Monday, November 8, 2010

Interesting Experiment involving snack foods!

Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds

By Madison Park, CNN
November 8, 2010 8:40 a.m. EST
t1larg.twinkie.professor.jpg
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Nutrition professor's "convenience store diet" helped him shed 27 pounds
  • Haub limited himself to 1,800 calories and two-thirds come from junk food
  • Haub said it's too early to draw any conclusions about diet

(CNN) -- Twinkies. Nutty bars. Powdered donuts.

For 10 weeks, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, ate one of these sugary cakelets every three hours, instead of meals. To add variety in his steady stream of Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, Haub munched on Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos, too.

His premise: That in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most -- not the nutritional value of the food.

The premise held up: On his "convenience store diet," he shed 27 pounds in two months.

For a class project, Haub limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of Haub's pre-dieting size usually consumes about 2,600 calories daily. So he followed a basic principle of weight loss: He consumed significantly fewer calories than he burned.

His body mass index went from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is normal. He now weighs 174 pounds.

But you might expect other indicators of health would have suffered. Not so.

Haub's "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 20 percent and his "good" cholesterol, or HDL, increased by 20 percent. He reduced the level of triglycerides, which are a form of fat, by 39 percent.

"That's where the head scratching comes," Haub said. "What does that mean? Does that mean I'm healthier? Or does it mean how we define health from a biology standpoint, that we're missing something?"

Haub's sample day
Espresso, Double: 6 calories; 0 grams of fat

Hostess Twinkies Golden Sponge Cake: 150 calories; 5 grams of fat

Centrum Advanced Formula From A To Zinc: 0 calories; 0 grams of fat

Little Debbie Star Crunch: 150 calories; 6 grams of fat

Hostess Twinkies Golden Sponge Cake: 150 calories; 5 grams of fat

Diet Mountain Dew: 0 calories; 0 grams of fat

Doritos Cool Ranch: 75 calories; 4 grams of fat

Kellogg's Corn Pops: 220 calories; 0 grams of fat

whole milk: 150 calories; 8 grams of fat

baby carrots: 18 calories; 0 grams of fat

Duncan Hines Family Style Brownie Chewy Fudge: 270 calories; 14 grams of fat

Little Debbie Zebra Cake: 160 calories; 8 grams of fat

Muscle Milk Protein Shake: 240 calories; 9 grams of fat

Totals:
1,589 calories and 59 grams of fat

Despite his temporary success, Haub does not recommend replicating his snack-centric diet.

"I'm not geared to say this is a good thing to do," he said. "I'm stuck in the middle. I guess that's the frustrating part. I can't give a concrete answer. There's not enough information to do that."

Two-thirds of his total intake came from junk food. He also took a multivitamin pill and drank a protein shake daily. And he ate vegetables, typically a can of green beans or three to four celery stalks.

Families who live in food deserts have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables, so they often rely on the kind of food Haub was eating.

"These foods are consumed by lots of people," he said. "It may be an issue of portion size and moderation rather than total removal. I just think it's unrealistic to expect people to totally drop these foods for vegetables and fruits. It may be healthy, but not realistic."

Haub's body fat dropped from 33.4 to 24.9 percent. This posed the question: What matters more for weight loss, the quantity or quality of calories?

His success is probably a result of caloric reduction, said Dawn Jackson Blatner, a dietitian based in Atlanta, Georgia.

"It's a great reminder for weight loss that calories count," she said. "Is that the bottom line to being healthy? That's another story."

Blatner, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said she's not surprised to hear Haub's health markers improved even when he loaded up on processed snack cakes.

Being overweight is the central problem that leads to complications like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, she said.

How well are you managing your diabetes?

"When you lose weight, regardless of how you're doing it -- even if it's with packaged foods, generally you will see these markers improve when weight loss has improved," she said.

Before jumping on the Ding Dong bandwagon, Blatner warned of health concerns.

"There are things we can't measure," said Blatner, questioning how the lack of fruits and vegetables could affect long-term health. "How much does that affect the risk for cancer? We can't measure how diet changes affect our health."

I was eating healthier, but I wasn't healthy. I was eating too much.
--Professor Mark Haub

On August 25, Haub, 41, started his cake diet focusing on portion control.

"I'm eating to the point of need and pushing the plate or wrapper away," he said.

He intended the trial to last a month as a teaching tool for his class. As he lost weight, Haub continued the diet until he reached a normal body mass index.

Before his Twinkie diet, he tried to eat a healthy diet that included whole grains, dietary fiber, berries and bananas, vegetables and occasional treats like pizza.

"There seems to be a disconnect between eating healthy and being healthy," Haub said. "It may not be the same. I was eating healthier, but I wasn't healthy. I was eating too much."

He maintained the same level of moderate physical activity as before going on the diet. (Haub does not have any ties to the snack cake companies.)

To avoid setting a bad example for his kids, Haub ate vegetables in front of his family. Away from the dinner table, he usually unwrapped his meals.

Study: U.S. obesity rate will hit 42 percent

Haub monitored his body composition, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose, and updated his progress on his Facebook page,Professor Haub's diet experiment.

To curb calories, he avoided meat, whole grains and fruits. Once he started adding meat into the diet four weeks ago, his cholesterol level increased.

Haub plans to add about 300 calories to his daily intake now that he's done with the diet. But he's not ditching snack cakes altogether. Despite his weight loss, Haub feels ambivalence.

"I wish I could say the outcomes are unhealthy. I wish I could say it's healthy. I'm not confident enough in doing that. That frustrates a lot of people. One side says it's irresponsible. It is unhealthy, but the data doesn't say that."

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Back to School Special

Hi Everyone,

It is almost August and time for school to start again. Every year I have a Back to School special because many people start getting back into a workout routine. The kids are back in school and family vacations are coming to an end, so it is a great time to start thinking about taking care of your body and health. The holidays will be here before you know it and wouldn't it be nice to lose some inches before the temptations of holiday parties and Mom's great food.

SPECIAL:
Save $10 per session on all packages purchased between 10 sessions and 36 Sessions!

Save $15 per session on any package of 48 or more sessions!

If you know of anyone who needs some fitness help or advice please send them to my web site, www.wilsonpersonaltraining.com

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Interesting article on Eye Yolks and their Benefits!

HELLO YELLOW!
When it comes to the egg, think more than just white
By Jim Stoppani, PhD Senior Science Editor
October 29, 2009

Almost every bodybuilder knows about the useful role of egg whites as a protein source. An egg white contains 3.6 grams (g) of protein, with only 17 calories and no fat. But the yolk of the egg, which is high in cholesterol, is often tossed out — along with its valuable nutrients.
Egg yolks contain omega-3 fatty acids in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the same healthy fat that's found in fish, such as salmon. DHA is essential for communication between cells in the nervous system, for brain and eye function and for regulation of the fat profiles in blood. The eating habits of most people cause them to be deficient in omega-3s, and this deficiency can result in joint damage and muscle loss, in addition to a host of other problems. One egg yolk contains 18 milligrams (mg) of DHA; DHA-enriched eggs contain a whopping 120-150 mg per egg. These are eggs produced by hens fed a special DHA-rich diet. A dozen large grade AA eggs that are enriched with omega-3s can cost a dollar or two more than a dozen unenriched eggs of the same size and grade.
Another valuable nutrient you probably don't get enough of — one that is also found in egg yolks — is lecithin. Lecithin enhances cell membrane dynamics, which dictate control over what goes in and out of your body. It also helps keep fats and cholesterol levels in line, and it aids the gastrointestinal system in healing from the use of painkillers. Every cell in the human body needs lecithin, yet it is difficult to find lecithin in wholesome foods — aside from whole eggs. They are your best bet for meeting your quota of lecithin. Adults need at least 6 g of lecithin daily; bodybuilders need even more. One large egg contains a little more than 1 g. So, don't forgo the yellow nutritional powerhouse in the center of the egg. Next time you have a 4-6-egg white omelette be sure to leave two yolks in the mix. Not only will it taste better, but you'll turn a high-protein yet nutritionally wan meal into one that will benefit more than just your muscles.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Short article about Stress Relief from Cardio. Training

Stress relief is another solid reason why working out is so beneficial for your body and health.



Cardio Training for Stress Relief
by Shirley Archer, JD, MA

If you or your clients want to improve your resilience against stress, cardio workouts may be the way to go. Regular aerobic training reduces the heart rate response to psychological stress more than either resistance training or no training, according to a study published in the journal Psycho physiology (2004; 41 [4], 552–62. Forty-five sedentary, nonsmoking male and female participants aged 18–30 participated in aerobic training, resistance training or no training for 6 weeks. Outcome measures included blood pressure and heart rate, among other variables.
Researchers at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, reported that participants in both the aerobic training and resistance training groups had lower systolic blood pressure levels than the group who did no training. Aerobically trained participants had lower heart rate levels during psychological stress after training than did either of the other groups.
The researchers suggested that since aerobic training can lower heart rate response to psychological stress, it may offer a protective benefit over the long term against an increase in the risk of coronary heart disease.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

New Web Site is Ready for viewing!

The updated web site is done and ready for viewing. Please checkout out the new and improved web site and send all your family and friends for a look! Their are new before and afters, testimonials and fitness videos to be viewed.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Fitness Videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/ptclw1973

Please click on the above link to view and comment on my new videos about fitness!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Annual Body Composition Change Contest

Wilson Personal Training
Highest % Fitness Contest
2010
Hi Everyone,
Every year I put on a fitness contest for all my clients. It is a mini biggest loser type of
contest. The goal is to change your body fat % by more than the other competitor. This can
be accomplished by losing body fat, gaining muscle or a combination of both. The contest
runs from February 1st, till April 1st.
There are only a few rules for the contest.
-You must have your measurements taken at the start and the end of the contest.
-You must train two sessions a week with me for the duration of the contest. That means
you must purchase 16 sessions during the two months of the contest. I will also include
clients that attend two bootcamps per week.
Prize:
-The prize for 1st is 10 training sessions. Value $600
-I will have some small prizes for runners up.
-Their may be some more prizes announced at a later date. Anyone who may be interested
in donating a prize for the contest please contact me. I will put up and advertisement in my
studio for businesses that donate a prize.
This contest is great fun every year and for you really competitive people, it is great
motivation to change your body.
If you have any questions please contact me and I will be glad to answer them.
Casey Wilson
Wilson Personal Training
www.wilsonpersonaltraining.com
(916)871-8422