Nutrition Know-How
First for Women
By: Ann Louise Gittleman
August 11 , 2008

Help! Exercise is making me gain weight!

My husband and I took up kayaking this summer, and I dropped a dress size in a week!  Figuring that more exercise would lead to even faster weight loss, I started dragging him along on daily jogs, too.  But while he’s losing weight, I’m so ravenous afterward that I’ve been eating more and gaining.  What gives?

This happens to so many women, and new research confirms that intense exercise affects the sexes very differently: 75 percent of women (verses just 9 percent of men) end up eating more calories than they burn.  And by “more,” we’re talking 80 percent more calories than usual—typically consumed during the first hour after exercise.  Fortunately, there’s no need to give up your active lifestyle.  Instead, have a snack that contains protein and carbohydrates 30 minutes before exercising.  This preempts post-workout hunger by giving the brain time to register fullness.  Plus, the food combo prolongs satiation.  Smart choices include 2 Tbs. of peanut butter on a few rice crackers or a 6 oz. whey-protein smoothie.

Is a thermic diet worth trying?

My cube mate at work eats nonstop, yet she’s lost almost 20 pounds since May.  I finally asked for the scoop on the all-you-can-eat diet because I want to get on it, too!  Apparently, she’s losing weight because she’s munching on “thermic” foods.  What that about? 

Technically, all food in thermic—this simply means that it generates heat energy when broken down by the body.  But certain foods do have a greater thermic effect than others, in some cases causing the body to burn more calories than the food itself contains.  For example, the body uses 90 calories to digest a 20-calorie serving of asparagus, for a net intake of minus-70 calories.  And you’re in luck: Highly thermic foods are abundant in the summer.  Slenderizing eat-till-you’re-stuffed options include papaya, mangoes, pineapple, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers and spinach.  For best results, eat them raw—cooking makes these foods easier to digest, reducing their thermic power.

Am I “too old” to drink beer?

I don’t mind admitting that I love a cold beer every now and then.  Plus, I’ve always heard that an occasional drink is good for you.  But now that I’m in my thirties, a few pounds are starting to sneak on.  Should I give up the weekend brews?     

There’s probably no reason to avoid beer.  Thanks to antioxidants found in the beverage’s hops, drinking two or three 12oz. bottles per week can deliver many of the health perks traditionally associated with wine.  These include reduced risk of stroke, lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and stronger bones.  On the downside, hops do contain a phytoestrogen that mimics the action of the body’s natural estrogen.  This can create an apparent overload of the hormone in the body, signaling the liver to store calories as fat—an effect that grows more pronounced with age.  The easiest fix: Eat a handful of nuts (like cashews) whenever you have a beer.  Nuts’ monounsaturated fats nourish the liver, helping it more efficiently break down phytoestrogens to avoid a fat-packing overload.