Yes, it’s time--again

As an adult, I've lost a lot of weight--20 lbs. in 1960, 20 lbs. in 1982, 10 lbs. in 1987, 20 lbs. in 1993, 10 lbs. in 1998,  20 lbs. in 2006-07 and 30 lbs. in 2015.  Plus some tune ups along the way. In Spring 2019 I was doing a little tune up because I’d gained back about 15 lbs.  Then our son became ill and I put another 15 pounds on with stress eating. So here we go again.

Diet information sometimes conflicts

A recent article in JAMA says weight gain, even in small increments, before age 55 can make you susceptible to chronic diseases, but then a new article in NEJM based on the famous Nurses’ Study (began about 40 years ago) reports that 12 years of modest diet changes (more veggies, less meat, etc.) can extend your life.  I had a bowl of blueberries for breakfast yesterday, but it was downhill after that. Potato chips for a snack, biscuits and gravy for supper, and so forth. I just love those Pillsbury Grands (frozen).  So much better than mine.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/improving-diet-quality-over-time-linked-with-reduced-risk-premature-death/

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/07/weight-gain-from-early-to-middle-adulthood-poses-risks/

Monday Memories--up and down the scale

I was looking at this photo of two years ago from a Conestoga trip to Blannerhasset Island (on the river between Ohio and West Virginia). I've lost 30 pounds since then; I've given away the shirt and can now zip the vest (couldn't then). Over my adult life I've lost about 130 pounds beginning in college, but usually 20 pounds here and there (1960, 1983, 1986, 1993, 2006), and this was the most I ever had to lose and the weight gain all happened in 2011-2012 and the weight loss in early 2015. So ladies, trust me, it's not over til it's over--it will creep back. My enforced leisure right now with Bob recuperating from surgery has me eating everything that doesn't have mold.

 About six years ago I read an editorial in JAMA that recommended more government control of my (and your) eating. 

"An effective public health approach to obesity prevention will require fundamental changes in the food supply and the social infrastructure. Changes of this nature depend on more stringent regulation of the food industry, agricultural policy informed by public health, and investments by government in the social environment to promote physical activity." 

Liberals say "stay out of the bedroom" to the government, but invite it into your kitchen and dinner table. I have two nephews, Caleb Poynter and Matthew Clark, who have made amazing changes to their bodies through careful healthy eating and body strength workouts. I don't think they relied on the government to do this. I think they could both do cooking videos and upload them on YouTube.

One of my blogs is about health, but increasingly, it does focus on weight and exercise. Mindful eating

Sugary Fatty Foods

are as addictive as heroin and cocaine.  Leptin.  Ghrelin.  Whole bunch of things controlling your appetite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_M6N2YvhK8

Or was it exposure to DDT?  Obesogens?

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/44278/title/Obesogens/

“The biological basis of obesity is further highlighted by the vigorous defense of weight following weight loss. There are at least 10 circulating hormones that modulate hunger. Of these, only one has been confirmed as a hunger-inducing hormone (ghrelin), and it is made and released by the stomach. In contrast, nine hormones suppress hunger, including CCK, PYY, GLP-1, oxyntomodulin, and uroguanylin from the small bowel; leptin from fat cells; and insulin, amylin, and pancreatic polypeptide from the pancreas.

After weight loss, regardless of the diet employed, there are changes in circulating hormones involved in the regulation of body weight. Ghrelin levels tend to increase and levels of multiple appetite-suppressing hormones decrease. There is also a subjective increase in appetite. Researchers have shown that even after three years, these hormonal changes persist (NEJM, 365:1597-604, 2011; Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2:954-62, 2014). This explains why there is a high rate of weight regain after diet-induced weight loss.

Given that the physiological responses to weight loss predispose people to regain that weight, obesity must be considered a chronic disease. Data show that those who successfully maintain their weight after weight loss do so by remaining vigilant and constantly applying techniques to oppose weight regain. These techniques may involve strict diet and exercise practices and/or pharmacotherapy.”

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/44288/title/The-Changing-Face-of-Obesity/

Update on exercycle “trip”

When I started this on Dec. 26, 2014, I had a nice little program that did calculations and showed me photographs, although it began at the Atlantic Ocean.  I thought I’d never get through Virginia, then shortly after I left that state, the website lost its funding, so I’ve been on my own (which isn’t too hard since I only go 5-7 miles a day, 26-27 calories for each mile.  In December I said I would ride to Indianapolis to see my sister-in-law Jeanne who is always our fantastic hostess when we travel to Illinois, but I’d soon zipped right on past.  So now I’m at 1583 miles on October 28, 10 months later.  I passed 35 pounds sometime in July, but haven’t lost any more weight, probably it was all that bread, wine and dessert for menu del dia in Spain in September. So I’ve decided to continue on to see in-laws Rick and Kate in Huntington Beach, and  Debbie, of course, Greg and Kari and the twins, too, who must be about two now (Nov. 22). Only 670 more miles to go.

Beans, greens and onions—Joel Fuhrman

This morning I woke up too early to get up, so I turned on the TV and PBS was having its fund raiser.  The program was about weight maintenance, so I watched it.  Fuhrman talks about nutratarian eating which in my opinion is just vegan under another name because he didn’t mention eggs, dairy, fish or even fruit (except he likes berries and some tomatoes).  But I noticed what he recommends is essentially what I’ve been doing since Christmas, but I have fruit and some meat, eggs, milk and yogurt.  He says you should eat very large helpings of these 3 things.  He’s REALLY excited about onions. So here’s his beans, greens and onions plan with large servings.

1. A large green salad - Along with other favorite salad veggies like romaine and tomatoes, be sure to include raw cruciferous vegetables and raw onions.
   • Cruciferous veggies can include shredded red cabbage, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts. Lightly steaming some cruciferous vegetables can better bring out their health properties. Cruciferous veggies activate detoxification enzymes in the body, block abnormal cell division that can lead to cancer, and interfere with growth of fat and help remove fat from the body.
   • Raw onions are rich in phytochemicals that fight disease and helps us maintain our weight. They contain flavonoids, quercitin, chromium, organosulfides, polyphenols, phytosterols, all super good for you! A massive European study showed a 50% to 85% reduction in all major cancers in those eating about a half cup of onions a day. Also favorable bacteria grows in our digestive tract from eating onions. And this favorable bacteria helps prevent diabetes and heart disease.
   • Don’t ignore the importance of choosing a tasty but healthy Salad Dressing. It is important to eat some oil with vegetables to facilitate the absorption of ’fat soluble’ nutrients. But remember that each tablespoon of oil contains about 100 calories! So experiment with nutrient dense oils that also contain anti-cancer properties. Blend up a dressing of seeds and nuts and avocados of which their oils will contain natural anti-cancer properties. Include the juice acids of oranges, lemons, limes and naturally flavored aged vinegars with your favorite herbs and spices.
2. Bowl of vegetable bean soup – Along with your favorite beans and spices, include mushrooms. Beans and mushrooms are both best eaten cooked. Make a big pot of a bean “Super Stew/Soup” on the weekend and eat all week! ( Here is one recipe that you can even freeze in dinner size containers for quicky meals)
   • Beans are high in fiber and high in slowly digestible starches. So beans keep you satisfied for hours. They also contain resistant starches, which are starches that do not get absorbed in the body. Dr. Fuhrman says ..”these starches allow the calories of beans to pass right through you and right into the toilet!”. He says beans are the food most correlated in multiple studies for life longevity. One study documented that for each two tablespoon of beans eaten death rates decreased by 8%!
   • Mushrooms are actually a Superfood! One study showed that just 10 grams, about the size of your thumb, can lower cancer rates by over 60%. And when you combine mushrooms with greens, breast cancer reduction was close to 90%. Mushrooms also normalize hormones and resist fat storage. Remember, just a little bit goes a long way!
3. A large serving of steamed green vegetables - Some vegetables release certain properties when raw and other properties when steamed. Have a large serving of a variety and mixture of steamed veggies such as steamed greens, asparagus, string beans, artichokes, snow pea pods etc. You can fill your tummy with as much as you want! No tiny diet portions here!

Fuhrman likes to use the term G-BOMBS to help you remember.  Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds

Penn Jillette’s 105 lb. weight loss

Penn Jillette (atheist, libertarian entertainer) was on Glenn Beck again last night, and I'd noticed his weight loss the last time, so I looked it up. 105 lbs. Even on 6'7" that shows.

“I was on six very powerful meds to bring the blood pressure down,” Jillette, 60, tells PEOPLE. “My doctor said I needed to get my weight down, and if I brought it down 30 or 40 lbs. it would be a little easier to control. And then he said something in passing that completely blew my mind – he said, ‘If you got down to 230, you probably wouldn’t need any of the meds.’ ”

I don't think I could follow his diet. http://greatideas.people.com/2015/04/08/penn-jillette-weight-loss-las-vegas-home/

His typical daily diet consists of an “enormous salad” with vinegar as dressing for lunch (he doesn’t usually eat breakfast) and a dinner consisting of 3 lbs. of greens and three servings of black or brown rice with a vegetable stew, along with lots of fruits for dessert (his favorite is “an enormous amount of blueberries with plain cocoa powder”) and vegetables with vinegar or Tabasco sauce as a snack.

Notice the cocoa powder? Good for cognitive function and weight loss.

T’aint funny McGee*

“If you’re old enough to remember radio, that’s a line from Fibber McGee and Molly.

Since Christmas, I’ve lost 9 pounds and have ridden my execycle about 90 miles.  I only do 3-5 miles a day and break it up into .5 or 1 mile events.  My leg feels better.  Maybe it’s my imagination, but I’ll take that.

Calories vs. exercise

My doctor always told me that calories really do count, and it’s virtually impossible to lose weight with just exercise.

Ready to jump off the calorie-counting bandwagon? Here's what to do instead:

• Instead of counting calories, eat smaller portions. It may seem like a basic concept, but it's easy to forget that bigger portions have more calories. Most of us gauge a serving as "the amount we're used to eating," a recent study found. That would be restaurant food -- where meals are served on platters, not plates. And the more we look at (and eat) huge portions of food, the more we see them as normal -- to the point of serving ourselves the same amounts at home. Unfortunately, studies show that when we're served more, we tend to eat it. When researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign served subjects bigger helpings, people ate up to 45% more food. One caveat: there's no reason to eat fewer vegetables; they're much less calorie dense than other foods (they contain fewer calories per gram). A cup of raw broccoli, for example, contains only 31 calories, while the same amount of chocolate ice cream boasts close to 285.
• Instead of counting calories, choose foods that use more calories. Some foods require more energy than others to digest and metabolize, says John Berardi, PhD, CSCS, president of Precision Nutrition, and author of The Metabolism Advantage. We call this the thermic effect of food, Aldana says. The difference is very small, he cautions, just a few calorie's difference, for example, to eat a slice of bread made from whole grains vs. one made from refined flour. (Refined flour digests easily, leaving you with the full 4 calories per gram, while whole grains use up part of their 4 calories per gram during the digestion process, he says.). For example, if a woman were to start eating only foods that take a lot of work to digest (high-fiber, protein foods) she might save about 12 to 15 calories per day, the same amount she could expend by walking for about four minutes. But for some people -- especially those stuck in sedentary jobs or crunched for time -- it just may be worth it. Besides, foods that take more work to digest, like those high in fiber, tend to be those that are better for you. And choosing the best nourishment for your body is a much healthier food focus than counting calories.
• Instead of counting calories, make sure you consume the right kind. Nearly one-quarter of Americans' calorie intake comes from sweets, desserts, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, research from the University of California, Berkeley notes. Another 5% comes from salty snacks and fruit-flavored drinks. Nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, contribute only 10% to the average American's calorie budget. "When it comes strictly to weight loss, a calorie is a calorie, Klein says. However, when it comes to your health, it's best not to blow your calorie budget on foods that lack nutrients. Nutrient-dense choices like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, while those lacking in nutrients, like candy, soft drinks and white bread can contribute to a whole host of health problems.

Walking and Weight Watchers eliminates 200 lbs and her diabetes

Airport employee sits for 10 years and reaches 370 lb. Starts walking the halls of the airport--loses 200 lb. and her diabetes. Plus she was an overweight child.

 http://www.kcci.com/news/she-walked-off-more-than-200-pounds-at-the-airport/29295568

Why 70% are obese or overweight in the U.S.—maybe

I kid you not.  This is a real diagram in a real research paper which attempts to explain the best method for measuring why if we eat more and move less (energy gap) we gain weight. At least I think that is what it is about. Time to get on the exercycle.

Energy Gap in the Aetiology of Body Weight Gain and Obesity: A Challenging Concept with a Complex Evaluation and Pitfalls

About that last 10 pounds

It's apparently good for you, ladies. But not more than that. Combine that with the 60 minutes a day exercise, and all the sunscreen you can slather on, and we're good to go! Today's WSJ in the side bar:

How a Little Fat Can Help
Some new research shows that being a little overweight doesn't increase health risks. And there may be some benefits. Recent findings include


1. Overweight people are no more likely than those of normal weight to die from cancer or cardiovascular disease.
2. During a 10-year time span, there was a reduced risk of dying for people in their 70s who were overweight compared to those of normal weight.
3. Doctors who study osteoporosis say a little extra weight may help strengthen bones.
4. As they age, women who are overweight often look younger than other women.
Why Carrying an Extra 10 Pounds Might Not Hurt - WSJ.com

There was also an article about sunscreen, something I rarely use. I think my last suntan was in 1985 in Hawaii, and my last burn was in college. I just hate to sit in the sun and sweat. I do like Oil of Olay sunscreen however--it's a great moisturizer, too.

Young ladies. Listen up and lighten up. Great-grandma was right! Protect your skin while in the garden, yard or at the beach. Otherwise you end up with wrinkled, blotchy brown leather. Take a Vitamin D supplement.

My plan isn't working

Snacks don't bother my husband. And he doesn't bother them. I can buy him a 3-stack box of Ritz Crackers and he will carefully eat maybe 5 of them a few times a week, carefully spread with peanut butter and no-sugar jelly. One box lasts and lasts. That is, unless I get the munchies. My weakness is salty, crunchy snacks, and since our trip to Ireland in September I've taken on a few pounds that just don't want to leave. So if I buy him snacks, I usually have him hide them. Except. If I purchase the individually wrapped crackers, then I tend to leave them alone.

But today I bought him an 8 pack of Lance Captain's Wafers, Grilled Cheese flavor. I had a late breakfast/lunch because I had a 10:30 doctor's appointment. So I was sort of grazing--recovering my strenth from being poked and hooked up to a machine wearing one of those barely there gowns and freezing to death. Hmmm. Comfort food. Wonder what a grilled cheese flavored cracker snack tastes like? So I opened one. My goodness, that was yummy! Who in the world spent hours in the food lab taste testing cheese flavors so it would taste just a bit like your mother's slightly charred grilled cheese on a cast iron skillet smeared with a little margarine or Crisco? Can I get that job?

Are they good for me? Not as bad as you might think, except for the fat and sodium. At least there's no cottonseed oil. Look at the ingredients.

Ingredients:
Enriched Wheat Flour (Containing Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following Vegetable Oils: Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Palm Oil, Soybean Oil), Dairy Whey, American and Cheddar Cheeses (Cultured Milk, Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Salt, Reduced Lactose Whey, Malt Syrup, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Butter, Buttermilk Powder, Nonfat Dry Milk, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Soy Lecithin, Cream, Artificial colors (Contains FD&C Yellow #5 and FD&C Yellow #6), Lactic Acid, Peanuts. CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY, PEANUTS. 200 calories, 90 from fat. But it does have calcium and iron and 4g of protein.

Lip smacking, snacking good! And I do feel so loved--nothing like something from the kitchen.

Small waist, heavy hips

We're not in great demand as movie stars or models, but I've never seen any medical studies attributing cardiovascular disease, psoriasis, breast cancer or Alzheimer's to my body shape (the classic pear). Yes, there's more bad belly news, according to the latest issue of Neurology. Large amounts of belly fat are associated with declining cognition. Just being over weight or obese nearly doubles the risk of dementia in old age, according to this study by Rachel Whitmer which looked at 6,583 who were middle age between 1964-1973. Central body fat increases the risk even more, and normal weight people with high belly fat have an elevated risk of dementia.

"What that tells you is the effect of the belly is over and above that of being overweight," Whitmer said. "One of the take-home messages is it's not just your weight but where you carry your weight in middle age that is a strong predictor of dementia."

But here's a bright spot: it's much easier to lose belly weight than those dimpled thighs or buttocks. So cut those calories and start exercising--it's the only way.

WaPo story which has been reprinted in most major newspapers.

There may be something different in this latest study, but this information also appeared 3 years in BMJ: Whitmer RA, Gunderson EP, Barrett-Connor E, Quesenberry CP Jr, Yaffe K. "Obesity in middle age and future risk of dementia: a 27 year longitudinal population based study." BMJ 2005;330:1360.

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Eating Out, Cheap and Trim

In yesterday's WSJ Suzanne Barlyn rated five restaurants for their calorie and fat accuracy so you might have an idea how to reduce a 2,000-3,000 calorie meal in a restaurant to a more reasonable 600-700 calorie one. Here's the article on-line, but Barlyn has also written some excellent stuff about budgeting and eating healthy which you can find here.

We have had a "Friday night date" for about 40 years, and when our children were young we used to go out to eat with them about twice a month, usually for breakfast after church either at Paul's Pantry or Friendly's in Grandview, or a week-night at Tommy's Pizza on Lane Ave. (We'd call ahead even for table service because our little guy was pretty active). Social engagements or business appointments might send us to restaurants another 2-3 times a month. I think we're below the six times a week eating out that I heard on the radio the other day. One thing the women's movement of the 1970s did was create the modern family's dependency on the restaurant culture--and our growing obesity problem.

My suggestions, which were not included in Barlyn's article since she was evaluating specific menus at Applebee's and Friday's, are:

1) Choose friends or a group you enjoy so that the conversation and socializing are more important than the food.

2) Begin at noon/lunch. If you're going out for dinner, don't go out for lunch, but if you have to because of invitations or business, scale it way back.

3) Eat a small, crisp sliced apple or drink a glass of water before you leave the house, especially if you expect a wait.

4) Park further away from the restaurant than you need to--don't take the place right in front. The extra exercise will do you good, and someone else will love you for doing that.

5) Order your favorite--if you are dieting or even just maintaining/watching--don't use a restaurant menu to punish yourself. You'll soon fall off the wagon if you try to drastically change your diet.

6) Order a to-go or take-out box WHEN YOU ORDER your meal.

7) When the meal is served, put 1/2 or 1/3 in the box and set the box out of view. I've only seen one restaurant meal in my adult life that didn't include a full day's allowance for calories, fat and sodium, and that didn't include dessert or drinks.

8) If you've ordered a salad, always ask for dressing on the side, but DO NOT pour it on your salad.

9) Dip your fork in the dressing, then stab the lettuce. You'll never notice the difference, and you might just be pleased to taste the greens and veggies (at least if they aren't fresh you'll know it!).

10) Pass on the drinks if you're watching calories or pennies, whether a diet soda or wine. You'll not only cut the calories, but it will make a huge difference in the bill and tip. Diet soda, I'm convinced, has contributed to our obesity problem.

11) Slow down, think about what you're chewing and tasting. Pause to reflect, enjoy the company, your friends, spouse, etc. You can probably burn a few calories just by discussing the Buckeyes, or the election, or your latest surgery.

12) Skip the items labeled low-fat, or low-carb--especially cheese or ice cream. They often don't taste good and can just create a hunger for real sugar, or real fat. Eat less and enjoy real food. Want Death-by-Chocolate? Split the real thing with 2 other diners. The first ingredient in a low-fat dressing is water. If you can't resist gobs of dressing on your salad, order the real stuff and mix in some water.

13) I personally like the "senior" option (although my favorite restaurant doesn't have it). The portions are smaller, although I don't think it is as thrifty or as low-cal as halving the regular portion and your husband eating it for lunch the next day.

My all time favorite meal at a favorite restaurant, Schmidt's in German Village

Bahama Mama Sandwich $6.95
A grilled link of their original Bahama Mama (very hot sausage) on a toasted New England Split Top bun.

If you order with a side of chunky applesauce, you can justify not taking 1/2 of it home

Now if you have some suggestions, maybe we can bump this up to 20?

Update on my walking goal

I really hate setting goals. Walking 2.5 miles a day for 100 days should not have been all that hard, but I only got in 167, according to my ticker. I'll try to get some in today and round it off at 170, throwing in a few steps for walking in parking lots, stores, and to and from the programs this summer. Maybe I forgot to update it? Maybe some days in the 90s it was too hot to walk? Maybe I stopped at too many yard sales to look at the books?



Here's my original plan.

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Friday morning from the lobby

of the Fountain Inn in beautiful downtown Lakeside, I'm working away at my other, other blog. Yesterday I read an interesting article about weight, hormones, age and activity level in Real Simple, July 2007. My friend Bev had left it at the cottage. So I've written down 20 tips from that article, and invite you over there to read them.

Last night's performance was a fabulous guitar ensemble--a teacher and 3 of his students. Really blew us away. We also had a pot luck dinner with other artists from our Rhein Center which is really booming. We attended the opening of the Lakeside Art show also yesterday afternoon. Really--a knock your socks off show. We bought #307 by Robert Moyer. It's not a happy palette but fabulous composition and watercolor technique. We usually buy art either for my birthday or our anniversary, or both. Also the Amish quilt show is this week--that's always a popular feature.

Time to head for the coffee shop, and then a looooong walk along the lakefront to burn off the effects of all the good food I've been exposed to this week.