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LeenaGee

Want to start working out at home? MFP has posted some free video workouts to try at home. Try one of these 8 free cardio workouts for beginners!

As for me, I think I might just curl up with a good book today.

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/8-free-low-impact-cardio-workouts-for-beginners/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=MyFitnessPal&utm_content=8 Free Low-Impact Cardio Workouts for Beginners

LeenaGee

Well we have all heard lots of different opinions on "is a Calorie a Calorie?"

So this is the opinion of Elle Penner, M.P.H., R.D., is the Registered Dietitian and Food & Nutrition Editor at MyFitnesssPal, as well as an active runner and food-enthusiast.


"As the dietitian for MyFitnessPal, I’m often asked, “Is a calorie a calorie?” Well, according to the laws of thermodymanics, yes, all calories are created equal (at least on paper). But—and this is a big but—the way the body breaks down carbohydrates, protein and fat, the three main sources of calories in our diet (four if you count alcohol), and the effect they have on our bodies differ vastly. There are semester-long courses that explain just how our bodies break down, burn and store each of these four calorie sources differently (I know because I took one in graduate school), but since this is a 750-word blog post and not a 750-page textbook, I’ll try do my best to briefly explain why not all calories are created equal.

Fats

In addition to being a potent and flavorful source of energy, fats slow digestion, deliver important fat-soluble vitamins to the body, and provide important building blocks for every one of our cells.

All dietary fats provide about 9 calories per gram but, as you likely already know, some fats are better for our health than others. For example, polyunsaturated omega-3 fats, found in foods like wild salmon and flaxseed, have protective, anti-inflammatory properties, whereas artificial trans fats have been linked to increased inflammation and heart disease.

Protein

Protein also keeps us feeling fuller for longer by slowing digestion, but its primary role in the body is to maintain and build new cells. Protein needs are greatest during childhood, adolescence and pregnancy, when the body is growing and adding new tissues. But we now also know that protein is beneficial during weight loss, as it contributes to satiety and offsets the amount of lean muscle that is burned for energy, in addition to fat, during a calorie deficit.

All proteins provide about 4 calories per gram but there are higher quality proteins, which may reduce appetite and optimize muscle repair and recovery (think: fish or eggs), and lower quality proteins (think: hamburger meat) that are loaded with branched-chain amino acids, which have been linked to metabolic disease and insulin resistance. In this case, you get more nutritional bang for your buck if you consume 4 calories of high quality protein.

Carbohydrates

When it comes to differentiating calories, carbohydrates are by far the most complex (pardon the pun) mostly because our bodies use the different types of carbohydrates (such as fiber, starch and sugar) in very different ways.

Carbohydrates are used by the body as a quick source of energy, particularly for the brain, liver and muscles. All carbohydrates (with the exception of fiber, which our body can’t digest) provide 4 calories per gram. But just as there are healthier fats and higher-quality proteins, there are varying degrees of carbohydrate quality.

Though not a source of calories, fiber is considered a high-quality carbohydrate since it slows digestion (thus making you feel fuller, longer) and can moderate the absorption of other nutrients, like sugar. For this reason, high-quality carbohydrates typically contain fiber and are minimally processed. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Lower-quality carbohydrates almost always lack fiber (with the exception of dairy which contains natural sugars packaged with protein) and add little more than “empty calories” to our diets.

By now it’s probably clear that a calorie from fat is not the same as a calorie from protein or carbohydrate. But let’s take it a step further and compare calories from two different types of sugar: glucose and fructose.

Starchy foods like rice, potatoes and pasta, are predominantly made up of glucose, a simple sugar that that can be burned for energy by every cell in our bodies. It’s stored in our liver and muscles for a quick source of energy during exercise or while we sleep. Unprocessed starchy foods, like brown rice, potatoes with the skin on and 100% whole-wheat pasta, contain the food’s natural fiber as well as some vitamins and minerals.

Unlike glucose, which can be burned for energy by all organs, fructose can really only be broken down in the liver. It’s also the sweetest tasting of the three simple sugars which makes it enjoyable on the tastebuds. In nature, fructose is found in fruits bound tightly to indigestible fiber that, as we already know, reduces and slows its absorption. Unfortunately, the majority of fructose in our diets isn’t from fruits–it’s from calorie-containing sweeteners added to sweetened beverages and the majority of processed foods—including these 10 foods that might surprise you.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elle-penner/diet-and-nutrition_b_5193611.html

Here’s the main difference between these two sugars: While too many calories from glucose can lead to weight gain and accumulation of the less harmful subcutaneous fat, too many calories from fructose (found in calorie-containing sweeteners like sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup etc…) can overwhelm the liver, contributing to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance and more.

As you can see, a calorie of carbohydrate is not the same as a calorie from fat or protein, nor are all carbohydrate calories created equal. As a general rule of thumb, I recommend consuming the majority of your calories from minimally or unprocessed whole foods since, ultimately, the quality of what we eat determines the quantity of calories we consume, which impacts not only our weight but also our overall health and well-being."

LeenaGee

Brandi Newell is the Manager of Research and Insights at MyFitnessPal. She uses qualitative and quantitative methods to help understand what people want and need to live healthier lives. Her background includes a master’s degree in Psychology and Neuroscience from Harvard University and unseemly amounts of cooking, hiking, and yoga.

Are your breakfast choices actually preventing you from losing weight?

3 Ways Your Breakfast Is Sabotaging Your Weight Loss

"Whether you’re a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess or a criminal, you’ve got to start the day off right. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the film The Breakfast Club, we took a look at what the MyFitnessPal breakfast club noshes on—and some of the data surprised us.

While things weren’t quite to this legendary level of questionable, and as far as we could tell, there were no Cap’n Crunch sandwiches involved, we did spot a few ways our members could improve upon their breakfast habits.

1. You Aren’t Eating Enough for Breakfast. On average, MyFitnessPal members who logged breakfast in January and February of 2015 ate 265 calories for breakfast. One of our nutrition experts, Trinh Le, MPH, RD, recommends that people allocate ¼ to ⅓ of their daily calories to breakfast. Even at the lowest recommended daily calorie goal (1,200 net calories for women and 1,500 for men), that translates to a minimum of 300-375 calories. Are you one of the many Americans under-eating at breakfast? Start your day off with a balanced meal and you’ll be less likely to crash and crave unhealthy options as lunchtime approaches.

2. You’re Eating Too Many Carbs and Not Enough Fat. On average, members’ breakfasts break down to 34g (62%) of carbs, 9g (16%) of fat and 12g (22%) of protein. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommends that people eat 45-50% of their calories from carbohydrates, 25-35% from fat, and 20-25% from protein. So, overall, MyFitnessPal members are eating more carbohydrates and less fat than is recommended for breakfast. Next time you’re in the store shopping for breakfast foods, keep in mind that the carbs you choose should be high-fiber. Try pairing them with protein and fat so you stay fuller longer and have a more balanced diet.

3. You’re Eating Too Much Added Sugar. Every morning, on average, MyFitnessPal members’ breakfasts contain a little more than one tablespoon—3.5 teaspoons or 14g—of sugar. That’s 56 calories, and means that about 21% of people’s breakfast calories are coming from sugar. The World Health Organization recommends that less than 10% of total calorie intake be from added sugar, and points out that a reduction to 5% of total calories can lead to added benefits. Recommendations are different based on whether the sugar is “added,” as in sweet cereals or breakfast pastries, versus natural, as from fresh fruits. The American Heart Association recommends that women stay below 6 teaspoons (24 grams) and men below 9 teaspoons (36 grams) of added sugar every day. So, if the sugar that we’re seeing logged during breakfast time is mostly coming from “added” sources, most women have already eaten more than half of their daily sugar allotment, and men are over the one-third mark. As you’re assessing your own breakfast menu, take a second to check the labels on your bread, cereal, jam and coffee drinks—the amount of added sugar lurking within may surprise you! Balanced Breakfast Cheat Sheet We noticed that a lot of people love oatmeal, cereal, and toast, so here’s a quick cheat sheet to make sure your morning go-to gets you the nutrients you need:

Full report here: https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/3-ways-your-breakfast-is-sabotaging-your-weight-loss/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=Facebook

LeenaGee

I found this article by Sabrina Tillman, managing editor for MyFitnessPal interesting.

Struggling to Lose Weight? Your Environment May Be to Blame

You might not know it, but food psychologist Brian Wansink has probably already influenced the way that you eat. Although some of his views differ radically from conventional nutrition advice, his perspective could become the new gospel for those struggling to lose weight or maintain weight they’ve lost.

Wansink, who directs Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, studies how our physical environment impacts what and how we eat. He’s published several books, including Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, and was the lead author of more than 120 studies published in the last decade whose findings have led to paradigm shifts in the way we serve, consume, and market food. For example, his work has contributed to the use of taller, thinner glasses in some bars, the widely dispensed advice to eat off smaller plates, and the creation of 100-calorie snack packs.

A recent Mother Jones article detailed the uncommon wisdom of Wansink’s approach to food consumption, a sort of antithesis to the reduction and cold-turkey approaches of trading “unhealthy” foods for “healthy” ones. These approaches often neglect to address the deeply rooted emotional and environmental factors that complicate weight-loss efforts.

So instead of swimming upstream, Wansink adapts to his surroundings. He goes with the flow.

The author of the article describes Wansink as: “…not overweight in the slightest, nor is he remarkably fit. He exercises on occasion and tries ‘not to eat anything too awful,’ but he doesn’t diet.” The two go to lunch at Applebee’s. The author dutifully ordered a chicken salad while Wansink chose a wedge salad topped with bacon and ranch dressing, French onion soup and sliders.

“If you tell people to be mindful of what they order, they don’t like it as much and they make up for it later,” he explained to the author. “They tell themselves they deserve ice cream since they virtuously ate a salad for dinner.”

He didn’t finish everything. Satisfied with the salad, soup and one tiny cheeseburger, he took the rest to go.

Wansink believes that if we want to make eating better a lifestyle, we need to trick our brains into making the right choices. Even the smallest things, such as where you store your cereal (Wansink believes you’ll eat less of it if you store it out of sight in a pantry or cupboard instead of on the kitchen counter) and where you start grocery shopping (linger in the produce aisle first for at least 10 minutes; you’ll buy more fruits and veggies) can make huge impacts.

“It’s a lot easier for us to set up our most immediate environment so that it’s easier to eat better,” Wansink told the author.

For example, when serving healthier food to your family, don’t neglect the power of presentation. Wansink’s research on children’s eating habits revealed that serving kids fruit in colorful bowls instead of metal trays more than doubled consumption. Even seemingly insignificant details like giving kids sliced apples instead of the whole fruit, and calling carrots “X-Ray-Vision Carrots” instead of just “carrots” persuaded children to eat more produce.

And if shortcuts help you eat better at home, pay up for them and don’t feel guilty about it. Wansink buys bagged salad when he’s alone with the kids and needs to get dinner ready because it takes three steps out of the preparation process. If the choice is to serve greens out of a bag or omit the salad altogether from the meal, Wansink opts for the convenience of packaged salad.

Remember, it’s all about creating an environment that’s hospitable to healthier eating.

In addition to keeping the kitchen counters uncluttered by food, Wansink’s research has revealed:
•People who get their food from the stovetop rather than from plates on the dining table ate 19 percent less.
•If you set a glass on a table when you pour instead of holding it, you’ll pour 12 percent less.
•Where you sit in a restaurant matters: Those dining at high-tops were less likely to order fried food, and those sitting farther from the entrance were 73 percent less likely to order dessert.
•If you chew mint-flavored gum while grocery shopping, you’ll buy 7 percent less junk food.

Here are some ways the folks at MyFitnessPal make their environments more conducive to making better food choices:
•Use a (small) plate instead of a big bowl to keep your eyes on portion size.
•Eat at a table, away from screens, and take time to enjoy what you’re eating.
•Put washed fruits and vegetables in the most visible part of your refrigerator so it’s the first thing you see when you open the door.
•Keep healthy leftovers in glass containers at eye level in the fridge so you’ll be more likely to see and reach for them when you’re hungry.
•Don’t keep foods you tend to overeat, like ice cream, in the house. Instead, get a scoop at an ice cream shop every once in a while.

ncboiler89

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Sorry no FB for me!

Same. Is there a Myspace page?

LeenaGee

I have found a lot of people don't have a FB page and personally I am a bit the same, it is not my favourite place.

So I just print out some of the articles if anyone is interested.

ncboiler89

LeenaGee wrote: »

So I just print out some of the articles if anyone is interested.

Sure. Drop then off at my house.

LeenaGee

Or you could just read them here.

lokepa

LeenaGee wrote: »

MyFitnessPal is hiring! Check out all our current openings now!

Here is the link -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/jobs

Why did I just read the last job posting as "Sorcerer"??? I would SOOOO have applied!

MarziPanda95

I tend to ignore most of what MFP posts on Facebook, other than recipes. Sadly most of it sounds like it comes out of an 80s diet book with no real basis in science. They push things as bad for that... really aren't bad for you. I just roll my eyes and move on.

Christine_72

So it's obvious a 3rd party is analysing our diary data..

LeenaGee

Here is the link -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/jobs[/quote]

Why did I just read the last job posting as "Sorcerer"??? I would SOOOO have applied!
[/quote]

Missed that bit about Sorcerer!! Sounds interesting but I was too busy concentrating on the Perks list -

•Competitive salary
•401k
•Equity
•Apple equipment
•Health/Dental/Vision care
•Paid maternity/paternity leave
•Discounted gym membership
•Be healthy monthly stipend
•Paid vacation days
•Daily catered lunch
•Healthy snacks
•Weekly running club
•Weekly climbing club
•Weekly surf club
•Weekly onsite yoga classes

Weekly running, climbing, surf club with weekly onsite yoga classes, when do these people have time to work????

ncboiler89

LeenaGee wrote: »

Missed that bit about Sorcerer!! Sounds interesting but I was too busy concentrating on the Perks list -

•Competitive salary
•401k
•Equity
•Apple equipment
•Health/Dental/Vision care
•Paid maternity/paternity leave
•Discounted gym membership
•Be healthy monthly stipend
•Paid vacation days
•Daily catered lunch
•Healthy snacks
•Weekly running club
•Weekly climbing club
•Weekly surf club
•Weekly onsite yoga classes

Weekly running, climbing, surf club with weekly onsite yoga classes, when do these people have time to work????

Not a person over 30 in the company pic.

LeenaGee

christinev297 wrote: »

So it's obvious a 3rd party is analysing our diary data..

Yeah, I was actually a little freaked out by that but I bet we all agreed to that being done when we registered.

beaches222

Thanks for posting I will have to check it out

Christine_72

LeenaGee wrote: »

christinev297 wrote: »

So it's obvious a 3rd party is analysing our diary data..

Yeah, I was actually a little freaked out by that but I bet we all agreed to that being done when we registered.

haha yeah probably

wizzybeth

christinev297 wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

LeenaGee wrote: »

christinev297 wrote: »

I rarely go on FB these days. It's boring and annoying!
Anyone I want to talk to has my phone number anyway. And I hate hate hate idle chitchat through pm's

Exactly. It they want to know what I'm doing - call me or pop around for a cuppa.

see, id really rather people NOT call or come by. send me a message instead LOLOLOL

Haha so true. I'm very antisocial!! I hate talking on the phone or boring FB chit chat. A quick text is more than enough.

ditto

Mr_Knight

christinev297 wrote: »

So it's obvious a 3rd party is analysing our diary data..

Of course.

You don't think a company like Under Armour scoops this up for *our* benefit, do you?

LeenaGee

If anyone is interested there is a 28-Day Run-Yoga-Meditation Challenge to build a healthier mind and body in less than a month--plus enter to win a trip to Wanderlust Festival!

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-28-day-run-yoga-meditation-challenge/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=Facebook

dderas679

Me. I just registered

LeenaGee

If your cupboards are a bit of a mess, there are some ideas here that might work for you. I would love to be as organised as these people.

http://dailyburn.com/life/health/diy-organizing-ideas-healthy-kitchen/?partner=MFP&mtype=14&sub_id=MFP&utm_source=MFP

lemurcat12

Should I look, or will it just make me feel like a slob? ;-)

LeenaGee

Definitely makes you feel super inadequate. But I bet these people don't have that "lived in, feels like home" effect going on.

LeenaGee

Apparently MFP have had an update.

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/introducing-myfitnesspal-upgrade/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=Facebook

LeenaGee

Here is an article posted by Trinh Le who is the dietitian consultant for MyFitnessPal.

She holds her master’s in public health, nutrition from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is a registered dietitian. Trinh is a proponent of balancing food and exercise for a healthy lifestyle.

2 Science-Backed Strategies to Avoid Long-Term Weight Gain

With weight gain, slow and steady is the common pace—we often look back, wondering: “How did I get to this weight?” Long-term weight gain typically happens at a miniscule 1-2 pounds per year, which can snowball into something substantial as we age. Fad diets lure us with the promise of rapid weight loss, but researchers are looking at it from a different angle: Can changing what we eat stop long-term steady weight gain?

What the Science Says

Scientists from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy did a study using data collected from 120,784 healthy, non-obese, middle-age participants in three well-established cohorts: Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. Data was collected at every four-year period for 16 to 24 years.

Researchers were interested in how participants’ diet quality affected their trend in weight gain. Without altering anyone’s food intake, the researchers looked at what participants consumed, with a focus on protein and the glycemic load (GL)—two measures of diet quality. Then, they examined how changes in participants’ weight corresponded to diet quality. Why?

High-protein foods (think meats, dairy, nuts, beans) are thought to help with weight loss because of their ability to promote satiety, spare lean muscle mass, and help offset the slow in metabolism. GL was used because it reveals both carbohydrate quality and quantity. The more popular “glycemic index” (GI) is used to assess how a food will increase your blood sugar, but this doesn’t account for the amount of the food that you eat. GL accounts for both the food’s GI and portion eaten. High GL foods (think refined carbs) are thought to make weight gain more likely because they make your blood sugar rise rapidly—leading to insulin release, which favors fat storage.

Weighty Findings

Once the data was collected, the researchers could then summarize “associations,” also known as data trends, between certain types of food and weight gain or loss. Here are some of their weightier findings:
•Not all protein foods are created equal. Certain protein foods appeared to be better than others when it comes to preventing weight gain. Nuts, peanut butter, fish, yogurt and low-fat cheese were associated with weight loss while red meat and processed meat were associated with weight gain.
•Eggs and cheese aren’t necessarily diet-busters. These foods were only associated with weight gain if the diet’s glycemic load was also high.
•High glycemic load diets were worse for weight loss. Foods with a high glycemic load (think white bread, potatoes, soda) were associated with weight gain. A diet with a higher GL ranking is positively associated with weight gain. In fact, a 50-unit increase in daily glycemic load (about two bagels) resulted in a 1-pound weight gain every 4 years.
•The type of protein consumed worked in combination with GL to affect weight. For example, someone who eats a high glycemic load diet plus a lot of red/processed meat would gain more weight than if he ate a low glycemic load diet with the same amount of red/processed meat.

Keep in mind that the results of this study are “associations” meant to show relationships between diet quality and weight gain or loss. This does not confirm that particular diet types cause weight gain or loss. Nonetheless, these relationships are still important, given that we’re looking at a large group of participants over the course of decades.

What’s the Takeaway?

This study confirms that the quality of your diet matters for keeping your weight in check over a long period of time. A balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables will help you maintain a low glycemic load. Choosing lean protein sources like chicken, fish, nut butter and low-fat cheese will reduce the amount of fat—particularly saturated fat—in your diet. Both glycemic load and protein type are indicators of your diet quality, and will affect your weight.

It’s apparent that a calorie is not a calorie in this case, so do calories still count when it comes to weight loss? The answer is a resounding Yes! Even though the study focused on diet quality, this is just one factor out of many that affect our weight. To be successful at maintaining a healthy weight, both the number of calories consumed and the quality of those calories matters.