Nibbling nuts and having a long sleep may not seem like the ideal recipe for weight loss. But several respected university studies have suggested that they might help people trying to shed the kilos, in combination with the necessary calorie-counting and exercise.
The most recent study, from Washington University this April, found that sleeping more than nine hours a night may suppress genetic influences on body weight, while sleeping fewer than seven hours was associated with both increased body mass index (BMI) and greater genetic influences on BMI. Genetics can influence weight factors such as glucose metabolism, energy use, fatty acid storage and satiety. The study’s principal investigator, Nathaniel Watson, explains: “It may be that extended sleep is protective by suppressing expression of obesity genes. Our study suggests the longer you sleep, the more of an effect environmental factors such as meal type, timing, and physical activity levels have in determining your body weight. How much sleep people need is individual, but in general, more sleep is good.” While not related to the genetics of obesity, Watson also points out that short sleep is associated with comfort eating.
Asma Begum, clinical nutritionist at Well Being Clinic in Umm Suqueim, Jumeirah, agrees. “The majority of patients who come to me with weight-related issues also have problems with sleep,’’ she says. “It is recommended that adults should have eight to nine hours of quality sleep.’’ Anything less than this could result in hormonal imbalances due to the secretion of stress hormones, which could then trigger hunger pangs, forcing you to seek out comfort food, she says. And the result of this? Weight gain.
Nutty fat-fighting tip
But if your comfort eating includes a few calorie-packed nuts, it might not be as sinful as you’d imagine.
Researchers from Louisiana State University found that people who regularly eat just a handful of tree nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts, have lower body weight, BMI and waist circumference than those who don’t eat them.
These findings echo those of a recent Barcelona University study, which found that eating about 30 grams of nuts a day is linked to higher levels of the ‘happiness hormone’ serotonin, which helps decrease appetite.
Dubai-based nutritionist Asma believes that nuts can aid weight management, adding: “It is advisable to have a small portion of nuts. Nuts contain healthy fats that help cut down the bad cholesterol in your body, keeping the blood-sugar levels steady. This controls our cravings and naturally prevents us from overeating,’’ she says.
However, Dr Matthew Capehorn, clinical director of the UK National Obesity Forum, stresses that the benefit of eating nuts when you want to lose weight is strongly dependent on willpower.
“Nuts are calorie-dense, but they’re high in protein, which makes you feel fuller for longer. So if you’ve got the willpower to not just keep scoffing nuts, it’s a really good snack – a small handful will keep you full until your meal time and is much better than a chocolate bar.
“The problem is, how many people have the willpower to just have a handful? If you have too many, that’s too many calories, and it doesn’t make a blind bit of difference how full you feel if you’ve just had 1,000 calories of nuts.”
Organise your way slim
Paul Gately, a professor of exercise and obesity at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK and director of the weight management service MoreLife, points out that instead of searching for non-existent magic weight-loss solutions, people who want to get slim should take a look at their whole lifestyle, on top of changing their diet and exercising more. “They need to take a step back, and rather than looking for a magic bullet, they should create an organised and structured routine,” he explains. “If your life is disorganised and chaotic, you’re more likely to reach for convenience foods.”
He suggests people should think about when they eat – if you don’t eat breakfast, for instance, it may make you more likely to reach for snack foods when you get hungry mid-morning. A food and exercise diary can also help: this should include everything you do and eat, and help you plan healthy meals into the day.
Similarly, Dr Capehorn advises people to think about why they’re eating when they’re not really hungry – is it habit, or peer pressure, for example? “There are two options – you can either change your behaviour, and take yourself away from an environment where you’re eating when you’re not hungry,” he says, “or you can change what you eat. Have a bottle of water and an apple instead of a sugary cup of tea and a biscuit with your colleagues.”
Eat whenever you like
Dr Capehorn says that while there’s been huge debate as to whether what time you eat meals has a bearing on weight loss or gain, reviews of all the studies have shown that when you eat makes no difference. “There’s lots of talk about eating an early breakfast stimulating your metabolism, for example,” he says. “But it doesn’t stimulate your metabolism any more than eating your first meal of the day at any other time.
“The more research that’s done, the more it’s suggested that when you eat doesn’t really matter – it’s all about the calories that you consume in relation to how many calories your body’s burning up each day.”
Worth the wait
Consuming fewer calories and exercising more can be really tough, acknowledges Gately, and that’s why a crucial part of losing weight successfully is having a good support network.
“Look for social support, possibly through social networking, or sharing weight loss stories and recipes with friends,” he advises. “Sharing experiences is very powerful and can be really encouraging.”
The power of talking and sharing is why more structured talking therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), emotional freedom techniques (EFT), hypnotherapy and general life coaching can really aid weight loss, says Dr Capehorn. “A lot of us eat when we’re not really hungry, out of boredom, habit or for comfort,” he says.
“There isn’t a magic tablet that will deal with that, but one big new way of tackling it is to see a talking therapist to identify why you’re eating when you’re not really hungry, and to teach you techniques to break that habit.
“It retrains you into only eating when you’re hungry by picking up on the physiological queues from your body, rather than just psychological cues because you’ve had a bad day at work.”
Gately adds: “People would love a magic solution, but if there was one, we’d have found it by now. The reality is that lots of people know what they should do, but they don’t necessarily do it. What success is really about is doing what you need to, the right way. It is hard work to manage weight, and it takes time and effort – often the greatest rewards come with the greatest effort.”
