Food Allergies Food Sensitivity Burst Training Fast Fat Loss JJ Virgin Blog

Are you eating propylene glycol?

March 12, 2012 By JJ Virgin 1 Comment

You choose organic produce whenever possible. You only drink filtered water. You buy environmentally healthy cleaning products. And you wash your hair and moisturize your body with Phthalates, parabens, gluten, hydrogenated oils and genetically modified ingredients (GMOs).

Really.

Even well known, so-called green products that claim to be organic and safe can contain harmful chemicals that increase your body’s toxic burden. Even the plastic bottles seep harmful plasticizers and xenoestrogens into your product.

Remember your skin is a sieve. Whatever you wash your face with, or slather onto clean skin, you are essentially eating these products. Makes you want to re-evaluate everything you’re using, huh?

I did a fascinating interview with a toxicity expert Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis*. She detailed what you get in your personal care products. Bad news if you think dropping three figures on skin care at Bergdorf Goodman reduces your toxic load: even pricy products aren’t necessarily organic or safe.

She recommended you check out the company’s info on the environmental working group’s website (http://ewg.org). This organization compiles a list of products and their safety ratings.

I was dismayed to discover neither my favorite mascara nor my lipstick made the grade. (Some of the top brands even had mercury in them.) Turns out many lipsticks and lip balms contain propylene glycol. And while toxicology reports claim this substance, also used as anti-freeze, poses no health risks at minute amounts, consider that over the course of a year you eat (yeah, really!) over 10 pounds of lipstick.

Combine this with other chemicals in your shampoo, conditioner, Brazilian Blowout (hello silicone!), moisturizer, eye cream, and all the many other cosmetics you can’t live without, and you can understand the magnitude of your daily toxic assault.

Every one of these chemicals absorb into your skin. Which leaves your body to handle them. Many of these fat-soluble toxic chemicals store in – you guessed it – your fat cells. Dr. Angelo Tremblay showed that rats with higher toxic burdens actually had 30% lower metabolisms. Talk about seriously stalling fast fat loss!

You live in an increasingly toxic world, and unless you move to a cave in the middle of nowhere, you can’t avoid them. Here’s the next-best strategy: reduce your toxic burden in every way possible an improve your daily detoxification.

I recently spent an enlightening evening with skin-care products expert Jama Russano. I learned I was getting toxic exposure in places I wasn’t even thinking about.

I don’t want you to stress out. (Stress only adds to your toxic burden!) Instead, become aware of what you’re using, and extend your healthy habits to your beauty regimen.

Here are a few of the things that should not be in your personal care products or the containers that are transporting them:

Artificial colorings & fragrances
Benzene
Bisphenol A
Dimethicone
EDTA
Formaldehyde
Gluten
GMO’s
hydrogenated oils
Mineral oil
Parabens
Petrolatum
Plastics
Phthalates
PVC’s
PEG’s(1,4-dioxane)
Propylene glycol
Silicates
Silicones
Sodium lauryl sulfates
Wheat
Triethanolamine

*You can get the interview here: http://jjvirgin.com/bonusexpertslibrary/

© 2011 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by breaking free from food allergies. She is the bestselling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout & co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to take the quiz & find out if Your “Healthy” Habits are Making You Tired, Bloated & Age Faster?

Filed Under: All Articles, Health and Wellness, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

Got acidity? Dump the milk and build strong bones with these nutrients

March 8, 2012 By JJ Virgin 2 Comments

Contrary to the message conveyed in heavy-handed Got Milk campaigns and a well-funded dairy industry, you don’t need cheese, yogurt, ice cream, or any other cow’s milk product to get calcium.

You’d never know from those ads, but you can get all your calcium without ever touching a glass of milk. In fact, the acidity in cow’s milk can negatively impact your calcium balance.

While I’m busting calcium myths, let’s call out supplement manufacturers that proclaim swallowing calcium tablets somehow creates balance. Fact check: numerous nutrients work together to promote bone health, and swallowing a cheap form of calcium could knock that mineral balance out of whack.

Your best strategy to get bone-building nutrients includes whole foods coupled with a little help from Mother Nature:

More greens. Lactose intolerance, food sensitivities, and increased risk for ovarian cancer are three reasons to dump cow’s milk and stock up on calcium-packed leafy greens. A cup of cooked broccoli rabe, for instance, offers over half your RDA for calcium. Other excellent calcium sources include collard greens, kale, and spinach. Combine these green leafy veggies with some healthy fat like olive or coconut oil so your body absorbs the bone-healthy vitamin D and K.
Create balance. Your body constantly maintains a tight balance of acid and alkaline. So if you eat a heavily acidic food – say, five-grain bread or a parmesan-encrusted sirloin – your body must buffer blood pH back to normal. Alkalizing minerals bring pH back into balance, and your biggest source of these minerals lies within your bones. When you over-consume acidifying foods, including dairy, caffeine, and sugar, you increase your risk for bone loss. Just as bad, the phosphoric acid in sodas (even diet ones) leeches calcium from your bones. Alkalinizing foods like lean protein, leafy green vegetables, low-glycemic fruits, and starchy fibrous foods like lentils all help balance your acid load.
Get some sunshine. Vitamin D helps your body absorb and maintain calcium. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that exposing yourself to about 10 minutes of sun, two or three times a week, coupled with a vitamin D supplement can create healthy bones and optimal immunity. If you live in a sun-limited environment, you need to bump up your D supplementation. Thorne Research offers therapeutic amounts of vitamin D in various doses, both in capsules and liquid.
Eat fish. Wild salmon and other fish reduces inflammation, normalizes lipid levels, and improves your mood. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish can also improve bone health. Remember your bones are constantly breaking down and remodeling, and omega 3s assist that process. If you don’t eat wild fish at least three times each week, Omega Plus from Thorne Research makes getting these essential fatty acids easy. Tossing some flaxseed and chia seeds into your morning smoothie provide another way to get these healthy fats.
Go nuts. Along with protein and fiber, nuts pack a synergistic blend of crucial bone-building nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. Zinc, for instance, helps your body form an optimal bone structure for optimal strength. Likewise, magnesium improves bone mineral density. Insufficient magnesium, in fact, can interfere with your body’s ability to process calcium. Now that you know, why would you ever buy a cheap calcium supplement that doesn’t supply other crucial bone-building nutrients?

Sources:

Holick MF, et al. Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Dec;80(6 Suppl):1678S-88S.

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=96

http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/other_nutrients.asp

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-calcium-vegetables.php

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-and-milk/

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Uncategorized, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

Put back the Metamucil and head over to the vegetable aisle

March 5, 2012 By JJ Virgin 1 Comment

Want a surefire strategy for fast fat loss? It’s inexpensive, isn’t sexy or groundbreaking, and your grandmother (who calls it roughage) swears by it.

Fiber keeps you regular, but its benefits go way beyond relieving constipation. It can keep you full, delay stomach emptying, and balance blood sugar levels.

Reality check: you’ve got to get way more fiber than the paltry five to 14 grams most people get to enjoy these benefits. I’m talking 50 grams a day minimum for fast fat loss.

A supplement like Medibulk from Thorne Research, which packs eight grams of fiber per serving, can boost your quota. But you also want to choose the right foods with at least five grams of fiber.

Incorporate these five strategies and you might discover you’ve dropped a jeans size without dieting.

Vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, and other leafy greens pack maximum fiber and nutrients with minimum calories. Think outside the greens box too: a medium artichoke, for instance, contains 10 grams of fiber. Eat double veggies at dinner along with a salad, and you’ll spike your fiber quota. You can even make veggies the center of attention. For instance, throw plenty of non-starchy ones into a chicken broth with some lean protein, and voila! you have a hearty soup with plenty of leftovers to freeze.
Berries. On a hot summer’s day you’re probably craving Dulce de Leche with salted pecans, but also want to fit into that size-2 bikini. Skip the sugary, fatty ice cream for plain Greek yogurt and frozen raspberries. Each cup of these sweet berries offers eight grams of fiber. Berries also make a killer dessert when it’s freezing out and you’re just dreaming of wearing that bikini. Simply heat fresh berries, top with cinnamon and sliced almonds, and you’ll have a dinner-party dessert with over 10 grams of fiber.
Starchy carbs. These slow-release carbs pack plenty of fiber to keep your blood sugar slow and steady, providing you sustained energy and fast fat loss. One cup of cooked lentils, for instance, packs a whopping 16 grams of fiber. Black beans make an inexpensive fiber-rich side dish or added to soups. Sweet potatoes, quinoa, and other slow-release carbs also pack a fiber punch.
Nuts and seeds. Whether you enjoy them as a crave-busting mid-afternoon snack or incorporate them into dishes like pistachio-crusted chicken, nuts and seeds provide good amounts of protein, good fats, and fiber. They’re also high in calories, so if you a have portion-control problem, measure an ounce or two in a bowl and step away from the Blue Diamonds. Nuts satiate you and promote fast fat loss. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for instance, found that nuts help people better control their weight.
Good fats. Avocado, coconut, and olives deliver healthy fats and fiber to jumpstart even the most lackluster salad or entrée. Besides being an excellent source of monounsaturated fat, for instance, one cup of avocado packs almost 10 grams of fiber. Similarly, a cup of shredded coconut packs seven grams of fiber along with its immune-boosting fat. And ask your server to skip the baguette and bring out a bowl of olives. One cup packs over four grams of fiber.

Sources:

Bes-Rastrollo S, et al. Prospective study of nut consumption, long-term weight change, and obesity risk in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 June; 89(6): 1913–1919.

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=52

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3106/2

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46

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You can’t pick your parents, but you can pick your weapons – 5 foods, spices, and drinks to give breast cancer the boot

March 1, 2012 By JJ Virgin Leave a Comment

Brassica vegetables. Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and other members of the Brassica family come packed with a cancer-fighting compound called indole-3-carbinol (I-3-C), which helps detoxify the “bad” estrogens. A study in the journal Cancer Research concluded that Chinese women who consumed lots of Brassica vegetables significantly reduced their breast cancer risk. Because of their high immune-boosting sulfur content, these veggies often get a smelly reputation. But even your most finicky eater will devour Brussels sprouts in garlic and olive oil or faux-tatoes (mashed cauliflower).
Green tea. A study in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies concluded green tea could help prevent breast cancer recurrence in early-stage cancers. That’s because it comes loaded with antioxidants, including EGCG, which can block several enzymes cancer cells need to reproduce and flourish. Green tea also has a calming reputation thanks to the amino acid theanine, which can lower stress hormones. Enjoy green tea hot or cold, but drink it often.
Curcumin. Turmeric is a popular spice in Middle Eastern dishes like curry that lends an orange pigment. Curcumin, the primary antioxidant in turmeric, offers numerous health benefits including reduced inflammation and liver detoxification. A study in the journal FEBS Letters showed curcumin can trigger apoptosis in cancer cells. To get these benefits, sprinkle turmeric liberally on your food and supplement with Meriva-SR or Meriva-500 from Thorne Research, which offer a highly absorbable therapeutic amount of curcumin.
Wild fish and fish oil. Omega 3 fatty acids, prevalent in wild salmon and other fish, support optimal cell membrane fluidity and reduce inflammation. A study in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications showed fish oil prevents cancer cell metastasis, increasing the rate that cancer cells die off and slowing tumor growth. If you don’t regularly eat fish, you can get therapeutic amounts of omega 3s with Omega Plus from Thorne Research. Flaxseeds and chia seeds, which also offer omega 3s, provide a nutty boost to your morning protein smoothie. (Get the shake recipe at http://jjvirgin.com/jjs-favorite-shake/.)
Nuts. Raw almonds, walnuts, and pecans come loaded with Vitamin E, which studies show inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells. Nuts also come packed with immune-boosting minerals like selenium as well as fiber. A study in the journal Cancer Causes Control found women who ate higher amounts of fiber and nuts during adolescence reduce their risk for breast disease. Researchers concluded nuts are an ideal way to prevent breast cancer.

Sources:

Choudhuri T, et al. Curcumin induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells through p53-dependent Bax induction. FEBS Lett. 2002 Feb 13;512(1-3):334-40

Fowke JH, et al. Urinary isothiocyanate levels, brassica, and human breast cancer. Cancer Res. 2003 Jul 15;63(14):3980-6.

Mandal CC, et al. Fish oil prevents breast cancer cell metastasis to bone. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Nov 26;402(4):602-7.

Seely D, et al. The effects of green tea consumption on incidence of breast cancer and recurrence of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Integr Cancer Ther. 2005 Jun;4(2):144-55.

Su X, et al. Intake of Fiber and Nuts during Adolescence and Incidence of Proliferative Benign Breast Disease. Cancer Causes Control. 2010 July; 21(7): 1033–1046.

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Don’t check your dietary common sense at the door: 9 strategies to dine out smartly

February 27, 2012 By JJ Virgin Leave a Comment

Dining out doesn’t mean you have to recklessly throw caution to the wind and order the triple-decker mushroom bacon cheeseburger with an avalanche of fries and a piece of cherry cheesecake for dessert that could realistically feed a small family.

At the same time, you needn’t be terrified that eating out will completely destroy your fast fat loss as long as you incorporate these nine strategies:

Mix and match. Survey the entire menu when you sit down. Let’s say you want salmon but it comes with garlic-cheddar risotto. The parmesan-encrusted filet, on the other hand, comes with sautéed spinach and garlic. Politely ask your server to switch sides. Make eating an adventure. Try a new veggie that you’d never cook at home: maybe you love squash, for instance, but never make zucchini.
Skip the monster salads. Start your meal with a salad topped with olive oil and vinegar. A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed people who ate a small salad ate less food during their subsequent meal. Bypass the loaded salads with carb and fat catastrophes like candied walnuts, bacon, taco strips, rice noodles, or wantons. Likewise, skip the sugary vinaigrettes and creamy dressings.
Beware of red flags. Any entrée described as breaded, fried, crunchy, crispy, glazed or creamy translates into fast fat loss obstacle. Order your lean protein and non-starchy veggies grilled, baked, or broiled.
You know what assuming does… Ask your server questions before you order. Ignorance doesn’t cut it. If you fail to ask, and your chicken dish comes drowning in a syrupy glaze (even though your menu didn’t say so), you’re responsible if you eat it.
Don’t invite the enemy to the table. Banish the breadbasket before your server even sets it down. If you need something to munch on before your salad, ask for a small bowl of olives.
Double up. Two appetizers as your main course provide better portion control than a gigantic entrée. You might order hummus with veggies, for instance, alongside grilled chicken kabobs with salsa.
Share. So you’ve just got to try the 24-ounce bone-in ribeye. Share it with a friend who’s a faster eater than you and let him get the last bite. Your waistline and credit card will thank you.
Cut it in half. Split that enormous broccoli-garlic stuffed chicken breast in half and get it to go before you even dive in. You can use the extra protein in your wrap or salad tomorrow at lunch.
Three bites and fork down. Your dining date insists you must try the pistachio chocolate upside-down cake. Have three polite bites – we’re talking bites you would eat on Oprah, not during an 11 p.m. fridge raid – and ask your server to remove the fork. Trust me: other people at your table will have no problem finishing that cake.

Sources:

Rolls BJ, et al. Salad and satiety: energy density and portion size of a first-course salad affect energy intake at lunch. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004 Oct;104(10):1570-6.

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Eat, repeat, and repeat: study shows having the same foods over and over can help you lose weight

February 23, 2012 By JJ Virgin Leave a Comment

Those endless varieties of ice cream flavors and gourmet bakery pastries might be making you fat in ways you haven’t imagined.

A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded too many food options might be one reason the scales keep inching up. On the other hand, boredom from a limited array of food options might help make you slim and sexy.

The study involved 16 obese and 16 non-obese women. Researchers assigned each participant a half-hour computer task while also giving them the option of eating a 125-calorie portion of mac and cheese. These women could work for as many “rewards” as they craved. So, for instance, four half-hour computer tasks would allow them 500 calories’ worth of mac and cheese.

Half the women were assigned to a “week group,” which involved one computer session each week for five weeks. The other half participated in daily computer sessions over five days.

Researchers found the daily group – those women rewarded mac and cheese every day for five consecutive days – got burned out with the comfort food fairly quickly and ate 100 fewer calories each day. The weekly group who only got the mac and cheese once a week, on the other hand, devoured 30 more calories each day during the study.

The take-home message here is what scientists call habituation: if you repeatedly eat the same flavor of Ben & Jerry’s or whatever your not-so healthy indulgence might be, you’ll become so bored revisiting that food again and again that you eat less.

Maybe your go-to comfort food is pizza. I don’t care how much you love it. If your Friday dinner involves the same pepperoni deep-dish pie you ate every other night this week, odds are you’re not going to enjoy it nearly as intensely as you did Monday night, so you’re less likely to reach for that third slice.

If you want to burn fat, you’re not eating pizza every night. So let’s apply habituation to healthy eating.

Let’s say your boyfriend’s dying to check out that new sushi buffet down the street. You acquiesce, but resolve you’ll only make healthy choices. Even so, odds are you’ll eat more food simply because of that buffet’s sheer variety than had you ordered from a menu at your favorite sushi bar.

You might, for instance, want to try every variety of the sashimi, rather than sticking to the mackerel and yellow tail you order at an a la carte sushi bar. You end up eating eight pieces rather than your normal three, simply because you had to try the squid and eel, which you’ve never had the courage to order.

And remember, healthy food becomes unhealthy when you overdo it.

I want you to eat tons of non-starchy veggies. It’s impossible, after all, to get fat eating spinach and Brussels sprouts. But when it comes to everything else, lack of variety might be your best ally for fat loss.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20110722/food-boredom-may-lead-to-weight-loss

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110719114340.htm

Filed Under: All Articles, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

Could those “healthy” salads be making you fat, tired, and bloated?

February 20, 2012 By JJ Virgin Leave a Comment

You had a perfectly healthy chicken Caesar salad (hold the croutons) with a bottle of Perrier for lunch.

An hour later, swamped at your office, you’re gassy and bloated. You feel like you’re going to bust out of your jeans, and you’re certain that hot new assistant is starring at your muffin top while he faxes at the copying machine. At the same time you’re hungry, and you know that bag of Pirate’s Booty white aged cheddar on your desk sometimes soothes your stomach.

You’re tempted to write this discomfort off as an upset stomach, but it happens far too frequently.

You could have food sensitivities or other gut-related issues. Symptoms manifest hours or even days after you’ve finished the offending food and include joint pain, fatigue, mental fuzziness, mood swings, skin issues, constipation, diarrhea, congestion, gas, and bloating.

Take control of your digestive problems with these five strategies and never spend another afternoon stuck in the office bathroom or running to Starbucks for a brain-fog relieving grande latte.

Ditch the common culprits. Many so-called healthy foods can trigger food intolerances and sensitivities that develop over time as you frequently consume these foods. Try an elimination diet. For 21 days, dump the dairy, soy, gluten, corn, peanuts, yeast, sugars, and artificial sweeteners. You will survive and feel fabulous. What’s left to eat? Plenty: raw nuts and seeds, a rainbow of veggies, low-glycemic fruits, and clean, lean protein.
Digest well. No more mindless eating, dashboard dining, or TV dinners. Slow the heck down, make time for your meals, put your fork down between bites, and minimize the sparkling water while you’re eating. (Liquids dilute your stomach acids and inhibits protein breakdown.) You’ll also benefit from a comprehensive digestive enzyme like B.P.P. from Thorne Research.
Search and destroy. Those pesky microbes, yeast, and parasites can extract more calories from your food and stall fast fat loss. Gut bacterial overgrowth also zaps your energy, triggers serious cravings for Sausalito cookies, and sends you running to the bathroom. An integrative health practitioner can help destroy these nasty invaders. In the meantime, garlic can help. If you want to keep your friends and not radiate bad breath, though, use Kyolic Aged Garlic Digestion Formula 102.
Build your defenses. Most of your immune system exists in your gut. Boost your defenses with a high-quality whey protein (if you’re not dairy sensitive), such as Whey Protein Isolate from Thorne Research. And build gut flora with a probiotic like Bacillus Coagulans, also from Thorne Research.
Cool off. Make an oil change and dump the pro-inflammatory vegetable oils for wild salmon. If you’re not eating cold-water fish three or four times a week, you can get therapeutic benefits to reduce gut and overall inflammation with Omega Plus from Thorne Research. Another gut-soothing strategy that makes a perfect mid-afternoon snack: mix freshly ground flaxseed meal with applesauce.

Filed Under: All Articles, Health and Wellness, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

Your genes aren’t your destiny (and willpower won’t get you in size-2 jeans)

February 16, 2012 By JJ Virgin Leave a Comment

I’m going to ‘fess up. The other day I picked up a few things at the grocery store and grabbed a box of dark-chocolate covered almonds to bring over to my boyfriend’s house. Everything else survived intact, but the almonds never made it. In fact, they didn’t get past the grocery store parking lot.

Willpower is a word synonymous with weight loss. We’re always mustering willpower not to overeat, to choose healthier food options, and to flip off Law and Order reruns and get our butts to the gym.

Let’s go way back for a minute, when we lived in caves and didn’t have McDonalds or Starbucks on every corner. If willpower had been the hot topic in every Paleo person’s conversation, we wouldn’t be around today. We were evolutionarily primed to feast so we could survive famines. Just like us, you can bet our caveman ancestors weren’t binging on leaves and seeds. Nope, they were going face down in the honey and fatty foods.

Fast forward to today. Unless you’re a contestant on one of those TV shows that throw people on some random island, you’re probably not going to face anything resembling deprivation or famine in the 21st century. On the contrary, we’re inundated with addictive foods from the moment we grab our Starbucks grande latte and ending when that 11 p.m. siren call of Chunky Monkey harkens from the freezer.

Manufacturers strategically place these addictive foods within eye’s reach, which explains why you’re salivating over that blueberry scone when you innocuously just intended to order a green tea. That’s also why grocery stores strategically place candy at the checkout aisle: so you’ll grab a bag of M & Ms without over thinking it.

What are some of these addictive ingredients that can create food allergies and other problems? Gluten in wheat and casein in milk can exert a morphine-like effect on your brain. If you’re like most Americans, you eat the same foods habitually. (Don’t believe me? Keep a food journal for a few days.)

Most likely, you’re constantly bombarded with dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, corn, and peanuts. Keep in mind these foods hide in unsuspecting places. Over time you can build up food sensitivities and cravings for them.

Many behaviors we believe lie within our control actually have strong genetic ties: snacking, decreased satiety, increased appetite, sweet tooth, eating disinhibition (more on that in a second), and increased food desire. Any of these sound familiar?

But your genes don’t have to be your destiny. When you identify your genetic tendencies for certain eating behavior traits, you can proactively put strategies in place so that you don’t fall victim to them.

For instance, let’s say you’re incredibly disciplined, but you pass a Cinnabon and those hot pecan buns grab you. You’ve just got to have one. Eating disinhibition involves overeating in response to a specific stimulus including stress, fatigue, and social situations. Maybe stressing out over your low bank account particularly creates these carb catastrophes. Rather than succumb to a gooey, sugary baked concoction, have a few squares of the richest dark chocolate you can find. You’ll satisfy your sweet tooth and those cravings will back off.

Some other defensive strategies I use to positively impact gene expression include:

1. Don’t let the cheesecake, dark chocolate, or whatever your enemy is, into the house (even healthy enemies if you overeat them)
2. Use lateral shifts – for instance, trade soda for sparkling water with Emergen-C, or cheddar cheese and crackers for goat cheese and raw almonds
3. Follow the three polite bites rule (remember to eat those bites like you’re on Oprah) and then put your fork down
4. Write down everything you eat and drink. Hire a coach to hold you accountable
5. Replace bad habits with incompatible ones – if midnight cheesecake raids are your downfall, take a hot bath instead
6. Add before you take away – add more veggies, up your fiber, and start your day with a protein smoothie [Link to article “Five things to ADD…”]
7. Don’t confuse hunger with thirst – drink plenty of green tea and water between meals

© 2011 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by breaking free from food allergies. She is the bestselling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout & co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to take the quiz & find out if Your “Healthy” Habits are Making

Filed Under: Genetics and Weight Loss, Uncategorized, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

5 “healthy” habits that seriously stall your fast fat loss

February 14, 2012 By JJ Virgin Leave a Comment

You’ve diligently followed my clean-plate rule of lean protein, leafy green veggies, high-fiber starches, and some good fat. You’ve done an IGG test to determine your food sensitivities. You even hired a coach to hold you accountable for everything you’re writing in your food journal.

And yet you curse the scales every morning as your number stagnates for the past three week

Seemingly trivial things can highjack your success. Here are five culprits that could stand in your way of your fast fat loss goals.

1. Sleep deprivation. One sleepless night of tossing and turning can sabotage fast fat loss, drown your energy levels, and leave you devouring a low-fat banana apple muffin with your morning latte. In 17 of the 23 studies analyzed, a meta-analysis in the journal Obesity found getting too little sleep contributed to weight gain. You should aim for seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep every night to reduce hunger hormones and boost your fat-burning human growth hormone (HGH).

2. Drinking water with your meals: Gulping large glasses of sparkling water with your organic almond-encrusted chicken dilutes stomach acid and impairs digestion. Otherwise, drink up. When your alarm clock blasts you awake at 7 a.m., have 16 ounces of water. Repeat about an hour before lunch and dinner. And water in the afternoon and before bed can stave off those 3 p.m. cravings for banana nut scones your assistant brought to the office. A 32-ounce Sigg bottle helps you keep track of your water intake and doesn’t inundate your body with toxins like plastic bottles do.

3. Skipping breakfast: You’re not really hungry anyway, so skipping a big breakfast for a Frappuccino “lite” saves calories, right? Nope. What it does do is set you up for a Starbucks low-fat apple cinnamon muffin disaster around 10:30 a.m. Breakfast sets your day’s metabolic tone, gives you steady sustained energy, and promotes fast fat loss. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed protein keeps you full and focused far better than toasted fat-free English muffins. So skip the Special K, which will set you up for a rollercoaster blood sugar spike and crash. A protein smoothie with Vegalite and Medibulk (both from Thorne Research) and So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk makes a fast, easy way to stay full and full of energy all morning.

4. Snacking throughout the day: You hear your coworker (who’s always on Weight Watchers) crunching one of those Nabisco 100 Calorie packs, so you decide it’s time for a mid-afternoon snack too. But every time you nosh, you raise insulin, which stores fat. Constantly nibbling on that doughnut and picking at a low-fat cranberry muffin keeps your insulin levels high and shuts off fat burning. Aim instead every four to six hours for lean protein, healthy fats, high-fiber starches, and lots of non-starchy veggies.

5. Overdoing endurance training: Ever notice those people breathlessly pacing on treadmills don’t look particularly lean, muscular, or healthy? That’s because an hour or more of moderately high-intensity exercise multiple like cycling or jogging can lower testosterone, increase aging, and depress your immune system. Skip the time-killing elliptical machines and aerobics classes for burst training, which raises growth hormone and improves fast fat loss. Or try my 4 x 4 Workout to fast fat loss in just 15 minutes. Either way, you can dump that time excuse.

Sources:

Blom WA, et al. Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):211-20.

Patel SR, et al. Short sleep duration and weight gain: a systematic review. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008 March; 16(3): 643–653.

Filed Under: All Articles, Exercise and Burst Training for Fast Fat Loss, Sleep for Weight Loss, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, food allergies, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

Don’t step foot in another grocery store until you have this list with you

February 9, 2012 By JJ Virgin 1 Comment

Your doctor told you to only choose high-fiber cereal, low-fat dairy, and no-sugar-added ice cream. So here you are at your Whole Foods feeling like you need a PhD in nutrition to make sense of the assorted claims manufacturers use so you’ll buy their products.

How do you make sense of the hype and hoopla?

Foremost, stick to the grocery store’s outer aisles, which carry mostly unprocessed (or least processed) foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and other perishable products. These are the foods without bar codes that our ancestors hunted or plucked, and they’re the foods your body best recognizes.

Many foods in the center aisles, on the other hand, have a sell-by date of forever thanks to added high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, and other additives you most certainly don’t want in your kitchen or your body.

Many such products also list assorted government-approved health claims so you’ll buy these products, not because manufacturers care about your health.

Keep this list handy next time you visit Safeway and you’ll never again become frustrated determining whether a no-sugar-added or sugar-free product is better.

Reading ingredient lists and nutrition info

1. Manufacturers list ingredient by weight, from most to least. So a product would contain more of the first ingredient than second, and so on.
2. Know the many guises of sugar. While high fructose corn syrup is the worst, all sugars – including so-called healthy ones – can contribute to heart disease, accelerated aging, diabetes, and obesity.
3. Read the fine print about serving sizes. Manufacturers keep them low so they can claim their product contains lower calories, carbs, and fat. You might easily eat two or three servings.
4. Know your fats. See the words “partially hydrogenated” on the ingredients? Put it back. Even if the label says “zero trans fats,” these are trans fats. Choose extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, avocados, cold-water fish, and raw nuts and seeds as your principle fat sources.
5. “All natural” does not equate to healthy. As my friend Robert Crayhon used to say, gasoline is all natural, and you wouldn’t want that in your body.

Manufacturers can get away with certain claims on labels, such as:
1. Eating enough calcium may help prevent osteoporosis.
2. Limiting the amount of sodium you eat may help prevent hypertension.
3. Limiting the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat may help prevent heart disease.
4. Eating fruits, vegetables, and grain products that contain dietary fiber may help prevent heart disease.
5. Limiting the amount of total fat you eat may help reduce your risk for cancer.
6. Eating fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables may help prevent cancer.
7. Eating fruits and vegetables low in fat and good sources of dietary fiber, vitamin A, or vitamin C may help prevent cancer.

The government exempts certain foods from labeling. These include fresh, unprocessed supermarket foods like raw fruits, vegetables, and fish, meat, and poultry products, and restaurant foods. Ignorance is no excuse; so know your numbers when you buy these foods.

What the words mean:
Dietary Fiber
You need 25 – 35 grams of fiber a day in our diet. Most people only get four to 13 grams. These guidelines can help you increase your fiber quota:
• High fiber – 5 grams of fiber or more per serving
• A good source of fiber – 2.5 g – 4.9 g of fiber per serving

Filed Under: All Articles, Health and Wellness, Recipes for Weight Loss, Weight Loss and Fast Fat Loss Tagged With: burst training, Fast fat loss, nutritionist food allergies, nutritionist food sensitivities

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