My readings this week brought me across this article from the New York Times. The article describes a study done by Yale researchers on whether or not monkeys could be taught how to use money.  They gave each monkey a set number of tokens they could use to exchange for food and then watched what the monkeys did.  Immediately, the monkeys began expressing preferences for certain types of food.  Some preferred Jello while others liked fruit.  This got the researchers thinking; what if the things they liked were more expensive?  So that’s what they did.  After changing the price of the offerings to make preferred items more expensive, the monkeys changed their buying habits in a manner consistent with what is called optimization (here’s another description). Basically, the monkeys bought less of their preferred foods and more of their second and third choices.

This is why as a personal trainer I structure my nutrition coaching this way when my clients are looking to take ownership of their weight. Flexible dieting gives them the ability to choose if they would rather have 5 apples, 2 chicken breasts, or one order of fries without sacrificing the greater goal of weight loss. It allows them to optimize much like the monkeys did with the tokens and like they already do with their finances.  Simply by getting people to see the economic side of nutrition, they begin to understand things better. By introducing concepts of cost, they can spend their calories more wisely.

Everyone’s biggest gripe with the fitness industry is the sheer amount of (mis)information out there.  It’s impossible to find what you’re looking for, especially when you don’t know if what you’re reading is actually true.  I’ve got seven myths here that have been circulated for long enough.  It’s time to change that.

This list came from this article where a team of researchers found several myths that have been circulating for a while.  For the research backing up my points, check it out.

Myth #1 – Small changes produce large results

Yes, small changes produce results but it’s going to take more than cutting the cream from your coffee to lose that extra 15lbs you’ve been carrying since college.  You’re body is pretty good about keeping things stable and one or two little changes won’t disturb it enough to cause lasting change.

Instead:  Try for constant small steps in a healthier direction.  Those little steps eventually add up to bigger lifestyle shifts.  How about starting by swapping the fries for a salad at lunch?  Then how about dropping the large Coke for a medium and eventually replacing it with water?  Step by step we’ve eliminated ~800 calories from you regular lunch.  If you were eating that 5x per week, that’s a massive 4000 calories less!

Myth #2 – Setting realistic goals is important

Goals drive change, but it turns out that it doesn’t matter how reasonable they are.  All that matters is that you want to move in the right direction.

Instead: Don’t get caught up with specifics.  Chase something ambitious and don’t let go. Whether that’s doing your first pull up, deadlifting 2x your body weight, or being able to run a 5k, just get out and work for it.  The results will come.

Myth #3 – Rapid weight loss has poor outcomes

It doesn’t matter if you lose it fast or slow, weight loss is weight loss.  There will always be a chance of gaining the weight back if you slack off but losing it fast doesn’t increase that risk.

Instead:  Match your diet to your motivation.  When you’ve got the energy to be aggressive then shoot for shedding those pounds ASAP.  Slammed at work and need to focus your energy there?  Dial things back a bit and take the slow and steady approach.

Myth #4 – You need to be very ready to diet

You either want it or you don’t.  There is no middle ground here.  It’s either a priority or it isn’t.  It doesn’t matter if you want it a lot or a little, you’ll see progress here.

Instead:  Check out this article on procrastination and get started.  Don’t wait for inspiration to strike or the moons to align.  You are in control here.

Myth #5 – PE class is enough to keep kids healthy

There have been several studies that show increased time in gym class doesn’t change childhood obesity rates at all.

Instead:  Don’t rely on schools to teach your kids how to be healthy, show them how yourself.  This is an awesome article by Lance Goyke on how to inspire your children to live healthier.

Myth #6 – Breast feeding prevents obesity later in life

There were some studies published that claimed this to be true, but these publications have been discredited. Other, better studies have been done proving there is no correlation.  Breast feeding has been show to have a host of benefits, but keeping your child thin isn’t one of them.

Instead: Help establish healthy habits as soon as you can.  You child’s foundational years set the stage for the person they will become.  Promote healthy eating and physical activity will do wonders for their health later in life.

Myth #7 – Sex burns as many calories as exercise

I’m just going to copy the researcher’s writing on this one because a summary won’t do it justice.

The energy expenditure of sexual intercourse can be estimated … For example, a man weighing 154 lb (70 kg) would, at 3 METs, expend approximately 3.5 kcal per minute (210 kcal per hour) during a stimulation and orgasm session. This level of expenditure is similar to that achieved by walking at a moderate pace (approximately 2.5 miles [4 km] per hour).

Given that the average bout of sexual activity lasts about 6 minutes,19 a man in his early-to-mid-30s might expend approximately 21 kcal during sexual intercourse. Of course, he would have spent roughly one third that amount of energy just watching television, so the incremental benefit of one bout of sexual activity with respect to energy expended is plausibly on the order of 14 kcal.

Instead: If you’re using this line, you already know you’re just making things up.  How about you just say what you want instead?

Hope you guys enjoyed the read and learned a thing or two!  Stay tuned for more soon!

Fish Are Friends, Not Food

The premise behind a vegan diet is a simple one, no animal products at all.  One step past vegetarianism, vegans avoid animal derived foods such as eggs and milk in addition to meats.  The vegan movement started in the mid 1940’s but began to explode in popularity in recent years as it has gained mainstream attention and celebrity endorsement.  Originally promoted from a moral perspective against animal cruelty, the vegan diet has drawn the attention of nutritionists and researchers.  Vegan diets are entirely plant focused with the majority of protein coming from soy derived foods such as tofu, tempeh, or textured vegetable protein (TVP).

The Research

There’s a ton of research out there exploring everything from potential vitamin deficiencies to weight loss to cardiovascular health.  Starting with some of the good things: veganism has been shown to help people lose weight quicker than traditional diet plans (Turner-McGrievy et. al. 2007) and there is a 15% reduction in cancer rates in vegan populations (Dinu et. al. 2016).

One of the most comprehensive write ups on the vegan diet comes from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  In this article, the author talks about the positive health effects  the vegan diet has on reducing rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.  These benefits to come with a cost though.  Vegans consistently show deficiencies in calcium, zinc, polyunsaturated fats, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12.  All of these nutrients are essential and may develop into larger problems if the deficiency isn’t addressed.  Low calcium and Vitamin D may develop into osteoporosis.  Polyunsaturated fats are essential in maintaining heart health as well as brain and eye function.  Vitamin B12 deficiency has  been linked with a host of psychiatric conditions such as dementia and loss of motor control.

The Verdict

The health benefits associated with a vegan diet almost seem too good to be true.  That is assuming you address the deficiencies that are common with the diet. Fortifying a vegan diet with supplements including Vitamin B12, Calcium, and Polyunsaturated fats while getting a decent amount of sunlight (for Vitamin D) would negate nearly all of the health concerns.  It is worth reading the AJCM article for a more in depth analysis, here is the link again.

In my experience as a personal trainer, getting people to consider a vegetarian or vegan diet is challenging.  Despite knowing the health benefits, I have trouble myself saying no to meat and animal products.  Growing up on the American Standard Diet, meat and dairy for dinner is a difficult trend to break from.  But at the end of the day, the numbers don’t lie, a vegan diet may help you live longer and lose weight faster.  In my nutrition research this far, veganism is in a league of its own when it comes to reducing the chances of health concerns later in life which is worth some serious consideration.

When it comes to commercial diet plans, Weight Watchers is one of the most well known names in the field.  The Weight Watchers method can be loosely described as reducing calories, increasing exercise, and reaching out for social support.  These concepts are taught in a way that encourages long term habit building.  Weight Watchers us a point system to track food intake.  The formula for the point system is basically calories divided by 33 with extra points for carb and fat heavy foods and less points for protein heavy foods.  Here’s the equation:

In this equation, calories from sugar and saturated fats count twice while calories from protein have a negative impact.  To my knowledge, the divide by 33 is there only to bring things to single digits to make for easy point tracking.  Under the point system, many fruits and veggies are automatically given 0 points.

Aside from the point system, the second major part of Weight Watchers are the support meetings.  Participants meet on a regular basis to talk about their struggles and successes and learn new tools to help in their weight loss journey.

The Research

With the commercialization of weight loss, there has been a lot of research on which programs are the most effective for consumers.  In a study (Dansinger et. al. 2005)  of several popular diet programs, Weight Watchers was found to have a higher percentage of people sticking with the program then either the Atkins or Ornish diets (65% vs. 53% and 50% respectively).  The people who stuck with the program lost an average of 3.5kg (7.7 pounds) at the 2 month mark maintained a weight loss of 3kg  (~6.5 pounds) at the one year mark.  Another study (Ahern et. al. 2010) found that of people referred to Weight Watchers by a medical professional, 33% completed the 12 meeting recommendation and lost 5% or more of their body weight (10 pounds in a 200 pound person).

The Verdict

If we take a look at what Weight Watchers recommends with their point system, the equation naturally pushes people to high protein foods, fruits, and vegetables.  This is very similar to the recommendations I give my clients with Flex Dieting but there are some important differences.  The point system makes food intake much easier to track.  Rather than keeping tabs on fluctuating calorie and protein counts, Weight Watcher participants are only asked to keep track of one number per day which makes for a very simple program.  On top of that, Weight Watchers provides participants with the support of a community that shares their goals and struggles which is an invaluable tool in making major life changes.

For all the good things though, the weight loss over time is a little low for my liking.   Looking at the data for weight lost on Weight Watchers, the program encourages moderate weight loss in the first 2-3 months and then encourages maintenance rather than further weight loss.  This coupled with a low adherence rate makes me question the long term effectiveness of the program.

I’d say that Weight Watchers is a great starting place for losing weight.  It does a great job of teaching nutritional awareness to people who want to learn.  It provides a good foundation for people to build off of but once they hit the 2-3 month mark, Weight Watchers provides diminishing returns.