It is COLD in CT

I just had to share this with our Mod-Blog family. These cans are stored INSIDE at the bottom of our front stairs. Each is a diet soda, and each has EXPLODED in the last week, due to extreme cold (-5 degrees F to 20 degrees F) we have been experiencing. The explosions are surprisingly energetic, embedding ice globs onto and into walls up to 10 to 20 feet away.

Cue (1) people telling me to bring the soda upstairs, and (2) stories of people who know what cold REALLY is (I'm looking in your direction Mr. and Mrs. Bowhunter!)

Eating comfortably for $36 a Month

Nick and I have been having a little debate over whether it is hard to eat healthy when one is poor. I say that the poor have a hard time eating well, because they have to shop sales, eat at fast food, and are dependent oftentimes on the corner store instead of a farmer's market. Nick says it is merely a matter of priorities, and it is possible to eat well on little money if you make it a priority. So, I found this article to be an interesting addition to the debate. It discusses how to eat for about $0.33 per meal, by shopping smartly and choosing your foods carefully.

My own experience, and those of my family, still indicate it is hard for the average person of low means to eat well. But this article certainly makes the argument that it is possible, if you have the time and energy.

Every dieter has felt this way

From here.

One Year of Biking & Weight Loss

One year ago today, I started on a project. I had looked in the mirror and realized that my body was severely out of shape. I had noticed that I ran out of breath while climbing stairs, and that I was buying larger and larger clothes. I finally stepped onto a scale June 1, 2008 and saw that I weighed in at 285 lbs. That was far higher than I had ever weighed-in before. It was time for a change. I combined many different tricks from different weight-loss plans, bought a bicycle, and resolved to start anew. First thing, weigh every day. Second thing, write down my weight and everything I ate every day. My first bike ride was about 2 miles down by the river in Shelton.

So how did I do in that year? Not bad! A few changes worthy of note:
1. Weight Loss (77 lbs): June 1, 2008 - 285, June 1, 2009 - 208.
2. Clothing Sizes: June 1, 2008 - Size 48 waist, June 1, 2009 - size 38 waist
3. Miles Ridden: June 1, 2008 - 0 miles, June 1, 2009 - 437.69 miles ridden



What's next? Not sure, although the "diet" is not over. The plan is that this is not a "diet plan" but a lifestyle change. I am hoping to stay here as long as possible, or improve. My next goal is to hit 205 lbs. And to ride in an official (charity) ride for 20 miles or more, this year. We'll see how it goes from there.

Can diet heal cavities?

During the last year, I have been quite focussed on my diet, but really with an eye toward weight loss than larger nutritional issues. Of course, this means I am eating a LOT more vegetables and fruits, and have been feeling better. But it never occurred to me that diet could affect my dental health (with, of course, the exeption of more sugar meaning more cavities). But at least one doctor is claiming that a diet low in grains and high in calcium can reverse tooth decay.

In group 1, oatmeal prevented healing and encouraged new cavities, presumably due to its ability to prevent mineral absorption. In group 2, simply adding vitamin D to the diet caused most cavities to heal and fewer to form. The most striking effect was in group 3, the group eating a grain-free diet plus vitamin D, in which nearly all cavities healed and very few new cavities developed. Grains are the main source of phytic acid in the modern diet, although we can't rule out the possibility that grains were promoting tooth decay through another mechanism as well.

Dr. Mellanby was quick to point out that diet 3 was not low in carbohydrate or even sugar: "Although [diet 3] contained no bread, porridge or other cereals, it included a moderate amount of carbohydrates, for plenty of milk, jam, sugar, potatoes and vegetables were eaten by this group of children."

I am skeptical, but it seems like something worth looking into.

Key to diet is calorie reduction, not carbs or fat

A new study claims that despite the popularity of low carb diets like Atkins and low fat diets like Weight Watchers, the key to dieting is simply reducing calories not reducing the KIND of calories in your diet.

The main finding from the trial was that diets with varying emphases on carbohydrate, fat and protein levels all achieved clinically meaningful weight loss and maintenance of weight loss over a two-year period. "These results show that, as long as people follow a heart-healthy, reduced-calorie diet, there is more than one nutritional approach to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight," said Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., Director, NHLBI.

Another important finding was that participants who regularly attended counseling sessions lost more weight than those who didn't. Dieters who attended two thirds of sessions over two years lost about 22 pounds of weight as compared to the average weight loss of 9 pounds. "These findings suggest that continued contact with participants to help them achieve their goals may be more important than the macronutrient composition of their diets," said Sacks.

My experience with weight loss says this study simplifies things considerably. The key is not to find the one diet that works for everyone, but to find the one that works for you. Each body and mind are different. For some, it is key to be able to "cheat" every once in a while with a sugary snack (Advantage: Weight Watchers). For others, it is key to be able to feel full all time time (Advantage: Atkins). For stil others, it is key to be able to appear to be eating normally, so that others are not aware of the diet (Advantage: simple calorie restriction). My body reacts better with no sugar and reduced carbs. Find what works for you. Don't worry about what is hot now, or what worked for your buddy. And on't neglect exercise!

Mod-Blog friend writes a book

Kim Bensen is a friend of Mod-Blog, though you rarely would see her around here in the comments. I have known her since high school, and she employed CRChair for a while. Now she has written a book about her weight-loss journey with trips for others looking to get healthy.

Kim Bensen knows about weight loss. And weight gain. For years she was a successful entrepreneur, with her own advertising and marketing company, a loving husband, and four beautiful children. But Kim was morbidly obese, eating herself to death and falling off the dieting wagon over and over again. At her heaviest, she topped the scales at 347 pounds and could barely walk, tie her shoes, cross her legs or sit in a chair without fearing it would break. Finally, after struggling with diet after diet from childhood on, and hitting absolute rock bottom, she had had enough, and figured out how to stick to a diet plan once and for all. The result: she lost 212 pounds – fourteen dress sizes and 200 points of cholesterol – and has kept them off for five years!

The book not only has a good story, but has a strong spiritual foundation. It is worth a look, if you are in the market.

Drinking water to lose weight is a failure

A new study is out which suggests that drinking water to lose weight is ineffective, although eating foods with a high water content can help. Actually, the study measured waist sizes and not weight, but the two are usually comparable.

This matches my own experience. I have always drunk a lot more water than anyone else of my age/weight/height and it has not helped nor hindered my effort to lose or maintain weight. It can be useful in making you feel a bit more full when you are desperate for "something", but overall it just tends to make you have to pee a lot more often.

Fat does not always mean Unhealthy

I am working hard to lose weight and get into better shape, but I found this article on a new study on obesity to be very encouraging. It has found that fat does not necessarily mean unhealthy, and that with regular exercise overweight people can be more healthy than thin people who do not exercise.

Last week a report in The Archives of Internal Medicine compared weight and cardiovascular risk factors among a representative sample of more than 5,400 adults. The data suggest that half of overweight people and one-third of obese people are “metabolically healthy.” That means that despite their excess pounds, many overweight and obese adults have healthy levels of “good” cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and other risks for heart disease.

At the same time, about one out of four slim people — those who fall into the “healthy” weight range — actually have at least two cardiovascular risk factors typically associated with obesity, the study showed.

This, of course, does not let anyone off the hook. If you are severely overweight because you never get up off the couch, you are still living an unhealthy lifestyle. But it offers hope for those who are trying to lose weight, but never able to get down to the size 0 pushed by madison avenue. Regular exercise alone may make the difference between dying young, and living to see your great-grandchildren.

Another argument for low carb diets

Many years after the low carb diet craze kicked off by Dr. Atkins has diet down, I still find that keeping the number of carbs in my diet low has been key to my weight loss. And it turns out there is yet more evidence to back up this kind of eating plan.

9 DIfficult Truths about Weight Loss

It is no secret that I am trying to lose weight with a combination of better diet and more exercise (mostly in the form of biking). But any dieter will tell you that losing weight is never PURELY about eating less and exercising more. This article does a good job of summarizing some difficult truths about weight-loss, and some facts that may help you keep of the weight you have lost.

Hostess 100-Calorie Snack Cakes have come to Wal-Mart

They have come to Walmart
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

I know a lot of weight watchers who have been rooting for these to enter our market area. There was only one left when we reached there, and CRChair snapped it up.

Mod-Blog Friend Goes Into the Bagel Business

Kim is a good friend who lost 212 pounds on Weight Watchers, and now is on a quest to help others lose weight and/or get healthier. Head on over to KimBensen.Com or KimsLightBagels.Com for more details.