Positives: 1) I have been blessed this week to have
several wonderful things happen. I’ve
relocated my Dad to be closer to me. We’re still in the adjustment period but
being close means the world to me and I’m excited to have him here. 2) I’m finishing up a month long push-up challenge with a great
group of people who I hope have exceeded their own expectations (more in
another post) and 3) I’m helping kick off a step challenge with my colleagues
that I think will be a great way to get us all thinking about our health.
Negatives: So, what’s the negative? I was using this as an introduction to a
question that was posed to me earlier today re: negative calorie foods. I think the negative is that I have no magic
bullet for any of us when it comes to weight management.
A negative calorie food is a food product that is deemed to produce a
negative caloric balance in that the thermic effect of the food is greater than
its food energy content. In English? Negative calories foods are believed to take
more energy to digest than exist in the food product itself. Sounds great!
You might think that basing your nutrition plan around the many lists of
negative calorie foods that one can find online will help spur your weight
loss. Most of these foods SHOULD be in
your nutrition plan anyways: grapefruit,
lemon (in your water), lime, apple, lettuce, celery, broccoli. These dietary staples have good fiber, low
carbohydrates, vitamins, antioxidant properties and can help you feel
full. However, there is no scientific
evidence that I am aware of that any of these foods are true “negative calorie
foods”. Moreover, basing your nutrition
plan (I don’t like the word “diet”) on this food list alone will not provide
you with a balanced plan nor will it be something that you can sustain
long-term. Your goal should be to
develop habits and behaviors that contribute to your wellness and are
sustainable. Fad diets aren’t the
answer. They may kick start your weight loss
but you need to have a PLAN for sustaining and managing your weight and your
health.
I wish weight management were a simple mathematical equation of
negatives (energy expenditure) being greater than the positives (nutritional
intake). That is part of it, yes, don’t
get me wrong. However, there are many of
you who have been at this for some time know that it is a complex equation.
References
Image Credit: http://www.barbellsandbeakers.com/2012/07/04/negative-calorie-and-zero-calorie-foods-dont-exist/
Thank you for the research and congrats on having your Dad close to you. I know that having family and having them near you is truly one of the most important aspect of our lives.
ReplyDeletePam
Thanks, Pam. I agree :-) Plus, he lives on the 4th floor so I am getting in extra steps!
DeleteHi Daphne - i have been looking at your blogs following reading your profile in "pulse". You mention " Fad diets aren’t the answer" and i wonder if you have heard of the 5:2 diet which is catching on here in the UK following a TV program explaining the benefits.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lxyzc
ReplyDeleteI know some people who have tried this and it works and is reported to have long term health benefits.
Steve
Steve, my comment in part was meant to have us all think about lifestyle modification vs short-term intervention. Using the term "fad diet" did not convey this well, my apologies. I'm not familiar with the 5:2 diet but I am always willing to learn. Thanks for the link. I'll take a look and get back to you :-)
ReplyDeleteSteve, I wanted to follow-up with you so you didn't think I'd forgotten. I watched the BBC program this weekend. It was great! I have already ordered the book so that I can learn more about the science behind the 5:2 diet or intermittent fasting.
ReplyDeleteThe data presented in the documentary offer evidence of the short- and long-term health benefits of this approach to nutrition. I am still in the fact-finding stage so stay tuned for more. I do realize that a nutrition program has to be tailored for the individual and this might work great for many. Of course, the geek in me is struggling to determine if the effect is due to what I'll call "calorie/nutrient cost averaging" or if there are physiologic benefits of an intermittent fast. The documentary also commented on a vegetable-based vs. a protein based diet. I'm also reading the China Study so I'm trying to make sense of all of this.
Bottom line, stay tuned. If you try the 5:2 I'd like to hear your thoughts. While I won't be able to conduct the blood testing that Dr. Mosley did, I am thinking about giving this a try myself.
Hi Daphne - i am glad to hear that you found the program interesting. I tried the 5:2 diet for 6 weeks in august 2012 (approx) and during the first 5 weeks I went for from 75kgs to 67 kgs (which also helped my 10km time !!).
DeleteAs i continued to loose weight and my running increased I have now taken this to a 6:1 diet and my weight has stabilised at 68kgs. Although not really overweight (BMi has gone from 25 to 23.5)I was more interested in the other health benefits. I certainly do feel healthier since starting this.
Steve Henderson
Steve this is great feedback, thank you for sharing. It sounds like you have found a nutritional program that meets your needs. The book is very interesting too. Did you happen to have bloodwork pre 5:2 and/or post 5:2? Any other subjective testing? I am probably over analyzing this but it's my nature, apologies for asking so many questions.
ReplyDelete