Category: Health Tips

Boost your health with these tips on diet to help you on your wellness journey.

  • Despite what some say, obesity isn’t a disease. Here’s why

    Despite what some say, obesity isn’t a disease. Here’s why

    A year ago, millions of North Americans contracted a brand new disease they already had—obesity.

    You may be a bit confused, so let me explain.

    In June 2013, the American Medical Association officially declared obesity a disease. Seeing as how my last blog drew attention to the bias and prejudice that over-weight individuals face on a daily basis, you can imagine that my initial reaction to the news was one of total elation. Finally, a well-respected medical organization was labelling obesity exactly what it is. At least that was how I felt back then.

    A year later, I’m revising my original position and asking myself whether obesity really should be considered a disease?

    On the one hand there is no denying the American Medical Association’s declaration has helped create awareness and made advocacy easier. I’m hopeful this will translate into increased research, as well as funding for the development of innovative approaches for the treatment of obesity. A University of Minnesota study has already confirmed that the obesity-as-disease message has helped remove some of the shame associated with being overweight. On the other hand, the same study cemented the perception that an individual’s weight is a fixed state—any attempt at weight-loss is futile—with the consequences being continued poor food choices, weight gain and declining health.

    I believe that if we’re ever going to win the war against obesity, we must re-align the internal compass of the dieter to focus it on self-determinism. That means helping them navigate from a vicious cycle of negativity to a self-fulfilling state of limitless development.

    The challenge for the physician is that there are almost unlimited ways the body can say ‘ouch.’ Traditionally, doctors have organized and grouped signs and symptoms, then given names to the common diseases. In medical school we were taught how to match the treatment (usually medications) to the disease. This approach is only somewhat satisfying, at best. Our diagnoses (since we defined the disease) have almost 100% sensitivity—in other words, when you’re looking for illness, you always find it—however when it comes to what’s really troubling our patients, those diagnoses generally lack specificity or validity customized to that specific individual.

    Herein lies part of the problem with the obesity-as-disease model. The usual treatment regimen is: eat less and move around a little more! This approach, as we know all too well, isn’t working. Medications for weight-loss have proven to be ineffective and often dangerous. I believe that when the body says ‘ouch,’ it’s simply saying that something is wrong.

    With that in mind, I’m asserting that obesity isn’t a disease. It’s just another way the body has to tell us that something’s wrong. I believe as physicians we must first identify the individual metabolic processes that have caused the weight gain, and then correct them. The American Medical Association states—and I agree—that “obesity is a multi-metabolic and hormonal state.” The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has declared obesity “public enemy number one!” We must continue to pursue forward-thinking remedies for obesity and its significant medical, psychological and socio-economic consequences.

    The obesity-as-disease message might be a little like a Trojan horse. On the surface it’s an unexpected gift. But to those of us treating obesity on a daily basis, it seems to be pulling up lame.

    In my next blog I’ll tackle the question of whether food should be considered an addiction. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • The weight-gain double standard—and why it needs to change

    The weight-gain double standard—and why it needs to change

    Ever wonder why, when a person loses weight rapidly, they’re sent for a battery of tests by their doctor, but when they gain weight they’re told to eat less and exercise more?

    So did I. In fact, the decision to wind down my family practice and found Your Body Evolution—a clinic devoted solely to helping patients lose weight and achieve overall wellness—was prompted by a couple of key observations around that common physician reaction.

    The first was that more of my patients were showing symptoms of weight-related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The second was that many of my colleagues—indeed, the medical community in general—seemed to be laying the blame for that weight gain strictly on the lifestyle habits of overweight individuals. These patients weren’t unhealthy or didn’t have underlying medical issues that needed examining, many of my colleagues argued. They ate too much and didn’t exercise enough. They were lazy and slovenly. Want to know why our annual health care expenditure is increasing dramatically? Look no further than these folks, so many of them claimed.

    But I knew that wasn’t the full story. We acknowledge that almost everyone can use our guidance and help on the nutrition and exercise front, but that doesn’t explain why, when a patient loses weight unexpectedly, a physician investigates it aggressively—rapid weight-loss could be a sign of the onset of a disease such as cancer, for example. When they gain weight, however, it’s usually written off as a result of poor lifestyle choices. I recognized this was a complete double standard and that obesity really is a socially-condoned prejudice.

    Empirical studies support my view. According to a 2012 report by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity citing previous U.S.-based studies, the prevalence of weight-related discrimination increased to 12 per cent of American adults in 2004-06, up from 7 per cent a decade earlier. Furthermore, the report notes a trend I’ve seen emerge anecdotally through interaction with my patients over the years: over-weight people not only to bear the burden of their condition in the form of physical challenges and lower self-esteem, but also in career limitations. That means lower maximum incomes compared to non-overweight people over the course of their careers, fewer promotions and a general perception of laziness and lacklustre self-discipline on the part of their colleagues and managers. Citing a 1982 study of 400 doctors in the U.S., the report notes that a whopping one-third of physician respondents admitted that obesity was ‘a condition to which they respond negatively.’ If even doctors carry a clear prejudice towards their overweight patients, it’s no wonder the entire medical community has spent decades pursuing non-solutions to this growing epidemic.

    So, what does cause obesity?

    Let’s be clear: overweight people don’t necessarily eat more. Obesity is not only about indulgence and a lack of willpower. It emerges from a combination of factors including genetics, lifestyle, environment and nutrition. There is no single magic causal factor that makes a person overweight. I learned over time and through clinical research that obesity is a sign that something is wrong with the body, which is a highly-complex piece of machinery with unlimited ways to say ‘ouch.’ Weight gain is just one of them.

    The focus need not be on laying blame, but on finding out why these patients gain weight in the first place.

    Perhaps more importantly, I found that as patients become healthier, they lose weight quicker—which is the basis for the Your Body Evolution system and the reason why we’ve managed to help thousands of Canadians lose weight and keep it off for good. Another important lesson I learned: weight-loss needs to be managed by a doctor who understands the metabolic processes that lead to weight gain. Otherwise, that complex process is left to the patient to manage on their own—and as we know from the poor success rates of most diets, weight-loss results typically fall far short of expectations.

    This is the time to overcome our societal double standards regarding weight gain, and finally treat it as a curable medical condition. Only then will we start putting the brakes on the obesity epidemic and reverse years of inefficient and ineffective weight-loss advice.

    In my next post, I’ll offer five simple diet preparation tips to help maximize your weight-loss results. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • Your survival guide for dining out (part 3)

    Your survival guide for dining out (part 3)

    In part two of Your Survival Guide for Dining Out, I offered 15 strategies to help you eat the right way when dining out at restaurants. That means taking very deliberate steps to ensure your customized Your Body Evolution journey to weight loss and wellness continues without any hiccups.

    In the third and final installment of Your Survival Guide for Dining Out, I want to talk about making healthy menu choices. That’s right—I’m talking about the tough and tempting part of any dining experience.

    Remember that restaurants love to cook with lots of sugar, fat and salt because all three are great tasting, cheap ingredients. Do they have to use such large quantities of this unhealthy triumvirate? No, but their job is to make delicious food that draws you back to their establishment. Your job is to make the right nutritional choices to ensure your body evolution keeps moving full-steam ahead. It only takes one unhealthy meal to derail an entire week of weight-loss work, after all.

    With that in mind, here are five common food-ordering challenges for dieters dining out—and how to overcome them:

    Ordering alcohol—The majority of Canadians enjoy a drink every now and then, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But for those of us trying to lose weight and improve our overall wellness, alcohol is best avoided. That’s because a standard-size glass of wine, spirits or beer contains between 100 to 200 calories. Have a few drinks over the course of a meal, and you can see how quickly those extra calories can add up. If you do want a drink over dinner, limit consumption to a maximum of two (less if you’re driving), and opt for dry wine or spirits such as vodka or gin mixed with diet pop. If you want beer—and it’s by no means the best beverage option—have the real thing and avoid ‘light’ brands altogether. Why? For one thing, light beer tastes terrible, and most people who order it only end up over indulging. Another reason to avoid alcohol altogether is that because you’re reducing your caloric intake, you’ll have a lower alcohol tolerance and can expect to get tipsy faster. Because intoxication only lowers your inhibitions, you’re far more likely to order a plate of nachos when you’ve had a few too many than if you abstained in the first place. Also, never drink alcohol on an empty stomach. It only further speeds the intoxication process, wreaks havoc on your digestive system and can seriously impair liver function.

    Ordering high-calorie ‘treat’ drinks —Many restaurants offer a range of tasty potables jam-packed with full-fat (and very high-calorie) milk, cream and/or sugar—not to mention other indulgent additives such as chocolate or caramel sauce. A milkshake alone can hide a meal full of calories. My advice is to avoid these drinks altogether and stick to beverages like water or diet pop.

    Ordering appetizers—Restaurateurs are not biochemists, but without realizing they take advantage of how our bodies release insulin during a meal. How? When they drop a basket of bread on your table, for example, they’re kick-starting a metabolic chain reaction that ensures you experience a secondary insulin peak right around the time they offer those tempting cheesecakes, tiramisus and ice creams. That’s right: they’re not just offering bread as a ‘thank you’ for visiting their establishment. To deal with this type of temptation, ask your server to remove all bread from your table or not deliver it in first place, or pass it around to everyone and then suggest taking it off the table. Your friends and family should be happy to oblige if they support your weight-loss goals.

    That’s one problem solved. Now it’s time to make nutritionally-friendly appetizer choices. The problem at most restaurants is that appetizers tend to be fried, loaded with high-calorie cheese or accompanied by sauces with off-the-chart calorie and fat counts. Those are all obvious non-starters. But if you do order apps, start with low-fat proteins such as shrimp cocktails or Thai chicken skewers, vegetables (minus the dip) and salad. Again when ordering salad, be sure to ask for dressing on the side and limit the amount to one or two tablespoons. An ever better idea is to bring your own light dressing from home. Another option: request vinegar and olive oil to use as a salad topping, but always avoid sugar-laden vinaigrette dressings. When it comes to soups, say ‘no thanks’ to cream soups, purees of starchy vegetables such as potatoes, or anything with noodles when dieting. If there’s no good option, such as a plain broth or consume, order another diet-friendly appetizer instead.

    And when someone at your table suggests sharing a plate of nachos—and at some point in your weight-loss journey, someone will—hold firm and remind them that deep-fried chips are a non-starter when it comes to achieving your weight-loss and wellness goals on the Your Body Evolution program.

    Ordering desserts— I’ve yet to see a restaurant dessert menu offer selections that would be suitable for anyone following a mainstream diet. You name the delectable—from cheesecake to ice cream to key lime pie—and they’re all packed with sugar and fat. Your best approach is to avoid dessert altogether. Can’t resist the temptation? I’m not a fan of replacing dessert with other treats, but I often advise patients on the maintenance phase of the Your Body Evolution program to eat a sugar-free mint or go for a walk when their party is indulging. A tiny after-dinner mint can help trick your brain into thinking it’s getting sugar, therefore prompting it to quit blasting out craving signals. Also, once you’ve had a mint and go to eat something sweet, it won’t taste nearly as good. So, think of a sugar-free, after-dinner mint as a deterrent, kind of like drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. When all else fails and you know you can’t say no, get up and go for a walk. But if you are going to succumb and are in the maintenance phase of your diet, then order the dessert you actually want to eat—and share it. Use a teaspoon and limit yourself to three to five bites, with at least 30 seconds between each. That may seem like a small portion, but it should be enough to satiate your cravings without derailing your diet.

    Limiting portion sizes—The vast majority of restaurants serve meals with what they believe to be good value, not appropriate portion sizing, in mind. That means you’ll often be served meals that contain twice the calories needed to satisfy the appetite of the average person. Worse, it’s often high-carbohydrate, but inexpensive, foods such as rice and French fries that load most plates. Think before you order and ask for a smaller amount of starches such as potatoes with your meal, instead requesting extra vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. When your plate arrives and is inevitably over-packed with food, use the tip I outlined earlier and move excess goodies to a side plate before you start eating. Then use the handy method to judge portion sizes. A salad portion should be about the size of two hands cupped together, meat portions should be about the width and size of the palm of your hand, vegetables should cover half a plate or be the equivalent of your outstretched hand and starch portions should be no larger than the size of a tennis ball. Oh, and always remember to substitute starches such as potatoes for classic vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower or peppers whenever possible.

    And my last piece of advice: avoid any food that’s fried or loaded with creamy sauces or cheese.
    In my next post, I’ll discuss a common weight-related double standard—and why it needs to be erased. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • Your survival guide for dining out (part 2)

    Your survival guide for dining out (part 2)

    In my last blog post, I outlined a way to lose weight faster : cutting down on dining out.

    You’re probably thinking: Do you really expect me to give up my life to be on a diet? Absolutely not. You’ll notice I didn’t ask you to stop eating at restaurants altogether. That’s because Your Body Evolution is a realistic weight-loss plan designed with long-term sustainability in mind. Many diets fail because they don’t give specific or realistic instructions on how to eat out. Sometimes you simply can’t get home to prepare a meal or, for whatever reason, haven’t packed a healthy meal, so a restaurant is the only option. Besides, dining out is a fun way to try new foods, socialize with friends, family and business colleagues. While cooking for yourself at home is the best policy, the odd meal out is perfectly acceptable—but only once in a while, and as I said in that last post, only if you’re sure the restaurant offers suitable nutritional options or will cater to your needs with food modifications. If not, it’s time to pick another restaurant.

    Instead, I encourage you to eat out, but with three caveats. First, you have to make an honest affirmation that goes like this: ‘I know why I’m overweight, I have no reason to expect my weight to be anything other than what it is. In the past, I didn’t know so I made mistakes and I programmed myself for weight gain. Now that I know, I will no longer make excuses.’ The second caveat is to agree that no matter what happens, you’ll never say ‘I had no choice but to eat (insert food here).’ There’s always a choice. The third caveat: If you’re unable to say no, then simply don’t go.

    In part two of your Survival Guide for Dining Out, I want to keep the focus on how to eat when dining at restaurants. Remember that sometimes it’s the simplest tactics that can help you stay on track to achieve your weight-loss goals. While it’s easy to over-complicate dieting, it’s much harder to take a straightforward approach. With that in mind, here are 15 tactics for diet-friendly restaurant dining:

    Each week, pull out your calendar and mark down the number of times you anticipate eating out, make a list of challenges you foresee and write down strategies to overcome each one.

    If you are going to a restaurant to socialize, eat before or after, or order a healthy salad (dressing on the side, please!).

    Never tell the people you’re meeting that you’re on a diet—that becomes an open invitation for sabotage. Instead, say you’re trying to lose weight because you’re on a nutrition kick with the goal of looking and feeling better. People are far more likely to support your diet goals if you’re attempting to shed pounds to benefit your health rather than to shrink your waistline.

    Try to dine out with people who support your weight-loss goals, respect your privacy and personal choices—and try to solicit their support to achieve your diet objectives.

    As mentioned in my last post, call ahead to the restaurant where you’ll be dining and inform the manager that you have special dietary requirements (fibbing and saying it’s due to an allergy is perfectly acceptable). Now take it a step further. Ask for the name of a manager on duty or a waiter who you should contact when you arrive. Once there, discuss your needs and remind them that you’d like your dietary accommodations to remain private.

    When dining out, if you even suspect your food isn’t prepared in a way that suits your dietary requirements, send it back. Don’t start picking food out in the hope that you can make it a diet-friendly meal.

    Study the whole menu before you arrive at a restaurant and determine which sides are available with each meal. Why? Side dishes are often the most fat- and calorie-laden part of any restaurant meal. Then, take control of your meal and be assertive. If that healthy quinoa side dish only comes with chicken and you’re ordering fish with creamy mashed potatoes, ask them to switch the sides. Any good restaurant will accommodate a change as simple as this.

    Don’t be seduced by the daily specials—you should have already determined what you’re going to eat before you arrive at a restaurant.

    If you’re a visual person and can’t resist ordering tempting food as it passes by your table, turn your chair and face away from the kitchen.

    Restaurants tend to give you far more food than you would ever prepare for yourself at home. Make meal sharing a habit whenever possible, and request an extra plate at the beginning of the meal. When your plate arrives, put the excess food onto the second plate and take it home or share with your guests.

    Order salads at a restaurant, but bring your own dressing. Virtually every eatery-made salad dressing is laden with fat, sugar and wasted calories. One more thing about dressing: dress your salad, don’t drown it. Dipping lettuce in dressing is a useful tactic to avoid using too much. The same goes for dipping other foods in sauces.

    The order in which you eat food is also very important. It’s a good strategy to always start your meal with a salad. The little bit of allowed fat in the dressing will trigger hunger hormones that make you full faster.

    Now it’s time for your main plate. Start with the vegetables (green, leafy ones if possible), and remember the portion should be roughly the size of your outstretched hand. The reason? Vegetables provide density and will fill you before you make it to those tempting and fattening starches. Then eat your proteins, again keeping portions to about the size and depth of their palm. Then finish with starches, which should be consumed last and portions should never exceed the approximate size of a tennis ball. Of course, remember to move excess food onto your second plate before you start eating.

    When ordering proteins, your best options are grilled fish or chicken. Red meat is OK on occasion, but only cooked on the grill and without butter or marinades.

    Never sit longer than one hour. Insulin gets released by our bodies in two peaks, and the second one is about an hour after eating your first bite. That’s where you’ll be in the danger zone for getting your second wind and maybe eating more or ordering dessert. Have a craving for something sweet? Suck on a sugar- and calorie-free mint instead.

    In my final installment of Your Survival Guide for Dining Out, I’ll provide specifics on what to order when at a restaurant. Until then, stay well and keep enjoying your body evolution.

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • Worst Things to Say To Someone Trying to Lose Weight

    Worst Things to Say To Someone Trying to Lose Weight

    We know that your family and friends love you, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always support your weight-loss efforts. Without meaning to, they can often say or do things that will derail your weight-loss success. We call them ‘saboteurs,’ and we’ll help you learn how to deal with their inadvertent pressures in a way that won’t hurt your loved ones’ feelings, but still keep you moving towards your weight-loss goals. This article describes some of the worst things that people hear when they are trying to lose weight:

    Worst Things to Say To Someone Trying to Lose Weight.

    Have similar experiences? Let us know.

  • Hoping to keep the pounds off over the holidays?

    Hoping to keep the pounds off over the holidays?

    Follow Your Body Evolution’s 12 Ps of holiday weight-loss wisdom

    The holidays are a time for kindness, reflection, enjoying time with family and indulging in more than a few tempting treats—think everything from an extra helping of turkey to mom’s Christmas cake.

    In other words, the season can pose a major challenge for anyone trying to maintain their hard-earned weight-loss results, as well as those hoping to continue shedding pounds. December is the time of year when most of us are shuttling from office parties to family functions, eating more than we normally would (and should), not to mention indulging in our fair share of sweets and other tasty bits.

    But I’m not here to play nutritional Scrooge. On the contrary, I think it’s OK to stray from our diets a bit over the holidays. Instead, the key focus for any dieter should be moderation, while also taking a strategic approach to how, when and what you eat.

    Sound too tough to manage, especially when you want to avoid seeming rude by not turning down food at a party or at a family gathering? Not to worry. Here are my 12 P’s of holiday weight-loss wisdom to guide you through the most nutritionally-challenging season of the year:

    Plan—Take out a calendar and mark down the nutritional obstacles that lie ahead between now and New Year’s (perhaps into the New Year if your culture’s holiday celebrations or work office holiday party fall in January). That could be everything from that aforementioned office gathering to a visit to your friend’s house and an inevitable offering of egg nog. Knowing the weight-loss challenges that lie ahead will help you plan to manage them. That could mean dieting a bit more before the holidays to shed a few extra pounds in anticipation of a slight seasonal caloric binge, or even alerting your hosts that you’ll be bringing your own food to their place for dinner. If they’re friends or family who support your weight-loss ambitions, they’ll be happy to help you succeed.

    Permit—Allow yourself to be nutritionally naughty. After all, you’ve been mostly good for the entire year, so giving yourself permission to have a good time and relax your dietary restrictions will provide a nice break from the rigours of a strict weight-loss regimen. But again, moderation is key. Overindulging only threatens to sabotage your hard-earned gains and will leave you with extra weight-loss work once the holidays are over.

    Prioritize—Make your food list, check it twice and ask yourself: ‘What are the two or three items that I simply have to have over the holidays?’ Once you have your list, go ahead and enjoy those delicacies in moderation. If egg nog is your must-have, enjoy a cup or two; if Christmas cake is your seasonal obsession, have a small slice and don’t think twice.

    Participate—When you have the opportunity, help plan your festive meals to ensure there’s plenty of nutritionally-friendly choices on the table. If going out to lunch with a group of friends poses a challenge, try to help pick a restaurant with healthy dining options.

    Pre-plan for events—Dining out for your office holiday party? If you’re not on the party planning committee and weren’t able to help choose the venue, be sure to do a bit to reconnaissance and take a sneak peak at the menu online. Know what you’re going to eat before you arrive, or even call the restaurant in advance and explain your dietary dilemma. Better restaurants will find a way to accommodate your needs. This is a simple step, but one that can help keep inches off your waistline.

    Practice portion control—From salads to meats to cranberry sauce, remember that it’s OK to indulge, just not over-indulge. Enjoy salads with dressing on the side (remember that those delicious creamy toppings can hide hundreds of unwanted calories) and use no more than a tablespoon. Opt for lots of vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower, and use the palm method when dishing out meat (that means the portion of turkey on your plate shouldn’t exceed the diameter of your palm). Lastly, keep your consumption of starches such as stuffing and potatoes to a minimum, but when you do dig-in, time them to the end of your meal.

    Prepare for pre-meal appetizers—Grabbing appetizers and finger foods off cocktail party trays is a major danger area for dieters. But if you do nosh on those tiny pre-meal delights, stick to high-protein options such as shrimp or chicken skewers, and be sure to avoid high-calorie cheeses or crackers.

    Prepare for post-meal desserts—Hosts often pile their dinner tables with a range of baked desserts at holiday meals. That doesn’t give you license to eat like you’re dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Use the same portioning approach I outlined earlier and keep slices of cake or cookie portions to the size of the palm of your hand, then use a teaspoon to help you eat slowly. The latter is a simple technique that helps trick your mind into thinking it’s eating more, but without the concern of adding extra calories.

    Pick the perfect potent—Many of us drink a little extra over the holidays, but alcohol can be a diet derailer—particularly libations such as egg nog or sugary cocktails and coolers. Try to keep your consumption to two standard-sized drinks (less if you’re driving, of course), and limit your options to light beer, dry red wine or spirits mixed with diet pop. Remember that drinking your calories will only leave you craving more food, putting your weight-loss ambitions at risk.

    Play defence against saboteurs—Your family and friends all undoubtedly love you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t inadvertently try to sabotage your weight-loss ambitions by offering you every seasonal treat imaginable (while insisting you eat them!). It can be tough to say ‘no’ to great food, but if you’re offered something you don’t want, say you’re full or explain your weight-loss goals to help them understand why you’re taking a pass. Some hosts may still reply with a familiar refrain like: ‘Oh, come on, it’s the holidays. Live a little!’ If necessary, feign a food sensitivity, take the treat to-go and toss it as soon as you get home, or if it’s a sealed and boxed item such as chocolate, re-gift it.

    Prepare your pantry—Prepare for the holidays by cleaning out your pantry and remove problematic foods. When people give you gifts such as chocolate or cookies, don’t store them in your pantry to be eaten in the New Year, re-gift them, head straight to your local food bank and make a donation, or drop them in your office food-drive bin.

    Practice—Make and keep your New Years’ resolutions about practicing healthy habits and use the tactics I’ve outlined here throughout the year. Your body will thank you for it!

    Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Medical Director
    Your Body Evolution
    Weight Loss Through Wellness

  • Unusual Tips For Losing Weight While Driving

    Of all the crazy methods, programs, and diets you might have tried to lose wright with, chances are it never crossed your mind to do it while driving. Yes, it is possible to drop some pounds while driving, especially if you are forced to take long daily, drives commuting to and from work every day. Also, if you have to travel a lot due to personal or professional reasons, and you do it from behind the wheel, you also have reasons to keep reading this.

    Stay Away From Snacks!

    While this might sound like a weight-loss truism for most people, it is something that a lot of people tend to ignore, particularly when behind the wheel. Since we are mostly focused on the wheel and keeping our eyes on the road, we tend to ignore our hands and mouths and indulge ourselves into an entire bag of snacks without even realizing it. Hitting the drive-through is also something a lot of drivers tend to do to make the time pass. Not to mention that sitting in traffic on its own is prone to prevent you from burning any real calories. Speaking of sitting in traffic, is your vehicle prepared to fight against potential carjackers or roadside thieves with their eyes on your bag or expensive smartphone?

    Secure Your Car With These Tips

    • Talk to an automotive locksmith that solely specializes in car locks and keys repairs, or opt for a more complex locksmithing business that has a well-developed automotive service branch. One such example is the 24/7LocksmithFinder company that handles all types of home, car, and business locksmithing services, including transponder key repairs you can read more about here https://www.247locksmithfinder.com/transponder-car-key.

    • Give them a call as they cover all U.S. states and cities and answer 24/7 emergency calls, or opt for a different service if you already have a reliable one in your area. Have them come over and assess the state of your car door locks, trunk and ignition, as well as transponder and car keys. If you are dealing with a slightly jamming ignition that tends to get stuck from time to time, or your key is not responsive all the time and you cannot start the engine, get things fixed right away.

    • You do not want to be sitting in a traffic jam, having some healthy snacks that will ultimately help you lose weight, and have the laptop on the seat next to you get stolen by a passer-by, as you couldn't lock your door properly.

    • See that your window rolling mechanism is working fine as well, and remember to always keep the windows rolled up and the doors locked when at a stop sign or when sitting in traffic.

    How Can Your Car Help You Slim Down?

    • Always have a reusable water bottle in your cup holder and sip water whenever you feel like snacking on something unhealthy.

    • Speaking of snacks, they do not have to be necessarily unhealthy. Stash nonperishable healthy snacks inside your vehicle and grab those instead next time you get the munchies and you feel like hitting the gas station mini-mart or the drive-through. Opt for nuts, granola bars, trail mix, almond milk, or whole grain snacks, especially when you know you will be in your car for several hours.

    • Also have a packed healthy meal ready; it is proven science that eating every few hours helps keep the hunger at bay and also prevents you from overeating at the time of a real meal.