How Far Are You Willing To Go?

It amazes me sometimes how far people are willing to go to be thin.  I hear it all the time.

• Crazy diets which involve ridiculous eating plans
• Insane exercise plans which are clearly unsustainable
• Popping pills which either do nothing or artificially change your metabolism
• Smoking cigarettes (Yes, I actually know someone who doesn’t want to quit smoking because she’s afraid she’ll gain weight).
• Surgery
  • Liposuction, a procedure where they literally poke a hole in you and then vacuum out fatty tissues
  • Stomach stapling, a procedure which restricts your eating

And now, here’s a new article from Forbes.com showing two new ways in which our wonderful diet industry is going to help you in years to come.  First we have:

researchers inserted a molecular shunt into the liver cells of 94 mice

That sounds promising, doesn’t it?  Luckily, the researcher adds,

Still, genetic engineering has not yet been used to successfully treat people, so any anti-obesity treatments using molecular shunts are years away, Liao said.

And next we have:

researchers added leptin receptors to a particular type of neuron (pro-opiomelanocortin neurons) in the hypothalamus of the mice’s brains

Really?  Is this the future of weight loss?  Genetic engineering and brain modification?  I’m sorry, I know we all want the easy answer, we all want that magic bullet that will make us thin and healthy without any of the effort.  A pill or a treatment that will enable us to eat all the ice cream we want while still having six pack abs.  I know, I understand, I want it too.  Unfortunately, the best, safest and healthiest ways to lose weight and stay fit are still:

• Eat healthy
• Eat in moderation
• Be physically active

No need for pills, surgery, genetic engineering or brain surgery.  Just those three things.  It’s a secret that everyone knows but refuses to admit.  Eat less junk food, eat more veggies, move around more.  Nothing else is needed.  No, it won’t work in 3 days and no it won’t work without a bit of effort and sacrifice on your part, but it will make you healthy without the associated risks of the procedures described above.

So if you’re thinking about any of the procedures above, do me a favor.  Try to do the following three things first.  Try them for just a month and see how you feel.

1. Find something in your eating habits that you can cut out.  It could be the double latte in the morning or the late evening candy bar.  Whatever it is, identify something unhealthy and cut it out completely.
2. Add one serving of vegetables to your diet.  Healthy vegetables, like tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, peppers and so on.  Eat them raw if possible.
3. Commit to 30 minutes of walking a day.  No excuses, no canceling on account of rain.  Just get out there and walk.

Make it your very own 30 day challenge.  If you can do this then you can lose the weight in a natural and healthy way.  Sure, it may take a bit longer than stomach stapling but at least you won’t have to go through surgery!  And if you can’t do this for 30 days, then I apologize but you don’t need stomach surgery or genetic engineering, you need a life change and a motivation boost.  I just hope you get it before it gets you.

###

If you’re interested, here’s the article.  Also, note the ending:

“Until we get a very clear understanding of the way that all of these compounds work together, we need to accept the fact that diet and exercise is the only well-proven, safe, side effect-free approach to weight and glucose control,” Weiss said.”

Weekend Update: 4th of July Edition

It’s the 4th of July here in the states which means a lot of food and a lot of time spent with friends. For the first time ever, I managed to focus my holiday weekend on the latter and not the former. I’m quite proud of that!

And with that, here are some articles I found useful:

From WebMD, here are 6 mistakes smart people make when dealing with health.  Good list, and #6 is especially important for weekends like the 4ht of July.
@WebMD

From Zen Habits we have an article on the simple fitness rules.  You’ve heard these before but I really like Leo’s take on this.  Yes, it really is this simple.
@Zen Habits

I usually post about people who go from fat to fit.  Well, here’s an article about the opposite, a super fit person who chose to go fat as an experiment. Not sure how smart or even real this is, but it sure is a fun read.
@The Daily Mail

And, for those of you who are wondering, this is why you’re fat!
@This Is Why You’re Fat

Shape Up Your Sexlife

I have a hard time finding ways to motivate people.  You tell them being healthy is good for you and they say “sure, but I want my ice cream!”  You tell them they’ll live longer and they say “sure but I want to watch TV.”  So I’ve been looking for ways in which to give people something more immediate as motivation.  Something that will make them think “YES! Now I want to get healthier.”  Well, I think I’ve finally figured it out.

Being healthy will lead to MORE and BETTER sex!

Got it?!?!  Does that get your attention?!?!  Good, now let’s listen to the expert.

Today’s guest post is brought to you by NYC fitness expert Jennifer Cassetty who took some time away from her busy schedule to answer a few of my questions.

Does a healthy lifestyle improve sex for both men and women?

• Yes - Studies have indicated that everything you do in life is all connected. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise can rev up hormones, relieve stress, reduce fat and reenergize the body.  That helps increase blood flow to the certain body parts, priming men and women for a better sexual performance.

How does a healthy lifestyle improve sex for men?

• Exercise and living a healthy lifestyle, in general, can pique desire for couples and make relationships more enjoyable. The results of exercising can be one of the best gifts for yourself and your partner. It builds confidence because you physically look better and you have the energy to perform with your partner.
• For men specifically, eating right and staying active increases blood flow to that certain body part, reducing the chances of being impotent in the bedroom.
• Adding exercise adds confidence that you need to take charge and satisfy your partner. Women like men that exude that semi-aggressive trait that turn women on. In order to do that without being too cheesy, you need confidence. Having a physically fit body gives you that needed confidence some may lack.

How does a healthy lifestyle improve sex for women?

• For women, living a healthier lifestyle improves sex tremendously for them. When you take care of your body (can apply to men as well), you heal faster and with the addition of sex, it can increase speed cell repair and regeneration.
• An extra benefit of having a healthy lifestyle and active sex life is that you will have fewer migraines. Healthier women have sex more often because it actually eases headaches, says Randolph W. Evans, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. (Gal’s note - I find this amusing for some reason)

Does sex count as exercise?

• Yes! Having sex allows you to burn calories, reduce stress and increase your energy. Be adventurous and try different positions with your partner. Depending on your position and endurance, you can tone your glutes, abs and triceps. For more information on which positions can tone your body (or which exercises enhance your performance), you can contact me by visiting www.jennifercassetty.com.

Other than the names, do the exercises you mention have specific benefits on sexual performance or pleasure?

• It all depends on the body type. The exercises I provided were general and could be used by just about anyone (after approval from your doctor). To get a specific work out designed for your body type, feel free to contact me, and I’ll be more than happy to design one.

Are there foods you recommend to people looking to improve their libido and sexual appetites / performance?

• There are plenty of foods that are both healthy and improves sexual appetite. For instance, bananas are tasty and have a marvelous phallic shape that reminds us of something special. Bananas have potassium that helps with your sex drive.
• Chocolate was once referred to by the Aztecs as “nourishment of the Gods”. Chocolate contains antioxidants that help in reducing the risk of cancer.
• Ginger should also be used more in meals. It is a stimulant to the circulatory system. Perhaps a stir-fry with freshly grated ginger can stir something spicy up in the bedroom later.
• A glass or two of wine can greatly enhance a romantic interlude. Wine relaxes and helps to stimulate our senses. Drinking wine can be an erotic experience. Let your eyes feast on the color of the liquid. Caress the glass, savor the taste on your lips.

Do these tips apply to people of all ages? Even seniors?

• Yes – they are for every age group, however, I strongly recommend you consult with your doctor before beginning any new lifestyle change and exercise routine.

Primal Blueprint - Month 1

It’s been a month now since I started experimenting with Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy
and I’m beginning to notice some definite changes.

Cravings

I never realized how much I craved sweets and carbs until I tried to go a few weeks without them.  Wow!  I’ve always though that smokers are weak because they are unable to stop smoking but here I am unable to stop eating candy.  It’s quite literally a compulsion to eat and it’s very difficult to overcome.  Sure, some of you may say, “I can stop eating junk food and chocolate anytime I want.”  Yes, I thought so too but the truth is that it’s a lot harder than you think.

It’s quite clear to me now that my body became addicted to cheap, easy calories in the form of sweets and refined carbohydrates and that addiction proved just as hard to kick as caffeine.  I’m making great progress but it still amazes me how habit forming sugars and carbs are.  No wonder the food industry likes to stuff us full of them, the more we get the more we want.

On The Other Side…

I now realize just how satisfying a good meal can be when you’re not craving carbs.  Here’s my food intake from yesterday.

• Breakfast - A bunch of blueberries and a peach.
• Lunch - Stir fried vegetables with three scrambled eggs.
• Dinner - Chopped salad and a portion of organic beef about the size of a hamburger patty.
• Snacks - A few almonds and figs.

That’s it.  That’s all I ate.  Note that I’m still getting plenty of carbs in the form of fruits and vegetables, I’ve just cut out the junk carbs.  I also haven’t gone insane with the protein intake and converted all my meals to different versions of bacon wrapped steaks.  Instead, I’m eating a nicely balanced diet of fresh ingredients.  End result? I felt great.  Even though this was actually a small amount of calories, I felt amazingly full and had no cravings for more food later on.

Aches and Pains

The aches in my legs have gone away.  I used to have regular pains in my hips and thighs which made it difficult for me to sleep.  Once I stopped jogging, the pains quickly went away and my sleep has never been better (except for last night when my overly rambunctious puppy decided to chase a moth around my bedroom).  At the same time, I’ve actually increased my weight and elliptical workouts so I don’t feel like I’m doing less exercise.  I’m also biking more although I’m still not hiking as much as I would like to.

Problems, Problems, Problems

The only problem I’m experiencing is around food.  I’m still having issues sticking to the Primal Blueprint eating plan for two reasons:

1. It’s not restaurant friendly and a lot of my social life revolves around eating out.
2. I’m not a good cook at home which means most of my meals are variations of stir fries, omelets and salads.

Actually, I suppose this is one problem and not two.  Namely, I severely overestimated my ability to find foods which match my eating plan.  Which is part of the reason I posted my five things to consider before jumping into a new eating plan last week.

I suppose this is what I’ll work on this week, finding new restaurants and new recipes to work on.

###

And a big thank you to my friends, you know who you are, who support me even when it’s the middle of the night.

Weekend Update - Heat Wave Edition

It’s HOT in the south bay today.  Temperature outside should hit the 90’s by mid afternoon.  Yes, that’s hot for around here, my apologies for those of you in places like Phoenix where this would be a cool spring day

Before I melt, here are some articles from this week that I thought you might find useful:

I’ve never even heard of this blog but I like the name and I like this rant!  It’s all about the methods the authors plans to use to eat better.  All stuff you’ve heard before but it’s nice to see it in one spot plus I always get inspired after reading posts like these.
@Calorie Killers

And if we’re in the mood for a good health related rant (and I always am!), here’s one from a neat little blog called Waterproofing (which normally has nothing to do with health).  It’s all about the various fallacies surrounding weight loss and diets.  I love it!
@Water Proofing

Speaking of calories, here’s an excellent guest post from Mizfit that explains what calories are in small words and short sentences.  Good for those of you who, like me, don’t have a degree in biology but still want to understand how our body works.
@Miz Fit

And hey, since we’re highlighting smaller news sources these days, how about an article from this little almost unknown source called Canada?  Eh?!?!  Sorry, couldn’t resist :)  However, this excellent article from Canada.com (how come we don’t have a USA.com?  Sigh.  Never mind, I just checked and we do except our site is a redirect to some advertising website) highlights the dangers of over emphasis on fitness and health.  Yes, you can overdo things, as many high end athletes will tell you.  That’s why my philosophy is to really enjoy what I’m doing when I exercise and not just do it for exercise’s sake.
@Canada.com

Five Things To Consider Before Changing Your Diet

Based on my recent experiment with fasting and my current experiment with the primal blueprint, I’ve come up with a few guidelines for myself.  These are things you should consider before changing the way you eat.  I think anyone considering a new diet or eating plan should answer these questions before they make a decision.

Understanding

Do you know what the heck this new eating plan means?  I’m serious here folks.  All too often I hear of people trying out new foods and new ways of eating without really understanding what they’re doing.  I’m not saying that you need to understand all the little details of nutrition.  I’m saying, do you even understand what this diet means?  Do you know what foods fit into the Mediterranean diet?  Do you understand what are good sources of fat?  Do you know what’s a good source of protein if you’re going vegetarian?  When you say vegetarian, do you mean you’ll eat eggs, dairy or fish?  If you’re going on a low carb diet, what meats are you going to eat and what plants are you going to exclude?  You can’t just say “I’m going to follow such and such diet” without understanding what that diet means.

Long Term

Can you sustain this change long term?  If the answer is no, then don’t bother.  Temporary changes lead to temporary results.  If you’re looking for permanent changes then you should find an eating plan that you can maintain for the rest of your life.  Also remember that making small changes is easier than big.  So if you have a brand new eating plan you want to adopt, you may want to make gradual changes, adopting new habits one at a time without trying for the big bang approach.

For example, I’m still struggling with caffeine but I’m making great progress with lowering my intake of processed sugars and carbs.  So while I may want to adhere to the Primal Blueprint 100%, I’m going to focus on lowering sugars first and then wrestle with my caffeine habit.  One things at a time…

Social Circle

Does this eating plan fit in with your social activity?  Interestingly enough, the main stumbling block to most of my eating plan experiments has been my social life.  Friends want to go out and they’d like to get something to eat.  Very frequently that means going to restaurants which do not serve foods which fall into my eating plan.  So my choices are either to not go out or to not eat while those around me do.  Neither choice is sustainable in the long term.

Fasting for me was almost impossible since many of my social activities revolve around eating.

Price

Can you wallet keep up with your new foods?  If you switched to all organics without finding a cheaper market than Whole Foods, you’re in trouble.  The average meal at Whole Foods will cost you three to four times the average meal at a generic supermarket.  So make sure you find a cheap source of food or make other adjustments to compensate.

This was a big problem for me with going organic until I discovered the farmer’s market and cooking at home.

Choices

Does your new cuisine offer enough choices that you won’t get bored?  If the only thing you’re ever going to eat for the rest of your life is eggs, that’s not a very good plan.  Trust me, eating the same thing over and over gets boring really fast.  Make sure that you have enough options before you start your new eating plan, not after.

I had some issues initially with the Primal Blueprint over this problem since I couldn’t figure out interesting things to eat that didn’t involve a lot of processed sugars and carbs.  Eventually, I resolved this, but it would have been easier had I planned better earlier.

###

Hope these rules help you out in whatever new eating plan you embark on.

REVIEW - Eat, Drink and Be Healthy

I’ve always been a fan of books written various Harvard Schools.  Perhaps it’s the business student in me, but they always seem to be well written, informative, thorough and objective.  So when I saw a national best seller nutrition book written by a pair of Harvard professors, I figured I’d pick it up and see what the fuss was all about.  What I found was a bit more and a bit less than what I expected.

What It’s All About

The authors of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating have a problem.  They see the new food pyramid that the USDA has come up along with the accompanying dietary guidelines and, instead of seeing a good plan to follow, they find it to be a disaster in the making.  They have a variety of issues with the USDA information, the most important of which are:

• They are not based on science
• They are based on the lobbying of the US agriculture industry
• They don’t make distinctions between good and bad components of the same food group.  Good and bad fats for example.

I tend to agree with all of these issues, especially the second one.  I urge people to remember that the purpose of the United States Department of Agriculture is to promote agriculture.  It is NOT to promote good health.  Most folks I talk to tend to believe that the USDA has their best interests in mind.  The truth is that it does not.  The USDA is not the department of health, nor is it an organization concerned with good nutrition.  It is an arm of the government concerned with the promotion and success of US farmers, cattle ranchers and other food producers.  As such, its dietary guidelines are written in a way which makes them seem healthy but in fact they’re written to promote US farming products.

The authors have gone a step further and identified what they say are the worst issues with the USDA guidelines:

1. All fats are bad - This is wrong, there are many good fats.
2. All carbohydrates are good - Again, wrong.  There are good carbs and bad carbs.
3. All protein sources are created equal - No true at all.  Organic chicken for example is far better than factory produced pork.
4. Dairy products are essential - Not true.  Man kind did not evolve to consume a huge amount of calories from the milk of cows.
5. Eat your potatoes - This is a horrible idea for most people and yet a large majority of Americans consume many of their calories from potatoes.
6. No guidance on weight, exercise, alcohol or vitamins - The USDA pyramid and most of the USDA’s information has no advice on these important items.

That said, the authors have decided to come up with a better food pyramid and a better set of dietary guidelines overall.  They themselves admit that nutrition research has been a confusing issue over the past few decades.  Nutrition research comes and goes and what was bad yesterday may be good tomorrow.  This is all true, although they make a strong case for most of the flip flops being based on bad science and rumor rather than good science and research.  At the same time, they have collected an amazing amount of data from a variety of sources.  So while this information may change as we learn more about food and the human body, it does represents some of the best science we have today.

The Core

Out of all the data and research which the authors collected, they have come up with a few basic rules for a good eating plan.

• Watch your weight - Yep, it seems almost too basic to be mentioned but it’s worth noting that even the best diet will be bad for you if you eat too much.
• Eat fewer bad fats and more good fats - The book reviews a variety of good fat sources such as fish, nuts and more.  Meats are treated fairly and the book also provides vegetarian options.
• Eat fewer refined grain carbs and more whole grain carbs - I know many of you think carbs in general are evil, but it’s hard to argue with this rule.  If you eat less white bread and more whole grain bread you’re definitely taking a step forward.  Sure, you can take a bigger step by lowering grain consumption overall but one small step at a time.  The authors provide a variety of tips on grains and how to eat them.
• Choose healthier sources of protein - Yes, this goes out to all of you who think your bacon wrapped steaks are a good idea :)  It’s not!  Protein is good.  Healthy protein sources are better.  A reasonable consumption level of healthy protein sources is best.  I liked the authors rankings of protein sources and they also provide a good set of ideas for vegetarians who may struggle to get enough protein in their diets.
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits but hold the potatoes - I don’t really need to go into detail on this one, do I?  The authors do and they give a good amount of information about other root vegetables which we may want to avoid like potatoes.
• Use alcohol in moderation - Yep, one small drink a day is good for you.  Note the emphasis on small.  This is not an excuse to drink a six pack a day.  A small drink is a glass of wine or a single beer.
• Take a multi vitamin for insurance - Even assuming you follow their guidelines, the authors believe you should still take a multivitamin every day, just as insurance.  I have to agree.  Considering the cost is around 10 cents a day and there are no negative side effects, I can’t see how this is anything but a good thing.

The rest of the book goes into detail on these rules and gives a whole lot of information on how to implement them.  It also has sample recipes and menus, all of which sounded really tasty.

So Is It Worth Buying?

Depends.  Are you interested in the details or is the quick summary above enough for you?  For most people, I think this book is a bit too much.  You can read the rules above and get 80% of the books value.  Sure, the rest is interesting but it’s very detailed and might bore a lot of people.  For me, it was fascinating, but that’s because I appreciate reading all the little details.

If you’re a beginner looking for ways to improve your diet, this is not the book for you.  You’re better off with something like Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy or YOU: The Owner’s Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger.  Those are excellent books for beginners looking to learn more about their bodies.  However, if you’re into the fine print of how your body works and want to learn a lot more about proper nutrition, then Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating is an excellent source of information.

« Previous Page — Next Page »