The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), established in 1994, is the largest investigation of long-term successful weight loss maintenance. The NWCR is tracking over 10,000 individuals 18 years of age or older who have lost at least 30 pounds and maintain the weight loss for one year or longer.

People in the registry have some of the following characteristics:

• 80% of persons in the registry are women and 20% are men.
• The "average" woman is 45 years of age and currently weighs 145 lbs, while the "average" man is 49 years of age and currently weighs 190 lbs.
• Registry members have lost an average of 66 lbs and kept it off for 5.5 years.
• 45% of Registry participants lost the weight on their own and the other 55% lost weight with the help of some type of program.
• 98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.
• 94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
• There is variety in how NWCR members keep the weight off. Most report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity.
  • 78% eat breakfast every day.
  • 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
  • 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
  • 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

 Kirk Suggests:

• Weigh yourself 1-2 times DAILY. It's not about self-judgement, it’s about seeing how your environment effects your weight…It's educational and keeps you from living in denial.
• Television watching for hours, or sedentary time while working on the computer or internet are "death" to your weight loss success. I tell people if they are television watchers get on 'your machine' for at least 1/2 hour, preferably an hour, during your favorite television program EVERY DAY. Or, every half hour get up and exercise for 5 minutes. I highly recommend Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer if you say you have 'no time.' I just started doing it and highly recommend it! I don't have a weight problem, but I use it to get in short workouts in my busy day. The "10 Minute Yoga" routine has been a life saver for me!
• Don't add fat to your diet in the form of free oils (or butter). Keep them to a minimum. Get your fats in whole foods – beans, nuts and seeds mainly. 
• Have a HUGE salad as a main meal daily (not a side salad) with a variety of greens, vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts and seeds. No creamy, cheesy or oil-based dressings! (See "Super Salad Recipe")   
• Eat a diet of unprocessed food, with the most micronutrient dense foods to reduce "Toxic Hunger" and allow for real hunger to guide your eating and weight maintenance (see also article "Toxic Hunger the Main Cause of Obesity"). 
• Pick the foods off the BED Diet (Basic Elimination Diet) for a month to check for common allergens.
• Learn how to eat more "good, whole, unprocessed food" than focusing on eating less "bad food". Your weight loss diet should really become your maintenance diet.
• Accountability and support are critical for most people. Have a buddy or group that supports you staying on the program. 

There are many good books on weight loss and maintenance. My favorite is "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, MD.  

Energetic Nutrition Suggests:

Along with whole foods and increased exercise, try Almased Natural Weight Management and Dietary Supplementation

Lose weight in a healthy way by taking advantage of your body's own metabolic processes. Almased uses your body's own mechanisms and processes to burn long-term fat deposits without the use of stimulants or artificial fillers. Its formula prevents the loss of lean muscle mass, which means more calories burned. It reduces blood sugar and insulin fluctuations that cause cravings during other diet programs.

More about Kirk Hamilton

Kirk Hamilton graduated from the University of California, Davis Physician’s Assistant Program through their Department of Family Practice in 1983. 

Since 1986 he has been a practicing Physicians Assistant at Health Associates Medical Group in Sacramento, California, a nutrient oriented general practice. Kirk has worked in a variety of practice specialties including: Family Practice, Nutrition, Prevention, Cardiology, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement, Allergy, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine. He is the author of Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane.

About Kirk’s Book

Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane simplifies the causes and effects of modern chronic diseases by outlining the five dietary changes over the last century that have led to excess calorie consumption, and along with reduced physical activity, have resulted in the epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

Kirk Hamilton's website is Prescription2000.com

Follow Kirk:

	www.facebook.com/kirkhamilton.author
	www.youtube.com/thesloppyvegan
	www.twitter.com/kirk_hamilton
	www.prescription2000.com

It's a new year and you've resolved to make some major changes in your life. Whether it's to eat better, stop smoking, or drop some pounds, if there's one health principle that I can tell you is super important to your optimal health, it's EXERCISE.

Give me a regular daily exerciser as a patient, and s/he will see me less and get well faster; though, admittedly there are always exceptions. Still, if you want to be well and stay well, stay away from doctors and hospitals, have lower medical insurance rates and bills, have more vitality, and better function into your senior years, then you need to move every day! Starting now! 

Thinking about how we evolved and the amount of movement done by healthy aging cultures, we need to exercise every day not three days per week, but every day, for a minimum of a half-hour per day. With that said, remember that something is always better than nothing. If you can't hit your ideal time, be sure to do something. Fifteen minutes of walking is always, always better than nothing because the benefits of exercise are cumulative!

But daily structured movement has to become as essential to your life as brushing your teeth, taking a shower, combing your hair, and other normal and expected activities of daily living. When you get to the point where not exercising feels "not right," the way you'd feel if you didn't brush your teeth for the day, then you have built what I call the exercise habit. For example:

• When you don't go home from work until you exercise, you have built the exercise habit.
• When you don't turn on the TV before you exercise at home, or at least turn on the TV at the same time you exercise, you have built the exercise habit.
• When you are looking for ways to exercise when you are away from home on business or vacation, you have built the exercise habit.
• When you don't try to make an excuse for not exercising, you have built the exercise habit.
• If you say, "Some exercise is better than no exercise" when you can't do your regular exercise routine, and you do something else involving movement, you have developed the exercise habit. 

If you are new to the exercise game, it is going to take three to nine months before you build the exercise habit and it becomes "part of you." What you must do first is to create the space (time) to incorporate exercise into your life. Fifteen to thirty minutes is acceptable to start. The second thing you must do is to shoot for exercising on a daily basis. It doesn't matter at first what type of exercise, as long as it is some type of aerobic, big muscle-moving exercise and is safe.
 

Building the Habit

Keep in mind that success with exercise is more about consistency and time than it is about technique and intensity. If you build in the time to exercise as part of your normal day and are consistent with your exercise program, you will see results and will naturally start to pick up the intensity/duration of the exercise after a few weeks.

Now, some hard core exercisers will probably disagree with me on this, but to me "pain is no gain." For the average person, it is far more important to have lots of victories to keep your exercise program alive than it is to push through pain, injure yourself or be so sore that you quit altogether. Nagging injuries, persistent soreness and pain are surefire "killers" to those trying to build an exercise habit. Down the road, after exercising three months to a year, if you really want to push yourself, give it a try. You will be less likely to quit exercising then because you will have built the habit. 

Since time is precious to all of us, it is very important that we make exercise time-efficient and as fun as possible. One way to make sure to get your exercise in even when you're busy life (excuses…excuses) is preventing you from getting to the gym, is to do as much "non-exercise" exercise as possible. Here are a few examples of "non-exercise":

• Get up off the couch and change the TV channel instead of using the remote control.
• Get up for 5 to 10 minutes for each hour of sitting. Use breaks to walk or stretch.
• If you watch television, do aerobic exercise in front of your favorite television show daily.
• Do isometrics periodically while sitting (contracting and relaxing of muscles) or, better yet, pick up some dumb bells while sitting (and use them!). If you are older and don’t have dumb bells, use canned goods as dumb bells.
• Restrict sitting to activities that require it, such as eating, learning, writing, keyboarding, and essential driving.
• Sit on a ball while at your home or at work instead of a traditional chair.
• Walk briskly while doing chores, shopping, or errands.
• Do your own gardening or mow your own lawn.
• Take the stairs versus the elevator or escalator.
• Walk in an airport instead of using the moving walkway.
• Park in the parking lot in a far-away spot. Don't drive around to get the closest spot.
• Walk to a local restaurant around your work place at lunch.
• Ride your bicycle or walk to work.
• Walk to public transit and use it versus hopping into your car.  

Just think: These basic examples only cover the simple things we can do as a part of our daily routines. They don't even begin to account for all the exercise opportunities just waiting to be incorporated into our "fun" time! 

As a reminder, your goal when it comes to exercise, should be to do a minimum of one half-hour DAILY with a goal of one hour daily of aerobic exercise. That means you need to be doing something where you are moving your big muscles (like your legs and arms) to the point where you get your heart rate up. You should still be able to talk but you should definitely be working out enough so you are breaking a sweat. 

What types of activities constitute aerobic activity?

• Walking
• Hiking
• Running
• Biking
• Swimming
• Roller skating
• Jumping Rope
• Using the stair-climber, elliptical rider or treadmill at the gym.
• Taking a martial arts or dance classes 

The types of aerobic exercise are endless. Keep in mind that spending hours in the gym isn't necessary. Just doing something daily that gets your heart rate up (aerobics), challenges your muscles (strength training) and causes you to extend and contract ligaments, muscles, and tendons (flexibility), is the key. And don't forget to eat as much whole, unrefined plant foods as possible. 

More about Kirk Hamilton

Kirk Hamilton graduated from the University of California, Davis Physician’s Assistant Program through their Department of Family Practice in 1983. 
 

Since 1986 he has been a practicing Physicians Assistant at Health Associates Medical Group in Sacramento, California, a nutrient oriented general practice. Kirk has worked in a variety of practice specialties including: Family Practice, Nutrition, Prevention, Cardiology, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement, Allergy, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine. He is the author of Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane.
 

About Kirk’s Book

Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane simplifies the causes and effects of modern chronic diseases by outlining the five dietary changes over the last century that have led to excess calorie consumption, and along with reduced physical activity, have resulted in the epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

Kirk Hamilton's website is Prescription2000.com

Follow Kirk:

	www.facebook.com/kirkhamilton.author
	www.youtube.com/thesloppyvegan
	www.twitter.com/kirk_hamilton
	www.prescription2000.com

Energetic Nutrition Suggests:

Along with whole foods and increased exercise, try Almased Natural Weight Management and Dietary Supplementation 

Lose weight in a healthy way by taking advantage of your body's own metabolic processes. Almased uses your body's own mechanisms and processes to burn long-term fat deposits without the use of stimulants or artificial fillers. Its formula prevents the loss of lean muscle mass, which means more calories burned. It reduces blood sugar and insulin fluctuations that cause cravings during other diet programs.

If there’s one thing most of us obsess over on a day-to-day basis, it’s calories.  Whether it’s how many we’re consuming each time we eat or how many we’re burning during our workouts, we’ve definitely become a calorie conscious society.  Though taking stock of the number of calories we’re eating daily is integral to maintaining a healthy diet, another issue just as important but infrequently discussed is caloric density or CD. What exactly is caloric density? It’s the calorie content of the food you’re eating by weight.

Determining the CD of what you’re eating is an essential measurement to have if you’re trying to eat well or shed unwanted pounds.  If you have a tendency to eat too many foods with a high CD, then you’re taking in way too many calories in one sitting. If weight loss is your ultimate goal your objective should be to take in fewer calories by eating foods that have a low CD.  Of course, the benefit of consuming low calorically dense foods is that you can eat MORE.  For those of you on a diet plan it doesn’t get any better than that because it gives you the opportunity to eat without the guilt of taking in an excessive amount of calories. 

By now I’m sure it’s obvious to you which foods have the lowest CD – fruit and vegetables. Yet another reason why eating whole, unprocessed, plant-based nutrition is the best diet in the world!  Whatever your specific dietary preference, knowing how to calculate the caloric density of your food intake is valuable information to have.  And it’s quite easy to do!  All it requires is that you take two numbers off the food label – the number of calories per serving AND the weight (in grams) per serving.  Next you divide the calories by the weight in grams and the numeric result is the caloric density. In order to gauge whether the number you got is good, decent or just downright bad, use the following ranges:

to 0.7        = Very Low
0.8 to 1.5 = Low to Moderate
1.6 to 3.0 = Moderate to High
3.1  + up  = Very High Caloric Density

Now, let’s see how this actually translates to a few foods that are commonly eaten:

• An average sized apple contains about 72 calories and weighs approximately 132 grams. If we divide the 72 calories by 132 grams the caloric density of this apple is .54 (78 cal/138 g).  According to the range specifications above, this means that an apple’s caloric density is very low so you can virtually eat as many as you want.
• A plain enriched bagel has about 182 calories and weighs approximately 71 grams.  The CD of the bagel is 2.56 (182 cal/71 g).  This has a moderate to high caloric density so you should definitely watch your portion size and try not to eat several bagels per day.
• One ounce of almonds (24 almonds) is approximately 163 calories and weighs about 28.35 grams.  The CD for this handful of almonds is 5.6 (163 cal/28.35 g)!! This is very high, so you want to eat sparingly.
• A three-ounce piece of lean, fat-trimmed, top sirloin steak that has been broiled contains approximately 163 calories and weighs 85 grams.  This serving has a CD of 1.91 (163 cal/85 g), which is in the moderate to high range so you should watch your portion size.
• One tablespoon of olive oil has approximately 119 calories and 13.5 grams. This small amount of oil has a caloric density of 8.8 (119 cal/13.5 g).  This is really high so it’s in your best interest to use oil sparingly.

Figuring out the caloric density of what you eat is pretty easy isn’t it?

What to Eat?

Again, if you’re looking to lose weight or simply want to eat better, you can reduce the CD in your overall diet by understanding a couple of principles. If most of what you consume on a daily basis is fruits and vegetables, then you are doing well and can generally eat as much of these two food groups as you want.  One note of caution though: Try to refrain from eating too much dried fruit because the water content is extracted and what would normally be a low caloric dense food suddenly when dried becomes a high calorie dense food with concentrated sugar.  Your best bet is to eat foods high in water content and fiber (i.e., fruits, vegetables, soups, and cooked grains) because they dilute calories and naturally reduce the CD. They also generally happen to be very high in nutrient density as well.

Cooked whole grains, beans, and potatoes in their skin along with lean fish and poultry, are largely in the moderate caloric density range.  If I’m the one who has to make the choice and I’m trying to reduce my CD, I would select the plant-based foods over the seafood and poultry in part because I am vegan, but also the plant-based foods have fiber, provide more bulk in the stomach, and contain more micronutrients.  Interesting to note, if you take cooked grains and make them into bread with whole or refined grain flour, the CD increases significantly (up to seven times)!

Even though I encourage my patients to eat whole, sprouted grain breads because they’re more nutritious and promote better health that refined flour breads, the truth is that one slice of bread whether from refined wheat flour or whole or sprouted wheat, has essentially the same CD. For example, the CD for a slice of the sprouted whole grain bread I personally love to eat is 2.64.  The CD of a slice of pure white sandwich bread that I see many shoppers buying in my local grocery story is 2.5!  That’s not that big of a difference. Why?  It’s because breads, no matter what type, are a moderately high calorically dense food. 

Generally (but not always) when the fiber content of a bread increases the CD goes down.  Still, given how similar the caloric density is for both types, this is one reason why it’s often recommended that breads are eliminated or eaten sparingly when following a weight loss regimen.  If (and this is a big IF!) you must make the choice between eating  whole or sprouted-grain breads and refined white bread, the whole or sprouted grain bread is obviously the better choice. With increased fiber and nutrient content, you will likely eat less of it because the fiber provides the feeling of fullness and reduces hunger.

So, as you see, understanding what a “CD” is and how important it is to maintaining a healthy diet, will definitely set you on the path to making better food choices. That, of course, is a good thing.  And for some it may even be a life saver!
 

Energetic Nutrition Suggests: Along with eating healthy, give your body the nutrients it needs with high quality supplements like these:

	A good quality multi-vitamin like Life Essence Multiple provides enzymes, metabolic pigments, flavones, trace elements, amino acids, antioxidants, and countless co-nutrients and phyto-chemicals. Together, these things create a multiple like none you've ever seen before…one that not only supports health, but actually builds it.
	Omega-3 fats like the ones found in ArcticPure Omega-3 support the healthy functions of the brain, joints, and circulatory system. Omega-3 fatty acids also help support a healthy cardiovascular system by thinning the blood, dilating blood vessels, and supporting healthy blood pressure. It also has components that inhibit inflammatory mediators.
	Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant which has been shown to safeguard LDL cholesterol from oxidation.  CoQ10 is a critical component in the primary energy cycle, and is most abundant in the heart. Deficiencies in CoQ10 strongly correlate with heart disease.
	Vitamin E can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, support healthy cholesterol levels, provide positive effects on the growth and regulation of cells and tissues, and even nerve transmission. A deficiency can have a negative impact on these functions.

See all of our natural and healthful supplements on our website at:

About Kirk Hamilton

As a certified physician’s assistant specializing in nutrition, prevention and integrative medicine, Kirk Hamilton maintains that if there’s one cure all for chronic disease it’s what you eat. With his emphasis on consuming more unprocessed, micronutrient dense plant-food along with simple cross-training and mind/body principles, Kirk has been instrumental in guiding his patients and clients toward the path of optimal health since 1983.  He has also been a valued educator to health professionals.  As the founder of Clinical Pearls Publications, Kirk provided summaries of nutritional research to practicing physicians and researchers around the globe until he sold the company to Tishcon Corp. in 2004. Since 2009 Kirk has hosted his own radio program/podcast titled Staying Healthy Today.  He has interviewed hundreds of the top experts in the medical field including Joel Fuhrman, Dr. David Jenkins and Dr. Neal Barnard. Drawing on his 28 year career, in August 2011 Kirk published the book titled “Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane – 9 Simple Steps to Optimal Health.”  His book serves as a guide for individuals, professionals and policy makers on how to create a new health paradigm that is focused on staying well and prevention instead of treatment. 

About Kirk's Book

Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane simplifies the causes and effects of modern chronic diseases by outlining the five dietary changes over the last century that have led to excess calorie consumption, and along with reduced physical activity, have resulted in the epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

But there is good news! By applying the 9 Simple Steps to Optimal Health TRIAD Wellness Program you can prevent, delay or reverse the course of chronic disease and create real Healthcare Reform.

Within these pages are simple rules for efficient and effective diet, exercise and mind-body practices that make this program easy for even the busiest person.
 

Follow Kirk:

	www.facebook.com/kirkhamilton.author
	www.youtube.com/thesloppyvegan
	www.twitter.com/kirk_hamilton
	www.prescription2000.com

Join us for this FREE Webinar series and take charge of your health
~Ask your Questions Live~

Energetic Nutrition is pleased to sponsor Webinars and eLectures by Kirk Hamilton PA-C. Kirk is the host of Staying Healthy Today Radio and a practicing physicians assistant in nutrition and integrative medicine for more than 25 years. He is the author of the book “Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane: How To Be and Stay Well In The Busy, Modern World" available in early 2010.

Kirk is the originator of the TRIAD Wellness Program highlighting his “9 Simple Steps To Optimal Health” with diet, exercise and mind-body practices. He has interviewed more than 1,000 expert researchers and physicians from around the world since 1995 and has been educating health professionals with newsletters, interviews and nutrition research databases since 1989. His website is www.Prescription2000.com.

Join us for one or more of these important and informative webinars sponsored by Energetic Nutrition. All webinars include a talk with slideshow, followed by a Question and Answer session, and are approximately 1 hour long. 

Staying Healthy In the Fast Lane – Part I
How To Be Well In the Busy, Modern World
(Overview)

Kirk Hamilton, PA-C teaches busy people how to be well in our rapidly changing, modern world. Good health is very simple. It is not a mystery, and is achievable by almost everyone. By using the TRIAD Wellness Program “9 Simple Steps To Optimal Health," chronic diseases can be prevented, delayed, stopped or reversed by efficient and effective diet, exercise and mind/body practices.  
Read more…

Staying Healthy In the Fast Lane – Part IIHow To Be Well In the Busy, Modern World
(The Practical "How To") 

Kirk Hamilton, PA-C provides educational handouts he uses daily with patients to make the “9 Simple Steps To Optimal Health” real and practical. This is a “how to” hour of practical habits that lead to wellness. 
Read more…

The Disease That Doesn’t Have to HappenReversing the Diabetes Epidemic

 Kirk Hamilton, PA-C discusses adult onset diabetes, a silent killer leading to heart disease, hypertension, vision loss, and more. An aggressive diet and exercise program, the “carbohydrate myth,” the concept of ‘intramyocellular” lipid accumulation (fat in the cell), and healthy mitochondria are discussed. 
Read more…

What Can Gorillas Teach Us About Weight Loss?
Reversing the Obesity Epidemic with the Gorilla Diet and Weight Loss Program

Kirk Hamilton, PA-C speaks frankly about the U.S. obesity crisis. This talk will emphasize the concepts of low calorically dense and high nutrient dense diets in the context of changing basic individual metabolic energy expenditure through diet and exercise. A review of why healthy aging populations stay lean, and their simple, time-tested secrets are revealed. 
Read more…

Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease
Putting the World's #1 Killer To Rest

Kirk Hamilton, PA-C shares how heart disease can be prevented and reversed by the application of strict diet, exercise and stress management practices. Credible and proven physician directed programs will be discussed along with important and simple cardiovascular screening tests that can be done at any physician’s office to show progress and disease risk.  
Read more…

Healthy Aging
Living Long and Living Well in the 21st Century

Kirk Hamilton, PA-C reveals what healthy centenarians from around the world have to tell us about living long and living well in the 21st century. How do these successful aging populations from around the world live functionally into their 90s and 100’s? What are the common diet, exercise, lifestyle, social and spiritual threads that connect these different populations from around the world and prevent and delay the chronic diseases plaguing modern societies?
Read more…  

More about Kirk Hamilton, PA-C:

 Kirk Hamilton, PA-C (Physicians Assistant Certified) graduated from the University of California, Davis Physicians Assistant Program through their Department of Family Practice in 1983.

Since 1986 he has been a practicing Physicians Assistant at Health Associates Medical Group in Sacramento, California, a nutrient oriented general practice. Kirk has worked in a variety of practice specialties including: Family Practice, Nutrition, Prevention, Cardiology, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement, Allergy, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.

He speaks on a wide variety of health topics with a focus on disease prevention and treatment. Mr. Hamilton specializes not only in disease prevention but treatment with tailored nutritional therapy. This includes the biochemical assessment and therapeutic use of nutraceuticals including vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and compounds innate to normal human biochemistry as less invasive approaches to disease treatment and prevention.