Are You A Late Night Snacker?
There’s no shortage of nutrition experts who believe that late night snacking is bad for your health and causes weight gain. According to them, all late night snacks are a complete no-no, even healthy ones.
On the flip side, some experts believe that late night snacking increases your metabolism and helps burn calories. To them, a calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it.
So, who’s right?
BAD NEWS FOR LATE NIGHT SNACKERS
Multiple nutrition studies have proven that eating at night causes weight gain as well as negative hormonal and metabolic changes. This applies for healthy eaters as well.
Your body has an internal clock, which typically wants you to be awake during the day and asleep at night. For this reason, the food that you eat during “normal waking hours” is metabolized much faster than food eaten at 3:00 am when your body clock is in sleep mode. Your liver also absorbs fats much faster during the day, so when you eat at night most of that fat gets stored causing weight gain.
BUT, IF YOU DO HAVE A LATE NIGHT SNACK...
Obviously, all late night snacks are not created equal.
If you can’t fall asleep because you’re hungry and have a bad case of the munchies, eat something that isn’t too sweet, salty or rich and has fewer than 150 calories. Have a piece of fruit, a glass of low fat milk or low fat yogurt (make sure it isn’t loaded with sugar), one or two squares of dark chocolate or a high fiber snack bar (again, check its sugar content).
LATE NIGHT SNACKS TO AVOID:
- Cereal
- Ice Cream
- Burgers
- Fries
- Soda
(basically anything that is high in sugar and fat)
Stick to foods that don’t trigger overeating like chips and cookies do! AVOID anything you know you can’t stop eating once you’ve opened the floodgates!
Even better, don’t keep junk food in the house to avoid late night temptations altogether.
lifestyle.org
100% of young women
&
70% of young men
experience
FOOD CRAVINGS
Scientists have yet to find a “cure.”
It's a universal struggle
YOU CAN'T "CURE" CURE FOOD CRAVINGS
But you CAN MANAGE THEM
Know your triggers
What causes you to crave certain foods?
- Is it a specific place like a movie theater and the smell of popcorn?
- A special occasion?
- People?
Keep a “Cravings Journal" to identify your triggers.
When you experience a food craving, write down:
* What you’re craving
* How you’re feeling
* Where you are
* What you’re doing at the time.
AVOID YOUR TRIGGERS
Once you’ve identified your triggers, you can manage or avoid them!
Get the food out of sight (out of mind).
No more secret stash of candy in your nightstand or desk drawer!
DON'T BUY THOSE FOODS in the first place!
Avoid the junk food aisle at the store - and your favorite fast-food restaurants - until you’re in charge of your cravings and not at their mercy anymore.
Don’t let yourself get too hungry
Let’s face it: it’s tough to eat a healthy meal when you’re starving and short on time! Extreme hunger makes you crave quick fixes like candy and burgers. Make it a habit to eat healthy food before getting too hungry.
You crave what you eat
Many of us mistakenly believe that our cravings will go away if we feed them.
Sadly: THIS FLIES IN THE FACE OF SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE!
Feeding your cravings strengthens them.
Starving them weakens them.
So, to START craving fruit and vegetables - EAT MORE of them!
You can re-train your taste buds to enjoy new foods in as little as 5 days.
De-Stress
40% of people are stress eaters.
High levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol, can cause people to crave foods that are high in fat and sugar.
If you’re a stress eater, the best way to control your cravings is to find other ways to de-stress:
- Hit the gym
- Go for a walk
- Get a massage
- Meditate
- Read a good book
For more help:
lifestyle.org/how-to-control-your-cravings
Lifestyle Magazine » Blog Archive » How To Control Your Cravings
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How To Control Your Cravings January 16, 2020 Do you ever crave certain foods, like crawling across shards of broken glass kind of cravings? That might be a bit extreme, but you get the idea. Food cravings are a universal struggle. One hundred percent of young women and seventy percent of young men....
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Very cool. Josh is very funny.
They are both tremendous assets for the CO community!
Google Doesn't Know Everything
Eight in ten Americans look for medical information on the Internet.
We just can’t help ourselves.
Surfing through pages of information only increases worry and anxiety.
If you must research your symptoms online, here are some tips:
DON'T USE SEARCH ENGINES
Instead of typing your symptoms in to a search engine (like Google or Yahoo), go to a reputable website (such as the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Centers for Disease Control) and use the search bar on THEIR site to find reliable and accurate information.
STAY AWAY FROM MESSAGE BOARDS
Just because someone has similar symptoms doesn’t mean that your symptoms have the same cause.
BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE
Vague search terms lead to scary results.
Enter as many symptoms as you can.
Thankfully, some sites (like Mayo Clinic, DocResponse and Family Doctor) offer free symptom checkers that make it easier for you to give specific information about your symptoms.
But, researchers from Harvard Medical School have found that online symptom checkers are inconsistent and inaccurate, so don’t rely on them for diagnosis.
Only about 34% of the users receive an accurate diagnosis.
You still need to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS
Instead of entering a vague symptom into the search bar, look for the solution.
Instead of looking up “fatigue” - look up “how to relieve fatigue.”
Solutions are much less worrisome than symptoms and are less likely to send you into full blown panic mode.
Even when you think you’ve finally found the solution you’ve been searching for, please don’t spend your hard earned money on any tests or remedies before getting a proper diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner.
Stick to reputable websites when researching solutions and question every alternative remedy you come across to make sure it’s the real deal.
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Do You Already Need to Get Back On Track?
A couple of days of overindulgence is not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Don’t treat it like a major catastrophe or as an excuse to eat more junk food.
JUST HIT THE RESET BUTTON
A quick rebound is the biggest predictor of long-term health success.
A weekend or two of over-indulgence won’t affect your long-term health goals if you get back on track as soon as possible.
Don’t let a few bad eating choices become the new normal for your eating habits.
Start eating nutritious meals again as soon as possible.
Set small, realistic goals that slowly reset your mindset and body.
ONE MEAL AT A TIME
Getting back on track is more manageable when you do it one meal at a time. Just focus on making one nutritious meal, and then another, and then another.
A few days of eating nutrient rich food like fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and whole grains is all you need to cleanse your palate and blunt cravings for sweet and greasy junk food.
WORK OUT
Healthy eating and fitness go hand in hand; nothing revs up your metabolism like a good workout. If you want your body to burn carbs and fat more efficiently, slowly incorporate - or reintroduce - exercise into your routine.
To be consistent with an exercise program, it helps to remember the mental and emotional benefits of working out to stay motivated.
When you feel stressed and are tempted to comfort yourself by overeating or scarfing down a pint of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?
STOP flirting with temptation and go for a walk or run immediately instead to conquer any cravings for comfort food.
We all overindulge from time to time but it’s really no big deal. Health and fitness is not a predefined road that requires perfection. Just focus on making your next meal healthier, throw in some exercise and before you know it you’ll be back on track in no time.
lifestyle.org/life-blog
Funny you post this the day after my annual checkup results. I’ve backslidden and my dr is not happy with me. Thanks for the encouragement. I need to get back on track.
When pain occurs in one part of the body, it’s easy to pinpoint the cause. But generalized aches and pains are another story and much harder to diagnose. It doesn’t help that when your whole body hurts, the aches tend to be dull and persistent instead of sharp and short-lived.
What Causes Generalized Aches and Pain?
FLU OR BAD COLD
Soreness could be a sign that you’re coming down with something. The prostaglandins that your immune system releases to fight the infection are responsible for the achiness you feel and other symptoms like fever. Pain relievers stop the production of prostaglandins.
POOR POSTURE
Most people have poor posture; they slump over when sitting and hunch their shoulders when walking. Over time this leads to incorrect alignment of the pelvis and a curved lower back, which causes back pain and muscle tension. The pain usually goes away if you improve your posture and stretch or workout more often.
STRESS, ANXIETY & DEPRESSION
The cause may be psychological.
Stress can weaken your immunity and cause inflammation leading to mysterious soreness. Anxiety disorders can lead to pain, muscle tension and headaches. Treat this pain with relaxation techniques, therapy or medication.
DEHYDRATION
Drink six to eight glasses of water daily.
LACK OF QUALITY SLEEP
Your body requires sleep for rest and recovery. Lack of sleep can make you feel sluggish and sore. If you struggle with sleeping, talk to your doctor.
SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITIONS
mono, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, pneumonia, arthritis, and various autoimmune disorders.
Generalized body aches and pain can be annoying at their mildest, and a sign of a severe medical condition at their worst. Usually all you need is a tall glass of water, some pain relievers and a good night’s sleep. But don’t wait to seek medical attention if the pain persists or is accompanied by other symptoms.
lifestyle.org/when-your-whole-body-hurts
Lifestyle Magazine's own Celebrity Fitness and Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike at Obi Obadike Fitness does some myth busting on NBC's Access Daily/Access Hollywood segment, debunking popular diets and offering up the Pros and Cons of Whole 30, Keto, Paleo, Intermittent Fasting - and more!
youtu.be/K8IFcvUERdw
So proud of our co-host....
Put Away the Scale
For Now
Tracking your weight can be frustrating.
Weight can fluctuate by more than a few pounds a day.
When you’re thirsty, your body panics and retains water.
When you’re adequately hydrated, your body drops the water weight, causing you to weigh less.
Although these little fluctuations are utterly pointless in the long term, they can mess with your motivation.
FOCUS ON FAT LOSS NOT WEIGHT LOSS
Muscle takes up less space than fat - which is why two people can weigh the same but look totally different.
By replacing fat with muscle, you can lose inches around the belly, arms, thighs and hips without losing a single pound on the scale.
The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism runs - meaning: you’ll burn more calories and lose fat faster.
Don’t obsess over the number on the scale when building muscle.
It’s so easy to freak out when you see a couple of extra pounds on the scale despite looking noticeably leaner in the mirror.
BODY RECOMPOSITION
Body recomposition is simply the process of replacing body fat with muscle, which is achieved by combining aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Spending hours on the treadmill may help you lose body FAT but does very little for MUSCLE growth. You need to combine running (or another aerobic activity) with weight training for body recomposition to take place.
Start with lighter weights so you can learn proper form and technique. It helps to have a trainer at this stage. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, challenge yourself by lifting heavier weights.
NUTRITION plays a huge role in adding lean muscle mass.
You need between 0.5 and 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight for muscle growth. Stick to lean sources of protein, such as chicken breast, beans, lentils and Greek yogurt.
Some people have success staying on track by weighing themselves daily.
Others find that twice a month works great.
Get a scale that measures body fat percentage and muscle mass.
