Meet Brad Gray: He’s Lost 70 Pounds at Body Bar MD.

When you tell your friends or family that you’re looking to lose weight, they probably adopt a didactic tone and tell you that you simply need to, “Eat less and exercise more.” That’s easier said than done. First of all, it makes most people want to throw up their hands and exclaim, “WOW, thank you so much! I’m cured! Why didn’t I think of that?” Second of all, though, that simplistic view of weight loss can be incorrect.

Any diet that recommends simply eating less than 1,200 calories per day (depending on your gender, age and weight) is almost 100 percent likely to be a step in the wrong direction. Although it makes sense to us that eating fewer calories will cause us to lose weight, you must be careful not to eat too little. Not consuming enough calories can cause your body to go into what’s called “starvation mode,” which is thought to have been an adaptation our ancestors developed for survival. During this time, your body stores the fat you consume and instead burns muscle to provide it with the calories it needs to function. Over time, this leads to a significant loss in muscle causing the metabolic rate to slow down. A slow metabolic rate means any weight loss you initially expected will not occur.

Another problem with the “eat less” philosophy is it doesn’t take what you eat into consideration. If you limit yourself to a certain number of calories, (let’s say 2,000 just for the purpose of the upcoming example), and eat every single one of those calories in doughnuts, it’s guaranteed you will feel sluggish and/or sick. You won’t ever feel full and you will probably feel yourself losing most of your muscle and replacing that muscle with fat. After all, 2000 calories is only 7-10 doughnuts for your entire day and those doughnuts have practically no nutritional value. Eating less in general is important if you previously consumed four full plates of food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But eating less junk food and more healthy food is just as important for your health and weight loss goals.

There isn’t really a set number of calories you can consume that marks the difference between experiencing weight loss and going into starvation mode. It all depends, as previously mentioned, on your gender, age and weight. However, being patient with your diet and allowing yourself to eat when you’re hungry can prevent you from reaching that point. Seeking guidance and making a weight loss plan (as opposed to letting your ‘diet’ consist of 10 doughnuts per day) can help you achieve your weight loss goals while receiving proper nutrients and ensuring your body is healthy.

Quinoa is a rising popular food that still baffles many people. What is it, how is it good for you, what recipes can you make with it? Welcome to Quinoa 101: Your new go-to guide for everything quinoa.

What is it? Quinoa is a grain crop grown for its edible seeds in the Andes and Bolivia. It comes in three different types – white, red and black.

What makes it popular? Quinoa is gluten free and contains all nine essential amino acids necessary for good health.

Is it grown in the U.S.? Yes but it takes high elevation to grow properly, such as in the San Luis Valley in Colorado.

What is its claim to fame? The United States General Assembly declared 2013 as the Year of Quinoa. Sounds like a pretty big deal to us!

Fun Fact? It’s one of only very few plant foods considered a complete protein.

How can I add it to my diet? Blend it into a smoothie, use it instead of oatmeal, throw inside of quiche, make your own energy bars, mix in your salad, swap out for rice, toss it in chili, roll it in your burrito. Just get creative!

Water is essential to living and wellness. However, some people have a hard time getting the recommended amount of water per day (which varies for everyone based on body type but the average adult needs 60 – 100 ounces of water daily). Whatever the reason you have for not getting enough water – don’t like it, not enough time, too full – here are some foods to also keep you hydrated.

Many foods are filled with water to help hydrate your body.

• Cucumbers are 96 percent water
• Zucchinis are 95 percent water
• Tomatoes are 94 percent water
• Pineapples are 87 percent water
• Watermelons are 92 percent water
• Strawberries are 92 percent water
• Pears are 92 percent water
• Celery is 95 percent water
• Grapefruit is 90 percent water
• Blueberries are 95 percent water
• Spinach is 96 percent water
• Raspberries are 87 percent water

Stay away from alcoholic drinks and caffeinated drinks. These are diuretics and actually rid the body of water, which will make you dehydrated. Drink (or eat) up!

One of the biggest concerns we hear from patients is, “I don’t have enough time to eat healthy.” Eating healthy is a lifestyle change and meal prep is one of the things to make your journey easier.

Planning and dedication are key when it comes to meal prep. It takes three weeks to form a habit. So don’t give up if you have challenges as you start prepping meals but focus on ways to make modifications. Overall, food prep is what you make it and any meal prep will help make eating healthy easier.

The first step is to determine what meals you should prep. Based on the number of meals, decide what recipes you want to make and create a grocery list. Head to the grocery store to get your items.

Once home, it’s often easiest to spread out all of the supplies on the counter. Think about the foods that will take the longest that you can immediately start cooking. Remember – all of the cooking actually doesn’t have to be done right then. You can easily prepare a meal and put the contents in the freezer or portion out snacks for the week. The last step is to store your meals in Tupperware, glass jars, baggies or any other container.

By beginning the habit now, you will quickly see how much a few hours of meal prep will save you during the week while helping to keep you on track with your healthy weight loss journey.

If you want to improve your lifestyle, you’ve probably already tried changing your eating habits (for the better) and exercise. However, you still may not feel fulfilled.. Why is that? Mental health is just as important as physical health. Oftentimes when you feel good first, looking good naturally follows.

First you need to find out what is truly standing in the way of your happiness. Is it a dead-end job, a sour relationship or the same monotonous routine? For some, this may be easy to pinpoint. For others, this may be a challenge. Don’t hesitate to ask a person close to you for his/her opinion.

Now you assume I’m going to suggest that once you find the problem you have to change it. Not necessarily. Some large decisions could be in the way: your kids, your extended family, your situation. I totally get that. But there could be some other things you can change to make those tough times seem not so bad.

• Plan a weekend getaway. This doesn’t have to be extravagant or far away; it could just be to a local hotel or to a woodsy cabin. But when you get out of your familiar environment, you can take time to breathe and get your thoughts off of the things that have been occupying your mind.
• Try something you’ve never done before. Have you always wanted to go skydiving? Or maybe your adventure level is more along the lines of trying that new Thai restaurant. Do it! What’s holding you back besides yourself?
• Take as much time for yourself as you give to others. This is a foreign concept for many people in today’s fast-paced world. Whether you’re an extrovert, introvert or somewhere in the middle, you need to take as much care of yourself as you take care of others. And you are the only one who can determine what that looks like.
• Develop a life plan. Sometimes the thing that gets us down is that we don’t know where we’re going. Determine what you truly want to accomplish in life and work towards it.

Slowly but surely, your mental health will start improving. And once that happens, everything else will fall into place.

Hiking is great … the sun up above, the aroma of sweet flowers, the firm earth beneath you … until you start going. The sun gets hotter, the trail seems to go for miles and all of a sudden, hiking can be difficult. Hiking provides so many health benefits, as well as mental relaxation. So before you give up hiking for good, try some of these tips on your next adventure.

1. Take your dog along with you. They need exercise too and they keep great company!
2. Plan to a picnic stop along your route
3. Try easy paths, then work your way up to the harder ones
4. Take a first-aid kit. There’s nothing worse than hiking, getting hurt and not being able to do anything about it.
5. Get the right shoes first. They can make all the difference.
6. Train for it. Hiking seems easy but it takes a lot of power!
7. Bring the right snacks. Think protein.
8. Sunscreen. You often think about it when going to the beach but not when hiking. Take the time to protect your skin.
9. Make it a goal to go to all the major parks in Indiana.
10. Hiking may be difficult at first, as with any physical activity but with the right gear and training – you will have a great time!

Many people think eating healthy is sticking and that it won’t fit within their budget. Well, I’m here to bust this myth. It’s definitely possible to be budget conscience and find food that will fit your diet.

Have you started with the source aka where you shop? A vegetable is a vegetable whether you shop at Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, Kroger, Aldi or the farmer’s market. You don’t have to go to the high-end stores to buy your veggies. Compare prices online or from advertisements and go to the store that offers them the cheapest.

Or better yet, grow your own veggies! This could be a fun stress-relieving project for you, a teaching moment with your kids or a new adventure with your spouse. If you provide your veggies with the correct environment, you’ll have more fresh food than you know what to do with (which is where freezing and canning come into play).

Fresh berries can get expensive, especially out of season. Instead of buying fresh and then throwing out the rotten ones (which is like throwing your dollars straight in the trash), buy frozen berries. They are just as nutritious and last much longer.

Vegetable chips may be delicious but are more expensive AND way more calories than making your own. Grab some kale, slice it up, add some sea salt and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. At only 50 calories per cup, you’ll love how they treat your wallet and your waistline.

Instead of paying a lot to get fresh fish, try going back to canned tuna. You still get your omega-3s, it’s friendly on your budget and they make convenient lunches.

By combining these tips in addition to being proactive with your budget and grocery list, you will quickly find that eating healthy and saving money go hand in hand.

Single food diets really work.

Companies love to hype up juice diets and weight loss programs that force you to eat only one food or one type of food for a certain amount of time. Truthfully, most of these regimens, especially if they are exaggerated or not completed correctly, can actually end up being less healthy for you than your original eating pattern. The majority of these diets are based on the assumption or belief that your body can’t handle taking in multiple types of nutrients or foods, leading to digestive complications and weight gain. However, the opposite is actually true. There are very few foods that only contain one type of nutrient, so finding foods that consist of, for example, only carbohydrates or only proteins, would be virtually impossible in the first place. Not to mention, your body was designed to take in multiple nutrients at a time and to use those nutrients in conjunction with each other to keep your body functioning properly. Eating foods that help you achieve a balance of each of the five nutrients — carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals is the key to a healthy diet.

Fast weight loss is the best weight loss.

Programs that promise intense weight loss in short amounts of time are often leading you astray in your quest to lose those extra pounds. Although it is extremely tempting to adopt regimens that give you fast results with minimal effort, keep in mind it is almost always unhealthy to rapidly lose weight and that these methods are frequently unreliable. The only exception to this rule is a process of rapid weight loss that is prescribed by doctors to patients whose weight is causing them serious health problems and even then, these diets are closely supervised by medical professionals and the weight lost is often difficult to keep off. Losing weight quickly can often cause you to lose water weight or muscle as opposed to burning fat because it is difficult to burn fat in short amounts of time. Adopting a weight loss regimen that gives you a goal of 1-2 pounds lost per week is a realistic and healthy method to losing weight and developing habits that will keep the weight off for the rest of your life.

You should never eat fast food or “junk food.”

It is true that fast food is unhealthy overall – there is no disputing that. However, you don’t have to completely stop eating McDonald’s or Taco Bell just because you’re trying to lose weight. Eating well can be hard at first but it doesn’t have to be completely devoid of enjoyment. Now, if you previously ate a Big Mac during every lunch break or stopped to get a Cheesy Gordita Crunch daily, those habits need to be broken. But getting the occasional order of fries, isn’t going to break your healthy lifestyle. It’s only going to satisfy your craving and make it easier to stay faithful to your regimen later. Control your portion sizes and the frequency with which you eat unhealthy foods and you’ll find yourself enjoying your new healthy lifestyle while still reaching your weight loss goals.

Watching what you eat is enough – exercise isn’t necessary.

We know — It’s hard to find time to get to the gym and it’s harder still to find the motivation to push yourself through a hard workout once you get there. While you will most likely drop pounds through healthy eating, you’ll miss out on a lot of health benefits if you don’t combine your smart food choices with exercise. Exercising helps you keep the weight that you lose from coming back, plus it improves mood, helps with sleep and can aid in disease prevention. It is recommended that you participate in 30 minutes of medium-intensity exercise most or all days of the week. Thirty minutes daily helps with disease prevention. Sixty minutes daily helps with weight maintenance. Ninety minutes daily can take care of both, plus it’ll burn more fat and helps you lose even more weight. Developing a regular exercise schedule can also reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and build healthy bones, muscles, and joints. Studies show those who were active when they were younger and stayed active throughout their lifetime developed fewer health problems and lived longer than those who were sedentary most of their lives. If you really hate traditional methods of exercise, find ways to get your daily dose that are enjoyable to you.