The Twinkie Diet Experiment

Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds

Excerpt:

For 10 weeks, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, ate one of these sugary cakelets every three hours, instead of meals. To add variety in his steady stream of Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, Haub munched on Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos, too.

His premise: That in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most -- not the nutritional value of the food.

The premise held up: On his "convenience store diet," he shed 27 pounds in two months.

For a class project, Haub limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of Haub's pre-dieting size usually consumes about 2,600 calories daily. So he followed a basic principle of weight loss: He consumed significantly fewer calories than he burned.

His body mass index went from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is normal. He now weighs 174 pounds.

But you might expect other indicators of health would have suffered. Not so.

Haub's "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 20 percent and his "good" cholesterol, or HDL, increased by 20 percent. He reduced the level of triglycerides, which are a form of fat, by 39 percent.

"That's where the head scratching comes," Haub said. "What does that mean? Does that mean I'm healthier? Or does it mean how we define health from a biology standpoint, that we're missing something?"

Comment: Interesting - "pure calorie counting is what matters most". I'm surprised his cholesterol counts improved!

The microbiota inside you

Say Hello to the Bugs in Your Gut

Excerpts:

From an early age, the human body is home to a huge but ever-changing community of microbes: for each one of our cells, there are 10 microbial cells in or on the body. Most of them live in the intestines; the bulk of the rest inhabit the mouth, esophagus, stomach, upper airway, skin and vagina. No one knows how many different species coexist inside the human gut. In the first comprehensive census of the gut, David Relman and his colleagues at Stanford University quit counting after they hit 395 different species in three healthy subjects. The real cast of characters will almost certainly number in the thousands.


Curiously, we don't start life with such a microbial partnership. A developing baby floats in sterile amniotic fluid, protected from bumps—and bugs. That isolation ends during the baby's trip through the birth canal, which is a haven for bacteria. The baby picks up microbes on his or her skin; some get into the mouth. From then on, helpful microbes somehow convince the immune system that they mean no harm. They settle down in hospitable regions, and crowd out those that can't compete.
....

What's indigestible to you is a seven-course meal to your gut microbiota. The conditions in the colon—dark, moist and free of oxygen—are just what your gut microbiota needs to ferment indigestible material passed on from the small intestine and produce simple sugars and short, chain-free fatty acids. They do this for their own good, but they also share some of these energy-rich substances with their host—us. Some people get up to 10 percent of their daily calories from substances produced by their gut bugs.
....

The energy content of food isn't a fixed quantity. Consider the 110 calories per cup listed on a box of Cheerios. Some people may get that much, others may get less, depending on their gut microbiota. A difference of just 25 calories a day—that's half a rice cake or one chocolate kiss—between what you take in and what you burn could mean a gain or loss of more than two pounds in a year and 20 pounds over a decade.

Comment: Very interesting article!

6 Diet Disconnects

6 Reasons Why We’re Not Eating Healthier

Excerpt:

Here are the major areas in which the survey found "diet disconnects" that could stand in the way of a healthier diet and lifestyle:

1. Calories. Some 70% of those who reported trying to eat healthier said they were doing so because they wanted to lose weight. Yet only 11% of Americans knew how many calories they should be eating each day. (To find out your own recommended calorie level, go to mypyramid.gov.)
   
2. Diet and Exercise. Most Americans -- 84% -- say they are physically active for health benefits at least once a week. But 44% of those who are active say that they don't balance diet and physical activity to manage their weight. "Consumers need to understand that calories have to be balanced with physical activity -- either by eating less or exercising more -- to achieve weight control," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
   
3. Breakfast. According to 90% of Americans, breakfast is the most important meal of the day (something most dietitians agree with). Still, less than half (49%) report eating it every day. (If this sounds like you, dietitians recommend stocking your kitchen with healthy "grab and go" breakfasts: low-fat yogurt, cereal bars, whole-grain cereal, and hard-boiled eggs.)
   
4. Fats. Americans' concern about how much and what kind of fats we eat is up from a year ago (from 66% to 72%) and we're specifically trying to consume less trans fats. But it seems we're as confused as ever about which fats are healthier. Some survey participants reported trying to eat less polyunsaturated fats, but this is one of the fats recommended for health benefits. (For the record, healthier fats include canola, olive, corn and safflower, though it's important to keep in mind that all fats are high in calories.)
   
5. Carbohydrates. Americans are getting the message that some types of carbs can improve the healthfulness of their diets. More than 70% of those surveyed said they are trying to eat more fiber and whole grains. But even though low-carb diets have seen a drop in popularity lately,more than 50% of Americans are still concerned about the amount of carbohydrates they consume.
   
6. "Functional" Foods. According to the survey, Americans believe that consuming specific foods and beverages can provide health benefits, like improving heart health (80%); digestive health (76%); and energy or stamina (76%). Yet more than 50% of those surveys say they don't actually consume food or beverages that deliver these benefits.
   

Comment: My wife sent this to me. A good read (the entire article!)

Confessions of a Dieter!

Since most of my readers are friends (or at least not enemies), I thought it was time for a little transparency. I've been dieting since January 1st.

1. This is not the first time I've dieted but it is one of the hardest.
   
   
   
   1. Back in the early 80's I was over 280. I was pastoring at Moorestown Bible Church.
      
   2. That year I started in January and lost 100 lbs.
      
   3. I kept a daily food diary.
      
   4. I walked probably 3 miles a day.
      
   5. And after I had lost some weight, I bought a new bicycle (a single speeder!) and would ride my bike almost every day.
      
   6. That year I lost on average 3 lbs a week.
      
   
   
2. Thing are different now. I am 23 years older. I am handicapped. No more bike riding or three mile hikes. I was not as heavy when I started (275 this time)
   

What am I doing and how is it going and what have I learned:

1. I keep a daily diet diary (a private blog really!). I score each day as success, neutral or failure.
   
2. I have a plan that sounds austere but works for me. It is mostly vegetarian except for: a thin slice of ham or turkey on a sandwich every weekday. A hamburger every Sunday after church, and meat with a meal ever Saturday night (last Sunday was a 6 oz steak). Every Friday we go out to eat at Subway. It's not fancy but it is satisfying and low calorie.
   
3. Today is day 128. I started at 275. Today I am 245. So I have lost 30 lbs in 127 days (.23 ls a day / 1.65 lbs a week / 7 lbs a month)
   
4. The rate is not the super-successful 3 lbs a month 20 years ago, but I am not doing any exercise except normal walking.
   
5. I am targeting 200 lbs. That's another 45 lbs. I hope to have this accomplished by the end of the year.
   
6. Hard times: I was stuck at 255 for almost 2 weeks. Now I am stuck at 245 for the last three weeks. So the .23 lbs per day / 1.65 lbs per week / 7 lbs a month is not a steady rate. One recent week (in March) I lost 3 lbs.
   
7. So far, I have not felt hungry or deprived. I have a couple of tricks. Every night for 'dessert' I have 2 dates and a piece of dried apricot. It is really yummy and satisfying with a cup of coffee.
   
8. I had 2 days that were out and out failures: Superbowl Sunday ... and the recent BCP event.
   
9. We have turned down (don't be offended) invites to go to Perkins after church on Sunday nights. I just can't do it. I just cannot have a meal after church and blow that day off as neutral or a failure. So after church, I come home and have a bowl of grape nuts.
   
10. Eating out does not work. The portion sizes are too large, there are few diet options, the restaurant food must be laden with salt, etc. The couple of times that we have eaten out have either slowed the loss for a week or resulted in a weight loss plateau. (Eating out cannot be totalling avoided -this Saturday we are taking the family out to celebrate Rachel's graduation - but to lose weight eating out has to be minimized.
    

Why am I going public? Most people who know me at church and work know so it is not a big deal. Well I hope that you would pray for me ... and invite me out to Perkins for a little Christian fellowship!

This is something I pray about every day. I cannot blame God for being obese, but I will praise Him for the successes he empowers me to exerience as I discipline myself and yield to Him.

Philippians 1:20,21: "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"

1 Corinthians 9:27: "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified"

Metabolic testing

Metabolic testing

Just before I got out of bed this morning, I was watching WCCO and saw that the Woodwinds hospital has a metabolic testing program. I checked it out today and signed up for May 25th. It sounded interesting to me and I will report on how it turns out.

If the jeans don't fit ... blame it on the genes!

'Fat' gene found by scientists

Excerpt:

A gene that contributes to obesity has been identified for the first time, promising to explain why some people easily put on weight while others with similar lifestyles stay slim.

People who inherit one version of the gene rather than another are 70 per cent more likely to be obese, British scientists have discovered. One in six people has the most vulnerable genetic make-up and weighs an average 3kg more than those with the lowest risk. They also have 15 per cent more body fat.

Comments (sarcasm alert!):

1. Where did they find that really disgusting picture? Did someone pose for this? What a weird camera angle! (if you want to get grossed out ... Google "obese people" on Google images!) I spared you!
   
   
2. Here's another question: when they show obese people (normally either their huge bellies or back ends) on TV (like whenever the news reports on obesity), do these people need to sign a "release form"? ... Do they receive royalties?
   
   
3. I ask because perhaps I can sign on for this and have my picture taken and receive royalty checks for life! This by the way is shorter for the obese!
   
   
4. For me, I blame it on my upbringing, my Mother (who obviously overfed me ... if you could only see my baby pictures!), my wife, my children (who have brought so much stress into my life!), my boss (stress again!), and now my jeans (which are too tight) ... er my genes which are defective!