How to keep your blood pressure in check
Question: Can I ever stop taking medicine for high blood pressure to see if diet and lifestyle changes have brought my blood pressure back to normal?
Answer: Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease in North America, affecting nearly one in three adults. High blood pressure is a threat because it makes the heart work harder, increasing its oxygen demands and contributing to angina (chest pain related to heart disease).
Unchecked, high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease. Some people can lower and control their blood pressure with healthy lifestyle measures — losing weight if necessary (even a 10 per cent weight loss might do the trick), quitting smoking if that’s an issue, limiting intake of caffeine and alcohol, as well as cutting back on salt (processed foods are the biggest sources of sodium in today’s western diet) and practising relaxation methods.
The last of these may be the most important, yet doctors often fail to emphasize the importance of learning how to relax the involuntary nervous system, which controls the tone of blood vessels. Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and biofeedback training can all help. I recommend that you also check out a simple device called RESPeRATE (resperate.com) that teaches you to lower your blood pressure by changing your breathing patterns.
If you’ve made and are maintaining these lifestyle changes, you might then try to cut down on your blood pressure medication. Do so gradually, and be sure to monitor your pressure at home — at least two to three times a day, both when you are calm and when you are not — to make sure that it doesn’t start to rise. If it does, you’ll have to return to the usual dosage of your medication. It would be best to make these changes under the supervision of your physician so you will not be alone in your efforts.
A large study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the May 4, 2007, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found while most Americans who have high blood pressure are trying to bring it under control, 70 per cent of them have failed.
The CDC researchers collected information on more than 101,000 people and found that of the nearly 25,000 who had high blood pressure, 98.1 per cent, said they were doing at least one thing to lower it. Nearly 71 per cent said they had changed their eating habits, 79.5 per cent said they had reduced or eliminated the salt in their diets, 79.2 per cent either didn’t drink or had cut back on alcoholic beverages, 68.6 per cent exercised and 73.4 per cent were taking medication. But the study showed that those efforts paid off in only 30 per cent of all cases.
If you have a family history of hypertension, lifestyle measures may not be enough to keep your blood pressure under control — you probably will need some medication. But no one should depend on drugs alone. A healthy lifestyle, including relaxation practise, is also key to keeping blood pressure in the safe range.
Dr. Andrew Weil is director of the program of Integrative Medicine of the College of Medicine, University of Arizona. He is an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants, alternative medicine and the reform of medical education.
Source: The Calgary Herald
Older People Who Diet Without Exercising Lose Valuable Muscle Mass
A group of sedentary and overweight older people placed on a four-month exercise program not only became more fit, but burned off more fat, compared to older sedentary people who were placed on a diet but did not exercise.
The new study also showed that when older people diet without exercising, they lose more lean muscle compared to those who exercise, said senior researcher Bret H. Goodpaster. When they combined weight loss with exercise, it nearly completely prevented the loss of lean muscle mass. The results are important because older people tend to lose muscle mass as they age and too much muscle loss may interfere with activities of daily living.
The study, “Separate and combined effects of exercise training and weight loss on exercise efficiency and substrate oxidation,” appears in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, published by The American Physiological Society. Francesca Amati, John J. Dube, Chris Shay and Goodpaster, all of the University of Pittsburgh, carried out the study.
Study looks at exercise efficiency
The researchers wanted to know the best way to get better (more efficient) at completing a defined exercise task. In particular, they wanted to know if greater fitness could be achieved through exercise training, weight loss (through dieting), or both. In addition, they wanted to know which fuel source the body would draw upon, carbohydrates or fats, under these different conditions.
The 64 participants were 60-75 years of age and were either overweight or obese. All of the participants were sedentary at the outset of the study. The researchers divided the participants into three groups:
- exercise only
- diet only
- exercise plus diet
Those who exercised could either walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle, although most chose to walk. The dieters reduced their caloric intake to achieve a 10% weight loss by the end of the four-month study period. The final group combined both the daily exercise and the diet.
Exercise increases efficiency, burns more fat
The researchers measured how many calories the participants expended during a set work load on a stationary bicycle at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. They found that the:
- Exercise group expended fewer calories (became more efficient) on the exercise task at the end of the study compared to the beginning.
- Exercise group drew more on fat stores as the source of their body’s fuel.
- Diet-only group did not gain efficiency in performing the exercise task, even though they weighed less at the end of the experiment.
- Diet-only group’s weight loss resulted from a loss of both muscle and fat.
- Exercise plus diet group was the most efficient at the exercise task at the end of the experiment. This shows an additive effect of both dieting and exercise, but most of that benefit was due to exercise.
- Exercise plus diet group, like the exercise-only group, drew more on fat stores as an energy source.
“The take-home message is that, even among older people and during a fairly short period of time, exercise produces metabolic changes that require the expenditure of fewer calories during physical activity,” Goodpaster said. Exercise also allowed older people to more preferentially burn fat, which may be healthier metabolically.”
Source: sciencedaily.com
5 Essential Weight Loss Foods
There are many fad diets that promise to help you lose weight in almost no time at all. After two or three weeks on the diet you find yourself losing enough to be able to brag to your family and friends about it, and you’re so optimistic that this new lifestyle will be your ticket to a smaller waistline that you start to browse the stores for new clothes.
You continue to lose weight for another couple of weeks, and then something happens: you start to feel sluggish, you begin craving something that your diet absolutely forbids you to have, or the general sense of optimism begins to transform itself into a feeling of constriction, frustration, and even dietary imprisonment.
You decide to have just one snack, or spend just one day eating whatever you want with the intention of going back to the diet the following day. What happens then, is that you feel such satisfaction from that treat that the entire effort falls apart and you put the weight back on in practically no time at all.
Does this scenario sound at all familiar?
Diets are very hard, as is the feeling of being overweight. Many of these fad diets may promise instant and significant weight loss results, but most of them rely on depriving your body of certain nutrients and disrupting the natural function of your body’s metabolism. Chinese medicine considers obesity to be partly the result of declining function of the metabolic fire of the kidney network and a diet that provides a well-balanced array of nutrients is the key to losing weight in a healthy way. What follows are five foods that will help you restore your body’s ability to use energy and help you become your healthy weight.
- Millet: A well-balanced diet should consist of whole grains instead of refined grains like white rice and pasta, and millet is a beneficial and delicious staple of this category of food. This non-glutinous grain is over 10-percent protein, has high amounts of fiber and B-complex vitamins, and because it isn’t an acid forming food, is easy to digest.
- Asparagus: When losing weight, it’s important to favor chlorophyll-rich foods, including asparagus. Asparagus is a nutrient-rich vegetable packed with folate, vitamins A, C, and K, and fiber. Asparagus also contains a carbohydrate known as inulin (not to be confused with insulin) that promotes healthy bacteria in the large intestine – which in turn promotes a healthier digestive function.
- Pomegranates: Eating a balanced diet to lose weight should include eating fresh fruits, and pomegranates are a wonderful example of a healthy, nutritious fruit that has antioxidant properties and will help prevent cancer. While the benefits of drinking pomegranate juice have gained a lot of attention recently, you will be more likely to lose weight by eating the fruit fresh to increase your fiber intake and keep the calories down.
- Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees and are considered an essential ingredient in the tasty Italian mixture pesto. Chinese medicine uses pine nuts to improve gastrointestinal tract and digestive functions, and pine nut oil is even used for appetite suppression. Pine nuts and other nuts are a tasty part of a well-balanced diet intended for weight loss.
- Green Tea: It has been found that consuming large amounts of coffee and caffeine can lead to food cravings, increase one’s appetite, and induce stress-related eating. Green tea is a wonderful alternative to coffee in that it does provide a little caffeine but also contains beneficial antioxidants. So drink up!
A healthy diet also includes lean proteins like chicken breast, legumes such as lentils, and other whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. While fad diets may promise a large amount of weight loss in a short period of time, there’s almost a guarantee that you will put that weight back on-and then some!
Eat five smaller meals a day, avoid processed foods, chew more slowly, and incorporate more healthy foods into your diet-starting with these five. Also, click here to learn more about the Tao of Wellness B-Slim dietary supplement, which will help you lose weight naturally.
I hope this article helps you find foods that can aid in your weight loss goals! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
Source: myjoyonline.com
Want Looonger life? Eat a good diet and exercise
It seems all too simple, doesn’t it? Eat a healthy diet and exercise for a longer life. Although it may seem like textbook advice, a new report by the San Francisco Chronicle tells of an entirely new level to that form of thinking.
In the report, a pioneer study of 30 prostate cancer patients conducted by scientists and doctors at UCSF and a Sausalito research institute show for the first time that major lifestyle changes including a change in diet and a regular exercise routine may prevent early cell death and lengthen life.
The study was directed by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, the UCSF biochemist who is renowned for discovering the ellusive proteins called telomeres that cap the ends of chromosomes and control the longevity of dividing cells. In addition, Blackburn’s colleague, Dr. Dean Ornish, is a leading San Francisco cardiologist and known advocate of a controlled diet, regular exercise and stress reduction to prevent heart disease that can lead to death.
In the study released on Tuesday in the British journal Lancet Oncology, Blackburn and Ornish warn that even though the results are a cause for more attention, it is important to remember that there was a limited number of patients involved in the study and a bigger and more controlled research study is in order. However, the researchers note that if their results are positively confirmed, “this might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle.”
During the research, a team of scientists examined the enzyme levels, specifically called telomerase, in the prostate tissue of the thirty cancer patients who volunteered to go on a strict, a low-fat diet, exercise moderately and reduce their stress levels. “After only three months, 24 patients showed a highly significant increase in their telomerase levels – an indication that the cell-protecting telomeres in their cells were being restored.”
Overall, it was shown that the correlation between the test subject’s increasingly healthy habits after a prolonged about of time and the increased amount of telomerase proved highly significant and beneficial to overall health and lifespan. It is highly advisable for men at risk of prostate cancer as well as all humans to combine the powers of eating a healthy diet, exercise regularly and practice yoga and/or medication for a longer life and better well being.
Source: caymanmama.com
Instead of Eating to Diet, They’re Eating to Enjoy
After decades of obsessing about fat, calories and carbs, many dieters have made the unorthodox decision to simply enjoy food again.
That doesn’t mean they’re giving up on health or even weight loss. Instead, consumers and nutritionists say they are seeing a shift toward «positive eating» — shunning deprivation diets and instead focusing on adding seasonal vegetables, nuts, berries and other healthful foods to their plates.
For 32-year-old Rina Gonzalez-Echandi of Los Angeles, giving up calorie counting and packaged foods and adding real food back into her diet has helped her maintain her weight and even be happier. She used to watch fat and calories so obsessively she would sometimes avoid socializing.
«You forget how wonderful it is to have a meal with friends and family,» said Ms. Gonzalez-Echandi, a special-education aide and mother of a 10-year-old daughter. «I realize I had taken that joy away from myself.»
Now she focuses on the pleasure of eating fresh, home-cooked food. She has started cooking with olive oil and occasionally butter, and has increased her consumption of nuts and peanut butter. She even got to know her grocer to find out which fruits and vegetables are in season and grown locally.
The market research firm NPD Group gets a glimpse of national eating habits through the food diaries it has collected from 5,000 consumers since 1980. The percentage of those consumers who are on a diet is lower than at any time since information on dieting was first collected in 1985. At the peak in 1990, 39 percent of the women and 29 percent of the men were dieting. Today, that number has dropped to 26 percent of women and 16 percent of men.
The diarists also report eating more organic foods and whole grains, said Harry Balzer, an NPD vice president.
«Instead of trying to avoid things, they’ve started adding things,» Mr. Balzer said.
Even the Calorie Control Council, which represents makers of commercial diet foods, notes the percentage of people who are dieting has declined — to 29 percent in 2007 from 33 percent in 2004.
And there are other indicators of a shift in eating habits. In May, the market research firm Information Resources reported that 53 percent of consumers say they are cooking from scratch more than they did just six months ago, in part, no doubt, because of the rising cost of prepared foods.
Sales of organic foods have surged, and the number of farmers’ markets has more than doubled since the mid-1990s.
Nutrition experts and consumers say positive eating trends are being fueled in part by the failures of the past. A national epidemic of obesity suggests that the spread of diet foods, sugar-free soft drinks and low-fat snacks hasn’t helped people manage their weight.
Cynthia Sass, a New York dietitian and author who was a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association from 2001 to 2007, said many clients embrace positive eating after years of failed dieting. “They would much rather focus on what to eat instead of what not to eat,” Ms. Sass said. “Most people I have encountered have a track record of trying different things that didn’t work for them.”
Meanwhile, books like Gary Taubes’s «Good Calories, Bad Calories» (Alfred A. Knopf, 2007) and Michael Pollan’s «In Defense of Food» (Penguin, 2008) have prompted a rethinking of Americans’ eating habits and dependence on processed and refined foods.
Martha McClintock, 46, of Riverdale, in the Bronx, said she was more focused these days on adding healthful foods like avocados, blueberries and walnuts to her plate. She said she tries to improve the quality of food she eats, such as switching to blue corn chips as a snack rather than potato chips.
«If something is high in calories, I try to look at the big picture,» said Ms. McClintock, a photo service account executive. “If you’re going to indulge in something, just try and walk it off or limit it to once a week.”
Some former dieters say they’ve been influenced by the international Slow Food movement, a 10-year-old group that encourages locally grown, unprocessed food. Over the Labor Day weekend an estimated 60,000 people attended the Slow Food Nation festival in San Francisco.
Alice Waters, of the restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and a prominent supporter of the Slow Food movement, said food habits change when a person begins to cook at home more. Her efforts to encourage home cooking include a new campaign of Internet cooking videos from the Slow Food Nation event, such as one from the chef Bryant Terry, who showed how to strip corn from the cob and saute it with chili.
«We need to demystify cooking,» Ms. Waters said. «It creates feelings about food that make you feel cared for, and that’s the kind of food that really changes habits.»
The cookbook author and television personality Rachael Ray has attracted both loyal followers and harsh critics for creating food that doesn’t focus on calories, fat, carbohydrates or even portion control. She intentionally doesn’t include calorie information with her cookbook recipes.
«I think that puts your head into science and away from what I think the experience of food should be,» Ms. Ray said. «If you take the time to cook and provide yourself with a balanced diet, you can cook freely and eat pretty freely and in pretty large amounts without worrying so much about the nutritional intake or the calories or your pant size.»
Some nutritionists aren’t convinced that the positive eating trend will catch on with time-strapped families. Others worry that people will wrongly interpret positive eating as over-indulging, rather than adding moderate amounts of healthful foods into the diet.
«If everyone ate more plant-based and more whole foods and unprocessed foods, that would be major,» said Arlene Spark, associate professor of nutrition at Hunter College in New York. «But that would mean people going back to cooking, and what we’ve lost is people’s ability and knowledge of how to cook.»
The real question, is whether better eating can translate into weight loss.
Last year, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on a study of 97 obese women, all of whom were avoiding high-fat foods. Half the women were instructed to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables. By the end of a year, the women who were focused on adding vegetables lost an average of 17 pounds, 20 percent more than the women who were just paying attention to fat consumption.
Also, the more time people spend on tasks like food shopping, cooking and kitchen cleanup, the more likely they are to be of average weight. The Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture found that people of normal weight spend more time on meal-related tasks than people who are overweight or underweight.
Marion Nestle, the New York University nutritionist whose book «What To Eat» (North Point Press, 2006) focuses on sensible eating, said she thinks people view food as the enemy, when the real problem is that they have forgotten how to enjoy food in a healthful way.
«If you’re eating something you really like, maybe you won’t feel like you need to eat so much of it,» she said. «If you want a muffin, then eat a gorgeous muffin with marvelous blueberries that’s moist and crispy on the outside with a little sugar on it. Yum.»
Source: New York Times
6 Food Mistakes Parents Make
HARRIET WOROBEY, a childhood nutrition instructor, knows firsthand that children can be picky eaters, but even she was surprised by a preschooler last year who ate a mostly chocolate diet.
«Chocolate milk, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip pancakes — it was unbelievable,» said Ms. Worobey, director of the Rutgers University Nutritional Sciences Preschool in New Brunswick, N.J. «His mother just thought, ‘That’s what he wants, so that’s what I’m going to do.’ «
While most parents haven’t resorted to the chocolate diet, they can relate to the daily challenge of finding foods that children will eat. Although obesity dominates the national discussion on childhood health, many parents are also worried that their child’s preferred diet of nuggets and noodles could lead to a nutritional deficit.
Fussiness about food is a normal part of a child’s development. Young children are naturally neophobic — they have a distrust of the new. Even the most determined parents can be cowed by a child’s resolve to eat nothing rather than try something new. As a result, parents often give in, deciding that a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or a Pop-Tart, while not ideal, must be better than no food at all.
«I think parents feel like it’s their job to just make their children eat something,» Ms. Worobey said. «But it’s really their job to serve a variety of healthy foods and get their children exposed to foods.»
A series of simple meal-time strategies can help even the pickiest eater learn to like a more varied diet. Here’s a look at six common mistakes parents make when feeding their children.
Sending children out of the kitchen With hot stoves, boiling water and sharp knives at hand, it is understandable that parents don’t want children in the kitchen when they’re making dinner. But studies suggest that involving children in meal preparation is an important first step in getting them to try new foods.
Researchers at Teachers College at Columbia University studied how cooking with a child affects the child’s eating habits. In one study, nearly 600 children from kindergarten to sixth grade took part in a nutrition curriculum intended to get them to eat more vegetables and whole grains. Some children, in addition to having lessons about healthful eating, took part in cooking workshops. The researchers found that children who had cooked their own foods were more likely to eat those foods in the cafeteria, and even ask for seconds, than children who had not had the cooking class.
When children are involved in meal preparation, «they come to at least try the food,» said Isobel Contento, professor of nutrition education at Teachers College and a co-author of the study. «Kids don’t usually like radishes, but we found that if kids cut up radishes and put them in the salad, they love the radishes.»
Pressuring them to take a bite Demanding that a child eat at least one bite of everything seems reasonable, but it’s likely to backfire.
Studies show that children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat foods, even if the pressure offers a reward. In one study at Pennsylvania State University, researchers asked children to eat vegetables and drink milk, offering them stickers and television time if they did. Later in the study, the children expressed dislike for the foods they had been rewarded for eating.
«Parents say things like ‘eat your vegetables and you can watch TV,’ but we know that kind of thing doesn’t work either,» said Leann L. Birch, director of Penn State’s childhood obesity research center and a co-author of the study. «In the short run, you might be able to coerce a child to eat, but in the long run, they will be less likely to eat those foods.»
The better approach is to put the food on the table and encourage a child to try it. But don’t complain if she refuses, and don’t offer praise if she tastes it. Just ask her if she wants some more or take seconds yourself, but try to stay neutral.
Keeping ‘good stuff’ out of reach Parents worry that children will binge on treats, so they often put them out of sight or on a high shelf. But a large body of research shows that if a parent restricts a food, children just want it more.
In another Penn State study, researchers experimented to determine whether forbidden foods were more desirable. Children were seated at tables and given unlimited access to plates of apple or peach cookie bars — two foods the youngsters had rated as «just O.K.» in earlier taste tests. With another group, some bars were served on plates, while some were placed in a clear cookie jar in the middle of the table. The children were told that after 10 minutes, they could snack on cookies from the jar.
The researchers found that restricting the cookies had a profound effect: consumption more than tripled compared with when the cookies were served on plates.
Other studies show that children whose food is highly restricted at home are far more likely to binge when they have access to forbidden foods.
The lesson for parents? Don’t bring foods that you feel the need to restrict into the house. Instead, buy healthful snacks and give children free access to the food cabinets.
Dieting in front of your children
Kids are tuned into their parents’ eating preferences and are far more likely to try foods if they see their mother or father eating them. A Rutgers study of parent and child food preferences found that preschoolers tended to like or reject the same fruits and vegetables their parents liked or didn’t like. And other research has shown girls are more likely to be picky eaters if their mothers don’t like vegetables.
Given this powerful effect, parents who are trying to lose weight should be aware of how their dieting habits can influence a child’s perceptions about food and healthful eating. In one study of 5-year-old girls, one child noted that dieting involved drinking chocolate milkshakes — her mother was using Slim-Fast drinks. Another child said dieting meant «you fix food but you don’t eat it.»
A 2005 report in the journal Health Psychology found that mothers who were preoccupied with their weight and eating were more likely to restrict foods for their daughters or encourage them to lose weight. Daughters of dieters were also more likely to try diets as well. The problem is, restrictive diets don’t work for most people and often lead to binge eating and weight gain. By exposing young children to erratic dieting habits, parents may be putting them at risk for eating disorders or a lifetime of chronic dieting. «Most mothers don’t think their kids are soaking up this information, but they are,» Dr. Birch said. «They’re teaching it to their daughters even though it doesn’t work for them.»
Serving boring vegetables Calorie-counting parents often serve plain steamed vegetables, so it’s no wonder children are reluctant to eat them. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables. Adding a little butter, ranch dressing, cheese sauce or brown sugar to a vegetable dish can significantly improve its kid appeal. And adding a little fat to vegetables helps unlock their fat-soluble nutrients. The few extra calories you’re adding are a worthwhile tradeoff for the nutritional boost and the chance to introduce a child to a vegetable.
Giving up too soon Ms. Worobey said she has often heard parents say, «My kid would never eat that.» While it may be true right now, she noted that eating preferences often change. So parents should keep preparing a variety of healthful foods and putting them on the table, even if a child refuses to take a bite. In young children, it may take 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce a food.
Sibling dynamics and friendships can also change a child’s eating habits. Dr. Birch of Penn State noted that her first child was always willing to try new foods, but that her second child was not. «Part of it was just him defining his place in the family,» she said. By the age of 10 or 11, he didn’t want to be outdone by his sister and was far more willing to try new foods.
Susan B. Roberts, a Tufts University nutritionist and co-author of the book «Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health,» suggested a «rule of 15» — putting a food on the table at least 15 times to see if a child will accept it. Once a food is accepted, parents should use «food bridges,» finding similarly colored or flavored foods to expand the variety of foods a child will eat. If a child likes pumpkin pie, for instance, try mashed sweet potatoes and then mashed carrots. If a child loves corn, try mixing in a few peas or carrots. Even if a child picks them out, the exposure to the new food is what counts.
«As parents, you’re going to make decisions as to what you want to serve,» Ms. Worobey said. «But then you just have to relax and realize children are different from day to day.»
Source: New York Times
Monitor Kids’ Diet And Exercises
While there is a unchangeable genetic component to type 2 diabetes – the form closely linked with weight – parents can still help prevent their children from developing the disease by keeping an eye on their weight and diet, said Dr. Kanika Ghai, a pediatric endocrinologist with a practice at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
«Certainly you can control it to some extent,» she said about type 2 diabetes.
Here are the tips:
- Provide children with more foods from natural sources (e.g. fruits, whole grains and vegetables) and less processed and fast foods.
- Offer youngsters a regular meal pattern at home. Try to cut down on their snacking.
- Avoid sugar
- Encourage children to exercise regularly
- If a child is at risk, go for annual check-ups
Source: Joanna Broder, pioneerlocal.com
Hannah: Diary Of A Diet
IN front of me there is a piece of paper with 12 smoking guns on.
At the top of the page are the words, «Eating triggers».
Under each picture, and within a Countdown-like timeframe, me and three other women with weight «issues» or a Curly Wurly-like body image were asked to write down under each one what we thought our triggers are.
I started off with «breathing», as in I’m awake and that’s normally enough to set me off into the dangerous playground of carbohydrates if unsupervised, then I got to «thoughtlessness».
Confused faces from the room resulted in me explaining this away in my usual cockeyed manner.
«Girls,» I said. «It’s like this, see. The only time I DON’T think of eating or how wrapped up I am in the confusion of what I can eat versus what I can’t is when I’m actually stuffing my face. See? That’s thoughtlessness. Because if I allowed myself some space to actually think about what I’m doing, or try to iron out the lumps in my self-perception, maybe I wouldn’t want to act out in the way that I do.»
My new pals all nodded their «ahas» and «yeps» and «God, I know what you mean» with gusto, as we each shared our divergent stories about what binds us all together.
And that’s lasagne with crusty bits on the edge. It’s melted cheese. It’s full-fat pop and orange. It’s knowing you’re going to have chicken salad in a hotel restaurant when you’re travelling on your own only for your mouth to betray you during your order and you somehow silence the guilty chattering in your mind with beef burgers and chips. It’s about saying no to dieting. Or yes. And back again, without really understanding the force of your yo-yo. It’s about paying for that choice afterwards in the currency of guilt.
It’s the desertion of will power, the constant battle to DO something about it, to exercise yourself away and back into the safety zone of average.
It’s lack of motivation, it’s confusion, it’s bloody bonkers, that’s what it is.
And that’s what Lifeshapers, a multi-media Welsh company which helps you «find the tools you need to reduce your comfort eating, escape the dieting game and still lose weight», aims to help you sort out.
It’s a big promise, but one that its founder, Chrissie Webber – think Cinderella’s fairy godmother only in turquoise and without anything made of pumpkins – says she can deliver on. Unlike most women who have been there and done it and lost the T-shirt as it’s now waaaaaaay too small, Chrissie is still a big woman. The difference between her and others who have “struggled” with their weight, is that she celebrates the fact that she has achieved so much – a 5st loss and counting – and doesn’t beat herself up about the fact that she’s not «there» yet, that holy grail of self-acceptance, or can always turn down a blueberry muffin. She can’t. And that, as I’m yet to fully understand, is the twist in the sanctity of being human.
Her voice, lying somewhere between caramel and Nutella on the gooey and gorgeous scale, is an exercise in joy; her demeanour kindly but never condescending; her message so hopeful and helpful it should come in tubes to rub in on doubtful days.
The whole ethos of Lifeshapers is to discover the weight you were born to be. And that, even by my wonky reasoning, means that it could be what you are right now. Right this minute. It’s to adopt what wonder Webber calls «conscious eating» (and that doesn’t mean knowing you’ve got gravy running up your arm), «mindfulness» (meditations to reduce stress and therefore the need for comfort eating), «feeding your soul» (this is about loving yourself, perhaps the hardest skill to learn of all) and «body awareness» (loving the skin you’re in, another corker).
After only one session, I felt lighter, in spirit if not in stones. The danger for me is that I’ll fall hopelessly in love with this new philosophy. It’s happened on every diet I’ve ever been on, a full-on passionate affair which eventually fades away to something less promising when reality, or at least my version of it, sets in.
But if you’re looking for something new, something different, something not judgmental, something which you can do on-line as well as off, give Lifeshapers a go.
After all, it’s better to have loved and not lost a pound, than never to have loved at all.
Lifeshapers hosts a one-day workshop on September 27 at Tonteg Community Centre. Call 07515 640 056 or visit www.lifeshapers.co.uk
Source: walesonline.co.uk
Hormone research seeks to mimic weight-loss surgery
WEIGHT-LOSS surgery is successful because it permanently changes hormone levels, boosting the “I am full” hormone and reducing the “I am hungry” hormone. Now researchers are attempting to mimic this altered hormone balance without having to resort to surgery.
A session at the Festival of Science under way in Liverpool has heard how hormones play a central role in whether we will become overweight or obese and why weight-loss or “bariatric” surgery has proven the only reliable method to ensure long-term weight reduction.
Dr Rachel Batterham of University College London and Dr Carel Le Roux of Imperial College London described studies which explained how the surgery altered levels of three key hormones – the satiety hormone Peptide YY, Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and CGP-1, which helps to regulate glucose. They also discussed new discoveries about how the satiety hormone affects the «reward/ pleasure» areas of the brain.
«Until last year we believed this hormone only acted on the primitive areas of the brain, but we now know it works on the reward area of the brain,» Dr Batterham said.
Two-thirds of the British population were classed as either overweight or obese, something that could be attributed to a conflict between our genes and our environment, she added. «Obesity is actually a normal response to an abnormal environment.»
Dr Batterham said our metabolisms evolved when food was scarce and periods of starvation were common. We ate a great deal when food was available and our bodies learned to store the surplus as fat to sustain us during famine. This had represented a “survival advantage” but was a danger to us now that food was always available, making it difficult to diet.
«What you are doing with dieting is fighting the biology we have developed to fight starvation,» Dr Batterham said.
Weight-loss surgery alters the hormone mix, allowing the body to reduce excess weight. Dr Batterham is seeking ways to achieve this mix without surgery. It was a challenge given that it involved hormones and these had to be injected, like the hormone insulin.
Dr Le Roux discussed the benefits of bariatric surgery, not just for the patient but for society in general. He argued there should be a tenfold increase in the numbers of people qualifying for weight-loss surgery, which he preferred to call “metabolic surgery”.
He said excess weight was a risk factor for type II diabetes and those who received the surgery tended to lose their diabetes. Because of this, these procedures quickly paid for themselves given the reduced burden on the health system, he added.
Metabolic surgery was not about vanity. «It will not make you thin, it is not cosmetic, it is about health.» Research was needed to see what types of patients would most benefit from the surgery.
© 2008 The Irish Times
The Perfect Diet
Every so often a new diet is touted as the secret to good health, rapid weight loss and flatter abs. The truth is, however, the perfect diet is out there – a balanced diet.
Eating a diet that provides the right amount and types of calories (energy) to maintain all the body’s systems is considered a balanced diet. There are three basic rules to the perfect diet: Don’t skip breakfast because it really is the most important meal of the day; eat at least three meals a day because anything less will lower your metabolism; attempt to eat food from every food group at every meal because you will ingest an adequate amount and better quality of calories.
The perfect diet consists of the types of food you learned about in the food pyramid in fifth grade. The pyramid has six food groups, each providing one or more of the three nutrients needed for survival and to build the perfect diet.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. The two main forms of carbohydrates are simple (sugars) and complex (starches). Fiber also falls under the umbrella of carbohydrates. There are four calories per every gram of carbohydrates. Carbs can be found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and beans.
In a balanced diet, roughly 60% of your calories should come from carbs. The average man between the ages of 19 and 30 needs 1,200 calories per day. Active men can add about 300 carb calories to their daily intake. The majority of the carbohydrate sources are healthy. Fruits and vegetables contain both fructose and fiber. Dairy products have carbohydrates as well as calcium. Whole grain or multigrain breads, multigrain cereals, brown rice, pasta, and beans and legumes provide fiber, B vitamins and tend to have low glycemic levels. They are broken down into glucose at a slower rate and prevent spikes in blood sugar and the mid-afternoon slump that happens when you’re coming off that sugar high.
Refined sugars have no nutrients, but contain calories; limit them in a well-balanced diet. If possible choose brown sugar or honey.
A balanced breakfast: To follow the perfect diet, start your day with a bowl of oatmeal made with low-fat or 2% milk, sweetened with low-sugar fruit preserves and chunky peanut butter.
Fats
Fat is essential for survival. It makes up the cell walls and is needed to transport and absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. A little goes a long way when it comes to fats in the perfect diet; 15% to 20% of your daily calories should come from fat. There are nine calories per gram of fat, twice the calories from one gram of carbs, which is why too much fat and not enough exercise can lead to weight gain. Fats are an important energy source during exercise, but not the first choice. The main source of fat on a balanced diet should be unsaturated fat. Saturated fats are found in meat, eggs, milk, and cheese. Butter, margarine, coconut oil, palm oil, and Crisco are all examples of saturated fat. If it’s solid or very thick in its natural state, it will leave fatty deposits in your arteries and colon.
Cholesterol is another essential fat and is produced in the liver. It is used for cell and hormone production. Cholesterol is found in meat and dairy products. Ingesting too much saturated fat can also raise cholesterol levels. Choose olive oil or canola oil and eat leaner cuts of meat. Fish contains the healthy fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. A hunk of salmon, a tuna steak, tilapia, or mahimahi are meaty fish that are good sources of unsaturated fat and they’re satisfying as well.
Fat tastes good – that’s why we eat it, but it should be consumed in moderation. That’s the key to a balanced diet. Be wary of low-fat products; the fat is usually replaced with sugar to maintain flavor. Always remember to check the labels. Eat the «regular» versions of foods and just watch your portions.
A balanced lunch: A sandwich is a portable way to get a balanced meal. On 7- or 12-grain bread, have tuna fish, chicken or turkey breast, Gouda cheese, mesclun greens, and honey mustard.
Protein
If there’s ever a time men sit around and talk about their diets, protein surely comes up – how much protein they eat, the best protein shakes to drink after a workout, the best protein powder, etc. Yes, protein is important in following the perfect diet because it builds and repairs tissue. Everything from your skin, hair, nails and, of course, your muscles are made up of protein. Just like fat, however, you can have too much of a good thing.
For active men, whose daily caloric intake is 3,000 to 3,500 calories, protein intake on a balanced diet should still be 15% to 20% (or 640 calories). Protein keeps you satiated, so it’s wise to have protein with every meal, but if you’re going to eat that 16-ounce steak on Monday you may want to ease off the protein for the next few days – that steak will provide 207 grams of protein, while a 190-pound man only needs a maximum of 86 grams of protein a day. That’s enough to repair muscles after a workout and keep skin and hair healthy. For your post-workout refueling, a smoothie with milk, banana, strawberry, mango, yogurt, and peanut butter is a good source of protein. Products like Muscle Milk are marketed as great sources of protein, but be sure to read the label for the fat content. Remember, fat and protein go hand-in-hand.
A balanced dinner: For dinner, a salad with sliced almonds or pecans, baby shrimp, black beans and cheese is a good choice for adequate protein.
Strive for perfection
Forget fad dieting; cutting out carbs and loading up on proteins alone may help you drop the pounds, but it’s not helping you build a balanced diet. A little bit of everything in moderation is key. So, fill your plate with greens, add some protein and carbs on the side for good measure, and indulge in a bite or two of fat once in a while – your body will thank you for it.
Source: AskMen.com
