Low GI Jill

On Tuesday of this week I went to the gym for the first time in absolutely ages. I usually go running about 3-4 times a week but have hurt my hamstring muscle, so decided I would try a spinning class instead. So off I went, thinking I was just going to be “doing a bit of cycling” – was I in for a shock! I am telling you that this was probably the most intensive workout that I’ve had for a long time.

So what is spinning anyway? Spinning is a high-intensity workout done on specially designed stationary bikes with variable resistance. The particular class I went to was in my local gym and was in a smallish room dedicated to purely spinning. and well air-conditioned. I noticed shortly after I had got on one of the bikes that all the bikes were taken so was qutie pleased that i must have chosen a good class. The instructor arrived and took her place on a podium type raised area at the front. I told her that I had not done spinning before and she advised me that it was a hard class, but just to try to keep with the time of the music. The cycling is done to backing tracks of music specifically designed to keep your motivation up, so the intensity is high and there was also quite a buzzy feeling in the room.

Format of the class: the instructor explained at the beginning of the class that tracks 3,5 and 7 were the most difficult ones. The first 2 tracks were fast and “on the flat”, so without building up too much resistance and just concentrating on getting your heart rate up. The third track was a bit of a shock, as we were encouraged to up the resistance (which is done by turning a small button just underneath the handle bars and then the instructor introduced a lot of “hill climbing” where you are encouraged to visualize climbing up the hill and at this point everyone in the class rises out of their seats and begins to climb!

I’m not used to cycling though, so after about 10 minutes I was wondering if I was going to be able to keep up for the rest of the class!  I was already sweating buckets, and was glad I had brought a towel and a drink! However, I did quickly realise that you can control the intensity of the class yourself by changing the resistance and your pedalling speed.

How many calories does Spinning burn?

You can burn 425 calories in just 30 minutes in a spinning class, according to Fitness Magazine. That is slightly ahead of running at a speed of 6 miles per hour, or a 10-minute mile. But of course it all depends upon the energy that you are exerting and if you are serious about calculating how many calories you are burning you can get yourself a heart rate monitor to calculate this. I don’t have a heart monitor myself as I find that the more gadgets I have to control my exercising, the less enjoyable it becomes!

My verdict on spinning: having now done 2 classes this week, I think I am hooked! However, I am still going to carry on with my running, and I really need to work on my upper body strength as well. For me the most important thing with exercise is enjoyment -find something you like and you will have fewer problems sticking to it.

Did you read that right? Yes, you did, and yes, there is such a thing as gastric band hypnosis, or gastric band hypnotherapy.  I’ve just been reading this article in the Daily Mail: Daily Mail gastric band hypnosis article.

So how exactly does it work?

The picture shows what happens to your stomach if you undergo gastric band surgery. A normal stomach holds about 6 cups of food. In the case of gastric band surgery, a device is placed around the top of your stomach so that you are only able to hold about 1 cupful of food in your stomach. So after eating a very small meal, you will experience the same fulness as you normally would after a large meal. For most people, this type of surgery would of course be the absolute last resort and usually follows years of trying to diet unsuccessfully. I mean who really wants to undergo major surgery? Even if you live in the UK and qualify to get this operation free on the NHS, it is not straightforward surgery and you are taking many risks, including death, if you decide to go under the knife.

For anyone finding themself in such a situation, I really do believe that it is worth considering gastric band hypnosis before embarking on surgery. I know hypnosis works as I’ve been hypnotized myself. The 2 programs I have been looking into both cost just under $70 and have many success stories on their websites.

Firstly, Virtual Gastric Band This program offers you your money back if you don’t lose 10 pounds in the first 14 days. The website itself is quite “salesy” and some sections of it actually made me laugh, however there are some good testimonials and a little video clip of a woman who is surrounded by food all day and who this system is working for successfully.

Secondly, Gastric Band Hypnotherapy. This program makes the same claims as the previous one, clinical hypnotherapist Jon Rhodes who trained at the London College of Clinical Hypnosis. If you click on the above link, you’ll find a video which allows you to see what hypnosis feels like. If you do try this, I would recommend choosing a time of day when you are relaxed and you’ll have no interruptions for this to work properly.

Both programs cost just under $70 and promise a 60 day money back guarantee.

I have one question – how can it be possible for your conscious mind to know that you haven’t actually had gastric band surgery but at the same time, your subconscious mind thinks you have? How can these two opposing beliefs sit side by side with each other? It sounds impossible but apparently the two beliefs can coexist just fine.

I would imagine that the most important factor with gastric band hypnosis is how much you want it to work. Many people today find themselves in the situation where they have tried every diet under the sun and nothing has worked. If you are among them, you may feel that – if you have tried every diet under the sun and none of them have worked for you, you may feel that for $70 it’s worth a try.

Are you ashamed of your arms? It seems that no matter how slim you are, you can still have “bingo wings”; you know, that annoying bit of flesh that hangs underneath your arms. I actually really disike like the term; I just use it because everyone will know what I’m talking about!

So, how can you get rid of your bingo wings?

The answer is that it’s not particularly easy, as this deposit of loose flesh underneath your arms is partly down to genetics, it’s obviously more likely to be there if you are overweight (but also slim people suffer) and takes some time to tone up.  But – the good news is – it can be toned up if you are prepared to exercise using weight sets.  The weights you choose to use can be just household objects, or you can build up your exercise with some adjustable hand weights. Here’s a great video of Rosemary Conley demonstrating 3 different exercises:

The great thing about these exercises is that you can just do them in your own home. I rarely have time to go to they gym as I work full-time, have a 12 year-old daughter and manage some websites in the evenings! So my routine involves leaving a weight in the kitchen and whenever I’m waiting for something to cook (and if I have the motivation at the time), I try to do 20 repetitions of the “elbow pointing to the ceiling” exercise. I have been doing this now since Spring started, and this is definitely the time of year when we become more aware of areas that have not seen the light of day for several seasons! I am now seeing some results, and my arms are much more toned than they used to be, so it is worthwhile and you will see results if you persevere for a couple of months.

My recommendation: Choose 2 out of the 3 exercises and try to do them twice a day for 4-5 days per week. You should notice a difference in about 6 weeks!

Also, have a look at my weights products in the UK or US Shop – see links at the top of the page.

I also particularly like “Smart Girls Do Dumbbells” by Judith Sherman-Wolin. The reviews for this book are great and here’s a quote from one of them: “She (the author) has over twenty years experience as a Personal Trainer and you very much feel that you are in a safe pair of hands. There is no hype and, thankfully, no glossy images of impossibly toned, glamourous bodies to make you feel inadequate. Just good sound advice and an easy-to-use, well-designed fitness regime that aims to help you tone and shape all the major areas of the body”.

Here are the links:

Smart Girls Do Dumbbells – Amazon US
Smart Girls Do Dumbbells – Amazon UK

It’s called the Stabilisation phase, but it’s not really just a “phase”. The Stabilisation phase actually refers to the rest of your life and sets down certain rules by which you should aim to continue eating and exercising in order to maintain your weight loss.

Stabilisation – the rules

1. Eat whatever you like (yes, you heard it right), but make sure you have one protein-only day per week. This is the part of the Dukan diet which I find hardest to grasp – maybe I am missing something?   I really hope that no-one will assume this means you should go back to the way you were eating before you started the diet!  My interpretation is this:  remember what you have learned along the way, namely, take time to prepare and enjoy food and in general, try not to have second helpings.  Don’t gorge yourself on starchy carby foods and if you ever feel that you are putting on weight again, you should immediately go back to Attack for a few days
2. Always use the stairs and make sure you walk for about 20 minutes every day if possible.
3. Increase your intake of oat bran to 3 tbsps per day.  It expands in your stomach and will help to prevent you from overeating.  To read about the huge health benefits of oat bran have a look at this: Oat Bran benefits article.

My conclusion:  this diet has received a lot of criticism, however there is no doubt that it does work.  It is currently helping a huge number of men and women lose weight who were previously unable to by following a more traditional low fat, low calorie diet.  I am personally a bigger fan of Atkins, as I am a firm believer in the benefits of a high fat content in your diet – and we’re talking good fats here, like olive oil, avocados, nuts etc.  However we are faced with an obesity epidemic and bearing that in mind, I would give the Dukan the thumbs up.  However with the proviso that you take a daily multi-vitamin!

The official Dukan Diet programme are currently offering 25% Off on your online coaching here Dukan Diet, so it might be worth taking a look.

You can get yourself a copy of the book on Amazon at this link: The Dukan Diet, or if you live in the US, here’s the link to Amazon.com:  The Dukan Diet: 2 Steps to Lose the Weight, 2 Steps to Keep It Off Forever.

Rationale behind the consolidation phase

You start the consolidation phase of the Dukan Diet once you have reached your target weight. What happens with most diets once you reach your target weight and start to eat “normally”? You put on all the weight you lost, right? The Consolidation phase is designed to prevent this from happening. The main point of doing the Dukan diet is not just to lose weight but to change your eating habits for life. You need to try to move away from the idea that there are “good days” where you hardly eat anything, and “bad days” where you just stuff yourself with all carbs that are coming your way and instead start savouring your food, taking time for meals, and not gorging yourself. The consolidation phase of Dukan is designed to help you ease yourself back into normal eating, but not really normal as you used to know it, more a “post-Dukan” version of normal.

How long do you stay on it?

For every pound you have lost you stay on this phase for 5 days, so if you lost 7 pounds you would stay on it for 35 days.

Fruits allowed in the Consolidation Phase

Fruit at last! I bet you never thought you would miss fruit so much! When I went low carb, I longed for the refreshing taste of grapes in particular. You are advised to start introducing fruit in this particular order: apples, berries, melon, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, peaches, pears, nectarines, and mangoes. You are advised against bananas, cherries and dried fruit as these have a particularly high sugar content.

Other carbs allowed

2 slices wholemeal bread per day
1 portion of starchy carbs per week, which you can increase to 2 portions per week once you are half-way through this phase.

Treats

You are allowed 2 “celebration” meals per week. This does not mean a total blow out! Rather, you should be focusing on choosing one of your favourite foods and really taking your time to prepare and enjoy it. So that might be pizza or it might be lasagne, but it’s one portion only and the emphasis is on moderation.

The official Dukan Diet programme are currently offering 25% Off on your online coaching here Dukan Diet, so it might be worth taking a look.

Coming up: The end is in sight – Phase 4, “Stabilization” is next.

The “Cruise” phase is the second phase of the Dukan diet. By this point, you will have kick-started your metabolism into fat-burning mode by cutting down on your consumption of carbs and switching to a high intake of protein.

During the second phase, you will gradually introduce some non-starchy vegetables into your diet. Here are some examples:

• Tomatoes,
• Celery
• Asparagus
• Aubergine
• Leeks
• Cucumber
• Radish
• Spinach
• Green beans
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Courgette
• Peppers

Carrots, beetroot and artichokes can also be included occasionally. Note that you are not yet allowed potatoes!

The idea is that you are moving towards your target weight or your “True Weight” as Dr Dukan calls it. To determine how long you need to stay on this phase, for every pound you would like to lose you stay on “cruise” for 3 days. So if you would like to lose 10lb, you stay on this phase for 30 days.

During this phase, you should still be losing approximately 2lb per week, but you may lose more if you are very overweight.

The official Dukan Diet programme are currently offering 25% Off on your online coaching here Dukan Diet, so it might be worth taking a look.

My personal opinion is that I like the Dukan diet. It’s the type of diet I would most definitely choose if I was overweight. However I do find the marketing of this diet as “the secret kept by the French for years” as hard to believe. I’ve been to France many times and I have never seen a sign of anyone on the Dukan diet! I think the reason why many French women are slim is more to do with a combination of inherited culture and portion control. I found this interesting article
Why French women stay so slim worth reading, and I think this particular post has hit the nail on the head.

Stay tuned for phase 3 of Dukan – “Consolidation”.

Do you really want to lose weight?

Have you tried lots of low fat, low calorie diets and find them too difficult to stick to? If you have never tried a low carb diet before, you might be pleasantly surprised at how it can shift excess pounds that refuse to budge on traditional diets. (See my story regarding how switching to low carb worked for me). See also why low carb works for a really good explanation of what happens when you cut down on carbohydrates.

The Dukan Diet is the French diet which is creating a storm in the dieting community. It has been around for over 10 years in France and has recently been “imported” to the UK and US, where it’s shooting up the dieting “best-sellers” lists.

There are 4 phases to the Dukan diet and rather than skim through all four of them here, I am dedicating this post to just the first phase – the Attack Phase. The amount of time you stay on it depends on how much weight you have to lose. Here’s a rough guideline:

• less than 20lb – three days;
• 20–40lb – five days;
• more than 40lb – seven to ten days

You are of course advised to seek medical advice first.

What foods can you eat on the Attack phase?

There are 72 different foods to choose from in the first phase and you are given a full list of them in the Dukan diet book. It is stressed by Dr Dukan that you must stick to the diet completely; not one morsel of a forbidden food should pass your lips during this first phase, otherwise you may have to start all over again! Here’s a list of the main foods you are allowed:

• Turkey
• Lean ham
• All fish, including oily fish
• Seafood
• Up to two eggs per day
• Fat-free natural and flavoured yogurt, but not yoghurt containing fruit
• Fat-free fromage frais
• Quark
• Cottage cheese
• Skimmed milk

You also have to eat 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran every day. This serves two purposes; firstly, it fills you up, as it swells up to 25 times its original size in your stomach. Secondly, oat bran has enormous health benefits in that it lowers cholesterol, is heart-healthy and leads to improved intestinal health.

Also allowed during the Attack phase are sweeteners, vinegar, spices, herbs, garlic, onion, gherkins, pickled onions, lemon juice on food, mustard and salt (in moderation), sugar-free natural ketchup in moderation, and sugar-free chewing gum. This should help jazz things up a bit if you find it difficult – but remember, it’s only for a short period of time, and then you’re on to the “Cruise” phase.

Exercise is “non-negotiable” and you are advised to walk briskly for 20 minutes every day, and you are also asked to drink 1.5 litres of water. You can include coffee, tea and diet drinks in this total.

Will you lose weight?

Most definitely! I know that the Dukan diet will work as I’ve lost weight myself on a similar low carb diet. if you’re not used to cutting down on your carbs you may find it difficult in the first few days, but I can assure you that you won’t regret it once you see the pounds coming off. It will kick-start your metabolism and you will feel great!

The official Dukan Diet programme are currently offering 25% Off on your online coaching here Dukan Diet, so it might be worth taking a look.

You can get yourself a copy of the book on Amazon at this link: The Dukan Diet, or if you live in the US, here’s the link to Amazon.com: The Dukan Diet: 2 Steps to Lose the Weight, 2 Steps to Keep It Off Forever.

“Burn the Fat, feed the muscle” by Tom Venuto, is a well-known diet and fitness program which has been around for some time now. You may have heard of it if you’ve been looking at diet programmes online. I don’t really tend to look too much at these sorts of programmes a great deal as I am relatively happy with my own diet. I know what works for me and I know how to lose weight if I feel I’ve put on a few pounds – back to Atkins induction basically! Anyway, in the interests of making my blog as varied and informative as I can, I thought I would take a look at this programme and see what it has got to offer.

I came across “Burn the Fat” looking for information on fat burning in general. I was tempted to look into it further as it claims to be definitely not a starvation or calorie-restricting diet, and also, it combines exercise with diet and sounded quite sensible. Based on my years of starvation and yo-yo dieting, I would never go near any dieting product which advises skipping meals, taking “miracle pills” or taking some sort of a meal substitute. And I’m definitely not keen at all on diets like The Cabbage Soup diet! This is what the author, Tom Venuto says about his ebook:

“Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” (BFFM) is a 337 page fat burning success manual in e-book format jam-packed cover to cover with all the fat destroying methods previously known by only a small handful of the worlds best fitness models and bodybuilders. This program contains all the information you’ ll ever need to help you shed body fat permanently without muscle loss and without using drugs or unnecessary supplements.”

Well, of course he’s going to hype it up a bit! However, shedding body fat permanently without muscle loss – that’s what everyone wants isn’t it?

So, is “Burn the Fat, feed the Muscle” worth investing in, or a waste of money?

From reading Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, you learn that to get lean you have to change your lifestyle and adopt new habits to replace the old ones that made you fat – which you will know already of course. There are no quick fixes promised here.
The Burn The Fat website is full of testimonials from people of all ages. This is one of them:

“I’m a 40 year old mom with 3 children, ages 11, 6 and 4. Before, I was 85 kg and 36.5% i body fat, size 40. I was fat, miserable, and my family life and relationship were suffering. I wasn’t able to do anything with my kids, I was tired and constantly irritated. My husband knew someone who did Burn The Fat and it changed his life, so I decided to do it too. I lost 15 kgs and kept it off!”

Since it’s impossible to be sure these testimonials/people are real, I did a bit of research and found a free discussion forum called the Burn The Fat Facebook group, which has several thousand members who support each other to implement the program. You’ll also find several Burn The Fat Yahoo groups. There is also a paid online support community (sponsored by Venuto), called the Burn The Fat Inner Circle, with thousands of members using the Burn The Fat system. Membership to this site is optional and doesn’t come with the e-book.

It’s easy to find positive reviews and before and after photos of people who have successful used Burn The Fat to lose weight. You’ll also find some YouTube videos and blogs devoted to chronicling the training journals and nutrition programs of fat burners.

It’s hard to dispute that Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is a well-established fat loss program. Third party proof all over the Internet and it’s been around since 2002.

Will Burn the Fat work for YOU?

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is a best seller and there’s proof that it works. But it will probably appeal the most to a certain kind of person. First, it takes effort and a significant time investment. It takes focus, dedication and hard work to get significant, permanent and natural fat loss (as opposed to some rapid fat loss programs where you’re required to take drugs or supplements and where the weight is a lot more likely to come back).

Another thing to know is that the main focus of the e-book is on nutrition, and it requires counting calories and crunching numbers to create menu plans. This approach may not be for everyone. Some people prefer to just estimate portion sizes. Burn The Fat is probably ideal for people who need structure, enjoy planning and are detail-oriented . If you like to know WHY you’re doing something instead of just being told WHAT to do, you’ll appreciate the detail in the 300+ pages. It’s definitely thorough.

Here’s my verdict:

If you want a quick fix weight loss solution, if you’re looking for what pill to take or if you’re not willing to exercise, then Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is probably not for you.

On the other hand, if you’ve already tried lots of diet trends and fads, if you really want to take your fitness and fat loss seriously and if you have the discipline to make lifestyle changes, then I think you’ll find Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle to be a good investment

It may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely not a scam.

You can learn more at the official website at www.BurnTheFat.com

I just came across this video on Twitter and had to post it. If you are in need of any further proof about the unseen damage that sugar is causing on a daily basis, take a look at this.

What is yacon syrup?

Yacon syrup is a healthy natural sweetener, freshly pressed from the yacon root which is a dense root system loaded with minerals vitamins and complex chemicals. If you’re on a low GI or low carb eating plan, of course most of your efforts are around eating food which will not convert to sugar and raise your blood glucose levels. So if you do indulge in desserts, chances are you try out the sugar-free versions – right? So what’s wrong with that and what’s yacon syrup got to do with it?

Well, an article in the The Scientific American describes a research project on rats, who were divided into two groups. The first group were given yoghurt sweetened with sugar and the second group had yoghurt sweetened with saccharin. The researchers noticed that over two weeks the rats given saccharin yoghurt ate more than the other rats. Apparently their appetite had been stimulated. What’s more they gained more weight and their body fat increased.

Study authors Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson speculate “that the faux sweetener messes with the brain, fooling it into revving up the body’s metabolism in anticipation of a never-to-come calorie load.”

Bearing this in mind, I have now become quite interested in investigating yacon syrup in a bit more detail. I have a very sweet tooth, and I have personally become quite addicted to sugar-free jelly over the past year or so! It looks like yacon syrup could be of great benefit to anyone (like me!) who basically wants to have their cake and eat it – and not suffer the consequences!

Here are some of the supposed advantages of yacon:

Recipes using yacon
Here’s a great recipe collection I’ve found online which uses yacon exclusively: Heavenly Cakes. The recipes are absolutely delicious and the case made for yacon syrup is really quite compelling. Each recipe comes with a net carb count and the author also is throwing in three bonus books – low carb ice-cream recipes, low carb snacks and low carb pies (American style pies ie apple pie etc). You have just got to take a look at the pictures on the first page – mouth watering!

Yacon even has it’s own spot on Wikipedia here: Yacon on Wikipedia

And here’s a short video giving a concise description:

If you live in the UK, you can get it at Goji King, and I believe that Amazon stock it in the US.

I’ll be following up on this one, as I think it’s worth watching.