US nutritional bloggers suggest that most Americans put on eight to ten pounds between Thanksgiving (November 26) and New Year. Knowing all-American portion sizes, this is hardly surprising, but to a degree it also concerns us: Europeans who over-indulge crazily for about 14 days at Christmas. For sure, many people start the festive season this month around the 18th as we clock off for the weekend before Christmas and continue till Sunday 3rd January.
I frequently wish I were the sort of person who could stick to a strict health regime and be up at the crack of dawn doing sun salutations and harvesting my own muesli; sadly you’re more likely to find me under the duvet until eight, regretting my decision to over-indulge in wine and nibbles at the panto/check out a new winery/research a special article for a foodie magazine. I’m full of good intentions but not so fine at always putting them into action.
This month I’ve been researching obesity and have turned up a number of interesting sites which are now deluging me with e-zines and commercial information on a daily basis. I’ve resisted buying into the e-book downloads, but I’ve seen lots of fascinating new material being used to support ‘weightloss’ websites.
By far the most interesting is the research into ‘planned cheating’ and the manipulation of the critical hormone leptin in fat metabolism. Leptin, like insulin, is a marker for metabolic health; like insulin, over-stimulation can cause resistance but, unlike insulin, leptin resistance doesn’t last forever; you can get your metabolism back on track. I love the idea of planned cheating as part of a nutritionally sound programme, especially at this time of year. According to one pundit: ‘if you’re trying to lose weight, there’s one thing you can do to help your body out: cheat. Seriously!
‘When you cut calories dramatically, your body acts like it’s starving and your leptin levels plummet. You’ll be hungry and generally have lower energy levels and want to eat more. So once a week or thereabouts, cheat. Really cheat! Indulge with a delicious high calorie meal and thoroughly enjoy it.’
Apparently, your body then senses the rush of fuel and boosts its leptin levels, increasing your metabolism and priming your body for fat loss. Cheating helps your body ease down each time to lower daily leptin levels without making it feel too starved. That way, as you lose the weight, your body adjusts and realises that the reduced leptin levels are normal not starving. The next day you can have a consciously low calorie intake and still not suffer lowered leptin levels. Not such good news is that sugars make your brain less sensitive to leptin, causing you to eat more and pack on weight.
Like any other system in our bodies, the hormonal appetite controls are sensitive to our daily habits and routines. The better a routine you have – sleeping well, eating right and exercising – the more balanced your system will be and the better you’ll feel; Christmas is no excuse!
Which brings us to exercise; again US gurus have something to say about the timing of exercise. If you have a strong work-out the day before your ‘planned cheat’ you will, apparently, use the stored sugars in your muscles; then when you cheat, the resultant sugars go back to the muscles, not the fatty tissues. Equally, the day after your cheat, you should have more energy and plan – also – to increase your exercise for the day.
Finally herbal helpers. I always favour a milk thistle compound for this alcofrolic season. Milk thistle supports your liver and is an ancient well-recognised/documented prophylactic herb ie. it works to protect and strengthen in advance, not just to repair the damage after too much alcohol and rich food. My top milk thistle supplement recommendation is Ripple Creek, with eight herbs including dandelion, red clover, olive and boldo leaf; a superlative compound (from www.oliveleaf.co.uk or call 00 44 1664 485001).
New on the market this year and something I’m determined to try is Viridian Nutrition’s 10-day detox. You can either start this as soon as it arrives (www.nutriglowexclusive.com) and set your body up for a healthier festive season, or immediately after, as a sensible New Year’s Resolution in January.
Why is it so good? Viridian is an extremely ethical company with no ‘nasties’ (bulkers) in their supplements, only food-stuffs like bilberry and alfalfa. The three-part detox starts with milk thistle, continues with cleavers tincture to support the lymphatic system and reduce fluid retention, and concludes with a ‘complete fibre complex containing nutritious food constituents to assist gastrointestinal function, normalise gut flora and support the colon’. Constipation is often a problem during the festive season and this is the active solution.
Go on, weigh in and fight the good fight against flab this Christmas!
Sorting the UK Christmas gift list
In previous years you’ve advocated an excellent website for toxin-free toiletry gifts for delivery in UK. Can you advise us again?
Mrs PF – Peyia
www.anousta.com is a lovely site with luxurious products that the gorgeous lady Linda sends with care. Simply the best you can give!
