It’s spring again in Bozeman, and many of us are thinking about getting out and enjoying the weather, dusting off our walking shoes and maybe fixing the flat on the bike. Digging through our closet, we realize all the extra junk accumulated over the winter needs to go. Time for some spring-cleaning. Maybe a yard sale is in order.
Along with the junk in our closets, maybe we picked up some extra pounds over the winter. “Hey, what’s the big deal, seals use it for insulation in the arctic winter right?” The thought is amusing, but we know floating the river later in the summer or walking Gallagator Trail will be more fun without the insulation.

It is quite common to make New Year’s resolutions about losing weight, but did you know that spring runs a close second? Yes, that’s right. Spring is one of the most common times for us to focus on our health and losing weight.

Spring is a time of renewal, rejuvenation, a sort of new beginning that welcomes in the season with fresh life and the chance to start anew. No wonder then that spring is also an inspiration for us to reclaim our health and get back the body we want.

With that in mind, here are some tips for losing weight to help you get your spring renewal started off right!

1. Do Some Spring Cleaning in Your Pantry

Getting outside and finding brand-new ways to remain active can be important, however, burning additional calories isn’t the only aspect at play when you think about your spring weight loss goals. Exactly what you do or do not eat is the most important factor when trying to lose weight. You need to take a closer look at what’s within your cupboards if you want to put the focus on healthy eating.

Be aware, placing healthy food items in the front, less nutritious foods in the back and dispose of any unwanted temptations. Make a stack of items that won’t assist you in reaching your weight loss goals. Processed, pre-packaged products, canned soup, chips, cakes and snacks. Sugary foods, soda and “diet” drinks all contribute to obesity and should be avoided. Make sure that you limit your alcohol consumption, as an occasional glass of wine may not make you fat, but regular consumption can. Replace these with healthier foods and snacks like: trail mix, veggie snacks, dried fruit, home-made soups.

2. You are What you Eat – Fresh Food and Ingredients

As soon as you’ve finished cleaning up your cabinets, it’s time to turn to the refrigerator. The more your meals focus on fresh, colorful ingredients, the healthier and more favorable to weight loss they’ll be. The Bozeman Farmer’s Markets open soon (gallatinvalleyfarmersmarket.com and http://bogertfarmersmarket.org) so taking advantage of their fresh produce will spice up your cooking options.

3. Make Sure you are Getting Plenty of Sleep

Studies by the National Institute of Health have shown that sleep deprivation leads to many health risks, including obesity. Individuals getting less than 7 hours per night will have a tendency toward higher weight.

4. Make Sure you Have a Good Reason WHY you are Losing Weight

A number on a scale isn’t a good enough reason to maintain a long-term weight loss plan. It just isn’t a meaningful enough motivation. “Being able to play with my children,” or “having more energy,” or “feeling comfortable in my swimsuit again,” are stronger reasons that will go the distance.

5. Keep Fresh Fruit out on Your Counters

Studies have shown that, on average, people that keep fresh fruit on their countertops usually are thirteen lbs. lighter than people from families that don’t keep healthy snacks available. Interestingly enough, people who kept high carb items like cereal out on the counter averaged 20 pounds heavier than people who kept those items in the pantry. It’s difficult to only depend on your strength of will, so removing all food from your counters and only keeping a bowl of fresh fruit out will help you be successful in your weight loss goals.

Hopefully these 5 weight loss tips will help you get your spring and summer off to a healthy start.

Crust-less Quiche – Healthy Start Recipe

 This flavorful and nutritious recipe provides a hint of crust without crust.

• 4 turkey bacon pieces cut in ½ inch pieces
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup steamed broccoli (a few stalks), then chop into ½ inch pieces
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ cup scallion tops or chives
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• ¼ cup feta
• ¼ cup almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill carries this: it is just blanched almonds very finely ground, so it has healthy fats, and is low carb) (pricey, but worth it!)
• ½ cup half-and-half (special treat, only a little carbs/serving)

Saute bacon and onion in a little olive oil until crisp. Steam broccoli until soft.

Blend eggs in blender with cornstarch, half-and-half, and salt. Heat 9 inch glass pie pan in oven with butter or Land O’Lakes butter/olive oil spread. When melted, coat bottom and sides with almond flour and sprinkle with salt.

Sprinkle bottom with broccoli. Pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle bacon, onion, chives over eggs, and feta chunks over top. Bake 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until firm. Cut like pie for serving.

Accompany quiche with some sliced strawberries with a little agave (low-glycemic natural sweetener) drizzled over the top and a dollop of whipped cream (freshly whipped, or a low carb canned one such as Land O’ Lakes.)

To make it a really special breakfast, serve on your best dishware with some pretty spring flowers on the table.

We hope you have enjoyed this edition of The Skinny, weight loss newsletter. At Go Figure, we want you to succeed in maintaining your health and losing weight. We think of our people not just as clients, but as friends whose lives we can improve by helping them get more health and happiness out of life.

What you may not know is that restarting the program is even easier than before. You may restart the program for only $150, this includes 2 weeks of the program & medical review visit with Dr. Buss.

If you are starting the program for the first time, the startup fee is $398, which includes labs and the first two weeks of the program. After that, it only costs $50 per week for our medical weight loss program.

Call us today at: 406-587-2878

GoFigureMT.com

With the beginning of spring and the days getting longer, we hope you’ve been able to get out and enjoy the sunshine! What a nice reprieve from the grays of winter. We’ve all been like spring chicks chirping around here about how nice it’s been to open up our houses and let a fresh breeze go through to change out the stagnant air. There’s also a laundry list of things to do to get ready for spring outdoors; raking last year’s leaves, cleaning up after your critters, etc. As well as the list of stuff to do inside: changing the smoke detector batteries, laundering the window treatments, dusting ceiling fans, etc.

What if part of your spring cleaning were to evaluate and clean your life? What if you sat down and made a list of some cleansing that you would like to do for your body, soul, and psyche? Here’s one simple example: are you holding on to old clothes because you’re afraid of gaining the weight back? Get rid of them! You have done so well, and you’re never looking back again. Besides, you’ve got us and the program under your belt!

A more complex example would be relationships: are you nourishing friendships with people that are more caustic to you than good? Take a step back and evaluate what is going to be best for you and your ability to make positive lifestyle changes. As we mentioned in February’s newsletter, self-care is an integral part of your weight management success. It may be time to make new friends that are more like-minded in your health-centered focus. Some ways to make these connections are through local gyms, or just on the trails you walk your dogs on! Get out there, you’re worth meeting!

Lastly, take a look at your kitchen. Are the foods in your pantry or cabinets hindering your success? Remember, your family members (aka: children, spouse) do not need to eat junk food, either. If you find that your cabinets are not “program-friendly” you may want to spring clean that too. Donate foods to the food bank bin at the grocery store; don’t feel compelled to throw them out. You can also give foods to your neighbors and friends.

We all know and relish the good feeling of having a clean and organized home: the relief from the dust on furniture, and dust bunnies collecting in the corners of the room. The ease from the unfolded laundry taking up space in your bedroom, and the satisfaction of a clean kitchen after a great meal. Supreme relaxation begins for some of us when our mind space isn’t taken up with these seemingly mundane tasks.

However, sometimes those simple tasks can derail even the best laid plans and cause undue stress on our psyche. Clutter and disorganization in our environment creates the same problems in our mind. If your “to do” list is extremely long and arduous, then you’re probably overwhelmed. When we get overwhelmed with choices and decisions we tend to not be productive in any capacity. We choose to do nothing, rather than taking things in stride. This same concept can be applied to other aspects in our life, such as weight loss.

It would make sense that getting organized can help with weight loss, as well. You are less at risk of clutter tripping you up causing injury, helps to reduce bacteria and germs which leads to illness and can make it easier to find gear for exercise and physical activity when you’re motivated. In a recent article in the New York Times entitled ” A Clutter Too Deep for Mere Bins and Shelves,”1 Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of the book “Fit to Live,” was quoted amusingly as saying, “If you can’t find your sneakers, you aren’t taking a walk,”. Dr. Peeke often suggests to those patients trying to lose weight to try to work on creating a single uncluttered space in their home.

We are entering into the holiday season, and for our culture this means food, family, and fun! This can be a particularly challenging time to make healthy eating choices. We don’t need to tell you that family functions can be stressful; they can be especially difficult for those of us that struggle with “emotional” eating. This can be a particularly important time to implement those behavioral changes that you’ve been working so hard at while on the program.

The cooler weather is here, and the leaves are starting to fall; it must be almost time for the kids to start dressing up in silly costumes and begging for candy!
Speaking of candy, it has become a tradition for adults to go through their children’s candy to ensure its safety. Perhaps, at the same time they confiscate their favorite candy for their own. Don’t do it! Along with that candy are empty carbs, sugar and calories, which can derail the excellent progress that you have made on the Go Figure Weight Loss Program!

One tip that may help you regulate you and the children’s candy consumption would be to keep the candy on a top shelf of a cupboard in the kitchen. Out of sight, out of mind!

Negative Effects of Sleep Loss and its Impact on Weight Loss

Ahhh, sleep: It is essential to our body functioning properly. However, if you have ever suffered from a sleepless night or two, you know it is not always simple to get a good night’s rest. For some of us, sleep is an elusive element to our lives that we covet and chase after night after night. For others, sleep is something that comes easily without much effort.

How much sleep do we need to stay healthy?

The amount of sleep needed is largely dependent upon the individual, including genetic factors. According to researchers, there are at least two components associated with sleep to consider: basal sleep need and sleep debt.

Basal sleep need is the amount of sleep to be able to function at our best and varies with individuals; according to The National Sleep Foundation the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of basal sleep each night.

Sleep debt is the total sleep lost due to illness, sleep environment, or lack of healthy sleep habits. Studies have shown if you are in too much of a sleep debt, you can be adversely affected in cognitive ability and can struggle with your mood.

The sleep that you need each night will be based on the amount of sleep that you’re deprived. This means if you get the recommended basal sleep needed one night, but had 2 prior nights of restless sleep, you’re in sleep debt. You may still struggle with an excessive lack of alertness and sleepiness, especially during the dips in our natural sleep/wake cycle known as circadian rhythm. (I.e. before bed and before waking.)

How does this affect weight gain?

There are at least two theories that are supported through research:

One is that scientists have found a lack of sleep increases two hormones in a small part of the brain called the hypothalamus, affecting hunger and satiety levels, which may cause people to overeat and result in weight gain. These two hormones are leptin and ghrelin.

The hormone, leptin, is regulated by fat cells which signal the body’s energy needs. When leptin levels are low this stimulates the appetite, when leptin levels are high this signals the feeling of fullness. The second hormone, ghrelin, is responsible for stimulating the appetite mostly through the stomach. When ghrelin levels are high it signals a stimulation of appetite.

In one recent study on sleep deprivation by the Research Laboratory on Sleep, Chronobiology and Neuroendocrinology at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, 12 subjects came into the lab to sleep and eat breakfast and dinner. When the subjects were limited to just 4 hours of sleep each night, the average leptin levels were 18% lower, and ghrelin levels were 28% higher than they were prior to beginning the study. The subjects with the greatest change in these two levels also were the most hungry and craved carbohydrate-rich foods.

According to one study, just one night of sleep deprivation can cause insulin resistance in healthy individuals. Insulin resistance is when your body’s muscle, liver, and fat cells are restricted in the amount of glucose (blood sugar) they are able to take in due to the reduced sensitivity to insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which is essential for the uptake of glucose into cells. Your body registers that there are low levels of insulin available, and signals to the pancreas to produce more to allow for the uptake of glucose into cells. When the pancreas cannot produce any further, there is a build-up of blood glucose in the bloodstream. When there is elevated glucose in the bloodstream you are considered prediabetic resulting in excess weight around the midsection, and abnormal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.

Interestingly enough, after a few nights of being sleep deprived, people can have elevated glucose levels because of a reduced ability in glucose metabolism pathways. Studies have shown after a high-carbohydrate meal it may take 40% longer to metabolize than normal. This, paired with our knowledge of how we crave high-carbohydrate foods after a restless night’s sleep, is a recipe for disaster.

What can you do to sleep better?

Some important factors for adequate rest are to create an environment that promotes sleep. Here are some tips to help you make your space conducive to rest:

• Do some soothing activities before bed to help you get ready for rest mentally: take a bath, or read a magazine or book.
• Avoid vigorous exercise for at least 2 hours before bedtime.
• Avoid beverages a few hours before bed to lessen the need to get up several times at night.
• Make your bedroom for just sleep and sex only. Do not work, use computers, study or watch tv in bed.
• Keep your bedroom dark and cool. Light can disrupt your sleep by altering your natural circadian rhythm. Your room should be about 70 degrees: any warmer or cooler will result in an interruption in your sleep patterns.