Embracing Health Radio #64 – How Food Companies Trick You – Part II; Chemicals in our Food – the New Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen; Sunshine – Healthy or Harmful?
Hi there folks — listen to part II of ‘How Food Companies Trick You into Thinking their Junk Food is Healthy’. You don’t want to miss these highly deceiving tactics employed by the big food giants to falsely market their products as healthy when in reality they are far from it. This is actually from a post written by Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, MD who is a ‘nutritional watchdog’ of sorts because of his advocacy efforts for improved public policies regarding nutrition and obesity. He is the founder and Medical Director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, dedicated to the (nonsurgical) treatment of overweight and obesity since 2004. If you missed part I, scroll back a few posts and you will find it there.
Also, I talk about a recent report released by the nonprofit group Environmental Working Group where they discuss the hazards of pesticides in our foods, and their ‘dirty dozen’ list of most heavily sprayed crops as well as the ‘clean fifteen’ list of least sprayed crops.
Furthermore, I discuss the conundrum about sunshine — we are told to stay out of it and we are also told we need it. What gives? Learn about:
- Low Vitamin D levels: a potential contributor to mental disorders in children?
- FDA unveils new rules for sunscreen claims
- Noted UK oncologist speaks out about getting more sun and how he recommends sun to prevent skin cancer
This and much much more on this edition of Embracing Health —- enjoy!
(Click here to listen =>) “How Food Companies Trick You into thinking Junk Food is Healthy part II; Chemicals in our Food: Learn Which Foods Contain the Most Pesticides and Also the Least; All About the Sun – Healthy or Harmful?”
Making Sense of Food Allergies – The Dangers of our Modern Food System
A recent study published on June 20th in the medical journal Pediatrics reveals that food allergies in children are a serious issue and they demand further attention. It is the largest study to date that has tracked childhood food allergies in the U.S. and shows that they may be more common and more dangerous than previously recognized. This is a growing problem here and I’d like to share an important perspective with you that I feel deserves great care and attention.
I’ve been talking about both food allergies and food sensitivities for some time now, and it is a main component of my clinical practice in helping people to improve their health. Allergies and sensitivites are quite different, but they both involve exaggerated reactions of your body that contribute to whole list of symptoms and chronic diseases. The immune system is a very dynamic and complex system, and one of its main characteristics is inflammation — that’s how your body fights disease and initiates repair. However, chronic stimulation of the immune system leads to chronic inflammation, and that leads to prolonged damage to your body that never gets a chance to heal. You basically are worn down by all the damage being done by your own immune system. That’s what autoimmune disease is in a nutshell — constant irritation and inflammation that wears away the very fabric of your organs, tissues and cells.
Below, you will find a presentation given by Robyn O’brien who started her career as a food industry analyst and was prompted to dig deeper at the nature of our modern food supply when her own daughter developed strange reactions one morning while eating breakfast. She has been called the “Erin Brockovich” of the food industry and has been praised by the likes of Ted Turner and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Her meticulously detailed research sheds light on policy, the American food system and its financially-driven incentive structure that has allowed additives into the U.S. food supply that have either been banned or labeled from foods in other developed countries, especially the food served to children. Folks, this is serious stuff here and if you are interested in improving your own health and the health of your family, then please take the time to watch the video below.
In her research, she condenses the possible causes of increasing allergies to the following list:
1. The shift from a natural to an industrial environment
2. Excessive exposure to antibiotics, both as prescribed to our children and as consumed through antibiotic-laden meat, milk, and poultry.
3. The rise in pollutants and environmental toxins (perhaps including the fumes and residues from some of the chemical products we use to clean our homes).
4. Our tendency to eat more processed foods loaded with chemical additives and preservatives and to eat far fewer natural whole foods.
Enjoy this eye-opening presentation.
Here is the link to the original article in the medical journal Pediatrics for your reference: (CLICK HERE)
Embracing Health Radio #62 – Eating Fat to Stay Lean? Plus, High Carbohydrate Diet During Pregnancy Linked to Gallbladder Disease
Hi there Folks! Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of this summer season, as things are warming up rather quickly here in Northeast Georgia. Today’s posts covers some interesting topics that I think you’ll find interesting. First, more research data is supporting that higher fat diets that are within optimal calorie ranges are found to be very healthy, helping people to lose fat faster and showing no signs of vascular damage, which has been the current thinking. Indeed it is commonly thought that dietary fat clogs arteries, and actually, in the context of an appropriate calorie intake, there seems to be advantages over equal calorie higher carbohydrate diets. Those of you that have been reading my posts already know about the advantages of lower carbohydrate diets, particularly in weight loss efforts as it helps decrease hunger which allows you to follow the eating plan LONG TERM. That’s the thing with diets, what helps you in the long term is really what is going to help you overall. Not to mention all the cardiometabolic improvements for folks who have damaged glucose metabolism.
Next, I talk about gallbadder problems and I highlight a recent study that links overconsumption of carbohydrate to gallbladder disease during pregnancy. I get into understanding the hormone factors involved in pregnancy and how that predisposes one to blood sugar disorders and then as the study states, ultimately to gallbladder issue. Find out this and much much more on this recent edition of Embracing Health —– enjoy!
Embracing Health #60 – New Radio Post Talking About Life Extension, Protein and Alzheimer’s
Here’s a fresh new radio post that just aired today on WBCX, where I talked about a few interesting topics you might be interested. First, some new technologies being created through stem cell research that can extend lifespan, and especially restore severe damage to organ systems. Next, I discuss a recent research paper in Nutrition Journal where once again, we see that diets higher in protein, compared to high-fiber higher carbohydrates, are much better to drop body fat and improve blood pressure control. Then, I talk about the recent guidelines that were released last month that help to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease earlier, as it is becoming a serious threat to our economic health structures. Tune in and click below to hear the rebroadcast. Below that, I post the show notes for your reference. Enjoy!
Ricardo
David Kekich of Maximum Life Foundation
Dear Future Centenarian,
Do you remember how much you paid for your first digital watch, pocket calculator or mobile phone? It was probably a whole lot more than you pay for equivalents now, right? In fact, you can barely give away the products you paid so much for then. But you were the first kid on the block to own one, and you paid a premium price.
Extreme life extending technologies won’t be cheap when they are introduced either. And you can bet they’ll be a lot more than you would ever expect to pay for a cell phone. In fact, they most likely may only be affordable to the well off. Sure, prices will drop… and fairly rapidly. But what if you are at the age when you don’t have time to wait?
We’re on the verge of ordering organs grown to replace those that are failing. Stem cell transplants that heal our age-damaged tissues are right around the corner. BioTime’s subsidiary ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc, will utilize its ReCyte™ technology to reverse the developmental aging of human cells. Then it will be used to generate embryonic vascular and blood progenitors from the ReCyte cell lines for therapeutic use in age-related vascular and blood disorders such as coronary disease and heart failure.
I’m thrilled to see this revolutionary stem cell therapy actually approaching the clinic. BioTime’s CEO, Dr. Michael West, can reset the telomere clock of aging in stem cells created from normal adult cells. And all of this is done without the use of embryos or cloning. ReCyte is forthrightly announcing it will cure conditions caused by normal human aging. This is truly revolutionary.
These new “pluripotent” stem cells, made from your own cells, are identical to embryonic stem cells in that they do not age and can be designed to become any cell type in your body. They can also be multiplied and stored indefinitely. Only when these cells have started down the path to their final cell state does the biological clock begin ticking.
ReCyte has announced it will begin banking individuals’ cells this year in preparation for regulatory approval. When ReCyte has enough of these cardiovascular repair cells (and regulatory approval in some legal jurisdiction), they will be given back to patients via transfusion. There will be no immune reaction, because they are your own cells. We know what they will do because you have lots of these cells already, though they are as old as you are. The new cells though, will be only weeks or months old biologically and will displace the older and less effective endothelial precursor cells.
Once in your body, your new rejuvenated stem cells will produce the various cells needed to replace old and damaged heart and vascular cells. These new cells will be vigorous, fully functioning, and youthful. In time, you will have, essentially, a new heart and vascular system – without surgery. The same technology can and will be used to rejuvenate your immune system.
These cells are inside you now. The actual mechanism of action, the replacement of aged cardiovascular cells with new cells, is taking place in your body even as you read this article. If it didn’t work, you would already be dead. BioTime is exploiting natural biological processes, but they will use rejuvenated versions of your own cells.
Until now, four out of ten of us were destined to die from age-related cardiovascular disease. If you’re one of them, your healthy life span will be extended significantly by endothelial precursor therapy. Initially, BioTime’s therapy will be expensive, but not as expensive as the cost of treating an end-stage heart condition. In time, most of the procedure will be roboticized. Costs will plummet.
Coming later, you’ll see artificial cells and engineered bacteria that scour our bodies for harmful levels of waste products in the elderly. Then, you’ll see artificial immune systems, much superior to what you have now, complete rejuvenation when the SENS program matures, and eventually, full-blown nanomedicine. That will give you tools you need to reverse aging, and to keep you from aging. You’ll be able to get everything from drugs, to bioimplants, to cell repair and enhancements, built atom by atom.
Which brings us back to money. As biotechnology advances, the more important money to pay for it becomes. Being self-sufficient and not depending on a broken healthcare system can save your life.
With each passing year, the amount of additional healthy life you could purchase increases. While that increase is comparatively gentle now, and the amount of extra life modest, both will become much larger in ten or twenty years.
Long Life,
David Kekich
Comparison of high protein and high fiber weight-loss diets in women with risk factors for the metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial
Lisa A Te Morenga, Megan T Levers, Sheila M Williams, Rachel C Brown and Jim Mann
For all author emails, please log on.
Nutrition Journal 2011, 10:40 doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-40
Published: 28 April 2011
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Studies have suggested that moderately high protein diets may be more appropriate than conventional low-fat high carbohydrate diets for individuals at risk of developing the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. However in most such studies sources of dietary carbohydrate may not have been appropriate and protein intakes may have been excessively high. Thus, in a proof-of-concept study we compared two relatively low-fat weight loss diets – one high in protein and the other high in fiber-rich, minimally processed cereals and legumes – to determine whether a relatively high protein diet has the potential to confer greater benefits.
Methods
Eighty-three overweight or obese women, 18-65 years, were randomized to either a moderately high protein (30% protein, 40% carbohydrate) diet (HP) or to a high fiber, relatively high carbohydrate (50% carbohydrate, >35g total dietary fiber, 20% protein) diet (HFib) for 8 weeks. Energy intakes were reduced by 2000 – 4000 kJ per day in order to achieve weight loss of between 0.5 and 1 kg per week.
Results
Participants on both diets lost weight (HP: -4.5 kg [95% confidence interval (CI):-3.7, -5.4 kg] and HFib: -3.3 kg [95% CI: -4.2, -2.4 kg]), and reduced total body fat (HP: -4.0 kg [5% CI:-4.6, -3.4 kg] and HFib: -2.5 kg [95% CI: -3.5, -1.6 kg]), and waist circumference (HP: -5.4 cm [95% CI: -6.3, -4.5 cm] and HFib: -4.7 cm [95% CI: -5.8, -3.6 cm]), as well as total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose and blood pressure. However participants on HP lost more body weight (-1.3 kg [95% CI: -2.5, -0.1 kg; p=0.039]) and total body fat (-1.3 kg [95% CI: -2.4, -0.1; p=0.029]). Diastolic blood pressure decreased more on HP (-3.7 mm Hg [95% CI: -6.2, -1.1; p=0.005]).
Conclusions
A realistic high protein weight-reducing diet was associated with greater fat loss and lower blood pressure when compared with a high carbohydrate, high fiber diet in high risk overweight and obese women.
Larry King Returns to CNN for Alzheimer’s Special
May 2, 2011 — In his first CNN special since stepping down from his nightly talk show, Larry King discusses Alzheimer’s disease. The 1-hour special, called Unthinkable: The Alzheimer’s Epidemic, aired last night. It looked at who gets the disease and why, the race to find effective treatments, and a possible cure.
King hung up his suspenders in December, ending Larry King Live, the program he hosted for 25 years, but he was back again Sunday speaking with neurologists and celebrities affected by Alzheimer’s.
| Larry King |
King talked to Ronald Petersen, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Petersen treated President Reagan. “If we don’t do something about Alzheimer’s disease right now, Alzheimer’s disease in and of itself may bankrupt the healthcare system,” he warned.
King also spoke with Jeffrey Cummings, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. They discussed how doctors are treating patients and what people can do to diminish their risk.
“It’s a progressive fatal disease,” King said during the special. “The number is expected to hit 16 million by 2050 — that’s an epidemic.”
“It’s an epidemic today,” Harry Johns, president of the Alzheimer’s Association, responded. “5.4 million people have the disease and there are 15 million caregivers. The heartbreak is so real for individuals and families and the cost to the country is expected to be 1.1 trillion by mid-century.”
Johns said the greatest researchers from around the world believe there are remedies for Alzheimer’s disease. “They’ve convinced me it can be done. The real question is when it will be done, not if. But if we don’t make those investments at the federal level in America soon, it will be too late for this boomer generation.”
In Maria Shriver’s first interview since the death of her father, Sargent, from Alzheimer’s, Shriver told King she’s concerned there is no national policy.
“I’m really adamant about finding a cure and getting policies in place to help caretakers. I call it a mind-blowing disease because not only does it blow the mind of the person who gets it, but it blows the mind of everybody who loves that person because it’s forever changing.”
Mind-Blowing
Shriver is the author of the children’s book, What’s Happening to Grandpa. “It’s very challenging to look at your father or your mother and have them not know who you are and have to introduce yourself to them over and over again,” Shriver said during the special. “Even though they look like your parent, they’re not your parent; they become really your child.”
King also spoke with Angie Dickinson whose late sister had Alzheimer’s. “It’s a long good bye, isn’t it?” King said.
“Yes, it is,” Dickinson said. “It was horrible to watch her be afflicted.” Dickinson said she is skeptical there will ever be a cure for Alzheimer’s. “I think they will definitely find something to slow it down,” she noted.
For families in the throes of the disease with someone they love, Dickinson recommended, “Love them and I don’t mean just love them with your soul and your head, but with your arms and your company and your touch and whatever pleasure still might be there for them, and don’t ever let up,” she said.
While promoting the special to HLN’s Dr. Drew Pinsky, King said he asked Dr. Paul Dudley White, the first cardiologist in America, in the first recognized medical specialty, if he were starting again today, what specialty he would choose. Dr. White, who treated President Eisenhower, said he’d choose neurology “because the brain is today what the heart was 50 years ago.”
Dr. Pinsky, also known for his show Celebrity Rehab, said he agrees. “It’s the century of the brain. We just had the decade of the brain and now people are really realizing there’s a lot more.”
The special will re-air Saturday, May 7, at 8 pm ET/PT.
New Alzheimer’s Guidelines Stress Early Diagnosis
Spinal Fluid, Imaging Tests Still Experimental but May Confirm Early Alzheimer’s
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
April 19, 2011 — Alzheimer’s disease should be diagnosed early, before a person develops severe, late-stage dementia, new guidelines suggest.
It’s been 27 years since guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease were laid out. Since 1984, research has shown Alzheimer’s to be a disease that begins decades before dementia appears.
Now panels from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association have split Alzheimer’s disease into three stages:
- Dementia, including mental impairments not as severe as those previously required for an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
- Mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease. This new category of Alzheimer’s disease includes patients with changes in memory and thinking ability that do not keep them from performing everyday functions, but which strongly suggest that a patient will develop Alzheimer’s dementia.
- Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. The new guidelines recognize that the Alzheimer’s disease process begins before there are any symptoms. But for now, there aren’t good enough tests to tell whether a person has this stage of Alzheimer’s.
Perhaps the biggest change is the way doctors will diagnose Alzheimer’s dementia, says Gary Kennedy, MD. Kennedy, a geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, was not a member of the guideline-writing committees.
“The real new component here is you need not have memory impairment to have Alzheimer’s dementia. They are ratcheting down the dementia criteria,” Kennedy tells WebMD. “If you’re having trouble making plans, have problems adapting to changes in your environment, or have lapses that impair your social involvement with others, you may have Alzheimer’s disease even if your memory is not so bad.”
Slideshow: When a Loved One Has Alzheimer’s
Diagnosis of Early Alzheimer’s Disease
Also new is that the guidelines assume it is possible to identify people with mild cognitive impairment whose worsening symptoms likely reflect an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
The criteria for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease are:
- Concern expressed by a patient, family member, friend, or doctor, about a change in mental function: specifically, memory, reasoning/problem solving, language ability, visual/spatial skills, or ability to pay attention.
- Objective evidence, usually test results, showing that a patient has one or more of these changes in mental function.
- The person is still independent and able to carry out everyday functions.
- The person is not demented.
“‘Mild’ here means you are not socially impaired, but it does imply you know there is a problem, and your family and friends notice a problem,” Kennedy says.
The problem, of course, is that many people with mild cognitive impairment deny there is a problem.
“So the criteria need refinement,” Kennedy says. “This is more of a provisional diagnosis. That is why the guidelines put an emphasis on biomarkers — signposts that dementia may be down the road.”
Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease
Biomarkers are tests that detect a disease process. Examples are tests of cholesterol levels to predict heart disease risk or blood sugar tests to predict diabetes.
Biomarkers are being developed for Alzheimer’s disease, but the guidelines stress that they are not yet ready for clinical use except in certain well-defined situations.
There are several Alzheimer’s biomarkers being explored, but two basic types are in the most advanced stages of development:
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test. A protein called beta-amyloid begins to accumulate in the brain even in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. When this happens, beta-amyloid levels drop in the CSF. Tests of CSF, collected by a spinal tap, measure beta-amyloid levels.
- Imaging tests such as PET scans, SPECT perfusion imaging, and even MRI scans can detect beta-amyloid accumulation or markers of brain injury typical of Alzheimer’s disease.
The new guidelines stress that none of these tests have been fully validated and that there are no cutoff levels that clearly distinguish normal people from those who have Alzheimer’s.
Nevertheless, the guidelines suggest that for some patients with mild cognitive impairment suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease, biomarker tests “would affect levels of certainty in the diagnosis.”
Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease
There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, so why the emphasis on early detection? Kennedy says the earlier you detect possible Alzheimer’s, the more you can do about it.
“Ten years ago we said there was no treatment for Alzheimer’s. That isn’t true now,” he says. “We can’t cure it, but just like diabetes, we can delay the illness and disability associated with it. I counsel patients to be aggressive about diet and exercise, to take the medications they need for other conditions, and to stay intellectually engaged.”
The new Alzheimer’s guidelines appear in the April 19 online issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
5 Motivation Myths Debunked
When it comes to making great changes in our lives, there is so much more required than simply the power of our WILL. Don’t get me wrong, willpower, defined as the strength to act or to refrain from acting in the pursuit of a goal, is absolutely essential in creating the changes that lead us towards acquiring that goal, whatever that goal may be. Learning a new language, landing a new job, starting a new semester in school, overcoming an illness - all require proper attention and focus sustained over time if we are to be successful. The question I would like to pose today is, when it comes to changing our health for the better by consistently eating right, resting right, exercising right – why is this one of the most difficult things to accomplish? Where great self-discipline and self-control are easy to exert in other areas – maybe it’s a no-brainer for us to avoid getting to work late or to clean up the dirty dishes at the end of the day – when it comes to diet, there is so much more at work in our physiology from hormones to brain chemistry that help shape our behaviors. Truly, a comprehensive plan for losing weight has to take into account not only our physiology, but the psychology as well. I posted an article before on the interplay between these two aspects (click here). Most of my seminars I’ve provided to date have to do with the physiology behind our health concerns, and though it is an absolutely critical part towards having success, I know it is only half the story.
I came across an article today that I’d like to share with your that I found to be wonderful in providing some key points in helping to shape our psychology for long-term success. It goes along just nicely in what we have been instructing here at the Spa on Green Street/Body Sanctuary, where weight loss is so much more than calories in vs. calories out. Enjoy the article and let me know if you have any questions/comments!
Ricardo
5 motivation myths debunked
By HOLLIS TEMPLETON
www.Fitbie.com
Calories in, calories out-in theory, losing weight should be that simple. But we’re going to venture a guess that the reason two thirds of Americans are classified as overweight or obese isn’t because they can’t do basic math. Age, genetics, hormones, and the big one-a lack of will power-better explain the disconnect between wanting to lose weight and actually doing it.
In fact, while 84 percent of people claim they’re trying to take better care of their health today than just a few years ago, 59 percent of people reported they don’t have the will power to change their habits, according to a recent survey by The Futures Company. Lack of will power is the number one barrier preventing Americans from living healthier lifestyles, ranking higher than a lack of money, time, desire, and a perceived lack of need, according to the survey.
So what’s the secret to propelling yourself from an “ah-ha” moment to reaching a healthy weight? It’s all about the day-to-day. Focusing on lifestyle changes, heeding the right how-to advice, and finding support from a group of like-minded peers will help you stay on track better than if you focused on the impetus (a scary obesity poster in the subway) or the end result (fitting into your skinny jeans again).
Here, we sift through motivation research and enlist the help of Andy Core, an exercise physiologist, motivational speaker, and author of the forthcoming book “Why Don’t I Do What I Know That I Should?,” to muddle through five motivation misconceptions-and provide the help you need to stay on track.
Myth 1: Knowledge is power.
The Reality: Information can be ineffective if you don’t know how to apply it.
You’re overweight. And if you don’t lose weight, you’re putting yourself at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and early death. The message is clear and it’s one that’s been hammered into our heads via every medium available. Still, even the most scientifically sound PSAs or flashiest billboards are void of a vital piece of information-how one actually goes about losing weight.
”Knowledge without application is guilt-inducing,” says Core, adding that over time, information overload can actually become demotivating. “In a way, it’s better not to know than to know and to not do,” he says.
A better solution: “If you really want to move people-busy, working people-to change, you need to use direction versus information,” says Core.
Research suggests that directions are more motivating than cold hard facts. When University of Missouri scientists analyzed data from 358 reports on the success rates of interventions designed to increase physical activity among 99,000 healthy adults, programs that focused on behavior change-feedback, goal setting, calorie and weight tracking, and exercise recommendations-were better predictors of success than cognitive-based approaches, those that focused on education and changing attitudes.
Myth 2: The end result is what matters.
The Reality: Enjoying the path to success is what helps you reach it.
You know the Chinese proverb “The journey is the reward,” but you’ve probably never thought of it in terms of losing weight. The reward typically associated with a diet and exercise plan is watching your goal weight calibrate on the bathroom scale. But according to Core, thinking ahead to that magical day isn’t enough to motivate you to get there. “Starting with the end in mind is the fast track to failure in a health-improvement program,” he says. “You want to have goals, but your daily focus should be on gaining gratification from checking the box.”
”Checking the box” could mean finishing a workout, drinking eight glasses of water in a given day, or dedicating 10 minutes in the evening to laying out your gym clothes and making a healthy lunch for the next day, says Core. The important thing is that it becomes a positive experience that you want to repeat, he says, adding that setting up healthy lifestyle patterns helps you build the momentum necessary to reach a weight loss goal.
In a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study, 136 women between the ages of 44 and 55 with BMIs of 25 to 38 took part in a weight loss program focused on adopting small changes in their diet and exercise patterns. Researchers made specific recommendations for daily caloric intake and exercise frequency and monitored participants’ weight on a weekly basis. After 4 months, the women had lost 6.2 percent of their body weight, on average, and reported being highly motivated by the improvements in mood, increased energy levels, and better sleep quality that resulted from increased exercise. Study authors concluded that feelings of enjoyment and interest in physical activity helped explain the effectiveness of the intervention beyond seeing a lower number on the scale.
Myth 3: I am my own biggest motivator.
The Reality: Social support is essential to reaching a weight loss goal.
You could have all the gumption in the world, but it won’t get you far if you’re going at weight loss alone-or from inside a circle of friends who make unhealthy decisions, says Core.
Research suggests that having obese friends can make you gain weight, too-and that your peers can help you lose weight or maintain weight loss. The trick to using social support to your advantage is surrounding yourself with the right company. “Ask yourself Are my family and friends encouragers, or are they part of the problem?” Core suggests. Think about your coworkers, too. “Working adults spend most of their waking hours at the office, so if the workplace doesn’t have your back, that’s a big roadblock to sustaining motivation,” says Core.
And don’t forget about your online support structure. In a study published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics, researchers at University of Texas Medical School at Houston surveyed 193 members of the SparkPeople online weight loss community and found that 88 percent of respondents used the site for encouragement and motivation, while 59 percent used it as a source of information and 43 percent as an outlet for sharing experiences.
Myth 4: Scare tactics work.
The Reality: Messages that evoke strong emotion only work if you’re unaware of a threat.
Scare tactics-from in-your-face ads depicting the consequences of obesity to a doctor’s chiding for your through-the-roof cholesterol-will make your stomach churn, but they’re not always effective at promoting a change in behavior, especially if you’re overweight and understand that unhealthy food and drink choices are part of the reason why. “If people are already aware-and most are hammered with information-it’s harassment at best and demotivation at worst,” says Core, explaining that guilt is not an effective motivator. “If the choice to change is pressured upon you by other people, then the long-term success rate is really slim,” he says.
Consumers tend to agree. When researchers asked 142 obese adults about their opinions on things like public health initiatives, media campaigns, commercial diets, and fitness programs for a survey published in the journal BMC Public Health, they found that respondents preferred interventions focused on lifestyle changes rather than those that strictly promoted weight loss and rated programs that were judgmental, stigmatizing, or shameful as least effective.
In a society overloaded with information, it’s hard to control the messages coming at you (ever tried turning off a billboard?), but you can seek out the positives. Look to weight loss success stories or case studies for inspiration, suggests Core. “As a motivational speaker, it’s like a holy grail for me if I can get someone to think If they can do it, maybe I can do it, too,” he says.
It’s also important to surround yourself with powerful cues that will aid in making healthy changes, says Core. These can be things like checklists on your fridge, bathroom mirror, or smartphone or photos of yourself at a smaller size. These cues will help you stay motivated from within, says Core, explaining that dieters will be more successful in the long-term if they are fueled by self-determination and decide to make lifestyle changes without external interference.
Myth 5: Failure is a sign of weakness.
The Reality: Failure results from a lack of preparation or poor behavior patterns.
If you hit a weight loss plateau or derail your diet over a holiday weekend, it’s not a reflection on your character and you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it, says Core, explaining that core values don’t drive motivation.
”Most people at some point in their lives have felt motivated to live healthy,” says Core. “Those same people have also felt unmotivated,” he adds, explaining that the two sometimes happen just days apart. “In a period of days, your core values, your metabolism, the way you were raised, and your life experiences haven’t changed.”
What did change: your habits. Perhaps you stopped tracking calories or skipped a series of workouts and feel like you’ve completely killed your diet. The best way to power past a slip-up: “Think execution versus outcome,” suggests Core. “Reenergize and refocus on checking the box. Don’t focus on what good things happen if you do, or bad things happen if you don’t.” And to make weight loss goals-and mistakes-more manageable from a success/failure standpoint, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. “You don’t have to change your life; you only have to change your day,” says Core.
For more tips, visit www.fitbie.com.
© 2007 Belleville News-Democrat and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.belleville.com
Facebook's Randi Zuckerberg: Anonymity Online 'Has To Go Away' http://huff.to/qQCMzf via @huffingtonpost10 months ago from The Huffington Post
