The “Fullbar™” is popping up more and more in retailers, and you may have seen it in places like CVS and Bed Bath and Beyond.  If you have seen one of the eye catching displays, you may have wondered “does this bar really work?”  Well, I’ll give you my opionion…

To start, let’s go over what the Fullbar™ is for those who haven’t seen the ads yet.  The Fullbar™ is a cereal bar that was developed by a bariatric surgeon (a doctor who does gastric bypass surgery), to help people “feel full and satisfied” so they eat less food throughout the day.  He recommends eating the bar 30 minutes before meals with an 8-oz glass and that this will cause you to “eat less and be completely satisfied”.    Sounds great, right?  Eat a chocolate, peanut butter or cinnamon flavored cereal bar and lose weight.  Sign me up….or maybe I should take a closer look first.

What’s the magic ingredient that makes this work?  Well, let’s look at the first few ingredients on the label because that’s what there is the most of in the product.  The first four ingredients in the Chocolate Fullbar™ are “Brown Rice Syrup, Puffed Wheat, Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips and Honey”.  Brown rice syrup and honey are really just sweeteners…our body responds to them in the same way it responds to sugar.  So really, this product is mostly made of sugar, puffed wheat, chocolate and more sugar.  Hmm…it’s not sounding so healthy anymore.

Let’s take a look at the nutrition facts compared to other chocolate cereal bars:

The one thing that jumps out at me is that this product has more sugars than any of the other bars listed above, and it doesn’t have more fiber or protein than most of the other bars.  (Fiber and protein are two things that help to keep people feeling fuller longer).

The best part about the Fullbar™ program isn’t the bar, it’s the program.  Eating a snack and having an 8-oz glass of water 30 minutes before meals will help take the edge off of hunger and curb your appetite.  It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a signal to your brain that you have eaten.  If you’re not starving when you start the meal, it can help to control portions and prevent overeating.

Probably the best part of this program is that they recommend assessing your hunger level before during and after meals.  Being mindful of portions and listening to your body’s cues for hunger is always helpful when trying to manage weight.  Many times we eat more than we need because we get overly hungry, eat too quickly, and don’t listen to our body’s hunger cues.

Bottom line is this…there is nothing magical about the full bar.  If you have a glass of water with any snack 30 minutes before a meal and pay attention to your body’s hunger cues, you will most likely eat less and lose weight.  So the advice he gives is good, but the product itself is not so special.  So save your money and instead try some other healthy snacks that are not so high in sugar.  Click here for other healthy snack ideas.

There has been a lot of controversy about high fructose corn syrup over the past few years.  Some people will say that you should avoid any products with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) because it is one of the main causes of the obesity epidemic we are seeing in this country.  It is said that products with high fructose corn syrup are worse than sugar because they make blood sugars rise faster, it tastes sweeter than sugar (which may increase a person’s desire for sweeter foods) and that it is not as satiating (filling) because it does not trigger your brain to recognize the calories that you have eaten.  So are these claims true, is high fructose corn syrup worse than sugar?

Sugar and high fructose corn syrup actually have a very similar composition.  Both of them are made up of about 50% fructose and 50% glucose, and they both have 4 calories per gram.  Because they have a very similar composition, they have a nearly identical impact on our health, our blood sugars, our satiety and our waistline.  So, the research shows that high fructose corn syrup is actually not worse than sugar.

So how did high fructose corn syrup get such a bad rap?  Years ago, researchers found that during a time period where the consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up in America there was also a rise in the rates of obesity.  So, they came up with a hypothesis (a guess) that the high fructose corn syrup was leading to this rise in obesity.  What they didn’t realize at the time is that while the consumption of high fructose corn syrup was on the rise, the consumption of cereals, flour and fat were also on the rise.  Research now shows that it was actually the increase in overall calories that has lead to this weight gain, and there is not one specific food to blame.  However, it was too late for HFCS, its bad reputation was already in place.

So, is high fructose corn syrup healthy?  No, both sugar and HFCS are empty calories (calories with no nutritional value), but you can fit them into a healthy diet in moderation.  So, the bottom line is you want to be more concerned with the amount of added sugars, not so much about the source of the added sugars.  For more information about the myths and facts of high fructose corn syrup, you can visit www.sweetsurprise.com.  Also, see my related post titled “ How Much Sugar Can be Part of a Healthy Diet”.

During the summer, hamburgers and hot dogs are popular menu items.  However, grilling burgers at home may be easier on your waistline and wallet because portions in restaurants keep on growing.  In fact, there is now a burger that has a whopping 1,750 calories and over 5,000 mg of sodium!  Watch the following clip from the Today Show to see some of the worst burger options in restaurants, and learn about some better alternatives when eating out.

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Keeping food journals can be one of the best ways to increase awareness of what you’re eating and can be very helpful with weight loss.  As I had mentioned in a previous post, people who keep food records tend to lose twice as much weight as people who do not keep records, even when following the same plan.  Despite all of the research that is out there to support the importance of food records, many people really struggle to keep them.

Now there are many websites and apps for the phone to help make this process easier.  The website that I recommend most frequently for keeping track of intakes is www.fitday.com.  It is user friendly, and it is free to use!  Not only can you track how many calories you’re eating daily, but you can also track your weight, exercise routines and much more.   The website will show you how your nutrient intakes compare to the recommended levels of many nutrients including carbohydrates, protein and fat as well as vitamins and minerals.

Apps for phones are very convenient for those who always have their phone on them.  The most popular apps for each type of phone are as follows:

The above apps have received good reviews and tend to be user friendly.  However, there are other apps out there that you can try.  All of these resources just help to increase awareness of intakes, so go with whichever tool is easiest for you so you’re more likely to stick with it.

For some time, there has been a link between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.  While it has been widely accepted that obesity does increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, researchers have not been able to determine exactly why this is the case.  Recently, a study was conducted at Boston University Medical Center that may shed some light on the subject.

Researchers studied over 700 individuals and took a look at levels of body fat and brain size.  They found that individuals with larger amounts of fat, particularly in the abdominal region, have smaller brains.  While it has not yet been determined why this is the case, researchers speculate that changes in certain hormone levels (which are regulated by body fat) may cause the brain to shrink.

While it still has to be established that this shrinking of the brain is related to Alzheimer’s, it certainly could be a breakthrough in helping to determine a cause and potentially a treatment for this disease.  In the mean time, this just serves as one more reason to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.   Wouldn’t you agree that your brain is a pretty important organ to protect!

Reference:  Exercise ETC’s Review of Exercise Related Research, June 15, 2010. Compiled by Chris Marino, MS, CSCS, Director of Education, Exercise ETC.

Whether you are trying to reduce your risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol or lose weight, decreasing dietary fat is often recommended.   If you are trying to improve or maintain heart health, the type of fat you are eating is often as important as the amount of fat you are eating.  (See my post titled “Not all Fats are Created Equal” for more information about the different types of fats and recommended fat levels.)  If you are trying to lose weight, decreasing the total amount of fat in the diet can be very helpful because it often leads to lower calorie intakes.

Every gram of fat has 9 calories.  Compare that to protein and carbohydrate, which only have 4 calories per gram.  This means that fat has over twice as many calories for the same amount of food.  Most people eat the same amount (or volume) of food from day to day, not the same calorie level.  Therefore, by reducing the amount of fat in your diet, you can often decrease your calories without cutting back on portions or feeling hungry.  The following are some ways to lower your fat intake:

By making some of these substitutions you will be off to a good start with lowering fat and calories and improving heart health.

When trying to lose weight, it is very common to have some weeks where the weight seems to come off quickly and some weeks where you feel like you’ve done everything right, but it doesn’t show up on the scale.  If you have one or two weeks where the scale doesn’t show the work you’ve done, stay calm.  Sometimes our body seems to need to adjust to a new weight before you continue to lose.  However, if several weeks pass and the scale doesn’t budge then you may have hit a plateau.  When this happens, try the following tips:

1.)    Keep food journals.  Writing everything down can help maintain awareness of what you are consuming to ensure you are at an appropriate calorie level.

2.)    Measure food for a few days.  Just naturally, portions tend to grow over time.  What you thought was a cup of cereal, may end up being closer to 1 ½ cups.  These gradual increases in portions can really add up over time.

3.)    Adjust calorie levels.  When we lose weight, our calorie needs decrease.  This is because it doesn’t require as much energy to do your daily activities at 150 pounds as it does when you weigh 175 pounds.  So you may need to make some slight modifications to your calorie goals.  Try cutting back 50-100 calories a day and see if that makes the difference.

4.)    Make sure you are eating enough.  If we don’t eat enough calories, we can end up slowing down our metabolism.  This makes continued weight loss more difficult.  For women, I usually recommend staying at or above 1,200 calories to keep the metabolism running efficiently.  Men will want to stay above 1,600 calories per day.  If you are active, you will need more calories than this.

5.)    Mix up your workout routine.  Our muscles adapt quickly to exercise and become very efficient.  Try a different exercise routine or even doing your exercises in a different order.  (For example, if you usually do cardio and then strength training, try lifting weights first instead.  If you lift weights, do your typical workout in reverse order.)

6.)    Start strength training, if your not doing it already.  Lifting weights strengthens muscles, which ends up increasing your metabolism.  FYI- Increasing muscle mass is the ONLY way to increase metabolism.

7.)    Move more.  Try to walk or move more throughout the day or add an extra work out each week.

8.)    Try eating more frequently.  If you eat three meals a day, try breaking up your eating into 5 or 6 small meals a day.  We burn calories by digesting food.  Therefore, eating regularly throughout the day helps to keep the metabolism up.  Remember that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

9.)    Drink more water.  Aim for around 8 8-oz glasses a day.

10.) Include low-fat dairy products.  Studies have found that the calcium, a nutrient found in dairy, plays an important role in metabolism.

11.) Get some sleep.  Getting too little sleep can promote the storage of fat in the abdominal region and make weight loss more difficult.  Aim for a minimum of 7 hours.  For most people, 8 hours is even more ideal.

Today, I’m following up with last week’s post to provide a list of some of the better options at fast food restaurants.  See the chart below for some meal ideas that are about 550 calories or less (The Do’s Column).  Also listed are some meals to watch out for that are loaded with fat and calories (The Don’ts Column).  

Breakfast Sample Menus

 Lunch and Dinner: Sample Menus

Move over Jared, it looks like Christine has taken the spotlight away from the Subway and has put it on Taco Bell.  With the heavy advertising done by Taco Bell over the past two weeks, I’ve already started to get several questions about the “Drive-Thru-Diet”. 

For those who have not seen the commercials yet…Christine, the spokesperson for “The Drive-Thru-Diet”, lost 54 pounds over the course of two years by switching her fast food choices to the Fresco items on the Drive-Thru Diet menu at Taco bell.  If you read her story, you will also find that she consumed 1,250 calories per day.  This was a reduction of about 500 calories per day compared to what she was eating before.

So what made her lose the weight?

a.)    The Taco Bell Menu items

b.)    The reduction in the number of calories she consumed daily

 If you answered B, you are correct!  Weight loss comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned, and it does not matter where those calories come from.  By creating a calorie deficit of about 500 calories a day, you expect to lose about 1 pound per week.  This is exactly what Christine did.

 The 7 Fresco items on Taco Bell’s Drive-Thru Diet menu are lower in calories than many fast food items.  All of them have less than 350 calories and <8 grams of fat.  Therefore, they can be some of the better choices if you are going to be eating fast food.    

However, would I recommend eating these items regularly to lose weight?  No, I wouldn’t.  While they may be better choices than many items on a fast food menu, they are not great.  Many of the items are very high in sodium.  For example, the Fresco Burrito Supreme has a whooping 1,410 mg of Sodium, which is over half of the recommended level for the entire day!  The Chicken soft taco and Steak soft taco only has 2 grams of fiber.  When meals are low in fiber they often leave people feeling hungry shortly after eating and can make it difficult to meet the recommended 25-30 grams per day.  Not to mention, all of the vitamins and minerals that are lacking. 

If you are short on time, frozen entrees would often be a better choice.  They are still processed and high in sodium, but the sodium is often less than what you would find in fast foods (~500-600 mg).  Many of them also include a serving of vegetables.  Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Kashi and Smart Ones are some of the better options that are calorie controlled.  Have yogurt or a piece of fruit along with it to add some nutrition value.

Bottom line, if you need to stop at a fast food restaurant.  The items on the Drive-Thru-Diet at Taco bell are going to be some of the better choices.  All fast food restaurants now offer some healthy options.  Reading the nutrition facts before ordering can help to make better choices.  Click here for some tips on making good choices when eating at fast food restaurants.  Check back next week for more fast food menu items that are less than 500 calories.

With all of the social gatherings around the holiday, there is often an increase in alcohol consumption.  These extra drinks can add a lot of unwanted calories and can make weight management more difficult.  However, there are some simple strategies that can help keep your calories in check.

First, know the calorie content of the various types of drinks.  The following is a breakdown of the typical calorie levels of alcoholic beverages:

If you’re going to have a drink, think about the following tips:

• Start the party with a calorie free beverage before reaching for the alcohol.  Sometimes just having a beverage in your hand can make people feel more comfortable.  By starting off with diet soda, water or club soda you can save some calories and can often make better food choices because alcohol acts as an appetite stimulant and lowers inhibitions. 
• Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.  Often when we have a drink in our hand we will finish it.  By switching between alcoholic and calorie-free beverages you will be cutting the calories in half!
• Try diluting your drink to cut the calories in half.  Turn your glass of wine into a wine spritzer by mixing it with sparkling water.  If you’re going to have a mixed drink, mix it with club soda or a diet soda.
• Beware of sugary drinks.  The combination of sugar and alcohol makes mixed drinks very high in calories.  They can range from 200-500 calories!  A glass of wine or a light beer would be a much better choice with around 100 calories.    
• Moderation is the key.  No matter what beverage you choose, just try to limit the quantity.  You will keep your calories under control and you’ll feel better the next day so you can keep up with your exercise program:)