain. Because really, how can you keep that up? Plus, it’s not good for your metabolism, hunger hormones, or insulin levels. Just throwing it out there. I want your body to run like a machine and burn calories, not store them! So, let’s take a look at ways to unsumo you!

Top 3 Tips to Break the Sumo Diet

1. Eat breakfast: For goodness sakes, if you’re trying to lose weight or just want to maintain a healthy weight, eat breakfast. SERIOUSLY! I know you hear this all the time from magazines, health shows, diet experts, and yadda, yadda, but just because you know, doesn’t mean you do. So all I’m going to say is do! Breakfast really is the most important meal of your day. It wakes your metabolic engine and keeps you from eating more later. Data from the National Weight Control Registry (a group of people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept if off for a year or more) show that at least 80% of those who have lost weight and kept it off, eat breakfast.

Get fit tip: Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up and eat a protein plus high-fiber combo, such as egg whites with veggies and toast; a whole-wheat English muffin with an egg, slice of low-fat cheese and Canadian bacon, and some salsa and spinach; or, 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup berries and 1/2 cup of a high-fiber cereal, like Kashi Heart to Heart. And, if you’re not hungry, you still must eat! Your body will adapt, give it a week or two. Eventually, you’ll become hungry when your metabolism picks up and if not, ask yourself if your dinners are too big.

2. Eat every 3-4 hours: Throughout the day—eat! It seems so simple right? But, yet, so many don’t. Eating every 3-4 hours keeps your hunger hormone, ghrelin, at bay. When you go longer than 4 hours, ghrelin gets out of control, your blood sugar is towards the lower end, and you’re going to overeat, even it trying to “be good.” Your body will do what it can to get what it needs. If you let yourself become famished, you’ll become stuffed real soon. Your body will recalibrate and this likely means your calories at the “recalibrating” meal are pretty high, throwing off your day. Bummer, I know.

Get fit tip: Eat a protein plus carb every 3-4 hours. The protein helps keep on your lean muscle mass, helps you stay fuller longer, and takes your body more energy to digest. The carb satisfies your hunger, knocking your ghrelin level down, and helps keep your blood sugar even keeled. Plus, the carb plus protein combo increases your feel-good neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine, so you feel full and satisfied.And if you’re one of those crazy-busy folk who forget to eat, put it in your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Droid, or whatever calendar you use to remind you.

3. Don’t backload: I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. When the majority of your calories are coming in the evening, even if within your calorie limit, it makes it VERY difficult to lose weight, since you’ve not been fueling all day, keeping your metabolism and hunger hormones in-check. I see this countless times with dieters. The mentality is they need to eat less to lose weight, so they barely eat all day, then can’t take it anymore, and overdo it at night. Yes, you need to eat less to lose weight, but you can’t forget points number 1 and 2. Client after client proves this to me time and time again.

Get fit tip: As with Eating Free’s mentality (where I’m a nutrition coach), you want to eat 70% of your calories during the day. Now, in regards to weight loss and time, there’s no specific time to stop eating and overall calories do matter (you need to create a caloric deficit to lose weight), but if you’re skipping meals and snacks, your largest meal is dinner and after, you hit the couch or go to bed,  and/or you’re eating “junk” at night, then we’re going to need to make a few changes. But, the good news is that these changes will have hugely positive affects.

Lessons Learned

As my darling client said, “I never thought I could eat five times a day—three meals and two snacks—and lose weight, but I did!”

I say, “Ladies, bring the food back! It’s time to eat more to weigh less!” It really does work.

What’s your favorite snack or breakfast to help fuel your day?

Awaken Your Metabolism

Sometimes we let ourselves get into a rut. We think, “The scale hasn’t budged! That’s it … I’m going on a diet! No more breakfast and a light lunch for me. I am determined.”

As much as I’d like to tell you that this is a sure-fire way to lose some extra pounds, it’s just not. There’s no way around it. In fact, most who take on this approach end up gaining weight in the long run because they’ve slowed down their metabolism.

When you start skipping meals, your body goes into “survival mode” and begins holding on to calories instead of burning them up. In other words, meal skipping has slowed your engine, and is causing your body to hold on to all it’s got. This is most noticeable when you starve yourself for more than 12 hours and your metabolic rate decreases by about 40 percent—not good when you’re trying to lean up!

Now that I’ve told you what NOT to do … you’re probably wondering what you should do.

Let’s take a look at the top three ways to get your metabolism metabolizing!

1.Eat Breakfast: This simple act awakens your metabolism and starts things churning and burning. Simply put, those who eat breakfast are generally thinner than those who don’t and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight. So grab some high-fiber eats with a source of protein, like Greek yogurt and berries with a high-fiber cereal, or eggs on whole wheat toast with an orange. And if you’re an AM exerciser who doesn’t fair well with pre-exercise meals, at least try to get in a banana, whole-grain toast, or a small handful of almonds. Studies show that those who do have pre-exercise fuel work out harder and longer.

2. Nosh Every Four Hours:Envision your body as an engine that needs adequate fuel every few hours to perform at its peak performance. If you eat every few hours, your body will hum along efficiently, and you’ll never let yourself get too hungry, which essentially sets you up for “binge-like behavior” once food comes into sight. Just remember to eat “clean,” whole foods that you recognize and have some lean protein with some high-fiber carbs, like whole grains, fruits, or veggies, at each meal and snack. For example, if you’re just noshing on an apple for a snack, add a slice of low-fat cheese or a small handful of walnuts for an added protein boost (with a touch of fat) to help keep you satisfied and your blood sugar even-keeled.

3. Exercise: Get in a daily sweat session at least four times per week for 30 minutes. And for some real calorie-burning action, don’t forget your weights at least twice a week! The more muscle you have, the more calories you torch while going about your day.

Now, Entering the Giveaway!!!

There are a few ways you can nab the $40 gift certificate to CSN Stores. Please note that you must enter before the end of the day on Wednesday, August 18th. The winner will be notified on Thursday, August 19th.

Let’s count the ways!

1. Become a  Fan of Nutrition with Corinne on Facebook. All who become Nutrition with Corinne Fans as of this post’s date, will automatically be entered!
2. Leave a comment on this post about how you keep a positive self image in today’s skinnified world! If you’d like your comment mentioned in my next post with your name say, “Spread the word.” Then, it will be included with your blog and/or Twitter name (please list in your comment) in the next GGB post!
3. For an extra entry, get on Twitter and tweet, “ Giveaway from @RDCorinne! Enter to win a $40 gift certificate by 8/18 at http://bit.ly/aOwTFv ”
4. Note: if you do all three, you’ll be entered three times!

When my eyes hit the glowing, neon red numbers–1030–on my unpleasantly familiar alarm clock, which usually churns out fuzzy, muted, staticky ’90s music (yes…I know, I need a new alarm clock) at 6 AM, I was amused. I can’t recall the last time I slept past 8 AM. Normally, I would have hopped-up and scrambled out of my bed in somewhat of a panicked state (come on now…I have a blog to write, nutrition to do, and a sweat to break!), but this past Saturday just so happened to be my birthday…so instead, I awoke in a state of calmness. And, proceeded to brew my morning cup of beloved Joe and make my “baked” apple with oats (I really wasn’t lying…it is delish and I am obsessed with this treat!). After eating my favorite new delicacy, I decided my next post would be about sleep!

Now, you may be thinking…”Isn’t this chick a nutritionist person? Why is she writing about sleep???”

True, I am a nutritionist person OR soon-to-be RD, but I hate to break it to you…nutrition holds health’s hand and sleep just so happens to be tied into health (just like exercise!). AND, believe it or not, but sleep has shown to have an effect on one’s weight and overall health, which I just so happen to be a BIG promoter of!

So…here we go…SLEEP!

Most people aren’t getting enough sleep, as you likely know and have experienced. On average, each person needs about 7-9 hours of sleep and most are getting less than 6  hours per night…we, my friends, are a tired nation! Although your cup of AM java may give you your needed morning pick-me-up, followed by a 3 PM cup for your afternoon wake-up call, your body is still tired and you need more sleep! But, WHY???

Well, ample sleep helps you:

• Learn better
• Remember more
• Stay awake & alert during the day
• Be in a better mood
• React quicker
• Think clearer

Sufficient sleep also keeps your immune system strong, fighting off infection and disease. With enough dreamland time, you’ll be able to ward off that pestering cold going around the office or that horrible hacking cough and runny nose your girlfriend so kindly decided to object you to over your Wednesday night catch-up dinner. Chronic lack of sleep, less than 6 hours per night, has also been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, and an increase in stress hormones, which isn’t doing anyones body good.

Now, what really disturbs  me is the link between weight and sleep. The verdict is out that chronic sleep deprivation can pack on the pounds.  Many studies have shown that those who sleep less are likely to weigh more. If you usually sleep 5 or less hours per night, you are 73% more likely to be overweight than someone who hits the hay for 7-9 hours a night.

Research is still underway concerning the exact “hows and whys” of sleeps’ effect on weight,  but what is known is that our appetite regulating hormones, specifically grhelin and leptin, become out-of-whack with chronic sleep deprivation.

Grhelin, the hunger hormone (picture a Gremlin demanding you to eat more), increases and Leptin, the “no thank you, I’m full hormone,” decreases. So–what ends up happening is that you’re ravenous or just STILL hungry and vying for that glazed donut…after you already ate breakfast.  Studies have shown this phenomena–chronic sleep losers craving high-carbohydrate, calorie-dense, JUNK foods. To top this hazard off is the fact that sleep deprivation can slow your metabolism!!! Arghh…not good! We want to be able to burn the most we can when we are doing the basics–sitting, reading, breathing, writing…

What also makes it hard to keep you at your healthiest is that when you’re tired, you may NOT  hit the pavement, workout DVD, or gym because after all, who wants to exert themselves when they can barely hold their eyelids open. But, let me tell you if you do…your pumping heart will crack open those tired, red eyeballs and allow for an even more peaceful slumber!

S0…what to do?!?!

If you’re not getting your needed shut-eye, sleep more! You will feel SOOO much better! Personally, I know that this can be VERY hard to do, especially when you have a 2 page “To Do” list, but make yourself a priority and make those simple lifestlye changes that will allow you that extra hour. For example, if you are constantly taking on extra work projects, which leave you up til midnight most weekdays, because you ALWAYS say YES and EVERYONE knows this…SAY NO! Be polite and cordial, but say no. Your body will thank you!

Or, just do something YOU find relaxing before your new “bed time,” so you can sleep better. Whatever you need to do, do it! And, please note that sleeping 11 plus hours per day will not do your body good or any better…it’s about balance! If you’re sleeping this much, check-in with your doc!

Once you get in that 7-9 hours, eat breakfast!!! This is KEY to keep your metabolism burning and churning and to prevent you from later conducting a food raid. And, while you’re at it, make sure your breakfast is nutritious and delicious! Perhaps oatmeal, a whole grain English muffin with all-natural peanut or almond butter, high-fiber cereal with skim milk, or some low-fat yogurt with fruit…I think you get the gist…

Bottom Line: Get in 7-9 hours of sleep per night AND within 1-2 hours of waking  grab a nutrition and delicious breakfast to: get your metabolism burning and churning, keep those hormones in-check,  prevent food raids/overeating later in the day, have an amped-up immune system, provide energy to break a sweat, choose healthier foods, and to simply, feel better!

Happy Healthifying!

Corinne