A pretty tame photo of a woman eating chocolate compared to the stories the press ran on a fake nutrition study (reported as truth, of course!). Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and photostock.
Here’s how easy it is to fool the media: with a fake nutrition study about accelerating weight loss by eating chocolate every day.
You’d think science reporters would ask probing questions about how the study was created (research criteria, how many subjects, diversity of subjects, food tracking, controls in place, etc.). How about interviewing scientist not affiliated with the study for their opinions? Or at least a Google search to confirm that the Institute of Diet & Health actually existed.
Of course not.
This is what “fact-based” journalism looks like, my friends. Just reprint a press release, then add a sensational headline with a dash of erotic photos of women eating chocolate. Heh! I must have missed that class in Journalism School.Read More
I spent part of the morning weighing nuts before bagging them into single portions. Nuts are a great, healthy snack but be careful about overdoing it!
I’m busy coming up with quick, easy snacks for the hubby and me. This morning I spent some quality time weighing and bagging some of my favorite nuts – macadamia, walnuts and almonds.
Nuts are a great, healthy snack loaded with healthy fats and nutrients like Vitamins A, E and magnesium.
However it’s easy (too easy!) to devour large amounts without feeling full. Trust me, I’ve eaten jars of peanuts (not really a nut; it’s actually a legume!) in the past.
Lesson learned. Now I bag the nuts into single serving sizes – 1 ounce each.
I use to keep the nuts in a jar on the counter, easy access for a grab-n’-go snack (way too easy!). Now that little jar sits in my pantry. Yes, I still remember where the nuts are, but I’m more mindful before reaching for them. Read More
I’m up about 2 pounds thanks to a mental break on my part over the last 2-3 weeks.
As of Saturday I’m up 2 lbs. It could have been worse, but thanks to lots of course corrections this week, I think I cut off a potential disaster.
Since I started my 21-Day Primal Challenge (more on that in a later post), I enjoyed a few items I rarely eat with greater frequency. I’m not sure why, as the challenge cautions against doing such things. I think I simply had a mental break.
Being diligent 24/7 ain’t easy folks!
Guilty Pleasures
So what are my guilty pleasures? Dark chocolate, sweet potatoes and fruit…oh my!
Dark chocolate. The higher the cacao percent, the better. I ended up buying Ghiradelli Intense Dark (86%) Midnight Reverie squares. They were on sale at the grocery store and in individual serving sizes. Perfect! My thought was the bag would last a couple of months. WRONG! Try less than a week. Clearly I have issues. Read More
Memorial Day isn’t about great sales, sitting by the pool, or a three-day weekend. Today’s the day we remember those in the armed forces who’ve died serving our country.
So before getting too self-absorbed with sales or tossing burgers on the grill, take a minute and offer a small prayer, raise a glass, or simply give thanks to those who made the ultimate sacrifice (so that you can be self-absorbed). Or you can do what I’m doing: instead of shopping, I’m donating to the Wounded Warrior Project in honor of my dad, a Korean War vet.
A must read, The Big Fat Surprise is a gripping page turner. A true whodunit when it comes to our bad diet.
It’s said the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Turns out our current dietary road started much the same. Nina Teicholz’s thriller, The Big Fat Surprise, is a fascinating page-turner. It exposes how our country embraced a diet that was supposed to save us from heart-disease, but instead led to obesity, diabetes, and a host of other metabolic diseases.
Don’t be scared off by the book’s size (336 pages plus 62 pages of footnotes) — it is a gripping read that lays out a detailed history of how our nation’s nutrition went off the rails. That’s not to say there isn’t any science in the book. There is, and Teicholz makes it easy for the layperson to understand.
There are many moments in the book where you’ll want to bang your head against the wall and shout, “What the hell?!” Many times while reading, my husband heard me raging how we’ve been deceived — sometimes intentionally — by so-called “experts,” politicians, and nutritional busy bodies who swear they only want to help. Read More
We took on a big project this weekend — ripping out our old sod. There was a clear difference between me and the husband’s fitness levels.
Last weekend the hubby and I spent quality time together ripping apart our backyard. Thanks to our dogs, half of our lawn died. The other half succumbed to crabgrass. It was time for some old fashion, back-breaking DIY work — digging up the old sod and reseeding the lawn.
Initially my plan was simply to replace the brown spots with grass seed and deal with the crabgrass in the fall. It seemed manageable.
Well that wasn’t good enough for the hubby. Nope. He wanted to reseed the entire backyard.
“Since you’re more fit and healthy, it would be a snap for us,” he assured me.
Within 15 minutes of starting this expanded DIY project, I realized that “us” meant “me.”
All That Healthy Living Paid Off
It was an ambitious project. One that wasn’t possible 3 years ago. There was no way I could do that much physical labor (at project’s end we moved more than 2,000 pounds of sod!). Back then I was too heavy to do much of anything without being in pain or getting winded after a couple of minutes.
Now I’m like that annoying Energizer Bunny. I’ve got the energy, strength and stamina to keep going and going, regardless of the activity.
My hubby’s favorite workout location. Raising that foot-rest is his own 2-second, full body workout.
On the other hand, my husband has strength but cardio isn’t his strong suit. You see he hasn’t worked out in more than a year. The bulk of his exercise happens as he pushes back into his La-Z-Boy to raise the foot rest.
From the get-go, my husband had a difficult time with the work. Five minutes into the project, he needed a break. Within minutes of him starting back up, I could hear his very labored breathing.
Truth is I got a little annoyed with him. My worrying about him slowed me down. So I did the only thing I could do — I forced him into a long “timeout” (a.k.a., sitting in his La-Z-Boy with a fan pointed at him).
At that point, I took over. I was a machine – stopping only for water, a light lunch, and the drives to the county dump. Amazed, the hubby grudgingly admitted I put him to shame by doing 90% of the work.
Lessons Learned
I’m a lot stronger and tougher than I realized. When my husband suggested doing the yard I thought he was nuts. I knew how much work it would take. But once I started, my doubts were gone.
I think if I only focused on losing weight and ignored building strength, no way I’d agree to take on this project. Heck, I’d probably hire someone to do it for us.
So, I chosen my path wisely.
As for my husband, well…he asked that I slap him the next time he suggested a DIY project.
One startling stat that Foster mentioned: if you sleep 5 hours or less a night, you have a 50% chance of being obese. Yikes!
In the 1950s, the average person slept 8 hours a night. Nowadays we sleep 2-½ hours less. A common result: we do stupid things to stay awake, eating being a big one. I’ve written before about the lack of sleep and our body releasing the hormone ghrelin in large quantities. As Foster puts it, once ghrelin hits the brain, “…the brain says, ‘I need carbohydrates,’ and what it does is seek out [carbs] and particularly sugars.”
Lack of sleep also causes sustained stress, which in turn causes our bodies to release more glucose into circulation. Over time, we become glucose intolerant, causing our bodies to produce even more glucose. This increases the chances of contracting Type 2 Diabetes.
Peekabu isn’t sleep deprived. Are you?
Are You Sleep Deprived?
Do you need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning?
Are you taking a long time to get up (think snooze button)?
Do you need lots of caffeine in the morning to get going?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above then you’re deprived.
How To Get Your 8 Hours
Foster’s solution to getting a good night’s sleep is something we’ve all heard, yet I still have a hard time doing.
Keep your bedroom dark and slightly cool
Reduce light exposure 30 minutes before bed
Turn off mobile phones, TV, tables, and computers
No caffeine after lunch
My bedroom isn’t too bad. I just need the animals to stay off the bed, as they seem to prefer snuggling on top of me.
As for no caffeine after lunch, that starts tomorrow (I’m currently brewing some now and can’t waste it).
However, I’m still a slave to turning on the bathroom light to brush my teeth right before bed. Bad move! Our bright bathroom light stimulates the brain. I guess it’s time to start flossing and brushing 2 hours before bed. Another incentive not to eat late!
Blue vs. Red Light
My habit of playing with my iPad before bed is messing with my sleep-wake cycle.
Visible light is made up of wavelengths which our eyes see as color. Our biological clocks evolved to wake us up during the day and make us sleepy when light starts to fade.
Electronic screens emit light that fall into the blue (bright sunny day) spectrum. Evening exposure to blue light via smart devices prohibits melatonin (the sleep hormone) production, delaying sleep for at least an hour or more. In the evening, the red spectrum is best for winding down.
So does that mean I need to disconnect completely?
F.lux is freeware that alters the color spectrum of smart devices. As the day goes on, your screen mimics sunlight based on your time zone. So your screen moves through the color spectrum — from blue (day) to red (night)– matching the light in your natural environment (i.e., the position of the sun).
While I’m experimenting with f.lux this week, I still need to limit my tablet use in the evenings. A challenge for sure, but one I’m up for.
“Sleep Is God. Go Worship”
I’m on Day 12 of my Primal Challenge and the sleep portion still alludes me. But after this TED Talks, I’m determined to not treat sleep like the enemy.
As author Jim Butcher wrote, “Sleep is God. Go worship.” I intend to do so.
Just combine all of your ingredients in a food processor. You’ll have a great tasting salad dressing in minutes.
Avocado and basil…two wonderful flavors joined to make a healthy, tasty and creamy salad dressing.
I found it recipe on the Nom Nom Paleo app — a must for every healthy kitchen. An app review is coming soon (hint: it is awesome!).
The dressing reminded me of a creamier version of my pesto, with the avocado flavor taking the place of my beloved walnuts.
It’s a pretty thick dressing thanks to the avocado. If you want it a little thinner, I suggest adding a more lime juice. But not too much more…you really want to keep the great avocado-basil flavors. You can also just use a couple of tablespoons of water.
If you rather not thin it, I’d suggest tossing the dressing and salad in a bowl before serving.
For dinner we had Chorizo-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (that recipe will be up tomorrow). I just added a side of mixed greens with tomato and a tablespoon (half the serving size) of the dressing on top. Yum!
Avocado & Basil Dressing
Net Carbs: 1g
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 3
Servings: 2 tbsp/serving (total of 8 servings)
Ingredients
1 medium Hass avocado
1 C basil leaves, packed
2 garlic cloves
fresh lime juice from 1.5-2 limes
Kosher salt
ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp water (optional)
Directions
Remove the skin and pit from the avocado and place in a food processor. Add in the basil leaves, garlic, lime juice, salt, red and black peppers, and olive oil.
Mix all the ingredients until well blended.
If too thick, try adding water or juice from 1/2 lime.
Cleaning out the closet. If it doesn’t fit me, it’s no longer in my closet. These fine threads are headed for Goodwill, where they will find a new home.
Today I’m in cleaning mode. Cleaning out the closet, refrigerator, kitty litter, car, and anything else I can get my little hands on. I must say the closet excited me the most. Other than that one pair of fat jeans, I’m no longer keeping clothes that don’t fit anymore.
Paring Down All Those Sizes
When I started my journey in 2012, my closet had three types of clothes:
Fits me now.
Almost fits.
Awesome things I used to wear 5 years ago, and if my new diet works, I can fit into again.
To get into the right mindset, I tossed (donated) all the “almost fit” clothes. I kept those awesome old clothes to inspire me to again fit into them. But as the weight came off, I realized I didn’t want those 5-year-old clothes. It was time for something more fashionable. Read More
21-Day Challenge – Day 4
So far my the challenge is going very well. Like I mentioned before, I have the food down (although it’s always good to reinforce good habits!). This weekend I got in some moderate exercise with long walks. But I’m returning to my spin classes this week, so we’ll see if I can moderate my intensity.
As for the Challenge’s 8-hours of sleep, I’m not doing so bad there. I’m getting in 6-7 hours so far. I do need to stop drinking coffee after lunch so I can get to bed earlier.
It’s the setting aside play time that is alluding me. This weekend the plan was to use our hiking day reseeding our backyard. Yes, I consider working in the yard as play time. You got a problem with that!?!
But after loading and unloading a lot of bags of top soil, my husband pulled a muscle in his back. So my planned play time in the yard didn’t happen.
So now I’m doubling up on play time. Saturday is yard day. Sunday we hit Raven Rocks trail.
