Fitbit Inspire Hr Heart Rate And Fitness Tracker Review

A fitness tracker can be a very useful tool when looking to lose weight, improve your fitness and improve your health. They can provide a lot of useful data and be quite motivating. Today I review the Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate And Fitness Tracker.

Pros

1) This heart rate monitor is comfortable to wear and not too big. This is a plus for me because I don’t like wearing big watches.

2) It has a touch screen and you can easily toggle through the different display options.

3) It measures steps, distance traveled and heart rate.

4) It also has a sleep tracker. I have not used this feature yet, but sleep is an important part of our health and it is useful to learn more about your sleep habits.

5) It is easy to charge this watch on your computer.

6) It has long battery life. A charge last for 5 days.

7) It has a really useful app for your phone that keeps track of everything.

8) It also has a stop watch and countdown timer which can come in handy.

Cons

1) The font on the watch is a little small, which can make it difficult to read for people who wear reading glasses.

2) It was not super easy to set up. It took a while for my phone and the Fitbit HR to link up. In fairness, this may have been an issue with my phone’s Bluetooth.

Do I Recommend the Fitbit Inspire HR Fitness Tracker?

Absolutely. This is a useful tool to help you analyze your steps, sleep and heart rate. Since increasing physical activity and losing weight is a major New Year’s resolution, this little gadget can come in handy right about now. You can pick one up for $79.95 on amazon.com. Here is the link for anyone interested.

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with the company that makes the Fitbit Inspire HR and make no money if you buy it.

 

Saturated Fat And Attention

The Study

Can what you eat for lunch impact how your brain works in the afternoon? This interesting study attempted to find out. Fifty-one women had their cognitive performance measured by means of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) both before and after 2 test meals, one high in saturated fat and one high in unsaturated fat.  The CPT measures attention, concentration and reaction time. After the high saturated fat meal, women had a statistically significant increase in distraction. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020; 111:1150-58.  

Take Home Message

This is a fascinating study. I have seen evidence that high glycemic load carbohydrates can impact cognition, but this is the first study that I have seen that shows saturated fat can have a negative effect on brain function. As far as potential mechanisms, the researchers believe that saturated fat can cross the blood brain barrier and increase inflammation. This inflammation may interfere with cognitive function. 

Saturated fats such as butter, full fat dairy and fatty cuts of red meat have been shown to increase risk of heart disease and stroke. They may also influence your ability to concentrate. Focus on healthy vegetable sources of fats such as olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut butters and avocados.

Red Meat And Colon Cancer

The Study

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the US and the second biggest cause of cancer related death. Sessile serrated lesions (SSL’s) are a type of colon polyp that are an alternative path to colon cancer. These newly identified lesions may account for up to 30% of all colon cancer diagnoses. In this interesting case-control study, the diet of subjects diagnosed with SSL’s were compared to healthy controls. Here are some of the most important results:

-When compared to subjects consuming the lowest amount of red meat, subjects consuming the most red meat had over twice the risk of developing SSL’s.

-When compared to subjects consuming the lowest amount of processed meat, subjects consuming the most processed meat had over twice the risk of developing SSL’s.

-When compared to subjects consuming the lowest amount of well-done red meat, subjects consuming the most well-done red meat had over twice the risk of developing SSL’s. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020 111:1244-51.

Take Home Message

The results of this study offer further proof of the dangers of eating too much red and processed meats. 

Limit red meats like steak, pork and hamburger to 1 serving per week.

Strictly limit processed meats like bacon, salami and pepperoni.

When you do have red meat, don’t overcook it.

High Protein/Low Glycemic Diets And Weight Maintenance

The glycemic index and the percentage of dietary protein have previously been shown to be important factors when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. An interesting older study that I recently came across examined the influence of protein and glycemic index on weight maintenance.

The Article

In this investigation, 773 subjects lost 8% of their initial body weight by following a low-calorie diet (Reference 1). Subjects were then randomized to one of five diets for 6 months:

High protein, Low Glycemic Index

High protein, High Glycemic Index

Low Protein, Low Glycemic Index

Low Protein, High Glycemic Index

A Control Diet.

Here are some of the most important results:

-The dieters that included a high protein component regained significantly less weight (over 2 lbs.) when compared to the diets with a low protein component.

-The dieters that included a low glycemic component regained significantly less weight (also over 2 lbs.) when compared to diets with a high glycemic index.

-Only the low protein/high glycemic group was associated with significant weight regain. They gained back 3.7 pounds.

-There was more dropout in the low protein and high glycemic index groups than in the high protein and low glycemic index groups.

Conclusions And Recommendations

Adding in a little protein and keeping your carbohydrates low glycemic can be a real boost to your weight loss efforts. Shoot for your protein to be 20-25% of calories. This is a practical and healthy level for you to shoot for. 

As far as glycemic index, focus on carbs like fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains instead of bread, pasta, white rice and sugar. 

These eating styles also resulted in less drop out in this particular study so they will make your diet easier to stay on.

References

1) Larsen TM, et al. Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight loss maintenance. New England Journal of Medicine 2010 363 2102-13.

Changing carb quality improves risk factors for heart disease

The Study 

The quality of carbohydrates we eat has been a very hot topic in nutrition research for some time. In this fascinating study, over 5,000 overweight Spanish adults worked to improve their carbohydrate choices from less healthy sources (such as refined cereals, sugar and soda) to more healthy sources (such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains). The results were impressive. After 6 months of these changes, body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and triglyceride levels all improved significantly. After 12 months, HDL cholesterol also improved. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020; 111:291-306. 

Take Home Message

The carbohydrates you choose can have a major impact on your weight, energy, mood and health. Shoot for healthy sources like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes. Limit bread, pasta, white rice and sugar. It is also a good idea to have a moderate percentage of carbs in your diet. Somewhere around 40-50% is a nice goal, especially if you round out the difference with 20-25% lean proteins and 30-35% healthy vegetable based fats.

Three Popular Diets Compared

The Study

This interesting study examined adherence, dietary composition, weight loss and health effects for three popular weight loss diets: intermittent fasting, paleo and Mediterranean. A total of 250 overweight adults were allowed to choose which diet they wanted to try and were followed for 1 year. Here are some of the results:

-Weight loss was slightly higher on the Intermittent Fasting diet at 8.8 lbs. by the end of the year. The Mediterranean diet was a close second at 6.2 lbs. The Paleo group only lost 4 pounds by the end of follow up. However, the Mediterranean group lost more body fat, visceral fat and had a greater drop in waist circumference than the other groups.

-The Mediterranean diet was the easiest to stick to with 57% of subjects sticking with the diet by the end of 1 year. The Intermittent fasting group was a close second with 54% of subjects staying on the diet by the end of 1 year. Only 35% of the Paleo subjects were still on their diet by the end of the year.

-The Mediterranean group had a significantly lower blood pressure and HbA1c compared to the other groups and also ended up with a lower c-reactive protein, which is a measure of body wide inflammation.

-The intermittent fasting subjects had the highest consumption of processed foods and lowest fiber and calcium intakes by the end of 12 months. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020; 111:503-14.

Take Home Message

This is a really interesting study. When you are choosing a weight loss diet, you need to look at the whole picture. Will the diet work? Can you stay on it? How will it impact your long-term health? For me, the Mediterranean diet is the clear winner here. It provides the right combination of helping you lose weight, being the easiest to stay on and it has the best impact on your health. I have been recommending this type of diet for over 20 years with amazing results. If you want to learn more about it, check out the Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health here.

Book Review: The Weight Loss Triad, 2nd Edition

As many of my blog and newsletter readers know, I like to review books from time to time. Well today it is my pleasure to introduce my own new book, The Weight Loss Triad, 2nd Edition. Many of you may be familiar with my first book, The Weight Loss Triad, which was published in 2009. I can’t believe it was over 10 years ago! There are a few reasons why I figured it was time to update this book:

-There has been a lot of new nutrition and weight loss research in the past 10 years that has influenced my recommendations. While the majority of my program is exactly the same as it was 10 years ago, there have been a few important changes that needed attention.

-I have had 10 more years of experience working with clients, which has taught me a lot about how to make this program work for people regardless of any obstacles they may be facing.

-The 1st Edition was written for the general population. I didn’t include a lot of the research that guides my recommendations because I did not want to make things too complicated. In the 2nd Edition, I want to let the reader know where they can find the studies that I have used to formulate my recommendations and to provide a summary of this research.

My new book, similar to the 1st Edition, presents a comprehensive weight loss strategy broken down into 3 key areas: Diet, Cardiovascular Exercise and Resistance Training. It also includes chapters on lifestyle factors and frequently asked questions to help the reader incorporate the principles of this program into their daily routine no matter what life throws their way.

In these crazy and stressful times, we all need to do what we can to take care of ourselves. If your diet and exercise programs need a little tweaking and you want to drop a couple of pounds, this book could be a great help to you.

You can pick it up on Amazon.com in either a print or kindle version. (Click Here)