New Study: Chocolate for Weight Loss

A new study published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, indicates that researchers have identified a specific ingredient in chocolate that may be responsible for anti-diabetes and weight loss benefits. Can chocolate for weight loss actually be beneficial?

Researchers have known for quite some time now that cocoa is a leader when it comes to foods rich in flavanol. Flavanol has the potential to lower blood sugar, decrease body fat and boost cardiovascular health. What researchers haven’t known is which flavanols are responsible for each of these health benefits.

The goal of this study, conducted by a group of researchers at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, was to test a number of different cocoa compounds to find out which were the most effective for preventing weight gain and associated obesity. Which compound came out on top? A group of compounds known as oligomeric procyanidins (or OPCs). Researchers found that OPCs can help to regulate blood glucose levels. Regulation of blood glucose levels indicates that this compound may prove to be useful in the treatment of diabetes. Oligomeric procyanidins appear to have the greatest anti-obesity and anti-diabetic bioactivites than any of the other flavanols in cocoa.

How did the study work? This study was conducted on groups of mice. Mice were separated into groups and fed a fat-filled diet along with a variety of supplements over a 12 week time frame. One group of mice received a cocoa flavanol extract, while the other groups received polymeric procyanidins, oligomeric procyanidins or monomeric procyanidins. Mice, who received oligomeric procyanidins had the lowest body weight, lowest body mass and were least likely to develop glucose intolerance.

You may have heard before that dark chocolate, in small quantities, has been proven to boost brain function, improve cardiovascular function and even help to reduce your risk of developing cancer, but research has never before been conducted on the use of chocolate for weight loss.

It is important to remember that there is still plenty of research to be done to isolate the compounds in cocoa that provide us with such remarkable health benefits. Before sitting down with a chocolate bar, it is important to remember that cocoa is not the only ingredient in a chocolate bar. There is plenty of fat and sugar in chocolate. If you are struggling with obesity or have diabetes, fat and sugar are not exactly items you want to be consuming.

By isolating the flavanols in chocolate, researchers may one day be able to offer the health benefits of cocoa in a more concentrated and purified form.

New Study: Chocolate for Weight Loss

How to Stay Healthy During Spring Break

Spring break is just around the corner for many in the greater Kansas City area. Spring break may mean vacationing or simply enjoying some downtime in the Kansas City area. During spring break, you want to relax and enjoy yourself. Sometimes this can include some unhealthy behavior; especially for those looking to lose weight. From extra calories to lazy days relaxing by the pool, spring break can make it increasingly more difficult to stick with your weight loss plan. If you are planning a vacation or a stay-cation, think ahead. There are ways to stay healthy during spring break.

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  Never engage in yo-yo dieting thinking this is a way to stay healthy during spring break. Before a vacation or getaway, it is common to be slightly more conscious over the amount of food you are consuming. This especially holds true when beach attire is involved. Being especially conscious of the food you eat is fine, but you should avoid any form of crash or yo-yo dieting. This can reduce your energy levels and you will be much more likely to overindulge while on vacation. Another thing to remember about crash diets is the second you stop the diet, the pounds will creep back very quickly as your metabolism works to adjust itself.

  
  


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  Avoid giving yourself a free pass on calories while on vacation; this can help you to stay healthy during spring break. As much as you don’t want them to count, calories still count while you are on vacation. While a burger and fries may sound like the perfect spring break meal, try to avoid the temptation. Do your body a favor by nourishing it with foods that are rich in vitamins and will give you plenty of energy to enjoy your vacation.

  
  


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  Don’t skip your workout just because you are on vacation. Pack your sneakers, a pair of shorts and a workout top. Remember to stay healthy during spring break, you cannot just lounge by the pool all day. Instead of just lounging swim some laps in the pool, go for a run on the boardwalk or enjoy a walk on the beach. You can still workout while enjoying the scenery that spring break has to offer.

  
  


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  Never skip a meal to stay healthy during spring break. Skipping meals will only make you more hungry and more likely to overindulge. Be sure to enjoy the local cuisine in moderation and make sure you are not hungry — hunger can put in you in bad mood.

  
  


• Try to avoid the late night snacking. With round-the-clock room service or a late night on the boardwalk, snacking can be tempting. It’s okay to treat yourself to something little, but don’t use this opportunity to have an entire late night meal.

How to Stay Healthy During Spring Break

Get Yourself Out of a Workout Rut in Kansas City

Warmer weather means clothes that are often a little more revealing as well as possible time spent at the pool, beach or other vacation destination. If you have been hibernating this winter instead of working out or just could not seem to stick to your New Year’s resolution, it is possible to get yourself out of a workout rut in Kansas City and back on track to success when it comes to achieving your fitness goals. Start off with these tips to get you back on track and get yourself out of a workout rut in Kansas City:

1.  Remember that you need to get up and get moving in order to get yourself out of a workout rut in Kansas City. Make just a few healthy changes at a time to get yourself out of a workout rut. Even if you do not know much about fitness, remember that moving around burns many more calories than sitting around all day does. Start by making small changes such as walking to the store instead of driving.

2. Even the tiniest bit of exercise helps. If you are worried about time, remember that exercising 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there and another 10 minutes later on in the day can help to get yourself out of a workout rut. Instead of thinking of these small increments of exercise as a daunting or even boring task, think of them as steps in the right direction to achieving your health and fitness goals.

3. You will not get yourself out of a workout rut in Kansas City if you overdo it. If you’ve spent all winter or longer not working out, doing too much too soon can take a toll on your body as well as your mind. Overdoing exercise can also lead to injury, which can mean more time spent sitting down (as you recover) instead of working toward your fitness goals. You cannot (and should not) overall your entire health and fitness regime in just one workout session. These things are going to take time.

4. Set realistic fitness goals in order to get yourself out of a workout rut in Kansas City. Set goals that you know you will be able to meet. Avoid setting unrealistic fitness goals that you know you will not be able to meet. In order to achieve your fitness goals, pick days and times of the days to workout that you know you can stick with. If you begin a workout regime that just seems to hard for you, adjust your routine instead of just skipping your exercise session altogether.

 

Get Yourself Out of a Workout Rut in Kansas City

I Just Feel Great! Weight Loss in Shawnee, KS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–llXMkb3Ws

What is Medical Weight Loss in Shawnee, KS?

Medical weight loss in Shawnee, KS is individually customized and tailored to an individual patient’s needs. Through a detailed medical history, a weight loss program is customized to meet the long-term weight loss goals of an individual. LifeWorks Integrative Health believes that weight loss is not a one-size-fits-all process.

The benefits of medical weight loss in Shawnee, KS include:

• A thorough medical history that helps to create a weight loss program based around your current health as well as your long-term goals.


• Determining the underlying cause your weight gain.


• Support. Those in a medical weight loss program are never alone and have access to nutritional counseling.


• A small, personalized and discrete atmosphere.


• A medical weight loss program is healthy. There is no fasting, yo-yo diets or doing anything harmful for your body. With medical professionals supervising the program, you don’t to worry about a weight loss program that is harmful to your health.


• Medical weight loss can help to improve your overall health — by cutting your risks of developing an obesity-related illness, such as heart disease, stroke or diabetes.


• Learn how to apply your new weight loss strategies at home.


• Learn how to fight cravings.


• Medical weight loss provides you with weekly monitoring of your progress.


• When diet and exercise are not enough, B12/Lipo injections or HCG weight loss may be implemented to help patients achieve their goals.


• Medical weight loss is affordable and works with your schedule.

“I just feel great; all the time. I’ve lost over 30 pounds. I don’t have any of the cravings anymore even though people still bring the treats to work. They just don’t call to me anymore. It’s great!”- Sue

Sue lost over 30 pounds. Will you be our next success story for weight loss in Shawnee, KS? Call LifeWorks Integrative Health today at 913-730-5838.

I Just Feel Great! Weight Loss in Shawnee, KS