During the holidays people should sleep as much as they can and not get too stressed out. This could prevent some of the holiday weight gain

Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says it looks as if "we should tell overweight patients to get more sleep. This is advice that's easier to follow than eat less and exercise more. "

"It means watching a little less TV at night and getting to bed earlier," Klein says. "Who on earth would argue about getting more sleep?"

Getting enough sleep and controlling stress are subtle things that could have an impact on weight, agrees Louis Aronne, president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity and director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Other studies are underway. Van Cauter is looking at how sleep loss affects people on low-calorie diets; how shift workers' sleep habits affect their weight; and how sleep affects the hunger levels of the morbidly obese. She's also investigating sleep deprivation in women and older people.

Mignot says researchers now must to do an intervention study in which sleep-deprived people increase their sleep time to see if it helps them lose weight.

"More and more we're realizing that healthy eating, healthy sleeping and regular exercise are three important things that everyone should do," he says.

Van Cauter believes that some people might be extra-sensitive to sleep deprivation, which "makes it very hard" for them to control their appetites.

"Our body is not wired for sleep deprivation," she says. "The human animal is the only one that does this."

Ever tried boxing?

I found my inner boxer last week when I was at Cal A Vie Spa. What a great way to feel powerful and get that stress out of your body! I could not get enough of it. Especially when I brought my anger close to the surface and ouche dit out of my body

TRY IT!

I am off to a Kickboxing class!

TOXINS and OBESITY

Toxins from within our bodies and toxins from our environment both contribute to obesity in the following ways

·       Lowering thyroid hormone levels

·       Breaking down mitochondria

·       Disturbing metabolic rate

·       Inhibiting fat burning

·       Damage mechanism by which hormonal signals control appetite and eating behavior (such as blocking leptin that tells your brain you are full)

·       Fatty Liver

The Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle

1. Stop Smoking

    

2. Diet that is low low glycemic.  Plenty of organic vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains as well as healthy fats and proteins.

    

3. Daily physical activity

    

4. Proper cellular nutrition

    

5. At least ½ ounce pure water per pound body weight.

    

6. Positive thoughts.and Healthy pleasures.

    

7. Good sleep

    

8. Good relationships.

    

9. Mindful choices of personal care and household products

    

10. Release resentment

     

1. Replace simple sugars with complex: avoid large fluctuations in sugar levels; simple sugar foods (candy bars, cookies, jelly rolls) with refined sugar and consider substituting various foods containing complex carbohydrates (carrots, rice, bananas) reach the bloodstream quickly; causing release of insulin to reduce sugar levels, which also initiates fat storage

    

2. Avoid skipping meals.  Skipping meals increases the tendency to gain weight as the result of the brain adopting a famine” mode.

    

3. Snack strategically throughout the day.  Consider many (5-6) small meals daily.

    

4.     Eat large meals only on very special occasions.

5.     Eat fresh food whenever possible.

6. Eat red meat no more than twice a week.

    

7. Eat baked or grilled fresh fish two or three times weekly but shellfish no more than once a week.

    

8. Prefer bottled water to chlorinated city water or get reverse osmosis

    

9. Eat one third more carbohydrates than protein (Groppel, 1997).

    

10. Fiber helps control blood sugar: two forms:  insoluble (is nondigestable) and reduces risk of colon cancer, water soluble (e.g., oat brain) improves

     

Individual differences in the way people cope with stressful events may be at least as important as the stressors themselves in determining health or illness. Negative psychological traits can intensify the effects of stressors – suppressed anger, a sense of hopelessness and defensiveness.

Psychologist Suzanne Kobasa, at the City University of new York, identified and measured a style of psychological coping she terms hardiness, which can modify the relationship between stress and illness.

1.     CHALLENGE – the trait of seeing life’s demands as a challenge rather than a threat, responding to change with excitement and energy.

2.     COMMITMENT – to something you feel is meaningful – work, community, family.

SIGNS OF THYROID PROBLEMS CONTRIBUTING TO WEIGHT GAIN

• Thickening of skin and fingernails
• Dry skin
• Hoarse voice
• Thinning hair or hair loss
• Cold when everyone else is warm
• Cold hands and feet
• Basal Body temperature less than 97.8 first thing in the morning
• Muscle fatigue, pain or weakness
• Menstrual problems and/o infertility
• Decreased libido
• Fluid retention
• "Brain fog"
• Wake up tired and have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
• Constipation
• Loss or thinning of outer third of eyebrow
• Difficulty losing weight  or recent weight gain
• Depression, apathy, anxiety
• Autoimmune disease (celiac, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus), allergies, or yeast overgrowth (all of which can affect thyroid function)
• Exposure to radiation treatments, environmental toxins,
• Do you drink chlorinated or fluoridated water

Nutritional support - a clean, organic diet of whole foods will help. The production of thyroid hormones requires iodine and omega-3 fatty acids; converting the inactive T4 to the active T3 requires selenium and the binding of T3 to the receptor and switching it on require vitamins A and D and zinc.

There are a few foods that are particularly good for thyroid problems

Ø  Seaweed and sea vegetables contain iodine

Ø  Fish (especially sardines and salmon) contains iodine, omega-3 fats and vitaminD

Ø  Dandelion greens, mustard and other dark leafy greens contain vitamin A

Ø  Smelt, herring, scallops and Brazil nuts contain selenium

The process of oxidative stress in now believed to be a major component in the development of more than 50 chronic degenerative diseases.  (Steinberg, D., Beyond Cholesterol: Modifications of low-density lipoprotein that increase its atherogenicity, NEJM 337, No 6(August 1997): 408-416.  I call these Syndromes of Oxidative Stress (SOS).  An understanding of the process of oxidative stress will teach us how to protect ourselves from chronic diseases.

You can be prevented from having vibrant energy if your body is forced to handle more than it can contend with and its defences are overwhelmed.  When there is an interruption to the natural flow of the process of cellular oxidation, disease happens which all are syndromes of oxidative stress (SOS).  The following is a list of some syndromes of oxidative stress in specific areas of the body:

Pancreas          Diabetes      

Joints              Arthritis    

Eye    Macular Degeneration

Brain               Alzheimer’s Disease              

Cells                Cancer

Yeast thrives on sugar and high-glycemic carbohydrates quickly become sugar in the body. Consider the balance of bacteria and yeast found in your GI tract as a garden within. What you feed and nurture is what you are going to grow the most. To regain your health yeast needs to be brought back into balance. The Yeast Connection by Crook, refers to a chronic yeast infection, which presents itself with a multitude of complaints he has labeled as the "Yeast Syndrome". Patients with this problem may have a constellation of problems such as fatigue, recurrent infections, allergies, skin problems, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and significant craving for sweets. Along with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and sub-clinical thyroid, the yeast syndrome is also highly ignored or downplayed by physicians

Four Ways to Improve Sleep Quality

 

1.     Exercise:  Moderate intensity, not immediately before bedtime.  Exercising in the evening increases arousal.  Recent JAMA study of elders showed that those who practiced low impact aerobics or walked 4X/wk diminished time to fall asleep and increased duration of sleep.  (January 1997)

 

2.     Diet:  Carbohydrates, especially those rich in tryptophan (poultry, peanut butter, pasta milk) can induce drowsiness, however, the sleep-related benefits are small in comparison to daily exercise (Dement, 1999).  Also lowering alcohol and caffeine consumption.

3.     Sleeping Environment:  Darken the room – melatonin, produced in the dark, induces sleep

Ear plugs or white noise machine, change pillows, check mattresses.

4    Mental Preparation:  Relaxation, music, soothing herbal tea, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, healthy relationships, laughter, writing

Ten Tips to Improve Sleep Hygiene

 

Toxins from within our bodies and toxins from our environment both contribute to obesity in the following ways

·       Lowering thyroid hormone levels

·       Breaking down mitochondria

·       Disturbing metabolic rate

·       Inhibiting fat burning

·       Damage mechanism by which hormonal signals control appetite and eating behavior (such as blocking leptin that tells your brain you are full)

THE BIG-5 STRESS FOODS

 

From Create the Body Your Soul Desires by Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Kern (2003)

1. Refined sugar

These irritate muscles and overwhelm the adrenal glands and pancreas. Most people are aware of the initial “sugar high” from refined sugars that is quickly followed by fatigue and low energy. This leads to an impulse to again reach for sugar. A vicious cycle is then set in motion, which puts even more stress on the body.

2. Artificial sweeteners

Aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar, is stressful in itself since it contributes to the formation of formaldehyde in the body and contains methanol (wood alcohol) whose long term effects are still unknown.

A number of studies have shown that aspartame ingestion may lead to increased food and calorie intake. This is likely because artificial sweeteners make you body produce insulin by making it think that sugar is on its way. As a consequence your body tells you to eat more sugar to balance the insulin.

Of 166 studies on the safety of aspartame, 74 had at least partial industry funding and 92 were independently funded. While 100 percent of the industry-funded studies showed aspartame to be safe, 92 percent of the independently funded research identified aspartame as a potential cause of adverse effects.

3. Caffeine

Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, colas and chocolate, is a diuretic as well as a stimulant. It increases blood pressure, and causes the excretion of important vitamins and minerals from the body (particularly the B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and potassium).

4. Processed meat and cheese

Cold cuts, bacon, hot dogs, cheese and preserved meats are often packed with chemical additives, dyes, and preservatives which put a strain on the body. Also, many snack foods such as cookies, candy, pastries and chips contain oxidized fats

Long Term Effects of Exposure to Cortisol

1. Altered eating patterns – most frequently overeating and weight gain; less frequently, undereating and weight loss followed by weight gain

    

2. Impaired immune response – increased risk of infection, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions

    

3. Changes in body composition – decreased muscle mass and increased fat deposition inside abdomen, decreased bone density(osteoporosis)

    

4. Mental health issues –suppression of reward systems, increased risk of depression, anxiety anger and frustration

    

5. Memory and Learning Impairment

    

6. Sleep impairment

    

7. Increased risk of heart attack

    

8. Reproductive dysfunction – irregular menstral cycles, decreased fertility, PMS

    

Fatty liver is the most common liver disease in America, affecting 20 percent of the population. This is a major detrimental health problem that too many toxins in your body cause. IT Is caused by the most abundant toxin in our diet: sugar.

The more problems you have with your liver, the harder it is for you to process toxins of any kind. Foie gras is French for FATTY LIVER. Force feeding ducks or geese starchy vegetables(corn) Induces their livers to become laden with fat.

Fatty liver also impairs detoxification. A fatty liver is inflamed, which leads leads to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a form of hepatitis caused by insulin resistance.

ASK THE EXPERT 

Is Stress Fattening? 

QUESTION 1

 I believe stress is making my belly fat! I am otherwise small. I am 5'2" and weigh less than 120 pounds. However, my belly is so big to me!! What can I do about this? Fibroids are no longer the issue. How do I get rid of this big belly?

ANSWER

Make sure you have a good medical examination and blood work to rule out any medical cause for what you are noticing, One of the things I teach in my wellness seminars and with my individual coaching clients is the following:

“”How you respond to and cope with stress determines your appetite, body composition and overall fitness level”.

Clearly you have identified that stress is affecting your body composition so the program I would recommend is a combination of high quality/low glycemic eating, cellular nutrition support, daily mindfulness practice and a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training. To learn more about the specifics of my Healthy for Life Program please email me at email@drkarenwolfe.com

2. Don't want to bore you with the details of my worries and anxieties- living single in NYC, working at a prestigious large Advertising agency that keeps me constantly running and under unbelievable pressure. Don't even have a minute to have a decent lunch or make a quick phone call.  

Many evenings I get home around 9:00pm and eat dinner around 10:00pm. My normal diet consists of 93/7 lean ground turkey, salmon steaks, pork chops, pasta around once per week. I can't break this cycle of eating lbs. of mega-protein rich foods or lbs. of carbs & sugar. There is no moderation in my life. It's always something to the extreme.

When I am really stressed at the office, I often eat around 20 cookies, small muffins, danish between meetings, working. I can't stop myself- it's like my stomach is a bottomless pit. I don't even taste the wonderful sweetness of the sweets. I'm out-of-control. Afterward, I feel lousy and totally hate myself and swear not to repeat this cycle- until the following week.

I can't seem to get the concept of portion control. Would most appreciate some advice.

P.S. I am on the thin side, but as I am getting older I am gaining weight but feeling horrible physically & mentally.

Hope you can give me some words of wisdom or perhaps recommend a good diet program/nutritionist that could help me learn how and what to eat.

Most appreciated,

GG

ANSWER

Hello GG. Thank you for writing and sharing with such clarity. I am sure many women reading this will identify with what you are saying. Your issue is one I see more often than you can imagine. You are not alone. The good news is that you have clearly identified the issue and you are reaching out for support. You are caught in the trap of “toxic stress” and your stress hormones are constantly elevated leading to abnormal cravings and lack of energy. It is a vicious cycle.

There is hope! I would recommend you email me so we can have a wellness coaching session to begin to make small steps toward your goal of balance. What you are speaking about is what I work with all the time in my wellness/nutritional coaching. So you have found a place to begin!! Congratulations!  The important first step is for you to decide you want to create change (which it sounds like you are ready) and then take small steps toward that so we integrate the changes into your life rather than make huge changes that you cannot sustain. This is a lifestyle approach that I called The Conscious Body(Life) Methodä and we will work together to reclaim the meaning of the word D.I.E.T.S.

D = Daily Stress Management Practices

I = Individualized Nutrition

E = Energize Your Life

T= Think Well

S = Seek Support

This comes from my book I co-authored with Dr Deborah Kern called Create the Body (Life) Your Soul Desires. Which you can get on my website www.drkarenwolfe.com

 I look forward to hearing from you and working with you toward your new life!

2.     Is there a blood or other test to measure Cortisol? What is an optimal number range?

Great question! None of the standard laboratory tests typically used my most doctors are designed to measure cortisol. Currently there are laboratory tests available to measure cortisol and adrenal function, but they require special training in their interpretation. There are many issues that complicate the proper interpretation of these results, such as

1.     Cortisol takes on three forms in your blood, free, loosely bound and tightly bound to blood proteins. The most common measurement is the free circulating hormone and that usually represents a meager 1% of the total amount of hormone available.

2.     Cortisol has notable fluctuations throughout nay given day. However, many laboratories disregard the time of day samples are taken.

3.     Stress, of course, affects cortisol levels. Your cortisol level tested after a quiet, relaxing morning will be very different form the level after a stressful morning.

For a full understanding go to www.adrenalfatigue.org. The book I would recommend is Adrenal Fatigue- The 21^st Century Stress Syndrome by James. L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.

4. I am under a lot of job stress, and I truly believe that it contributes to my weight gain

of over 30 pounds in two years!

Please send me some advice on how to avoid stress to the point where it is making me unhealthy.

I exercise 2x week minimum for 1-1 1/2 hrs - yoga and free weights. I'm careful but not perfect in my eating habits. I have lived under much stress from my childhood to adulthood. Most of the time I feel I handle it well but I'm overweight and continue to put on a few pounds a year. All this weight gain began after breast cancer and treatment. Diabetes runs in the family as does obesity. I'm headed in that direction. Am I fighting a losing battle?

ANSWER

You are not fighting a losing battle. In fact, you have taken the first step, which is to say you are ready to change. It reminds me of a poem that speaks to your first step, which is about self-care (or service to yourself)

Today I give birth

to the woman in me

who has waited so long

to be acknowledged.

I welcome myself to the world

And I will not forget again

That service to self is a worthy task.

- From Ëntitled”by Naomi

Remember that we cannot avoid stress, we change our response and develop stress-resiliency. This differs for every person and we can work o n that in telephone coaching to get you started on your way. Email me at email@drkarenwolfe.com

As Shakespeare said, “Things are neither good nor bad, but thinking makes them so.

5. I am a 38 year-old mother of 8 year-old triplets. I am currently at a very negative place in life. I know that if I cut the "junk" from my diet my body could repair itself and in return my emotions might be able to right themselves as well. My problem is that I KNOW what I need to do (i.e. cut out refined sugars & processed foods, exercise, and eat properly), yet I never seem to be able to force myself to begin the process. I want to be happy and healthy for myself and my family. I have never found the drive to even try. The stress in my life has overwhelmed me and I have had to resort to medication so that I can even function on the most basic levels. Can you please offer ANY suggestions to help?

ANSWER

Firstly, I acknowledge you for wanting more for you and your family and you have actually taken the first step by writing and congratulations on your triplets. What a gift! Forcing ourselves to do anything NEVER works. I love Louise Hay’s work. She is the best-selling author of You Can Heal Your life. I would recommend you get the CD called Morning and Evening Meditations.  This brings you affirmations for morning and evening that will help you start the day with hope and end the day with joy, contentment and gratitude.

I also recommend coaching with me so you can take those “baby steps” from where you are now to where you want to go. Just “knowing” what to do is not enough. You need support and encouragement to break down the steps into action that works in your life. IT is amazing what coaching support can do!

6. If stress is keeping me fat what do I do about it and how do I get the fat off?

Firstly we need to identify your toxic stress triggers in your daily life. I have a talk called “Women, Weight and Stress” and it comes from my many years of working with women faced with what you are asking. Most people think I am going to give them a “diet” to follow and are surprised when I tell them that the first step is for them to make a commitment to care for themselves. If you put yourself last on the list, it is much harder to handle stress.

I would recommend you get the book Create the Body (Life) Your Soul Desires by Dr Karen Wolfe and Dr Deborah Kern and find a coach or a buddy to start practicing the techniques listed in the book. I have trained many wonderful coaches in The Conscious Body Methodä and can refer you to one if you email me at email@drkarenwolfe.com

1.     Many women worry about money and emotional eat as a coping strategy for financial problems or even problems in general.   What advice would you give women in dealing with these issues?

ANSWER

What a great question. You have brought up two powerful issues many women face – financial health and emotional eating and the link between the two.

·       Financial Health

Dr Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause, explains how health problems start in someone’s money situation first  and sooner or later that energy drain hits the body as a health problem. The first step in reclaiming financial health is to reprogram your thinking about prosperity. A good resource for this is the work of Catherine Ponder, author of The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity (Prentice-Hall, 1062).

Dr Northrup also has a special FREE Tele-gathering on Tuesday October 14^th, 2008 at 8pm EDT on “The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity”. Email me at email@drkarenwolfe.com for the access code for this call.

·       Emotional Eating

Emotional eating has often been called “the scratch you can’t itch”. No matter how much is eaten, the feeling of fulfillment, reward and satiety is missing. It is important to understand the stress response and how it works. Eating and weight loss are not just about willpower but the fact that a healthy body resonates from a healthy mind. The bottom line is each person has a different “stress profile” that determines their eating patterns. I recommend the book Fight Fat After Forty by Pamela Peeke, M.D. Ph.D.  She presents three stress-eating profiles with a list of basic helpful tips to guide each profile.

8. Dr. Wolfe,

The last few years of my life have been rather hectic. I work a 50hr week, care for my 98 year old grandmother who is still living in independent housing but I do her shopping, banking, bill-paying and run her to the docs when needed. My husband of 12 years is bi-polar, had a manic depressive/suicidal incident two years ago and is just now starting to “come back” to being himself again. He still goes to weekly psyche appts. and sees a different doc for med management. I go with him on the monthly occasions when he sees both doctors. These doctors are “out of network” and do not file for insurance, which is left for me to do – along with all the decision making in our household. So the financial burden is also becoming a strain, not to mention dealing with the insurance company.

I don’t have any family nearby to ask for help, and my close friends are burdened enough with their hectic lives, so basically I have nobody to even talk to. When I come home in the evenings (sometimes not until 8:00pm, after taking care of grandma), I have just enough energy to make dinner, do dishes (sometimes my husband helps) and then drop exhausted into bed. We eat as healthy as possible – I drink decaffeinated green teas and a lot of water – no soda at all, try to stay away from refined sugars, but have a passion (craving) for breads and pastas. Sometimes all I want to do is “carb-out”…

The real problem I have is NO exercise. I was getting up an hour earlier in the morning to do some stretching and weight training, but I have fallen away from it the last couple weeks because of dealing with an upper respiratory infection. I need some tips for exercises (when I am feeling well again) that will motivate me to want to exercise more without wearing me out!

I have probably gained 25 pounds in the last two years – and being 51 years old, I know how hard it will be to take back off! I just want to feel good again – mentally and physically!

Thanks for your help, 

Not so MERRY in Merrillville

ANSWER

Hello Not so Merry in Merrillville. You certainly have an overloaded life of taking care of everyone except yourself. As I like to say “something’s gotta give”. You have slipped into a pattern of toxic stress leading to toxic waist from limitless giving which is damaging your health. You must start a program of your own self-care. The hardest part is the first step. It will feel awkward at first to reprogram your thinking to reclaim your life. You cannot do this alone. I suggest seeking the support of a life coach that will support you to take the baby steps to get your life back on track. You will be amazed at how small changes in your own self-care can make a big difference

9. I walk about 1 hr. 6 days per week. Try to watch what I eat but don't lose weight. What is wrong? I am 59 years old and still active.

ANSWER

A common question. A woman’s metabolism traditionally declines at the rate of at least 5 percent per decade of life, starting at the age of twenty! For example, at twenty, you may have required 2,000 calories to live. By the time you are forty-five you could require about 300 calories less per day. Exercise and careful eating certainly minimize this effect but don’t completely erase it. Here are some of the links between menopause and weight gain.

·       Declining metabolism and muscle mass

·       medical issues,

·       a decline in physical activity

·       an increase in eating out compound the natural changes of the menopausal years.

·       Current studies also show that women in menopause have higher circulating insulin and thus a greater propensity to store fat.

·       Inefficient processing of  carbohydrates (sugar and glucose) compare to younger women (which further increases insulin levels)

·       Stress stimulates cortisol which facilitates insulin’s fat storage in stress fat cells

·       Fat regulating hormones, such as growth hormone and leptin decline

In summary, the weight gain after the age of forty is attributed to

·       Aging metabolism

·       Lifestyle Choices

·       Chronic Toxic Stress

·       Hormonal changes

I recommend the book Fight Fat After Forty by Pamela Peeke, M.D. Ph.D.

10. Hello,

I am told that I have too much stress in my life – but I feel that I have no more than the rest of the mothers out there with two children and a husband and a full time job – that is never a 40 hour a week job! But my mother is a retired RN and is always riding me about not taking care of myself! I tell her that I am but of course it is never the right answer! I will give you a rundown of my life………..

I have a full time job – I work about 60 to 70 hours a week at the job – less if I have been sick (which has been happening a lot more lately – Kidney stone and a cyst on the kidney – back pain (muscular and disk) – reactions to epidural in the C4/5/6 area of the spine – oblation and hysterectomy (for intense bleeding and fibroid tumors) – migraine headaches – high cholesterol (on meds for that)– and I am always tired. I am 43 years old and I have always been overweight (5ft. 9inches height – 216# weight) – so I have always consider myself fat not obese.

My family is always on the go – two boys – one 14 and the other is 10 – sports and music lessons and school. My husband also works a 40 hour a week job. You know it takes two incomes now-a-days! We don’t really get to take vacations – of course because of the money – I have been trying to work out with a personal trainer twice a week – but I find it hard to say on the nutritional schedule he wants me to do – I have started to eat more fruits and veggies! But he wants me to eat about every 3 hours AND reduce my sodium!!! I never use to eat breakfast – so now I am eating 3 meals a day – it is every hard to remember to snack every 3 hours – let along tire to find healthy low sodium food! Almost impossibly at work – which is where I spend a lot of time – let alone have the money to pay for said food! My mother says that I need to cook meals ahead of time – which is fine but I find it hard to find that time. I try not to work on Sunday – but I am usually tired and lazy around (after church) or there is always someone that needs help!