Now To Stay Motivated

            Ready to lose your love handles?  Focus on the means, not the end.  University of Iowa scientists found that people are more likely to stick with their belly-off plans when they concentrate on specific actions instead of the desired result.  For example, if you want to lose 20 pounds, make a list of nutrition and exercise goals that facilitate weight loss-such as working out at least three times a week.  Then strive to achieve as many as you can.  “Setting goals that target specific behaviors helps you see progress, even before it shows up on the scale,” says lead author Faryle Nothwehr, Ph.D.  “This encourages you to keep at it.” 

Go Against the Grain

            If your belly won’t budge, you nay have gluten intolerance.  New Zealand researchers recently found that when men who were unable to lose weight stopped eating gluten-a protein found in wheat, rye, oats, and barley-they immediately began dropping pounds.  Why?  In some people, gluten appears to cause chronically high levels of insulin, a hormone that signals your body to store fat, report scientists.  Case in point: Within 3 months of adopting a gluten-free diet, the study participants had also reduced their insulin levels by 50 percent.  Unfortunately, medical tests to determine gluten intolerance are often inconclusive.  So the easiest way to find out if you’re afflicted to eliminate this grain protein from your diet for 4 to 6 weeks and monitor your weight and general health for both positive and negative changes.

Beef: The New Rice Cake

            Forget what you were told about meat in the ‘90s:  Eating steak may keep you lean, report Danish researchers.  When scientists tracked the diets of more than 42,000 people for 5 years, they noted that those who ate the most animal protein experienced the smallest increases in waist circumference.  High-quality protein from beef, poultry, and fish may help you feel full longer, as well as boost your metabolism, says study author Hytte Halkjaer, Ph.D.  Just as important, trading grains and sugars for fruits and vegetables also protected against belly flab. 

Park Your Gut

            Your tax money could help you lose that extra layer.  Scientists at the University of Utah observed that people who use public walking and cycling trails at least once a week are twice as likely to meet government exercise recommendations as those who don’t.  The researchers also found that lean men frequented the paths more often than heavyweights did.  Seem like an obvious connection?  You’re right; now hit the trails.