weight gain Tag

December 11, 2015 In Food, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Suzanne Zilkowsky

Top Food Tips For Surviving the Holidays

Did you know that in order to gain five pounds from now to the end of January, all you have to do is eat an average of 220 calories per day more than you actually need? The holidays typically encourage us to indulge in high-fat, high-calorie foods that are low in nutrients, and this is also the time we’re most likely to make excuses for skipping exercise. One of the most significant diet dangers revolves around sugar consumption. Binging on sugar increases the cravings for it while the body slows down. Along with sunlight deprivation in the winter, sugar binges...

October 3, 2014 In Emotional Health, Family Fitness, News, Spotlight, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

Stress and Weight Gain – What’s the Connection?

Ongoing stress results in the production of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced from the adrenal glands. Cortisol mainly functions to regulate energy production and mobilization; it does so by selecting the right type and amount of macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat or protein) that is needed by the body to meet the physiological demands (eg. stress) that is placed upon it. This hormone mobilizes energy by moving the body’s fat stores from one location to another to provide fuel for muscle tissues. Under stressful conditions, cortisol can provide the body with protein for energy by converting amino acids in muscle into useable carbohydrate (glucose) in the...

August 27, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Will Getting to Bed Late at Night Make You Fat

Many of our hormones are intimately related to circadian rhythms, and their function gets thrown off when we completely ignore the fact that night follows day, and day follows night. During the longer days of summer, mammals are hardwired to find sustenance to store as fat, to help them last the shorter days of winter where they will be either hibernating or eating less due to lack of food availability. In humans, this hardwiring shows up as a desire for carbohydrates. By choosing to stay up with the lights on, watching TV or doing computer work late at night long after the...