With weight gain, slow and steady is the common pace—we often look back, wondering: “How did I get to this weight?” Long-term weight gain typically happens at a miniscule 1-2 pounds per year, which can snowball into something substantial as we age. Fad diets lure us with the promise of rapid weight loss, but researchers are looking at it from a different angle: Can changing what we eat stop long-term steady weight gain?

What the Science Says

Scientists from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy did a study using data collected from 120,784 healthy, non-obese, middle-age participants in three well-established cohorts: Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. Data was collected at every four-year period for 16 to 24 years.

Researchers were interested in how participants’ diet quality affected their trend in weight gain. Without altering anyone’s food intake, the researchers looked at what participants consumed, with a focus on protein and the glycemic load (GL)—two measures of diet quality. Then, they examined how changes in participants’ weight corresponded to diet quality. Why?

High-protein foods (think meats, dairy, nuts, beans) are thought to help with weight loss because of their ability to promote satiety, spare lean muscle mass, and help offset the slow in metabolism. GL was used because it reveals both carbohydrate quality and quantity. The more popular “glycemic index” (GI) is used to assess how a food will increase your blood sugar, but this doesn’t account for the amount of the food that you eat. GL accounts for both the food’s GI and portion eaten. High GL foods (think refined carbs) are thought to make weight gain more likely because they make your blood sugar rise rapidly—leading to insulin release, which favors fat storage.

Weighty Findings

Once the data was collected, the researchers could then summarize “associations,” also known as data trends, between certain types of food and weight gain or loss. Here are some of their weightier findings:

• Not all protein foods are created equal. Certain protein foods appeared to be better than others when it comes to preventing weight gain. Nuts, peanut butter, fish, yogurt and low-fat cheese were associated with weight loss while red meat and processed meat were associated with weight gain.
• Eggs and cheese aren’t necessarily diet-busters. These foods were only associated with weight gain if the diet’s glycemic load was also high.
• High glycemic load diets were worse for weight loss. Foods with a high glycemic load (think white bread, potatoes, soda) were associated with weight gain. A diet with a higher GL ranking is positively associated with weight gain. In fact, a 50-unit increase in daily glycemic load (about two bagels) resulted in a 1-pound weight gain every 4 years.
• The type of protein consumed worked in combination with GL to affect weight. For example, someone who eats a high glycemic load diet plus a lot of red/processed meat would gain more weight than if he ate a low glycemic load diet with the same amount of red/processed meat.

Keep in mind that the results of this study are “associations” meant to show relationships between diet quality and weight gain or loss. This does not confirm that particular diet types cause weight gain or loss. Nonetheless, these relationships are still important, given that we’re looking at a large group of participants over the course of decades.

What’s the Takeaway?

This study confirms that the quality of your diet matters for keeping your weight in check over a long period of time. A balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables will help you maintain a low glycemic load. Choosing lean protein sources like chicken, fish, nut butter and low-fat cheese will reduce the amount of fat—particularly saturated fat—in your diet. Both glycemic load and protein type are indicators of your diet quality, and will affect your weight.

It’s apparent that a calorie is not a calorie in this case, so do calories still count when it comes to weight loss? The answer is a resounding Yes! Even though the study focused on diet quality, this is just one factor out of many that affect our weight. To be successful at maintaining a healthy weight, both the number of calories consumed and the quality of those calories matters.

Author Trinh Le is a dietitian consultant for MyFitnessPal. She holds her master’s in public health, nutrition from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is a registered dietitian.

Wondering why and what people in different Baltimore neighborhoods are protesting?

Confused about what caused the peaceful protests as well as violent riots?  

Unclear about the various perspectives on what led to Freddie Gray's death?

Puzzled by the reactions and responses of your classmates and colleagues - particularly those of African descent?  

To begin to explore some answers to these questions and more, we invite you to read a few articles recently shared with us by one of our campus faculty partners Dr. Joby Taylor, Director of UMBC's Shriver Peaceworker Program.  Feel free to share widely.  This is by no means a complete list of what's being written about past and recent events in Baltimore city, so feel free to email us at mosaic@umbc.edu with suggested article links that we can add to this list.  

Link to Marc Steiner Show with a couple of produced videos on Freddie Gray, and Monday's 2 hour radio show (podcast), which gave some solid and important community perspectives that go below the sensational surface of most news reports.

Link to Dan Rodrick's column yesterday on the "Other Baltimore" connected back to '68 scene.

Editorial on Why Freddie Gray Ran in Baltimore Sun published a couple days before Monday's unrest.

Link to Open Society Institute's Statement in Response to the Killing of Freddie Gray posted yesterday on their Audacious Ideas website. 

Link to a short open letter from Viva House, located in West Baltimore, sent out yesterday morning.

Excerpt from HelloHealthy

No matter how motivated we are in the morning, we can get driven to the edge by life and lose touch with why we’re on this crazy journey in the first place. Or sometimes it’s frustration with what we perceive as a lack of results. But no matter what kind of ledge you’re on, there are ways to get back onto the path you started. Here are just a few that have worked for my clients.

Enjoy that pizza. No really. The choice was made. Now it’s time to move forward. So throw out those leftovers and get back on track as soon as possible. A few slices will not ruin your lifetime of health and fitness, but the longer you nurse that case of the “screw its,” the longer you delay success. So enjoy the indulgence! And use this as an opportunity to learn how you can bounce back even faster.

Make a fallback plan. Almost every Thursday, my clients write their fallback plan for the weekend. While you’re in a good mood, before you come across the “screw its,” sit down and think about what the minimum-minimum is—what’s the ONE THING you need to do to feel like you’re still on track? Is it eating vegetables? Drinking water between adult beverages? Doing 10 push-ups?

Be realistic. Any healthy choice is still moving forward. Now write down your fallback plan, or take a picture of it on your phone so you’ll remember it just before the “screw its” happen.

Ask yourself, “What have I done well? What have I learned?” Most of us get fixed on outcomes. Weight. Sizes. Results. But evidence from 40 years of motivation research has shown that focus on the process rather than the outcome leads to better results. So when you’re feeling discouraged, take an honest self-assessment. What have you learned? What’s gotten easier? And what are you doing well that will help you for a lifetime?

Remind yourself that no weight-loss journey is linear. There’s always plateaus. Always, always. Even for you. Yes, you. You will have plateaus. If I sound redundant it’s because no one thinks this applies to them. But the people who successfully lose weight and keep it off are the ones who keep going. Like Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going!”

Tell someone what you’re thinking. Eighty percent of my job is showing up and listening, which you don’t really need training to do. Seek out a friend or a forum and let people know what you’re thinking. Most of the time just saying stuff out loud to people you know are sharing your struggle is enough to see things in a different light.

Remember that the average American gains a pound a year. So even maintaining your weight means you’re above average!

Author: Coach Stevo is the nutrition and behavior change consultant .He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and an MA in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. 

Ingredients

• 7 large pitted medjool dates (about 1/2 cup packed), soaked
• 5 tablespoons hot water
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (with salt)
• 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup (certified gluten-free if necessary; can also substitute with honey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 cup chia seeds (certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (certified gluten-free if necessary)

Directions

Line a shallow baking dish with parchment paper (or wax paper). I used a 7 inch x 11 inch glass dish.

Place pitted dates in a bowl. Cover the dates with boiling or very hot water (I used my tea kettle) until full submerged. Allow them to soak for at least 10 minutes.

Strain the soaked dates and place them plus 5 tablespoons of water in a blender. Blend until combined. The mixture will be very thick.

Place date mixture, peanut butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well-combined and heated through.

In a large bowl, combine oats, chia seeds, and flax. Stir in wet mixture until combined.

Spoon mixture into the baking dish, pressing very firmly so mixture is evenly spread throughout pan. It should be very compact. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and press down firmly. Remove top piece of parchment and freeze bars for at least 2 hours.

Cut into 12 bars. Store in the freezer.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 12 |  Serving Size: 1 bar

Per serving: Calories: 198; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 39mg; Carbohydrate: 29g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 12g; Protein: 5g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 137mg; Iron: 9%; Vitamin A: 0%; Vitamin C: 1%; Calcium: 5% 

Author: Alexis Joseph, MS, RD, LD is the whole foods enthusiast and registered dietitian

Pistachios and Sweet Cacao Nibs
Serving: 3/4 oz pistachios (roughly 35); 1/2 oz cacao nibs
You get a little bit of sweet and a little bit of salty with this snack, according to Erin Morse RD, CNSC, chief clinical dietitian at UCLA Health System. The pistachios are the big winner here. “They are a satiating snack because of their fiber, fat and protein content,” Morse says. “And research suggests that the actual action of cracking open the shell helps to slow down the eating process.”

Banana + Egg
Serving: 1 banana; 1 hard-boiled egg
Gans says that, if you’re truly in a hurry, defaulting to these staples before you run out the door is a smart choice. Start your day or fuel your afternoon with this snack filled with fiber, protein and key nutrients like potassium. “It’s built-in portion control, and it falls in that under-200 calorie range,” she says. “You can’t go wrong.”

Chobani Greek Yogurt + Whole-Grain Cereal
Serving: 8 oz yogurt; sprinkle of cereal
Love all things dairy? Here’s your go-to snack: Greek yogurt. “The key here is that it’s low-fat and it’s Greek,” says Gans. “The Greek yogurt provides the protein you’ll need in a snack.” She says that, if you’re really in a crunch, she’s OK with the flavored kinds, but to add a few slivered almonds or fresh fruit if you want bonus points. You can also add a whole-grain cereal for crunch, but just a sprinkle.

String Cheese + Kalamata Olives
Serving: 1 string cheese; 7 olives
Hey, cheese lovers: You can totally nosh on your fave food for a snack. “Part-skim cheese is a rich source of easily-digestible protein that is high in both calcium and phosphorus,” says Morse. “Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth, and phosphorus helps the body better absorb nutrients from food. Add a few Kalamata olives or a Kalamata almond bar into the mix, and you’ve got a satiating superstar. “The olives are a very satisfying snack, and full of healthy monounsaturated fat,” says Morse.

KIND Bar
Serving: 1 Caramel Almond and Sea Salt bar
If you’re literally dashing out the door, look no further than a grab n’ go snack bar that clocks in at roughly 200 calories. “In terms of a packaged snack, I always say a KIND bar,” says Gans, who particularly notes the brand’s Caramel Almond and Sea Salt variety for its crazy-awesome nutrition information. “I love the flavor, and it has 7 grams of satiating fiber and 6 grams of protein,” Gans says. Win-win.

Veggies + Hummus
Serving: large handful of assorted veggies; 4 tbsp hummus
Chop up assorted veggies and measure out some store-bought hummus on a Sunday night so you can take this duo with you during the week. “You can have up to four tablespoons of the hummus and however many veggies you’d like,” Gans says.

Popcorn + Almonds
Serving: 100-calorie pack of popcorn; 100-calorie pack of almonds
Gans is a big fan of Orville Redenbacher’s 100-calorie popcorn packs, which you can stick in the microwave and have ready to go in about one minute. You get a lot of volume for few calories with popcorn, so you can reach for a nut to round out your snack. “I love almonds as a coupling here,” Gans says. “Grab a 100-calorie pack of the nuts, or you can choose a single-serve cheese like Babybel.” Either way, the combination of fiber, protein and healthy fat is spot-on.

Apple + Nut Butter
Serving: 1 apple; 1/2 squeeze-pack of nut butter
The healthy fats and protein in nut butter complement the fiber in a naturally ready-to-go apple. “Pre-portioned nut butter helps prevent overindulging and overeating, plus I love the convenience of the squeeze packets,” says Morse.

“Quercetin, which is found in apples, may inhibit carbohydrate-digesting enzymes,” says Morse. “When these enzymes are inhibited, carbs aren’t broken down as readily into simple sugars.” This means stable blood sugar, so you won’t crash soon after you snack.

- Jenna Birth, Health & Lifestyle Writer

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