Whey Protein - to lose weight or to gain?

Q: My mother has always been a health and fitness nut and she advised me to replace one or two meals a day with a Whey Protein drink. She said if I cut most of the carbs and replaced it with protein, I would lose weight. However, EVERYONE else who sees that I have Whey Protein powder in my kitchen says that it will make me gain weight. I exercise five days a week and lift weights twice a week now, so will the Whey protein help me lose weight or prevent me from losing it?


A: The protein intake question is just that - a question - when it comes to weight loss. For one thing, even if you cut most of the carbs, about 1/2 of the protein will convert into new carbohydrates. What you probably need, it a proper ratio of carb to protein to fat. Read more about it:

1. The 'Carb:protein:fat' ratios and fat burning
2. About Whey Protein
3. Are protein supplements really better than protein foods?
4. One strategy many bodybuilders use is to drink a protein shake or eat a protein only meal 30-60 minutes prior to the morning session

Tanya Zilberter, PhD


Sell My Business Online- Nonstopprofit.com where website sellers and buyers meet.

A diet for stress, depression, and appetite control?

Q: Hi Tanya,

You seem fairly knowledgeable and that you've helped people out. I am a 27 yo male, 5'4", 120-5 lbs. I have undergone some stressful situations and as a result, my appetite has been depressed. Not that I have ever eaten a lot anyway due to issues of depression. I have been researching online ways for me to gain my appetite healthily and found that what I am eating isn't helping any. It is actually depressing my appetite even more! (i.e. a lot of grains and acidic fruits) And it is making me even more depressed. .

I have been dealing with this same issue for the last 6 months and need some real guidance on where to go for an effective source that discusses nutrition, depression, and increasing appetite. If the source was made for the person on the go, that would help out too.

A: Hi Mike,

I currently participate in the project of the Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology concerning neuroprotective effects of low carb dieting and my first task was to collect scientific evidence that low carb diets do indeed have those properties, how they work, and in what particular situation they are helpful.

Stress, lack of energy, and depression are on the list of clinical trials showing that decreasing carbohydrate consumption and eating more 'good' fats improves one's medical condition, along with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ADHD, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, epilepsy, cancer, etc.

My own experience with one of such diets allows me to suggest that you try it (it's online and free) because the appetite becomes healthier: both unhealthily increased and decreased appetites normalize.

Please take a look at bantadiet.com and should you decide to give it a try, sign up for your daily plans at dietandbody.com

Good luck,

Tanya Zilberter, PhD

Vegeterian diet and immune system

Q: I've been on a vegeterian diet for approximately 15 years (actually, an ovo-lacto-pesce diet where I'll eat dairy products, eggs, and sometimes fish). In recent years, I've noticed that my body doesn't seem to be defending itself very well against illness. For instance, I can't just have a "normal" cold.....instead, they all seem to last forever until they progress into some kind of an infection that I need to be treated for. Conversely, friends & family tend to get the sniffles, and their body fights it off over the course of a few days. I've heard that a vegetarian diet lacks critical enzymes (only found in meat) that could likely compromise my immune system. Is that true?

A: From all I know about food/immune interactions, most critical substances are found in ovo-lacto-pesce diets. I failed finding any meat-specific enzymes affecting immune system. If your diary includes yogurs, kefirs, etc. with guaranteed live cultures of probiotics, you should be doing better than "mixed" eaters. If you didn't pay attention to probiotics, I would strongly advise you give it a try. Also, make it sure that enough of your vegetables are eaten raw.

However, there's one thing that you might want to discuss with your doctor - your hemoglobin numbers, it could explain your weakened immune response. Anemia is one of severe concerns for vegetarians, it weakens the body and can suppress immune reactions.

Suggested reading

Vegetarian Diet
A Word Of Warning
Living Vegetarian
THE VEGETARIAN ATHLETE
Protein, Iron, And Calcium For the Vegetarians

Tanya Zilberter, PhD

Top 10 Resolutions You Should Make

By Carolina Diaz-Bordon
eDiets Staff Writer

An extraordinary occurrence seems to happen every year around this time as people talk about their New Year's Resolutions. The topic, apparently, triggers many individuals to experience a distinct sense of deja vu.

There is a reason that resolutions to "lose weight," "quit smoking," "start exercising," "pay off all debts" and "travel the world" cause this ever-so-familiar déjà vu' feeling. They aren't new. They are the same resolves that have attempted year after year.

The health and fitness pros at eDiets can show you how to combine exercise and nutrition to get the best results. Visit eDiets to get started.

Still as the ball drops on another fresh New Year ahead, past failures are wiped clean and replaced with positive notions that this year will be different.

If you or somebody you know has been affected by the New Year's Resolution Deja vu Syndrome, don't worry. There is an easy way to put a stop to it for good.

The best way to make turn resolutions into reality is by transforming them into your habits. Once you alter your behavior and attitude the process of change will ignite. These top 10 resolutions will help keep you focused and motivated so that your healthy resolutions will stay fresh in your mind all year round.

1. Start every day by reading an inspiring quote or saying. These are great motivation boosters. They will help kick off your day in the right direction.

2. Read at least one article a day about your goal. Whether it's about nutrition, fitness, a destination you'd like to visit or the effects of smoking, vow to take a few minutes to read about it every single day. This will help keep the subject and your objective fresh in your mind.

3. Change your New Year's Resolutions into New Day Resolutions. Instead of saying, "I'm going to pay off all my debts," say, "The first bill I am going to pay off will be this, and I'm going to start by setting aside $10 today."

4. Vow to compliment one person every single day and never put down any compliments you receive. When you take the time to notice your surroundings and the distinct beauty in things, it will automatically help you appreciate your own individual and remarkable characteristics.

5. Declare to take the word "can't" out of your vocabulary. Become aware of your words and use only constructive language. Instead of saying "I can't," ask yourself how you can. Rather than saying "I'm no good at this," ask yourself how you can get better.

6. Turn off your cell phone every time you sit down to eat. Something as simple as turning off your phone can make a tremendous impact on your day. Even if you only have a few minutes to eat, turn it off. Try to rid yourself of all distractions and enjoy your food and the company you are sitting with at all times. This will help make you eat slower, think about what you're eating and enjoy the rewards of good conversation.

7. Do one thing that slightly scares you every single day. Whether it's throwing away all the junk food stored up in your house, trying out a new workout class, submitting a poem you wrote in a contest or asking someone you're interested in out on a date, a little nerve a day will help keep you feeling alive, alert and inspired.

8. Pat yourself on the back every day. Take credit for the good things that you accomplish. You told yourself you were going to join the gym today and you did, you parked your car at the farthest parking lot instead of the closest, you brought your healthy lunch to work, you stayed away from the soda machine, you kept your cool after your boss yelled at you -- all these little actions deserve to be acknowledged. Every night before you go to sleep, write down one of your daily accomplishments. After you've written down seven reward yourself in some way.

9. Mail a card every week to somebody in your life and tell them how much you appreciate them. If you don't want to deal with buying stamps, e-mail them. This will remind you of the many good things and people in your life, and the positive energy you send out will come back to you two-fold. You will feel better about yourself and be more likely to accomplish your daily goals.

10. Vow to stop shrugging your shoulders and keep your head high at all times. Good posture will help you not only look slimmer, but also develop more confidence. You're body language speaks worlds about how you feel. Straighten up the way you look on the outside and your inside self-confidence will soon follow.