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Fat Fighting Tips

Based on the Latest Fat Fighting Research

NEW Research Yields New Fat Fighting Tips
or Confirms Old Ones!

Research studies to help control weight.

This article summarizes the results of 16 different weight control research studies from all around the globe.

1. In an Arizona State University study, subjects who had four teaspoons of vinegar before a high carb meal didn’t experience the blood sugar spike which often causes people to eat more later. On average, the subjects’ daily food consumption went down 200 calories. (Recipes to follow.)

2. More on vinegar – a Swedish study found that people who dipped their bread in vinegar, as the Italians do, felt fuller. Their theory is that vinegar slows the passage of food through the intestinal tract, making the stomach feel full longer.

[I’d lay odds that the reason is the one given in #1, but this confirms the fat-fighting power of vinegar.]

3. Another blood sugar spike controller – cinnamon. A USDA study showed that just ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon a day lowered blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.

4. It appears that protein, as well as vinegar and sugar, can help prevent spikes in blood sugar which cause food cravings.

A multi-center study of thirty overweight women found that those who had two high-protein scrambled eggs along with two slices of high-carb toast and low-cal fruit spread consumed significantly less for the next 36 hoursthan women who started the day with a high-carb bagel breakfast with the same total calories.

5. More support for Tip 4: Dutch researchers found that when subjects who had just completed a weight-loss program ate an extra ounce of protein a day (5 large shrimp), they were significantly less likely to regain the weight than those who did not.

6. According to a recent Harvard study, calories from lean protein (like shrimp) may be burned faster than those from carbs or fat, possibly because the body doesn’t store protein.

[I have my doubts on this one. If the body burns protein first because it can’t store it, doesn’t that mean it stores the other calories as fat? So you would either have to cut total calories or have a very high-protein diet which would be unhealthy for other reasons. But in fairness, I just thought I should report this.]

7. You can get your protein from lean beef as well.

Dieters in a study at the University of Chicago, Urbana-Champaign, given 9-10 ounces of lean beef a day lost more weight, more fat and less muscle that a control group eating the same number of calories but less protein. The beef-eaters also felt more satisfied.

8. Many studies have indicated that fiber curbs one’s appetite.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota came up with a clever way to test this theory. They gave 14 subjects a bowl of cereal before turning them loose on a breakfast buffet. Those who had eaten the high-fiber cereals (Fiber One or Kellogg’s All Bran with Extra Fiber) ate significantly fewer calories at the buffet.

9. More on fiber – don’t just think fiber cereal.

The pectin fiber found in fruits, is not just filling, it also lowers blood sugar levels to keep appetite in check. In a 12-week Brazilian study, dieters who ate three small pears or apples a day lost more weight than women on the same diet who substituted three oatmeal cookies of equal calories for their fiber.

10. Another surprise appetite suppressant – capsaicin which is found in chili peppers.

Dutch researchers gave people tomato juice before breakfast and lunch. Half the subjects drank the juice spiked with chili powder and the other half drank it plain. Those who drank the spicy version consumed 16% fewer calories on average. Bloody Mary, here I come!

11. More on capsaicin – Japanese researchers gave 13 women breakfast containing capsaicin, e.g. a western omelet, and observed that they ate less than they normally had for lunch.

12. Metabolism boosters? We know there are diet pills that make one hyper and that the increased calorie burn causes weight loss.

However according to Japanese researchers, there is a more benign metabolism booster – catechins found in nearly all teas made from the Camillia sinensis plant, including white, green, black and Oolong tea.

[Catechins are also found in chocolate, wine and some fruits and vegetables.]

Kao Corp. produces a catechin-enriched bottled tea. Thirty-nine overweight employees were put on a moderate diet and told to drink one 340ml bottle of tea (11.5 oz.) with dinner each day.

The half given the catechin-enriched tea experienced an increase in metabolism, a decrease in bad cholesterol and lost more weight. The high catechin group lost an average of 1 ½ inches from their waistlines. The control group lost half as much.

13. Another metabolism booster – olive oil. Australian researchers found that extra-virgin olive oil boosts metabolism and helps burn calories.

In a second Australian study two groups of men were given equal calorie diets, one high in saturated fats and the other high in monounsaturated fats like olive oil and avocados.

After four weeks, the monounsaturated fat group had lost more weight and burned more fat.

14. Isn’t it surprising that high-fat foods can cause weight loss?

Here’s another one – nuts. Purdue University researchers had 15 normal-weight people add 500 calories of peanuts to their daily diets. Their resting metabolism increased an average of 11 percent.

15. I’m sure you’ve heard that eating a low-cal salad before the main course blunts appetite, but researchers at Penn State University have quantified the benefit.

Forty-two women, who started with a low-cal salad, ate 12 percent fewer calories. That translates to almost 100 calories saved – without effort.

[Be sure your salad dressing is vinegar based and you also get the appetite-suppressing power noted in tip 1 and 2. Make it vinegar and olive oil for the metabolism boost noted in tip 13.]

16. If you’re burning the candle at both ends and skimping on sleep, take heed.

A long-term Harvard study tracking almost 70,000 women found a statistically significant relationship between getting five or less hours of sleep a night and weight gain.

The sleep-skimpers had a 32% greater chance of gaining more than 30 pounds over the 16-year study period. At least seven hours a night is recommended to avoid this weight gain, as well as for other health reasons.

The Synthesis – What Can We Learn from these NEW Fat Fighting Tips?

Grouping the results of all these fat fighting studies, I come up with four categories of weight control aids: Appetite Suppressants; Metabolism Boosters; what author Barbara Rolls dubbed “Volumetrics”; and one Holistic Diet Aid.

Appetite Suppressants

Vinegar (studies 1 and 2), cinnamon (study 3), lean protein (studies 4, 5, 6 and 7), fiber (studies 8 and 9) and capsaicin from hot chili peppers (studies 10 and 11) all lower appetite.

Lean protein and fiber do so by filling you up and staying in your system longer. The other foods in this list, as well as pectin fiber (found in fruit), lower appetite by controlling blood sugar spikes which cause food cravings.

Metabolism Boosters

The catechins found in many teas (study 12), olive oil, avocados, other monounsaturated fats (study 13) and nuts (study 14) have been shown to boost basal metabolism causing the body to burn more calories.

Volumetrics

The finding that salads (without the high-calorie dressing or toppings) blunt your appetite (study 15) is right in line with Barbara Rolls’ eminently sensible diet tool, which she named “volumetrics”.

The theory is that people tend to eat the same volume of food every day so that if you substitute low calorie density foods for some of the calorie-packed foods you are accustomed to, your total calorie intake will be reduced substantially.

Holistic Diet Aid: Adequate Sleep

We used to call it “beauty sleep”. Now we know it’s also health sleep and diet sleep. One more hour of sleep means one hour less to nosh.

Get at least seven hours a night. You’ll look more rested, give your body more time to repair itself, feel less stressed and stay slimmer.

Here are some Fat Fighting Recipes.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as medical advice.

 

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