An Apple a Day Keeps Weight Gain Away?

I definitely recommend eating an apple or two every day. But, that won't necessarily keep you from gaining weight and body fat.

Eating apples will help improve your health. For instance, pectin in apples helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Apples are also great snacks any time of the day. One apple is 60-70 calories, so that's good. And, apples can be a part of an overall healthy, managed meal plan designed to help you lose weight or manage weight. They are a great source for fiber (about 5 grams per) which helps you eat less because you feel full for longer.

But, there's more to the story......

Courtesy: www.worthpoint.com

We've all watched "Leave It to Beaver" re-runs. Remember Larry Mondello (real name Rusty Stevens)? What did he always have in his hand? That's right....he was always eating an apple. Larry Mondello was also overweight. I'm only making a point here, not poking fun. Excess weight gain is a serious matter.

Despite what you might hear on infomercials, it does matter how much you eat. Calories do matter. If you consistently eat more calories than you burn, you will continue to gain weight. There are other factors at play in the weight gain process but "calories in, calories out" (absent medical reasons) is the most important piece of the weight gain or weight loss puzzle.

Eating healthy does not guarantee against weight gain.

Its popular these days to eat the "superfoods." I'm all for eating the "superfoods."

But, “superfoods” or no “superfoods,” you must somehow transform your body to lean and healthy.

Here are some tips:

1. You must burn more calories than you consume on most days in order to burn fat and lose weight. This is the law of thermodynamics. It applies no matter how hard you workout. The right amount of calorie deficit is the key to success.

You cannot eat as much as you want (or maintain a calorie surplus) and still lose weight. On the opposite end, you can't starve yourself and expect to succeed long-term with weight loss and fat loss. Starvation will cause your body to go into survival mode and store fat.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that losing weight and body fat with diet and exercise are more effective when done together. Doing either one alone is not as effective. The results of this randomized trial, led by Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Prevention Center and a member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division, were published online in Obesity.

According to the Hutchinson study, the majority of women who both improved their diet and exercised regularly shed an average of nearly 11 percent of their starting weight, which exceeded the study's goal of a 10 percent or more reduction in body weight.

2. Keep a food journal until you know when and how much to eat. Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan if you keep a food journal.

By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day and it helps you plan your meals better.

3. Get the guidance you need to succeed. A personal trainer provides valuable guidance and feedback. Have you tried every diet plan and exercise program without success? If so, get help.

Research proves that having an accountability partner such as friend, spouse or personal trainer will help you succeed with weight loss and fat loss.

4. You must change your body’s composition! You must increase muscle mass to become a “fat-burning machine.” You can’t do this by just doing cardio exercise. You need a combination of regular weight training and short, interval cardio sessions. It takes hard work and many adjustments over a long period of time.

Keep eating your apples and other "superfoods" every day.....but do all the other things it takes to change your body too!

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About Mark

Hi, I'm Mark Dilworth, Nutritionist, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Nutrition for Metabolic Health Specialist and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist. Since 2006, I have helped thousands of clients and readers make lifestyle habit changes which includes body transformation and ideal body weight.