As I sit on a flight from Dubai to London … it’s 3:30 AM (in whatever time zone I’m currently in).  And while I should be tired, my sleep is so far off from normal, I’m wide awake and probably disturbing the other passengers with my computer.  Sorry.

But how does this sleep deprivation affect me on a physiological level?  I have been traveling for the last couple weeks — Kara and I spoke in Iceland last week and then I headed to Indonesia, which is 11 hours ahead of our normal EST.  As an aside, excited for Kara who was invited as the first woman speaker from the US to speak at the Keilir Academy in Iceland. 

I digress.

Now on my way back, I just keep resetting my watch at every stop … as I come back to the US.  When I land in London, I’ll once again set my watch as we’re landing at 7 AM … and then taking off again at 10 AM.  I’ll certainly not know where I am when I finally get home.

So why does all this matter?  We’ve talked before about the importance of sleep when trying to lose weight.  Very simply, sleep more, weigh less … with most research suggesting the 8 hour mark being ideal for losing and maintaining your body weight.

But just when you think the "chapter" in this story is closed, an interesting study comes out …

… showing that even ACUTE sleep deprivation can affect body weight!  I’m in trouble! 

Check this out:

The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared 2 levels of sleep — 4 hours vs. 8 hours — and measured food intake the following day.

They learned after just a single night of getting just 4 hours of sleep (sleep deprivation) the subjects at 22% (an average of 559 calories) more the following day compared to the group who got just 8 hours of sleep!

While this short term study was small, it definitely opens the door for more research on this topic to see if continued sleep deprivation (defined as 4 hours in this study) and subsequent overeating could be a major cause of obesity.

Bottom Line:

Burning the candle at both ends and thinking just "1 night of lack of sleep won’t hurt me."  Sleep is an easy part of the equation to control — even aiming for just 1 more hour each night will help.  Every little bit of additional sleep helps!

Hoping I can get back on track quickly myself…

You ever have that "calling" — not that calling. 

You’re at work.  It’s 2 PM.  Your eyes are starting to roll to the back of your head and your stomach is starting to "yell" at you. 

It’s the vending machine "calling."  Obviously you have to cave, right?  WRONG! 

Finding a great option in the vending machine is like finding a needle in a haystack.  Instead, try any of these snacks to satisfy your salty, sweet, or crunchy  cravings!

Sure, some, but not all of them would work at the office, but that same snack calling can come at home too.

Got a craving for salty foods? 

Try any of these:

• 1/2 cup edamame (soybeans) sprinkled with sea salt
• Cucumber slices with a pinch of sea salt and crushed black pepper
• Toasted chick peas (drain and rinse canned chick peas, toss with 1 tsp olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and chili powder.  Toast in a pan over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until crispy)

Craving sweet foods?

Try these:

• Sliced melon with a squeeze of lime juice
• Grilled pineapple with a drizzle of melted chocolate
• Grilled plum with a scoop of gelato (a personal favorite)

Craving crunchy foods?

Try these:

• Baby carrots with hummus
• Wasa Crispbread (LOVE this) with a slice of tomato and avocado (smoked salmon is a nice addition too)
• Apple slices with pieces of sharp cheddar cheese

There you have it — 9 different snacks to attack your salty, sweet, or crunchy cravings head on!

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Admit it – you too have spent countless hours at the gym doing “low intensity” cardio to burn more body fat.  

C’mon, it’s OK, we’ve all wasted hours walking on a treadmill at some point.  Isn’t that what all the magazines have told us for years "long, slow cardio is the MOST effective way to lose weight"?

And while I’m picking on treadmills, all the cardio equipment is the same –you peddle on a bike or "run" on an elliptical at a low intensity to have a minimal fat loss effect. 

Is that really worth it?  Is it better than sitting?  No doubt. 

Is it AS effective as ramping up the intensity?  Not a chance!

Several research studies support the fact that high intensity exercise is a more efficient way to burn fat and calories.

Check out this one small study that was presented at the Experimental Biology Annual Conference (and others support the results too).

22 subjects (11 men and 11 women) cycled at a high, medium, or low intensity.  The researchers measured their "fat burning" to see which was most effective.

The researchers learned that the max fat burning was the highest intensity exercise — near maximum effort — essentially the state you’re in when sprinting.

Moral of the story: stop wasting endless hours doing some low intensity cardio—kick it up a notch to really see the results!

Keep in mind when we say "near maximum effort" it means different things for different people.

For some, that means walking a little faster for short "bursts" (every 30 seconds, with a 60-90 second "recovery")

For others, it’s an all out sprint.  Or you can use a bike, airodyne bike, rowing ergometer, etc. Just go back and forth with "as hard as possible" to "active recovery."

Regardless of where you’re starting, adding those short "all out" efforts will get you where you want to be more quickly.

We also encourage general movement — a minimum of 5 hours/week — in addition to these short bursts.

Give it a whirl — your results will skyrocket!

The Dukan Diet is the hottest fat loss diet in the world right now.

J Lo and supermodel Giselle say The Dukan Diet helped them lose their baby weight.  Kate Middleton is reportedly following this fat loss diet as she gets ready for her Royal Wedding.  Not everyone is a fan, though, as the British Dietetic Association called The Dukan Diet "one of the top 5 most dangerous diets in 2011."

One thing that can be agreed on — The Dukan Diet is sweeping the world and is starting to make waves on this side of the ocean as well.  So what is this fat loss secret that ‘all’ the celebrities seem to be following?  Let’s take at look a little deeper into what The Dukan Diet is all about.

Created by French physician, Pierre Dukan about 10 years ago, the diet is broken up into 4 ‘phases.’  The length of phases depends on the amount of weight you want to lose.  Phase 1 is short, but Phase 2 can last weeks or months if there is a lot of weight lose.  Phase 3 is the "in between" of weight loss and maintenance, then Phase 4 is supposed to be the lifelong part of this.

All phases are heavy on protein and light on carbs, similar to another famous ‘diet doc’ in the States, Dr. Atkins.  And all phases are low in calories (because of this strict rules), though you’re not asked to count calories and can eat as much as you want, whenever you want.

Phase 1 — eat as absolutely much lean protein as you want, take 1.5 TBS of oat bran daily, and drink 1.5 L of water (about 6ish cups).  That’s it.  No veggies.  No fruits.

Phase 2 — stick with the unlimited lean protein, but this time every other day you can add in unlimited non-starchy veggies (like green leafy veggies and celery are examples).  And, up your oat bran to 2 TBS per day.

Phase 3 — you know the drill — unlimited lean protein, veggies are now allowed daily, 1 piece of fruit, 2 slices whole grain bread and 1 or 2 "cheat" days where you eat whatever you want.

Phase 4 — this is where you’re supposed to maintain.  There are no "rules" per se, outside of 1 day per week going back to one of the all protein days in Phase I and continue with the oat bran, 3 TBS/day at this point. 

Oh yeah, and exercise.  According to the book, 20 minutes/day of walking is all it takes. 

Fat loss made easy with The Dukan Diet.

Not so fast.  Will you lose weight?  Absolutely.  It’s an insanely restrictive diet.  Any time you restrict that much, you’ll lose.  But what will the composition of that weight loss be?  Muscle?  Fat?  When it’s too rapid and without the right exercise, it will be a lot of important muscle. 

Is it in the least bit healthy, smart, or effective in the long term?

Nope.  None of the above.

We’ve said it before but it bears repeating — there is not a worldwide epidemic of obesity because everyone started eating SO many vegetables and fruits, they gained weight.  Quite the opposite.

Any time a diet suggests eliminating veggies and fruit and other good for you nutrients, even if in the short term, it’s junk and not based on one bit of science.  You can take all the pills, supplements and potions in the world.  None will ever replace a variety of colorful veggies and fruits, healthy fats, and other smart foods we need daily.

The Dukan Diet — Fat Loss Miracle or Dangerous Diet?

This is not a fat loss diet we’d recommend.  At all.  It’s too restrictive.  Not building long term habits.  And not a smart strategy for permanent fat loss success.

But one thing we always try to do is find the parallels — where do we agree vs. where don’t we.

So here you go.

The oat bran is there as a source of fiber.  That’s great.  Oat based fiber is fantastic and we should all aim to eat more.  Oatmeal and oat bran are both great sources.

Eating more lean protein — another smart move.  In our opinion, most eat too many junk carbs, so replacing them with lean protein sources is smart and has been shown to be effective for fat loss.

And that’s about all we agree with.  Eat more fiber and replace junk carbs with lean protein.

There are certainly smarter, more effective, and safer ways to lose fat.  The Dukan Diet gets a 2 Thumbs down from Team Mohr.

What do you think?  Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

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I’m in a conversation with someone the other day who is trying to lose weight.

She admittedly wanted to lose just 15 lbs, so she was clearly not obese…but she’s struggled with that same 15 lbs for years.

Lose 10.  Gain 8. 

Lose that same 8.  Gain 12. 

And from what she said, this pattern has gone on since she had her first daughter, 10 years ago.

She was concerned that as she continued to get older, her metabolism would slow …

…and wanted to know how she can speed up a seemingly slow metabolism.

We hear this regularly – my metabolism is slooooooow, I eat virtually NOTHING all day, yet can’t lose a pound!

So how do you speed up a "slow" metabolism?

One, keep in mind that the larger a person is, with muscle OR fat, the higher their metabolism.  That being said, muscle does increase metabolism more than fat, but not by much. 

1. Build muscle.  But, don’t get too excited about this — for every 1 lb of muscle, research shows there’s just about a 9 calorie/day increase in metabolism — that’s not much.  But that shouldn’t discourage you; the benefit comes from shaping those muscles as you’re losing fat through changing your diet.  Of course it all adds up, though, so while 1 lb of muscle doesn’t offer a huge calorie benefit, adding on more muscle than that does.  And there are a million other benefits to building muscle as well, so keep training!
2. The other way to speed metabolism is to eat.  More.  When you eat, your metabolism increases to digest and use the food.  Particularly when you have some protein with each meal.  Protein does more to boost metabolism than either carbs or fat.  So make sure each meal includes a little protein — fish, eggs, chicken, turkey, nuts, beans, etc. 
3. Eat breakfast.  Simple and it stokes your metabolism in the AM.  Combine this one with #2 (including protein) and you’ve got a win win.  In fact, there’s some solid data suggesting eating eggs in the morning boosts weight loss above and beyond choosing a bagel. 
4. Increase the intensity of your workouts.  Long, slow cardio sessions do little to nothing when the workout is done.  On the other hand, shorter, harder intensity exercise bouts cause a much longer increase in metabolism, even hours after your workout is over!  In fact, a study out just this week showed a 14+ hour increase in metabolism after a high intensity bout of exercise.  This boost burned an additional 190 calories!  Now that will add up.  There’s a reason sprinters are in such fantastic shape!  They train properly!

There you have it — 4 simple strategies to boost a lagging metabolism!