The Sculling Sloth

I'd been about to make a post suggesting that my readers acquire a rowing machine - or use one at their local gym - but I've just seen a very denigrating "newsbyte" or whatever it's called. Some black African athlete from Niger (I say that because there are white Africans) - took up sculling three months ago, and is the only sculling athlete from his country. He's participated in three races, finished dead last in each one and is always the last one still on the river.

Now I suppose it was meant to be light-hearted and even inspirational, but the voice of the announcer talking about it was dripping not with light-heartedness but with sarcasm. Nevertheless it was nice to see, via camera, that this athlete got enthusiastic applause when he eventually finished. Gambatte! as the Japanese say. (Do your best.)

Anyway, back to the original point of my post.

I was just watching the women's double sculls - and those women had flat stomachs and sculpted arms and were very physically fit...

And it just spurred me to point out that if you want to flatten your stomach and tone up the flab on your legs - not to mention the backs of your arms - the rowing machine is the way to go.

And it's fun. Just sit it down in front of your TV and row for half an  hour while you watch TV. Nothing easier.

Why proteins suppress appetite

From Science Blog:  Why proteins suppress appetite

Frequently recommended in weight-loss diets, dietary proteins have proven effectiveness thanks to their appetite-suppressing effects. A team led by Gilles Mithieux, Director of Inserm’s Unit 855 “Nutrition and the Brain” in Lyon, has managed to explain the biological mechanisms behind these properties. The researchers describe in detail the chain reactions triggered by digesting proteins, sending a ‘satiety’ message to the brain long after a meal. Their results, published on 5 July in the Cell review, will make it possible envisage improved care for obese or overweight patients.

The appetite-suppressing effect of proteins. 

The team of researchers from Inserm, CNRS and the Université Clause Bernard Lyon 1 has managed to shed light on the sensation of fullness experienced several hours after a protein-rich meal. This sensation is explained by messages exchanged between the digestive system and the brain, initiated by the dietary proteins that are mainly found in meat, fish, eggs or even some cereal-based products.

In previous studies, researchers proved that consuming dietary proteins triggers glucose synthesis in the intestine, after periods of food assimilation (a function known as gluconeogenesis). The glucose that is released in the blood circulation (portal vein) is detected by the nervous system, which sends an “appetite-suppressing” signal to the brain. Best-known in the liver and kidneys from which it supplies other organs with sugar, gluconeogenesis in the intestine sends an “appetite-suppressing” message after meals, characteristic of the sensation of “fullness”.

In this new study, the researchers managed to accurately describe how digesting proteins triggers a double-loop of chain reactions involving the ventral (via the vagus nerve) and dorsal (via the spinal cord) peripheral nervous systems.

The in-depth study of biological mechanisms identified the specific receptors (μ-opioid receptors ) found in the portal vein nervous system, at the outlet of the intestine. These receptors are inhibited by oligo-peptides, produced during protein digestion.

In an initial phase, the oglio-peptides act upon the μ-opioid receptors, which send a message through the vagus nerve and the spinal chord to areas of the brain specially-designed to receive these messages.
During a second phase, the brain sends a return-message that triggers gluconeogenesis via the intestine. The intestine then sends the “appetite-suppressing” message to areas of the brain that control food intake, such as the hypothalamus

1. Consumption of dietary proteins
2. Protein residues (oligo-peptides) travel to the intestine in the portal vein
3. Recognition of oligo-peptides by μ-opioid receptors
4. Receipt of peripheral signals
5. Gluconeogenesis induction
6. “Appetite-suppressing” message sent to brain

Identifying these receptors and their role in intestinal gluconeogenesis paves the way to explore new avenues for the treatment of obesity. The challenge is now to determine how to act on the μ-opioid receptors to control the fullness sensation over long periods. According to Gilles Mithieux, the leading author in the study: “If used too intensely, these receptors may become insensitive. A means of activating them ‘moderately’ must be found, thus retaining their long-term beneficial effects on controlling food intake”.

 

Special Report: Putting Weight Loss Programs to the Test

Four weeks is not enough time to evaluate any weight loss plan... because in four weeks you won't lose more than 5 pounds or so. It takes at least two weeks for your body to get to a "caloric imbalance" state where it can start losing weight!

From KIMT 3:  Special Report: Putting Weight Loss Programs to the Test

MASON CITY, IA - We see them on TV, hear them on the radio and read them on-line and in print… we're talking about ads for weight-loss.

So, we wanted to know if diet programs are worth the money. Over the last four weeks three volunteers and myself have been putting four weight-loss programs to the test.

KIMT is not endorsing any of these plans, simply documenting the results.

One of our volunteers was Angie Von Rueden. She spends a lot of her work day sitting at the computer, and when she gets home she's busy looking after her son.

"Since I've started my new job, I've gained 25-30 pounds and I've never really had kind of a sit down job,” Angie said.

Angie is working with "Plan Z by Zola", a diet designed to help you eat healthy without the need of exercise. Plan Z focuses on food low in carbs and sugars and high in protein and veggies. Plan Z also includes a homeopathic formula that reduces the discomforts of dieting.

"I'm just looking forward to having more energy, feeling healthier, just feeling better about myself,” Angie added.

Marc Murray is another volunteer. He keeps a very active lifestyle. When he's not at work, he's on the go staying busy with his wife and kids.

Marc says, "I was just concerned with how my weight was going. Just health issues wanted to be around a long time with my kids and grandkids."

Since he's usually on the move, Marc needed something that could keep up with him so he's going on Weightwatchers. The program assigns point values to each food you eat. Your challenge is to stay underneath a given point value each day, and each week.

Terry Hjelle is also constantly moving, and is our third volunteer. 

"My wife and I we have four kids, kind of active so, I want to be able to keep up with them,” he said.

Keeping an eye on a full house can keep Terry pretty busy-so he's getting some help from a program that provides some of your meals for you. Terry is going onto Advocare, a diet set-up to help him get the nutrition he needs through a variety of shakes, drinks and pills while also allowing him to eat few meals.

And then, there's my weight loss remedy. Along with a healthy diet plenty of fruits, vegetables and a lot of protein we're adding something a little extra to this work out. And to get the help I needed, I went to Cutting Edge Fitness in Clear Lake to work with nationally renowned strength trainer Jason Laube.

"This four week plan is designed to burn a lot of calories in one hour. We have two days of upper body, two days of lower body, weight resistance training along with anaerobics. We do a lot of sprint interval training. Our goal is going to be to lose at least two to three pounds a week, no less than that,” Jason said.

Four weeks later… We had the results.

“I never thought that I'd be able to lose 21 pounds in a month, so I'm very pleased with the results,” Angie Von Rueden said.

“Besides losing weight I have a lot more energy and I noticed I have been able to sleep better at night as well,” she added.

Angie had to stick to a strict diet, but looking at herself now, from four weeks ago, she says it was worth it.

“Family members and co-workers have been great support, and are shocked with how much weight I was able to lose so quickly."

Marc Murrary lost 6 ½ pounds. And although it may not be a huge number, Marc says he's right on track.

“They don't want you to lose that much, about two pounds a week is what they shoot for,” he said.

And Marc says he's not discouraged or disappointed with the results. Instead, he knows it will just take a little time but he'll get to where he wants to be, and he's happy with his progress.

“I've lost twenty pounds and I feel great,” Terry Hjelle said.

Working with Advocare, Terry also dropped quite a bit of weight, cutting 20 pounds in their 24-day challenge.

“It's easier to get up in the morning, I just all around feel better about myself and I feel healthier,” he said.

And then, there’s my results.

Cutting Edge Fitness trainer Jason Laube sat down with me and explained my progress over the four weeks.

"Evidence kind of speaks for itself in a short amount of time here. You lost a total of 15 pounds since you started with us, you lost an inch and a half of your waist line, 15% body fat, also, what's more clear to me and amazing, you went from 27% in terms of your skeletal muscle mass in your body, up to 48%. That's pretty amazing in itself right there Tyler," Laube said.

He continued, saying, "Anybody can do this if they have the right attitude, the right mental approach and they’re willing to work with us and ask the right questions and be willing to get educated in this process as well too."

There you have it, four weight loss programs, all of which came at a cost, but you've also seen what they can do.

So, are they worth the money? That's for you to decide.

 

The Saturday Skinny: Tips for maintaining weight loss on road trips

From El Dorado Hills: The Saturday Skinny: Tips for maintaining weight loss on road trips 

I often find myself behind the wheel of a car, driving up to five hours at a time. For many during the summer, this is the time for family vacations and road trips.

They have proven a challenge when trying to maintain my nearly 100-pound weight loss (currently at 98 pounds gone). Inviting fast food signs dot the freeway, tempting me with salty, fatty goodness.
I avoid such places when I can and usually pack some snacks for myself. This way I know what I'm putting in my body.

There have been times when I've pulled over and tried to order something that sounded healthy, only to look up the calorie count afterward and realize I would have been better off eating a candy bar (which is not a viable option).

Road trips can be problematic for those of us trying to watch what we eat.

WHAT TO PACK
SNACKS: Fresh fruit is the best choice. A banana, an apple, strawberries and grapes travel well. These make great in-between meal snacks. Avoid messy fruits that can cause you to become distracted while driving. I do not bring potato chips or other salty/sugary snacks. They are packed with calories and will knock me off my weight loss plan.

BEVERAGE: Water. I always carry a large sports bottle in my car during road trips. Fill it with water. To add some flavor, I usually squeeze in a lemon or lime. Ice tea (without sugar) is also a good choice. Avoid fruit juices (unnecessary calories), sodas and energy drinks.

MEAL: If you are taking a long trip, it can be challenging to have a sensible meal on the go. One of my personal tricks is to pack something that's easy to eat. Four to six ounces of lean chicken breasts, grilled the night before, are easily sliced into "sticks" and can be eaten cold. A sandwich bag of cherry tomatoes, or roasted sweet potato wedges  make a delicious side dish. I try to have a veggie (carrot sticks), a protein (chicken) and a carb (sweet potato wedges). Avoid bread but if you must (for a sandwich), use whole wheat bread or a low-fat, reduced-calorie tortilla.

DINING OUT: Restaurants can be tricky and I'm grateful for those that print the calorie count on their menus. Denny's offers a few diet-friendly dishes (scrambled egg whites, for example) and I'm sure many others do as well. Ask questions of your server. In my last column, this was a topic. Go for the lean meats and vegetable dishes. If you just feel the urge to have the steak and potatoes, limit your portions and fill up on the veggies and salad. You can always get a "doggie bag" for the rest of the meal.

With careful planning, you can still hit the highways without worrying about your waistline.

Don't Mess WIth Your Body's Natural Rhythms

A couple of days ago I heard an advertisement on the radio for some kind of a drug, that was to treat "work shift sleep disorder." Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the drug, or if it was over-the-counter or only available through a prescription (and I think it had to be prescription, because of the vast amount of side effects it had) but as the spokesperson went on, she listed all sorts of side effects for this drug - up to and including sudden death!

And I was wondering to myself, how desperate would a person have to be to take such a drug, knowing that a possible consequence could be anything from a rash to a heart attack?

I'm not qualified to help anyone who has "work shift sleep disorder," although I certainly could give some common sense advice on how to deal with it!, but the main reason for this post is to comment more on taking drugs in general.

Some people are so desperate to lose weight - quickly - that they will take drugs that speed up their metabolism. And this is not good - not good at all. Increase the speed of your metabolism, using drugs, means that they're going to increase your heart beat, which will weaken your heart, which will eventually cause a heart attack or stroke.

Medication of any kind has side effects, and you should take as little of it as possible. If you have a health condition which requires medication, obviously you need to take that medication, but you need to take it carefully. You need to keep a journal, day by day, when taking this medication, to see if anything changes - if you get dizzy, feel depressed or euphoroic, etc., and if this occurs, then return to your doctor and explain what's going on. It may take a few adjustments of the dosage before you are taking the correct one. (And make sure your doctor tells you of any possible serious side effects, like increasing danger of heart attacks, etc!)

There are ways to change your body's natural rhythms gradually, just as its possible to lose weight and maintain your new weight, naturally. Trying to do anything too quickly, by using artificial means, should be avoided if at all possible.

Be aware of what your kids are watching

Although I don't really care for "social engineering", this makes sense. Kids also need a media diet to fight gender stereotyping!

NPR's Health Blog: Pediatricians Recommend A Media Diet For Kids To Fight Obesity

A quick stroll around the mall is all the reminder you need that an epidemic of childhood obesity is all around us.

And the media, defined very broadly, is a big part of the big problem, according to a leading group of pediatricians. Kids don't burn many calories sitting and watching TV or messing around on the computer or game console.

So the American Academy of Pediatrics is prescribing some changes to help kids stave off excess weight in a policy statement just published in the journal Pediatrics.

First, at each well-child visit, pediatricians should ask these two questions:

How much time are you spending in front of a screen each day?

Is there a TV or device with an Internet connection in your bedroom?

The answers can help guide a recommendation for health, including more active pursuits. Kids, the pediatricians say, shouldn't spend more than 2 hours a day plopped down in front of the computer, TV or other glowing device. The littlest kids — those 2 and under — shouldn't watch any TV at all.

A little extra time staring at a screen can add up to big weight gains before you know it. It's also the case, the pediatricians say, that consuming media can mean consuming advertising messages for junky foods, another factor in the weight-gain formula.

So another part of the prescription is neutralizing those ads. Parents should talk to kids about bad food ads and good nutritional habits.

And pediatricians should get active themselves when it comes to media policy, the policy statement says:

Ask Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to implement a ban on junk-food advertising during programing that is viewed predominantly by young children.
Among the other things families can do to curb childhood obesity: eat meals together more regularly and make sure everyone gets enough sleep.

Consider trying the aroma patch

When you're sitting in the living room watching TV while the turkey and all the other food is cooking in the oven, the aromas are wafting your way and increasing your appetite.

One way to prevent an attack of the munchies is to have fans blowing the aromas in the opposite direction from where you're sitting.

There's a website called AromaPatch that talks about aromas and how it can help decrease overeating. I present it for your information:

http://www.aromapatch.org/aroma.htm
Specific aromas can deprogram overweight people whose normal response to the smell of rich, unhealthy foods like chocolate, doughnuts and pizza was to become hungry and overeat. Scientists tested the benefits of food odors to suppress appetite rather than stimulate appetite, and found that there seemed to be certain smells that caused overweight individuals to reduce their cravings, and therefore eat less.

In scientific research, people preferred sweet smells, and strongly sweet scents such as chocolate often triggered feelings of hunger and led to overeating or binge eating, while “neutral” sweet smells actually curbed appetite. To test this theory, researchers asked 3,193 overweight people (mostly women) aged 18-64 to inhale a variety of “neutral” sweet smells, including banana, green apple, vanilla, and peppermint, three times in each nostril whenever they were hungry. After six months, the participants in his study lost an average of five pounds a month, or 30 pounds in total. Source: J. Neurol. Orthop. Med. Surg., 1995; 16:28-31.

Similar research has been done at the Human Neuro-Sensory Laboratory in Washington, D.C. and this research fully supports earlier findings. Researchers there studied eighty people who were given one of two inhalation devices. One contained a combination of specially selected scents; the other was a placebo (neutral un-detectable scent). All of these subjects were asked to inhale the scents three times five to six minutes before and after eating a meal. At the end of the six-month trial, those participants who used the selected scents lost an average of 19 pounds, while the placebo group only lost an average of 4 pounds.

Chocolate cake breakfast could help you lose weight

From UK Telegraph: Chocolate cake breakfast could help you lose weight
Eating chocolate cake as part of a full breakfast can help you lose weight, say scientists.

It sounds too good to be true but new research says having dessert - along with the traditional fry up - burns off the pounds.

Morning is the best time to consume sweets because that's when the body's metabolism is most active - and we have the rest of the day to work off the calories, a new study shows.

Eating cookies or chocolate as part of breakfast that includes proteins and carbs also helps stem the craving for sweets later.

Researchers split 193 clinically obese, non-diabetic adults into two groups who consumed either a low-carb diet that included a 300-calorie breakfast or a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that included a chocolate cake dessert.

Halfway through the 32-week study both groups had lost an average of 33 lbs per person. But in the second half of the study the low-carb group regained an average of 22 lbs per person - while the dessert gorgers lost another 15 lbs each.

At the end those who had consumed a 600 calorie breakfast had lost an average of 40 lbs more per person than their peers.

Although both groups consumed the same daily total calories - the men 1600 calories per day and the women 1400 - "the participants in the low-carbohydrate diet group had less satisfaction and felt that they were not full," said Professor Daniela Jakubowicz.

Their cravings for sugars and carbohydrates were more intense and eventually caused them to cheat on the diet plan.

This also suggests that the dessert group will be more successful at keeping the weight off, said the researchers whose findings are published in journal Steroids.

Prof Jakubowicz said: "But the group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day."

Prof Jakubowicz, of Tel Aviv University, said attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term.

A meal in the morning provides energy for the day's tasks, aids in brain functioning and kick-starts the body's metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance.

And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, said Prof Jakubowicz.

While the level of ghrelin rises before every meal, it is suppressed most effectively at breakfast time.

Basing their study on this fact, the researchers hoped to determine whether meal time and composition impacted weight loss in the short and long term, said Prof Jakubowicz, or if it was a simple matter of calorie count.

She said one of the biggest challenges that people face is keeping weight off in the long-term. Ingesting a higher proportion of our daily calories at breakfast makes sense.

It's not only good for body function but it also alleviates cravings. Highly restrictive diets that forbid desserts and carbohydrates are initially effective but often cause dieters to stray from their food plans as a result of withdrawal-like symptoms. They wind up regaining much of the weight they lost during the diet proper.

Ultimately this shows a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, said Prof Jakubowicz.

It's all about the appetite

If you're trying to lose weight, you know what I'm talking about. You're hungry, so you eat. And you keep eating until you're full. But since you're hungry every couple of  hours, you eat too much, and gain weight.

Do not take drugs to suppress your appetite. Any drug you take is going to have side-effects of some kind.

Ways to suppress appetite are to drink a lot of fluids  - preferably water. (Pop or coffee can have the same effect, but coffee has calories and caffeine. So does pop....but if you must drink pop I'd advise drinking the real deal. "Diet" pops substitute some kind of artificial sweetner for sugar and those aren't good for you either!

Try eating spicy foods for dinner. Spices have a tendency to help you feel full longer.

Fruits and veggies are healthy for you...eat them, too! (Always bearing in mind that if you dip those fruits and veggies into something, that dip has calories too. )

And remember that last thing at night, if you're feeling hungry, don't have ice cream or cookies. Those are desserts for earlier in the evening. Last thing at night...why not have a salad or something...anything to take away the pains of  hunger but not fill you up too full.

If you must count calories, make it easy on yourself

I eat very few foods. I love chicken. I love turkey. Hamburgers are okay.  And that's about it. I'll eat pork if it's on the table, but it's not something I'd cook myself.

I love mashed potatoes, corn, garlic bread with lots of cheese and butter, ya da ya da.

The point I'm trying to make is that if you want to count calories, the easiest way to do it is to work out the calories of 10 meals or so - whatever your favorite 10 meals are, and then eat them while you work to lose weight.  That way you don't have to waste time or anxiety at a restaurant or somewhere wondering how many calories something has.

Ten different meals seems to me to be a pretty wide range of meals... if you eat more than ten different types of meals you're quite the gourmet!

How you lose weight depends on your makeup. Do you like to be in control of every little thing in your life? (That's me.) Or does such control strike you as a straight jacket that would drive you crazy.

Knowledge is power. That's a refrain I keep repeating. You must know yourself.

You must also believe that if you have bad habits, you can change them.

Mental muscles must be exercised just as regular muscles must be. And they can be strengthened.

100 Million Dieters, $20 Billion: The Weight-Loss Industry by the Numbers

The weight loss "industry" is a $20 billion industry. How sad is that?

I was standing in the checkout line at Walmart  yesterday, and saw one of those gossip magazines...Star or People or Us or something of that ilk. Photo on the cover was of someone woman... "What's behind _______
s Dramatic Weight Loss" - and the photo was of some skeletal actress - her name escapes me at the moment.

Those gossip magazines really, really infuriate me. Ever look at their covers? Invariably the covers feature a woman actress. "Why is she so fat? Doesn't she know how bad she looks?"  "Why is sh so skinny? Can she have anorexia."  "Look at these baby bumps."  "Baby bump, or just fat."

Women just can't win. And the sad thing is that so many women continue to play the game and fall into the trap. They either get into the whole yo-yo dieting thing, or they give up completely and just pack on the pounds and sue doctors who dare to tell them they're too fat.

The solution is for women to stop buying the "I  have to look good for guys crap" and go for, "I have to be healthy so I can live a long, active, fun life."

From ABC News:  100 Million Dieters, $20 Billion: The Weight-Loss Industry by the Numbers
When you're trying to lose weight, the number that seems to matter most is the one you see on the scale. But there are plenty of other compelling numbers coming out of the growing weight-loss industry. Check out a few below and watch the full story on the "Losing It: The Big Fat Trap" on "20/20" online.

$20 Billion

The annual revenue of the U.S. weight-loss industry, including diet books, diet drugs and weight-loss surgeries.

108 Million

The number of people on diets in the United States. Dieters typically make four to five attempts per year.

85 Percent

The percentage of customers consuming weight-loss products and services who are female.

1 Hour

The amount of time spent on daily exercise by people who lost and kept off at least 30 pounds of excess weight for five years.

220,000

The number of people with morbid obesity in the United States who had bariatric surgery in 2009.

$11,500 to $26,000

The average cost of bariatric surgery, which reduces the size of the stomach.

$500,000 to $3 Million

The average salaries paid to celebrity endorsers of major weight-loss programs.

$33,000

The amount of money celebrity endorsers, on average, earn per pound lost.

$5,594

Cost for a week-long (six night) weight-loss program at Beau Rivage Palace, a luxury hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland. The program includes massages and personal training sessions and discourages deprivation.

2

The number of glasses of wine per day allowed to guests of the Beau Rivage Palace weight-loss program.
Sources: John LaRosa of MarketData; National Weight Control Registry; American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery; Jo Piazza, author of "Celebrity Inc.: How Famous People Make Money."

Weight Loss Techniques That Work

While I agree that keeping a journal is important, sometimes it can be too nitpicky. Carrying your food journal around with you everywhere you go and obsessing over how your food is prepared? Not necessary! Just make sure you eat small portions!

Restaurants give you too big of portions? Well, they should, considering how much they charge! Solution is simple, and no, don't throw out half of it. That's so wasteful. Simply get into the habit of requesting doggy bags, and having half your food for lunch the next day.

From ABC News:  Weight Loss Techniques That Work

Keep a food journal. Don't skip meals, but do skip your afternoon lunch dates. Those recommendations come from research published Friday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center evaluated the impact of self-monitoring and diet-related behavior and patterns among overweight and obese post-menopausal women. Among the 123 women who participated in the study, they found that those who completed food journals lost about six more pounds than those who did not note their food intake. Women who skipped meals lost eight fewer pounds than those who did not miss meals, and those who ate lunch out at least once a week lost five fewer pounds than those who ate out less frequently.

Dr. Anne McTiernan, lead author of the study and professor of epidemiology at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said losing weight is really just about "accountability, knowing what you're eating and how much, and how that all adds up compared with your calorie goal for losing weight."

It's difficult to change a diet if dieters are not paying close attention to what they are eating, researchers said.
"The food journal helps you keep track, in real time, of what you are eating," said McTiernan. "Restaurant eating, on the other hand, makes it difficult to know what you are eating, and the serving sizes are often large enough for several people. So, it's difficult to keep an account of what you eat if you don't know what's going into the food."

The biggest obstacle in losing weight is setting unrealistic goals, McTiernan said.

"If you weigh 250 pounds, you won't get down to 125 overnight," she said. "That might take a couple of years, or you might need medical help. The good news is that you get major health benefits by just reducing by 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight."

Keith Ayoob, associate professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said food journaling can be difficult because it forces dieters to "confront everything in real time."

"Taking this action can be extremely helpful though, so it's worth it, but it means letting go of some of the spontaneity about eating," he said.

Because of this, people make more informed choices.

"There's no 'I'll deal with it later' thing," said Ayoob. "When you write it down now, you have to think about it now, and that means you think about whether you really want it or need it."

"There's a tendency to eat more than you would if you were eating at your desk, perhaps because it can be seen as a treat," said Ayoob. "Unfortunately, people often fail to compensate for such treat occasions, so it results in weight gain."

Nevertheless, most experts said that the study offers confirmation, not necessarily new information, on the need for accountability while trying to lose weight.

Self-monitoring is a long-established mainstay of cognitive behavioral therapy, and the evidence has long been clear that it improves outcomes, said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Center.

"This study merely observed association between such behaviors and the outcomes, so does not prove cause and effect," Katz said. "Perhaps those people who kept the best journals are just the most meticulous people and adhere the best to any program.

"If so, it is character, rather than behavior, that is the real cause for the better outcome," said Katz.
For those interested in keeping a food journal, researchers gave the following tips to study participants:

o Be honest - record everything you eat
o Be accurate - measure portions, read labels
o Be complete - include details such as how the food was prepared, and the addition of any toppings or condiments
o Be consistent - always carry your food diary with you or use a diet-tracking application on your smart phone

 

Visit garage sales for weight bench and weights

It's sad but true to say that many folks go into the whole exercise pretty gung ho. They'll buy a weight bench, and weights, use them once or twice...then never use them again.

Then put them up for sale in a garage sale.

So if you don't want to spend a lot of money on gear yourself, try buying some from a garage sale first. (But make sure it's all in working order, no weak spots on metal barbells, etc.)

You MUST work out as part of your weight loss plan.

The benefits are enormous. First of course, lifting weights gives you strength. If you've got kids that you have to lift up and down and haul around all day, it'll be a lot easier if you have the muscles to do it!

Strength gives you confidence.

Strength helps you do so many things, and one thing it does is help burn calories faster.

So if you've been putting off getting a weight bench, or even just a few dumbbells, don't put it off any longer. 

Time to Dig in Your Heels

Everyone reaches a "tipping point" - a time in their life where they've gained so much weight that they say, "This can't go on. I must lose weight."

But then they look at themselves in the mirror and see how overweight they are, and think, "I'm 200 pounds over weight. I'll never lose all that. Why bother?"

Because every pound of weight lost helps.

Because just as pounds of weight add up, so they can add downward. Lose one pound a week, and at the end of a year you'll have lost 52 pounds. At the end of two years, 100 pounds total.

At the end of three years, 150 pounds, and at the end of four years, the whole 200 pounds.

Four years to lose weight! Sound awful? Not at all.

Because, by losing weight very gradually, a pound a week at most, your body has time to acclimatize itself to the weight loss, and you will never gain that weight back. That four year journey is more about just losing weight, it's about changing a life style for the better - which takes about four years - and becoming acclimatized to it.

The journey is a part of life.

The journey starts now.

It Feels Good to Be Organized

After 24 hours of brooding, my dad finally agreed a couple of days ago that it was time to tell the handyman that we'd finish the job ourselves.

And guess what...the job is done!

The texture and paint don't exactly match, but they're good enough. No one looks up into the ceiling corners of rooms unless there's something up there to catch their eye - as for example a great big hole.

So I've spent all of today putting things back the way they were 30 weeks ago - and finding lots of stuff that had been buried under other stuff that I'd been looking for...

(My "living room" is actually a library  filled with book cases, and I've got papers everywhere.)

Anyway, to bring this entry to a point that makes sense for those trying to lose weight or maintain their new weight - having a stable, stress-free environment works wonders. You don't realize how much stress (or anxiety) you've been under until that stress or anciety is removed. Then it feels like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. You feel on top of the world - because you are in control of your life again.

So when you're just starting out to lose weight, examine your environment, identify and stress areas, and deal with them. And hopefully it won't take you 30 weeks to deal with the problem!

Flu Jab Could Aid Weight Loss And Fight Obesity

I wish they wouldn't report these things until they've been shown to work on humans...after all mice are teeny tiny creatures.

Still, for what it's worth:

From HuffpostUK: Flu Jab Could Aid Weight Loss And Fight Obesity

An obesity vaccine has been developed that uses the immune system to keep the body slim.
The "flab jab" has shown promising early results in mouse studies.
If the vaccine passes further safety trials, scientists believe it could provide a revolutionary new weapon against obesity.

Currently the only non-dieting options for controlling weight are surgery and strong drugs that can have serious side effects.

The vaccine works by stimulating the immune system to attack a hormone that promotes slow metabolism and weight gain.

In tests, obese mice fed a high fat diet saw a 10% drop in body weight four days after receiving the jab.
Two slightly different versions of the vaccine were studied. Both produced a sustained 10% reduction in body weight after booster injections were administered after three weeks.

The slimming effect was not seen in a matched group of 10 untreated mice.

Lead researcher Dr Keith Haffer, from the US company Braasch Biotech in South Dakota, said: "This study demonstrates the possibility of treating obesity with vaccination.

"Although further studies are necessary to discover the long term implications of these vaccines, treatment of human obesity with vaccination could provide physicians with a drug and surgical-free option against the weight epidemic."

Research published last year in The Lancet medical journal showed that almost half of all British men could be obese within 20 years.

The proportion of men meeting the clinical definition of obesity was predicted to rise from around 20% to between 41% and 48%.

Being obese is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) - a measurement relating height and weight - of 30 or more.

More women in the UK are also becoming obese. By 2030, four in 10 British women could be at obese weight levels, the research shows.

Up to 30,000 Britons die prematurely every year from obesity-related conditions. Obesity has been estimated to cost the NHS at least £500 million a year, and the UK economy more than £2 billion.

The new vaccine uses a modified form of somatostatin, a peptide protein molecule that functions as a hormone.

In both mice and humans somatostatin suppresses growth hormones that boost metabolism and cause weight loss.

The vaccine "flags up" somatostatin so that it is seen as a potential threat by the immune system. It causes the body to generate antibodies that neutralise the peptide.

In mice, the vaccine reduced body weight without affecting normal levels of growth hormones.

Reporting their findings in the Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, the scientists wrote: "The vaccination effects did not significantly reduce cumulative food consumption and was confirmed by residual anti-somatostatin antibodies in mouse plasma at the study's end."

Although the mice received large amounts of the vaccine, a recent unpublished study in pigs suggested it was effective at much lower doses.

Further research will look at the vaccine's effects in obese pigs and dogs before moving onto human trials.

 

The mind numbing idiocy continues

This morning my dad removed all the coats and obstructions from the area where our "handyman" was supposed to work today... but of course he just called and said he's not coming.  His ex-girlfriend came into town unexpectedly yesterday so he didn't get his chores around his trailer done. So he's going to do them today.

The mind-numbing idiocy is not from him - clearly he doesn't want to do the work and this is and has been his way of saying so for thirty-f*cking-weeks. Thirty.

The idiocy is from my dad. I said, "Can we please just do the sanding, texturing, and painting ourselves. And my dad said, "No. We'll give him one more week. If he doesn't show up next week we'll cut him off."

This would be frustrating enough in itself, but the fact is I never wanted this work done in the first place! And told my dad so at the time!

The guy takes four hours to do a one hour job. There are three more areas to go. He could get them all done in a single day if he'd work quickly and efficiently, but that's not his way. So that's at least  three more weeks that I'll have to wait. And two of these areas are in my bedroom/office, which I'd really like to have done so I can move dressers and bookcases back in place.

However...after 30 weeks of this idiocy I'm acclimated now. I shall not go out and buy myself a DQ Blizzard to soothe my frazzled nerves. Unfortunately what I have done is spend a couple hundred dollars on the garden outside my front door. Displacement activity, as I said last week. I have no control over what's going on on my own floor of the house (it's the equivalent of a duplex), so I created an environment I could control - the garden. But I'd much rather have had that money so I could buy more book-cases and cabinets for inside the house where they're really needed!

Ah well. Excuse me while I go for a long, hard bike ride!

3 more weeks...

I know I've complained - although I prefer the term vented - about my dad's "handyman" here several times.

Well, we might be getting near the end. Of the four holes that he's been working on for 30 weeks, one is now completely finished. Sheetrocked, mudded, sanded, and painted with "orange peel" to match the textured paint of the ceiling. The paint job doesn't match to well, but I said fine.

So after spending two hours last Sunday doing the sanding and the paint job on this one hole, he left. So although he could probably get all 3 of the remaining holes finished in one day if he'd just stay and work for maybe 4 hours , I know he'll only do one a week. So, 3 more weeks. Always assuming he won't cancel out a week.

I know it sounds stupid, I know it is stupid, but that's what happens when  you get caught up in things beyond your control.

For a bit of personal background - my parents and I moved to Cheyenne a year and a half ago to be near my sister, her husband, and their son - my nephew and my parent's only grandson.

I don't really know why we did it - we bought a house out of town and we see them once a month. I think my dad had visions of doing "grandad-grandson" things, but we lived in the same town with them in Virginia and they never did anything together then, either, so what made him think it would be any different out here?

My nephew spends all his time playing computer games. He's age 13, and has always been the master of the household.  (If they go on a camping vacation and he's bored...home they come. If he eats snacks before they're going out to dinner, they'll still order dinner for him at a restaurant and not say a word when he ends up throwing away two-thirds of his food.)

Well, I'll stop ranting on that.

Anyway, in a sense this is a good lesson for dieters. Sometimes it seems you're rushing headlong down the wrong path - the overeating path - but you can't seem to stop yourself. You take the path of least resistance rather than digging in your heels and saying, "Enough's enough."

It's at times like this you really need to rely on your journal. (It is much better, for privacy reasons if nothing else, to pour out your soul to your journal - not to your friends. Friends change, leave, betray you, etc., but a journal is forever.)

Keep track of what your'e doing and why, and you can figure out if you are going down the wrong path - over-eating before a big meeting or something when you'd promised yourself you'd lose weight for it. Self-sabotage for some reason.

"Know thyself." More importantly, "Be honest with yourself."

Knowledge is power. A cliche, but true for all that.

Avoid mystery meat

There are certain foods that I would never eat. I don't understand how people can eat them, except I suppose since they are cheap, people may have no choice.

Right up there is Spam. Who knows what's in Spam?

Then we've got hotdogs. Now, they have all beef hotdogs, which taste a heckuva lot better than those hotdogs made with beef, chicken and ...some other ingredient that's escaping me at the moment - but the fact is it's all mystery meat. Some of it might be actual meat, and some of it could be "tubes" or bones ground up or crap like that.

Then there's the pink slime of hamburgers. Why in the word are hamburger manufacturers putting this stuff in our hamburgers???

It's not enough to make me a vegetarian, but I usually go for 'real' meat - actual chicken breasts (for all that they've been injected with water to make them plumper and juicier) and steak.

Same thing with  fish. I'm not a fish eater, but if you're going to eat fish, eat real fish, not fish sticks!

Then of course there's juice. If you want to drink juice, drink real juice  - orange juice, grape juice, etc, not the sugared water with a touch of orange or grape flavor!

So have fun on the Fourth of July!

Are you ready for Obama/Robertscare?

The government now has the capability - more so than before - to tax you into doing exactly what it wants. Try to be overweight and go to a doctor - you'll be ordered to lose weight or you get no medical service.  Think I'm joking or off my rocker?  Just wait!

Anyone watched Brave yet?  I sorta liked it, and sorta didn't. The animation was fantastic. The music at the end was great. And of course if you have mother/daughter issues this would be a great film. Unless its too late to make it up to your mother, in which case you have bittersweet feelings about it.

But my favorite scenes were of Merida (the heroine) on her horse, a great big Clydesdale or something of that nature. And believe it or not, hroseriding is a great physical activity. Once you do it for real and not just put-putting around in a circle while you're learning to ride.

Now, once you get good at riding there's still the danger that you might fall off and get stepped on, and if that happens to you don't blame me - you've been warned!  ; )

But why not give it a try. Your knees and legs are under constant exercise as you grip the sides of your horse so you don't fall off. Your hands must be gentle on the reins but your arms must always be poised which gets them exercise. And your stomach muscles will definitely flatten out.