You SUCK as a Man

And it’s embarrassing.

Editor’s note: This post contains what some might consider offensive language or a serious assault on manhood (yours or others). If you find any of the aforementioned potentially offensive, do not read this post. Remaining in denial or being uninformed is better than being exposed (and if it keeps you from getting in trouble with the wife, all the better). Instead, go here, here or here. If those don’t work for you, try this for comfort. It’s likely part of your current problem.

If you’re a man and have bigger boobs than your wife or wear pants with a waist size bigger than the length, you suck. No exceptions. 

It’s the only conclusion that can be drawn – the introduction of the “sucking man” has led to a decrease in stature, an increase in estrogen and a softness you cannot deny. Prehistoric men were not soft or fat . . . → Read More: You SUCK as a Man

San Diego Presentation

On March 10, 2010, the Medical Wellness Association sponsored a Medical Wellness and Nutrition forum as part of the IHRSA convention in San Diego. As an aside, Sunny San Diego? Are you kidding me? It was sunny, but, man, was it cold! The wind was blowing. Hard. Felt it to my bones. Probably not cold to someone from Minnesota, but to a Texas boy it was. And can you do something about the homeless people? The only place I’ve been where it was worse was downtown Baltimore.

So back to the forum. There were four speakers (including me), each presenting on a topic related to nutrition and wellness. I think the forum was well-received. I listened to all presentations and only one other excited me. Amy Blansit works with obese people in Missouri and she gets it. Her presentation was excellent and she’s doing a bang-up job. The other talks seemed . . . → Read More: San Diego Presentation

Jeff Garlin: finding success but still struggling

Jeff Garlin, co-star and executive producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm, has written a memoir about his lifelong struggles with weight. In an interview for ABC news, Garlin talks about his addiction to food and his new diet. You can read the interview and watch a video here.

This is sad. Really sad. He said he’d eat and eat and eat and never feel full. Stand-bys included gourmet sandwiches, pop-tarts and Cap-n-Crunch cereal. In the video, he talks about donuts and milkshakes. Also, knowing that a single donut or any sugar-filled food would send him over the top, meant these foods were forbidden and that moderation was not possible.

He alluded to his lifelong struggle with weight. Although not prominent, I’m sure there were never-ending attempts to lose weight. Well-wishers like Larry David, his wife and others, I’m sure, encouraged him to lose weight. I’ve never met a person that was overweight . . . → Read More: Jeff Garlin: finding success but still struggling

Top Prescription Drugs in 2008

Most people I work with are significantly overweight – average weight > 300 pounds. As you might expect, all have a cluster of metabolic disorders. Coincident with their condition,  they take a laundry list of prescription medications. In general the lists are nearly identical and include prescriptions for hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol and digestive disorders.

Given this, I assumed their laundry list was similar to that of the general public. So I went looking for the top 10 prescription drugs of 2008 to see if my thoughts would be confirmed.

Finding the Data. I scoured the FDA website and could find nothing (for some reason, I thought the organization in charge of controlling this industry might track this stuff – go figure). I decided to contact them by phone and the person I spoke with (after about 3 minutes of menu clicks – seriously), directed me to drugtopics.com . . . → Read More: Top Prescription Drugs in 2008

You’re confused about HFCS

At least that’s the message from top researchers who wanted to set the record straight.

Let’s lay the groundwork. Three top researchers (as labeled by the press release) wanted to correct the inaccuracies and misunderstandings about high fructose corn syrup and it’s impact on the American diet.

At the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting, a session entitled “High Fructose Corn Syrup: Sorting Myth from Reality” was held to set the record straight.

The first quote is telling.

Contrary to its name, high fructose corn syrup is essentially a corn sugar, stated sweetener expert John S. White, Ph.D., president of White Technical Research. "Recent marketing claims that sugar is healthier than high fructose corn syrup are misleading to consumers.

Yeah, sort of like saying stabbing myself with a big knife will hurt more than with a small knife. I can read the headlines already. “Leading researchers have discovered that stabbing yourself with . . . → Read More: You’re confused about HFCS

CSPI: not so public interest

CSPI has released their 2009 Xtreme eating awards. The press release is here and their website announcement is here. 

Should I laugh? Should I cry? Or should I get pissed off? There hasn’t been much sleep this week, pissed off is leading down the stretch. 

CSPI does not have the public interest at heart (watch the first video).  They think you can’t make a decision on your own. You’re too dumb to decide, so they should decide for you.

This whole idea that I, you or anyone else will suddenly change our mind on what to order at the counter when presented with caloric content is silly. And to blame restaurants and fast food on obesity is further destruction of personal responsibility.

And I’m not so sure McDonald’s is responsible. Sure, there’s Spurlock and Supersize Me. But there are major issues with Spurlock, which I won’t completely detail here but he . . . → Read More: CSPI: not so public interest

How to lose 100 or more pounds

Props to Heather Davis. She has lost 110 pounds. It’s a story many would like to live. She didn’t follow a gimmicky diet or or sign-up for a quick fix fad. She did it with a good plan, hard work and perseverance.

Here are ten tips she offered in a CNN story that you can use to help you on your journey.

I like all of these tips. I use variations of nearly all of these in my weight loss program. One that I haven’t used but will incorporate immediately, Tip #8, keep an item of your “big” clothes as motivation. That’s a great idea!

Congratulations Heather!

Never let anyone tell you “You can’t.” Yes, you can.
Get as much social support as possible. Going to the gym with others is fun and motivating.
You will not be the biggest person in the gym and everyone will not be staring at you. . . . → Read More: How to lose 100 or more pounds

Stupid Obesity – Socially Contagious?

This is a few days old but I still wanted to comment. In case you missed it, a study released last week indicated obesity was socially contagious. Authors of the study concluded that if you lived, worked or were friends with an obese person, you were more likely to be obese. Conversely, if you were height and weight proportionate, your friends and family were likely to be the same. Hence the socially contagious theme behind the research. You remember the old saying…”Birds of a feather…”In some respects the adage is true. You’re not going to find the best lawyers or financial firms on the low-rent side of town, are you? Of course not, they’re likely to be right next door to each other or in the next building – downtown or in the financial district. But when it comes to this socially contagious idea, I completely disagree with the theory. Here’s . . . → Read More: Stupid Obesity – Socially Contagious?

Why exercise is good!

Exercise is good. Inflammation in the body is bad! – it’s significantly related to a whole host of cardiovascular diseases.The most frequently measured biomarker of inflammation in the body is C-reactive protein (CRP). High levels of CRP indicate high levels of inflammation. Essential fatty acids (Omega 3′s, for example) are known to reduce inflammation – so eat some fresh, Wild Salmon today . Other foods known to reduce inflammation are fresh fruits and vegetables, like berries, grapes, celery and avocadoes (there are more but that’s a quick list). Green tea has some anti-inflammatory characteristics too. Fitness has been shown to be inversely related to CRP, the more fit you are the less CRP in your bloodstream. What hasn’t been very well understood, however, is the mechanism that’s in play. For example, if you are highly fit and have low CRP levels, is that because you are fit or are the . . . → Read More: Why exercise is good!

And it continues…

Potential New Target For Type 2 Diabetes Found By Penn Researchers“We hope that drug companies will look for new ways to modify fat metabolism in type 2 diabetics using these possible targets.” Big Pharma dovetails quite nicely with the tertiary nature of our health care system. You don’t visit the doctor before you get sick. Type II diabetes and most chronic cardiovascular conditions are almost completely related to lifestyle. Eat a diet high in nutrient deficient, highly processed foods, do very little physical activity and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict glucose metabolic problems in your future. But the purpose of this post is to shed light on the dependence of federal research monies on Big Pharma. The quote above is taken directly from the article and shows that perfectly. It’s as if researchers using federal money are directing the research focus of Big Pharma. Why do we need . . . → Read More: And it continues…