Can Pasta Help You Lose Weight? One Major Study Says "Yes!"

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The blog post below is a summary of the, "Weight for Wellness Show" podcast episode 6. Listen by clicking the player above or by clicking http://bit.ly/2H5LAg4.

I don't know about you, but I love pasta! But I've been concerned that pasta and healthy eating can't co-exist. It turns out, my concerns seem to be misplaced. A newly released study tells us pasta can be part of a healthy diet without packing on the pounds.

Pasta is a Low Glycemic Index Food Source

Unlike the vast majority of refined carbohydrates that rapidly absorb into the bloodstream, due to it's low glycemic index properties, pasta causes smaller increases in blood sugar levels compared to high glycemic index foods.

St. Michael's Hospital Meta Study of Pasta and Weight

A newly published study from St. Michael's Hospital conducted a review of 30 studies with nearly 2,500 participants who consumed pasta in place of other carbohydrates as part of a healthy low glycemic index diet.

Lead author Dr. John Sievenpiper, a scientist with the hospital's Clinical Nutrition and Risk Modification Centre, comments,

"In fact analysis actually showed a small weight loss. So contrary to concerns, perhaps pasta can be part of a healthy diet such as a low GI diet."

GI in his comment refers to glycemic index.

Study participants on average consumed about 3.3 servings of pasta a week in place of other carbohydrates. A serving equals about 1/2 cup of cooked pasta.

Weight Loss and Pasta

At the 12-week check-in, participants lost about one pound as the median loss amount.

Returning to Dr. Sievenpiper conclusions,

"In weighing the evidence, we can now say with some confidence that pasta does not have an adverse effect on body weight outcomes when it is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern."

As always, consult your doctor about weight loss and health before engaging in a diet or exercise program.

Blessings, light, and optimum health,

Steve Carter | Stress Solutions, LLC | www.EFT-MD.com

P.S. If you're a stress eater and would like to learn how to keep cravings in check, visit us at www.EFT-MD.com to learn how we at Stress Solutions, LLC can help.

Sources for this post:

"Study suggests pasta can be part of a healthy diet without packing on the pounds": http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/media/detail.php?source=hospital_news/2018/0403 and, https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-pasta-healthy-diet-pounds.html

"How useful is the glycemic index": https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-01-glycemic-index.html#nRlv

Could a Standing Desk Help You Lose Weight?

In this episode of, “Weight for Wellness” you and I will look at whether working at a standing desk can help you lose weight and why it may not be a good idea even if it does.

This is your host Stephen Carter of the, “Weight for Wellness Show”, the show where you can learn and apply the latest scientific discoveries about achieving your healthy weight.

A new study published in the, “European Journal of Preventive Cardiology” looked at 46 studies that included 1,184 people to determine if standing for extended periods could help shed weight.

Based on the study data, If you’re a woman, standing burned about 0.1 calories per minute more than sitting. Men burned 0.19 calories per minute compared to sitting. If you’re a 145 pound woman who stands six-hours a day, theoretically you could burn about 55-calories a day. Assuming that’s done daily throughout the year, that could result in about 5.5 pounds of fat loss. 

This isn’t exactly headline making weight loss, but when we’re overweight every lost pound matters.

Ah, but let’s wait a bit before running out and spending money for a standing desk. Is there a downside to standing for extended periods?

Downside of Standing Desks

In a study published in the journal, “Ergonomics”, researchers at Curtin University in Australia tracked 20 people as they worked at standing desks for two hours. Their findings included:

Reported discomfort increased significantly for the lower back and lower limbs. This finding supports earlier research suggesting long-term standing can lead to swelling veins that could increase heart risk.

Mental reactiveness slowed after about 75-minutes. Creative decision making improved slightly, although there’s no data to show if this slight improvement is sustained with longer periods of standing. In my experience, it’s tough to be creative if you’re feeling discomfort in your back and legs.

Given the evidence, in my view there is little benefit of using standing desks as a weight loss tool. For most people, six hours of daily standing is too physically taxing on the back, legs, and - with possible swelling - potentially the heart.

Walk Your Way to Healthy Weight Loss

What does make sense is incorporating a low impact exercise such as walking into your daily activities. While the number of calories burned by walking will vary depending on weight, distance, and other factors, typically a 180-pound person will burn about 100 calories per mile while someone weighing 120-pounds will burn about 65 calories per mile. 

Walking speed will vary depending on multiple factors, but taking a walking speed of about 3-miles per hour, a 20-minute walk could burn about 83 calories for a 150-pound person. 

If you increase the speed, distance, or both, you could burn even more calories. In addition, you get the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of exercise above and beyond what is possible with extended standing.

Stand, Move, and Breathing Break

Does getting up out of your chair frequently throughout the day have benefits? Of course it does. Taking a stand, move, and breathing break every 30 to 45-minutes at a minimum can be highly beneficial. 

Physical activity is vital for health. Choosing a weight loss approach that combines healthy eating and exercise can be a winning approach to achieve and maintain optimum weight. Of course, you’ll want to talk with your doctor before starting a weight loss or exercise program.

Until our next visit, this is your “Weight for Wellness” host Stephen Carter asking you to please, stay well, stay active, and stay blessed!

Blessings, light, and wellbeing,

Steve Carter | Stress Solutions, LLC | www.EFT-MD.com 

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Sources for this show and post:

“Differences of energy expenditure while sitting versus standing: A systematic review and meta-analysis”; “European Journal of Preventive Cardiology”; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2047487317752186

“Standing desks increase pain and slow down mental ability, study suggests”; “The Telegraph”; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/02/23/standing-desks-increase-pain-slow-mental-ability-new-study/

Don't Lose the Weight Loss Race - Think Like the Tortoise and Win!

Do you remember the Aesop Fables story of the Hare and the Tortoise? In this classic story the Hare was making fun of the tortoise for being so slow. Tired of the Hare’s bragging, the Tortoise challenged the Hare to a race.

The cocky Hare quickly gained the lead and ran far ahead of the Tortoise. A bit tired from his run, the Hare decided to lay down and take a nap. 

The Tortoise passed the sleeping Hare and was close to the finish line before the Hare awoke. Shocked, the Hare ran for the finish line, but it was too late. The slow and steady Tortoise crossed the finish line first and won the race.

And so it may be with weight loss.

Be the Tortoise and Win!

A recent study with 183 participants published in the journal, “Obesity” found that those who experienced the highest fluctuation in weight early in the study period had the worst outcomes one and two years out compared to those participants who lost a consistent amount of weight week by week.

Lead study author Emily Feig, PhD who was during the study with Drexel University, commented:

“It seems that developing stable, repeatable behaviors related to food intake and weight loss early on in a weight control program is really important for maintaining changes over the long term."

Study participants who were in the year long study used meal replacement and supporting weight loss behaviors such as self-monitoring, increased physical activity, and calorie tracking. 

Researchers discovered that the greater weight change variability during the initial six weeks were consistent with lower long-tern weight loss success at the 12 and 24-month check-ins.

So what do these findings mean for those of us attempting to achieve weight loss goals?

What This Means for You

Drexel psychology professor Michael Lowe, PhD, points to a potential method to try.

Dr. Lowe commented, “Settle on a weight loss plan that you can maintain week in and week out, even if that means consistently losing 3/4 of a pound each week,”

So, my suggestion? Think like a Tortoise and win the weight loss race.

Listen to Podcast: Player below or click https://podcastplayer.io/podcast/stephencarter/6d 

Your Weight for Wellness host,

Stephen Carter | CEO Stress Solutions, LLC | http://www.EFT-MD.com

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Study citation: More information: Obesity (2017). DOI: 10.1002/oby.21925

Article link: Shedding consistent pounds each week linked to long-term weight loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-pounds-week-linked-long-term-weight.html

Say "Yes" to Guilt and Shame

On January 17, I wrote a blog post about a new book by Kelly McGonigal, PhD. In addition to her new book, she has several presentation videos on YouTube about willpower, what it is, what it isn't, and how to tap into more of it.


In the video below, Kelly identifies five mistakes we make when it comes to attempting to change habits:

• We use guilt or shame as motivation
• We use virtue to license sin
• We confuse wanting with happiness
• We try to control our inner world instead of our actions
• We expect to be a different person tomorrow

Guilt and Shame


Take for example, the role of guilt and shame in behavior. Most of us believe that, given enough guilt or shame, the offending behavior will stop. While it may seem logical, the reality is something different.


The mind can often feel like a battlefield where conflicting armies of wants, don't wants, and impulsive desires fight it out for supremacy. What are they fighting for? To control your behavior. The purpose is to keep you safe, but subconscious mechanistic programs often bring peculiar results. The term "unintended consequences" comes to mind.


Choosing to do something "bad" (i.e., eating cheesecake no matter how hard you tried to resist) can open flood gates of self condemnation. When the internal self-critic cranks up, you may hear, "You're weak; you idiot; you'll always be a slob; you have no willpower; what's the matter with you?" 


The internal tirade comes with feelings we label as guilt, shame, and other strong painful emotions. Who exactly is speaking? Who is the "you" that "you" are addressing? 


Self-Critic Scripts


Scripts of self-condemnation typically come from adult authority figures who scolded or even beat us for childhood sins. How and why these scripts become part of us is a subject for another discussion. The bottom line is, however, that the subconscious mind incorporates as part of its self-image what it hears, sees, and feels associated with those childhood experiences. 


The subconscious mind is a quick study. It learns thoughts and behaviors that are "wrong" warrant self condemnation and feelings of guilt and shame. It's as if the adult handed the belt to the subconscious mind of the five-year old. That five-year old continues to administer punishment for the rest of our lives.


So why dosen't feeling guilt and shame ensure we don't eat cheesecake? Because those feelings have far less influence on present behavior then we think. Paradoxically, the drive to continue and even increase "sinful" behavior can grow stronger as feelings of guilt and shame increase. Research tells us that guilt and shame are poor deterrents of behavior we consciously want to change, but subconsciously are programmed to continue. 


New Programming


Can we change the programs? Yes, we can. We start by draining the energy from the existing programs. We choose to be observers of our behavior rather than critics. We choose to notice the circumstances, feelings, and self-talk that led to the behavior. We choose to stay in mindful observation rather than being sucked into the tornado's fury of mindless trance.


Think of times you've tried arguing with feelings and self-critical thoughts. Sometimes, for example, asking questions designed to bring you out of a craving trance can be helpful. Sometimes not. Arguing with yourself about why the feelings you're having are wrong is a sure path to frustration and self-anger. 


A New Approach


Try choosing to simply be an observer. You notice, for example, a strong craving for cheesecake. You notice feelings in your body you have learned to associate with wanting. If you've already eaten the cheesecake, you notice feelings associated with guilt and shame. Notice the feelings; notice any self-talk. Unlike times in the past, this time you're choosing to notice these internal signals as information.


The Power of "Yes"


After noticing the signals, say out loud or in mind, the word, "Yes". You're saying "Yes" to the feelings as a way of acknowledging that they're present. Nothing more. Say, "Yes" again...and again. You're simply noticing they're present. Notice with no judgement; notice with no internal argument; notice with no action. Just notice and say, "Yes".


Within 30 to 90 seconds (time it if you like), you'll notice the intensity dropping. You can simply continue to notice as it drops away or apply CenterPoint Release (CPR), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), or other Energy Psychology (EP) method to release any remaining feelings. Within five to 10 minutes, the feelings (cravings, guilt, etc.) will in all likelihood have passed. If any remain, get up, move around, and do one or two more rounds of releasing. 


This "Notice and say Yes" approach can also be used to help release problem memories and emotions related to virtually everything. I recommend combining it with CPR or other EP technique. 


To learn more about how you can benefit by using EP methods for weight and other changes, visit our Stress Solutions, LLC website at: http://www.EFT-MD.com.


Kelly's Video


I encourage everyone to watch the YouTube video by Kelly McGonigal, PhD found below. Having more insights about how your subconscious works can help you make new choices and release old programming.


Blessings,


Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC
Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) Program

http://www.EFT-MD.com | http://EasyStressCures.com
Ph: 1-804-677-6772

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