Weight gain and therefore, weight loss strategies, are different for men. How to keep it off — for good.
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Binge Early, Weigh Less
Go ahead and order that hungry-man breakfast. Eating more of your daily calories at breakfast will keep you from gaining weight, according to a new report in the American Journal of Epidemiology. After following 6,764 healthy, fit people for almost four years, researchers found that those who ate 22 percent of their daily calories in the morning (about 550 calories for a 2,500-calorie diet) gained only 1.7 pounds in that time. Those who ate less than 11 percent of their calories at breakfast gained 2.7 pounds.
America's Obesity Explained
We now have someone to blame for our expanding waistlines: the USDA. According to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the national dietary guidelines advising Americans to eat a low-fat diet may have contributed to the current obesity epidemic. People have replaced fat with sugar and carbohydrates, which has increased Americans' total caloric intake and set them up for a host of metabolic disorders, say the study's authors, adding that low-fat foods are not diet foods. A healthy, balanced diet should emphasize vegetables, fruits, beans, unrefined whole grains, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats, with a lighter emphasis on yogurts, cheeses, poultry, fish, and lean beef.
Secret Fat Burners
Probiotics, friendly bacteria like those found in yogurt and pickles, may be the key to losing those last stubborn inches around your waist. They not only help the digestive system work properly, but also have a profound effect on the metabolism, according to a new study in Molecular Systems Biology. The bacteria Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus can change how much fat is available for the body to absorb by influencing stomach acids during digestion. The best sources of live bacteria are yogurt, acidophilus milk, miso soup, soft cheeses, pickles, and sauerkraut.
Slim Down With Sugar
New research conducted at Purdue University has linked artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and sucralose to weight gain. In an animal study, the researchers found that ingesting regular sugar, rather than zero-calorie substitutes, results in fewer overall calories consumed. The scientists believe that disrupting the connection between sweet taste and high caloric content makes people crave more food. This finding correlates with another recent study that linked diet soda to obesity.
Cut and Run
Eliminating just 100 excess calories a day is enough to prevent a five- to 10-pound weight gain (the former if you're active, the latter if you are a couch potato). The best way to cut calories is to eat a diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers found that diets high in protein (30 percent of total calories) and low in carbs (4 percent of total calories) are best for reducing calorie intake without increasing hunger. Three slices of bacon is approximately 100 calories.
Parody the French
Americans eat until external cues, such as an empty plate, tell them to stop, says a study in the journal Obesity. The French use internal cues, such as no longer feeling hungry, to determine when a meal should end. The lesson: Listen to your stomach and you'll stay slim.
from msn health
Posted in: Diet