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No, we dont mean you should wake up and eat a slice of leftover cold pizza. Sorry. (Though a freshly baked breakfast pizza sounds like a great idea.)

We just mean you should swap the sizes of your meals. Its a common mistake Americans often eat little to nothing of nutritional value at breakfast and throughout the day and then go absolutely ham at dinner time. Either they go out to dinner and consume thousands of greasy, decadent calories under the misguided guise of Ive been good all day! or they sit down to a bountiful family meal that lasts long enough to go back for seconds or maybe even thirds.

This is a problem. When did we start to think it was a good idea to go hungry when we need our energy most and then make up for it with excess under the canopy of night?

Multiple studies have shown that the healthier choice is a larger and more nutritionally dense breakfast, rather than a skimpy one. Participants in these studies who ate larger breakfasts ended up eating a smaller dinner.

These larger breakfasts effectively combat the vicious restrict-binge cycle that many dieters find themselves whirling through each day: They eat small amounts of food until their cravings take over and they allow themselves to eat. Then, they inevitably overdo it when the body sets off alarmed warnings of eat what you can now before its gone; they then wake up the next morning feeling guilty and prone to restricting their intake again.

While the exact impact of the big breakfast on health is still a point of significant contention, it undoubtedly breaks the cycle by starting the day with a large, satisfying amount of food.

With the exception of night shift workers and night owls, the majority of people are most active during the day. Giving your body energy when it needs to use it is bound to have beneficial health outcomes including, if your body has a lower set point, weight loss. Your set point is the weight and size at which your body functions its best. When you eat healthy and get a moderate amount of exercise, your weight will waver around this set point your bodys happy place.

So the healthier habit of stopping the binge-restrict cycle in its tracks could totally result in weight loss that is, of course, if you need to lose weight at all. Many people deemed overweight by faulty measuring systems such as BMI actually just have a higher set pointand are healthier at that higher weight. Even an obese person can be healthier at a higher weight.

There are multiple reasons to try eating a big breakfast that have nothing to do with weight loss. In fact, big breakfasts have been shown to prevent a number of conditions including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. One study from Tel Aviv University confirmed it by feeding 700-calorie breakfasts to study participants and observing health benefits that far exceeded expectations. The large breakfast group even experienced lower levels of bad cholesterol. They probably avoided these cholesterol-heavy breakfasts, though and you still should, too.

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Eat Dinner for Breakfast If You Want to Lose Weight - The Daily Meal

Could shivering in the cold be a way to shed pounds and possibly prevent diabetes?

Exposure to cold is the most well-known and well-studied mechanism for switching on energy-burning brown fat, which seems to protect mice from developing obesity. It remains to be seen whether the same process can help people.

Humans have three kinds of fat. White adipose tissue, or white fat, comprises the majority of fat in our bodies; its purpose is to store energy for future use. Brown fat is different: Its function is to generate heat to maintain body temperature. Until recently, it was thought that adults did not have brown fat, that it only existed in babies to help them stay warm before they could move around and then essentially vanished. But beginning in 2009, studies have found that many adults have brown fat and that people with more of it tend to be leaner and have lower blood sugar levels.

The third kind of fat, beige fat, appears to convert from white to brown when stressed by exposure to cold, and then back to white. This process is encouraging for scientists trying to figure out how to increase brown fat to improve healthy functioning of the body.

[If you want to lose weight, dropping meat may help]

A balanced diet and regular exercise are the cornerstones of healthy metabolism, but sustaining either is difficult for most people. Understanding how brown fat could benefit our health opens up a new direction in obesity research, says Paul Lee, an endocrinologist at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, where he leads the Brown Fat Physiology Group. It is not a solution to obesity, but it is an opportunity to explore an alternative strategy for curbing the obesity epidemic.

When the body senses cold, Lee says, the brain releases norepinephrine, a chemical that essentially ignites the fat-burning process within brown fat. When there is not enough brown fat, the body has to turn to less-efficient heat-generating models, such as shivering.

Aaron Cypess, a clinical investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, calls brown fat the principal organ responsible for generating heat in laboratory animals.

In mice and rats, Cypess says, chronic activation of brown fat [by exposing them to low temperatures or to drugs that target brown fat] ... is associated with a reduction in liver fat, a resistance to diet-induced obesity and improvement in insulin release. All of these benefits and others may also apply to people, but it will take much longer to prove because studies in humans have to be conducted differently, he says.

He adds, While white fat is easy to spot in humans think abdomen, hips, buttocks and thighs brown fat tends to be located around the neck and above the collarbone, along the spine and near the kidneys. Additionally, Cypess says, humans are genetically more diverse than lab mice, which produces results with much higher variability.

Lee says that when people are cold and begin to shiver, their muscles release irisin, a hormone that turns white fat into brown fat. The more a person shivers, the more irisin is released into the bloodstream.

A 2014 study by Lee dubbed the ICEMAN study found that after a month of sleeping at cool temperatures, five men increased their stores of brown fat by 30 to 40 percent and metabolized sugars more efficiently after a meal, which could be helpful for people with diabetes. When the sleeping temperature was raised, the brown stores dropped.

(Interestingly, another recent study found that brown fat also may be stimulated by taking a drug used to treat overactive bladder.)

Cypess says that this research makes it clear that activating or increasing brown fat stores might prevent weight gain, lead to weight loss and provide a new avenue for treating diabetes and obesity.

Can the average person embark on a shiver diet to lose weight?

Lee says he believes the current evidence does not support the notion that shivering may be a route to losing weight. (Despite the studys name, ICEMAN the Impact of Chronic Cold Exposure in Humans exposed participants to only mild cold, not shiveringly low temperatures.)

Cypess says that shivering to lose weight is an interesting idea, but there are many unknowns.

First, is it safe?

Lee says that shivering causes stress and could harm the body, which explains why the human body has evolved mechanisms to turn on brown fat or to turn white fat into brown fat.

In most people, Cypess says, shivering causes increases in blood pressure that over the years could damage blood vessels in the brain, heart and kidneys.

Additionally, Cypess says, there is no evidence to prove that a low-temperature regimen could be effective long-term. One of the biggest limitations of weight-loss interventions is that the body learns to compensate to maintain itself, and that might be true with a shiver diet. Lee and Cypess agree that no weight-loss regimen should be recommended without a great deal of evidence that it will work for more than a few weeks or months and that the weight loss can be sustained evidence that doesnt exist.

Finally, Cypess says, being cold is extremely uncomfortable. While suggestions exist that long-term activation of brown fat could be beneficial to weight loss and diabetes reduction, this has yet to be proven, he stresses.

Francesco Celi, chair of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, said in an email that he expects future research will include conducting studies in humans that will test various interventions (drugs or environmental modifications) to expand and activate brown fat to help scientists determine what kind of metabolic improvements can occur. And by studying the various responses to interventions, researchers will be able to determine which patients respond better to brown-tissue expansion and perhaps why they do.

Cypess says he expects scientists to focus on determining to what extent adult brown fat contributes to getting rid of excess calories, how brown fat could be used to bring down blood sugar levels and how brown fat interacts with other organs to keep people healthy.

But even with all that, he adds, Basically, the issue of losing weight is about controlling the amount of food we put into our mouths.

Read more

Why many people regain weight after going on a diet, and what to do about that

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New drug tricks metabolism into burning fat as if youve just finished a meal

A blast of cold jump-starts fat burning and generates body heat

health-science@washpost.com

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Might a 'shiver diet' help people lose weight and protect against ... - Washington Post

Exercise by itself wont help you lose weight.

This is not to say that exercise isnt good for you; it is, in fact, great for you. It conveys an astonishing array of health benefits.

But and we all hate hearing this many experts, while extolling the benefits of exercise, say the primary villain when it comes to excess weight is whats on our menu. To lose weight, we have to cut calories.

Exercise helps keep lost pounds off, but exercise alone cant do the initial job of losing it.

I think the role of exercise in weight loss is highly overrated, says Marc Reitman, chief of the diabetes, endocrinology and obesity branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK. I think its really great for being healthy, but Im a strong believer that overeating is what causes obesity. To exercise your way out of overeating is impossible.

Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic researcher who studies how people respond to the stress of exercise, agrees. The key for weight loss is to generate and maintain a calorie deficit, he says. Its pretty easy to get people to eat 1,000 calories less per day, but to get them to do 1,000 calories per day of exercise walking 10 miles is daunting at many levels, including time and motivation, he says.

To be sure, some people can work weight off, experts say. These include those who exercise vigorously for long periods, and professional athletes, who typically engage in high-intensity workouts.

But they are the exceptions. Those high-level workouts are not something most people do, says Philip F. Smith, co-director of NIDDKs office of obesity research. Walking for an hour wont do it.

Joyner agrees. Theoretically, people can exercise enough to lose without changing what they eat, but they have to exercise a whole lot, he says.

Moreover, moderate exercise doesnt really burn all that many calories, especially when you think about a single piece of chocolate cake, which has between 200 and 500 calories. Most people burn only about 100 calories for every mile of running or walking, although this can vary depending on the person, according to Joyner. Put another way, to lose one pound, you must run a deficit of about 3,500 calories meaning that if you burn an excess 500 calories a day, it would take a week to drop that pound.

Kevin D. Hall, an NIDDK scientist who studies how metabolism and the brain adapt to diet and exercise, agrees that a modest degree of weight loss would require large amounts of exercise. However, high levels of physical activity seem to be very important for maintenance of lost weight, he adds, defining high as more than an hour of exercise daily.

In a recent study, Hall concluded that exercise typically result[s] in less average weight loss than expected, based on the exercise calories expended, and that individual weight changes are highly variable even when people stick to exercise regimens.

The likely reason is that people tend to compensate for changes in food intake and non-exercise physical activities, Hall wrote. Or, as Joyner puts it: If people replace non-exercise but otherwise active time with sedentary time, sometimes things cancel out.

Strength training or resistance training lifting weights, for example also is important for overall health, but, as with other forms of exercise, it doesnt prompt weight loss. (In fact, it may cause the reading on the scale to inch up a bit, because muscle is denser than fat.) Nevertheless, strength training is good to maintain lean tissue, Joyner says.

And you cant count on exercise to increase your metabolism for several hours afterward.

Exercise, if hard enough and long enough, certainly can do this, Joyner says. But again, it depends on how much, what type and how hard. A two-mile stroll, while a good thing, will not do too much to resting metabolism.

But now the good news: Exercise remains one of the best things you can do for yourself. It enhances health in numerous ways.

It strengthens the heart and lungs. It reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a collection of symptoms that include hypertension, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

Weight-bearing activities, such as running, strengthen bones and muscles. Having strong bones prevents osteoporosis, helping to avert bone-breaking falls in the elderly. For older people, exercise facilitates the capacity for them to stay engaged in life, Joyner says.

Exercise also reduces the risk of certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer. It elevates mood, and it keeps thinking and judgment skills sharp.

Overall, it helps you live longer. People who work out for about seven hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early compared with those who exercise less than 30 minutes a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Exercise in almost any dose does so many good things for people, Joyner says.

Is one exercise more effective than another?

I love to play soccer, Smith says. I would do anything to play soccer, and try to play three times a week until my body cant take it. But people should exercise as much as they can tolerate and enjoy. Thats what they should shoot for.

Reitman agrees. The best exercise is the one you keep doing, he says.

When your metabolism slows down, the pounds add up.

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Exercise does so much for you. Why won't it make you lose weight? - Washington Post

If theres any group of people youd think would value cold, hard, pure results, its professional athletes.After all, thats what they get paid for, right? Not to play well or to have fun, but to win.

Lets take a look at three of the greatest athletes of all time.

Hes been the World Number One for the most consecutive weeks as well as the most total weeks of any golfer, ever. Hes been awarded PGA Player Of The Year a record 11 times. Hes also made the most money of any golfer in history.

Cold, hard, pure results.

Winning isnt always a barometer of getting better. Tiger Woods

A three time NBA Champion, a four time MVP, and the only player ever to lead an NBA Finals in all five major statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.

Again: results.

I hear that word pressure all the time. There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I dont put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself. LeBron James

Lets start with something you wont be surprised about: Jordan holds the record for most game-winning shots made in NBA history. Even when everybody in the building knew that Jordan would be taking the shot, he still took the shotand, more often than not, made the shot.He delivered results, even under almost-impossible circumstances.But did you know that he holds the record for missing the most game-winning shots in NBA history?

In other words, he wasnt afraid to fail. Even when the stakes were as high as they could be. He didnt let that stop him. He wasnt committed to results. He was committed to the processthe process of missing, and therefore the process of getting better.In his momentous book, The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin defines this process as investing in loss.He explains, The fact of the matter is that there will be nothing learned from any challenge in which we dont try our hardest. Growth comes at the point of resistance. We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities.

He went on to write, In my experience, successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory. In the long run, painful losses may prove much more valuable than wins.

Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my career. Ive lost almost 300 games. 26 times, Ive been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan knew that the only way to get better was to invest in loss in other words, he had to lose some games in order to win the games that really counted.LeBron James didnt feel pressure because he never valued results as much as he valued playing his game. He focused on the process and let the results speak for themselves. Tiger Woods valued getting better over winning.

Of course, theres a wonderful irony here. Because these superstar athletes valued the process over results, they achieved amazing results.Yes, because they valued the process over results, not despite valuing their process over their results.

When you say you want to lose 10 pounds, 20 pounds, 50 pounds, whatever, youre doing the exact opposite of what these all-time great athletes do. You are valuing your results over the process of getting there.Imagine if, instead, you committed to the process of mastering your diet instead of the result of losing weight? What if you focused on your choices, instead of outcomes?Wouldnt you feel less pressure? Wouldnt you enjoy life more? Wouldnt you stop hating your diet while youre in it and hating yourself when youinevitably slip-up?

Yes, yes, and yes.

As a high performance dietary strategist and lifestyle designer, I work with dozens of entrepreneurs, entertainers, and in-demand badass human beings who battle their health on a daily basis to achieve a nearly impossible standard of success. Focusing on results over choices is the surest way to lose touch with your greater goals.

Thats why I only discuss your relationship with food and the process toward mastering your diet, as opposed to chasing desired outcomesi.elosing weight, looking good, feeling goodall of which will happen.

People are complex. You are complex!

Being successful at anything is a multi-dimensional process that must take into account the entire person. The old way of learning how to dietgiving you the diet instructions and saying Here, go lose 10 pounds!is fundamentally at odds with the way were designed to learn.

Dieting is the explicit reason you havent been successful with this whole diet thing.

As you continue to read my weekly column, I hope youll come to understand that theres much more going on here that influences your food choices, which drives your behaviors, which motivates you to stick with the new lifestyle or move on to the next distraction.Opinions expressed here by Contributors are their own.

As CMO of Rich20Something, Daniel also knows a thing or two about content marketing and fancies himself a ninja copywriter.

Published August 12, 2017

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One Thing Superstar Athletes Do That Can Help You Lose WeightIt's Not What You Think - Influencive

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A diet doesnt need to be 100 percent healthy to be healthy, according to Work Week Lunch founder Talia Koren. The blogger lost 10 pounds following the 80/20 rule, which involves focusing on eating healthy foods 80 percent of the time, and less healthy foods the remaining 20 percent.

I wasnt restraining myself and I think thats the key to what makes it work, Koren tells NBC News Better. You can have what you want, but you have to have more of the healthy stuff."

The 25-year-old says she put on a few extra pounds in college. Her eating habits worsened after she started working for a busy New York City media company, where pizza days and free bagels were the norm. Shedding the weight seemed impossible.

When youre not eating well, your energy levels are affected, and thats what I found, Koren said. I was really sluggish. I didnt like the way my clothes fit. I just didnt feel good about myself.

Koren tried numerous diet fads, none of which seemed to help her lose weight. Exercise didnt seem to help either. In 2015, while researching online, she learned about the 80/20 rule and decided to try it.

Koren approached the 80/20 rule using what she calls the week-long approach. She eats about 21 meals in a week, 80 percent of which make up about 17 meals. She prefers this to the day-long approach, which means 80 percent of her daily meals are healthy.

If 20 percent [of what you eat] is sweet potato fries every day, thats going to add up, she explains.

The week-long approach, however, forces her to have more self-restraint. While about 17 of her meals are healthy during the week, just four are less healthy.

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Koren began cooking her meals at home. Her healthy meals consist of whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and nutrient dense carbs.

For example:

She decided to reserve her less healthy meals for when she eats out with friends. But shes careful not to pick menu items that are too unhealthy.

I love Mediterranean food, she says. So I would get falafel, which is fried, and maybe some cole slaw there would be mayo in there that type of thing, where its not totally unhealthy but not super strict either.

You should never use your 20 percent less healthy meal allowance as an excuse to binge eat, she warns.

That doesnt mean youre going to an extreme opposite like youre just going to eat pizza 20 percent of the time, she says. It just means caring a little less.

Whats Korens secret to keeping her healthy lifestyle consistent? She prepares her meals in advance.

Meal prepping is a huge, huge reason why I was able to stay so consistent, because no matter what diet or plan youre on, you need to prepare, she says.

The blogger meal preps twice a week. On Sunday shell prepare her meals for Monday through Wednesday, and on Wednesday shell prepare her meals for Thursday through Sunday. For example, shell cook broccoli, sweet potatoes, and salmon, and divide them into three portions for her lunch for the next three days. She says these prepared dishes prevent her from making unhealthy excuses.

You want to beat your brain to the punch and just have the healthy meal in front of you, so you dont even have to think about a decision its just there, says Koren.

After six months of following the 80/20 rule, Koren went from about 130 to 120 pounds.

This is what I would call my happy weight, she says. Im not trying to lose more, I dont want to gain more either.

The blogger says losing the weight felt awesome, but notes it was a result of focusing on healthy lifestyle changes, not an obsession with slimming down.

I was focusing on the process on the cooking process and all of a sudden I realized my clothes started fitting better, my energy levels were very balanced throughout the day, she says.

It just made life a lot easier, Koren concluded.

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How the 80/20 Rule Helped This Woman Lose Weight - NBCNews.com

A former NFL quarterback is on a mission to regain his health after watching his weight hit over 500 lbs.

Jared Lorenzen once sprinted around the field as a quarterback for the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts, but after he was cut from training camp in 2008 and no longer had to stay under the league-mandated 292 lbs., his weight skyrocketed.

Right now, if I didnt wake up tomorrow, it wouldnt be a shock to many people, Lorenzen says in a videofor his initiative, The Jared Lorenzen Project.

He went back to football in 2014, as a quarterback for an indoor football team, and immediately blew out his ankle.

When I came back to play, I looked terrible. I can still remember rolling out to my left and seeing the guy coming for me and telling my body, Get down, get down, get down. Throw it away and get down. But me being big, I didnt have the reactionary time, I couldnt get down before he hit me and shattered my ankle, Lorenzen says. And my first thought is, How are they going to get me off this field? When they had to get four people linemen to carry me, Im like What the heck are you doing?

RELATED VIDEO:After Weighing 395 Lbs, This Grad Student Discovered Yoga & Lost Over 120 Lbs

Now, Lorenzen is working with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson and nutritionist Philip Goglia to lose the majority of his 502 lbs. and salvage his health.

Im lucky to have the team surrounding me right now. Its going to be hard, he says. Its going to be a long journey, but on the other side, theres a whole new, call it life, on the other side.

And Lorenzen hopes to inspire others along the way.

If I can get the other people in the community to say, Look, Jared can do it, lets jump on this bandwagon. Lets do it, he said in the video. To know that I can be this person that got such and such off his meds or connect him with his son or daughter, thats all you can ask for.

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Former NFL Quarterback on a Mission to Lose Weight After Hitting 500 Lbs. - PEOPLE.com

Most of us have taken a picture that triggers insecurity over our appearance, but for one man, his picture had a much more significant impact. He couldnt really enjoy getting a picture with one of his favorite singers because of how much weight he had gained. At that moment, he decided to make a major life change.

Ryan Copelin, the assistant to the Upper Dublin Chief of Police got a chance to meet one of his country music heroes Josh Turner about a year ago.He loved meeting the country star, but didnt exactly like the picture.

Had some meet-and-greet passes which was awesome, Copelin explained. Got a picture with him afterwards, viewed the picture and was honestly disgusted with how I looked.

Seeing himself overweight really sunk in, inspiring him to lose weight and get in shape. Now, a year later, Copelin looks like a different person.

I decided it was time to start taking care of myself, Copelin told FOX 29. Ten months later after dieting and working out, I lost 100 pounds.

Those who have tried to lose weight know that 100 pounds is a huge accomplishment, but as fate would have it, Turner was scheduled to come back to the area recently and Copelin really wanted to share the results with the person who helped inspire him.

After convincing security to let him pull out his phone in the meet-and-greet area, Copelin was able to share his story with Turner. He was blown away.

Going back there they say no cell phones in the meet and greet area but I told the security guard I have to show him something. So we go back there and Im standing next to Josh and said you have to see this and he was blown away,

Turner inspired Copelin, but after hearing his story, taking another picture with him, Copelin actually inspired Turner as well.

He said I inspired him to lose weight and hes lost over one hundred pounds and there he is ladies and gentleman, look at this guy, Turner said to the crowd.

When I meet guys who say I inspired him to get in better shape and better health, thats just one of the many reasons that make what I do so gratifying and so fulfilling, Turner added.

FOX 29s Bill Anderson asked Copelin what it was like getting a shout out from the stage and having Turner acknowledge him in front of the crowd.

He mentioned that his concerts arent always about music but about making a difference, Copelin said. And he surely made a difference in my life.

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Local man inspired to lose weight after photographed with country singer - FOX 29 News Philadelphia

The total number of calories a person needs every day varies depending on a bunch of things, including your age, height, weight, and how active you are. (Obviously, if youre a half-marathoner, youre going to need more calories than if you rarely hit the gym.) Estimates range from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women, per theDietary Guidelines for Americans, which is a pretty big range. If youre not sure where you stand, it doesnt hurt to check in with a registered dietitian for a consultationhe or she should be able to give you a good goal calorie count to start with. Or, if you dont have the time or budget for that, Cording recommends looking up an energy estimate calculator online and getting a general idea from that. Just be a little flexible with yourself. Some people get a calorie number in their head but it might not be the right fit for themtheyre so hungry they cant stick to it, Cording says.

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7 Things You Need To Know If You're Counting Calories To Lose Weight - Women's Health

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When it comes to losing weight, you know the drill: Eat less, move more, repeat.

Its a pretty miserable experience for most people, but what if you could also shed pounds by making small changes at home and in other places where you spend your day? Thats the message from Brian Wansink, author of the book Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.

If you look at most dieters, they try to become slim by will power. They try to resist every single thing. The problem of becoming slim by will power is its a 24/7 sort of job, its never ending, Wansink, who is also the director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, told TODAY Health.

What we find is that by simply changing our immediate environment it ends up leading people to mindlessly eat less.

Get healthy by changing up your kitchen Play Video - 0:43

Get healthy by changing up your kitchen Play Video - 0:43

Its that mindless eating that both fascinates and frustrates Wansink, who says most people think they make just 30 or so decisions about food every day, when the number is actually closer to 200.

And because people are unaware of most their decisions, its very easy to let themselves be influenced by the things around them, like the distance of the food from their hands or the size of their bowl.

Here are eight changes to make in your kitchen that could lead you to eat less. Wansink believes making just one change and sticking with it for 25 days could help you lose about 2 pounds a month.

When participants in one experiment saw snack foods sitting on the counters of a kitchen that was very cluttered and disorganized, they ate about 44 percent more than people who saw the same snacks in a very neat kitchen.

Its almost like if your environment is cluttered and out of control, why do I need to be in control myself? Wansink said.

People who had chips or cookies visible on their kitchen counter weighed about 10 pounds more than people with bare counters, according to one study, Wansink said.

Those who openly displayed breakfast cereal weighed about 21 pounds more and those who had soft drinks even if they were diet sodas on the counter weighed 25 pounds more.

Simply the presence of food ends up being a really powerful cue, Wansink noted. Every time you pass by a cookie jar or a can of soda, you have to ask yourself the question: Do I want one? The answer might be no 20 times in a row, but then nos soon start becoming maybes and the 30th time you look at the snack, the answer will be yes, he added.

Easy tricks to help you quit mindless eating Play Video - 4:53

Easy tricks to help you quit mindless eating Play Video - 4:53

The more time people spend in the kitchen, the more they tend to eat, Wansink said. So instead of making your kitchen the destination spot in the house, make it a little less lounge-able: Get rid of the TV set, have less comfortable chairs and make any other changes to send people on their way instead of inviting them to stay.

Behold the power of fruit: The average person who has a fruit bowl in their house weighs 8 pounds less than their neighbor next door who doesnt have one, Wansink said.

Most of us dont think on a daily basis, Oh I better get a piece of fruit. But if you see it seven times during the day, (you may think), Oh, an apple sounds pretty good, he noted.

The presence of a fruit bowl doesnt seem to make a difference at first, but people do start taking fruit from it after two weeks or so, he added. For it to really be effective, it needs to be within two feet of a place where people sleep or walk, so a high-traffic area like the kitchen is ideal.

Were very unlikely to unwrap things that are in aluminum foil, were kind of lazy, Wansink noted. So hide anything fattening underneath aluminum, but keep covering healthy food in plastic wrap so you can actually see it and be more likely to reach for it.

What's in your fridge? Turning everyday staples into healthy meals Play Video - 4:38

What's in your fridge? Turning everyday staples into healthy meals Play Video - 4:38

It's hard to figure out the right amount of food to serve yourself, so you often end up using cues around you, like the size of your plate. But while 4 ounces of pasta on a 9-inch plate looks like a lot, the same amount on a 12-inch plate looks like an appetizer, so you might just add more pasta.

Simply downsizing your plates or bowls makes a difference: If you switch from a 12-inch to 10-inch plate, youll serve about 22 percent less, Wansink said.

If you use a table spoon rather than a big honking serving spoon, youll serve about 14 percent less, he added.

Stash high-calorie snacks in an inconveniently placed cupboard one thats way down low or way up high. So instead of having the snacks spread throughout the kitchen, where there are chips or cookies staring at you every time you open a cabinet door, reserve one semi off-limits place that holds the tempting foods.

This is a particularly strong tip for men, who tend to be fast eaters, Wansink said. Theyll often finish their dinner and see the rest of the family still eating, so theyll have seconds from the serving plates on the table not because theyre hungry, but just to pass the time while everyone is still finishing their meal.

Having serving plates on a back stove or on a counter in the kitchen instead of right in front of diners helps because simply having food at least six feet away makes a typical person eat almost 20 percent less, Wansink noted. They can still have seconds or thirds if they want to, but theyre just a little less likely to get up again and again.

This story was originally published in September 2014.

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Kitchen makeover: 8 small changes to help you lose weight - Today.com

"The Cheese Trap" is the new book by vegan physician Neal Barnard, the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Barnard argues that avoiding dairy can improve health and promote weight loss. Wochit

Kim and Marc Ramirez of Clinton Township(Photo: Provided by Marc Ramirez, Provided by Marc Ramirez, Provid)

Do you want to lose weight?

Do you want to get off daily medications?

Dr. Neal Barnard says he can help.

Think chickpeas over chicken, peppers over pepperoni pizza, kale over kielbasa. And while youre at it, skip the cheese; its addicting.

Barnard, a vegan for more than 30 years, is a well-known advocate for adopting a plant-based way of eating. He maintains that a plant-based diet is the path to optimum health and a way to combat, and in some cases, reverse, chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

More: Vegan ice cream? Try it, you'll love it!

Over the years, Barnard has conducted and participated in several nutritional studies, including one about controversies explaining why trendy foods items like coconut oil, green juice and gluten-free wear health halos instead of delivering real heart-health benefits, like nutrient-dense, plant-based foods.

Barnard will make a stop in Detroit on Wednesday and Thursday to convey that message as part of a 10-city tour to kick off a 21-Day Kickstart Challenge to follow a plant-based diet.

Dr. Neal Barnard(Photo: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)

Barnard is a psychiatrist with a focus on nutrition research. Hes the founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and author of more than 18 books on health and wellness, including his most recent The Cheese Trap (Grand Central Life & Style, $27). The PCRM is a nonprofit that advocates for preventative medicine and higher standard for research.

It was 30 years ago that Barnard became vegan after working as an autopsy assistant and seeing the affects of certain foods on health.

I did two things that year: I was a smoking omnivore that threw out the Merit Menthols and threw out my Velveta, too, and never looked back, Barnard says.

The 64-year-old Washington, D.C.-based doctor will be at the Chass Clinic in southwest Detroit on Wednesday for a presentation announcing the kick-off of the challenge.

Barnard says he choose to start the effort in Detroit because we need the help.

More: Please, no more downtown Detroit burger restaurants

The adult obesity rate in Michigan is 31.2%, up from 22.1% in 2000, according to a September 2016 report from the State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The health indicators are not good. Theres a lot of obesity and a lot of type 2 diabetes, Barnard says. It doesnt make it unique because frankly, thats true of the entire civilized world. But Detroit is right up there.

Barnard also sees Detroit as a leadership city and says its where many things get started and spread elsewhere. We also have some terrific boots on the ground there, he says.

At Chass Clinic, Barnard will be joined by Marc Ramirez, a former University of Michigan football player. Ramirez, 50, and an AT&T operations manager, switched to a plant-based diet more than five years ago.

The Cheese Trap by Dr. Neal Barnard(Photo: Provided by Physcians Committee for Responsible Medicine)

On Thursday, Barnard will visit the Motor City Health Fest in the Eastern Market area in Detroit. Billboards are up around town about the event, touting Eat more fruits and vegetables and cut the dairy and meat. There, he will join Rameriz and Dr. Joel Kahn, a local cardiologist and owner of GreenSpace Cafe in Ferndale, and other support groups and plant-based diet experts.

After being sick for a decade, taking pills and getting worse, in 2 months, Im off my insulin shots and all Metformin pills and in three months, I lost 50 pounds, Ramirez says.

Ramirez also dropped 50 pounds within those first few months. Ramirez has a long family history of diabetes. Of his eight siblings, only one sister does not have diabetes, a disease that affects millions of Americans.

Ramirez and his wife, Kim, are certified Food for Life Instructors by PCRM. They founded Chickpea and Bean, which offers plant-based lifestyle seminars and cooking classes.

Today at 50, Im the oldest Ive ever been and in the best shape of my life. How does that happen when at 43 I was so sick? Ramirez says.

In April, Ramirez launched a 21-Day KickStart program in Macomb County. Nearly 100 people took the challenge of following a plant-based diet for three weeks. The group averaged an 8-pound weight-loss within those 21 days. And among the 74 people who participated in blood tests, Rameriz says, there was a 15% drop in LDLs (the bad cholesterol), and good cholesterol (HDL) went up 8%.

Barnards 21-day Kickstart pilot program started in 2009. Barnard said 500,000 to 600,000 people have done it worldwide. The program is available in many languages, too.

Two things happen, Barnard says, when people do the challenge: They lose weight and blood sugars improve.

Apart from the physical benefits that they are experiencing, their tastes are changing in a way they didnt forecast. They all say I used to be a cheese-aholic, but no, its not calling my name so much.

Barnard says when switching to a plant-based diet, the average weight loss is a pound a week, which is slow and steady, but theres 52 weeks in a year, and it become effectively a one way street and very healthy direction.

If you want to know more

Dr. Neal Barnard will make an appearance at these metro area events:

The Plant Based Nutrition Support Group will host Barnard at its meeting Wednesday at Seaholm High School in Birmingham. Doors open at 5:30 and the event presentation begins at 6:30. Barnard will sign copies of his latest book The Cheese Trap which will also be on sale. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For tickets go to: http://www.pbnsg.org.

21-Day Kickstart Kick-off: noon -1 p.m. Wednesday at Community Health and Social Services (CHASS) Center, 5635 W. Fort Street, Detroit. To reserve at seat, call 313-849-3920, ext. 5163. The event is free and open to the public.

Motor City Health Fest: 6-9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Eastern (in the Eastern Market area), 3434 Russell St., Detroit. At the health fest, there will be a screening of the film Forks Over Knives, which looked at how following a plant-based diet may ward off chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. There will be free health screenings, nutritional information, food samples and cooking demonstrations.

About 21-day kickstart

This program started by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine includes a 21-day meal plan, weekly meetings, Webcasts, an app that gives you a meal plan with photos, directions, ingredients and nutrition facts for all meals and snacks and demonstrations by Food for Life instructors.

Stir-fry vegetable salad with Asian dressing.(Photo: JESSICA J. TREVINO, Detroit Free Press)

Stir-Fry Vegetable Salad with Asian Dressing

Serves:6 /Preparation time:15 minutes /Total time:45 minutes

Serve this salad warm or cold. You wont use all the dressing. It keeps for 2 weeks and can be used in stir-fries and other salads.

1 package fresh Chinese noodles, optional. Look for fresh Chinese-style noodles in the produce department.

DRESSING

1 1/2cups low-sodium soy sauce

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 bunch green onion (about 6, white and green parts), chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon agave nectar (or to taste)

1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1/2 cup cold water

SALAD

1 tablespoon canola oil

12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced about 1/4-inch thick

2 large carrots, peeled, julienned

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, julienned

1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded

3 baby choy sum or baby bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 bunch green onions (about 6, green parts only)

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 bunch mint, chopped

1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, lightly toasted

If serving the salad over Chinese noodles, cook them according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

To make the dressing:Place all the dressing ingredients in a saucepan and bring to just a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. The dressing will thicken just a little. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When completely cool, strain the dressing into a glass measuring cup or jar (discarding solids) and refrigerate until ready to use. If not using right away, strain the dressing into a jar that has a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

To make the salad:In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms and saut until just soft and tender. Add the carrots, red pepper and cabbage and saut about 1 minute. Add the choy sum, edamame and green onion and saut 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the cilantro and mint and toss to incorporate. Drizzle with about 1/3 cup or more of the dressing. Serve over noodles with additional dressing on the side. Garnish with almonds.

Adapted from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin (Grand Central Publishing, $29.99).

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Analysis includes noodles and 1/2cup of the dressing and almonds.

333 calories (30% from fat), 12 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 47 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams protein, 908 mg sodium, 5 mg cholesterol, 7 grams fiber.

Vegan Linguine with Shitake mushroom sauce.(Photo: JESSICA J. TREVINO, Detroit Free Press)

Vegan Linguine with Shiitake Cream Sauce

Serves:6 /Preparation time:10 minutes /Total time:30 minutes

According to the Vegetarian Times, Mark Reinfield, author of several vegan cookbooks, revamps a classic Italian recipe, replacing clams with a combination of shiitake mushrooms and arame, a sea vegetable available in the Asian food aisle of supermarkets.

12 ounces dry linguine

2 tablespoons arame, optional

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

3 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy, rice or macadamia nut milk

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine, optional

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

4 teaspoons pine nut or walnuts, chopped and toasted

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta. Meanwhile, if using arame soak it in 1/2 cup hot water.

Meanwhile, in large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, wine and lemon juice; saut 5 minutes, adding about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water (if needed) to prevent sticking.

Reduce the heat and add soy milk, nutritional yeast, margarine (if using), red pepper flakes and arame with soaking liquid; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Divide linguine among 4 plates, top with shiitakes and sauce, and garnish with parsley and pine nuts.

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

386 calories (21% from fat), 9 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 65 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 114 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 grams fiber.

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Eat a plant-based diet lose weight, shed medications and get healthy? - Detroit Free Press

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