In the first experiment, scientists told subjects they were going to make them smoothies. One group was shown the actual ingredients (a modest portion) and another group was shown the same ingredients but with larger portion sizes.  Both groups were actually served the same amount but three hours later the group that had seen the larger bowl of fruit felt more satisfied.

In the second experiment, subjects were given a bowl of soup with a tube attached to it. All subjects started with the same amount of soup and were shown the same amount of ingredients before they started eating.  During their meal, scientists manipulated the amount of soup by either adding or taking away more as the subjects ate.  The end result?  Everyone felt pretty much the same level of satiety no matter how much soup they had eaten.  Their eyes told them how much they ate, their stomach didn’t.

Kinda cool, isn’t it?  I have to wonder on the second experiment how much snickering was happening with the grad students who were probably the ones manipulating the tube to the soup bowl.

To use this to your advantage try these “tricks” for yourself:

Eat on smaller dishes. The average plate size has crept up over the decades.  In the 1940s it was 9 1/2″ in diameter; today it’s 11 1/2″.  If you fill your plate today you’re eating quite a bit more food.  With a smaller plate you’ll have the appearance of abundance while actually ingesting less food.

Take a moment to “look” at the food you’re eating. We tend to just shovel food on our plate and dig in without thinking about it, mostly because our prior experience “tells” us what’s there.  Take a beat or two and look at the food you’re eating — quantity, texture, color, aroma, etc.  Absorb it all and then eat.

Compare your plate to standard portion sizes. A cup of food is about the same size as a baseball.  A serving of meat is about the same as a deck of cards.  Start serving yourself these standard portions and even though it looks like less on your plate, understand it’s the amount you should be eating and it won’t seem so small.  I literally recommend putting a deck of cards in your kitchen to compare your meal to.

Our  minds are so used to seeing portion sizes on TV and at restaurants, huge and overflowing plates of sumptious foods.  We’ve reset our brains into thinking these portion sizes are normal and if we’re eating less than this we’re starving ourselves. Since 66% of the country is overweight, clearly we’re not.

If we adjust our thinking, we’ll adjust our waistlines.

By downsizing our bias’ on portion sizes our bodies will get the proper nutrition but instead of thinking of it as self-inflicted torture we’ll be sated and happy and NOT focused on food.

How cool is that?  What do you think?

Lisa

I’ve been working with a nutritionist to lose 15 pounds (I’m a size 10 trying to get to a size 6 for, ahem, professional reasons).  Yesterday, she laid it on me: my full nutritional plan.  Here are the guidelines.

1. Journal every morsel you put in your mouth.  This includes time of day, hunger level, if I’m sitting or standing, where I am and with whom, and my mood.  It’s a bit eye-opening, let me tell you.  I eat more junk when I’m with my kid; I eat really well in front of friends and my peers.  I usually eat only when I’m hungry, unless I’m stressed, and then I eat a little more. If I’m sad, I eat a lot more.  (I’ve only been sad once so far while doing the journal, but boy did I plow through the fridge.)
2. Do cardio four to five times per week.  We had a rather large debate about this as exercise falls into my area of expertise.  I recommend that people should do 150 minutes per week to maintain weight and 200 to 250 minutes per week to lose weight.
3. Do resistance training twice per week.  We argued on this one, too.  She thought it was too much; I insisted we add it.  (I do it, anyway.  I love Pilates, and mostly I just wanted credit for what I was already doing.  Plus, resistance training is really important; I’ll need toned abs when I’m skinny!)
4. Eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables.  Yup, that many…

FYI, the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends between 4 and 5 1/2 cup servings of fruit and between 4 and 5 cup servings of raw vegetables (or 1/2 cup cooked.)  Fruit and vegetable juices don’t count!

My nutritionist’s theory is simple: fill up on fruits and veggies and you won’t bother to eat all the starchy stuff people tend to go for.  My typical breakfast is shredded wheat, a little granola on top, and skim milk.  Today it’s a big bowl of blueberries and whole wheat toast.

I’ll be doing the Couch to 5K training run tonight with my family so there’s my cardio for today, and I’ll be sneaking in Pilates between clients, as usual.

I have a deadline for the fall to be at a certain weight.  It’s non-negotiable and it involves a good bit of money if I get it together, so I’ve got a pretty good incentive to stay the course.   My downfalls are that I’m social and I go to parties where there’s pretty good food to snack on and alcohol and I overeat a little at night.  For the record my BMI is at the high end of “normal weight” and I’m looking to bring it down to the low-ish end of normal.

We’ll see how I do.  Wish me luck.  If you’d care to join me, let me know.

Lisa

My pace of life isn’t slower, though; if anything it seems faster than it’s ever been.  Looming to-do lists, family obligations, the busy-ness of daily life can easily overwhelm any downtime I’m hoping to find.

Here’s the thing:  self care is non-negotiable.  You have to do it or nothing else works.  It doesn’t matter what self care looks like for you, from cooking up a storm in the kitchen, to relaxing and enjoying a pedicure, to settling in to soft, fluffy pillows for a good read.

What you need:

• 150 to 200 minutes per week of exercise
• Nutritious meals that are plant-based (vegetarian or omnivore), mostly home-prepared
• a good night’s sleep every night
• 2 to 3 interactions per week that are just friendly and fun activities (i.e., meeting a friend for coffee)

If you’re currently up to your ears in tasks and errands, you just gave me the eye roll.  Yup, I know; seems darned near impossible, doesn’t it?

Here’s the thing… the daily activities that I’m asking you to do regularly take up only about 3.5% of your week (not counting the sleeping).

Aren’t you worth 3.5% of your available time?  So what are you going to do today to give yourself peace and happiness? Some suggestions:

• Call a friend on the phone, or even better, use Skype with video.
• Eat dinner together as a family and talk about your day.
• Go out to lunch during work.  Don’t just grab a sandwich and run back to your desk; grab a co-worker and a park bench and enjoy your break.
• Buy that great book you heard about and start reading.
• Go to the movies (with a friend or solo).
• Grab a friend for a “playdate”; exercise and conversation are a great combination.
• Treat yourself to that gym membership you’ve been resisting.
• Take a fun specialty class you’ve been wanting to try.  From pottery to spelunking there are lots and lots of options out there.

You get the idea.  We already know how to take care of ourselves, we just delay it for some other task we think is more important.  It’s not more important.

What would you like to do for yourself today?

Lisa

A recent study of obese people in Australia looked at how they perceived themselves in the media and what they thought about the approaches to “cure” obesity.

They perceived the diet industry as “greedy,” “a scam.” or a “rip-off” but most said they would still turn to the same industry for help with weight loss because they didn’t know where else to go for support.

It’s pretty sad that the “best” information out there is only provided by people hoping to make some money off the guy who’s just trying to get healthy.

Here’s what I propose as possible solutions to encourage people to lose weight.  Some of it is stick and some of it is carrot.  But the stick is aimed at food manufacturers, not individuals.

Tax junk food to make it as expensive as “good” food.  This is directed more at the food manufacturers so they’ll start making nutritious, good-tasting products instead of the processed crap they’ve been putting out since the 1970s.

Make over the General Practitioner’s Office. Doctor’s should be pushed toward wellness maintenance models instead of “sick treatment” models.  I want to literally place nutritionists and highly certified personal trainers in doctors’ offices.  A medical referral will provide you food and workout advice that’s safe, effective, and reasonable.

Encourage businesses to 100% reimburse their employees for fitness and weight loss programs.  I’ve read studies over the years that support this as a huge ROI (return on investment).  Workers immediately become more productive, take less sick time, and have less significant medical issues which drops the health costs for the company overall.

Stock workplace cafeterias and vending machines with only healthy food. Doesn’t this just make sense?  Why let an employee inhale a Twinkie and then deal with his 3:00 pm sugar crash?  While you’re at it, offer cooking classes during off hours at the cafeteria to show employees how to cook healthfully.  And for any healthy dishes served at the company cafeteria hand out recipe cards so folks can cook the meal at home.

In urban areas, focus on developing safe outdoor spaces for people to play and workout.  I’m lucky that Boston has a wonderful park system, beautiful paths along the Charles River, and tons of pocket parks throughout the city. Encourage the development of more pocket parks.  Look at developing roof tops as areas people can access.  Another great example is the old elevated railway renovation in Chicago.  They took an eyesore and turned it into a beautiful park and walkway.

Make all restaurants post nutrition content directly on the menus. This works.  Would you order a 2,000+ calorie meal from the Cheesecake Factory if you knew exactly what you were putting in your mouth?  The food industry is very sophisticated, they hire chemists and marketers to feed you mounds and mounds of cheap food that appeals to your caveman palate.  By insisting on menu disclosure these same people will need to retool their dishes with fresh herbs, healthy fats, and diet-friendly starches.  It’ll still taste great.  We’ll just be giving them a strong push to go in the right direction.

What do you think?  What would you add or take away from this list?  I’d love your thoughts.

Lisa

Yup, there is no magic bullet people.  But you knew that already, I know you did.

Researchers in Germany tested nine different pills in one of the most rigorous studies conducted to date.  The pills make various claims from blocking carbs to burning fat to increasing metabolism.  They compared each of them to placebos.

The placebos were just as effective as all nine pills.

I know, it would be so easy if we could just swallow something and be skinny.  Trust me, I wish I could do it too.  But we are all, sadly, out of luck.

According to WebMD about $3 billion a year is spent on weight loss supplements in Europe and the US combined.  That’s a lot of money that could be spent on new sneakers and health club memberships.

Here are some ideas if you’d like to lose weight …

• How to Lose 5 Lbs.
• How Much Exercise Do You Need
• How to Get Out of Your Rut
• The 5 Phases of Getting Fit

Hope they help.  Have you tried diet supplements in the past?  Did you find them useful, harmful, or irrelevant?

Lisa

I’ve been a runner since college. Not a great one, mind you; I’ll run for a period, then switch to some other form of exercise, then come back to running again. I used to do seven-minute miles but those day are distant at the moment. I’ve been around running circles here and there during this time; I was even once a member (very briefly) of the Boston Athletic Association, the venerable institution that puts on the Boston Marathon.

I have never seen a running program gain traction like the Couch to 5K program.  Put out by Cool Running and ridiculously simple, the Couch to 5K program assumes that you are completely sedentary and have never run before.  It then presents a stepped program beginning with periods of alternating walking and running, and progressing over the weeks to more running and less walking.  After 10 weeks, you sign up for a 5K and go.  I have actually talked my husband and eight-year-old son into starting the program, and we’re planning our first family 5K in October.

There are lots of running plans that have alternated run/walk programs so this is nothing new.  But somehow doing the Couch to 5K seems “in.”  When we walked into our local running store to get fitted up with new sneakers, we told them our goal and all three staff members simultaneously said, “That’s cool!”

There are a few things to think about, though, before you lace up those sneakers…

Get good shoes! Newbie runners can be especially prone to injury.  Make sure you have a good pair of sneakers that keeps your feet stable and allow you to run with a natural gait.  This is not the time to be cheap; buy the best pair you can afford.  Also, skip the big box stores and go to a specialty store for runners.  Your feet and your podiatrist will thank you.

Get good socks.  A lot of blisters aren’t from the shoes, they’re from the crappy crew socks you’re wearing.  Most running socks have a band around the arch of the foot to help hold them in place and are made of a fabric designed to wick moisture and minimize chafing.  Good socks are your friend; invest in three to four pairs.

Know your route. I am a huge fan of MapMyRun.com.  You can literally plot a route from your front door and be as specific as which side of the street you run down.  You can even find local running routes saved by other users.  These other runners in your area know the “good routes,” things like how traffic patterns go and which trails are shadier.  You can also check a local book store or running store for books or flyers with running routes on them.

Think about what to carry. You’ll need a key or two, ID, maybe your wallet.  What do you need to take with you when you run and do you have a place to put it?  On our first outing, my husband grabbed a very thick water bottle and I had to juggle the thing through our whole run.

Have a watch with a second hand. We actually use the timer on our iPhone (yes, we’re geeks) but you’ll be timing yourself in 60-second increments so you’ll need a watch with a second hand.

Sunscreen and water. Drink a little water before you go and it’s not a bad idea to bring water with you too.  Even though it’s only a 20 to 30 minute run, it’s good to be able to take some sips.  We’ve been running in some nasty heat this week and we’ve been splashing my son with water to keep him cool.  As for sunscreen, you know what to do.

Pick your 5K race early to give you an incentive. We are debating between a Doug Flutie charity race and the Superhero 5K on Halloween because it looks like so much fun!  Heck, maybe we’ll do both.  But find a race that appeals to you and sign up for it!  It will make it less likely that you’ll back out.

That’s it.  Follow the program, make sure you’re prepared, and you’ll have a blast.  I’m hoping this turns into a whole fun activity for my family. We get to chat while we run and coach each other along. It’s great watching the big, proud smile on my son’s face when he accomplishes something that takes a little effort.

Tip for Bostonians: The Chestnut Hill Reservoir by Boston College is almost exactly a 5K if you jog around twice.  It also has a nice flat, soft surface to run on and great views.  Just look out for the goose poop.

What are your tips?

Lisa

Except for sunscreen.

There are hundreds of sunscreens on the market but they pretty much come down to two types: barrier methods which primarily use zinc oxide, and chemical methods which create a block by reacting with your skin to prevent burns.  I really hated the idea of pouring chemicals on my body, and especially my son’s, but I’m about as pasty white as you can get and I have to have something.

Check How Good Your Sunscreen Is

I was very happy to discover this article on the Environmental Working Group’s page about which sunscreens to try.  One of the big “a-ha” moments was reading about the hormone disruptors often present in sunscreens and the frequently over-inflated SPF claims.

A Tip:  buy the highest SPF you can find; almost everyone uses too little so the number on the box is likely NOT the number you’re applying to your skin.  It’s supposed to take 2 Tablespoons to cover your entire body.

The government is working on this and new guidelines are coming out in a year or two, but for now you’re pretty much on your own, staring at the jungle of lotions and potions at your local pharmacy, SPF numbers calling out to you.  The new guidelines won’t result in new products until the summer of 2012 most likely.

The Best Ones to Try

The Environmental Working Group has a great chart where you can check the sunscreen you’re already using for safety.  And they also have a list of healthier options to try (they tested over 1,400 products). Here are a few:

• Alba Botanical
• Blue Lizard
• California Baby
• Cliniderm
• Dr. T’s Supergoop
• Jason Natural Sunbrella
• La Roche-Posay
• thinkbaby / thinksport

Two more quick tips. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go out and put sunscreen on naked.  That way you won’t have to worry about “missing” a spot because you were working around your clothes.

What have you been using?  Do you think this will make you switch to a safer brand?  What do you think about federal guidelines coming out to help us choose wisely?

Lisa

I started out wearing them for sessions with clients and got lots of positive comments. They look a bit like wearing driving gloves on your feet.  Mine were solid black (honestly, I wouldn’t wear the other colors; I pretty much live in black leggings in the Pilates studio) and I find them cute and comfortable.

From a performance point of view, the Performas have a little elastic in the heel area so you can adjust the snugness of the fit.  When I was teaching I kept them loose and when I was doing Pilates I tightened them up a bit.  The Performa Janes don’t have the adustment in the rear because the strap across the arch of the foot keeps the shoe nicely in place, but the buttons on the Janes were a little uncomfortable when I was sitting cross-legged and the strap made it a little harder to put the pair on than the regular Performas.

That being said, I really like the shoes.  The grips on the bottom are perfect for the studio.  I was upside down at a 45-degree angle with my feet on a metal bar and they gripped perfectly.  I haven’t slipped once in them which happens all the time in regular socks and occasionally  in grippy socks (socks with little rubber nubs on the bottom to help grip the floor).  I also found just enough thickness to the sole to provide a bit of cushioning when I was supporting my weight on a bar.

For those of you who haven’t tried any of the Vibram shoes, it doesn’t bother me at all to have my toes individually encased in leather.  They were comfortable and once I had them on I didn’t notice it at all.  I prefer the Janes for working in the studio and the straight Performas for my actual workouts.  Has anyone else out there tried them?  What was your experience?

If you’d like to support my little blog.  You could add your email to our newsletter (look to the right hand column) on the home page.  If you’re thinking about buying these shoes, here’s an affiliate link for them.  I haven’t seen them in stores yet.  :-)

Lisa

Fitness Tips

The early bird gets the worm. The most balanced and successful of my clients work out first thing in the morning.  They literally take care of themselves first and then move on to the rest of their day.  These folks tend to be the CEOs or other driven types who are making a real difference in the world.  But their first daily priority is themselves.  How cool is that?

You stay skinny by not eating too much. Exercise is important to maintain joint and cardiovascular health.  It will keep you toned and looking svelte in your little black dress.  But the real secret to keeping your dress size in the single digits is to avoid putting the calories in your body in the first place.  Eat in moderation and remember that it’s okay to have a “forbidden food” every once in a while, just never overdo it.  Really, it works like a charm.

Consistency is the most important thing. Showing up is 90 percent of success.  That quote, or a close variation of it, is from Woody Allen, and he doesn’t exactly look like he has a gym membership.  No matter how you choose to work your schedule, commit to it.  This is true for a fitness program, but really it’s for your whole life.  My clients who consistently show up are the happiest and have the best results.

Life Tips

Friendships endure and change over time. I have three clients, now in their late sixties, who have been friends since pre-school!  They have drifted in and out of contact over the years as boyfriends have come and gone, then husbands, then children.  Once they all reached the empty nest stage they found they still had lots in common and fitness was just one of them.  I love to see how they interact with each other.  Keep those friendships, even if it’s just barely, until you have more time to devote to them.

You catch more flies with honey. Sometimes schedules get messed up and my studio and staff try to stay on top of it, but if an instructor calls in sick or there’s a communication snafu…it happens.  When it does, we bend over backwards for the people who treat us well and hope we don’t get yelled at too badly by the people who don’t take kindly to trip-ups.   The nice people, in the end, get more from us as instructors than the not-as-nice clients.

You can build a community anywhere. One of the big surprises of my Pilates studio is the sense of community we have there.  We trade recipes, movie reviews, plumbing referrals, even parenting advice.  Some of our clients have met randomly in a trio equipment class and become the best of friends.  It’s a joy watching a client go through her pregnancy and have all the other clients who come at the same time cheer her on and even leave baby gifts after they’ve delivered.  I love that.

What have you learned from your clients or customers?  What have you learned from coworkers?  Would love to share some stories here.  :-)

Lisa

A surprise location for the Dieter's Prayer

I was traveling through Montpelier, VT and happened upon the Coffee Corner Diner for lunch.  It’s the kind of place you find in little towns all over New England (okay, Montpelier is the capital of Vermont, but it’s still a small town vibe).  You don’t really expect the food to be all that healthy but you know it’ll taste great.

In the men’s room was posted “The Dieter’s Prayer,” which cracked me up and I had to share it with you.  That fact that it was in the men’s room, not the ladies’, and in a diner to boot, just made it that much funnier…

The Dieter’s Prayer

To be slender is my goal.  I shall not eat. Yea, tho I trudge through the valley of fat, I shall not fear for mine is the path of diet cola and cottage cheese.

Tho hot fudge sundaes and French pastries beckon, I shall not falter!  Tho I suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous friends who order sauces and creams, I will remain strong, as the thought of my new self comforts me always.

Surely double chins and chubby cheeks shall melt away and I will dwell in the house of the thin FOREVER!

~ Amen

By the way, I had a roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes and crinkle cut sweet potato fries.  It was delicious. The only sign in the ladies’ room was a reminder to wash your hands.  ;-)

What do you use as a mantra to keep you on track?

Lisa