- "Turn down the lights
"and turn up some music while you eat.
"These environmental distractions
"will take your attention away from the food."
Turn your house into a rave while you eat,
get a giant bear chasing you around
so that you don't have enough time
to put the food in your mouth.
What kind of advice is that?
For those of you who are
looking to be at a healthier weight,
the internet has no shortage
of weight loss advice.
Well, in this video,
I'm gonna take some of that advice,
and put it through a lie detector.
And find out what's true, what's not,
and what's kind of in that middle ground.
Let's give a huge thank you to Noom
for sponsoring this video.
Let's get started.
"Drink black coffee.
"This will boost your metabolism."
Well, look, caffeine is a stimulant.
So it could potentially boost your metabolism.
But why I like this statement
is because black coffee means
that it doesn't have excess calories
from sugar, milk, creamer.
All of that.
In addition, black coffee will technically
keep your fast going.
So if you're a fan of intermittent fasting,
you still gonna be getting a lot of those same benefits
with having a little stimulation onboard.
"Hang a mirror in front of your dining table.
"Studies show watching yourself
"reduces the amount of food you consume."
No, if you want to hang a mirror
in front of your dining table because of decor,
please, go right ahead.
If you're doing it so you hate yourself
while you're eating, no.
(speaking foreign language)
"Use smaller plates and bowls to serve your own food.
"This is an optical trick
"that will give you a full sensation
"from seeing a clean plate."
I like this tip.
I think it's a fairly benign tip.
Really, one of the biggest problems
in the eating habits of my patients
who are obese or overweight
is that they eat really big portions,
and they don't even realize it.
So by having a smaller plate,
you're already helping yourself
to figure out a healthy portion size.
But also when you see it
and you eat the entire plate,
there is a psychological concept
to how you absorb those calories.
It really does take effect.
"Participate in intermittent fasting,
"though it may also reduce muscle mass."
This is controversial.
For some, like myself,
intermittent fasting works great
because you're eating in a very specific window,
meaning that you're not eating for 16 hours of the day
and you're only eating in a time-restricted
eight hour feeding pattern,
you're gonna eat less calories.
That's just the nature of eating in a smaller window.
That being said,
some people actually get a disordered relationship
with their eating habits
when they do this type of fasting.
So it's certainly not for everyone,
but it is an option.
And we've actually seen some favorable health effects
outside of just the weight loss.
That includes hormonal changes,
favorable hormonal changes,
increased clarity.
Also there's a genuine benefit
to not having to eat for 16 hours of the day.
Kind of gives you an advantage
for you to be able to focus, exercise,
perhaps do a little mindfulness session.
Which can go a long way to calming you down
and perhaps aiding in your weight loss.
I mentioned Noom earlier,
and for those who don't know,
Noom is much more than a weight loss program.
It actually combines the power of technology
with the empathy of real-life human coaches
to use science to help you change your behaviors.
To a healthier relationship with food,
ultimately resulting in weight loss.
What's great about Noom
is it leans on the knowledge of
psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy
to help you build habits that stick
in order for you to get to a healthier weight.
No complex exercise routines or food restrictions here.
And because Noom focuses on your
personal habits and behaviors,
you're more likely to keep the weight off that you've lost
and maintain that healthy weight.
When I talk negatively about crash diets,
it's because most people,
when they lose the weight,
they do it in an unhealthy way
and end up gaining that weight back anyway.
And outside of even weight loss,
Noom gives you tremendous insight
about why you do the certain things you do.
What are your motivations for specific behaviors?
Remember, that type of knowledge
is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle.
I have tattooed on my body, "Know Thyself"
and Noom helps you know yourself.
"Replace your normal high-calorie protein intake
"with whey protein powder."
This one I am hesitant to recommend to a lot of folks.
I'm not a huge fan of getting
my protein needs from supplements.
When you eat a protein rich meal,
it usually comes with some fat.
Perhaps some carbohydrates,
depending on the source of the protein.
And when you're getting whey protein powder,
you're really isolating the protein
and getting just that.
I feel like you can find nutrient rich protein sources
like tuna, like salmon.
And in addition to the protein,
you're also gonna get a lot of other nutrients
that aren't found a whey protein,
like omega-3 fatty acids.
"Chew more slowly.
"Your brain can take time to signal
"to your stomach that you're full,
"so being patient with how quickly you eat
"can allow your brain time to cut off
"before you overeat."
I would change this advice just a little bit.
I would say chew thoroughly,
'cause if you slow down your chewing,
that might be a little bit awkward.
But if you choose thoroughly,
you could actually give yourself the time
to signal to your body that you're fuller,
that you're getting the nourishment that you need.
'Cause it's really about eating
to the point where you're satiated,
not to the point where you feel so full
that you hate yourself.
Let's be honest,
we've all been there.
But that's not an ideal place to be
if you're trying to maintain a healthy weight.
"Spoil food you don't want or need to eat.
"If you've got leftovers that are calling your name,
"find a way to ruin the food
"such as dousing it in milk
"or pouring in a ton of salt."
What?
Not only will this create
a very disordered eating pattern
where you're destroying food instead of
creating a healthy relationship with it,
but you're also getting rid of food that someone can eat.
People in America are hungry,
especially during COVID-19.
This is a true problem
and it's even a bigger problem around the world.
I don't know where this advice came from,
but two thumbs down for me.
"Drink green tea.
"It's loaded with powerful antioxidants called catechins,
"which are believed to work synergistically
"with caffeine to enhance fat burning."
I am one of the the biggest green tea fans out there.
It's important to know that it has caffeine in it.
So, ideally, not a great drink
to drink at the end of it the day.
But for lunch, for breakfast,
green tea is a great option.
Not only does it have catechins,
it has polyphenols in it.
L-theanine, which sort of balances out
the boost that you get from the caffeine stimulant,
but also gives you that calming effect on your mind.
Now, whether or not green tea
will actually boost weight loss,
it's not gonna be a magical effect that you see here.
In fact, I've seen a lot of companies
try and do something shady like,
"Our supplements have green tea extract
"and that's what helps you burn fat."
Don't go that far.
"Interval training.
"Short bursts of intense exercise
"followed by longer stretches of mild exercise."
This is my favorite.
HIIT, HIIT, HIIT, HIIT exercise.
That's high-intensity interval training.
You go all out for 30 seconds or a minute.
And then for a minute, three minutes, five minutes,
you do really mild light-intensity activity.
One, it promotes weight loss.
Two, it promotes muscle building.
Three, it also improves heart rate variability.
When you start exercising really quickly
and you go full on intensity,
your heart rate should go up to compensate.
But then when you do light-intensity exercise,
your heart rate should be able to settle back down.
As you do this more and more,
your heart's ability to calm down
in that period of light-intensity will improve.
And what we've actually seen in scientific research
is improved survival in individuals
who are having heart attacks
if they had good heart rate variability.
It's a true survival benefit.
"Get used to and accept the feeling of being hungry.
"You can't lose weight without enduring hunger.
"So recognizing and normalizing that feeling is important."
Not true, you can lose weight
without necessarily ever feeling hungry and suffering.
Intuitive eating is something that many of my patients
have done and done quite well, actually.
You only eat to the point where you're no longer hungry.
Where you feel satiated,
but not overly full.
That way, you're not overeating calories.
You're not having these tremendous
portions of unhealthy foods,
and you don't have to sit and starve yourself.
"Lift weights instead of just doing cardio.
"Not only does this cause you to lose fat,
"but you also build muscle to replace it."
Over simplified advice,
but overall decent concept.
I'll explain.
When I recommend an exercise routine for my patients,
I rarely say just cardio or just weight training.
It's usually a combination of the both.
Reason being is they have different benefits
and those benefits really paint
a complete picture of good or optimal health.
For example, going for a run.
Really good for your heart.
Helps heart rate variability,
especially if you're doing
high-intensity interval training.
But when you're lifting weights,
you're not only burning fat
and using calories while you're exercising,
you're also doing that when you recover.
Later that day,
the following day,
because it takes energy to rebuild that muscle
and to rebuild it even stronger or bigger
if you're lifting heavy enough
and consistently enough.
"Snack often, this will prevent metabolic slow down
"where your metabolism stops
"if there is nothing there to digest.
"While snacking, your metabolism is forced to stay engaged."
This one has been pretty much debunked by modern science.
While for some individuals,
as long as they monitor their caloric intake
and they're not eating poor quality foods,
grazing, snacking like that
could be a potential option.
But it is not a mandatory way for success.
There's plenty of people that can eat
two meals a day, three meals a day
and do just as good a job
as those who eat smaller
frequent meals throughout the day.
This is an individual decision
based on your goals, your lifestyle,
and really what your preferences are.
This should not be a painful process.
"Drinking water 30 minutes before a meal
"will help your body burn calories faster
"and therefore lose weight."
Losing weight isn't as simple as drinking some water,
but water is a really important nutrient for your body.
And there's several benefits to staying well hydrated.
When you drink water,
you stretch out your stomach.
Therefore, you're less likely
to consume a really large meal.
Second, there is a water-induced thermogenesis process.
that has some evidence and truth behind it
where by drinking 70 degree water,
you actually have to heat it up
to your normal body temperature
and that burn some calories.
Not a huge deal,
but definitely worth noting.
It helps remove waste of your body.
So it decreases bloating
and it gets that whole system going.
It also keeps you hydrated and performing well
during your exercises.
When you have a good exercise session,
you're more likely to burn more calories.
"Begin meal prepping.
"Plan out all of your meals for the week
"and spend a few hours
"cooking them, storing them
"in resealable containers ahead of time.
"This will allow you to eat a prepped meal
"instead of ordering take out
"when you're too tired to cook something fresh."
I love this piece of advice.
I've tried to do this in the past,
but I realize I'm a terrible cook.
So I'm working on it.
But the reason why I enjoy this is because
A, you get to control what kind of foods you're eating.
What kind of oils you're cooking with.
When you have that layer of control,
you're gonna make better decisions.
Second, when you're tired,
and you're coming home
and you don't have the energy to make something,
you're probably gonna order out.
And when you're ordering out,
you're gonna say,
"Well, since I'm ordering out,
"I want to enjoy it."
And you're gonna get something that's less than ideal.
So yes, plan your meals out ahead of time.
You'll save money, eat healthier
and potentially even learn a new skill,
which I need to do.
"While exercise can certainly aid in weight loss,
"diet accounts for the vast majority
"of the equation behind losing weight.
"And it's quite possible to lose weight
"without adjusting your workout routine at all."
I always want my patients to exercise
and it's not solely because
I know they're gonna expend more energy,
therefore lose some weight.
It is because it is healthy
in all aspects of life.
It's gonna help somewhat with
weight loss, your mood,
your aches and pains.
Your confidence level,
which will play a role in
your anxiety or depressive symptoms.
That being said,
if you really are interested in
lowering your weight to healthy level,
to a weight that's ideal for
your height and your lifestyle,
diet is the number one thing you should focus on.
That being said,
sleep, exercise, your mental health.
All of those things need to be taken into account.
Calories in and calories out
could make sense from a scientific perspective.
It's not really great from a practical perspective,
at least not for everybody.
I want to share my Noom experience with you
so you know what to expect
when you take the free online evaluation at noom.com
or by clicking the link below.
First, you get a custom program
based on your goals.
For me, I was interested in
losing a little bit of weight
and to break some of these unhealthy habits
I've developed during quarantine.
One of my biggest personal takeaways with Noom
has been the small non-numerical victories.
And that's something I've always known
and recommended to my patients,
but it's easy in everyday life
to get caught up and forget the added benefits
of a confidence boost,
higher energy levels.
As those too contribute to a healthy and happy life.
And I can't not mention one of the coolest parts
is having a dedicated goal specialist.
An actual human who helps keep you on track,
supports you when you need it.
Just last week,
I hurt my leg
and I needed help from my goal specialist to pivot.
They did just that.
And instead of being upset about my injury,
I was focused and excited about
meeting my new goals.
Thus far, I've not only been meeting my weight goals,
but also feel like I've been making
some healthier choices in my life
day-to-day as well.
And I think that's a huge win.
And I look forward to continuing that journey,
click here for an entire playlist
of my Real Nutrition videos.
Or you want to have a good laugh,
check out my latest Meme episode.
And again, huge thank you to Noom
for sponsoring this video.
As always, stay happy and healthy.
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