I just heard about this new K-E diet in Miami that lets you lose 10 or 20 pounds in 10 days. It's a special fat-burning formula, but where can I get it if I don't live in Miami? Or if I don't have $1500 to spend. Is there something else that I could substitute?
Rebecca J.
Hi Rebecca,
The K-E diet stands for "ketogenic enteral diet". Ketogenic means your body burns fat because you give it no source of carbohydrates. With this chemical imbalance, the body races to flush ketones out in the urine, and a significant weight loss is seen because of fluid loss. Enteral means the formula is given via your gastrointestinal tract--the way we usually feed ourselves.
This is the most horrible "diet plan" I've seen in my three decades as a registered dietitian. The "diet" formula consists of the basic liquid protein diet that was popular in the 1970's (until several people died from electrolyte imbalance). The way it works is, you only get 800 calories a day for the entire 10-day period. The fact is, if you only eat 800 calories a day (especially if it's just chicken and vegetables) you'll lose the same amount of weight. Take note, I am NOT recommending this chicken-and-vegetable strategy either! A lot of the weight loss is fluid (because you increase your urine output to flush out the ketones that build up as a back-up form of energy when you eat no carbohydrates). This means, once you go back to a regular diet you'll gain back several pounds of lost fluid weight. In a short time people usually gain back the rest of the fat weight they lost as well.
And there certainly are risks with inserting a naso-gastric tube. In the hospital, these naso-gastric tubes are only used for patients who are unable to eat enough; people who are in a coma, have had a stroke, or have a serious illness that keeps them from being able to get enough nutrition by chewing and swallowing their food. There can be issues from tube irritation in the esophagus, and in some cases the tube can be accidentally placed (or accidentally moved after being placed properly) and end up in the lung. When the feeding formula goes into the lung it usually results in pneumonia.
My advice? Run as far and as fast as you can from this extreme new fad diet. Naso-gastric feeding tubes have no place in the healthy functioning population outside of health-care facilities. And liquid protein diets will give no long-lasting weight loss results. This is why they go out of style as quickly as they come in.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
How Many Grams of Sugar Should I Eat?
Dear Laurie,
I have been reading articles on sugar and I know it should come from natural sources like fruit, veg and oats etc. but would like to know the exact percentage of sugar (of all kinds) recommended for weight loss. I will be following a 1400 calorie diet for weight loss, so how many grams a day of sugar should I eat? Anne M.
Hi Anne,
First of all there is a difference between "sugar" and "carbohydrates", the latter of which turn to sugar after you eat them. The benefit of getting sugar from fruit instead of from candy, is that fruit also gives you valuable nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Gram for gram, you get the same calories from table sugar or an orange, as carbohydrates in potatoes or bread.
There isn't really sugar in oats or vegetables, but the starchy vegetables (like peas and corn) and grains contain carbohydrates which break down to sugar after digestion.
The recommendations for carbohydrates are to contribute about 45-55% of your calories. This means about 700 calories of your 1400 calorie diet should be from carbs (700 calories/4 calories per gram = 175 grams per day).
Refined and added sugars are not necessary (for instance, jelly, sweetened cereals, soft drinks, pies and cakes) and will add calories to your diet without nutrition. These foods all have a place in the diet (in moderation) but are best to be avoided when you're trying to lose weight.
Check out www.choosemyplate.gov for recommendations and tools to help you follow a balanced diet. If you choose the right number of servings from all the food groups, you won't have to bother calculating every gram you eat--which will make eating healthy a whole lot easier!
I have been reading articles on sugar and I know it should come from natural sources like fruit, veg and oats etc. but would like to know the exact percentage of sugar (of all kinds) recommended for weight loss. I will be following a 1400 calorie diet for weight loss, so how many grams a day of sugar should I eat? Anne M.
Hi Anne,
First of all there is a difference between "sugar" and "carbohydrates", the latter of which turn to sugar after you eat them. The benefit of getting sugar from fruit instead of from candy, is that fruit also gives you valuable nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Gram for gram, you get the same calories from table sugar or an orange, as carbohydrates in potatoes or bread.
There isn't really sugar in oats or vegetables, but the starchy vegetables (like peas and corn) and grains contain carbohydrates which break down to sugar after digestion.
The recommendations for carbohydrates are to contribute about 45-55% of your calories. This means about 700 calories of your 1400 calorie diet should be from carbs (700 calories/4 calories per gram = 175 grams per day).
Refined and added sugars are not necessary (for instance, jelly, sweetened cereals, soft drinks, pies and cakes) and will add calories to your diet without nutrition. These foods all have a place in the diet (in moderation) but are best to be avoided when you're trying to lose weight.
Check out www.choosemyplate.gov for recommendations and tools to help you follow a balanced diet. If you choose the right number of servings from all the food groups, you won't have to bother calculating every gram you eat--which will make eating healthy a whole lot easier!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
How Long Will It Take me to Lose 50 Pounds?
I'm a 32 year old female and I've been overweight for the past seven years, since I had my daughter and decided to be a stay-at-home Mom. I think I was just more active in my job, and had regular eating habits instead of snacking so much during the day. Now I realize I'm not feeling as young as I think I should and it's even getting uncomfortable to try to keep up with my daughter. I want to try to lose 50 pounds, but I don't know if I'll be able to stay on a diet if it's going to take more than 3 months. I get so discouraged easily when the weight comes off slowly. Can I lose all this weight in 3 months? I'm hoping you can give me an answer that I will like! Gina S.
Hi Gina,
While it's possible to lose 50 pounds in three months (for 12-13 weeks time this equals about 4 pounds per week), it's not likely unless you are extremely overweight. The general rule of thumb is to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories a day (or burn 500 more calories per day--which means exercising hard for nearly an hour--or some combination of both diet and exercise) to lose one pound per week.
Using this math, in order to lose 4 pounds per week, a person would have to burn 2000 more calories per day than usual, or eat 2000 calories less per day. For the average person, 2000 calories IS the total daily intake, so you can hardly cut it down to zero!
The good news is, it sounds like you may have several daily opportunities to both cut calories, and to burn more. The best way to go about losing weight is to start keeping a food diary. There are numerous free websites that help you log your food while the calorie-tracking is done for you. A few my clients like are FitDay.com, SparkPeople.com, LoseIt.com and TheDailyPlate.com.
Substituting healthier choices for your snacks, realizing the times you snack out of boredom and not hunger, limiting portions, and eating regular meals can all help you eat a lower daily calorie level. Remember, for every 500 calories you can eliminate, you'll lose about a pound at the end of the week.
As far as exercise goes, it doesn't have to be an hour in the gym. Going for walks, playing ball in the yard, or going for a bike ride all contribute to burning more calories on a daily basis.
If you make small and reasonable changes in both diet and exercise, you can realistically lose 2 pounds a week easily. I know it sounds slow to take nearly 6 months to lose 50 pounds, but it will be a lot easier when you do it by making permanent habit changes instead of going on a diet that leaves you hungry and ready to go back "off" the diet!
Hi Gina,
While it's possible to lose 50 pounds in three months (for 12-13 weeks time this equals about 4 pounds per week), it's not likely unless you are extremely overweight. The general rule of thumb is to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories a day (or burn 500 more calories per day--which means exercising hard for nearly an hour--or some combination of both diet and exercise) to lose one pound per week.
Using this math, in order to lose 4 pounds per week, a person would have to burn 2000 more calories per day than usual, or eat 2000 calories less per day. For the average person, 2000 calories IS the total daily intake, so you can hardly cut it down to zero!
The good news is, it sounds like you may have several daily opportunities to both cut calories, and to burn more. The best way to go about losing weight is to start keeping a food diary. There are numerous free websites that help you log your food while the calorie-tracking is done for you. A few my clients like are FitDay.com, SparkPeople.com, LoseIt.com and TheDailyPlate.com.
Substituting healthier choices for your snacks, realizing the times you snack out of boredom and not hunger, limiting portions, and eating regular meals can all help you eat a lower daily calorie level. Remember, for every 500 calories you can eliminate, you'll lose about a pound at the end of the week.
As far as exercise goes, it doesn't have to be an hour in the gym. Going for walks, playing ball in the yard, or going for a bike ride all contribute to burning more calories on a daily basis.
If you make small and reasonable changes in both diet and exercise, you can realistically lose 2 pounds a week easily. I know it sounds slow to take nearly 6 months to lose 50 pounds, but it will be a lot easier when you do it by making permanent habit changes instead of going on a diet that leaves you hungry and ready to go back "off" the diet!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
When to eat Watermelon
Hi Laurie, I'm a 24 year old male. I've read all about the advantages of watermelon. However due to short lunch hour I'm unable to keep a gap between watermelon and main course. I would like to know whether this reduces the health benefits of watermelon in anyway. Or would you suggest me a better way to squeeze watermelon as well main course in a short time. Thanks, Joseph B.
Hi Joseph,
I'm not sure where these ideas about the nutritional value of watermelon come from--there really isn't anything magical about this particular fruit--as a matter of fact, it is one fruit that is not a very good concentrated source of anything but water!
The idea of not eating anything else with fruit comes from an email circulating that was based on recommendations back in the early 1900's: A physician saw frequent cases of food poisoning because adequate refrigeration was uncommon so it was difficult to keep food cold and fresh. He noted that lots of times people would blame their nausea and diarrhea on the fruit they ate, but that in fact it was probably due to spoilage from some other food they ate, such as meat or fish. He recommended people eat fruit alone (not with a meal containing meat) so if they became sick with food poisoning at another time of day, the fruit wasn't wasted as well. If fruit was eaten alone there was little chance they would get sick (foodborne illness rarely comes from fruit).
Other than that recommendation (which doesn't apply nowadays) there's no scientific reason to eat fruit alone, and no reason not to vary your fruits from day to day to get a nice mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep yourself healthy!
Hi Joseph,
I'm not sure where these ideas about the nutritional value of watermelon come from--there really isn't anything magical about this particular fruit--as a matter of fact, it is one fruit that is not a very good concentrated source of anything but water!
The idea of not eating anything else with fruit comes from an email circulating that was based on recommendations back in the early 1900's: A physician saw frequent cases of food poisoning because adequate refrigeration was uncommon so it was difficult to keep food cold and fresh. He noted that lots of times people would blame their nausea and diarrhea on the fruit they ate, but that in fact it was probably due to spoilage from some other food they ate, such as meat or fish. He recommended people eat fruit alone (not with a meal containing meat) so if they became sick with food poisoning at another time of day, the fruit wasn't wasted as well. If fruit was eaten alone there was little chance they would get sick (foodborne illness rarely comes from fruit).
Other than that recommendation (which doesn't apply nowadays) there's no scientific reason to eat fruit alone, and no reason not to vary your fruits from day to day to get a nice mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep yourself healthy!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Is Orange Juice Fattening?
I'm dieting and exercising on a daily basis, but I was wondering, besides water, what other liquids can I drink that are healthy? I love orange juice, but which juices are healthy? April K.
Hi April,
That's a good question. People are aware of the fact that sodas and sweetened teas contain lots of sugar that just adds needless calories. And many people are also wary of drinking several diet beverages a day. After all, these artificial sweeteners were initially intended to supply just one or two servings a day, and if you're drinking 8 cans you're venturing into some other territory.
So, what can you drink that adds very few, if any, calories and also has a flavor in case the water gets boring? The answer is flavored water. Not the kind you buy for $2 a bottle that adds vitamins and sugar and more artificial sweeteners! The kind you make yourself.
What flavors do you like? If you like orange juice, it's a great source of vitamin C. But the serving size used to be 4 ounces and provided about 40 calories. Now there are tremendously large-sized glasses and people easily pour a 12-ounce glass of juice to the tune of 120 calories.
The solution? Pour 2 ounces of orange juice into 6 ounces of water! Now you have the light flavor of orange juice, the hydration of an 8-ounce glass of water, and some vitamin C--all for only 20 calories. And you can do this twice and still contribute only 40 calories to your energy intake for the day. This works well with all juices. Another great idea is slicing up some fresh fruit (apples, kiwi, oranges, etc) and putting them into a pitcher of water. Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator and reach for some yummy fruit essence water whenever your thirsty. This probably doesn't contribute any calories until you eat the fruit!
One more way to flavor your water is with a teabag. I steep the tea in a small amount of hot water, then add ice and more cool water for a refreshing glass of iced tea (be sure to place a metal knife or spoon in the glass so it doesn't break from the fast temperature change). If you haven't browsed through the tea aisle lately, you'll be amazed to see all the flavors: mints, flowers like jasmine and rose, fruits like blueberry and strawberry, spiced apple and even sugar cookie. I add just a touch of honey to sweeten a bit. If you like to sweeten it keep in mind that a teaspoon of sugar contributes about 16 calories. Many teas are a healthful source of antioxidants too!
Now you can drink all the tasty water you like, and still keep from overdoing your calorie intake.
Hi April,
That's a good question. People are aware of the fact that sodas and sweetened teas contain lots of sugar that just adds needless calories. And many people are also wary of drinking several diet beverages a day. After all, these artificial sweeteners were initially intended to supply just one or two servings a day, and if you're drinking 8 cans you're venturing into some other territory.
So, what can you drink that adds very few, if any, calories and also has a flavor in case the water gets boring? The answer is flavored water. Not the kind you buy for $2 a bottle that adds vitamins and sugar and more artificial sweeteners! The kind you make yourself.
What flavors do you like? If you like orange juice, it's a great source of vitamin C. But the serving size used to be 4 ounces and provided about 40 calories. Now there are tremendously large-sized glasses and people easily pour a 12-ounce glass of juice to the tune of 120 calories.
The solution? Pour 2 ounces of orange juice into 6 ounces of water! Now you have the light flavor of orange juice, the hydration of an 8-ounce glass of water, and some vitamin C--all for only 20 calories. And you can do this twice and still contribute only 40 calories to your energy intake for the day. This works well with all juices. Another great idea is slicing up some fresh fruit (apples, kiwi, oranges, etc) and putting them into a pitcher of water. Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator and reach for some yummy fruit essence water whenever your thirsty. This probably doesn't contribute any calories until you eat the fruit!
One more way to flavor your water is with a teabag. I steep the tea in a small amount of hot water, then add ice and more cool water for a refreshing glass of iced tea (be sure to place a metal knife or spoon in the glass so it doesn't break from the fast temperature change). If you haven't browsed through the tea aisle lately, you'll be amazed to see all the flavors: mints, flowers like jasmine and rose, fruits like blueberry and strawberry, spiced apple and even sugar cookie. I add just a touch of honey to sweeten a bit. If you like to sweeten it keep in mind that a teaspoon of sugar contributes about 16 calories. Many teas are a healthful source of antioxidants too!
Now you can drink all the tasty water you like, and still keep from overdoing your calorie intake.
Monday, January 23, 2012
How Can I Lose Weight Making Small Changes?
Hi,
I'm a 42-year old woman and I'm at my wits end with my weight! I've tried so many diets I can't count, but I'm still about 50 pounds overweight and very frustrated. I keep hearing diets don't work and you have to change your lifestyle, but how can I change what's keeping me overweight when I don't know where to start? I hope you can help... Louise C.
Hi Louise,
Relax! Trying to make too many changes at once is frustrating, and it's also nearly impossible. The key is to make just one change a week, or a similar pace that works for you. People who are overweight know they eat too much, know what foods are fattening, and know they should be more active. Choose something you know is contributing to your weight loss, and find an easy way to change it for you.
Some ideas are:
1) Keep a food diary so you can be totally aware of what you're eating. After you've done this for a week or so, take a good look at what you're eating and when. Do you sometimes eat when you aren't hungry? Can you make an effort to stop eating food you don't really like, but just nibble on because they're in the office conference room? Can you make a "no eating zone" in an area where you stress eat, like your desk or your car? This helps eliminate some of the calories you're eating and not even enjoying.
2) Consider portion sizes: Are you cooking too much at dinner time? Eating 2 portions when you could be getting another meal out of the leftovers? Are you going out to eat and cleaning your plate out of habit? Can you make a change here and start eating smaller amounts at meals?
3) How can you be more active when it's not second nature to you? Can you go for an early morning walk, or perhaps one after dinner? Join a sport you've always wanted to play, or take those flights of stairs each day. Exercising does not have to mean going to the gym for 2 hours a day.
Once you're comfortable with one new habit, continue working on it while you add just one more small change.
Now how do these small changes add up to make a difference? Well, for every 100 calories you can shave off your intake (or burn off by moving more) each day, you'll lose nearly a pound at the end of a month. I know a pound a month isn't much, but it's likely you'll be able to cut your intake by closer to 300 or 400 calories, and work off another 100 or 200 by walking a mile or two. Now you're up to five or six pounds a month.
Still not convinced it's worth it? Multiply this by 12 months and figure out what you could weigh a year from now, just by making small changes--no crash diets or starving!
If you need guidance, support, and accountability, consider hiring a diet coach (hop over to www.mycoachlaurie.com to read all about it), or joining one of the many free weight-loss support sites like TheDailyPlate.com or FitDay.com. LoseIt.com is another site that has an app to go along with it so you can use your iphone to keep your daily food and exercise log.
I'm a 42-year old woman and I'm at my wits end with my weight! I've tried so many diets I can't count, but I'm still about 50 pounds overweight and very frustrated. I keep hearing diets don't work and you have to change your lifestyle, but how can I change what's keeping me overweight when I don't know where to start? I hope you can help... Louise C.
Hi Louise,
Relax! Trying to make too many changes at once is frustrating, and it's also nearly impossible. The key is to make just one change a week, or a similar pace that works for you. People who are overweight know they eat too much, know what foods are fattening, and know they should be more active. Choose something you know is contributing to your weight loss, and find an easy way to change it for you.
Some ideas are:
1) Keep a food diary so you can be totally aware of what you're eating. After you've done this for a week or so, take a good look at what you're eating and when. Do you sometimes eat when you aren't hungry? Can you make an effort to stop eating food you don't really like, but just nibble on because they're in the office conference room? Can you make a "no eating zone" in an area where you stress eat, like your desk or your car? This helps eliminate some of the calories you're eating and not even enjoying.
2) Consider portion sizes: Are you cooking too much at dinner time? Eating 2 portions when you could be getting another meal out of the leftovers? Are you going out to eat and cleaning your plate out of habit? Can you make a change here and start eating smaller amounts at meals?
3) How can you be more active when it's not second nature to you? Can you go for an early morning walk, or perhaps one after dinner? Join a sport you've always wanted to play, or take those flights of stairs each day. Exercising does not have to mean going to the gym for 2 hours a day.
Once you're comfortable with one new habit, continue working on it while you add just one more small change.
Now how do these small changes add up to make a difference? Well, for every 100 calories you can shave off your intake (or burn off by moving more) each day, you'll lose nearly a pound at the end of a month. I know a pound a month isn't much, but it's likely you'll be able to cut your intake by closer to 300 or 400 calories, and work off another 100 or 200 by walking a mile or two. Now you're up to five or six pounds a month.
Still not convinced it's worth it? Multiply this by 12 months and figure out what you could weigh a year from now, just by making small changes--no crash diets or starving!
If you need guidance, support, and accountability, consider hiring a diet coach (hop over to www.mycoachlaurie.com to read all about it), or joining one of the many free weight-loss support sites like TheDailyPlate.com or FitDay.com. LoseIt.com is another site that has an app to go along with it so you can use your iphone to keep your daily food and exercise log.
How Do I Calculate the Percentage of Carbohydrates in my Diet?
Hello,
I've been trying to do a nutritional breakdown of my diet to establish the percentage Protein, Carbohydrate (complex and sugar),and Fat (especially Saturated Fat) I consume. I've been keeping a detailed food diary and nutritional details of each food I eat including the weight.
By my calculations, which I checked and rechecked, on an average day I consumed approximately 2600 kcals and 1700 grams of food and calorie-containing drinks.
What is the most accurate way of extrapolating my weekly % consumption of each food group please?
My previous calculations have fallen short in that when totalled the percentages didn't add up to 100%.
Thanks for your help--Mike S.
Dear Mike,
I can certainly help you with this!
The percentage you are trying to calculate is the fraction of calories contributed by each of the macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
The reason your numbers aren't coming up right is you are using the weight of the food instead of the calories. So here's how to calculate the percentage you are looking for:
Let's take an example and say you ate 2100 calories yesterday, including 320 grams of carbohydrates and 80 grams of protein. First, you multiply the grams of carbohydrate by 4, since there are 4 calories in a gram of carbs. This gives you 1280 calories from carbs. Now divide 1280/2100 and multiply by 100 to get percentage: 61 percent is the answer, and a good contribution of carbs to your diet.
Now let's move on to protein. First, multiply 80 x 4 because there are also 4 calories in a gram of protein. Then take 320/2100 x 100 to get the percentage of calories from protein: 15% of your calories are from protein.
We can assume the remainder is fat (unless the 4th source of calories--alcoholic beverages--contributed to your intake). Fat has 9 calories per gram (which is why it is fattening!) and alcohol has 7 calories per gram (and the calculations of that are more complex, as you have to figure the alcohol content by the 'proof' of the liquor).
I encourage people to practice this using the food labels you see on the box panel of cereals, milk, and other packages. Multiply the number of calories in each energy-yielding nutrient by the number of grams contained in the serving of food. Then add up the total and see if you get something real close to the calories-per-serving on the label. It's a good way to check your work.
I've been trying to do a nutritional breakdown of my diet to establish the percentage Protein, Carbohydrate (complex and sugar),and Fat (especially Saturated Fat) I consume. I've been keeping a detailed food diary and nutritional details of each food I eat including the weight.
By my calculations, which I checked and rechecked, on an average day I consumed approximately 2600 kcals and 1700 grams of food and calorie-containing drinks.
What is the most accurate way of extrapolating my weekly % consumption of each food group please?
My previous calculations have fallen short in that when totalled the percentages didn't add up to 100%.
Thanks for your help--Mike S.
Dear Mike,
I can certainly help you with this!
The percentage you are trying to calculate is the fraction of calories contributed by each of the macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
The reason your numbers aren't coming up right is you are using the weight of the food instead of the calories. So here's how to calculate the percentage you are looking for:
Let's take an example and say you ate 2100 calories yesterday, including 320 grams of carbohydrates and 80 grams of protein. First, you multiply the grams of carbohydrate by 4, since there are 4 calories in a gram of carbs. This gives you 1280 calories from carbs. Now divide 1280/2100 and multiply by 100 to get percentage: 61 percent is the answer, and a good contribution of carbs to your diet.
Now let's move on to protein. First, multiply 80 x 4 because there are also 4 calories in a gram of protein. Then take 320/2100 x 100 to get the percentage of calories from protein: 15% of your calories are from protein.
We can assume the remainder is fat (unless the 4th source of calories--alcoholic beverages--contributed to your intake). Fat has 9 calories per gram (which is why it is fattening!) and alcohol has 7 calories per gram (and the calculations of that are more complex, as you have to figure the alcohol content by the 'proof' of the liquor).
I encourage people to practice this using the food labels you see on the box panel of cereals, milk, and other packages. Multiply the number of calories in each energy-yielding nutrient by the number of grams contained in the serving of food. Then add up the total and see if you get something real close to the calories-per-serving on the label. It's a good way to check your work.
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