Health Habits

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Posts Tagged ‘obese’

What the Diet Gurus Won’t Tell You

November 12th, 2009

dietbooks2008

In under two months time, it’s going to be a brand New Year – 2010.

And a lot of you are going to make that most famous of New Years Resolutions.

I am going to lose weight.

And, most of you are going to fail…miserably.

Here’s why.

There are 3 Main Types of Weight Loss Plans

Eat Less Food
Eat Less of Specific Types of Food (most commonly Carbs or Fat)
Get More Exercise

And of course, most of the so-called “diet-experts” mix and match these three main plans to come up with their proprietary “miracle” weight loss program.

So, how come, year after year, millions of people:

Start a new diet
Quit that diet
Try another diet
Quit that diet
etc, etc, etc…

Don’t they have any will power?

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Of course, they have will power. Just as much as anybody else. Just as much as that skinny guy or gal that can’t quit smoking or gambling or watching too much reality tv.

Problem is, will power isn’t enough for most dieters.

Not when you consider the following list of factors that make dieting a can’t-win proposition for most people.

Health Habit’s List of Diet Killers

When dieters eat less food:

Their metabolism slows down
Specific brain chemicals increase appetite
Their “obesity” hormones join with those brain chemicals and appetite becomes an insatiable hunger
Neural pathways created by years of poor eating habits are abandoned (that’s good).
New (diet-friendly) neural pathways are created (once again – good)
Unfortunately, the old pathways are designed like super-highways while the new ones are more like bike trails. One bad meal and the old pathways come back online and the diet is broken.
Psychologically, the elimination of their standard diet results in feelings of loss & punishment.
Emotionally, dieters feel like they are being punished.
Socially, friends & family members often (unconsciously) try to sabotage the diet.

When dieters restrict food groups:

Metabolism may or may not slow down - metabolism is mainly affected by caloric intake and, to some extent, the amount of protein consumed.
The brain chemicals and hormones cry out for the restricted food.
Neural pathways are affected in the same way as above.
Psychologically, we see similar feelings of deprivation.
Same emotional response
Same social response amongst family members.
Amongst casual acquaintances, the social response can be even worse. In social situations (parties, restaurants) dieters who avoid carbs or fats can be perceived by others as being “difficult”
Low-fat dieters can suffer in a myriad number of ways. Impaired hormone production, damaged hair, skin & nails, alleriges, systemic inflammation, etc…
Low-carb dieters often suffer at first from the lack of readily available sugar as a fuel source. Over time, this problem resolves itself.
Unfortunately, the lack of fiber in the low-carb diet often doesn’t resolve itself. And we all know what a lack of fiber can do to a person’s bathroom habits.

When exercise is the sole weight loss method:

Exercise does all sorts of great things for your body – (improves mood, body image, strength, flexibility, general health, etc), but as the saying goes, you can’t out-train a bad diet. It is way too easy to eat 500 calories of delicious chocolate cake than it is to burn off 500 calories of body-fat.
And, to make things worse, studies have shown that exercise increases hunger.

And the problems get even worse for repeat dieters.

After numerous failed attempts at weight loss, these poor souls have created super-thick neural pathways dedicated exclusively to dietary failure.

They just don’t believe they can succeed.

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Seems pretty grim, doesn’t it?

So, what are we going to do?

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Here’s what I do for my clients.

Choose a diet/meal plan that keeps their metabolism humming along.
Choose a diet/meal plan that meshes well with their personality & their lifestyle
Create an exercise plan that boosts metabolism and makes them fitter, stronger & lighter.
Prepare them mentally and emotionally for the challenge that they face. Let them know that their hormones and neural pathways and brain chemicals want them to stay fat. But that with diet and various psychological tools, they can overcome their physiology.
Help them re-frame how they see their diet. Instead of eating for convenience, they’re eating for nutrition. Instead of missing out on ice cream, they’re upping their sex appeal. Instead of being normal, they’re becoming better – healthier, fitter, stronger, sexier.
Make them understand that this is a challenge that they can win. Others have faced the same challenge and have succeeded. I lend them my confidence. Every day I see people succeed & fail at weight loss. I have built some massive neural pathways when it comes to my belief in successful weight loss. I just need them to believe that I believe. Weird, but true.

So, come this January, what are you going to do?

Buy the latest bestselling diet book?

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I know that this post barely scratched the surface of a complex subject. And I am sure that I will be writing more about it in the coming months.

But, if you have any questions, feel free to comment or shoot me an email.

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

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The Failure of the Health/Fitness/Obesity Industry

October 20th, 2009

Aaaaarrrgggghhhhh……I am so frustrated.

Yesterday, I met with new client for the first time.

Over the past 30+ years, this woman has tried and failed to lose 20 pounds and get into “shape”

She has consulted with doctors and trainers and nutritionists and naturopaths.
She has bought books and magazines and dvds and subliminal audio programs.
She has starved herself of calories and fat and carbs.
She has run and jumped and stretched and lifted and sweated…a lot.
She has taken thousands of pills and potions.
She has rubbed on various creams and lotions.

In short, she has done just about everything that every popular health/fitness/weight-loss expert has told her to do.

And yet, she has never really come close to achieving her health & fitness goals.

And she blames herself.

And so do the experts.

They told her that their program was guaranteed to work…but only if she followed their instructions with perfect compliance.

So, when the program failed, it was because she broke the rules. It was her fault.

What a load of B.S.

They are supposed to be the experts.
They promise a solution.
She pays them large amounts of money for that solution.
And yet they take no responsibility for their part in the process

The nutritionist/dietitian gave her a meal plan, but never told her how to cope with the cravings and hunger pangs that came along with it.

The trainer billed her $120 per session but never taught her the hows and whys of an effective training program.

The weight loss doctor gave her a diet and some B12 injections and then yelled at her when she broke her 1000 calorie / no-carb diet.

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So, why is it that after 30+ years of listening to the experts and spending thousands and thousands of dollars, this woman is still fatter and weaker and less healthy than she wants to be?

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Is it all her fault?

Is it the fault of the experts?

A bit of both?

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And, is there a better way?

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Vinegar is a Fat-Burning, Waist Shrinking, Cholesterol Lowering Superfood

October 15th, 2009

In yesterday’s post, I introduced you to a study which showed that plain ole’ vinegar is effective in suppressing body fat accumulation.

More specifically, the researchers found that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 percent less) than other mice.

I was so excited by this low-tech, inexpensive weight loss trick that I contacted the author of the study.

And to my surprise, he emailed an even more recent study which looks at the fat-burning effects of vinegar on actual human beings….no more mice studies.

The Science

In this study, researchers investigated the effects of vinegar intake on the reduction of body-fat mass in obese Japanese students.

The 175 students were randomly assigned to three groups of similar body-weight, BMI and waist circumference.

During the 12 week study, the participants ingested 500ml daily of a beverage containing either 15 ml of apple vinegar (750 mg AcOH – acetic acid), 30 ml of vinegar (1500 mg AcOH) or 0 ml of vinegar (0 mg AcOH, placebo).

In place of vinegar, the placebo group ingested 1250 mg of lactate.

To make them more palatable, all beverages contained the equal amount of flavor and artificial sweetener.

The Results

After only 4 weeks, the vinegar-group participants saw their body-weight, BMI and body-fat percentages improve. These improvements continued in a dose dependent manner for the entire 12 weeks

Translation: more vinegar = more fat loss

In addition to BF, BMI and BF%, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, LDL cholesterol and serum TG (triglyceride) levels also fell (starting in week 8).

These results can be considered to be due to the body-fat loss because the VFA (visceral fat), SFA (subcutaneous fat) and TFA (total fat) values were significantly lower in the vinegar groups than in the placebo group.

Does the vinegar make these "diet" chips?

Conclusion

15 ml (0.5 oz or 1 tbsp) of vinegar per day is enough to significantly improve your:

Body-Weight
BMI
Body-Fat Percentage
Waist Circumference
Waist-Hip ratio
LDL Cholesterol
Serum TG
Visceral Body-Fat, and
Subcutaneous Body-Fat

And considering that these health markers are associated with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome, perhaps it might be wise to consider adding a tbsp or two of vinegar to your daily diet.

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Fighting Fat With Vinegar

October 14th, 2009

Your Grandma was right.

It turns out that the acetic acid found in plain ole’ vinegar is effective in suppressing body fat accumulation.

The Science

Earlier this year, Japanese researchers found that laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet and given acetic acid developed significantly less body fat (up to 10 percent less) than other mice.

Based upon their findings, the scientists believe that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes. The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down fats, thus suppressing body fat accumulation in the body.

link to the study

Conclusion

Vinegar is cheap, harmless and versatile in the kitchen.

It may also help you metabolize sugars more efficiently, lower blood pressure and lose weight.

What do you have to lose?

Links to more vinegary/weight loss research

Journal of Agricultural Food & Chemistry - A study showing the fat-burning benefits of vinegar
Agricultural and Biological Chemistry – Vinegar controls insulin response to carbs
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition – Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects
Medscape General Medicine – Vinegar: Medicinal Uses and Antiglycemic Effect

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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?

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Can America's Food Producers Save Us From Obesity?

October 7th, 2009

30 of America’s biggest food producers have come together to form the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation.

It’s kind of like the Justice League of America, but instead of fighting comic book super villains, the HWCF is fighting against obesity.

Their plan is to do this by “helping consumers lead healthier lives by making energy balance – calories in balanced with calories out – a daily habit”.

We will do this by increasing access and opportunities for physical activity, healthier nutrition options and raising awareness of the energy balance approach…

…in the marketplace….

…participating companies are committing to build on existing efforts and will be making changes to their products, packaging and labeling to make it easier for consumers to manage their calorie intake while preserving or enhancing overall nutrition quality.

Specific options companies may undertake include:

product reformulation and innovation;

providing smaller portions;

redesigning packaging and labeling;

placing calorie information on the front of products;

providing consumers with information and educational materials;

and in-store promotion of the initiative.

…in the workplace…

…participating companies will undertake new or enhance existing programs to help employees achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

This may include:

providing calorie information and healthier food and beverage options in cafeterias,

vending machines and break rooms;

providing access to exercise at work through individual and group activities;

offering weight management programs;

and implementing tools to track progress, like health risk appraisals.

…and in schools…

…the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation will expand the successful Healthy Schools Partnership to additional schools around the country. The Healthy Schools Partnership integrates nutrition education and physical education through a school-based curriculum to help children develop lifelong positive healthy habits.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it.

Healthier food products
Improved and expanded nutrition information
and lots and lots of money being spent to help improve our fitness levels

So, how come I feel dirty.

Like I have just been lied to.

Hmmmm, it seems like my Spidey-Sense is tingling.

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Fatwashing is the new Greenwashing

October 5th, 2009

Frank Lampard and Thierry Henry are the celebrity faces of a new anti-obesity ad campaign being launched by Pepsi.

Anti-obesity & Pepsi?

That’s an odd combination

I always thought that soda helped to cause obesity.

But, if Pepsi wants to help me lose weight and get fit, then they must be one of the good guys…and therefore, I must drink more Pepsi

MUST DRINK PEPSI….MUST DRINK PEPSI….MUST DRINK PEPSI….

Nooooooo!!!!!!!

Help….I’ve think I have just been fatwashed by Pepsi

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Fit Kids Need Playgrounds

October 1st, 2009

Fear of dangerous strangers is keeping our kids and teens from using their neighborhood playgrounds and parks.

Instead, they stay inside and play virtual table tennis on their Nintendo Wii.

It’s not the same thing.

Researchers in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta, looked at perceived opportunities and barriers to physical activity in an inner-city neighbourhood in Edmonton.

Study data revealed three themes that influenced youngsters’ opportunities for physical activity, with positive and negative factors for each.The first theme identified was “neighbourhood characteristics.”

Positive neighborhood characteristics include “walkable” neighborhoods with plenty of parks and playgrounds and nearby amenities.

Negative neighborhood characteristics include perceived “stranger danger” fears related to drug users, bullies, prostitutes, gang members and fear of abduction deterred children and youth from visiting these places.

The second theme was “family involvement.”

Researchers found that while children and youth were rarely allowed out alone, involvement by a family member, for example, accompanying them to a park to play, increased their engagement in physical activity.

The third theme was the “availability of adult-supervised programs.”

On the positive side, we have neighborhoods with a large variety of programs offered by dedicated, hard-working staff and volunteers.

Conversely, neighborhoods with minimal resources; poor staff and volunteer recruitment and retention, and little public knowledge of program availability suffered badly. Even when kids did sign up for available programs, there was a high dropout rate.

Conclusion

If we want our kids to grow up fit and strong and healthy, we need to:

Take back our neighborhood parks & playgrounds (easier said than done)
Get involved with our kids’ lives…not just drop them off at the rec center
Push our governments for more public fitness programs

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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.

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In Defense of Farmers

September 28th, 2009

photographer: Alia Malley

In my hometown of Toronto, Michael Pollan is a hipster gOD.

His mantra to Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. is spoken with reverence by those Torontonians with a social conscience and enough disposable income to live organic, green and sustainable.

And it isn’t only Toronto. From what I have heard, this new breed of Agri-Intellectuals can be found in every city in North America and beyond.

In fact, according to the most recent census data, Agri-Intellectuals are America’s fastest growing ethnic population.

And that’s great for Michael Pollan’s book sales.

But, not so great for conventional farmers.

And they’re starting to get a little pissed off.

This past July, farmer Blake Hurst penned this article.

In the article, Mr Hurst disputes a number of the anti-Big Ag arguments raised by Michael Pollan and other Agri-Intellectual deities.

He reminds us that “farming has always been messy and painful, and bloody and dirty. It still is. This is something the critics of industrial farming never seem to understand”.

He goes on to say that “farmers have reasons for their actions, and society should listen to them as we embark upon this reappraisal of our agricultural system.

“I use chemicals and diesel fuel to accomplish the tasks my grandfather used to do with sweat, and I use a computer instead of a lined notebook and a pencil, but I’m still farming the same land he did 80 years ago, and the fund of knowledge that our family has accumulated about our small part of Missouri is valuable”.

And everything I know and I have learned tells me this: we have to farm “industrially” to feed the world, and by using those “industrial” tools sensibly, we can accomplish that task and leave my grandchildren a prosperous and productive farm, while protecting the land, water, and air around us”.

Please note that this is only a small portion of the article. Please read the rest.

And when you do read the article, keep in mind that way back in 1995, farmer Hurst asked congress to end crop subsidies. At that time, Hurst was quoted as saying that “government farm programs have fleeced taxpayers and stifled farmers’ ingenuity and profits”.

This is not a man content to sit back and let the government nor the Agri-Intellectuals tell him how to do his job.

And he’s not alone.

Last Thursday, Michael Pollan was invited to speak about his book, In Defense of Food to an audience of 8000 at the U of Wisconsin.

Michael Pollan at the U of Wisconsin – Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Luckily, it was all very…civilized.

Dammit.

(media hates civilized protests)

On Friday, the protest continued when the U of W held a panel discussion involving Pollan, a U of W student and two farmers.

I can’t find any video of the event, but according to this review of the panel discussion, the U of W student took the position of Big Ag and went right at Pollan.

She covered the typical Big Ag talking points:

America has the safest, most abundant food supply in the world.
Global food production needs to double by 2050 if we are going to feed everyone.
She said that 99% of Wisconsin’s farmers are family farmers.
And she called Pollan “polarizing”

Pollan responded by:

commending one of the farmers on his innovations and said that he would love to come and visit his farm.
saying that he doesn’t think the world should have only one type of farming. He used the phrase “Let a hundred flowers bloom,” meaning: the more diversity in farming, the better. Let’s try everything and only through that will we see what works best.
Pollan went on to say that critique is not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s not necessarily an attack. He said that he’s critiquing the system, not the farmers, and he made the analogy that in our national critique of the health care system, we aren’t criticizing the doctors.
He said that in fact, much of his critique is directed at the people who buy the food from the farmers and process it before selling it to the consumer.
He also said that the interests of agribusiness is often at odds with the interest of farmers. In fact, agribusiness exploits farmers and squeezes them off the land.

Conclusion

North American food production is becoming an even more important topic as we attempt to climb out of the global recession and hope to reverse current trends in obesity and healthcare.

Now if only the policymakers can act half as civilized as Michael Pollan & the folks from In Defense of Farmers.

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Health Habits

Posts Tagged ‘obese’

What the Diet Gurus Won’t Tell You

There are 3 Main Types of Weight Loss Plans

Health Habit’s List of Diet Killers

Related Posts

The Failure of the Health/Fitness/Obesity Industry

Related Posts

Vinegar is a Fat-Burning, Waist Shrinking, Cholesterol Lowering Superfood

Related Posts

Fighting Fat With Vinegar

Related Posts

Drink more soda…it's good for you

$158,004

Related Posts

Can America's Food Producers Save Us From Obesity?

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Fatwashing is the new Greenwashing

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Fit Kids Need Playgrounds

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Doctors Ignore Obesity

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In Defense of Farmers

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