Struggling with Your Eating Routine? Five Back on Track Principles!
February 3, 2016Have you swayed a bit from your normal eating routine? Do you want to get back on track with your healthy eating? Whether you’re reading this on January 1st, March 26th or October 2nd, you can get back on track anytime. Here are five essential principles that you can follow to get the most out of your get back on track goal.
1. Optimize
Before you start any eating routine, make sure that you optimize your nutrition. Make certain that you get all your essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fats. One way you can optimize your nutrition is to pay attention to Dr. Joel Furhman's Aggregate Nutrition Density Index (ANDI) score, which grades foods based on their nutrient density. Another simple way to optimize your nutrition is to avoid processed foods and eat non-starchy plants and protein exclusively.
2. Volumize
Another sound principle for weight loss and healthy living is to purposefully eat satiating amounts of foods that are low in energy density, such as non-starchy vegetables. Dr. Barbara Rolls demonstrated that fullness is a function of food volume, not caloric density. When women were instructed to incorporate satisfying amounts of low-energy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and soups into their diet, they reported less hunger. They also lost 33% more weight at six months compared to women who were counseled to only reduce their fat intake. A large salad is a great way to fill up without filling out!
3. Harmonize
No eating plan will work in the long run if it makes you hungry. Starving yourself and skipping meals is a surefire way to get yourself into trouble. Instead of eating out of balance, harmonize your eating so it controls your hunger. Eating approximately five times per day was a successful strategy employed by weight loss maintainers in the National Weight Control Registry. A good strategy is to eat frequently enough to stay ahead of hunger rather than eating in response to hunger.
4. Liberalize
Your body weight is made up of both fat and lean body mass. Healthy weight loss gets rid of excess fat while preserving lean body mass. Liberalizing protein intake is an important means of getting in essential amino acids and maintaining healthy muscle. In order to maintain weight, you need to eat 0.7-1 milligrams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day. In order to promote weight loss and maintain muscle during the process of weight loss, you need to eat approximately 1.5-2 times that amount. That translates to about 100 grams of protein per day for most people. Animal meat is a complete source of protein and a great source of essential vitamins and minerals.
5. Minimize
While you can lose weight by reducing calories alone, the most successful dietary strategies also minimize intake of high glycemic carbohydrates. Restricting carbohydrate intake to 100 grams and less has been shown to enhance weight loss, reduce hunger, improve adherence, and improve metabolic derangements. I recommend cutting out all sources of carbohydrates except non-starchy vegetables that contain five grams or less of carbohydrates per one cup serving.
References
https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article17.aspx
Bell EA et al. Energy density of foods affects energy intake in normal-weight women. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:412-20.
Ello-Martin JA et al. Dietary energy density in the treatment of obesity: a year-long trial comparing 2 weight-loss diets. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:1465-77.
Klem ML, Wing RR, McGuire MT, Seagle HM, Hill JO. A descriptive study of individuals successful at long-term maintenance of substantial weight loss. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66:239–246
Steelman GM, Westman EC. Obesity: Evaluation and Treatment Essentials. 2010.
Hession M et al. Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat/low-calorie diets in the management of obesity and its comorbidities. 2008. Obesity reviews 10:36-50.
Volek JS & Feinman RD. Carbohydrate restriction improves the features of metabolic syndrome. Nutr & Metab. 2005;2(31):1-17.
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Chris Ko is a Board Certified Internist with a true passion for food and health. He has been in private practice since 2006 and joined Bluepoint Medical Associates in November 2014. While in private practice, Dr. Ko pioneered an innovative and highly successful weight management program, which he has brought to Bluepoint Medical. Dr. Ko is also the author of The Ping Pong Diet, a comprehensive guide to weight management. |
