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Featured Client

Contractor Goes from
Chunky to Hunky

by Elizabeth Fergason

Sometimes getting on the right track takes outside support, as Dave Zmay learned at Lite For Life. 

Dave is a confident and successful man, a Bay Area contractor who literally built his own business from scratch.  He certainly had the discipline and drive and to follow the Lite for Life program, but focusing those skills and energy on weight loss didn’t come easily for him.

His knees ultimately drove him through the doors of Lite For Life of San Carlos.  Dave’s doctor ordered him to lose weight or face the fact that he would have to undergo knee surgery very soon.  Dave had signed up for a weight loss program at the local hospital, but there was a months-long waiting list.  What Dave didn’t have was time; his knees were literally wearing out under the load of him. 

Even though he knew how badly he needed to lose weight, the idea of getting on the scale two or three times a week really intimidated him.  And, as a single man, he wasn’t too good at planning his meals ahead of time either. “I’ll be the first to tell you,” Dave says, “that I was ready to quit the program before I even got started.”

That’s when Lite For Life counselors Tris and Sandra stepped in.  They realized that for Dave, a little extra handholding would be necessary.  In addition to their regular counseling, for several weeks they actually planned out his menu for him every day—three meals and three snacks--until he mastered the task.

“Dave has come such a long way!” Tris says.  “He’s very self-sufficient.  He really gets it and he’s planning his own meals now.  It was mainly a matter of overcoming resistance and adapting to a new life-style.”

Dave admits, “In the beginning I complained a lot.”  But eventually he started following the program.  “I have to thank the counselors for working so hard with me.  They really know what they’re talking about.”  He laughs, “Surrender to them and they will get you on the right track.”

Dave’s right track meant meeting his 35 pound weight loss goal and then some, ultimately losing almost 50 pounds.  “There I was, moments away from surgery and now I don’t even need it,” he says, still amazed at his accomplishment.

But that’s not all that’s changed in his life.  “I feel better and have more energy,” Dave says.  “My tastes have changed too.  I enjoy eating wholesome, healthy foods now.  The key is to stick with the program and soon it will become a way of life.”

Instead of being laid up this summer recuperating from knee surgery, Dave is treating his Mom to a Caribbean cruise on the Queen Mary, a trip for which he feels well prepared.  “Peoplethink it’s all big buffets and overeating on cruises,” Dave says.  “But not for me.  I’ll stick to my healthy eating.  I look forward to taking long walks around the deck and getting a few massages.”

We wish Dave Bon Voyage, but we know that he’s already well on his way for a more important journey toward a healthier lifestyle.  The cruise, he says, is the “something extra that makes life sweet.  You could say it’s the cherry on top.  That’s a fresh cherry of course!”

Elizabeth Fergason is a Counselor at Lite for Life in Palo Alto

Nutrition in the News: Flax Oil

An Oil Change Could Help with Weight Loss

by Sylvie Nalezny

When people want to lose weight and improve their health, one of the first things they look at is how much fat they’re eating. Outwardly, it would seem to make sense; gram for gram, fat contains more calories than protein and carbohydrates (nine versus four), so cut fat to lose fat, and that is true up to a point.  But if weight loss were a simple matter of calories in, calories out, more people would be successful in their weight loss attempts.  So another question needs to be asked:  Where is the fat coming from?

The truth is that all calories are not created equally, and this is as true of fats as any other food.  An exciting new field called nutrigenomics is scientifically proving that different foods actually communicate different messages to the body, signaling it among other things to either store fat or to burn it.   

Omega 3 fats such as those found in flax seed oil and deep sea fish such as tuna and salmon can actually help with weight loss because they help with blood sugar control, insulin efficiency, and fat burning. These are fats that you don’t want to skip on your weight loss plan.

The core of the Lite for Life Program is blood sugar stabilization, and including omega 3 fats in your program helps in several ways. First, including a little bit of healthy fat in your meal prevents blood sugar from rising too quickly. Healthy fat will also keep your metabolic “furnace” burning for a longer period of time; it will keep you feeling full and satisfied longer.  That means fewer cravings for the sugary foods that signal your body to store fat.

We’re also learning that omega 3 fatty acids appear to improve insulin action. Here’s how:  Our cell membranes are made up of fat and need the right kinds of dietary fat to be fluid enough to allow nutrients in and wastes out. Too much saturated fat and not enough healthy fat causes cell membranes to stiffen up, lessening the ability of insulin to bind to the cell. If insulin can’t bind to the cells, it can’t burn glucose for energy, and so it gets stored as body fat.

In addition, if insulin is not able to bind to cell membranes, insulin resistance develops, leading to weight gain and Type II Diabetes. Population studies have shown that frequent consumption of a small amount of omega-3 oils protects against the development of type II diabetes.

For optimum fat burning, we recommend a flax oil blend that also contains a special kind of omega 6 oil called GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). GLA actually stimulates fat burning by activating a metabolically active fat known as brown adipose tissue, a special kind of fat found deep within the body surrounding vital organs and cushioning the spinal column, the neck and major blood vessels. GLA actually causes brown adipose tissue to release certain hormones known as prostaglandins that trigger calorie burning.

So make sure you include flax oil into your Lite for Life eating plan. But handle with care—the nutritious qualities of omega 3s are easily destroyed.  Flax oil should always be kept refrigerated and should be stored in a dark bottle to avoid oxidation. Never cook with flax oil; always use it raw. A great way to use it is to simply sprinkle it onto steamed vegetables or to use in a salad dressing instead of olive oil. Your Lite for Life handbook has some great recipes for flaxseed dressing in the Reducing section. And to cover all of your bases, make sure to include fish such as our Wild Planet tuna and salmon in your diet as well!

Sylvie Nalezny is a Certified Nutrition Educator and a Counselor at Lite For Life in Saratoga.

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Maureen's Tips

When It Comes to Salads, Basic is Better

Restaurant chefs have become increasingly creative with salads, topping lettuce and other greens with cheese, meat, nuts and dried fruit to create new and interesting flavor combinations.  Used as a very light accent, these foods can add flavor notes that really make a salad sing, but watch out!  Once they become main ingredients they can turn a healthy salad into something with a nutritional profile more like that of a dessert.  

Don’t kid yourself that just because it’s got a lot of green stuff it’s healthy.  Just 3 tablespoons of dried cranberries and 10 sugar glazed walnut halves can add almost 400 calories, 37 grams of sugar and 18 grams of fat to your salad.  Add some cheese, crumbled bacon and salad dressing on top of that and you could easily end up with a salad that tops out at 800 calories.

Maureen Sullivan, MA, CNC is the founder of Lite For Life.

Recipe of the Month:

Tangy Flax Borage Dip

This is like a sour cream dip, only a lot healthier.

Ingredients

• 6 oz of plain non-fat yogurt
• 2 tsp flax borage oil
• Pinch of herbal or salt seasoning
• ½ Tbs dried marjoram or 1 Tbs. fresh
• 2 medium cloves garlic, crushed

Preparation

• Combine and stir together all ingredients.
• Chill for ½ hour before serving to let yogurt absorb flavors

• Yield:  One cup

Counts as:  1 protein, 2 oil for entire recipe.Counts as:  3 protein, ½ fruit

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