Eat Six Times A Day And Eat Less While Exercising More

Those of us who want to eat less and exercise more seem to want that because they desire to lose weight. Strangely enough the answer can come from just eating more often, indeed six times a day. It won’t take you long to think of this as a complicated solution to the problem of weight loss. Of course, there are lots of angles to this idea and many ways you can fool yourself. But for now let’s just keep it simple.

First, take an inventory of what you eat and when you eat. If you are a breakfast-lunch-dinner type and you eat hardly anything for breakfast and lunch and then make up for it by having a really big dinner, stop that right now. Plan something simple and nutritious for both breakfast and lunch.

Yes, you need a good breakfast. It’s your first meal of the day. Oatmeal and fruit will be fine. Alternatively, once or twice a week you can have a poached egg on whole grain toast. Another possible breakfast would be  a protein smoothie made in a blender from a scoop of whey protein, a little yogurt, a small banana, a handful of berries, a few slices of a kiwi, some cranberry juice. Everything should fit in an eight ounce glass. Once you get the hang of it you can put together any of the above breakfasts in just a few minutes. There are many other possibilities as well.

When you first get up in the morning, even before considering breakfast, make a cup or two of coffee or tea (green tea preferred) and start drinking water. You need a maximum of 1-2 cups of coffee or tea in the morning. Don’t drink any more during the day. The caffeine will stop you from drinking enough water. Sometimes you won’t need even 1-2 cups of coffee or tea, but if you are accustomed to more stop that now. Skip the additive flavorings also. Water is more important, indeed most important drink.

You should consider drinking half your weight in ounces of water each day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds you want about 100 ounces of water. That’s about six 16-17 ounce bottles of water or 12-13 eight ounce glasses of water.  Decide how much you need and start, slowly at first, to build up to the necessary level. Your bladder and your body may not be used to that level. You’ll want to give it a chance to adjust. Your exercise level is also a key factor in how much water you will drink. Look into this and think about it.

Consuming water at an appropriate level will suppress your appetite, increase your basal metabolic rate, help flush excess salts and toxins from your body, and will help your general health in other ways.

If you’re away at work or elsewhere after breakfast, bring along your second meal — a snack — fruits, vegetables, cheese, and multiple other possibilities. Sometimes it’s easy to prepare these ahead of time and keep it in a shoulder bag you carry with you — think in simple terms.  Try to stay away from starchy, salty or excessively sweet snacks. It’s better to eat nothing that eat those kinds of snacks. This is your second meal of the day and it can be small and simple — nothing excessively sweet or salty.

If you must eat out for lunch — your third meal of the day — a place with a good salad bar is the best course. If you can make your own selections so much the better. A small drizzle of dressing will be fine. Stay clear of the salty crackers, creamy veges, and breads or muffins unless one of the choices is a whole grain unadulterated with additives.

If you get trapped (invited) to a cocktail party somewhere, have a little water. Then hold onto the glass, and talk with others. There’s usually something to munch on that won’t kill you, but you can’t always be sure. The plate and the napkin will make you look like you belong even if you don’t eat a thing. Hard liquor, beer or wine are not worth drinking later you will just need to drink more water later to try to reduce their negative effect. They will set you back. Of course, you may have to pretend to drink something even if you don’t. You may know many people there and you don’t want them to feel uncomfortable watching you. This is your fifth meal of the day.

Later for dinner at home or if out with others, order something sensible and if it’s high caloric density, eat only a little of that and take home the rest in a doggy bag, or let the waiter take it away. You can usually order a dish that sensible. Try a fish or chicken dish, or something vegetarian, non-starchy if that’s possible. They are best broiled, and unadulterated with heavy sauces. try to stay clear of heavy fatty meat selections. Dinner wherever you have it is your fifth meal of the day.

Later at home you can have a sensible dessert. A small bowl (cup) of strawberries (no sugar) is a great sixth meal of the day.

You need to exercise every day. You may be busy, but it does not have to exceed 20 min a day, but you should do something serious. Yoga, walking, working with light weights and just doing various exercises that you vary from time to time. Whatever you do, if you are generally under-active, get off the couch or away from your desk and do something. Remember that you burn the least calories while sleeping, the next least by reading or reading what’s on your computer or your smart phone or just by watching television.

In general, adjusting your eating patterns and total intake (even if you eat more times during the day) and organizing a daily exercise routine as well as various ways you can bring up your activity level, combine to bring you to suitable weight.

Will The Immigration Bill And Other Reasonable Legislation Die In The Firefight Over Benghazi?

Increasingly, it is clear that Republicans have lost their way. They seem to be into self-sabotage.  An immigration bill is one matter that is in jeopardy while Republicans in the House bring countervailing voices  into the debate over what is left of the Benghazi matter. One is not perplexed by the matter coming back for a second round of discussions after Secretary Clinton and Leon Panetta put the matter to rest earlier this year. Our diplomats take on dangerous duty and often it is realized in hind-site that they should have been better protected. I would not be so opposed to the House of Representatives Committee headed by Darrell Issa taking one last look at what happened if were a fair look, and not so obviously political in tone.

Today and yesterday Carl Rove comes out with a political ad reviewing Hillary Clinton’s comments on the Benghazi affair, and now it seems that Dick Cheney wants to add his own views to the matter. What Rove and Cheney are doing in this movie is unclear to me. But, it’s like the MSNBC early morning program — “Way Too Early.” In Rove’s case, his power ad will be ready to re-run just before the 2016 elections if Secretary Clinton chooses to run for President. Republicans seem to be getting ahead of themselves, and Issa’s Committee wastes time its members might better spend productively on legislation.

It’s just like the Republicans to start thinking about the next election far too early, before they have actually thought very much about what to say or, indeed, what lost them the last election. However, one of those problem areas they have done at least something about. They’ve had Marco Rubio and other Republican senators working in a bipartisan way with Democratic senators. They’ve come up with a proposed bill that now also has hundreds of amendments. Many of these are amendments are designed to kill the bill, which may have some tough sledding ahead. You would think that immigration reform would be a no-brainer for Republicans, but it doesn’t look that way just yet. It’s hard to see how the bill and it’s countless amendments can be resolved completely at this point. If matters remain unresolved, the lack of success will clearly fall on Republicans. It’s possible that no final resolution on Immigration can emerge from this Congress. That would leave the matter for the next Congress after the 2014 election.

What Is The 113th Congress Doing?

At the outset of the 113th Congress I had thought it impossible for this Congress to be shorter on results than the 112th. Initially, the Congress did nothing and thereby allowed the “Sequester” to happen. They have since tinkered with parts of it principally to allow the most well-off Americans to make scheduled flights without delay. At this stage since the major impacts of the Sequester have yet to be felt, it’s not at all clear how things will look by the end of the year. The continuation of the Sequester has at least delayed the Federal Reserve Bank from reducing the rate at which it pumps money into the economy through the Quantitative Easing (QE) Program. This may not be a good thing.

The Federal Reserve Bank has been buying bonds at the rate of $85 billion per month. This means that we are effectively printing new money at that rate. Many are concerned that these actions are excessive and will trigger an inflationary spiral longer term.  When the Federal Reserve Bank started this program there was a significant deflationary stress on the economy. Credit was hard to come by, and the average citizen was not buying much anyway. These earlier conditions have changed, and the Federal Reserve Bank should be gradually reducing if not abandoning QE. The delay seems to be due to not knowing just how much deflationary stress the implemented Sequester will bring back into the economy. The Sequester yet might be relatively harmless if the Federal Reserve Bank is able to begin reducing QE and phase it out eventually. These are really big ifs, and we won’t likely know how much trouble we are in (if any) until at least early 2014.

Since completing this back door legislation, in effect allowing the Sequester to happen by doing nothing, the Congress has managed to do very little. They have, of course, held hearings. Those held by the Senate primarily to question Secretary Clinton on Benghazi, and questioning nominees Hagel & Brennen. Other than that the Senate has managed to vote down consideration of gun control legislation. Other items are on the agenda, but hardly moving forward at all.

On the other side of the Hill the House has managed very little. They are holding hearings as well. It’s early yet — only about 6 months of activity — yet both the House as well as the Senate has little to show for their time in office. The performance is actually pathetic and seems unlikely to improve as we all try to brace once again for a “debt ceiling” discussion.

Chris Christie’s Weight Loss Issue

I awakened this morning to the replay of an interview with Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey as he talked about his experience with Lap-band (Bariatric) surgery. For those who may not know, this procedure allows various degrees of tightening of the stomach preventing, in theory, one’s ingestion of excesses food. It’s supposed to be the last word in helping an individual who has had trouble losing weight. Indeed, many regard it as a last ditch effort to lose weight.

In Governor Christie’s case this may or may not be so, but I’m pulling for him — and I don’t mean pulling on his lap-bands. I didn’t like him very much when he first came on the scene, but over time he has grown on me.  The Governor has had a lengthy battle with his weight by his own admission. This doesn’t make him a bad person. In our tradition though many may believe that there must be something wrong with someone who cannot lose excessive weight.

Shakespeare in one of his plays captures well our more modern idea of the obese person.  After a night of drinking and excess, Prince Hal goes back through the woods with Falstaff, who apparently was greatly overweight and given to excessive drink as well. Falstaff could not keep up and was panting in earnest as he follows Prince Hal through the woods. Prince Hal seeing this slows down and turns to Falstaff, remarking with concern and in earnest, “Leave gourmandizing! Know the grave doth gape for thee thrice wider than for other men.”

Shakespeare, of course, in the context of the play captures the obese person in modern life as one who big and cumbersome and unable to keep up — indeed, one whose life may be at risk. While Christie is not a modern Falstaff, we worry that he and many, but not all of those excessively overweight,  are among those who can’t keep up and are more than just a little compromised by excessive weight. This is certainly true for some, but not for all of our larger brethren. Statistics show us that the longer they carry their weight excess the greater their chances of developing serious medical problems. We know that those who are seriously overweight make much greater use of the medical care system.

Losing weight that one has put on over time is not easy. It ought to be done carefully and slowly since the underlying processes at work in losing weight are not the same nor as simple as those at work in adding on the weight. Many have trouble losing weight and consistently report that it was much harder coming off than it was putting on. Nearly everyone who has tried to lose weight finds that it is much harder to lose than it is to gain weight. We are all hopeful that Governor Christie will be successful. He will find it hard even with the lap bands, but he can do it. Now that he has revealed the surgery all will be watching, but as he notes his battle with his weight is a very personal issue. We should respect that. He had the surgery in February and in the 2-3 months since has clearly taken off some pounds. We need to leave him alone. The results will be clear soon enough.

Maintaining Weight And Activity As You Age

Maintaining a suitable weight and activity level into old age is a desirable goal, or rather a set of goals,  that include good exercise and dietary habits. You want to maintain good muscle strength and tone, strong bones, flexibility and balance. You also want to eat in moderation, and sensibly. It’s possible to set reasonable goals for very specific reasons, but it’s also possible to be excessive in both positive and negative directions. I’ll try to be brief.

In eating and considering proper nutrition once you are passed seventy, there are some simple ideas to keep in mind. First, most of us need more protein and far less carbohydrate and fat that we are getting. A diet 40-45 percent in protein is not unreasonable especially when linked to a serious exercise regime. This may require 1-2 protein supplement smoothies during the day. However, you can get a fair amount of protein from yogurt, soybeans, other beans, nuts, and fish. In the latter category, there is a preference for fresh salmon, tuna and various other varieties of fish you may be able to get locally. It may cost a bit more, but fish freshly caught is preferable — not fish from fish farms or other commercial fish to which coloring is added. Also, don’t cook fish over coals on a hot grill — the oils drop into the coals and are brought back to the fish after decomposing on the coals into cancer-causing compounds. You can cook up a decent size piece of fish slowly and indirectly on any grill, have some for dinner and save the rest in a sealed container in your refrigerator — add it to salads over the next 2-3 days.

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits with salads generally for mid-day and evening meals. Stay away from red meat altogether if possible. It has plenty of protein but won’t set well in the long run. Now and then go with a little chicken, but buy it from a local butcher who is likely to have purchased it from an independent farmer rather than a factory farmer. I prefer mainly fish, but chicken is great occasionally for variety. Cook it indirectly on the grill as well. You can marinate the chicken in a little vinegar and olive oil and the fish can be seasoned with a bith of lemon pepper, tarragon and/or dill. You should never add lots or salt to the meats or anything else you eat. The older you get, the more important it is to stay away from red meat.

Most of the rest of the diet should be mainly vegetables and fruits as close to their natural state as you can find them — the best place will be your backyard garden. Grow enough so that you can freeze a lot for winter use. In general, the closer you can get to eating fruits and vegetables staring from the natural state, the better. I almost never eat anything out of a can — especially one with a list of ingredients my 13-year old great grandson can’t pronounce. If you don’t garden, buy a few things from farmer’s markets. Parboil and freeze what you can’t eat right away.

Avoid excess salt, hot pepper salsas and chili peppers. No alcohol and little if any caffeine. Eliminate chocolate, coffee and soda. If you have been used to a high caffeine quota cut back immediately. A cup or two of strong tea early in the morning  is best.

Drink plenty of water — a goal is to consume half your weight in ounces of water. If you wieght 200 pounds, that means drinking about six 17-ounce bottled waters each day. A dark, high antioxidant fruit drink like cranberry or blueberry is also great 1-2 times a day when you get used to drinking that much water. I put my dark colored juice into a wine glass and no one is concerned about why I am not drinking something stronger — fact is, they have no idea what I’m drinking.

Fruits and vegetables provide plenty of soluble and some insoluble fiber. IF you add oatmeal to your diet you’ll get a lot more fiber. A good combination for breakfasts during the week is to have oatmeal 4-5 mornings mixed with plenty of fruit, a poached egg on a slide of whole grain toast on 1-2 morings and a whole grain muffin on the last morning of the week. I also like zucchini pancakes occasionally, but most would prefer those for lunch or dinner.    

Meals and snacks generally composed as noted above provide a good balance of vitamins and minerals, but some supplements may be in order. I’ll leave that to you and your doctor.

Exercise is also critical and you find it difficult to start when you are old and gray and you’ve already started to siffen up. Make it a habit to do something every day. Walk, do some simple exercises in front of a television (if you have the room). You can use a medicine ball, a Swiss ball or light weights.  Think about what you are doing or get some help. If you have a local gym nearby, take a regular class in yoga or Tai Chi. These are great for teaching and achieving balance as well as a calm state and sense of well-being.

In addition to formal exercise routines of all sorts you should cultivate a pattern of activity. At home, get up and move around. Find something to do that gets you off the couch. The TV, computer, or the crossword whill be there when you return.

Finally for cardiovascular and bone density fitness walking every day is the place to start. On a treadmill at a local gym you can be guided to the right level of cardiovascular function, but if you are not accustomed to that, go at it very slowly.

My advice is to plan to do more exercise than you really have time to do. May choices at the start on what you’ll do every day. Then change routines every 1-2 weeks. If you are not used to exercise, go slow in the beginning. Don’t overdo, but as soon as sensible eating and the habits of exercise kick in, you’ll find that you enjoy the routine more and more.

Eating Less At Every Meal And Other Simple Ways to Lose Weight

Let’s just say you are one of the millions who have gained 20-30 pounds or so over the last ten years. After being in denial for a while as you gave away clothes and bought a few more that allowed you to look a little better in your own estimation at least, you’ve finally decided that enough is enough, you have to lose some of that weight. But you have a busy schedule so you can’t fuss too much. What will you do?

First, realize that you gained that 30 pounds over about 10 years duration. Make up your mind right away that you can’t lose it all at once. You can’t lose it in a few weeks — not without affecting your health. You need to change things up a bit. You’ll want to lose the weight mostly as fat. You’ll need to gain a few pounds of muscle to make up for the muscle you’ll lose as you lose that fat. Start slow and do things differently but within you’re schedule. Start where I suggested in my last blog post. Eat a bite or two less at every meal.

Also, you will be greatly helped if you refrain from excessive snacking between each meal. The alternative, if snacking is something you are hooked on, is to find low-density calorie snacks like veges, fruits and nuts. Stay away from eating out as much as possible. If you can’t, start ordering something more sensible, and go lightly on the before or after dinner drinks. Drink plenty of water — more than you are used to. It will lower your appetite and increase your basal metabolic rate. In general, put more protein and fruits and vegetables into your meals and less high carbohydrate, high-density calorie meals, especially those foods rich in both carbohydrate and fat. You don’t have to stop eating all that, just make some sensible adjustments while you add more lean meats and salads. Cut down on the cake, pie, and cookies and deserts generally, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t meet those demands at every meal, every day, every week, and every month.

On the other side of the weights and measures ledger, exercise more.  First, everywhere you go don’t take the easy way out. If you are needed upstairs by the boss for a meeting. Walk up and back down when you return to your office. Don’t take the elevator. At work, get up and walk around and if you can’t, do a few dynamic tension exercises every half hour or so. After work, walk home if possible or if you take a bus, train or car then don’t start dinner after you change clothes and take a short walk — somewhere under a mile to start. When you’re home on evenings and weekends don’t spend the entire time on the couch reading, computing or watching television. Get up and do something — cleaning, cooking, gardening or just walking around thinking about how you might reorganize the furniture.  In general, the more active and less sedentary you are in your life habits the more calories you will burn. If you don’t like my plan make one of your own.

Thus, if you can find a way to keep from eating about 200-250 calories a day and burn up the same amount over and above what you have been doing, you could easily lose a pound a week at the beginning. At the end of your goal of losing 30 pounds or so it will be harder to lose a pound a week, so you won’t get those pounds off in 30 weeks. It could easily take you 40-45 weeks, but that’s still under a year.

Overall, drink water, eat less and more of the right kinds of foods. Exercise more and be serious about changing the habits that got you those extra pounds. You can go to the gym, hire a personal trainer and a nutritionist but you may have the kind of life style that makes that very hard. So, just keep it simple. Do what you can. Change things up a little and follow simple routines like those I’ve suggested above. Get at it, and remember, your scale is your friend.

Losing Weight By Eating Less At Each Meal

The processes by which we gain or lose weight are complicated and one shouldn’t attempt to overly simplify them. That said, it’s worth trying to think about a few simple behaviors that might be helpful anyway. I’m emphasizing here those who may be 20-30 pounds overweight and climbing. I’m also assuming that you fully understand that the reason you have been gaining weight over the last several years and more is that you are eating more (calories) than you are burning. In general, when you eat 3500 more than you burn you will gain a pound. It may take a week or a month or more to do that.

In general, excess weight sneaks up on us. We don’t realize how easy it is. Just 10-20 calories extra over what we burn every time we eat is enough to gain considerable weight. Remember though we’re thinking about averages so you may not notice it right away. If you each 3-4 times a day or you consume your extra calories in snacks it will still take a while to gain noticeable weight.

Let’s just say you consume that extra 20 cal at each of three meals during the day. In an average 30 day month that is an extra 20 times 3 or 60 cal a day or over a 30 day month 30 x 60 = 900 cal per month. But over a year that’s 12 x 900 = 10,800 cal or about 3 pound per year. At the end of the year you may not even notice it. You put on three-quarters or a pound in each of the quarters of the year. Think of it as a quarterly dividend — one you didn’t necessarily want but you get it anyway. Over 10 years that’s an additional 30 pounds, and you won’t miss that.

The easiest way, in principle, to avoid that extra weight is to leave an extra bite or two on your plate after each meal. Don’t eat it.