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I want to spend some time on this post talking about serotonin and its impact on your hunger before starting with the Serotonin Power Diet book review. 

Your body is an amazing machine.  There are so many checks and balances regulating your hunger from hormones like leptin to brain chemicals like serotonin.  But it is also a slow bloated bureaucratic machine that takes months, if not years, to bring itself back into balance.

What is Serotonin?

Serotonin is a brain chemical that suppresses your appetite and makes you happy (it is your body’s natural Prozac).  There is a reason why happy people tend to have fewer problems with addiction.  In a previous post about sugar addiction, I mentioned that children or grandchildren of alcoholics tend to have lower levels of serotonin.  People on anti –depressants tend to have extreme low serotonin levels.

Serotonin Power Diet

This diet is based upon the idea that if you eat more serotonin boosting foods, then you can naturally increase your serotonin level.  Unlike the Atkins diet (which I absolutely hate!), this diet tells us to bring carbs back.

What does carbs have to do with serotonin?  I notice that when I eat a potato or a muffin, I tend to feel a little happier than if I have eaten a steak.  I always thought this correlation is because of my Asian decent (I love rice!).  According to the Serotonin Power Diet book, eating carbs allow more tryptophan (an amino acid) to pass through the membrane of your brain.  And tryptophan is a key building block of serotonin.

Not to say that tryptophan is not available when you eat protein.  Protein has much more amino acids than carbs.  Imagine a door way.  When you eat protein, there are approximately 20 amino acids shoving each other trying to squeeze through the doorway at the same time to get to the brain.  With this kind of crowd, less tryptophan gets through when you eat a protein.  But when you eat a carbohydrate, there are less amino acids available so it is easier for tryptophan to stroll through the doorway to increase your serotonin.

Chapters in the Serotonin Power Diet

Here is a quick summary of the chapters in the book.  I did not comment on the chapters that have self explanatory titles.

Chapter 1:  Solving the carbohydrate riddle

A more detailed explanation of the serotonin and carbohydrate connection that what I mentioned above.

Chapter 2:  Appetite, Hunger, and Eating Triggers

3 short quizzes to see if you are eating due to hunger or due to low serotonin

Chapter 3:  If you want to change your weight, you have to change your mind, too

Some strategies to help with overeating and the importance of changing your mindset about weight loss. 

Chapter 4:  Before you begin

Some planning tips to make sure you succeed with the serotonin diet.  Ideas include lining up your cheerleading squad and getting rid of temptations in the home.

Chapter 5:  Snack your way to serotonin power

A whole chapter on types of snacks, when to eat the snacks, and the amount of snacking you do in each phase of the serotonin diet.  In phase 1, you get to eat 3 carb snacks per day.  In phase 2, you get to eat 2 carb snacks per day.  In phase 3, you get to eat 1 carb snack per day.

Chapter 6:  The Serotonin Power Diet

The serotonin diet consists of 3 phases.  Phase 1 (Serotonin Surge) is 2 weeks long.  The goal is to load your body with more carbs than you have been eating to get you off the low serotonin wagon.  Phase 2 (Serotonin Balance) is 6 weeks long.  Phase 3 (Serotonin Control) starts on the 9^th week.

You eat the same breakfast for all 3 phases.  Here is a quick summary of the diet plan:

Phase 1:  3 snack/day.  Lunch is the main protein meal.  Dinner is a mix of complex carbs and vegetables.

Phase 2:  2 snack/day.  Lunch is the same as Phase 1.  Add some protein for dinner, no more than 80-100 calories (about 2 ounces for women).

Phase 3:  1 snack/day.  Lunch and dinner are the same.  Add 2 cups of vegetables to lunch and dinner.

If you are lifting weights, I think you might need more protein than the amount the diet is telling you to eat.

Chapter 7:  Change your body

This chapter discusses the importance of exercise and the different types you would need (strength, aerobic, and flexibility).

Chapter 8:  Now what do I do?

This chapter offers some guidelines on how to follow the serotonin diet while eating out at restaurants (includes some suggestions for eating ethnic food that I think are good).

Chapter 9:  The 12-week guide

Chapter 10:  Troubleshooting

Chapter 11:  Maintaining your weight loss

Chapter12:  The kitchen list for a meal in minutes

Chapter 13:  Basic meals and quick kitchen tricks

Chapter 14:  Recipes

Is the Serotonin Power Diet worth reading?

I think this book might be worth reading, especially if you are a fan of Atkins.  One of my bowling teammate has been on and off Atkins for the last two years.  He keeps gaining and losing the same 12 pounds (probably from his low serotonin level from eating mostly protein).  In his mind, he thinks Atkins is the solution.  I don’t think eliminating an entire food group is a solution to permanent weight loss. 

The eating plan is not too outrageous; it is not advocating that you eat only carbs and eliminate protein.  I am not sure I agree with the idea of eating most of your protein for breakfast and lunch and going more carb heavy for dinner.  And the idea of picking snacks that have less than 4 grams of protein to boost your serotonin level contradicts the idea of eating a snack with protein to stay satisfied longer.  But the Serotonin Power Diet does provide some interesting arguments on why carbs are an important component of a balanced diet.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

Welcome to Small Steps to Health where we do not take orders from a cookie!

A fellow blogger asked the question of how much activity do you get outside of a gym.  Like Sagan, it has been a while since I was last in a gym.  I know it was before my car accident, maybe 4 years?

All the junk in my trunk

I own large collection of exercise dvds, 2 aerobic steps (I always had this idea of hosting a step class in my living room with one of my younger sisters),4 sets of dumbbells, 3 sets of gym-in-box exercise bands (don’t ask me why I keep buying them when I rarely use them), a ball, a yoga mat, a Pilates ring, an elliptical machine, a weighted body bar, and my collection of Wii exercise games.  Then you got to throw in the gadgets like my pedometer and heart rate monitors (that’s a plural) and the health books.  There is a reason why my husband asked me to include “not cluttering our house with too many books or exercise equipment” in our vows.

Activities I do regularly

I would feel bad about spending my money on all this exercise stuff if I do not use them.  But that is just 0.5-1 hour of focus exercise each day.  But activity that Sagan is asking is the little every day things that adds up to a healthy lifestyle.  The following is a list of things I always do:

I always park a couple rows further in the parking lot even when there are plenty of spots up front.

Dates with my husband always involve a walk around a park or bowling.

I always take the stairs (my limit is three stories).

I always take walks at work, logging in 2 miles per day on average.  When it rains, I find an excuse to wander around the building.

Because I usually do these little things (where I do not even break a sweat) it is easy for me to log 10,000 steps on pedometer.  Do all these things make me super fit?  Nope, but at least I am not wheezing after 2 flights of stairs.  It is these little things that will keep me bowling at 85 years old like one of my bowling partners.

Until next time and thanks for stopping.

Photo by:  jonboy mitchell.

Welcome to Small Steps to Health where we do not take orders from a cookie!

During my last post about why exercise dvds are a cheap way to experiment with exercise, I mentioned that there are many types of workout dvds out there that can match up with whatever fitness fetish you might have.  This post is a discussion of the advantage of an exercise program with a pre-designed eating plan and workout sessions.

Exercise dvds are not for people with discipline problems or need to be in a group environment when exercising.  If you always need someone in your face to motivate you, then working out at home with dvds are not you.

The advantage of an exercise program

There are all kinds of exercise programs in the market — like P90X, Turbo Jam, Gilad Quick Fit System, and ChaLean Extreme.  Their advertising is attractive and shows normal people in a tighter and smaller package after following their exercise program for the prescribed time period.

When I first started with exercise dvds, I was confused by the selection and how to put together a well rounded rotation for my weight loss goals.

An exercise program takes the thinking out of exercising.  It is Tuesday, in this dvd package I brought, I am suppose to lift weights for 60 minutes and eat 1800 calories.  Follow the program and I bound to see a change in my body (of course the reason why I cannot follow an exercise program religiously is a whole other story).

Why are most exercise programs either 30, 60, or 90 days long?

Most exercise programs are either 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days long.  According to Franklin Covey, it takes 27 days to change a habit, so a 30 day program is just about enough time to change your sedentary lifestyle to something a little more active. 

You will notice an immediate feeling of euphoria from exercising (it might take a few days if you have been sedentary all your adult life), but after 30 days of exercise, you will notice that your body start to crave movement when you stop working out.  In terms of body transformation, you might see some weight loss if you are also following the exercise program’s diet, but you will not see the swell of beautiful biceps and flat abs in the commercials unless you are within 5 pounds of your vanity weight.

However, 60 and 90 days are when you will see results.  This is why I think the really good exercise programs are usually more than 30 days long.  Most of the time, you will see a steady decrease in your weight when following an exercise program (sometimes there is an initial weight gain in a strength intensive program due to muscle gain).  But in an exercise program there is always a point when you wake up one day realizing that you shrunk several sizes overnight — your face looks puffy, your waistline is more defined, and you look like you have more muscle tone.

Remember how I talked about the advantage men have over women when it comes to weight loss in a previous post?  Most men will see a difference in their body shape at the 1-1.5 month mark when following an exercise program.  Their quicker body transformation is due to their larger muscle mass.  It might take some women closer to 2.5-3 months to transform their bodies when following an exercise program.  I know it is unfair, but that is just the way we are made.

An exercise program targets a specific training philosophy

If you spend any time reading fitness magazines or blogs, you will notice terms like aerobic weight training, HITT, heavy weights with low reps, etc.  Whatever your training philosophy, there is an exercise program designed around it in a nicely packaged dvd set. 

I believe that your body shape determines how well your body responds to an exercise program.  For weight loss, I find that my body response very well to aerobic weight training (low weights with high reps).  With the little extra padding I gained since my car accident, you cannot easily tell that my natural body shape is a ruler.  Most of my excess weight ends up in my waistline.  Being female, of course some excess weight end up in my hips and thighs too, but I am still a ruler because I still maintain the overall the ratio of approximately 2-3 inches differences between my hips and waist no matter how much weight I gain or lose.

I can do squats and lunges holding heavy weights and still not have a noticeable difference in my lower body (even though I joke about my bulking thighs).  My sister, on the other hand, who has a more pear shape, does bulk up visibly on her thighs area when she uses heavy weights in her lower body exercises. 

Can you design an exercise program on your own with individual dvds instead of paying for a pricey dvd set?

Of course you can.  Because of my inability to religiously follow an exercise program, I have never been able to finish any program that I brought.  I usually get close, up until the last two weeks, before starting a new routine or program.  If I really want to over analyze my behavior, I will have to say it is my unconscious desire not to fail.  If I don’t finish, I can never fail.  Blah, blah, blah.  Over analyzing anything is the path to destruction, let’s leave it that.

Here is an article from the Mayo Clinic about starting an exercise program.  You can always read my post on how to starting exercising in your 50s and 60s for ideas on how to start an exercise program on your own. 

Next time I will spend some time talking about some basic equipment everyone should have for home workouts.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

Photo by:  dicktay2000.

Welcome to Small Steps to Health where we do not take orders from a cookie!

This post is a review of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred exercise dvd.

I am not a fan of Jillian Michaels.  She is probably a nice person in real life, but her celebrity persona on The Biggest Loser is a big turn off for me.  However, after reading a few positive posts on the Video Fitness Forums before the holidays about her 30 Day Shred exercise dvd, I finally decided to give to add it to my Netflix queue.

Jillian Michaels workout

There are 3 27-minute workouts in the exercise dvd – Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.  Each level gets progressively harder.  The idea of each workout is that you do three circuits of strength and cardio.  In each circuit you do 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.

You will need some dumbbells (I recommend a light set and a heavier set) and a mat.  I was lifting 15 pounds for my heaviest set in the Push phase in ChaLean Extreme, but my heaviest set for 30 Day Shred is 5 pounds. You are doing more reps in each set at a faster pace (aerobic weight training philosophy), so you will need a lighter set of dumbbells

The strength training exercises are mostly a combination of lower body (usually a squat, lunge, or plie) and upper body at the same time.  The 2 minutes of cardio are high impact like jumping jacks, jogging in place, jump rope, etc.  These two segments push your heart rate up while the 1 minute of abs gives you a chance to lower your heart rate.

Jillian Michaels workout delivers its promise of losing 20 pounds in 30 days?

30 Day Shred claims that you can lose 20 pounds in 30 days if you use the exercise dvd everyday and eat a healthy diet.  I have been using 30 Day Shred 3-4 times a week for the last three weeks.  I usually do Level 1 on Monday, Level 2 on Wednesday, and Level 3 on Friday.  I used ChaLean Extreme cardio dvds for Tuesday and Thursday.  Saturday I go walking with my husband when the weather is good.  Sorry readers, I don’t have any before and after photos of myself.

But here are some before and after pictures of other bloggers using the exercise dvd:  Kristen after 10 days and Christina after 22 days.  The results from the other bloggers are pretty amazing.

My results?  They are a little short on the amazing side.  I still feel mildly sore the next day after using 30 Day Shred, but I have not seen the shrinking inches other bloggers are raving about.  I think the reason is that I lift weights regularly before using this exercise dvd.  I believe the extreme muscle soreness some bloggers experience with 30 Day Shred is because they do not lift weights regularly.  Their painful descriptions are on par with how I was feeling when I first started exercising 5 years ago.

What I dislike about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

I think the cool down is a little short, but you can easily remedy that by stretching a little more on your own.  I personally do not think it is a good idea to workout every day using 30 Day Shred.  If you are sedentary, there might be chances that you can injury yourself (repetitive motion injury). 

In addition, all the cardio are high impact with lots of jumping.  With my lower back issues and torn hip labrum, I find that I have to modify some of the cardio.  The exercisers on the exercise dvd do not show how you can modify the cardio at home.

Who should buy 30 Day Shred?

I think 30 Day Shred is a challenging exercise dvd for everyone.  As a beginner, you always have the option of doing all the strength exercises with dumbbells or using very light dumbbells (1 pound or less).  You can always hold a bottle of water or a can of soup in each hand to start if you cannot find dumbbells light enough.  However, if I have to put this exercise dvd in a category, I would say it is a beginner/immediate level.

Advance exercisers will like the challenge of upper and lower body moves.  Since the exercise dvd alternates between strength and cardio, it keeps the workout interesting.  The time passes by pretty fast.  I am surprise that I like this exercise dvd since I generally do not like Jillian Michaels workouts.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

Ready to Buy 30 Day Shred?

Welcome to Small Steps to Health where we do not take orders from a cookie!

If we only ate when we are hungry and only enough food to ease our hunger, then chances are that we will not have a weight problem. If only it was that easy!

Hunger

The primary reason we eat when we are hungry is to nourish our bodies. Of course, a meal is more appealing when it taste and look good, but it this is not necessary when we are truly hunger.  Hunger signals does not give us a free pass to binge.

Appetite

On the other hand, appetite is base solely on external stimuli. These external stimuli can be our mood, cravings, social situations, food availability, and habit. There is a reason why a diet that only addresses the mathematically component of weight loss with calorie restriction is doom to failure. Sometimes we cannot even point a finger at the reason why we let our appetite control our eating.

Whenever I stop at a Rite Aid with an ice cream counter, I would purchase one scoop of pistachio nut ice cream on a cone. Then I will browse and drop things into my basket until I finish the cone. It is habit that I developed because I associate Rite Aid ice cream cones when my happy childhood memories of stopping by for ice cream after a trip to the library with my family. At the time, Rite Aid was called Thrifty.

Satisfying an appetite gives us pleasure

There is nothing wrong with allowing our appetite help us with making food choices, especially if it is healthy food choices. The problem is when our appetites get out of hand. Uncontrolled appetite is a weight ticking time bomb.

Sometimes I forget what a particular food taste like. So I eat that food to remind myself. Then sometimes I have a faint memory of what a particular food taste like. So I eat that food to confirm my faint memory. Do you see where I am going with this?

Every food that we encounter on a daily basis, we have eaten, tasted, and recorded in our memories. There is no reason for us to have a taste of cheesecake because we “forgot” what it taste like on a regular basis.

Knowing when it is hunger or appetite is important

The first step to weight loss is understanding whether our desire to eat is generated by hunger or appetite. So the next time you find yourself putting food in your mouth, make sure to ask whether you are eating because of hunger or appetite. If you find that most of the answer is appetite, then you need to figure out a way to resolve your emotion with food in order to experience successful weight loss.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

Photo by:  doug88888.