100UE Fundee Blog: Easy As Pie
Founder: Carmyn Robey
———
November 23, 2011: In Honor of Thanksgiving, Here’s the Truth About Belly Fat
The first thing to understand is that not all fat is the same. Fat behaves differently in different parts of the body — and the key to what’s being done to you is its behavior.
People store most of their fat in two ways:
• as subcutaneous fat: This is the fat that can be seen. It’s stored under the skin.
• as visceral fat: This cannot be seen. It’s stored around the vital organs in the chest, abdomen and pelvis.
Most people, of course, are self-conscious about the fat they can see, but studies show that hidden, visceral fat, regardless of your weight, poses a bigger threat.
Everyone, no matter what size, has visceral fat. When you gain weight, you accrue both kinds of fat. The way your body stores fat depends on your genes, lifestyle factors and gender. One danger that an obese person may face is that the body can run out of harmless places to store fat and will begin storing it in and around the organs. This “suffocates” the organs and can cause numerous health problems. Research has shown that whatever your weight, waist circumference of more than 35 inches (if you’re a woman) or 40 inches (if you’re a man) indicates potentially unsafe amounts of visceral fat.
How can you control visceral fat?
Exercise: There’s no cardio routine that specifically targets visceral fat. When you lose weight, you lose both types of fat. Aerobic exercise has been shown to trim both fats.
Diet: People who eat 10 grams of soluble fiber per day (roughly the amount in two small apples) build up less visceral fat over time than others.
Sleep: Too much or too little sleep can affect your visceral-fat buildup. One study that tracked people over five years found that those who slept fewer than five hours or more than eight hours per night gained more visceral fat than those who slept between six and seven hours per night.
Tips to help flatten your tummy, courtesy of TruthAboutAbs.com:
1. Walk/jog for 30 minutes at least three times per week to boost your metabolism.
2. Limit your intake of sugar, which promotes weight gain and adds nothing but empty calories.
3. Try Pilates. Pilates works on toning your entire body, concentrating on your midsection. It will also improve your flexibility.
4. Add fiber to your diet, and cut down your intake of bad carbs. Limit your intake of foods such as white bread, pastas, potatoes and white rice; eat brown rice and whole-wheat bread instead.
5. Drink skim milk instead of whole. Keep your dairy intake at a minimum, too; these products often cause bloating and gas.
6. Perform proper crunches at least three times a week to train your abs. Avoid sit-ups; they do very little to firm your stomach. Sit-ups work your hip flexors more than anything else.
7. Drink plenty of water. You should be drinking six to eight glasses per day. Not only will it help fill you up so you eat less, but it promotes good digestion as well.
8. Stop eating within three hours of bedtime. If you have to munch on something, eat a small portion of vegetables or fruit. Not eating late can make a huge difference.
Have any additional questions? Feel free to e-mail me at EAPie123@yahoo.com. Happy Thanksgiving!
———
November 17, 2011: How to Make Happy Hour Even Happier
It’s been a long week. You’ve been working hard to build your business, and you’re ready to go out and have a good time. What’s the best way to do so if you’re watching your weight? We all know desserts are fattening. With alcoholic drinks, though, sometimes the calories don’t register, even though a single chocolate martini has more calories than a McDonald’s grilled chicken sandwich. But happy hour doesn’t have to be a diet downer.
Calories add up more quickly for mixed drinks than for beer and wine. The standard 1.5-ounce serving of 80-proof alcohol has 96 calories even before you add any mixers. A six-ounce serving of orange juice has 84 calories, but add a shot of alcohol to make it a screwdriver, and the calories more than double.
The average, appropriate serving size of wine and alcoholic beverages is probably smaller than you think. Beer, on the other hand, is more standardized in bottles and beer glasses. Some chain restaurants serve jumbo drinks, like margaritas with double shots and extra mixers, which can add up to 1,000 calories or more in one mug. A single giant glass of TGI Friday’s frozen mudslide, for example, contains 1,100 calories. So how can you curb calories while still having a good time?
1. Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to save calories. This strategy not only reduces the risk of over-consuming calories and alcohol, but it also helps you stay hydrated. Your head will thank you in the morning!
2. Choose wine, light beer, or simple cocktails made with low-calorie mixers. You can save 100 calories if you have a diet soda as your mixer. Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low-calorie juices or artificial sweeteners for easy calorie savings.
3. Skip the mixer altogether. Try ordering your favorite spirit or one of the new flavored liquors on the rocks. Infused vodkas are very popular, because they are not sweetened but rather infused with flavors.
4. Dilute your drink. Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime.
Everyone, especially entrepreneurs, knows you need a clear head come Monday morning. Yet it doesn’t hurt to repeat the trick on Saturday and Sunday morning — and you’ll see the benefits in your waistline as well.
———
November 15, 2011: A Health-and-Fitness Company Borne of Hard Personal Experience
Whether you are trying to lose just five pounds or more than 50, the same principles determine how much weight you lose and how fast your weight loss will occur. Remembering the basic guidelines and putting them into practice can lead to weight loss. I struggled with my own weight loss until I implemented these guidelines, which helped me to lose 140 pounds over the course of two years. I’ve since maintained my weight loss over six years.
This made me want to help women be self-sufficient in their own weight loss — and with funding from 100 Urban Entrepreneurs and a health grant I received, I created Easy As Pie to help women to learn how to count calories, cook low-fat meals and maintain their weight loss.
Through this blog, to which I’ll post throughout my eight weeks in the 100UE mentoring program, I’ll address the concerns women may have about healthy living and weight loss. Below is a breakdown of what to expect:
- Introduction to weight loss
- The most effective methods for weight loss: counting calories and developing a meal plan
- Foods to avoid and foods that actually love you back: a breakdown of what to eat and what not to eat when out with friends or on campus, and diet products to avoid
- How to make happy hour happier: information on calories and alcoholic proof levels, and ways to reduce your intake
- Best foot forward: exercise tips to accentuate your figure
Exercise Tip of the Day: Which burns more fat — running on the treadmill or 30 minutes of weights? Running will burn more calories at the time you do it (perhaps 300 calories over a half-hour), but a half-hour weight session will suck up more calories thoughout the day, because your body needs to recover from muscle breakdown. In addition, the more muscle you have, the more your body will metabolize fat and increase your caloric effectiveness. So pump up!
Next post: Cutting down on caloric booze.
Have a health-and-fitness question you’d like answered? E-mail EAP123@yahoo.com.
