3 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight

Why Weight Loss is Harder for Some People than for Others

-- By Dean Anderson, Fitness & Behavior Expert

You've been sticking faithfully to your calorie range and exercise plans for awhile now, but you're not seeing the results you want on your scale. Meanwhile, your weight -loss buddy is happily watching the pounds melt away week after week. Not fair!

Or maybe you're losing weight but not from the areas where you really want to shed some fat. (Skinny feet are nice, but not so much when your muffin top is still as big as ever.) And then you have that other friend who can eat anything and everything without gaining a pound, while just watching him or her eat seems to make you gain weight.

What's going on here? Why don't your efforts seem to be paying off while weight loss seems so easy for other people? Is there anything you can do to get better results?

Sometimes there is a simple, general reason why one person loses weight faster than another. For example, men tend to lose weight more quickly than women, mainly because most men naturally have more lean muscle mass (thanks to their higher testosterone levels), and more muscle translates into a faster metabolism. Men and women also tend to store excess weight in different places—men in the abdominal area ("apple" body type), which is usually easier to lose; women in the hips and thighs ("pear" body type), which is usually harder to take off.

People who have more weight to lose may also drop the pounds more quickly in the beginning of a weight-loss program. This is because the more you weigh, the more calories you burn during any given activity. (Walking with an extra 50 pounds on your frame is harder than walking with 20 extra pounds of weight.) A person who weighs more can also cut more calories from his or her diet without jeopardizing the body's ability to function efficiently. If you weigh 300 pounds, you may need 3,500 calories per day or more to maintain that weight; cutting 1,000 calories from your diet (down to 2,500/day) will let you safely lose 2 pounds per week. But if you weigh 150 pounds, you may only need 1,800 calories to maintain your weight, and if you try to cut the 1,000 calories from your diet (down to 800/day), your body won't have enough fuel and your metabolism will slow down drastically, making fat loss harder, not easier. Therefore a person with less weight to lose needs to aim for a smaller calorie deficit, which will translate to a slower rate of weight loss.


Likewise, factors like age and body type can affect how fast you can shed extra pounds. Older people, for example, often lose weight more slowly, perhaps because of hormonal changes and/or because they have less muscle mass or may be less physically active.

So, if you're comparing your weight loss to someone else's, make sure you're not comparing apples to oranges (or pears)—that's just going to be frustrating and won't tell you anything useful about your own efforts.

Sometimes, though, people who seem to share a lot of these factors—similar body size, weight, age and activity levels—just don't get the same results, even when they do the same things. A lot of individual factors, including your individual genetics and quite a few medical conditions (like hypothyroidism, PCOS,and insomnia) and medications (like corticosteroids, or antidepressants), can make weight loss difficult. If you're in this boat, you may need to work closely with your health professional to find an individualized approach that will maximize your weight loss results without jeopardizing your health.

But more often, slow or non-existent weight loss can be traced to very common problems that can be identified and overcome with the right kinds of changes in diet, exercise, or daily activity patterns. That's what we'll be looking at below.

The No. 1 Problem: Your numbers aren't right.

In a healthy, "normally" functioning body, weight loss occurs when you use (burn) more energy (calories) than you take in from food. This calorie deficit forces your body to take fat out of storage and turn it into fuel that your cells can use to maintain necessary body functions. A pound of fat represents about 3,500 calories of stored energy, so you can predict that a calorie deficit of 3,500 can translate into one lost pound, give or take a little.

By far the most common reason why weight loss seems to be going slower than people expect is that their calorie deficit is not as large as they think it is. Either they're not burning as many calories as they think they are, or they're eating more than they think they are, or a combination of both.

The formulas used to estimate how many calories people need to maintain their current weight aren't accurate for everyone—they can be off by as much as 30-40%, especially if your body fat percentage is pretty high, your physical activity level is significantly higher or lower than average, or you're counting almost everything you do (e.g., light housework, grocery shopping, walking up one flight of stairs) as "exercise" even though it doesn't actually meet the parameters of what counts as fitness (a high enough intensity to elevate your heart rate to an aerobic range; a duration of at least 10 continuous minutes for the activity; the moving of large muscle groups in a rhythmic way).


You can have the same problem on the other end of the energy equation: calorie intake. It's very common to underestimate how much you're actually eating, even when you're tracking your food consistently. If you just eyeball your portion sizes instead of measuring them, or if you tend to forget the little "extras" you eat during the day (like licking peanut butter off the knife while making your sandwich, or tasting your pasta sauce while you're cooking it), you can easily add a few hundred uncounted calories to your daily total.

To fix this problem, make sure your calorie numbers are as accurate as you can get them. Track your calorie intake carefully and diligently, until you can recognize portion sizes of the foods you eat often without measuring. And don't count the regular activities of daily life you've always done as part of your "exercise."

Remember that fitness trackers and cardio machines only estimate how many calories you truly burn, and these trackers and machines tend to overestimate how much you're really burning. For a more accurate reading, you could invest in a good heart rate monitor that better estimates your calorie burn based on how hard you are actually working during exercise.

The Second Most Common Problem: Excess muscle loss

We'd like to think that every pound lost is a pound of fat, but in reality, all weight loss involves some combination of fat loss and muscle loss. To get the best results from your weight-loss efforts, you want to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. The best way to do that is to include adequate strength training in your exercise routine. Without strength training, a substantial amount of the weight you lose could be muscle (lean tissue), which can reduce your fitness and lower your calorie burning capacity. To avoid these problems (and make it much easier to keep the lost weight off), be sure to include at least two full-body strength training workouts in your weekly routine.

The Final Problem: WHAT you eat may matter almost as much as HOW MUCH you eat.

How your body handles the food you eat is governed by a very complex set of biochemical interactions that determine when and where any excess calories are stored, and how easily this energy can be retrieved for later use. For some people with certain genetic predispositions, a diet high in fast-digesting carbohydrates like refined sugar and refined grains can make it easier for their bodies to store excess calories as fat and harder to get that energy back out of fat cells later on when it's needed. It can also lead to increased appetite and more cravings for high-sugar foods. There aren't yet any easily available tests that can identify people with this problem, but if you've been significantly overweight for a long time and you struggle with appetite, carbohydrate cravings, and slow weight loss, it may be worth your while to experiment with a diet higher in protein and healthy fats, and lower in refined carbohydrates and sugar. Be sure to discuss this with your doctor first, especially if you have any medical conditions/medications that can be affected by your diet.

Weight loss seems so simple on the surface: Eat less than you burn and your body will drop pounds. But for many people, there's more to the equation than counting calories in and calories out. We are all an experiment of one; you cannot compare your results to someone else's, just as you can't expect to have the same results as another person, no matter how similar you may seem to be. Think of your weight loss as a continuous journey. There will be bumps in the road, along with times when the sailing is smooth, but no matter what, you'll just have to pay attention to the route and be open to making changes in your approach or direction along the way. When you follow those guidelines, weight loss will become that much easier!

THE CALORIES BURNED SHAKING A LEG

by Ed Donner

The next time someone tells you to "shake a leg," take their advice. Shaking your leg and fidgeting in your seat or with your hands can burn calories.

NEAT Ways to Lose Weight

NEAT, an acronym for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, refers to maintenance of posture, fidgeting and other non-exercise activities of day-to-day life that burn calories. In an early study published in Science, James Levine, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, over-fed volunteers by 1000 calories per day for 8 weeks. He found that subjects who consumed calories in excess of what they needed to maintain their weight tended to increase their fidgeting and other NEAT activities, and consequently burned more calories.

Individual Differences

Some people increased their fidgeting, while others didn't. Those who didn't exhibited a 10-fold increase in fat storage compared to the fidgeters, as reported at Science. Those who fidget more by shaking their leg, repositioning themselves, standing up and walking around, and so forth can burn 350 more calories per day than their more sedentary counterparts, according to Levine at U.S. News & World Report.

Fidget Calories

Follow-up research by Levine, described at NPR.org, found that those who are obese tend to be more sedentary. Thin subjects fidgeted more, tapped their toes, wiggled in their seats and stood and moved around more, burning more calories per day than the obese subjects.

Walk it Off

Simply shaking a leg, however, is not sufficient, cautions Levine, at U.S. News & World Report. He recommends that you intersperse standing, walking and moving about into your daily activities throughout the day. He found that on average, those who are lean spend 150 fewer minutes sitting than those who are obese.

References

• NPR.org: Wiggle While You Work: Fidgeting May Fight Fat
• Science Daily: Fidgeting, Moving Around Key To Why Some Don't Gain Weight
• U.S. News & World Report: Fidget? No! Walk? Yes!

Tips to Stay Full Longer

Beat Hunger and Boost Satisfaction

-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

No doubt about it, hunger is unpleasant. In fact, it can be downright embarrassing when your tummy grumbles for your attention at the most inopportune times. When you’re watching your calorie intake to lose or manage your weight, there will be days when you might experience ongoing hunger, even when you’re eating at the top of your calorie range. It can be so distracting and debilitating that you’re ready to throw in the towel. If deprivation is what eating healthy is all about, then forget it!

Not so fast. Don’t give up on your new way of eating until you add what could be the missing ingredient back into your eating and weight loss program. What's the elusive “secret” to feeling fuller, longer? Satiety.

Satiety (sa-TIE-e-tee) is that wonderfully pleasant feeling of fullness you get as you eat, when you’re no longer hungry, but aren’t overly stuffed or uncomfortable. You are just satisfied beyond desire. The more satisfied you feel after a meal, the less you’ll eat later. So how do you increase satiety without eating MORE?

Eat More Low Density Foods
Calorie density refers to the number of calories per gram of food. Foods that are HIGH in calorie density contain a high number of calories per gram; foods that are LOW in calorie density contain a low number of calories per gram. Calorie density is the key to feel full without overeating.

When you eat too many calorie dense foods, you’ll end up consuming a lot of calories to fill your belly. If you focus on low calorie density foods, you can fill up on fewer calories because low density foods contain a lot more water, which adds weight and volume to the food, but no calories.

Just drinking a glass of water along with the meal does not provide the same degree of satiety. Research has shown that to reduce hunger and boost fullness, the water has to be in the food. Why? Because there are separate mechanisms in the brain to control hunger and thirst. If the food you eat contains the water, it will stay in the stomach longer while the food is being digested. Beyond that, there is also the psychological component of eating food versus drinking water. When you eat food, even water-rich food, you get more sensory stimulation because you have more food going through your mouth and you’re eating for a longer period of time, both of which help you feel more satisfied with your meal.

The following are all water-rich food choices with about 90% bound water. They can have a great impact on the calorie density of your diet.
EAT MORE broth-based soups like chicken broth and vegetable broth.
EAT MORE leafy greens like lettuce, baby spinach and mixed salad greens with fat-free dressing.
EAT MORE fruits like apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, strawberries and watermelon.
EAT MORE non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes and winter squash.
TIP: Start your meal with a bowl of broth-based soup or low-calorie leafy green salad to fill up on fewer calories. Turn to non-starchy vegetables when you get the munchies.Fill Up on Fiber
Fiber contains only 1.5 to 2.5 calories per gram, while other carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram. Fiber-rich foods also necessitate more chewing and slow the passage of food through the digestive tract. The fiber in carbohydrates helps prevent those peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels that can cause cravings and poor food choices. They also may stimulate a satiety hormone in the brain.

EAT MORE fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables with skins, beans, lentils and legumes. Aim for 25-35 grams each day to help reduce your calorie intake and increase your satiety level.
TIP: Avoid refined carbohydrates (like white bread, white rice, white pasta and sugar). When eaten alone, refined and simple carbohydrates can wreak havoc on satiety by causing rises and falls in blood sugar which trigger hunger every few hours.Lean on Protein.

Studies suggest that protein appears to help prolong satiety more than carbohydrates or fat can, consuming even a little bit of protein with each of your meals and snacks will help you stay full. Meeting your protein needs is important, but eating more protein than your body needs will NOT boost your metabolism.

EAT MORE lean protein from meats, chicken, seafood, low-fat dairy, legumes, lentils and soy products.
TIP: Prepare your meat using low-fat cooking methods like grilling and baking.Fit in the Fat
Cutting fat intake reduces the calorie density of a food. In other words, you get a bigger portion of food for the same calories when it has fewer fat grams. However, if you go too low in fat you won’t enjoy the flavor, texture or satiety of your food. Plus dietary fat is essential for staying healthy.

EAT ENOUGH fat. This will bring the pleasure and satisfaction back to your meals so you’re less likely to overeat later.
TIP: Eliminate fat where you don’t need it, opting for reduced fat foods instead of full fat versions. Select low-fat dairy products, low-fat salad dressings, low-fat mayonnaise, etc. and limit saturated and trans fats.Go Nuts.

Nuts have been shown to have a very positive impact on satiety because of their protein and fiber content. A SMALL handful of these nutritious nuggets will often hold you over until your next meal. Of course, portion control is important because nuts and seeds are high density foods.
Choose nuts like peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews and others. Even seeds make good choices.
TIP: Keep your portions in check! One serving of nuts or seeds is about the size of a golf ball.Drink Up!
Drinking plain old water can help with your weight management program, especially if you are substituting calorie-containing beverages like regular soda, juice and sweetened coffee for water, which is healthy and calorie-free. For some people, drinking water throughout the day also keeps their hands busy so that they’re less likely to eat out of habit or boredom.
DRINK MORE water throughout the day, aiming for about 8 cups total. Some calorie-free beverages can make good choices, but moderation is important.

TIP: Don’t drink your calories. Calories from beverages add up quickly and affect your weight. Most people don’t pay attention to the number of calories they drink, and that can hurt your weight loss efforts. Limit your intake of caloric beverages to less than 200 calories each day.

Now that you know which foods have the staying power, it is important to spread these satisfying foods throughout the day into designated meals and snacks. Then you’ll be reaping the benefits all day long.

Even better, slow down and savor every bite. Research has shown that it can take 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you have reached satiety. So take your time and enjoy every delicious bite along the way.

Get in touch with your satiety center by giving your stomach time to signal your brain that you have had enough to eat, and by selecting the right kinds of foods when you do eat. Finding ways to feel fuller while eating fewer calories—now that’s the secret to success!

How to Get Rid of Food Cravings using your mind

Do you constantly crave sweet or salty foods? Do you have a hard time passing them by when they cross your path? Here is one simple way to end your food cravings!

Step 1

USE YOUR MIND TO STOP YOUR CRAVING: Have you ever heard yourself say, "You just need to tell yourself not to eat it." Or "Mind over matter!" But what are you constantly thinking about when you're telling yourself over and over and over NOT to think about that cookie? 'I DON'T need that cookie.' 'I eat that cookie, and I'll gain all that weight back.' 'That cookie looks SO good, but I'm not going to give in!' Your constantly telling yourself ABOUT the cookie the entire time your telling yourself NOT to think about the cookie. The first step you will need to take when you are having a craving is to redirect your mind, then refocus it.

Step 2

REDIRECT YOUR CRAVING: The first step to take is to redirect your mind. Close your eyes, and with your left hand pinch together your thumb and forefinger. Think about something really gross. It could be that cookie, covered in flies. Or it could be the cookie is picked up by a snotty nosed kid at the playground. You need to focus to the point you are making a disgusted face, or become so incredibly disgusted by that thought that you have to stop thinking about it.

Step 3

REFOCUS YOUR CRAVING: With your eyes still closed, release the thumb and middle finger of your left hand, and press together the thumb and middle finger of your right hand together. Now think of an incredibly good moment. It could be when you got married, or the feeling you had when you stepped on the scale and lost 10 pounds. Think about that happy moment to the point that all of the previous thoughts are out of your mind, and you are thinking only of that happy moment. Then release your thumb and middle finger, and open your eyes. You should not have any desire for that craving. If you do, try one more time; this time really focusing on the really disgusting thought, and the really good thought.

Step 4

OVERCOME MULTIPLE DAILY CRAVINGS: When you are bombarded by multiple daily cravings, continue to work on your focusing technique. Over time, your body will grow more and more desensitized to the craving as long as you can focus and redirect. You won't crave the food you desire, and you will find it isn't as satisfying over time.

Step 5

STOP CRAVINGS WHILE WORKING OR DRIVING: Great advice, but what happens if you are sitting in a crowded meeting room and they are passing out pastries? Or driving home from the office you catch a whiff of your favorite fries? You can still use your mind to refocus without driving off the road! At work, you can discreetly pinch your fingers together and keep your eyes open and use your mind to make a mental picture. If able you can focus on one part of the room. You can grip the steering wheel harder with one hand than another and begin thinking about those fries you want coming covered in snot from an employee with a nasty cold. The great thing about our mind is we can create mental imagery even while we are awake. While this isn't as effective as closing our eyes and visually removing ourselves from a situation, it can still be done just as effectively to help curve cravings.

21 Ways to Burn Fat Faster

Read on for some medically proven moves that'll make it happen -- and help you drop some pounds

By Hallie Levine

Wouldn't it be nice if you could eat whatever you wanted, blow off working out and still fit in your skinny jeans? While that's unlikely, it is possible to speed up your metabolism, that little engine in your body that burns calories. As you age, your metabolism slows down, chiefly because you lose around a half pound of muscle each year. "If you don't use the muscle, it atrophies," explains Pamela Peeke, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and author of Fight Fat After Forty. That translates into burning about 400 fewer calories each day, which could mean gaining a pound a week. But there's plenty you can do to rev your fat-burning furnace back up again, says Peeke. Here's the skinny: 

Stock up on green tea
Green tea isn't known only for its cancer-fighting benefits: It may help boost your metabolism, too. People who took green-tea extract three times a day saw their metabolic rate increase by about 4 percent, according to a study published in the December 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Translation: You could burn an extra 60 calories a day, which equals about six pounds a year!) It may be because green tea contains catechins, which increase levels of the metabolism-speeding brain chemical norepinephrine, says Joy Bauer, a New York City nutritionist and author of Cooking with Joy.

Pump iron
Weight training is the ultimate way to burn calories fast. "A pound of muscle burns up to nine times the calories of a pound of fat," explains Richard Cotton, M.A., chief exercise physiologist. Weight training increases your resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories you burn while sitting on your butt. What's more, it gives your metabolism an added boost after you exercise: It remains in overdrive for up to two hours after the last bench press, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Strapped for time? Try these quick moves: squats, bench step-ups, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups and crunches. In a pinch, just do single sets of 10 for each exercise -- you'll get optimal results for the time invested. 

Eat iron
Yeah, we just told you to pump iron, but you also need to eat it. "If you don't have enough of this mineral, your body can't get enough oxygen to your cells, which slows down your metabolism," explains Samantha Heller, R.D., a nutritionist at the New York University Medical Center. Most multivitamins contain around 18 mg (the RDA for adults); you can also get your fill by eating three to four daily servings of foods rich in iron, such as lean red meat, chicken, fortified cereal and soy nuts. If you are feeling symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, ask your doctor to test you for anemia (it's a simple blood test) at your next physical. 

Order water -- and ask for a refill
A new German study found that when you drink 17 ounces of water (about two glasses) within a certain time frame, your metabolic rate shoots up by about 30 percent. Using these results, they estimate that by increasing your current water intake by 1.5 liters a day, a person would burn an extra 17,400 calories a year, resulting in about a five-pound weight loss. 

Get your thyroid checked 
Suspect you have a sluggish metabolism? You might have hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, which afflicts about 25 percent of American women -- many of whom don't know they have the condition, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. "The thyroid gland controls your body's metabolism, so one of the first signs that it may be off is an inability to lose weight," explains Peeke. Your doctor can determine if you're suffering from hypothyroidism by running a blood test. If you do have an underactive thyroid, you'll be treated with a synthetic thyroid supplement, which you will need to take for the rest of your life (it will return your metabolism to normal, so it should be easier to lose weight). 

Avoid alcohol 
Want to keep your favorite meals from going straight to your hips (thighs, belly)? Wash them down with water, not wine. Alcohol slows your metabolism by depressing the central nervous system. A British study found that when alcohol was added to a high-fat, high-calorie meal, less dietary fat was burned off and more was stored as body fat. 

Rev up your workouts 
Interval training -- in which you add bursts of high-intensity moves into your workout -- is a surefire metabolism booster, says Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., director of the Kinesiology Program at the University of Virginia and author of The Spark. Researchers at Laval University in Quebec found that high-intensity interval training burns more fat than regular, consistent aerobic exercise. If you usually jog at a 10-minute-mile pace, for example, add a 30-second sprint every five minutes. Or add a one-minute incline to your treadmill workout every five minutes. "Even if you just have 10 minutes for a quick workout, you can walk at a normal pace and then add in a 30-second bout of speed-walking every three minutes," recommends Gaesser. 

Do more dairy 
Women who ate low-fat dairy products, such as nonfat yogurt and low-fat cheese, three to four times a day lost 70 percent more fat than low-dairy dieters, according to a study published in the journal Obesity Research. "Calcium serves as a switch that tells your body to burn excess fat faster," explains study author Michael Zemel, M.D., director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Sorry, but you won't reap the same benefits from calcium-fortified O.J. Research shows that you get the best results from dairy products themselves, not fortified foods. Aim for 1,200 mg, which includes about three servings of dairy a day. 

Take up a new sport 
Are you like Old Faithful when it comes to your morning walk or evening jog? Know this: The more you do an activity, the more your body adapts to it, so you burn fewer calories. If you want to light a fire under your metabolism, consider cross-training. For example, if you normally walk, try biking instead. "Since you're not used to working all those different muscles, it's a more intense workout, which can translate into a greater metabolic after-burn because your body is working harder to recover and get oxygen to all your tissues," says Carol Espel, M.S., an exercise physiologist for Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City. 

Go fish 
Break out the lemon wedges: Regular fish eaters tend to have lower levels of the hormone leptin -- good because high levels of leptin have been linked to low metabolism and obesity, says Louis Aronne, M.D., an obesity specialist at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. Try to consume three to four servings of a fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna or mackerel, each week. 

Say ommm
Stress may contribute to abdominal fat, according to several studies, including a recent one at the University of California, San Francisco. "When you're stressed, hormones like cortisol stimulate your appetite, slow your metabolism down and encourage fat storage inside your abdomen," explains Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Clinic at the University of Utah. So what's a frazzled girl to do? "Find an activity that reduces stress for you, whether it's listening to soothing music or taking yoga, and do it daily," advises Talbott. 


Have a PB & J 
Think peanut butter is only for pint-sized palates? Think again. PB is rich in magnesium, a mineral that motors up your metabolism by giving your cells energy. Aim for 320 mg a day of magnesium: Good food sources include a peanut butter sandwich made with whole-wheat bread (100 mg) or spinach (1/2 cup has 80 mg). 

Exercise off that PMS (menstruating women only)
You could lose more weight exercising during the later phase of your menstrual cycle than at any other time in your cycle, according to a recent study from the University of Adelaide in Australia. Hormones estrogen and progesterone fire up your fat-burning furnace: They promote your body's use of fat as an energy supply, so more is burned off when you exercise. "Women burned about 30 percent more fat for the two weeks following ovulation to about two days before menstruation," explains study author Leanne Redman. 

Don't blow off breakfast 
Studies show that eating breakfast plays a part in successful weight loss -- almost 80 percent of people who successfully keep weight off chow down on this meal, according to a study published in Obesity Research. "Your metabolism slows as you sleep, and the process of digesting food revs it up again," explains Heller. Aim for a 300- to 400-calorie breakfast, such as a high-fiber cereal (another metabolism booster) with skim milk and fruit. 

Pump up protein 
Not in an extreme, Atkins sort of way, but having a little protein at every meal fires up your metabolism. "Your digestive system uses more energy to break it down, so you burn more calories," explains Lisa Dorfman, R.D. However, keep protein levels to between 20 and 35 percent of your diet; eating too much of it can cause kidney strain and may cause your body to store too much fat. 

Snack away during the day 
Grazing is a surprisingly good idea because it helps you avoid metabolic slowdown. "Your body will be tricked into thinking it's constantly eating, so it will never slow your metabolism down," explains Bauer. Aim for five small meals (200 to 500 calories) a day rather than three large ones. Also try not to go more than four hours without eating -- if you eat breakfast at 7am, for example, have a snack at 10am, lunch at noon, another snack at 3pm and dinner at 7pm. 

Skip the starch 
Carb crazy? Consider this: Refined carbohydrates, such as bread, potatoes and rice, create a surge in insulin that in turn drives down your resting metabolic rate, explains Aronne. "It's important to keep carbohydrates in your diet, but really focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which have less of an effect on insulin levels," he explains. And when buying whole-grain breads and cereals, make sure the first ingredient listed is whole wheat, whole oat or cracked wheat. 

Break up your workouts 
Try dividing your workouts into two shorter 20-minute sessions. You'll rev up your metabolism for an hour or two after each workout, which means you'll burn more calories than if you did one longer session. Don't have time? Even small bursts of activity will get your metabolism chugging again, according to a study in Nature. "Just a five-minute walk around the house every hour translates into an extra 200 to 300 calories burned every day," says Peeke. 

Pace while you're on the phone 
People who are constantly in motion -- crossing and uncrossing their legs, stretching and pacing -- burn more calories. When researchers at the Mayo Clinic asked subjects to eat an additional 1,000 calories a day for eight weeks, they found that only the nonfidgeters stored the calories as fat. 

Eat more bananas 
They're full of potassium, which revs up your metabolism by regulating your body's water balance, says vitamin expert Susan Lark, M.D., author of The Lark Letter. If you're dehydrated, you'll burn fewer calories. Make sure you're getting at least 2,000 mg: a banana has 450 mg, a cup of milk has 370 mg and an orange has 250 mg. 

Get enough z's 
Yeah, Russell Crowe may be on Letterman, but it's way more important for your waistline if you don't stay up. A study at the University of Chicago Medical Center found that people who got only four hours of sleep had much more difficulty processing carbs. The culprit? Increased levels of insulin and the stress hormone cortisol. "When you're exhausted, your body lacks the energy to do its normal day-to-day functions, which includes burning calories efficiently," says Talbott. So the best way to make sure your metabolism runs smoothly is to get six to eight hours of shut-eye each night. 

Undiagnosed Thyroid Disease May Be the Reason for Your High Cholesterol

As many as ten million Americans with high cholesterol levels may not know that their cholesterol is elevated due to undiagnosed thyroid problems.

High cholesterol affects an estimated 98 million people, half the American population, and is a major contributor to heart disease, America's number one killer. But the most commonly known cholesterol raisers -- diet or insufficient exercise - are not necessarily the problem for everyone. Undiagnosed and undertreated hypothyroidism can cause elevated cholesterol, and of the estimated 13 million Americans with thyroid disease, at least half are undiagnosed and millions more are not sufficiently treated, opening them up to the risk of continued hypothyroidism symptoms despite treatment.

Some experts even believe that the numbers of undiagnosed are underestimated, and that the current thyroid diagnostic criteria are too narrow and rigid, and are missing many millions more with subclinical and low-level hypothyroidism.

This January, as part of Thyroid Awareness Month, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has released the results of a new survey on the thyroid-cholesterol connection, looking at the connection between undiagnosed hypothyroidism and high cholesterol.

Materials released by the AACE in support of this information campaign include:
Americans Urged to "Take Cholesterol by the Neck"
Understanding the Thyroid-Cholesterol Connection



Fewer than half of the adults who had been diagnosed with high cholesterol know if they had ever been tested for thyroid disease, despite the well-documented connection between the two conditions.


Ninety percent of those surveyed were unaware of the thyroid gland's impact on cholesterol regulation.According to AACE President Richard A. Dickey, M.D., "Patients who have been diagnosed with high cholesterol should ask their physician about having their thyroid checked. If they have an underlying thyroid condition in addition to their high cholesterol, the cholesterol problem will be difficult to control until normal levels of thyroid hormone are restored."

The National Cholesterol Education Program and the Food and Drug Administration recommend thyroid testing in patients with high cholesterol levels. The prescribing information for the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs also recommends that patients be tested for thyroid disease before beginning cholesterol-lowering drug therapy.

It's unclear why, given that guidelines strongly recommend thyroid testing, more doctors are not insisting on thyroid testing upon the finding of high cholesterol. This may be a result of the medical profession's general lack of understanding about thyroid disease, or the tendency of doctors and patients to write off general symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, and depression, particularly in women.

About Cholesterol 

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found only in animal foods, and is also manufactured in the liver. It is transported by fat-carrying proteins in the blood. Cholesterol helps us make and maintain nerve cells and manufacture natural hormones. 

When the body cannot metabolize cholesterol properly, or foods containing too much cholesterol are consumed, an excess of cholesterol - known as hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol - can occur. Cholesterol can be deposited in the walls of arteries, especially around the heart, and potentially block blood flow, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. High cholesterol is a key risk factor for heart disease. 

Millions of Americans are trying to lower their cholesterol through improved diet, exercise, and even cholesterol-lowering drugs. For some of these patients, thyroid testing and subsequent treatment for hypothyroidism can restore the body's metabolism to normal and result in lower cholesterol levels and decreased heart disease risk. In some cases, they may even be able to, under their doctor's direction, go off the cholesterol-lowering drugs. 

About Hypothyroidism 

Hypothyroidism refers to a condition where the thyroid is underactive. The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland located behind and below the Adam's Apple, produces a hormone that helps regulate metabolism. When the thyroid produces too little hormone, metabolism slows, and the ability to process cholesterol is also impaired. 

Common symptoms of hypothyroidism include: 

• Weight gain, or inability to lose weight
• Fatigue, exhaustion
• Feeling run down and sluggish
• Depression, anxiety, mood swings
• Constipation
• Menstrual irregularities, including more frequent or heavier periods
• Dry, coarse and/or itchy skin
• Dry, coarse and thinning hair
• Feeling cold, especially in the extremities
• Muscle cramps, joint pain, carpal tunnel or tendonitis

Do You Have Hypothyroidism?

If you are one of the people with high cholesterol levels but you have not yet been diagnosed with a thyroid condition, how can you tell if you are hypothyroid?

1. First, start by doing the Thyroid Neck Check, which is located at the AACE website. This easy to perform home test may help you determine if you have an enlarged thyroid, one sign of a thyroid condition.
   
2. Second, fill out the Hypothyroidism Symptoms Checklist. This detailed checklist helps you review all the risk factors and symptoms of hypothyroidism. You can take this Checklist to your doctor to help get a diagnosis, or make the argument that your hypothyroid symptoms are not resolved by your current treatment.
   
3. Third, ask your doctor to run a Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) test to evaluate your thyroid levels. This test can diagnose hypothyroidism in many people.
   
4. Fourth, if your TSH levels are normal but you still suspect hypothyroidism, be aware that there are different ways to interpret the test results that might have an impact on your diagnosis. Read HELP! My TSH Is "Normal" But I Think I'm Hypothyroid to find out how to define the "normal" range with your doctor.
   
5. Fifth, if TSH levels are normal but you have symptoms or a family history of thyroid disease, you should ask to have your thyroid antibodies tested. Antibodies usually indicate a thyroid that is in the process of autoimmune failure -- not failed yet, and often not enough to register in thyroid TSH blood tests, but in the process of failing. This may be enough to cause symptoms. For more info, read Thyroid Antibodies.

DOES HIGH CHOLESTEROL CAUSE OBESITY?

By Angela Ogunjim

High cholesterol is one of many consequences of obesity. Obesity is defined as having too much body fat, usually caused by excessive calorie consumption. Eating high-fat foods increases the level of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream. The causal direction, however, is that obesity induces high cholesterol.

Obesity in the United States

Obesity rates are at epidemic proportions in the U.S. More than one-third of adults are classified as obese, as defined by a body mass index of 30 or greater. This according to a group of researchers from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Worse, there are growing numbers of Americans who are morbidly obese and fall in categories of even more body fat. Grades 2 and 3 obesity are classified as people whose BMI is greater than 35 and 40, respectively.

Published in the January 20, 2010, "Journal of the American Medical Association," the CDC researchers reported that more than 14 percent of Americans classify as grade 2 obesity, and nearly 6 percent fall under grade 3. Within each category, women in general and older women have greater representation falling under the higher grades than the overall averages indicate. For example, close to 20 percent of women ages 40 to 59 fall into grade 2 obesity. When taking overweight and obesity into account, more than two-thirds of the American adult population is experiencing troublesome weight problems. Plus, one in three children is overweight or obese, reports the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity.

The Thyroid Connection

High cholesterol may also be related to an underlying disorder that could cause weight problems. Elevated levels of blood cholesterol may be a sign of a low -functioning thyroid, according to Harvard Medical School. The thyroid plays a key role in regulating many metabolic processes, and when it's not functioning properly, many sufferers experience increases in cholesterol. Hypothyroidism can also cause your body to convert fewer calories from your foods into energy, so you may experience a slight weight gain.

Cholesterol Functions

Cholesterol is essential to life. It comprises the membranes of every cell in your body. Your liver produces about 800 to 1,500 mg of cholesterol each day, using saturated fats and simple sugars. Cholesterol is used in the development of hormones, protects your skin, maintains the neurotransmitters involved in brain function --- and scavenges the body to remove excess cholesterol.

Saturated Fats and Their Effect on Blood Cholesterol

You may think that eating a high-cholesterol diet increases your cholesterol, but this isn't the case. In fact, you only absorb a fraction of the cholesterol you eat, and cholesterol in the diet doesn't directly translate to cholesterol in the blood. The saturated fat in your diet plays a much bigger role in cholesterol level, as it provides the building blocks your body needs to manufacture cholesterol. Saturated fat, especially from animal sources, boosts LDL, or bad cholesterol, and because these food sources also are high in calories, you increase your chances of having a weight problem.

Dangers of High Cholesterol

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, having high bad cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease. The National Cholesterol Education Program says when there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it can build up in your blood vessels and cause them to harden. If blood flow is blocked and cannot reach your heart, you will have a heart attack. Some people have risk factors for high cholesterol they can't change, including their age, gender and genetic inheritance. However, obesity-related high cholesterol can be controlled through improvements to your diet, physical activity and weight loss.

References

• "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among U.S. Adults, 1999-2008; Katherine M. Flegal et al.; January 20, 2010
• White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity; Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation; May 2010
• Harvard Medical School: The Lowdown on Thyroid Slowdown
• Share Guide: The Truth About Cholesterol
• Hepatitis A-Z: The Cholesterol Controversy
• Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out With the Bad, In With the Good