This is my fourth day with no sweets. I feel much more in control. I am not constantly thinking about finding something sweet to eat. Yesterday I did not get hungry or have cravings. I hope I am through the worst of it.
For a split second this morning I had a thought that went something like this, "Huh, I wish I could have just one piece of candy..." but there is no such thing as "just one," so the thought was fleeting and I went on about my day.
I have not been lifting weights. Since I started working with my triathlete coach I have been swimming, biking, or running 6 days a week, with a little core strength training thrown in for good measure. This morning on the way to work I committed to adding the strength training back in. I don't like the fact that I am getting soft, again. Strength training works, plain and simple.
A blog where we can discuss our goals regarding health, fitness, food and general wellness. This should be a fun space where we congratulate each other for a job well done, plan fitness activities to do together, and ask for extra support when we need it. Advice is good - but only when asked for! Feel free to post as much or as little as you like according to your own goals.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Sugar
Roberta. Remember how I used to finish the Christmas box of candy before noon? Well, in the last couple of years, I have had several streaks of a few weeks with no sugar at all. (Why, you might ask, not just one long streak? Too long a story.) Anyhow, I have found that the second day is only half as hard as the first day, and so on until in a week or two sugarless is a habit. And each new streak is easier to start, after just one cold turkey success of a month or so.
Hey--50 million Americans have quit smoking!
Onward and upward! Keep warm
Hey--50 million Americans have quit smoking!
Onward and upward! Keep warm
Sugar is my Nemesis
Sugar has a terrible grip on me and I am getting very frustrated with it.
I have noticed myself, over the last month, maybe two, eating more sweets. I am not having any problem avoiding wheat, so my sweets don't come in the form of cakes, cookies and pies. They come in the form of Hershey bars, hard candy, and ice cream.
I feel very good about every other aspect of my health care regime. I have a healthy diet, I exercise regularly, I get plenty of sleep, I drink a lot of water...and I eat candy. The sweets have got to stop.
When Jack and I were in Belgium we picked up a few boxes of locally made chocolates. Oh my, yes they are good. Yesterday morning there were two pieces left in one of the boxes. I ate them with my coffee. Delicious. But that was it. As soon as I popped them in my mouth I declared that that was that. No more sweets.
Then all day long all I thought about was sugar. It is an addiction. I know it is and it pisses me off. I barely made it through the day without going totally nuts.
Everything I read says that the exception to the rule about sugar is 85% cocoa dark chocolate, so I will allow myself up to one serving a day of that. Otherwise, sweets are off limits.
I need to do this. I need to stop eating sugar. It is the last piece of the puzzle that I need to put into place.
I just want to yell at the top of my lungs, HELP!!!!!! Why, oh why, does sugar have such a powerful grip? I guess I should be thankful that this is my only real addiction, but I want it gone and I want it gone now!!
By the way, I am not consuming any artificial sweeteners, so I feel good about that. I also don't sweeten any of my food with sugar. It might sound silly to say this, but all of the sugar I am eating comes in the form of sweets so I don't have to alter how I am cooking, shopping, etc... in order to avoid sugar. I just have to stop eating candy and ice cream. Should be easy enough. Should be...
I have noticed myself, over the last month, maybe two, eating more sweets. I am not having any problem avoiding wheat, so my sweets don't come in the form of cakes, cookies and pies. They come in the form of Hershey bars, hard candy, and ice cream.
I feel very good about every other aspect of my health care regime. I have a healthy diet, I exercise regularly, I get plenty of sleep, I drink a lot of water...and I eat candy. The sweets have got to stop.
When Jack and I were in Belgium we picked up a few boxes of locally made chocolates. Oh my, yes they are good. Yesterday morning there were two pieces left in one of the boxes. I ate them with my coffee. Delicious. But that was it. As soon as I popped them in my mouth I declared that that was that. No more sweets.
Then all day long all I thought about was sugar. It is an addiction. I know it is and it pisses me off. I barely made it through the day without going totally nuts.
Everything I read says that the exception to the rule about sugar is 85% cocoa dark chocolate, so I will allow myself up to one serving a day of that. Otherwise, sweets are off limits.
I need to do this. I need to stop eating sugar. It is the last piece of the puzzle that I need to put into place.
I just want to yell at the top of my lungs, HELP!!!!!! Why, oh why, does sugar have such a powerful grip? I guess I should be thankful that this is my only real addiction, but I want it gone and I want it gone now!!
By the way, I am not consuming any artificial sweeteners, so I feel good about that. I also don't sweeten any of my food with sugar. It might sound silly to say this, but all of the sugar I am eating comes in the form of sweets so I don't have to alter how I am cooking, shopping, etc... in order to avoid sugar. I just have to stop eating candy and ice cream. Should be easy enough. Should be...
Monday, February 10, 2014
On the road again! (can't wait to be back on the road again!)
The last few months have been interesting from an exercise point-of-view; running on the treadmill at the local 24-Hour Fitness. I get there at 5:15 with the same old crowd most mornings, and run continuously at a 5.4 to 6 mph pace. It's interesting, because when I was previously running on the road, I just couldn't go for more than a few minutes before having to walk. Having a speedometer in front of me helped me keep a pace, and the heart-rate monitor helped as well, so in the gym I can easily run for an hour.
This morning it was a balmy 54 degrees, and was hardly raining at all, so I decided to get back out on the road. Put the headlamp on, put on my fast running shoes, and ran the 10K Moraga Way loop. Beat my previous best time by about 13 minutes; and Strava says I did my personal best 1 mile, 2 mile, 5k and 10k times -- the 5k in under half an hour, and the 10k in 1 hour 6 minutes. There are some big hills on this route, too!
Unfortunately, the "fast shoes" were super hard on my feet; big blister on the ball of me left foot and lots of blood on the toes of the right one...don't know if it's the harder shoes or the harder ground. Going back to the clunky Columbia shoes next time!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!
Jack and I came home to about 8 inches of snow on the ground after being in Europe for 11 days. I guess I know what my exercise will be today. There is no sign of a thaw coming any time soon and we are due for more snow tomorrow, so I guess we are getting the snow shovels out. I also have a swim scheduled for today.
The trip to Europe was great!! I learned a lot about the remote control industry and our product, since there was often nothing to do while sitting at our booth other than read our catalog and ask questions. At first, the competition seemed a little overwhelming, but as I spent more time wandering around section 7A of the Toy Fair and came to realize that practically all of our competitors in the world (except for really cheap Chinese knock offs) were in the room, I began to get a handle on where we stand in the world of electronic speed controls. As it turns out, we are in a pretty good position.
While we were in Nuremberg we spent most of our time either at the Toy Fair or at meetings/meals involved with work. Jack got to spend a lot more time wandering around than I did, but even with all the work I got to get out and about a bit. We spent one afternoon doing a walking tour of the coliseum and the Nazi Party rally grounds, which was quite interesting. Our hotel was a small guest house in a little town about 30 minutes from Nuremberg, so we got to get a taste of rural Germany while we were there. On our way to Belgium we stopped for a couple of hours in Rothenburg, beautiful and charming!! The last few days of our trip were in Belgium, first in a small town close to Antwerp, to visit a distributor and then we had a couple days of vacation which we spent in Brugge. All in all, it was a great trip but, as always, it's good to be home.
Not surprisingly, I gained a few pounds while we were gone. Late meals, a few too many beers and glasses of wine, Belgian chocolates, not enough sleep, and too little exercise all added up. I will be getting back into my program today. I am glad for that!! At least I can still get my jeans on (barely)!!
The trip to Europe was great!! I learned a lot about the remote control industry and our product, since there was often nothing to do while sitting at our booth other than read our catalog and ask questions. At first, the competition seemed a little overwhelming, but as I spent more time wandering around section 7A of the Toy Fair and came to realize that practically all of our competitors in the world (except for really cheap Chinese knock offs) were in the room, I began to get a handle on where we stand in the world of electronic speed controls. As it turns out, we are in a pretty good position.
While we were in Nuremberg we spent most of our time either at the Toy Fair or at meetings/meals involved with work. Jack got to spend a lot more time wandering around than I did, but even with all the work I got to get out and about a bit. We spent one afternoon doing a walking tour of the coliseum and the Nazi Party rally grounds, which was quite interesting. Our hotel was a small guest house in a little town about 30 minutes from Nuremberg, so we got to get a taste of rural Germany while we were there. On our way to Belgium we stopped for a couple of hours in Rothenburg, beautiful and charming!! The last few days of our trip were in Belgium, first in a small town close to Antwerp, to visit a distributor and then we had a couple days of vacation which we spent in Brugge. All in all, it was a great trip but, as always, it's good to be home.
Not surprisingly, I gained a few pounds while we were gone. Late meals, a few too many beers and glasses of wine, Belgian chocolates, not enough sleep, and too little exercise all added up. I will be getting back into my program today. I am glad for that!! At least I can still get my jeans on (barely)!!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Kind of exciting
A few weeks ago we went down to San Diego to visit Millie and play cards. The next day I seemed to weigh too much, so I decided on some new eating rules: reasonable meals and no eating between meals. (Sugar and wheat and other fast carbs have been out for a while.) As a crutch for the first few days I used self hypnosis. It works for me.
Now the exciting part: after the first couple of days the new rules were dead easy--instant habit! I have not had a thing to eat, except at meals, for weeks, and it isn't a big deal. Almost like quitting cigarettes only faster. I am not trying to sell self hypnosis, but I do think that if a popcorn, chocolate, and nut eater can watch the Australian open with no snacks, the habit might be there for the forming for anybody.
Just saying.
Keep warm
Now the exciting part: after the first couple of days the new rules were dead easy--instant habit! I have not had a thing to eat, except at meals, for weeks, and it isn't a big deal. Almost like quitting cigarettes only faster. I am not trying to sell self hypnosis, but I do think that if a popcorn, chocolate, and nut eater can watch the Australian open with no snacks, the habit might be there for the forming for anybody.
Just saying.
Keep warm
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Dull dull dull
Kay and I have the least exciting exercise routine in the family. The gym is invariably pleasant,stress on invariably, and whacking the tennis ball is fun, and it adds up to 30 minutes some days and 90 minutes other days and nothing to talk about. We will enter times again if something changes.
So...it sounds like your new diet ideas, Roberta, are approaching George's old (and current, as far as I know) diet: meat and dairy and green stuff, no fast carbs, and damn few slow carbs,including fruit. Easy for me except for root veggies and fruit. I do not doubt that I am maintaining my weight on fruit, but is there any other reason not to eat it?
Old thought for today: health habits are all about process! If results are obvious today, that's good, but it is not possible to DO results, and we can get pretty frustrated trying to. Sticking to a process or not is a success/failure thing and is never just frustrating. (I also have this new invention called the wheel, but I'm waiting for somebody to develop the axle before I bring it out.)
Keep warm
So...it sounds like your new diet ideas, Roberta, are approaching George's old (and current, as far as I know) diet: meat and dairy and green stuff, no fast carbs, and damn few slow carbs,including fruit. Easy for me except for root veggies and fruit. I do not doubt that I am maintaining my weight on fruit, but is there any other reason not to eat it?
Old thought for today: health habits are all about process! If results are obvious today, that's good, but it is not possible to DO results, and we can get pretty frustrated trying to. Sticking to a process or not is a success/failure thing and is never just frustrating. (I also have this new invention called the wheel, but I'm waiting for somebody to develop the axle before I bring it out.)
Keep warm
Monday, January 27, 2014
Feeling Better Today
Overall, I feel much better today. My neck is at about 95% and my left calf is just slightly tender. I opted for long walks Saturday and Sunday instead of my scheduled training to stretch out my calf, get a little exercise, be outdoors, and spend time with Jack rather than punishing my calf when it was still pretty painful. This morning I did my scheduled swim workout. All in all, I feel pretty good.
Jack and I leave for Germany tomorrow and will be gone for almost two weeks. I am sure we will have a gym at the hotel, so we will get some workouts in, though I know we will end up missing a few days, particularly on travel days. We will be in Nuremberg until Monday, attending the Toy Fair, then we will go to Belgium for a couple of days. On Wednesday morning of next week we will drop Jonathan off at the Frankfurt airport, then Jack and I will have a couple of days just to vacation. We plan on going on a little road trip and just letting the highway take us where it wants to take us. We are both looking forward to it.
I haven't blogged about Grain Brain lately, but I am still re-reading it. I become more convinced every day that the most important thing we can do with our diets is manage our blood sugar levels; which is effectively done by eating no wheat, very few sweet things, and plenty of healthy fats. I've been doing some research about cholesterol and its impact on heart disease and it seems that there are more and more studies supporting Perlmutter's claim that elevated LDLs are not the cause of hardening of the arteries. Hardening of the arteries occurs in high blood sugar environments, which causes LDLs and other proteins to become glycated, which is what causes the problems. It certainly makes one think about food a little differently.
I have to run. Work calls. Have a great day.
Jack and I leave for Germany tomorrow and will be gone for almost two weeks. I am sure we will have a gym at the hotel, so we will get some workouts in, though I know we will end up missing a few days, particularly on travel days. We will be in Nuremberg until Monday, attending the Toy Fair, then we will go to Belgium for a couple of days. On Wednesday morning of next week we will drop Jonathan off at the Frankfurt airport, then Jack and I will have a couple of days just to vacation. We plan on going on a little road trip and just letting the highway take us where it wants to take us. We are both looking forward to it.
I haven't blogged about Grain Brain lately, but I am still re-reading it. I become more convinced every day that the most important thing we can do with our diets is manage our blood sugar levels; which is effectively done by eating no wheat, very few sweet things, and plenty of healthy fats. I've been doing some research about cholesterol and its impact on heart disease and it seems that there are more and more studies supporting Perlmutter's claim that elevated LDLs are not the cause of hardening of the arteries. Hardening of the arteries occurs in high blood sugar environments, which causes LDLs and other proteins to become glycated, which is what causes the problems. It certainly makes one think about food a little differently.
I have to run. Work calls. Have a great day.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Muscle Problems
First my neck, now my left calf. On Tuesday, after a good workout on my indoor bicycle trainer, I was standing at the kitchen sink and my neck seized up. I went from perfectly fine to having an immobilized neck in a flash. The pain was incredible. I could barely move my head. Jack massaged my neck for the next few nights and I applied a hot pad the second and third night, and it seemed fine. After two days off from exercise I hit it hard again at my Big Spin class. After about 70 minutes of spinning we headed to the pool. I was fine until the very end when we had a 4 person relay. When it was my turn to swim and I pushed off the wall, my left calf seized up in a massive cramp. I swam the lap with my leg dragging behind me. It relaxed slightly before my next leg of the relay so that I could swim, but the calf is still painful. I am guessing that I must have some sort of electrolyte imbalance or something. I had a physical a couple of weeks ago and all of my blood work looked fine. I may not be drinking enough water. I am going to focus on drinking water, eating a variety of veggies, stretching, and trying to get this cramp worked out. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Good Birthday week
I had a great birthday week fitness wise -- getting the gym 4 out of 5 weekdays, and having a nice walk around the lake on the weekend with the whole family. Lafayette is stunningly beautiful, it's great to take advantage of it.
This week I've run a full hour at 5.4 mph or so, that's the fastest I can go and keep my heart rate under 145-or-so, about 85% of the "maximum" for a 54 (now) year old. At the end of the hour, I feel really good; not wobbly or anything, just strong and ready to attack the rest of the day!
Thad
Monday, January 20, 2014
Winter in palm springs
Another perfect day. It really never gets old. I am about convinced that when it is practical the two residence life is best. I am not too sure of Sequim in the long run but Palm Springs winter is a no brainer. We had a great visit with Millie Bee and extended family last week. Pete and Ruth and Patrick and I played bridge and drank smoothies and generally enjoyed a day.
Kay and I are actually improving in tennis. (No scoring, just bang the ball around). Play is nearly continuous, so we are counting it as exercise. We still get to the gym most every day as well. We had a letter today from a 98 year old friend who said he thinks the gym machines are what is keeping him going. Somewhat inspiring.
Keep warm!
Kay and I are actually improving in tennis. (No scoring, just bang the ball around). Play is nearly continuous, so we are counting it as exercise. We still get to the gym most every day as well. We had a letter today from a 98 year old friend who said he thinks the gym machines are what is keeping him going. Somewhat inspiring.
Keep warm!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Off to Australia / Running in the Heat / Detox
Well, I'm off to Melbourne today! Going to see the tennis tournament and tour the area. Wonderful!
Also, it's been HOT there. Like 107 hot. It's supposed to cool down which will be good for my exercise plan (running) when I'm there. We've been having a mini-heat wave here in Berkeley (77 yesterday), and the gym was even hotter upstairs where the StairMaster machines are. I noticed that my heart rate was about 15 bpm higher when it's warm. Normally I hit about 140 as my max. Yesterday I hit 162. Had to take it easy after that for sure!
I'll have limited internet access and no phone, but I'll check my emails from to time. Back on the 28th!
I'm on day 11 of the detox...not sure about keeping it up on vacation, but I'll try to make good choices.
Also, it's been HOT there. Like 107 hot. It's supposed to cool down which will be good for my exercise plan (running) when I'm there. We've been having a mini-heat wave here in Berkeley (77 yesterday), and the gym was even hotter upstairs where the StairMaster machines are. I noticed that my heart rate was about 15 bpm higher when it's warm. Normally I hit about 140 as my max. Yesterday I hit 162. Had to take it easy after that for sure!
I'll have limited internet access and no phone, but I'll check my emails from to time. Back on the 28th!
I'm on day 11 of the detox...not sure about keeping it up on vacation, but I'll try to make good choices.
Bowling; Not so Serious Business, but Still Fun!!
Wednesday night is our league bowling night. I'm not very good, my average is a 129, but I am getting better. Shortly before Christmas I got a new bowl and had it drilled as a fingertip ball that is designed to hook. It's so much more fun to throw this ball instead of a "straight ball." Slowly but surely I am getting comfortable with the new grip and getting consistent with throwing a hook. Last night I even picked up the 10 pin 3 out of 4 times. The hook completely changes how I pick up spares, but I am getting it figured out. It's all geometry, which has always been fun for me. My goal is to consistently bowl in the 150s. I think I'll get there by the end of the season!! We have a lot of fun on Wednesday nights!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Training for Triathlons; Serious Business
Last year at this time I was finishing up Stage 1 of my Get Fit For Life Initiative. After 11 months of dieting and exercising about 6 times a week I reached my goal weight of 150 pounds, after starting at 224 pounds. It was a momentous occassion.
I was nervous, though. I was I going to make this stick, this time around. Somewhere deep inside I knew that I was in a different place that I had ever been in before, I knew that this was a fitness for life goal, but still, I needed something a little more tangible than that. That is when Ruth suggested we do a triathlon together. So I added swimming and biking to my fitness routine, threw in a few bricks on weekends, and off we went to the races. As all of you know, I was able to complete that first tri, but I won't say I was very graceful about it. I achieved my goal, but it was rough.
Before we even finished that race, Ruth and I were talking about what my next goal should be. We got a little ambitious before the race and started talking about half ironmans. 3 hours and 42 minutes later I was cured of that notion. I knew there were no half ironmans anywhere in my near future. What I did decide to do was significantly improve my tri time. I decided that in 2014 I wanted to finish the same even in 3 hours and 15 minutes. That wouldn't get me winning my age group, but it would be me squarely in the middle of the 50+ women; and it would be a 27 minute improvement on my time.
During the fall, I continued to swim, bike and run on my own, but I knew I needed more. I still felt like I was in Stage 2. I started looking for a solution and found the KCTri Club. At first, when I joined the club, I got nothing out of it other than a jersey (it's pretty cool, but it is too small - I hope it fits by summer) and a 10% discount on running shoes. Just like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. So I started poking around the website and found a group that offers 12 weeks of coaching to newbie tri athletes for free. I also found the Big Spin classes.
I have been working with my coach since December 28th and my first Big Spin class was on January 2nd. My training has kicked up at least 4 notches and I can tell you that Stage 3 has officially begun! My swim, bike and run sessions are much more focused and I am working much harder than I was when I was working on my own. It is also much less likely that I will miss a workout. I am not strength training as much as I was last year, in fact, I don't think I am strength training enough. I need to work more weight lifting into my week. But I am starting to feel a difference in my body, due to the increased level of exercise. I am beginning to think I may just be able to achieve my goal of 3:15 next August. It's hard work, but it's kind of fun. In a weird sort of way.
I was nervous, though. I was I going to make this stick, this time around. Somewhere deep inside I knew that I was in a different place that I had ever been in before, I knew that this was a fitness for life goal, but still, I needed something a little more tangible than that. That is when Ruth suggested we do a triathlon together. So I added swimming and biking to my fitness routine, threw in a few bricks on weekends, and off we went to the races. As all of you know, I was able to complete that first tri, but I won't say I was very graceful about it. I achieved my goal, but it was rough.
Before we even finished that race, Ruth and I were talking about what my next goal should be. We got a little ambitious before the race and started talking about half ironmans. 3 hours and 42 minutes later I was cured of that notion. I knew there were no half ironmans anywhere in my near future. What I did decide to do was significantly improve my tri time. I decided that in 2014 I wanted to finish the same even in 3 hours and 15 minutes. That wouldn't get me winning my age group, but it would be me squarely in the middle of the 50+ women; and it would be a 27 minute improvement on my time.
During the fall, I continued to swim, bike and run on my own, but I knew I needed more. I still felt like I was in Stage 2. I started looking for a solution and found the KCTri Club. At first, when I joined the club, I got nothing out of it other than a jersey (it's pretty cool, but it is too small - I hope it fits by summer) and a 10% discount on running shoes. Just like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. So I started poking around the website and found a group that offers 12 weeks of coaching to newbie tri athletes for free. I also found the Big Spin classes.
I have been working with my coach since December 28th and my first Big Spin class was on January 2nd. My training has kicked up at least 4 notches and I can tell you that Stage 3 has officially begun! My swim, bike and run sessions are much more focused and I am working much harder than I was when I was working on my own. It is also much less likely that I will miss a workout. I am not strength training as much as I was last year, in fact, I don't think I am strength training enough. I need to work more weight lifting into my week. But I am starting to feel a difference in my body, due to the increased level of exercise. I am beginning to think I may just be able to achieve my goal of 3:15 next August. It's hard work, but it's kind of fun. In a weird sort of way.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Admin Status for All!!
I have given everyone that accepted the invitation to be an author on the blog admin status. This will make it much easier to edit your previous posts, track comments on posts, etc...
I found it quite frustrating when I could not do those things. So feel free to explore the different information available to you now that you have admin status.
If you have not yet accepted an invitation to post to the blog and you need a new invitation, let me know. The more posters we have, the better the blog will be.
See you later!
Roberta
I found it quite frustrating when I could not do those things. So feel free to explore the different information available to you now that you have admin status.
If you have not yet accepted an invitation to post to the blog and you need a new invitation, let me know. The more posters we have, the better the blog will be.
See you later!
Roberta
Brain Grain - 1st half of Chapter 3: "Attention, Carboholics and Fat Phobic; Surprising Truths About Your Brain's Real Enemies and Lovers."
Chapter 3 is pretty dense so I only made it half way through the Chapter yesterday, taking notes. In this Chapter Dr. Perlmutter talks more about how carbs affect the whole body, not just the brain. The following post contains my take-aways from the first half of Chapter 3.
Dr Perlmutter starts the chapter by mentioning the fact that he has had many patients make a single shift in their lifestyle; a change in their diet which encompassed eliminating gluten, reducing carbs, and adding fats; which relieved many ailments and symptoms such as:
One of Perlmutter's biggest concerns about Big-Food, Big-Pharma, and government involvement in telling us what is healthy to eat is that in the 21st century fat has been demonized and replaced by the concept of "healthy carbs." In this chapter, Perlmutter explains why this is an incredibly unhealthy trend. He explains how the body uses fats, both saturated and unsaturated, and why they are so important to our bodily functions. He points out that there is a big difference between naturally occurring fats and commercially modified fats and oils and, in general, claims that there is health risk to most commercially modified fats. He calls trans fats toxic. Good fats, on the other hand, are what our bodies thrive on and cholesterol is a good fat.
Dr. Perlmutter tells us that human dietary requirement for carbs is close to zero. He points out that way-back-when, our only real exposure to plentiful carbs would have been late summer and early fall, when fruits were getting ripe, and that exposure to plentiful carbs would have signaled our bodies to start producing fat to get through the winter. Now, our constant exposure to plentiful carbs does the same thing, and our bodies are busy storing fat year round.
Perlmutter claims that obesity has almost nothing to do with eating fats and that it is most closely linked to eating carbs. He states:
Vegetable oils tend to be high in Omega-6 and low in Omega-3. Vegetable oil represents the number one source of fat in the American diet. It is estimated that hunter-gatherers had a diet that had approximately a 1:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 oils. Today that ratio is 10-25: 1. The following is a list of common fats and their Omega-6 and Omega-3 content:
Other interesting fat facts: Higher cholesterol levels correlate to better memory function. Parkinson's is related to lower cholesterol levels. People with the lowest LDL levels have a 350% increase in their incidence of Parkinson's disease. This is because LDLs are a carrier protein that transports essential cholesterol to the brain. Perlmutter stresses over and over again that LDLs are not bad, what is bad is damaged (oxidized) LDLs.
Free radicals damage LDLs:
Perlmutter states that reviews of multiple studies fail to find a correlation between heart disease and high cholesterol. He quotes Dr. George Mann, a researcher involved in the Framingham Heart Study:
In fact, studies suggest that those with the highest total cholesterol have a lower mortality rate with lower incidences of cancer and infection than those with low cholesterol levels. In 2008 a study was published in the journal, Neurology, that showed that high levels of cholesterol were a protective factor against Lou Gehrig's disease.
In 2010, a publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discussed a study that examined 21 previous medical reports that covered over 340,000 subjects. It sited the observation that those with the highest consumption of saturated fats had a 19% decrease in the risk of heat disease. The article pointed out that there has been a publication bias regarding fat in our diets, towards publishing reports that tend to support the idea that fat is bad.
A subsequent report in the same journal quotes a panel of leading researchers in the field of nutrition from around the world:
Have a great day, everyone!!!!!!!!
Dr Perlmutter starts the chapter by mentioning the fact that he has had many patients make a single shift in their lifestyle; a change in their diet which encompassed eliminating gluten, reducing carbs, and adding fats; which relieved many ailments and symptoms such as:
- Lifting depression
- Relieving chronic fatigue
- Reversing type 2 diabetes
- Curing brain fog
- Relieving bi-polar disorder
"One of the most profitable businesses for food manufacturers is cereal. It's one of the only industries that can turn an inexpensive ingredient (i.e. processed grain) into a pricey commodity. The R&D department for General Mills, called the Institute of Cereal Technology and located in Minneapolis, is home to hundreds of scientists whose sole purpose is to design new and tasty cereals that can command a high price and last for a long time on the shelves."As a side bar: I will admit to being bent against Big-Food before I ever read Grain Brain or Wheat Belly, but the more I think about the fact that scientists (rather than cooks) are the ones that design how packaged foods taste, feel, and smell, the more anti-Big-Food I become.
One of Perlmutter's biggest concerns about Big-Food, Big-Pharma, and government involvement in telling us what is healthy to eat is that in the 21st century fat has been demonized and replaced by the concept of "healthy carbs." In this chapter, Perlmutter explains why this is an incredibly unhealthy trend. He explains how the body uses fats, both saturated and unsaturated, and why they are so important to our bodily functions. He points out that there is a big difference between naturally occurring fats and commercially modified fats and oils and, in general, claims that there is health risk to most commercially modified fats. He calls trans fats toxic. Good fats, on the other hand, are what our bodies thrive on and cholesterol is a good fat.
Dr. Perlmutter tells us that human dietary requirement for carbs is close to zero. He points out that way-back-when, our only real exposure to plentiful carbs would have been late summer and early fall, when fruits were getting ripe, and that exposure to plentiful carbs would have signaled our bodies to start producing fat to get through the winter. Now, our constant exposure to plentiful carbs does the same thing, and our bodies are busy storing fat year round.
Perlmutter claims that obesity has almost nothing to do with eating fats and that it is most closely linked to eating carbs. He states:
"Eating high-cholesterol foods has no impact on our cholesterol levels, and the alleged correlation between higher cholesterol and higher cardiac risk is an absolute fallacy."
"Fat - not carbohydrate - is the preferred fuel of human metabolism and has been for all of human evolution."In this chapter he begins to discuss the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats are the ones that are high in Omega 3s such as fish, olive oil, flax seed oil and walnut oil. He sites a study published in 2007 in the journal Neurology that looked at more than 8,000 participants who were 65 years old or older. The study followed them for up to 4 years. During the study, 280 participants developed some sort of dementia (most often, Alzheimer's). Researchers were looking for patterns in dietary habits that correlated with development of dementia. What they found was that those people that regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils were 60% less likely to develop dementia than those that did not consume such fats. They also found that those that regularly ate omega-6 rich oils - typical in the American diet - and not Omega-3 rich oils, were twice as likely to develop dementia as people that did not eat omega-6-rich oils. It was noted that the consumption of omega-3 oils counterbalanced the detrimental effect of omega-6 oils, and cautioned against eating omega-6 oils in the absence of omega-3s.
Vegetable oils tend to be high in Omega-6 and low in Omega-3. Vegetable oil represents the number one source of fat in the American diet. It is estimated that hunter-gatherers had a diet that had approximately a 1:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 oils. Today that ratio is 10-25: 1. The following is a list of common fats and their Omega-6 and Omega-3 content:
Canola Oil: 20% Omega-6; 9% Omega-3Other studies have supported the above findings. Diets low in fats result in a higher incidence of Alzheimer's and diets high in fats result in a lower incidence of Alzheimer's. But it is important to focus on Omega-3 rich fats. Omega-6 fats are pro-inflammatory. Wild and grass fed meats are higher in Omega-3s than grain feed meat.
Corn Oil: 54% Omega-6; 0% Omega-3
Cottonseed Oil: 60% Omega-6; 0% Omega-3
Fish Oil: 0% Omega-6; 100% Omega-3
Flax seed Oil: 14% Omega-6; 57% Omega-3
Peanut Oil: 32% Omega-6; 0% Omega-3
Safflower Oil: 75% Omega-6; 0% Omega-3
Sesame Oil: 72% Omega-6; 0% Omega-3
Soybean Oil: 51% Omega-6; 7% Omega-3
Sunflower Oil: 65% Omega-6; 0% Omega-3
Walnut Oil: 52% Omega-6; 10% Omega-3
Other interesting fat facts: Higher cholesterol levels correlate to better memory function. Parkinson's is related to lower cholesterol levels. People with the lowest LDL levels have a 350% increase in their incidence of Parkinson's disease. This is because LDLs are a carrier protein that transports essential cholesterol to the brain. Perlmutter stresses over and over again that LDLs are not bad, what is bad is damaged (oxidized) LDLs.
Free radicals damage LDLs:
- Making them less functional for carrying cholesterol.
- Allowing sugar to bind to them, accelerating oxidation - so that they can no longer enter the astrocyte, the cell charged with nourishing neurons.
- Oxidized LDLs are a key factor in atherosclurosis.
- LDLs become oxidized in a high sugar environment.
Perlmutter states that reviews of multiple studies fail to find a correlation between heart disease and high cholesterol. He quotes Dr. George Mann, a researcher involved in the Framingham Heart Study:
"The diet heart hypothesis that suggests that a high intake of fat or cholesteraol causes heart disease had been repeatedly shown to be wrong, and yet, for complicated reasons of pride, profit, and prejudice, the hypothesis continues to be exploited by scientists, fund-raising enterprise, food companies, and event governmental agencies. The public is being deceived by the greatest health scam of the century."
In fact, studies suggest that those with the highest total cholesterol have a lower mortality rate with lower incidences of cancer and infection than those with low cholesterol levels. In 2008 a study was published in the journal, Neurology, that showed that high levels of cholesterol were a protective factor against Lou Gehrig's disease.
In 2010, a publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discussed a study that examined 21 previous medical reports that covered over 340,000 subjects. It sited the observation that those with the highest consumption of saturated fats had a 19% decrease in the risk of heat disease. The article pointed out that there has been a publication bias regarding fat in our diets, towards publishing reports that tend to support the idea that fat is bad.
A subsequent report in the same journal quotes a panel of leading researchers in the field of nutrition from around the world:
"At present there is no clear relation of saturated fatty acid intake to these outcomes [of obesity, cardiovascular disease, incidence of cancer and osteoporosis]."The researchers went on to say that research should be directed at,
" biological interactions between insulin resistance, reflected by obesity and physical inactivity, and carbohydrate quality and quantity."And that is as far as I got with my notes. I will try to compile notes on the second half of chapter three this weekend. It's fair to say, in summary, that Dr. Perlmutter is trying to undo the years of exposure that we have had to the idea that "Good carbs," are good for us and fat is bad for us. The more I read, the more I am convinced that he is speaking the truth. Today I am getting a physical (the first in many years). It will be interesting to see what the doctor has to say.
Have a great day, everyone!!!!!!!!
Monday, January 13, 2014
I second that! Happy Birthday, Thad!
Wow.... 54! The great thing is you look younger and are a heck of a lot healthier than last year. Congratulations -- you are on a road that you will not be turning back from. Wonderful!
Monday Morning: Working on a Brain Grain Post - and I Forgot my Goggles This Morning
Good morning everyone!! I am working on my 3rd Grain Brain post, but I don't have time to get it done before work, so I hope to get it posted this evening.
This morning I had a swim workout scheduled so I got up early to head to the pool, but when I got there I realized I did not have my goggles. Since I was wearing contact lenses and had no way to store them, I couldn't swim without goggles. I ended up turning around and going home. I'll have to head back to the gym this evening to get my swim workout in.
Early yesterday morning I did a 1750 meter swim workout (scheduled for Saturday, but we got busy at home taking down the tree and I just didn't make it to the gym), and I did a spin workout last night. I am very excited about the fact that we bought some rubber floor tiles and a weight rack for our home "gym" yesterday and we got everything set up last night. I love it!! I need a couple of hooks for my bands. Once those are up the gym will be complete. I'll post a photo once it's all done.
Have a great week!!
Roberta
This morning I had a swim workout scheduled so I got up early to head to the pool, but when I got there I realized I did not have my goggles. Since I was wearing contact lenses and had no way to store them, I couldn't swim without goggles. I ended up turning around and going home. I'll have to head back to the gym this evening to get my swim workout in.
Early yesterday morning I did a 1750 meter swim workout (scheduled for Saturday, but we got busy at home taking down the tree and I just didn't make it to the gym), and I did a spin workout last night. I am very excited about the fact that we bought some rubber floor tiles and a weight rack for our home "gym" yesterday and we got everything set up last night. I love it!! I need a couple of hooks for my bands. Once those are up the gym will be complete. I'll post a photo once it's all done.
Have a great week!!
Roberta
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)