Have a clear plan

I ran across a great quote the other day:

“Do not give up what you want most, for what you want now”

I put up a goal two months ago that I was going to loose ten kilos. Guess what, I have now lost ten kilos. IT hasn’t been easy but it sure has gotten easier for everyday.

I have found out one thing: It´s all about the details. For example, If you eat a peanut butter sandwich with white bread then this will affect you whether you want it or not.

1. You will gain weight

2. IT will spike insulin, majorly

3. IT will start the urge in you to take one more

4. etc. etc. etc.

So, my advice is to have a clear plan. Plan your meals in detail and do not be afraid of trying something new if what you are doing right now doesn’t work. Don’t just keep going just because your trainer said so or the weight specialist said so on TV. Learn to listen to your body and experiment to find out what works.

Take a week at a time and try different foods to see what works best for you.

Resveratrol

Let´s quickly look at resveratrol which has been and still is a hot potato.

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a type of natural phenol, and a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens such as bacteria or fungi. Wiki It is for example found in grapes and thus a ingredient of red wine.

The studies that most articles and books rely on is studies done on mice and worms and short lived fish. In these studies some positive cardiovascular effects and lowering of blood sugar has been found in mice. When testing the longevity factor on the short lived fish there are studies that show an increase in age by 40% procent. But let´s remember, this is short lived fish not complex on top of the food chain humans!

There was an trial done on humans in India where they were given a very high dose of resveratrol and this test showed decreased blood sugar levels which was seen as an positive effect of resveratrol. But remember, this was a extremely high dose, 3-5 g, which was taken during 28 days.

Lets compare this to a glass of wine. One glass, 125 ml, contains no more than 1 mg of resveratrol so is there any proof that 2 mg (2 glasses day) increases longevity and decreases high blood sugar? No, not to my knowledge.

(If you are interested to know more about resveratrol, testings, findings and more go and visit this blog which has an very interesting in depth article on the subject. )

Is red wine healthy?

Firstly, I chose to focus on red wine because that´s usually what people ask about and that´s where the regular debate is. Red wine is the one drink that is most affiliated with food. Its also the one drink that people associate with longevity and health benefits.

Isn’t this a site about planning your meal?

Yes it absolutely is. Why I'm focusing on red wine is because it´s such an culturally excepted drink and like I wrote in the last post can affect your health and actually increase your weight gain; not necessarily because red wine is high in calories but because of the after effects that drinking has on your hunger and decision making.

Let´s be logical

Secondly, there is, excuse my french, no kiss ass articles on this blog. I write about health, diet and over all well being in a way that´s logical and that can in reality benefit you and me. If you are looking for an article that, after you have read it, assures you that your drinking habit is fine then you have come to the wrong place and you might as well read another article. So, with that said let´s get started.

Evidence and proof

like I mentioned in my last post there are studies that have shown that wine and small amounts of alcohol can have positive affects on the health. It is proven that alcohol have a thinning affect on the blood, prevent heart disease and fight certain cancers. It is proven that wine contains resveratrol which can positively affect us humans.

The paragraph above is something you can read on the Internet in papers and health magazines all the time. After reading it you starting feeling contempt with yourself and you don’t feel guilty anymore because it´s now PROVEN that alcohol is healthy for you. The word PROVEN is used very dangerously and we automatically relax and don’t delve into the subject any further. Why should I, they say its PROVEN!

False certainty

Normally we are not out to change but we are looking for someone to calm us down and concur with us so we can keep on living the same way without taking action and drastically changing our habits. Usually we don’t want the truth. But, the truth will set us free and the truth can be hard, it can take a lot of discipline and make us alter our way of thinking in everyday life but in the end it is far better to be honest then to delude ourselves.

In the next post I will cover reveratrol and other declared health benefits of red wine.

Image: John Kasawa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Can I drink alcohol while loosing weight?

I´m going to get down to the point right away; there is no need to beat around the bush. To answer the title, the answer is-to make it simple-a no. If you are trying to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle, alcohol is a big no no.

Of course, beer and hard liquor is far worse than wine but if you are looking for the best you can get it´s just in your best interest to stay away from the % all together.

Yes I know, there are studies out there that points towards the healthy aspects of drinking beer and wine. I´m not trying to deny that, but I´m going to show you the real reason why you should stay away from alcohol all together so read on.

A glass of wine...
...contains about 85-95 (a normal glass 125 ml) calories depending on the size of the glass. So, if you drink two glasses in one night you have consumed about 170 calories. That´s not an alarming figure at all. The challenge is that with the wine there is usually food and it´s here where it gets tricky.

When you drink you have an increased longing for food and you eat more even if you are full. Your perception of what is enough starts "going out the window". So, you appetite skyrockets and so does your dopamine levels. It is now easier for you to make the decision that Yes, I'm worth another plate, or I'm worth another glass! So you take another plate of food or you order another dish or you decide that you really need a cup of chili nuts!

So the alcohol contributed about 170 calories depending on how many glasses of wine you had but the affect of the alcohol on the brain resulted in you eating more calories than you would have had done if alcohol was not apart of your evening. Let´s say, for the sake of argument, that because of the consumption of alcohol you consumed 500 calories more than you needed or planned to eat. So instead of two glasses being 170 calories they ended up being 335 calories per glass!

Usually the eating doesn't stop there. When you come home or when the quest go home it is far more easy to fall in the trap to eat even more food, especially food with sugar and salt. If you consumed a few glasses to much you are probably going to feel a strong urge for hamburgers or pizza the next day or something else that is high in fat, sugar and carbohydrates.

SO, to sum it up. The two, three glasses actually ended up to be around 750 calories each!
This is the real reason why you should, if you are serious about loosing weight and staying in shape, stay away from alcohol.

Image: Matt Banks / FreeDigitalPhotos.net