Health Habits

improve your health, habit by habit

Archive for the ‘fat acceptance’ category

Losing Weight is Simple…but it ain’t easy

November 16th, 2009

I just about got my butt kicked at the gym this weekend…by a 50-something, morbidly obese woman with a fetish for unproductive cardio workouts.

Here’s what happened.

After finishing my workout, I was chatting with some other gym members about the best ways to lose weight, get fit, etc.

During the conversation, I made the unfortunate decision to proclaim that losing weight is simple, but not easy.

Bad move on my part. Little did I know that our conversation was being overheard by the aforementioned 50-something morbidly obese cardio junkie.

And after hearing my comment, she decided to join the conversation. Unfortunately, she pretty much went nuclear.

I couldn’t make out much of what she was saying due to all of the screaming and profanity, but I think the gist of it was that:

I didn’t know what I was talking about
She had “fat” genetics and her obesity wasn’t her fault
I was prejudiced against overweight people
and then the profanity started again.

The entire gym stopped…and watched.

Fun times.

Luckily for me, I was so blissed out on my post-workout endorphins, that this verbal onslaught had little effect on my good mood, and I was able to weather the storm. And, with the help of the other gym members, we calmed her down and she actually started to listen.

Over the next 20 minutes, we discussed a lot of the lies and half-truths surrounding weight loss.

I explained that successful weight loss is as simple as:

Choosing an effective nutrition program
Choosing an effective exercise program
Learning how to control destructive thoughts & emotions.

But, it is learning how to control those thoughts and emotions that makes successful weight loss nearly impossible for a lot of people.

Ergo…simple, but not easy.

.

And, believe it or not, 20 minutes after it all started, Ms. Angry Cardio Junkie and I were hugging it out…which was a little gross considering she had just finished 80 minutes of cardio.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Drink more soda…it's good for you

October 8th, 2009

Not everyone is happy with the anti-obesity/anti-soda ad produced by the NYC Dept of Health.

And it isn’t just the people who lost their lunches after seeing that globby/fatty/veiny cup of goo.

It’s groups like the Center for Consumer Freedom.

In fact, the CCF was so upset, that they produced their own rebuttal ad and had it printed in the New York Times

BTW, a full page ad in the Times costs upwards of $158,004.

$158,004

And we’re not even including the costs associated with creating the ad.

We’re talking big money.

BIG MONEY

And thinking about that big money awakened the skeptic in me. And that inner skeptic started thinking…who is the Center for Consumer Freedom and why are they spending a ton of money defending our freedoms against anti-cola advertisements?

So, I did a little research into the CCF.

My findings?

Apparently, there are a lot of people who don’t like the CCF.

To them, the CCF is nothing but a front group for the restaurant, alcohol and tobacco industries.

It runs media campaigns which oppose the efforts of scientists, doctors, health advocates, environmentalists and groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, calling them “the Nanny Culture — the growing fraternity of food cops, health care enforcers, anti-meat activists, and meddling bureaucrats who ‘know what’s best for you.’ ”

Over 40 percent of the group’s 2005 expenditure was paid to Rick Berman’s PR company, Berman & Co. for “management services. As part of its operations CCF runs a series of attack websites.

Sourcewatch

But, don’t take their word for it….Check out the “attack” websites

And, if that ain’t enough, watch this video…

Or listen to the man himself as Rick Berman is interviewed by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow…

So, what do you think?

Is Rick Berman…

standing up for your freedom against the American nanny state?
or is he spinning lies in order to promote the interests of his anonymous donors?

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Doctors Ignore Obesity

September 30th, 2009

Obesity costs America $147 billion each and every year.
It’s linked to cancer…
and diabetes…
and depression….
and generally ain’t that good for you

So, how come “many overweight patients are not being advised to lose weight, diet, or exercise”.

In fact, when it comes to medical intervention in cases of obesity, the numbers are as follows:

Having a doctor tell the patient about the health problems associated with being overweight (48.0%),
Suggesting diet and exercise (46.5%),
Referring the patient to a formal diet program (5.2%),
Prescribing a weight loss medication (4.0%),
Recommending a non-prescription weight loss product (1.8%),
Recommending stomach bypass surgery (1.5%).

I don’t know about you, but considering that obesity is fast becoming the western world’s #1 health issue, I think that the global medical community should be taking obesity prevention/treatment much more seriously.

I don’t know if it’s a lack of knowledge or the threat of discrimination lawsuits or the frustration of being ignored by obese patients over and over and over, but if we want to reverse the tide of obesity related disease, real steps need to be taken.

The time for talk is over.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Just in case America isn't fat enough…

September 21st, 2009

As the debate over President Obama’s healthcare proposal rages on, Taco Bell continues to give Americans exactly what they crave….melty, crunchy, spicy and heart attack inducing.

I especially love the tagline at the end…

Of course, I would change it just a little bit.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Recipe for a Fat Man

August 27th, 2009

Matt McClain - Rocky Mountain News

Reading the comments from my last two posts (here and here), I was struck by the very strong, yet very different opinions about the cause(s) of obesity.

Some people believe in ye olde Calories in vs Calories Out theory, while others believe in the power of insulin while others blame their DNA.

So, I raise the question….Is there a one size fits all cause / cure for obesity?

Or are there a whole bunch of factors coming together to create America’s obesity epidemic?

To aid in the discussion, I have put together a list of the factors that I think influence human obesity.

Feel free to comment/criticize or add to the list

Determinants of Obesity

.

Food

Quantity of food – Calories
Quantity of food – Volume

Type and Quality of food – Macronutrients – Carbs, Fat, Protein
Type and Quality of food – Micronutrients – Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, Phytochemicals, etc…
Type and Quality of food – Nutrient Density v.s Caloric Density

Origin of food – Soil, Air & Water Quality
Origin of food – Factory farms, fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, steroids, antibiotics, etc…
Origin of food – Nutrient depletion due to travel time, premature harvest, preserving chemicals, etc…
Origin of food – Additives – flavor enhancers (MSG), added color, added flavor, added moisture, etc…
Origin of food – Industrial processes driven solely by profit – (see melamine)

Convenience food vs Real food

Digestion of food
Absorbtion of food
When you eat your meals
How long between meals
How much you eat at different meals
What you eat at different times of the day

Your beliefs and emotions regarding food – food as pleasure, food as fuel
Dining habits – eat on the run vs sit down dinner

Your Body

Genetics
Epigenetics
Hormones – Insulin, Cortisol, Serotonin, Glucagon, etc
Your Brain
Hormone receptors
Your existing body-fat
Your thoughts, your unconscious mind
Medical conditions

Your Life

Emotions
Stress
Motivation
Income
Geography
Influence of family, friends & neighbors
Social stigma
Media, celebrity
Entertainment
Your job
Your bed

Physical Activity

Day to day activity (non-exercise)
How much exercise
Type of exercise
Workout nutrition
Workout recovery techniques – hydrotherapy, massage, soft tissue therapies
Injuries
Pain

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that influence obesity.

I didn’t even get into all of the bleeding edge obesity research.

The search for an obesity cure never ends. Just today, there were two new obesity discoveries (here and here). Tomorrow, there will probably be two more.

But for now, I think we have enough on our plate.

BTW, feel free to critique or add to the list.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Having trouble sticking to your diet?

July 21st, 2009

I know, it’s summer.

The weather is warm, the steaks are sizzling on the bbq, the beer is flowing and the last thing you want to think about is sticking to your diet.

If this sounds like you, read on…

.

According to a new study, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and obesity are on the rise in Canadians of all ages. (same goes for you non-Canadians)

It’s so bad that for the first time in 2 centuries, Canadians can expect to die earlier than their parents.

And why, you may ask are Canadians dropping like flys on a bug zapper?

Because they are fat.

The authors of the study found that hypertension and diabetes are increasing most in those who were obese or overweight.

“Projections suggest that the rising prevalence of obesity in the current generation of adolescents will increase the prevalence of coronary heart disease by 5 to 16% in 2035, and may for the first time in 2 centuries significantly reduce life expectancy in the 21st century,” state Dr. Douglas Lee of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

Obesity = Hypertension = Diabetes = Heart Disease = An Early Death

.

And just in case you still feel like reaching for another handful of nacho chips…

This couple loves to eat nachos & donuts & pizza & ice cream

This couple doesn't

Your choice

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Biggest Loser + Dancing with the Stars + Big Brother = Dance Your Ass Off

June 29th, 2009

Coming to a tv set near you…. twelve contestants weighing nearly 3,000 lbs…..with one common goal….. “to go from an eating machine to a dancing machine…. in Oxygen’s new dance/weight loss competition series Dance Your Ass Off, hosted by TONY Award®-winning actress Marissa Jaret Winokur“.

Marissa Jaret Winokur

Bringing dance and diet together, Dance Your Ass Off features talented, full-figured contestants who will have to lose to win.

Each contestant is paired with a professional dance partner who will train him or her for weekly stage performances — ranging from Hip Hop, to Ballroom and even Pole Dancing!

Then they shake and rattle their rolls in front of a live studio audience and a panel of expert judges.

The judges score the routines, and then the contestants weigh in to reveal their weekly weight loss. The dance score and the weight loss are combined for an overall score, which determines who is sent home each week.

….and the winner of the show gets $100,000

Of course, in addition to their professional dance partner, the contestants are provided with their own individual lofts, a doctor, nutritionist, fitness trainer, choreographer, costume designer, Photoshop expert and a “well-stocked common room that features an “eat” cabinet full of fruits and healthy snacks, and a “cheat” cabinet full of doughnuts, potato chips and candy bars.

So, here’s my question:

As the contestants “shake and rattle their rolls” towards health, fitness and $100,000, are we supposed to be laughing with them….

….or laughing at them?

hahahahahahahaha….white people dancing

Anyway, the show starts tonight on the Oxygen network.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Your brain on meditation

May 19th, 2009

Your brain on meditation

We all have stress in our lives.

Job stress, school stress, family stress, economic stress, the stress of your daily commute, etc…

And how we deal with that stress can have a huge impact on our health.

Some of us direct that stress outward.

While others turn it back onto ourselves.

Well, today’s post is for those self-flagellators who tend to beat themselves up with all of life’s little stresses.

According to a new study, with just 5 days of practice, test subjects learned how to perform IBMT ( integrated body-mind techniques) and were able to:

Reduce their levels of cortisol – the stress hormone
Improve blood flow and electrical activity in their brains
Improve their quality of breathing
Reduce their levels of anxiety
Reduce their levels of depression
Reduce their levels of anger
Reduce their levels of fatigue, and

“create a state of ah, much like in the morning opening your eyes, looking outside the grass and sunshine, you feel relaxed, calm and refresh without any stress”

.

So, what is IBMT?

IBMT is a combination of several body–mind techniques including:

body relaxation,
breath adjustment,
mental imagery, and
mindfulness training, accompanied with selected music background.

In the study, subjects followed an instructional compact disc with body posture adjustment, breathing practice, guided imagery, and mindfulness training accompanied by a music background.

The sessions lasted 20 minutes each day for 5 days.

20 minutes x 5 days?

Hmmmm

Where do I sign up?

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

For all of you super-geeks, here is a pdf copy of the complete study.

.

Future Trends in Global Obesity

April 13th, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, the OECD (Organisaton for Economic Co-operation and Development) released a working paper entitled:

The Obesity Epidemic: Analysis of Past and Projected Future Trends in Selected OECD Countries

In that paper, the OECD has brought together the most accurate data on the current state of obesity in its member countries.

For those of you interested in health, obesity and staring at pages and pages of graphs and charts, prepare to enjoy.

And for those of us who aren’t so graph-inclined, I have taken it upon myself to crunch the numbers for you.

And what I found most interesting was that there was an obvious difference in the obesity trends between one group of countries and a second group of countries.

Group #1

Group #1 consists of Australia, Canada, England and the United States.

I grouped these four countries together because they represent phase 1 of the globalization of the Western Diet.

The people of these countries were the first to:

Replace real food with junk food
Replace water with Coca Cola
Replace whole grains with Wonder bread
Replace walkable communities with SUV required suburbs

As a result of their early adoption of this lifestyle, their current and future levels of obesity are much different than the other countries surveyed by the OECD.

If you look at the graphs below, you will see that:

Group 1 countries can expect a substantial further increase in obesity.
Conversely, the percentage of simply overweight citizens should level off or even decline.

A closer look at the statistics from these countries shows that the “numbers of individuals in the lower sections of the overweight range have been decreasing sharply in these countries, while numbers of individuals in the upper section of the overweight range have been increasing.”

These changes are projected to broadly offset each other, leading to stable or slightly decreasing overweight rates.

So, what do all of these numbers mean?

It means that in these countries, the chubby population is disappearing. Overweight people are either getting fit and dropping back down into the healthy weight category, or graduating to full fledged obesity or even morbid obesity.

Maybe the animators at Pixar had it right?

Obesity Trends – Group #1

.

United States of America

Obesity trends - USA

Canada

Obesity trends - Canada

England

Obesity trends - England

Australia

Group #2

Unlike Group #1, the obesity rates for Group #2 countries are projected to grow at a relatively slow pace.

However, their overweight rates are expected to increase at a much faster pace…especially South Korea.

Why the difference?

Even though there is not enough data to conclusively prove it, the general assumption is that Group #2 countries are simply at an earlier stage in the progression of obesity caused by the Western Diet/Lifestyle.

They are simply becoming overweight as a precursor to their evolution into full blown obesity.

Obesity Trends – Group #2

.

France

Obesity trends - France

Italy

Obesity trends - Italy

Austria

Obesity trends - Austria

South Korea

Obesity trends - Korea

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates or Share this Post with the rest of the world.

.

Weight Loss or Fat Loss?

March 5th, 2009

Do you want to lose weight?…or do you want to lose fat?

There’s a big difference between the two.

If you want to lose WEIGHT:

Cut your calories as low as possible
Go on a high carb / low fat / low protein diet
Go on a fast – see Master Cleanse or Intermittent Fasting
Follow the Food Pyramid
Log hours and hours of cardio-vascular training
Go vegan
Follow the Skinny Bitch Diet
Follow the Pritikin Diet
Rely on Fat Burners to do the work for you
Food Combine
Follow the Flat Belly Diet
Become a Raw Foodist
Listen to Kevin Trudeau and his Weight Loss Cure
Go on a Cabbage Soup Diet or a Grapefruit Diet or a Rice Diet, or a Rhubarb Diet
Go Macrobiotic, or
Start popping Alli / Xenical

.

If you want to lose FAT:

Control your insulin
Make vegetables your primary source of carbohydrates
Eat more protein
Replace low intensity exercise with high intensity exercise
Take your fish oils
Get your mind & emotions under control
Eat like a Caveman
Don’t be so afraid of dietary fat, and finally
If you don’t believe you can melt away that body-fat, borrow some self-confidence from someone who believes in you. You can do it!

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Archive for the ‘fat acceptance’ category

Related Posts

$158,004

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Determinants of Obesity

Food

Your Body

Your Life

Physical Activity

Related Posts

Related Posts

.

Related Posts

.

Related Posts

Group #1

Obesity Trends – Group #1

United States of America

Obesity trends - USA

Canada

England

Australia

Group #2

Obesity Trends – Group #2

France

Italy

Austria

South Korea

.

Related Posts

.

Related Posts