Contrary to what TV commercials may tell you, diet soda is not the key to weight loss. Nor does it prevent weight gain. The ugly truth behind this myth is that drinking diet soda is strongly linked with overweight and obesity.
New research studies suggest that even though your favorite diet soda has about 5 calories per serving, drinking sweet-tasting beverages – including artificially sweetened ones – apparently leads to a higher preference for anything sweet. As your body gets used to the sweet taste of diet soda, you will start craving more sweets, and eating sweeter snacks means consuming more calories, which of course leads to weight gain.
A study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (2005) claimed that people who regularly drink diet soda gain more weight, instead of losing extra pounds, as some expensive ads suggest. Additionally, the research asserts that, “There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.”
People who think that going on a “diet-soda” diet will help solve their weight gain problems are highly mistaken. Weight gain is caused by poor eating habits, not regular non-diet soft drinks.
As nutrition expert Leslie Bonci said, “Look at what’s on your plate, not just what’s in your glass. Diet drinks aren’t diets.” If your only attempt at reaching your ideal weight is to switch to a diet soda, then you will not lose those unwanted pounds.
The next time you eat out with your friends, don’t think it is okay to overeat just because you ordered a diet soda. It doesn’t work that way. Watch what you eat and make sure you stick to your daily nutritional requirements—nothing more, nothing less.
Contact me and I’ll help you achieve your weight goals without compromising your health! Custom In-Home Fitness Programs are also available in the Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Texas area.
My family and I enjoy Tex Mex food–rice, beans, enchiladas, tortillas, pico de Gallo. There are many fast food restaurants that we enjoy–Rosa’s, Lupe’s, Mexican Inn and Taco Bueno. My husband and son love the bean burritos at Taco Bueno.
Do you know how many calories are in one Bean Burrito from Taco Bueno? (Stop reading now if you don’t want to know.)
According to Calorie Count at About.com, there are 490 calories in a Taco Bueno bean burrito, which can be deceiving.
Think about it:
- Beans = protein
- Protein = low carb
- Low carb = weight loss
Wrong!
Taco Bueno spices up their bean burritos with lard and beef fat which drive the calories sky high. So, be careful. If you’re wanting to count calories and lose weight, then avoid the fat-laden burritos at the fast food restaurants like Taco Bueno and Taco Bell.
Next time you pull into a fast food, Tex Mex restaurant, remember los calories.
Or don’t.
You’re choice.
Hauling yourself out of bed in the morning and committing to a morning exercise routine can be difficult—especially if you’re not a “morning person”. But here’s something you should know—there are many benefits to sweating off those extra pounds in the early hours. Here are five reasons why morning exercises may be great for you:
- Early bird exercising increases your body’s metabolism. Doing cardio or strength training in the morning jump starts your metabolism, and the effects last throughout the day. This means you will be burning unwanted fat even when you’re sitting at a desk!
- It is easy to defer evening exercises. After a long, stressful day at work, it’s tempting to skip your fitness training routines, and relax in front of the TV instead. People who make it a habit to exercise in the morning find it easier to maintain and keep their workout plans.
- You are training your body to be more active and energetic. When you get into the custom of regularly exercising in the morning, your body will start to anticipate this. After a week or two, your body will start producing endorphins right before you wake up. A natural boost of endorphins in the morning will make you less groggy and more alert. It’s far better for you than that extra cup of coffee. Tough it out for a few weeks, and you will surely see great results!
- It’s good for your brain. Exercising in the morning will make you mentally sharp during the day. All those wonderful chemicals that exercise releases into your bloodstream help your brain function better, keeping you more focused and alert, and a step closer to a possible promotion.
- You can expect to sleep soundly. Exercising at night before going to bed disrupts your natural body cycles. All the benefits mentioned above will occur, but they won’t happen until later in the day. What you don’t want to do is lie awake until 3 in the morning, because you’re too wired up from doing cardio. Switching from night exercises to morning workout routines will help prepare your body to rest at the end of the day, and you can expect a relaxing sleep.
Contact me if you need help in creating a morning workout plan that will help turn your life around. In-Home, Personal Training Programs are available Colleyville, Southlake, Grapevine, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Texas area.
One of the key benefits of working with a personal trainer is accountability. When left to yourself, it becomes way too easy to procrastinate and talk yourself out of exercising. The demands of work, the busyness of kids or just sheer exhaustion will become easy excuses to not exercise.
With a personal trainer, you will have someone that you are accountable to, who will keep you engaged, exercising and sticking to your 2010 fitness goals.
Here’s how I can help you keep your New Year’s Resolution:
- Build you your own personal training program to meet your fitness needs
- Work with you on your schedule to teach you how to work the program
- Stay in contact with you via phone or email to check your progress
- Answer any questions you may have about your program or the exercises
- Work out with you periodically to help you stay excited and engaged
Contact me if you’re interested in learning more!
I just read a great article on high protein diets and how effective they really are. Check it out:
http://www.hfpn.com/shop/article.aspx?atid=571
Excerpts from the article:
The solution is a diet with the appropriate amount of energy, high in fibrous or starchy carbs, and exercise. In fact, a study of type II diabetics, people with insulin resistance and normal weight people found that three weeks of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, and exercise significantly lowered insulin levels.
Interesting statistics from a large weight loss study:
Of the 438 initial enrollees of the National Weight Control Registry (having lost an average of 66.0 lbs. for over five years), none were successful by following a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. In fact, the common denominator for success dietarily was a low-fat diet with a macronutrient profile of approximately 20 percent protein, 25 percent fat, and 55 percent carbohydrate.
Read the article for more information. I hope you learned more about diet and what’s right for you.
If you’re interested in getting setup on a weight loss focused, personal training program in the Grapevine, Colleyville or Southlake, Texas area, please contact me.