The LILI Letter — July 2022

The Ogden Regional Medical Center / Heart Center, “Losing It & Loving It” weight loss class & support group newsletter.

July,

A month of fun: vacations, barbeques, baseball games, outdoor activities and the like. Having fun is just as important as taking care of business. Here in Utah we celebrate Independence Day and Pioneer Day (or Pie and Beer Day for some). I hope this finds you enjoying yourself with some fun things planned.

In good health,
Jennifer James

Success story

This is an out-of-the-ordinary Success Story. For all of you out there with two functioning legs who don’t exercise…what is your excuse?

A friend and I went golfing a few weeks ago (9 holes with a cart, as my foot is still recovering). We were paired with another couple, two friendly young men. One was of medium build, slender and in a wheelchair. His friend, a tall and fit young man, drove the cart. My first thought was “how is this going to work?”. The man in the wheelchair, “D”, would hang on to the side of the golf cart and ride along as his friend, “T”, drove the cart. He put the golf club he meant to use inside his shirt and wheeled himself up to the tee, or wherever the ball was on the fairway. He would roll down the hills in his wheelchair alone, but needed some assistance going up a steep hill. Since he couldn’t stand up, he could only use one arm to hit the ball. He would take a few swings and then send the ball sailing. He was a good golfer! “T” assisted him when he needed some help, but didn’t coddle him. Since he couldn’t take his wheelchair on to the putting green his friend would putt for him. They were kind, friendly, encouraging and very much at ease with each other and their situation. “D” had only golfed for three years, and “T” had only picked it up three months ago. He was a good golfer too. Amazing! It was such a pleasure to golf with them!

My encounter with them taught me this: do as much as we can within our limitations. It may not be exactly what we want, but it can work. And do what we can with a pleasant attitude. Or as my brother says, “You get what you get, and don’t throw a fit”. Indeed.

Do you really know…yogurt?

Yogurt is ancient. It first appeared during the Neolithic period, 5,000-10,000 years ago. It was consumed in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and was a way to store milk, as the fermented form was high in acid and slowed the growth of harmful bacteria. Ghengis Khan fed his warriors yogurt in the 12^th-13^th centuries, thinking it contributed to their success in battle. Yogurt’s appeal resurfaced in the early 1900’s when it was attributed to Bulgarians’ longevity. It is rich in healthy bacteria (probiotics), calcium, riboflavin, protein and phosphorus. Try the recipe below to make your own yogurt.

BD Dairy. (2018, June 5). Food for thought: A short history of yogurt.

The importance of fun

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. It also makes him a sick, tired, apathetic and grumpy boy. When we were children, what was fun? When was the last time we participated in one of these activities? I loved flying kites, riding my bicycle and playing with my friends. For the record, I rode my bicycle last week. Eating sweets and binge-watching a Netflix series does not count. Why? Keep reading.

What does fun do for us physically? It lowers stress hormones, helps us relax, strengthens our immunity, lightens our mood, releases endorphins and makes us feel good. News flash: life isn’t so dreary after all. One of my favorite wise people, Martha Beck, suggests we assign our tasks for the day a “fun score” of 0 for “no fun”, to 10 for “very, very fun”, and track this over time. If thinking about a particular activity brings a smile to our face…bingo! It is obviously something fun for us. This only works for activities that make us feel good during AND after engaging in said activity. Not “faux fun” that leaves us feeling worse (like too many cookies). I tried this for the past few days and was pleasantly surprised by what garnered a high “fun score”. Listening to 80’s cardio music (even when working out), watching the chickadees, and talking with my girlfriends about the cute little things men do were all fun.

Why am I including this in a weight loss newsletter? Having fun generates positive emotions, which can increase our confidence and motivation (to lose weight). My health coaching classes taught me just how important it is to generate positive emotions in helping others achieve their goals. Start with our favorite childhood activities and go from there. We may have to put it on the calendar as a standing appointment, but it is worth it. Trust me on this one.

Wellcoaches School of Coaching. (ND). Habits Course. Ch. 5, Cultivate Capacities.

Beck, Martha. (2002, May). Do you need more fun in your life? The Oprah Magazine. 

Intermittent fasting revisited

Some of my patients restrict their food intake by limiting the time frame during which they eat, such as between 10 am until 5 pm. Some new research has surfaced that investigated whether eating the same amount of calories within a shortened specific time frame or throughout the day resulted in more weight loss.

The first study, conducted in China, enrolled 139 people with a BMI >25. The men ate between 1500-1800 calories and the women 1200-1500 calories per day. Half of these folks were randomly assigned to consume their calories throughout the day, the others to an 8-hour period (8 am-4 pm). This study lasted for one year. Another study with 89 people asked all participants to cut their calories by a third. Each participant had a personalized calorie goal. Half were randomly assigned to consume their calories throughout the day, or within a 10-hour time frame. All participants had a BMI of 27-45. This study lasted for 39 weeks. Both studies used photographic food records and looked at secondary parameters, such as glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and body composition.

The results? No significant differences. Granted, the studies were small. However…if cutting off our food intake by a certain time, say 6 pm, is helpful in controlling the amount of food we eat, I think it is a great idea. Also, we are less likely to experience heartburn if we go to bed on an empty stomach. We just cannot expect that eating the same amount of calories during fewer hours produces significantly more weight loss.

Liu, S et al. (2022 April 21). Calorie restriction with or without time-restricted eating in weight loss. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa2114833

Thomas, EA et al. (2022 April 26). Early time-restricted eating compared with daily calorie restriction: A randomized trial in adults with obesity. Obesity. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23420

Just the facts, ma’am

Imagine this scenario: we step on the scale for the first time in a year. Our weight is higher than ever before. What is our reaction? Hopelessness, self-judgment or determination? Let’s go with determination. We tell ourselves we know how this happened with honesty and compassion. We don’t get mad at our body, it is just reacting to how we treat it. It wants to be healthy too, but we have to give it a chance. Did we eat too many goodies, not sleep enough, not exercise and not do a good job of managing stress? Were there other factors, such as a new medication or recovering from an injury? Did we eat for emotional reasons? Go all day without eating and then binge eat at night? Did we eat more from boredom or stress and not physical hunger? Just collect the facts.

We make a plan and tell ourselves we can and will do this. Generating optimism is critical. We want to start off on the right emotional foot Based on the above, what changes do we need to make? Which of these feel the most doable right now? Start with those. If we want to count calories, figure 10 calories per pound for basic metabolic needs. It is best not to go below this amount, our metabolism may slow and fight us for any weight loss. We can use cronometer.com or other electronic food diaries to track our food intake. If we like the pen and pencil approach, that is fine too. If we are very active, we will need more calories per day. What exercise will we do? How will we get enough sleep? How will we manage stress? We remember to eat regular balanced meals, aim for at least half of the meal as produce or plant-based, whole foods, no sugary beverages, go easy on condiments, eat a small healthy snack between meals if we feel strong hunger, and allow a meal or two each week of whatever we want. If we are not hungry and tempted to eat, we find other ways to manage our emotions or boredom.

We monitor our food intake, weight and exercise regularly. When we plateau or think the results are slow to come, we do not jump ship. What positive changes have we made? Pat ourselves on the back. We might be losing inches, not pounds. We take stock honestly of what we are doing and make the necessary changes. Sometimes we don’t eat enough for our metabolic needs. Just collect the facts.

Losing weight is difficult, but it is not impossible. Let’s try to stay on the logical side of this, and not devolve into futility and beating ourselves up with negative self-talk. We are only human, after all. And that’s a fact.

DIY yogurt

This is truly one of the easiest recipes I have ever made. Two ingredients! You can vary the incubation time and fat content of the cow’s milk. You can downsize the recipe if you like, 1 quart of milk and ¼ cup yogurt.

• Equipment: food thermometer,
• large cooking pot and cheesecloth (optional)
• 3 quarts of 1% cow’s milk (or skim, 2% or whole milk)
• ¾ cup of plain nonfat yogurt with active cultures

1. Place milk in the cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat to 180 degrees, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to 112-115 degrees. One trick is to rub the bottom of the pot with an ice cube before adding the milk to prevent scorching.
2. Mix 1 cup of the warm milk with the yogurt in a small bowl. Return mixture to the pot, stirring to blend. Place a lid on the pot, wrap in a towel, and put in a warm place. Let sit, undisturbed for 6-10 hours. The longer it sits, the more bacteria grow, and the thicker and tangier it becomes.
3. If you prefer a thicker yogurt (Greek yogurt), place several layers of cheesecloth in a large strainer, add half the yogurt, and let sit for an hour or more while the whey drips off. You can let the whey drip right down the drain or save it for another use. I placed a large plastic strainer lined with cheesecloth in a clean sink and let the whey drip into the drain for an hour. Scrape off the thickened yogurt, repeat with the second half. Refrigerate and use within a week. If you want a homemade granola recipe to go with this, email me.
4. Save a cup of this yogurt to inoculate the next batch you make

3/4 cup 1% milk yogurt, unstrained = 90 calories. Calories will be higher for strained Greek yogurt.

July support groups

Mondays, 2:00pm-3:00pm, Heart Center Conference Room

• Tuesdays, 4:30pm-5:30pm, via Webex or Heart Center Conference Room
• Free to LILI graduates
• Email Jennifer to register via Webex

Having fun is not a diversion 
from a successful life, 
it is the pathway to it.

Martha Beck