Whether you’re of Irish descent or not, St Patrick’s Day  seems to bring out the party animal in everyone! What better excuse to celebrate an Irish tradition than to head out to a  local bar or festival to down a few gallons of green beer with your friends!  But, before you reach for your next one, let’s take a look at the real effects of what you’re putting in your body.

No, I’m not gonna bore you with what you already know. Most  of us have already heard how bad alcohol is for you. We know that it can cause a host of health issues, including liver  and pancreatic cancer, kidney dysfunction, hyperglycemia, malnutrition and cirrhosis of the liver to name a few.

However, if that’s not enough to scare you away from excessive alcohol consumption, let’s talk about another way that it  can negatively impact your life. If you’re fitness-minded, let  me be the first to break the news to you that alcohol can (and will) single-handedly sabotage your fitness gains, and more specifically - your fat loss efforts!

Now, you may be thinking that I’m gonna give you a lecture on limiting your carbohydrates to control your weight, yada yada. But, no, alcohol has nothing to do with your carbohydrate  intake. Though you may only hear about light beers bragging  about being low carb, the fact is, almost all alcohol is low  in carbohydrates because they are burned off in the fermentation process. So, if you’re monitoring your carbohydrate intake (which you should be if you’re watching your waistline), alcohol  most likely will not be an influencing factor.

The real problem with alcohol is that it provides what are  known as empty calories, that is, calories that have no real  nutritional value. If you’re trying to lose weight, yet drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol, you’re not giving yourself a  good enough chance to create the caloric deficit that is absolutely necessary for weight loss. Sure, there are some lower calorie selections out there. For example, most beers only  contain about 120 calories, 4 ounces of wine only contain about 110 calories, and 1.5 ounces of most liquor only contain about 100 calories.

The trouble is, if you’re having a few “harmless” drinks with your meals, you’re adding up to 360 calories to your diet without any specific nutritional benefit. That’s at  least an extra 45 minutes of vigorous exercise that’s needed to burn off those extra calories…sounds like a lot of work to negate the effects of a couple of casual cocktails!

I encounter people everyday that are trying desperately to lose weight yet drink 8-10 beers every Friday and Saturday night.  Adding 2000 calories to your diet is not an intelligent path to weight loss! Furthermore, studies have shown that alcohol has a definite ability to increase your natural appetite, so people who are drinking typically consume more calories through their food intake as well. Unfortunately, most people don’t tend to  crave a medley of steamed vegetables while they’re drinking. The natural tendency is to reach for foods that are high in fat and starch to counterbalance the effects of the alcohol.

The other challenge that alcohol presents in the struggle for weight loss is its proven ability to slow the process of  burning fat. Your body recognizes alcohol as a poison (which it is), and therefore attempts to rid of as rapidly as possible. The result is that the process of lipid oxidation, which is simply the utilization of fat cells for energy use, is significantly delayed, since the body will burn off the alcohol for fuel before anything else. Research from the American Journal of Clinical nutrition has  proven that most people experience a 73 percent decrease in their lipid oxidation process for up to 24 hours after the consumption of  alcohol. This occurs mostly because alcohol not store as glycogen.  Instead, it converts to a substance know as acetate, which hinders the fat cells from being mobilized.

Weight loss aside for a moment, alcohol has also proven to lower testosterone levels. If you’re trying to develop a consistent exercise regimen, I dare you to try to do so with depleted testosterone levels. I know I wouldn’t be rushing to the gym to pick up heavy weights or go for a long run if I wasn’t feeling energized! The point is, alcohol can also hinder you from any fitness goal, even if you’re not necessarily trying to lose weight!

So go out and have a great holiday celebration. Just remember that before you reach for that next drink, your organs AND your waistline will thank you if you can keep your alcohol consumption to a minimum!

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

Clients are always asking me advice about their diet. But more than anything, I get asked about the popular diet programs that are out there. Do they actually work? Are they actually healthy for you? Can you lose weight if you do them? In this article I will show you the advantages and disadvantages of the four most popular fad diets.

The Atkins Diet
Probably more than any other, the Atkins Diet has held a position of controversy. I mean, who would follow a weight loss diet that told you to eat fat and cut carbs. Well, tons of people! So let’s look at it more closely.

Pros — The diet has proven that people who follow it do in fact lose weight and improve their blood lipid profile(HDL LDL cholesterol and triglycerides). And if you love to eat meat and dairy and fats in large quantities this is surely diet heaven for you. However, you are steered away from eating carbohydrates, which is difficult for many people. That means that pasta, rice, potatoes, bread and whole grains and even fruits are off limits. Yet the diet claims that once you successfully cleanse these from your system by eating nothing but proteins and fats, their cravings disappear.

Cons – Since this diet is based on a no-carb regime, it begins losing its traction and benefits when even “low-carb” items are eaten. Atkins essentially eliminates an entire macronutrient all together. In terms of non-weight health issues, this diet does place a lot of stress on the body, forcing it into a state of relative ketosis, or the “I am sick” state. This creates marked energy loss, tiredness, and lack of energy available for exercise. If you’re going to stay active and exercise regularly, your body needs some carbohydrates from healthy food sources.

Conclusion — Making yourself ill to lose weight does not seem as important as being robust and healthy with the drive and energy for all life has to offer. In short, Atkins is an unhealthy way to lose weight.

South Beach Diet
Like Atkins, South Beach is a low-carb diet, but somehow managed to be structured in a way that didn’t bring on controversy.

Pros – The biggest pros of this diet is that it does bring with its weight loss aspect other positive health results, including reduction in triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure while raising good HDL cholesterol. The diet provides a simple form to follow, as it does not require people to track caloric intake with too much detail. It conveniently places foods in various lists to choose from. It also offer a tiered system designed to work back in more of the foods you would like to eat.  Thus making it a more sensible approach but with a definite shock factor to kickstart it initially.

Cons – The biggest complaint from dieters is the difficulty of the first phase of South Beach due to its tight food restrictions. In fact, they are so restrictive that even the author doesn’t recommend people stay there more than a few weeks. This makes it even more difficult for its followers to transition into the second phase of the diet where they are allowed to slowly re-introduce carbohydrates. There are no true guidelines to the quantities that are allowed in this phase and most followers report that the urge to carb load becomes extremely overwhelming.

Conclusion — For the most part this is not a terrible diet. It begins with a no-carb, low saturated fat phase then slowly brings you back into a more balanced eating approach. However, the diet is a bit “dated” in that it emphasizes the glycemic index of foods. This causes the diet to recommend quite a few foods that have a high glycemic load, as this concept was not really understood until after the book was written.

The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet isn’t a low carb diet but it follows a pie chart of macronutrients: 30% of the calories derived from protein, 30% from fat, and 40% from carbohydrate. And it is the strict balance of this equation that leads to the success or failure on the plan.

Pros – According to Dr. Sears, the founder of The Zone, if you are able to maintain a 30/30/40 balance of protein/fat/carbs then you will successfully maintain steady blood sugar levels. When insulin production is at the correct levels your body is able to effectively burn fat. The best part of this diet is that its proponents claim to have elevated energy and mental alertness and many athletes subscribe to it for this very reason. What’s more, with stable blood sugar comes a decrease in cravings for simple carbs and sugar laden foods, so weight is easier to keep off.

Cons – You have to follow a strict guideline of portion control, even when hungry in the initial stages. Also people say the rules are difficult to follow and the structure requires quite a bit of time to plan out meals and stick with its restrictions. If you don’t pre-plan your meals or portion them out in advance, it is extremely difficult to stay within the guidelines.

Conclusion – It is true that athletes say the diet gives them more energy. Yet many sports nutritionists and trainers are now saying their athletes are bottoming out during practice and games after long bouts of Zone dieting. This, they claim, is due to the lack of complex carbohydrate intake. Though, this is still avoidable within the Zone standards.

The Low Fat Diet
Pros - Eating low fat can be an effective way to eliminate harmful substances from your diet, including trans fats, hydrogenated oils and excessive amounts of animal fats. These, as we know, have been linked to several serious health issues including heart disease and various types of cancer.

Cons- Eating low fat substantially decreases your intake of an entire macronutrient that is critical to your overall health. As I’ve pointed out in other articles, there are definite benefits from eating the right fats, including the infamous saturated fats. Eating the right fats supports heart health and a healthy metabolism, and therefore is a critical tool for weight management.

Conclusion - Your body needs a steady, consistent intake of fat to properly dispose of stored fat, so why would you drastically restrict fat if you’re trying to burn it off? “Low fat” has also become synonymous with “high sugar” in most foods, so eating a low fat diet simply is not an effective weight loss tool.

The Bottom Line
All of these diets bring both positive and negative aspects to the table. So what’s the best approach to take? The best advice I can give is not to follow any fad diet. Rather, you must educate yourself in the pros and cons of all aspects of nutrition and focus on eating clean, quality calories.

When all is said and done, a healthy diet must contain a balanced combination of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, fruit, vegetables and plenty of water. This will ensure that you’re eating to support  ANY of your fitness and wellness goals.

So if you’re considering jumping on one of these diets in 2010 to meet your weight loss goals, you might want to reconsider. We are still offering a more effective way to achieve your fitness goals this year. Until the end of January, we are giving away 3 FREE Personal Training sessions when you purchase a package of 12 sessions or more. Don’t miss your opportunity to pursue your goals the right way this year. Call Mike at 888-872-7961 ext.1 to get set up for your free trial with one of the area’s best personal trainers!

If you’ve ever visited the produce section at any local grocery store, then you’ve probably wondered what the “organic” buzz is all about. Consumers all over the country have gotten more and more curious about the significant financial disparity between ordinary food and organic food. Buying organic foods definitely requires more of a financial investment, but is there true health value in eating an organic diet?

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine conducted a systematic review of over 160 scientific studies published in the leading journals over the last 50 years in hopes of coming up with an answer. Their findings showed that there were actually minimal differences in the nutritional content between organically and conventionally produced foods. No conclusive evidence exists that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally grown food. Even the USDA, though it certifies organic food, does not claim that organic products are of greater nutritional value.

There have been several additional studies to support these findings,
so the question then becomes why spend the extra money buying organic if research shows that normal food has the same nutritional content as organic food?

The truth is, despite the fact that the nutritional content may be
similar in foods raised by conventional farmers, organic foods offer an
overall safer, healthier product. The reason that people turn to
organic foods is to avoid the pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones
that are used in conventional farming. Organic farmers do not use
conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock
disease. Instead, organic farming practices are designed to encourage
soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. The result? A
cleaner, healthier food product!

There has been an abundance of research conducted on how conventional farming methods can actually affect human health. The results of the studies are rather frightening. While most experts agree that some of the chemicals in conventional foods may not pose a significant health risk, there are some pesticides can be quite dangerous.

Organophosphates, which are commonly used to kill off weeds in
conventional farms, have been linked with a range of conditions such as cancer, decreased male fertility, chronic fatigue syndrome in children,and even fetal abnormalities.

In addition, hormones that are given to farm animals to spur their
growth or increase their milk production (such as BGH) have been shown to create hormone imbalances in humans when they ingest the finished product. This can lead to a host of health issues, specifically
premature development in children, which can be a major risk factor for cancer.

The point is, organic diets are really all about clean, chemical-free
eating. Though traditional produce and meats may have the same content from a macronutrient standpoint, organic foods have proven to be a safer, healthier alternative overall.

There are several great resources for buying organic foods here in the
DC area. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeter, and MOM’s all have a great selection of organic produce, meats, and even other products such as toiletries, soaps and deodorants. Whole foods, while a little more expensive, tends to have the greatest variety in their selection of organic foods. Remember to still read the labels on these foods, as not all of them are 100% organic.

If you’re looking for a more economical way to buy organic, there are
other resources available. Check your local farmer’s markets, they’re
all over the DC area. In addition, there are several organic produce
delivery services available throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Washington’s Green Grocer will deliver a whole week’s worth of organic produce for about 35 bucks! Here’s to your health!