I couldn’t watch this without going “Ewwwwww!”

Ok, so it’s “only” 500 calories. Two points:

1. The vast majority of people already eat too many calories… and too many empty calories at that.  All those “only’s” can add up… fast.
2. If you’re going to have a 500 calorie treat… why eat some gnarly, grease-ball hybrid fair-food monstrosity created solely to be outrageous? Go have something wonderful, instead.

I loved “Doghouse Riley’s” description of this thing:

GREETINGS from the Land of the Doughnut Burger, which, in case you’ve been living under a rock, is the Taste Sensation That’s Sweeping the Indiana State Fair, and God Knows It Needs Sweeping. That’s David Letterman’s line, and if I recall correctly, the Indiana State Fair was what inspired it in the first place. Here’s the recipe:

1. Find a cow which died of something.

2. Grind up all the parts no one would eat if they were recognizable.

3. Form into patties. Fry if there’s time.

4. Serve, replacing the traditional bun with Krispy Kreme™ doughnuts, which, so far as I can tell, are just like real doughnuts, except in place of a doughnut fryer they use Petrie dishes.

Hee-hee!

I have – on a few odd occasions in the past – eaten McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets.

There… I said it.

Of course, “eaten” is sort of an exaggeration… it was really more like “tasting” or “finishing.”  Y’see, when my kids were little, I did allow them to eat a “Happy Meal” once in a while. As far as they were concerned, however, a visit to McDonald’s was about getting the toys and playing in the “Playland.”  Most of the time, they barely touched the food.  They always ordered the nuggets, and would eat maybe 1 – 2, so I’d graze on some of the leftovers while they played.  They weren’t very appetizing, though… they sorta reminded me of breading-and-chicken-flavored surgical sponges. It took a hefty infusion of dipping sauce to even make them (barely) edible.  No wonder Ryan and Nick turned their noses up at them.

Continue Reading »

I got a bit of a laugh out of the latest attempt by the UK’s “Campaign for Real Ale” (CAMRA) to promote beer-drinking.  According to the Campaign (which is making headlines here in the US, too), drinking beer will help you lose weight!

LONDON (AFP) – Beer is good for you and can save you from having to go jogging, organisers insisted at the Great British Beer Festival this week.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which is behind the giant annual party, said beer had fewer calories than wine, and switching from the grape to the grain could save as many calories as are burned in a half-hour jog.

And CAMRA hope the notion might help their push to get more women supping Britain’s national drink.

Chief executive Mike Benner said: “It is great news to see the myth of the beer belly finally laid to rest. The main message we are putting forward today is that, as a low-alcohol drink, beer can supplement a healthy lifestyle if consumed in a responsible manner.”

Brewing expert Professor Charlie Bamforth said: “For years beer has been blighted by a reputation for being more fattening than other alcoholic drinks when in reality the exact opposite is true.

“The major source of calories in any alcoholic drink is the alcohol itself, and because beer is the drinks category with the lowest average alcohol content it is also lowest in calories.”

Continue Reading »

I really don’t pay a whole lot of attention to football these days. It’s not like I don’t know that a lot of players are big, but – as this Associated Press article points out – they’re getting bigger and bigger by the decade.

An analysis of league rosters shows the number of 300-pounders has risen dramatically over the decades: From a single player (Gene Ferguson of the Chargers) in 1970, to three in 1980, 94 in 1990, 301 in 2000 and 394 in 2009.

…There were 532 players in the 300-pound-plus club heading into the 2010 training camps… According to heights and weights listed on rosters, 97 percent of 2,168 NFL players had body-mass indexes (a formula that considers weight and height) of 25 or greater, which is considered the threshold for the “overweight” category. The BMI is often considered an unfair gauge for NFL players because they lift weights extensively and have naturally large frames. Still, it’s notable that 56 percent have BMIs of more than 30, which is the threshold for obesity, and 26 percent are at 35 or greater.

…There’s no sign of things lightening in the college ranks. Macedonio cited another study that showed a sampling of collegiate offensive lineman averaged 27.4 percent body fat — the healthy range is 8 to 19 percent — and that 69 of 70 players already had at least one condition — high blood pressure, waist circumference of 40 inches or greater — that predicted they would be susceptible to heart disease later in life.

There are definitely problems with applying BMI to muscle-bound athletes.  But – as suggested by the body fat stats of collegiate players – I would be unsurprised to discover that a LOT of those 300+ pound guys are packing far too much body fat for good health. And once their careers are over, the potential for serious health issues (cardiovascular disease, joint problems) will likely increase, if they continue eating as if they were still in training.

This is ridiculous, IMHO.  No one should be asked to risk his current/future health in order to play a game… a big-money game, to be sure, but still a game.

Last year, attorney-extraordinaire Rick Collins leaped – for the first time,  no less – out of a perfectly good airplane to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  

Wicked, eh? Rick’s effort raised over $15,000 for cancer research.  The effort was so successful, that this year, Rick decided to turn it into a larger-scale event.  This year, Rick – and nearly 60 other people – will be jumping on behalf of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong.  The jumps will take place soon – August 21/22 – but the group is still a bit short of their goal of $20,000 (as of this writing, it’s $17,248).

I know money is tight for many people, but if you’ve got a few bucks to spare, this is about as worthy a cause as it’s possible to find.  Very few people’s lives go untouched by cancer, and it’s only through research that better treatments (and results!) will be found.

Rick’s donation page is here.  But feel free to donate to one of the team members as well (for the record, I’ve sent donations to Rick, as well as to my Facebook friend Joe Martin and co-Team True Alpha member (and Bodybuilding.com writer) Matt Weik. No matter who you donate to, though, it all goes to the same place.

Thanks to all!

Check out the CNN article about her, as well as the video below:

Continue Reading »

I’m in the middle of penning a review of USP Labs” Pink Magic, which consists of a blend of three herbal ingredients. Looking at the label, I noted - for the umpteenth time - an amusing discrepancy with the way they’re written, vs. the way they’re supposed to be written.

Many supp companies refer to common plant-based ingredients by their botanical names.  For example, “Nelumbo Nucifera” sounds more exotic and “sciency” than simply “Lotus.”   This makes it harder for customers to figure out what they’re swallowing, of course, but that’s the way the game is played. Let them eat Google, I guess.

But if the companies that do this are really on top of their scientific/technical game(s) (as they like to insist in their ads), then how come they never seem to write these names correctly?  There’s a particular way in which formal, scientific plant/animal names are supposed to be written… it’s not, for example, “Nelumbo Nucifera” – it’s Nelumbo nucifera.  The genus name (Nelumbo) is capitalized, but the species name never is. In addition, proper taxonomic names are italicized (admittedly, I often lose the italics myself, but this is for the sake of readablity.  TBH, I really don’t care for the font/size we’re using here at UFB.  ;-) ).

Interestingly enough, the (few) bottles of straight-up herbal supps I have on my shelf conform much better to the standards.  For example, a bottle of “Heliocare” identifies the main ingredient as “Polypodium leucotomos.” And a bottle of “PM Phytogen Complex” lists “Standardized extract of Pueraria mirifica” on the label.  Sweet.

Yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bodybuilding supplement company even come close to following the proper naming convention. Ok – it’s not like I’ve ogled every single label of every single product with herbal ingredients on the market – but among the ones I’ve used/reviewed, the names are always rendered in title case.  It’s a small thing, perhaps, but I’m tempted to see it as just one more indication that the claims of scientific expertise made in product ads are a bit… hollow.

Seriously – politicians often say some pretty dumb things, but this Denver Post article describes one of the stupidest statements I’ve encountered in a loooong time…

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are “converting Denver into a United Nations community.”

“This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed,” Maes told about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in Centennial.

Maes said in a later interview that he once thought the mayor’s efforts to promote cycling and other environmental initiatives were harmless and well-meaning. Now he realizes “that’s exactly the attitude they want you to have.”

“This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms,” Maes said.

He added: “These aren’t just warm, fuzzy ideas from the mayor. These are very specific strategies that are dictated to us by this United Nations program that mayors have signed on to.”

I’m completely speechless.  I lived in Davis, CA from roughly 1976 – 1979; and was a UC student/staff member through 1994.  Davis is well-known as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the US - and biking was the major form of transportation in the town even 35 years ago, when I first set foot on campus.  If you were to randomly ask Davis residents if they saw policies promoting bike riding as some sort of UN plot to limit personal freedom,  they would probably start edging away from you nervously… convinced that you were dangerously insane.  Needless to state, there are no black helicopters hovering over the city; and the members of the city council do not take their marching orders from Ban Ki-moon.

And “insane” is a good way to describe this.  If Maes actually believes this, he should be locked away and given anti-psychotic meds.  And if he doesn’t, he’s a cynical opportunist who’s using paranoia to get votes.

In surfing through the news this morning, I came across the following news item:

The Food and Drug Adminstration is warning people not to use a supplement that claims to treat diseases ranging from HIV to acne, after receiving reports it is making consumers sick.  When used as directed,  the FDA says Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) produces chlorine dioxide, a potent bleach often used in industrial water treatment and stripping textiles.  

The FDA has received numerous reports of serious side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and life threatening low-blood pressure from dehydration.

Continue Reading »

Just back from Spokane – it was a good (if somewhat grueling) trip.

We were in the downtown area for brunch this morning, and I saw this sign as we were ambling back to the car.  I could NOT resist snapping a pic! 

I hope the anti-hype pitch is working out for them.  Personally, I was charmed.  If only we had more time, I’d have stopped in and bought something, just for the heck of it.

At any rate – back to work tomorrow!

We’re headed for the SpoCon 2010 Sci Fi/Fantasy Convention tomorrow, but I’ll be checking in from the road!

Number One Son’s a finalist in the Short Story competition for “Joy Ride,” so – while Sci Fi geekdom ain’t exactly mah thang, I can’t possibly miss this.

Ciao!

Dr. Melina Jampolis – the Physician Nutrition Specialist for CNN – recently posted a brief, but informative response to a parent query about her 50-pounds-overweight, daughter. The answer to “Should I put my 11-year-old on a diet?” was neither yes, nor no, since this was a question that needed to be directed to the child’s pediatrician.  But Dr. Jampolis noted certain important dietary changes that are important for parents to consider – even if their children aren’t quite as overweight as the one under discussion.
Continue Reading »

Wrigley and Coca Cola are just two of the food companies experiencing legal setbacks in their efforts to capitalize on the functional food trend.

First up, Coke recently lost its bid to have the CSPI-backed, class action suit against Vitamin Water dismissed. According to NutraIngredients-USA:

Coca-Cola is to face a lawsuit challenging the health claims on its Vitaminwater drinks, after a US federal judge denied the firm’s request to have the lawsuit dismissed.

Continue Reading »

I came across two articles with some pretty impressive weight loss stories, so I thought I’d highlight both of them. 

First up, Marci Williams…

FRIDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) — Things hit the “big crescendo” for Marci Williams in December 2005.Williams, 47, of Greensboro, N.C., had been obese for some time, weighing as much as 332 pounds at just 5-foot-3.

…Her doctor referred her to a cardiologist, who performed some tests and laid it out plainly for Williams.

“I just knew the minute he walked in this wasn’t going to be a very good appointment,” she said. “He said, ‘You know, you are not going to live to see 50 if you don’t lose this weight.’ He made it very clear to me that all these things that were happening to me were symptoms of obesity, rather than stand-alone illnesses. His advice to me was [that] we can treat all of these symptoms, but the only way to cure this is to lose the weight.”

Williams started watching what she ate, carefully counting the carbohydrates in her diet. She also began light exercise. She set a goal of working out 30 minutes a day, but she says it came hard. She sometimes had to exercise for 10 minutes, then come back and do another 10 minutes later in the day.

…She stepped up the exercise and kept it up, while watching what she ate. As she shed pounds, she also shed symptoms. She stopped having to take insulin. Her blood pressure came under control. Her cholesterol improved.

The results?  Today Marci Williams weighs 135 – 140 lbs., and her numbers “rock.” Click the link above to read the full story.

Continue Reading »

Ok, Roche gets my vote for creating the creepiest ad evah (!) for a weight loss product.  The company’s NZ ad campaign for Xenical virtually equates losing weight with your worst nightmares.

Then again, considering that “anal leakage” is one of the side effects you can get with Xenical, “worst nightmare” might be an appropriate metaphor, after all.

In my years on the “Bodybuilding Revealed” and “Fat Loss Revealed” forums, I’ve had to field a number of questions related to the rather bizarre mix of sense and nonsense spewed by Dr. Joseph Mercola.  Sorting out the truth from the half-truths and outright, self-serving BS is no mean feat – Dr. M is a skillful writer, who knows exactly what buttons to push in order to convince his audience. As I put it to one forum member:

If you’ve read my posts on the good doctor, then you’ve certainly encountered this statement:

“…I read his stuff periodically (I’m on the e-mail list), but take some of what he says with a grain of salt. He’s got an agenda, and frequently selects or spins info to support a predetermined position.”

That is my honest opinion. For the record, I don’t see him as “crazy.” Nor do I see him as “legit” (I do not know the source of his title, nor do I care – I judge him on the basis of his writing, not his credentials…I’ve known legit MDs and PhDs who couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel). There are points he makes that I would agree with completely. But, IMO, he’s less concerned with the health of his readers than he is with their wallets… it’s not black/white; right/wrong. But I don’t trust him to be completely honest, and therein lies the problem I have with him.

Continue Reading »

As I surf around the medical blogosphere, I can’t help but notice the hostility that various MD’s express towards supplements.  I understand where they’re coming from – there are a lot of sensational claims being made on very shaky evidence.  They’re concerned about safety – not to mention the prospect of seeing people with eminently treatable ailments and conditions abandon needed medical care in favor of “natural” miracle cures.  Nonetheless. I don’t agree with their solution – the repeal of DSHEA. As I’ve noted before, I treasure my right to choose, and feel better enforcement of the existing regs and GMPs is the answer – not insisting supps meet the same criteria as prescription drugs (as if that’s a solution… cases like Avandia and Vioxx argue otherwise).

Continue Reading »

A bud of mine from the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum sent me a link to this Sports Illustrated article about the ”all you can eat” sections appearing in Major League ballparks. Apparently, it’s a winning tactic being used by many teams to beef up (no pun intended) the attendance figures for games.

BALTIMORE — Matthew Cavalier had a seat in Section 280 for a late June game between the Orioles and Athletics at Camden Yards. But for a good portion of the fourth inning, he chose to watch the game on TV from inside the concourse. That way, he could be closer to the food.

The all-you-can-eat food — the nachos, hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, lemonade, sodas and ice cream — that he was entitled to with the purchase of a ticket in the Orioles’ Left Field Club Picnic Perch was that big of a draw.

“It’s an easier walk,” Cavalier said.

Continue Reading »

Although we deal mostly with fat loss/muscle-building and miscellaneous herbal supps here, we’d be remiss if we ignored the growing number of “cosmeceutical” supps entering the marketplace.  Most of the ones I’ve seen are for moisturizing/hydrating aging skin… and they’re NOT cheap. Fortunately, Chris Woolston, “The Healthy Skeptic,” has done some digging on the subject.  The verdict?  Save your money.

The bottom line: The ingredients in Dermalipid and Ocea Skin could probably help moisturize dry skin — but only if you broke open the capsules and applied the contents directly, says Dr. Joseph Fowler, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Louisville and a past president of the American Contact Dermatitis Society. “Even then, you could only cover a square inch or so, and the skin is a big organ,” he says. “I know of no evidence that taking a pill would work in any reasonable fashion.”

One problem with the pill approach, according to Fowler, is that most of the oils will break down in the digestive system before they have a chance to reach the bloodstream. And even if they make it to the blood, he says, there’s no telling where they’ll end up. Sure, some of those fat molecules could reach the surface, but he doubts it could ever be enough to change how the skin looks or feels.

Personally, I’d love to be able to take a pill: even at my age (52), I have very oily, acne-prone skin that often breaks out when I use topical creams and lotions - even the so-called “non-comedogenic,” oil-free kind. But alas,  no such luck.

Using weighted clothing to improve strength, power and/or endurance isn’t new – in fact, well-made, close-fitting weighted vests and shorts have been used by athletes for quite some time.  I own a “Smart Vest” myself, and have made good use of it. But – let’s face it – unless I’m wearing a jacket or sweatshirt, it’s pretty obvious I’m wearing athletic gear.

According to CNN, a young engineer at Georgia Tech,  Patrick Whaley, has come up with weighted clothing that’s both unobtrusive and useful.  So useful, in fact, that he was able to use his creation(s) to facilitate his rehabilitation following a near-fatal assault.

Continue Reading »