Low Carb Compatible

This could be a bit of bad news if you do the low carb diet thing and eat unlimited quantities of meat, bacon, hot dogs, etc. It appears that heavy intake of meats and animal fats may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study:

Researchers followed 500,000 people who had completed a food diary for an average of six years.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute paper found those who had the most animal fats in their diet had a higher risk of developing the cancer.

UK experts said cutting down on the fats was a way of reducing risk.

There has previously been confusion over whether there was a link between animal fats and pancreatic cancer, with different studies reaching opposite conclusions.

Eve Van Cauter, a researcher at the University of Chicago, finds that sleep loss coincides with an increase in the odds of weight gain and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2009) — Laboratory and epidemiological studies continue to show that sleep curtailment and/or decreased sleep quality can disturb neuroendocrine control of appetite, leading to overeating, and can decrease insulin and/or increase insulin resistance, both steps on the road to Type 2 diabetes.

[snip]

Tuesday, 3.24.09

Menu
CM: 2 cups of black coffee

CM: None since I ate my RM for lunch and it held me over all day

RM: Salad of romaine w/avocado, bacon, cucumber, shrimp, & ranch, and a Haagen Dazs chocolate ice cream bar

Water
Minimum of 80 oz.

Exercise
Leslie Sansone, Walk at Home, Walk Slim, Fast & Firm! 4 Really Big Miles w/toning band.
Mile 1: Get Started with a 15 minute mile
Mile 2: Faster pace - a 12 minute mile
Mile 3: BOOSTED walking - a 10 minute mile
Mile 4: Add the firm Band for a big muscle BOOST - 15 minute mile
I completed all 4 miles with the firm band!

People are irrational.

I've observed over the years that many people assume that the term LOW FAT means NON-FATTENING or HEALTHY. That they can eat as much of that stuff as they want, and it will only make them healthier. I blame the simplistic "fat bad, carbs good" education campaign for much of this bizarre behavior.

The overwhelming evidence shows that the best way to improved health and longevity is through overall caloric reduction (note that I'm not advocating a simplistic low-fat or low-carb lifestyle, only that reducing overall caloric intake seems to be the key component of improving fitness.)

I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say "It's fat free! and proceed to eat an economy-sized helping. Reading the ingredients label usually shows sugar or high fructose corn syrup as the second or third ingredient.

I'm not the only one who has concluded that people are just plain nuts when it comes to food packaging and labeling. Check out the following stories:

Here's another reason why that glass of red wine may be good for you: scientists have identified a possible mechanism of action. Apparently, an ingredient in red wine, resveratrol, activates sirtuin, a protein that restores chromosomes to proper functioning. According to a recent story in the New York Times:

A new insight into the reason for aging has been gained by scientists trying to understand how resveratrol, a minor ingredient of red wine, improves the health and lifespan of laboratory mice. They believe that the integrity of chromosomes is compromised as people age, and that resveratrol works by activating a protein known as sirtuin that restores the chromosomes to health.

The finding, published online Wednesday in the journal Cell, is from a group led by David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School. It is part of a growing effort by biologists to understand the sirtuins and other powerful agents that control the settings on the living cell’s metabolism, like its handling of fats and response to insulin.
Link

I've always had this nagging suspicion that daylight savings time might be responsible for a variety of deleterious health effects -- including things like increases in traffic accidents and other operator-related incidents -- so it came as no surprise when I read the following news blurb:

When researchers in Sweden examined the impact of daylight saving time on heart attack rates in that country, they discovered that people had slightly fewer heart attacks on the Monday after they set their clocks back in the fall and slightly more heart attacks in the days after they set their clocks ahead in the spring.

They presented their findings in a letter published in the Oct. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

[snip]

Here's an interesting article in the New York Times, describing widespread use of placebos in treating patients, as a way to treat the patient's mental state rather than the actual problem.

The problem is that the placebos used are not inert -- rather, they prescribe drugs intended for other uses, such as headache pills, sedatives, or other relatively harmless drugs.

I mentioned that I am on a few support groups and have read recently how easy it is for some people to eat as much as they can for the entire hour. It is impossible for me to do that since the most important part of my RM is balance. When it is time for my RM, I begin with my salad and then eat my veggies, protein, and carbs. I do not overeat, but definitely eat until I am satisfied. It is not unusual for me to be done eating within a half an hour and I have no desire to eat anymore.

My mentality has never been to eat as much as I can. Before beginning CALP this time, I would begin my day with my trigger foods without realizing they were the reason I would lose control over my choices, frequency, or amounts in which I would want to eat.

Researchers have discovered -- surprise! -- that obese women are self conscious (and/or fear injury) and those emotions prevent successful exercise:

Obese women may have a 'phobia' of exercise which stops them being active because they feel self-conscious and are afraid of injury, researchers argue.

Far from being excuses to be lazy, these 'mental barriers' are real problems which must be overcome to encourage overweight women to exercise more, a conference was told.

[snip]

[Participants] were asked what factors stopped them from exercising at the start of the programme, three months into it and at the end.

Wired has an interesting story about "exercise in a pill". The article outlines ongoing research into drugs that can mimic the effects of exercise, including, in one study, improving stamina 44 percent in "couch potato" lab mice.

Today, researchers are reporting that an experimental drug can mimic the results of an exercise regimen -- with no exercise required. After four weeks of taking the pill, mice who hadn't worked out displayed a 44 percent increase in their running endurance.

"It’s tricking the muscle into ‘believing’ it’s been exercised daily," said the study's lead researcher, Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute, in a release. "It’s basically the couch potato experiment, and it proves you can have a pharmacologic equivalent to exercise."

Low fat diets are not the best way to lose weight according to a new study.

The research which looked at more than 300 obese people found those who stuck to a Mediterranean or low carbohydrate diet lost more weight over two years.

Low fat diets are the most commonly recommended diets in the UK to help people lose weight, and also to reduce the risks of heart disease and cancer.

However, researchers led by a team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Israel, found those on a Mediterranean diet lost on average 60 per cent more weight.

Link (telegraph.co.uk)

I have listed examples of the Reward Meals (RM) I have been eating since beginning this program on March 3, 2008. None of my meals are weighed or measured and I let my eyes do the work for me.

I love the fact that I can eat anything I want during my RM as long as it is balanced. Once my plate is empty I am allowed to have more food, but I must keep it balanced by taking the same amount of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates. By following the rules, I find that it is impossible for me to overindulge in carbohydrates. I have not gone back for a second plate, but it is nice to know that it is possible, if I want to.

The other day I decided to share my thoughts with one of my support groups. One of the members of this group suggested I share it with another group, as well as put it in my blog, so here it is!

I am looking forward to sharing this journey with those of you willing to keep us all informed.

I wish those of you that are struggling with this way of eating the best of luck in getting back on plan.

I understand it takes a certain frame of mind to give up foods that make us feel good, but feeling your body getting smaller is much more satisfying.

Every day that I am successful in eating the CALP way, is another day that is getting me closer to my goal. I have a long way to go, but I know that the choices I am making are getting me closer every day.

Listed below are examples of the Complementary Meals (CM) I have been eating since beginning this program on March 3, 2008. None of my meals are weighed or measured and I let my eyes do the work for me. It is very important for me to balance my CMs with the same amount of vegetables and protein.

The majority of my meals are leftovers with the exception of a few. I prefer fresh vegetables but have no trouble opening a can of green beans and adding some vinaigrette dressing to them.

There are many more protein and vegetable choices that are allowed on this plan. Listed below are the actual combination of foods that I have been eating during the short period of time I have been on this program.

Baby Back Ribs and Green Beans w/French Vinaigrette
Protein: Pork

My enthusiasm for the Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP) continues to be at an all time high. I can honestly say that I am not familiar with too many weight loss programs, but I can't imagine any of them allowing any and all foods like this one does. Of course there are foods that can slow or even stall my weight loss journey, but I will worry about that when I get to it.

I love this plan because I eat real food that I can buy at the supermarket. My cupboards are not filled with low carb, fat free, sugar free foods that are not eaten because they do not taste very good. Our meals continue to include foods that can be enjoyed by the entire family, and we do not have to go to the trouble of preparing two separate meals just so I can eat low carb.

I'm watching my wife (LowCarbForLife) shrink before my eyes. Her body is being transformed by her dedication to the CAD/CALP lifestyle and her surprising (to me, anyway) enthusiasm for regular aerobic and weight training exercises.

I know she can't really see it, and we didn't take a 'before' picture (she's too modest for that), so we don't have an objective, visual way to compare her current shape to what it was when she started only a few months ago. But I can see the changes every week, and I can feel them as well -- when I put my arms around her, she feels like a different person, except that I remember that this is how it felt a long time ago... (yes, I remember.)

On May 6, 2008, my curiosity got the best of me and I finally stepped on the forbidden scale. My weight was 218 lbs. and since I had been doing really well with my eating and exercise program, I was actually feeling pretty good about myself. I will continue to avoid the scale on a daily basis since it doesn't specify how much fat I am losing, but will use it once a month when I take my measurements for my records.

I took my measurements on March 8, 2008, five days after beginning the Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP). I knew I should keep some sort of record and wanted to continue to avoid the scale, so I chose to measure myself. After taking my measurements, I considered the results to be extremely harsh and even thought the scale would not have been as brutal. I was not in a hurry to take my measurements again and decided to take them once a month, so I could record them for my records.

I began The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP) again on March 8, 2008. I am determined that it will be the last time I will ever restart this program, since I don't intend to ever stop. I understand that I am a carbohydrate addict and can not eat the way other people do, since I am unable to control myself when I try.

I was 40 years old when I first picked up the book and purchased my copy of The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP). Over the years I gained more than I lost and my yo-yo dieting caused my weight to soar to a high of 236 lbs. When I started reading the book, I just knew they were talking about me. I was shocked to hear that there were people exactly like me that could not control what they were eating. I knew better than to eat ice cream every night, but I was unable to control myself when it came time to leave it alone. I knew better than to grab a candy bar in the afternoon, but sometimes I did it anyway. I knew that I was gaining weight and my clothes were getting tight, but the only thing that mattered to me was the satisfaction of eating chocolate.