I love going to conferences. Learning new things, getting my fitness and nutrition beliefs challenged, meeting other fitness professionals, etc... Conferences are a great way to learn and grow.
I would like to share with you some notes I took from a nutrition conference I went to in Birmingham. There were several sections, but one I found really interesting was called "Weight Control After 50". It focused on how Baby Boomers can avoid weight gain, but the tidbits that were mentioned would be interesting and helpful to women of all ages.
Agree with some of it (I do) and feel free to disagree with some of it (I do), but I would love to have an open discussion about anything you find in here, so feel free to fire away!
-"People who are fat simply eat more than people who are lean." -Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating
-Obesity is being linked more and more to cancer
-It is much easier to try to eat for health rather than for weight loss
-Muscle doesn't jiggle
-The World Health Organization (WHO) found that 75% are overweight and obese (based on Body Mass Index-BMI)
-Of those, there are a greater percentage of obese than overweight for the first time in history
-Why do Boomers gain weight? The main reasons are:
1. Testosterone decline (men)
2. Inactivity
3. Stress
4. "Empty Nest Syndrome"
5. The "Baby Boomer Boomerang"
6. Early retirement
7. Eating out
8. Alcohol abuse
-Women reach peak body mass in their late 50's early 60's
-WHO says obesity is the number 1 health issue in the world
-Behaviors are the main reason we are overweight
-Some rules to follow:
1. Don't buy food where you buy gas
2. Eat at the dinner table as much as possible
3. No drive thrus
4. Before you go back for seconds set a 20 minute timer. If you are still hungry after 20 minutes you can have seconds.
-Men tend to reach peak body mass in their late 50's
-Men get into a vicious cycle of testosterone. Weight gain causes testosterone levels to drop, lowered testosterone cause more weight gain-58% of obese men have low testosterone levels
-High intensity exercise is effective at increasing testosterone levels
-The "Old school" approach to fat loss for baby boomers consisted of: long duration, mild intensity cardio work; mild to moderate strength training; caloric restriction and consumption of "diet" food. It was not effective.
-21st Century approach: high intensity, shorter duration strength and cardio sessions; changing eating behaviors; portion control
-Exercisers don't gain weight on steroids like sedentary people do
-Eating is a health issue, not a morality issue
-You are not "bad" when you eat unhealthy and you're not Mother Teresa because you had blueberries for breakfast ( I thought that was genius)
-Enjoy your food, just eat less of it
-People do not enjoy food like they used to. When you focus on enjoying your food, you will find you eat less of it. Win, win.
