Simply Living Well October 2004: Beyond Dieting: How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

This edition includes information on the limitations of dieting, a link to the National Weight Control Registry, a weight loss recipe for greens, and an article on the top 5 things you can do to lose weight without even trying.

The Simply Living Well newsletter is published monthly and provides
articles, recipes, and tips on creating and maintaining a healthy,
balanced lifestyle.

Please send any comments or suggestions to:
Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net or call her directly at 347-661-2143.

For additional recipes and resources on Holistic Health and Wellness,
please visit www.SimplyLivingWell.net.

This month's newsletter includes:

1. Quote of the month

2. October Editor's Letter

3. Website of the month: National Weight Control Registry

4. 6-Month Holistic Health Counseling Program

5. ONE MORE SPACE LEFT-- Healthy Cooking and Yoga at the Beach! October 22-24

6. October Weight Loss Recipe: Steamed Kale

7. Article: Beyond Dieting: How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

8. More about Katherine Jamieson, Holistic Health Counselor and Yoga
Teacher

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"The best way to lose weight is to close your mouth - something very difficult for a politician. Or watch your food - just watch it, don't eat it."
Edward Koch, former mayor of New York City

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OCTOBER EDITOR'S LETTER

One of the most common things I am asked is: Which diet do you think is the best? It's a good question. As a health counselor in a country of full of diets--Atkins, the Zone, Weight Watchers, South Beach to name a few--I should have an answer.

The truth is I don't like diets and overall I don't think they make sense. America has the biggest diet industry in the world and yet we are also the most overweight country in the world. What does that tell us? As a recent study by the USDA found, diets lack long-term success and can often seriously compromise health.

Diets give the misleading impression that if you just take a few simple steps all your weight challenges will disappear over night. Time and again I have seen friends, family members, and clients start diets with a lot of excitement, lose some weight, and then gain it back, sometimes even more than they lost. Diets do one thing really well: they sell a lot of books. And now, they're selling a lot of specialty products, many of which are over-processed, artificial and, if you ask me, truly unhealthy.

A better approach to weight loss is to develop a pattern of healthy, balanced eating, and exercise, incorporating time-tested health advice. In this month's article, "Beyond Diets: How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying" I offer some ideas about how to fit healthy habits into your busy life and lose weight at the same time.

I believe the diet paradigm is out-dated because it doesn't respect the individual's relationship to food. Eating should always be about enjoyment, not deprivation, and there are many changes you can make to help you feel better and lose weight without "going on a diet."

Be well,

Katherine

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WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: National Weight Control Registry

http://www.uchsc.edu/nutrition/WyattJortberg/nwcr.htm

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) was founded in 1993 and is a collaborative venture between doctors at the University of Colorado, Brown University and University of Pittsburgh. It is a longitudinal study of 3,000 individuals 18 years and older, who have successfully maintained a 30 pound weight loss for a minimum of 1 year. The study should have a lot to tell us about long lasting weight loss, an area that has not been well studied. It's results will also have implications for how we view the diet industry.

Interesting findings from the study include:

** Successful weight losers report making substantial changes in eating and exercise habits to lose weight and maintain their losses.

** Two-thirds of these successful weight losers were overweight as children and 60% report a family history of obesity.

** Approximately 50% of participants lost weight on their own without any type of formal program or help.

** Walking is the most frequently cited physical activity performed by NWCR members.

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6-MONTH HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELING PROGRAM

Nutrition is a fundamental aspect of health. The food we eat becomes
part of our blood cells, which then feed our tissues and vital organs. When we eat food that has limited nutritional value, our cells weaken. When we eat quality foods our bodies reflect that nourishment through vitality, balance and joy. Whole, natural foods--vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruits--are quality foods. By shifting your diet to healthy, balanced, quality foods, you can support your body to heal itself and prevent future disease.

Working together, we will discuss all the issues that contribute to
your relationship with health and nutrition. Often our health concerns arise from a lack of attention to our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional needs. Holistic health care addresses all of these needs equally. As a result of our work together you will feel healthier, more energized, and you will have the skills to maintain this state of wellness for years to come.

My fully supported 6-month Health Counseling Program includes :

** Two 50-minute phone counseling sessions per month, including a full set of notes and follow-up suggestions

** Books, tapes, CDs, videos, articles and magazine subscription with
a focus on individual health concerns and goals

** Cookbooks, quick, easy to cook recipes, and healthy cooking video

** Supplements, lifestyle and self-care aids, and other materials

** 24-hour e-mail support and membership to Holistic Health e-group

** Monthly e-mail newsletter with recipes, articles and tips for
healthy living

Call or e-mail to schedule a FREE one-hour initial consultation about
the 6-month Holistic Health Counseling Program.

Simply Living Well
Because being well doesn't have to be complicated
347-661-2143 Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net

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HEALTHY COOKING AND YOGA AT THE BEACH!
October 22-24, 2004 Bethany Beach

We have just one space left in what promises to be a great weekend! If you can join us last minute, please contact me ASAP at Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net and I'll give you more details. We'd love to have you!

RESTORE
RELAX, RENEW!!

A WOMEN'S WELLNESS WEEKEND

HEALTHY COOKING & YOGA AT THE BEACH

"By nourishing the body,
we nourish the spark of life within the body."
-Mark David,author of Nourishing Wisdom

Cooking classes & Yoga daily...then let nature do the rest!

Walk away with a deeper knowledge around whole food cooking and nutrition and how it can benefit your life!

WHEN: OCTOBER 22-24, 2004
WHERE: BETHANY BEACH, DE
Cost: $295 includes, room, meals, and classes.
Massage therapist will be available at additional cost

PLEASE E-MAIL Katherine@SimplyLivingWell.net for more details about this weekend and registration forms. There are limited spaces and the deadline for signing up is early October, so please contact me quickly if you're interested!

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OCTOBER WEIGHT LOSS RECIPE: Steamed Kale

Vegetables are the best food for losing weight, hands down. They are low in calories (one cup of broccoli has only 28 calories), high in fiber and water which make you feel full, and rich in nutrition. Of all vegetables, green leafy vegetables are the absolute best for weight loss. For maximum weight loss, pack in as many servings of green, leafy vegetables a day as you can, 2 servings is great but 3 or 4 will lead to faster weight loss.

STEAMED KALE

Ingredients: 1 bunch kale

Directions:

1. Wash and cut kale. Cut into long strips or rip into bite size pieces. The stems can also be used.

2. Place kale in a steaming basket. Put about 2 inches of water into the pot. Bring to boil, cover, lower heat, and let steam for 5 minutes

3. Try this will collard greens, bok choy, and mustard greens so you can get a sense of the basic taste of these greens.

MAKE PLAIN STEAMED VEGETABLES MORE EXCITING!

** Add 1 tablespoon olive oil or toasted sesame oil to every 2 cups greens

** Add 2 bay leave or 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the water

** Sprinkle greens with toasted pumpkin, sesame, flax, or sunflower seeds, almonds or walnuts

** Use tamari soy sauce to add extra flavor

** Squeeze fresh lemon juice over greens

**After steaming, quickly stir-fry greens with a pinch of sea salt, olive oil and garlic
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ARTICLE--Beyond Dieting: How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

How great would it be to lose those extra pounds without revolutionizing your diet or joining the gym? What if you could begin your weight loss plan today, right now, without having to read Atkins for Life, stock up on Zone bars, or figure out the difference between an elliptical machine and a treadmill?

Many of the best weight loss tips are the simplest, the ones that take little or no effort. The challenge is figuring out which ones work best for you and then creating habits to incorporate them into your life on a daily basis. Once you've established good habits, the resulting increased energy, balanced moods, and weight loss are usually enough motivation to continue.

But how to start?

As with most things, it's best to start where you are. Try not to think of losing weight as a "new project" at all, but to integrate it into your daily life so that you can continue these patterns into the future.

The secret is, weight loss is not about loss at all: weight loss is health gain! Take the following suggestions as tips for how to feel better in your body and I guarantee that you'll improve your overall health and lose weight without even trying.

The following are the five easiest steps you can take to begin losing weight today, tomorrow, or any time you begin.

1. BREATHE MORE THAN YOU'VE EVER BREATHED BEFORE

You're always going to have to breathe, so why not lose some weight while you're at it!

Most people breathe shallowly, taking air only into their chest, a pattern that worsens in stressful situations. Children especially babies, are much better models for human breathing than adults. Watching children breathe you will see their chests lift, their ribs expand and their bellies fill with air. They are taking full advantage of the oxygen around them and for good reason: it keeps them alive and well.

Learning to breathe deeply is one of the most revolutionary steps you can take to losing weight. By bringing air into the diaphragm you massage the digestive organs, which improves the way you process and assimilate food. Not breathing fully may lead to stagnation in your digestive system, especially if you eat a lot of processed foods.

It's even more effective to breathe while you're eating. This not only improves digestion but helps you slow down the meal, remember to chew eat bite completely and notice when you feel full.

2. WATER, WATER ALL AROUND

Another necessity of life, hydration, is an incredible tool for weight loss. When we aren't hydrated well, our body can't process all the food we take in, our digestion is compromised and our bodies hold on to weight.

However, you can get more water into your daily routine. I find that "frontloading water", drinking a few glasses first thing in the morning is one of the best ways to get enough water in my day. This way, even if I have a busy day and forget to drink enough water, I've still gotten enough hydration to keep going until the evening.

3. GET YOUR PASSIVE EXERCISE

This may seem like a contradiction in terms until you redefine the word exercise. Many people think you only get exercise when you go to the gym or put on your running shoes. Au contraire, I define exercise as any movements you make throughout the day, for whatever purpose.

Thus, climbing the stairs is exercise. Walking between floors in your office is exercise. Searching for your car in the parking lot is exercise. Playing with your kids is exercise. Raking leaves, cleaning the house, washing your car--all exercise.

Avoid elevators and escalators and befriend staircases. If you drive, park farther away from your destination and walk; if you take the subway come off a stop earlier and get in a few extra blocks of urban sightseeing. Consider doing some of the house or yard work yourself, saving money and getting good, healthy passive exercise.

You can be creative with this too. Have "walking meetings" with friends or colleagues, incorporating exercise into work and socializing. Buy small weights that go around your wrists so you work your upper body at the same time. The added benefit of passive exercise is that it often keeps you outside longer in the fresh air, and gives you time to focus on the number one weight loss tool, good breathing.

4. BREAKFAST LIKE A QUEEN, LUNCH LIKE A PRINCESS, DINNER LIKE A PAUPER

I often find with my clients, it's not so much WHAT they're eating but WHEN they're eating. Even foods that are healthy early in the day will not serve you well when you're body is getting ready to go into 8 hours of rest. In fact, if you eat something less than a few hours before going to bed, you won't fully digest that food all night. This is why people who eat late often aren't hungry the next morning--they're still working on dinner!

A better plan for weight loss is to shift everything you eat up in the day. At this stage, you don't even have to be concerned about what you're eating, just eat it earlier. If you don't usually have breakfast because you're not hungry, notice what happens when you have your smallest meal of the day finished by 8 PM. If you wake up at 8:00 AM, you'll have been fasting for 12 hours, another great way to promote weight loss by giving your body a break from digesting food.

Most likely, your body will naturally ask for food in the morning once you've established this pattern. Then, when evening comes you won't be "starving" and tempted to eat a big, rich dinner that will lead to weight gain.

5. CROWD OUT THE "EMPTIES" WITH VEGGIES

"A better mechanism for weight gain could not have developed than introducing a liquid carbohydrate with calories that are not fully compensated for by increasing satiety." So sayeth, Caroline Apovian of the Boston University of Medicine commenting on sugar-sweetened soft drinks and their strong connection to obesity and diabetes.

In other words, empty calories are not your friends. They deplete your body, make you gain weight, throw off your ability to regulate sugar and don't even fill you up!

In keeping with the "without even trying" theme of this article, I encourage you not to try to cut out your favorite empty calories but to instead "crowd" them out.

In other words, don't eat less, eat more! Specifically, what you want to eat more of is vegetables. Vegetables, vegetables and more vegetables, you really can't go wrong. All vegetables are good, they are the one food I recommend without reservation. If you really want to go for the gold, you can incorporate the "Fat Burners" which include daikon radish, leek, scallion, turnip, onions and celery.

Really, though, any vegetable will do, and lots of water will also help with cravings and keeping the "empties" out of your diet. This process often happens so naturally that clients forget the foods they once felt addicted to, whether it was candy bars or mocha lattes, simply because they're too full to want any other food to eat.

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ABOUT KATHERINE JAMIESON, HOLISTIC HEALTH COUNSELOR

Katherine was trained in Holistic Health Counseling through the
Professional Training Program at the Institute for Integrative
Nutrition in New York, and certified by the American Association of
Drugless Practitioners. She was certified to teach yoga in 2001
through the New York Open Center Prana Yoga Teacher Training,
instructed by Dr. Jeffrey Migdow, MD. She holds a B.A. in Psychology
and Sociology from Wesleyan University. Before entering the Holistic
Health field, Katherine was a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in
Guyana, South America.

Her practice combines cutting-edge, holistic nutritional theory and
yoga breathing and postures, to help people address their health
concerns and attain optimal health and well being in their lives. She
has been a speaker at the United Nations, UNICEF, UNDP, the New York City Department of Health, the Hospital for Joint Diseases, the USDA and the Embassy of Australia. She maintains a private practice for individuals committed to addressing their health concerns through diet and lifestyle change.

If you are interested in reading back issues of this newsletter, in
publication since May 2003, please feel free to visit the web hosting
site where you can find the full editions catalogued:

http://casts.webvalence.com/sites/SimplyLivingWell/

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SPECIAL QUOTES FOR PEOPLE WHO READ TO THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER:

"Never order food in excess of your body weight."
Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)

"Don't eat too many almonds; they add weight to the breasts."
Colette (I can not confirm this statement...)

THANK YOU FOR READING AND BE WELL!