From: Stemilt Nutrition Roundup Newsletter - January 2007
Keeping those New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get fit can be a daunting task. Losing weight is the top resolution made by a majority of Americans at this time of year. But according to the web site SelfGrowth.com, only 20 percent of Americans who make resolutions keep them.
According to registered dietitian and author Tammi Flynn, something as simple as an apple or pear before each meal can help keep dieters on track in 2007 and beyond.
Flynn discovered in 2000, as she created fitness plans for some of her clients at Gold’s Gym in Wenatchee, Wash., that many of them struggled with consuming the recommended quantities of fresh fruits. Registered for the Gold’s Gym Challenge, a nationwide fitness contest, many in Flynn’s group of clients appealed to her for a solution.
Flynn advised them to eat an apple before each meal to make fruit consumption more routine and a simple part of their schedules. To Flynn’s surprise, those in the group who followed her advice began to show a greater percentage of fat loss than those who were not eating the recommended apple before each meal.
When 346 of Flynn’s Gold’s Gym clients lost significantly more fat than participants in previous contests – 6,126 pounds to be exact, an average of 18 pounds of fat per person – and the only change was adding that piece of fruit before each meal, it was clear that Flynn had made a major discovery. Apples seemed to have accelerated the fat loss for every single contestant.
Fiber is the likely secret ingredient that helped Flynn’s Challenge participants show better results. Apples contain soluble and insoluble fiber, which are both needed to keep the digestive system healthy. The fiber in apples helps to create a feeling of fullness, reducing the tendency to overeat at meals. In addition, the sweet taste of fresh fruits helps to satisfy sugar cravings, while the juice helps to maintain hydration, also important for successful weight and fat loss.
Fresh pears can also serve the same role as apples. Just like apples, pears contain both types of fiber, and they are sweet and juicy, a good food for snacking before and between meals.
Flynn has written a book, called the 3-Apple-a-Day Plan, which includes the entire story about her Challenge participants, their remarkable fat loss, and the successes they’ve had keeping the pounds off. Meal and exercise plans for fat and weight loss and steps for developing better physical fitness are all detailed in the book.
For more information about how fresh apples and pears can help you keep those New Year’s resolutions, go to www.3appleplan.com.
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