Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
How to Keep Weight Loss Simple [Forum]
When trying to lose weight having goals will help you achieve great results. How much do you want to lose each week? Areas to improve your diet? Exercise? These goals should be set each week.
I have lost 20lb & my husband has lost 43lbs. Having too many goals will just confuse you.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Hey Man, Do You Work in a Restaurant?
A funny thing happened to me a while ago. For some reason it just now dawned on me to blog about. Sorry, I'm slow.
At the time, I had switched Yoga studios. I like a vigorous practice and my old studio cut back on classes. Now, as luck would have it, my new studio is two doors down from a farmers market, which is win-win for me.
So I was shopping there every week, and typically I bought a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially fresh greens, like broccoli and spinach. I'm mostly vegetarian, so I plow through a lot of vegetation every week.
I was standing in line that day waiting to pay and when it was my turn, the cashier, who I see every week and never makes small talk, asked me, "Do you work in a restaurant? Because you always buy a lot of stuff."
Now, I'm a social misfit, so I just smirked. I guess a short Italian guy buying huge bunches of produce every week does look like a restaurant owner, especially in New Jersey, the land of delis.
I told her no, and explained that I eat a vegetable-based diet and that I don't eat meat. She wanted to know if I was a vegetarian. I said, "Kind of." And told her my diet is mostly fruits and vegetables and the only animal I eat is fish.
The cashier seemed to get it, but not really. She's Mexican, so she was probably thinking, "Stupid gringo is missing out on good tacos and burritos."
She might be right, but I admit, one little dude buying that much fruits and vegetables each week is unusual. She must have thought I was some sort of human-cow hybrid. And in her mind it might be easier just to eat some carne asada every once and a while.
Trust me, I understand that. I'm 100% Italian, my family is over-the-boat Italian - NOT guido Italian - and so they still look at me funny when I don't eat meatballs or cheese.
So, if you're veg too, has anything like this ever happened to you? Do you go grocery shopping and get mistaken for a sous-chef?
Image credit: No Cookie
Monday, November 1, 2010
Link Time! Bacon Facts, Food War Prodigy, Diet Hand Gel, and More
Did you know that babies born to women who ate a lot of bacon while pregnant are more intelligent?
I didn't, along with these other amazing facts about bacon. This creative info-graphic points out 10 interesting facts concerning this "miracle meat". I guess I won't feel guilty anymore about wanting to try the Baconator from Wendy's... Well, until someone publishes the 10 Ways Bacon Kills Us of course.
If you don't eat bacon because of the way pigs are farmed, then you'll be a fan of Birke Baehr who is an eleven year old that can sum up what's wrong with America's food supply in 5 minutes.
He's a very bright kid and is real passionate about the subject. It's nice to see a kid take an active role in trying to influence his peers for the better and causing people to think about how our food is being produced.
On another note, we get product emails pitched at us all the time here at Diet-blog and most usually end up in the trash folder, however, there are a few that make me go, Huh? Like this new Diet Hand Gel that you simply use like hand lotion between meals to curb your appetite.
This green tea based product is said to absorb through the skin, reducing cravings between meals. I wonder if it just smells so bad that when you put your hand close to your nose to snack on something it makes you lose your appetite? Hmmm.
Lastly, this week I stumbled on a great site that has animated demonstrations for just about every stretch and strength training exercise imaginable. If you're looking for new exercises to spice up your workout or need some lessons on proper form without the expense of a personal trainer, check out ABC-of-Fitness.com.
Parental Feeding Style: Is It Important?
We talk so much about the obesity epidemic, and the soaring rates of overweight children these days.
But, did you know that your parenting style impacts your child's relationship with food, both now and in the future?
It's not difficult to imagine this to be the case -- think about the sheer amount of feeding interactions you have with your children throughout the course of their lives.
My little girl is now 1-year-old, and sometimes I feel like all we ever do is prepare food, eat food, and clean up said food from the floor! According to Jill Castle, paediatric dietitian:
Throughout an 18 year childhood, a parent will feed their child over 28,000 times.
That's an amazing statistic!
In her article, Jill goes on to discuss the four parenting styles. Here's a short overview:#1 Authoritative
This style promotes independent thinking and self-regulation in how much to eat, although the parent determines what is eaten, when and where, etc. It's thought that this style of feeding fosters the ability to self regulate intake, and to feel secure about food and eating. Children also tend to be leaner.
#2 Authoritarian
Where the parent makes the decisions about what, and how much will be eaten. Think the "clean your plate club". It's thought that both underweight and overweight problems are associated with this style.
#3 Permissive
This is the type of parent who tries to set limits, but ultimately gives in after some whining from the child. It's thought that this style of feeding may lead to children being overweight.
#4 Neglectful
This is where the parent is irregular in food planning and preparation, failing to stock cupboards, etc. It's thought that this style of feeding may lead children to feel insecure about food, and become overly focused on food.
No doubt this is an extremely sensitive issue. But, do you think it's now important that parents are provided with guidance on how, as well as what, to feed their children? Do you think your parental feeding style is affecting your child?
Image source: Lenscap
For further information see, "Child Feeding Behaviours and Child Weight".
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Can We Stop Food Stamp Users Buying Soda?
In the uphill battle to fight obesity, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has petitioned the United States Department of Agriculture to ban the 1.7 million food stamp users from using them to buy soda, or other sugared drinks.
This move is part of series of interventions to curb obesity, which have included advertisements, stricter rules on food sold in schools, and a yet-to-be successful attempt to tax sugared drinks.
Herein lies a good concept in a stirred pot of political, ethical and health soup.
I'm going to come right out and say it: I like the idea. I like it a lot. In fact, I think food stamps should be used to buy vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds and canned goods - healthy foods. I also realize the stepping-on-eggshells nature of this kind of idea.
Look, this thing should be signed, sealed and delivered starting today, but in the "humor us all" department, let's take a look at some of the sticky issues that may arise with this sort of stipulation.
Ethically, is it fair to discriminate against those with food stamps? Who are we to tell them what they can and cannot buy?
Conversely, we all have a collective responsibility to ensure that our already-off-the-rails health care spending doesn't go even further into the abyss.
I don't see this as too "big brother" at all. The run-of-the-mill straw man argument here will be "how dare they tell people what they can and cannot eat or drink", but let's remember that regulating what people can spend their government assistance on is not the same as telling people what they can and cannot eat/drink.
As with many other similarly conceived ideas, the problems are deeply rooted, and the solution is multifaceted. While this is a great idea, there are bigger fish to fry - specifically corn subsidies that keep prices artificially low.
In the end I don't see this passing due to the industry-cozy relationship between big food and government food regulators. I'm sure they have the soda lobbyists working overtime to ensure that this idea never sees the light of day. Moreover, in 2004, the Agriculture Department denied a request by Minnesota to prevent food-stamp recipients from buying junk food.
What are your thoughts on this?
Image credit: poolie
Trying to Find a Dietitian/Nutritionist [Forum]
Today I tried to find a dietitian or nutritionist near me. Silly me, I thought it would be like finding a local dentist. I wouldn't call it a complete failure. But you'd think that in a major metro area there would be plenty of them. Well I found some, but not very close and it wasn't easy.
First off I tried the phone book. If you look up nutritionist or dietitian in the phone book you will see big full color ads for Nutrisystem and other popular diet programs followed by a few other listings in tiny print. How nice.
So I tried typing the word nutrionist into the online yellow pages. What I got ranged from listing for GNC's and other vitamin stores, to listing for centers that supply food to low income mothers, to listings for actual nutritionists . But several of the phone numbers I called didn't work, and those that did were for nutritionist that worked for certain health insurance plans that I wasn't on.
So I called my health insurance provider and asked them can they find me dietition or nutritionist that is on my plan. The operator asked me "Is this for diabities?". I said "No this is for weight loss". She said "Ok, dietitians for weightloss isn't covered".
Now this is interesting because the overweight are blamed for raising everyones premiums and whatever else.... but weight loss isn't covered at least by my company.
But the operator did let me know they have coupons and discounts to Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, gyms, and other services. So I guess that saves face a little.
I did find one place I really liked , but it's a little far just to go to a doctors office. I'd hate to think what would happen if I lived in rural area.
Now I see why Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, and Weight Watchers are so popular.