Well, it is according to the news reports concerning  a summary issued by the Baker Heart Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia.  Among the report’s key findings:

• The ‘fat bomb’ is loudly ticking in Australia with around 7 out of 10 middle-aged men and 6 out of 10 middle-aged women being overweight or obese.
• Overall, around 1.5 million middle-aged Australians are currently obese and therefore at high risk of a CV event in the longer-term.
• Based on the best available evidence, our expanded middle-aged waistlines will result in an extra 700,000 CV-related admissions in the next 20 years.
• These highly preventable admissions will conservatively cost (in today’s terms) an extra $6 billion ($2.9 billion in hospital costs alone) in health care.
• An estimated 123,000 men and women will die (many prematurely) from CVD over the next 20 years as a result of their excess weight.
• A simple strategy such as losing 5 kg in 5 months has the potential to result in 27% to 34% fewer CV-related hospital admissions and deaths over the next 20 years.

Unfortunately, even if the Aussies are Number One, the US can’t be too far behind…according to the most recent estimate (the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), 66.3 adults over the age of 20 are overweight or obese.

The first week of the AST program was pretty basic…but nonetheless challenging.  The routine looked like this:

• Monday: Squats, Leg Press, Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, Standing Machine Calf Raises, Leg Press Calf Raises
• Tuesday: Straight Bar Curls, Alternating Dumbbell Curls, Cable Curls, Cable Pushdowns, Lying Tricep Extensions, Dumbbell Kickbacks, Barbell Wrist Curls, Dumbbell Wrist Curls, Weighted Leg Raises, Cable Rope Crunches, Weighted Crunches
• Wednesday: Barbell Military Press, Seated Dumbbell Press, Standing Side Lateral Raises, Barbell Shrugs, Upright Rows
• Thursday: Lat Pulldowns, Seated Cable Rows, Good Mornings, Weighted Hyperextensions
• Friday: Flat Barbell Bench Press, Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Weighted Dips

This didn’t look too formidable to me up front, although it was pretty grueling in practice, thanks to going to failure between 4 - 6 reps on every set.  Like today was chest day…normally, I can knock out 3 sets of 8 dips, with an added 30 pounds on the belt.  But after going all out on the two bench press exercises, I could barely manage the prescribed two sets of dips wearing a 25 pound plate (5 reps each set). 

I haven’t trained like this in a long time.  Sure, I’ve had 5 x 5’s and 6 x 6’s in my programs for certain exercises/muscle groups, but it’s been aaaaaages since I’ve done an entire workout routine using that sort of rep range exclusively.  In addition, it’s also been a long time since I’ve done a full-fledged shoulder workout.  There isn’t anything wrong with my shoulders (knock on wood!), but a) I’ve done a lot of indirect shoulder work via other exercises, and b) my shoulders are already pretty well developed - as can be seen in the pic.  But we’ll see how it goes…I think it’s going to be good for me.

No more weights until Monday.  I’ll do some cardio tomorrow (intervals) and knock off completely on Sunday. 

I’m of two minds regarding this discussion of a recently published weight loss study, that demonstrated that overweight (BMI 23.5 - 29.9 kg/m²) subjects on a weight loss program consumed more calories on weekends than they did during the weekdays.  On the one hand, the article makes the (very relevant) point that overindulgence on weekends can slow weight loss efforts.  What it consipicuously fails to point out, however, is that the treatment groups experienced a significant net weight loss over the year: the calorie-restricted and exercise groups lost an average of 8.0 +/- 0.9 kg and 6.4 kg +/- 0.9 kg, respectively. 

In other words, while slacking off on the weekends may have slowed things down, it didn’t derail their efforts.

So is this really so bad…especially since weight control is a long-term endeavor?  In my experience, planned, intermittent increases in weekly intake (i.e., calorie/carb cycling; cheat meals/days) can offer both physiological and psychological benefits.  Likewise, learning how to get back on the wagon following an indulgence is a critical skill. 

Thus, depending on the goal, slow and steady can be a viable alternative - especially when it comes to incorporating lifestyle changes that facilitate long-term weight maintenance.  This is, of course, the biggest stumbling block of all.  Slower weight loss may actually be a fair trade for a program you can live with, long term.

With all the emphasis on overweight/obesity, it’s hard to visualize having the opposite problem.  But quite a few do…especially young women who aspire to be models.

Michael had started her modeling career in Texas as a 5-foot-9, 130-pound 15-year-old, and at every rung she climbed on her career ladder, she heard the same thing: She needed to take off a few pounds.

It was a couple of pounds for Dallas, a few more for New York, and even more for Paris and the big international shows. Finally, she starved herself down to 102 pounds. The designers loved her.

But when she found her hair coming out in clumps as she flew home from a show last fall, she knew something was terribly wrong. “That’s kind of when I realized this wasn’t worth it anymore. This had completely taken over.”

…Today, super-thin continues to rule. Michael learned that after deciding she didn’t want to die for her job. She followed the advice of her medical advisers and put on 7 pounds. In January, now weighing 109, she went back to Paris for another big show. Only one designer would give her any work. The others sneered at her if they looked at her at all. Her legs, they told her, were too fat.

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Admittedly, I don’t keep a very close watch on what Big Pharma is up to, when it comes to the development of anti-obesity drugs…let’s face it, most of ‘em don’t do much, and carry a significant risk of side effects.  Some of the sides are relatively harmless (i.e., anal leakage from Orlistat), while others are more serious (i.e., depression/suicide risk from Rimonabant).  And - to be blunt - I feel that both healthy weight loss and long-term weight maintenance are best achieved through significant lifestyle changes…which have added benefits for health, fitness and longevity.

Nonetheless, a pretty interesting “natural” drug is in the pipeline, that bears close watching: oleoyl-estrone. 

What the heck is it?  Oleoyl-estrone is a naturally-occurring hormone produced by adipose tissue, that helps communicate levels of body fat to the brain.  It’s a fatty acid ester of the estrogen hormone estrone, which - paradoxically - does not appear to have estrogenic effects when administered orally - at least in rodent studies.  Oleoyl-estrone causes reductions in food intake and body fat, without a loss of body protein.  It appears to be safe, and was used successfully in one case study on a morbidly obese man who lost 38.5 kg (almost 85 pounds) over 27 months of intermittent treatment with no dietary restriction.  Larger human clinical trials are currently being conducted.

Of course, rats aren’t people, and the one obese guy this was used on, was still obese at the end of the trial.  So while it looks promising, I’d hesitate to call it a miracle treatment.  Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on…which I plan on doing.

To add to Paul’s comments about the detrimental effects of TV on children’s food choices,  a recent study found a correlation between the time preschoolers spend in front of the tube, and their weight/degree of adiposity (as measured by skinfold thickness). 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends restricting TV/video viewing for children to < 2 hours/day.  Yet the study found

…that 30.8 percent of the preschoolers studied exceeded the AAP guidelines just by watching television, not including computer time. Most watched one to three hours of TV or video on the assessment day. Those children who surpassed the AAP recommendations on TV/video viewing were more likely to be overweight or at risk for being overweight.

Children’s computer use also correlated to higher body fat but was not related to weight status, possibly because of the relatively small number of preschoolers who used computers during the research period.

Reasons for obesity observed among the children exceeding AAP recommendations include substituting TV/video watching for physical activity; watching television ads that encourage consumption of unhealthy, fatty foods; and snacking while watching TV/videos.

The full study is here.

Good habits are formed early in life.  Turning off the tube isn’t just good for you…it’s good for your kids too.

Actually, I’m long overdue for a new one…I’ve been more-or-less marking time for the last 2-3 weeks.  Unfortunately, I’ve allowed myself to get too wrapped up in my work to write one up.  There’s no end in sight, either, so it occurred to me that I could use this as an opportunity to try out some of the “canned” workout programs in my possession…Lord knows I’ve got quite a collection on my hard drive and bookshelf.  That way, I don’t have to think too hard about what I’m doing, and can discuss each program as I go through it.

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Chris Coleson’s 80+ pound weight loss hit the news cycle recently.  The former 276 pounder now weighs in at a relatively svelte 190 lbs. and has dropped 14 pants sizes: his waist went from 50 inches to 36 inches.

That’s pretty impressive, although what he did was less newsworthy than how he did it. 

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And I mean that literally…The Gainesville Health & Fitness Center is testing ReCardio, a technological “fix” which converts the kinetic energy of the elliptical machines into electrical energy.  Right now, 15 machines are hooked up to the system, and the power generated during cardio workouts is plugged back into the utility grid for use by the gym.

Each elliptical machine has the ability to produce one kilowatt of electricity every 10 hours, which is enough to charge the battery for a 2004 Toyota Prius once or a cell phone up to 397 times. In the last couple of months, since the Gainesville Health & Fitness Center has been testing the ReCardio system, about 150 kilowatts of electricity has been produced.

Apparently the recreational director at the University of Florida is thinking of adapting the technology to the Southwest Recreational Center.

Harr visited Bowles almost three weeks ago and conducted a demonstration where he hooked up an elliptical machine on the ReCardio system to a series of lights and was able to power them through exercise. Proposals to use ReCardio at UF are now under way.

Personally, I think it’s pretty nifty - it’s basically a way to recycle some of the energy you’re expending.  Sure, it’s not going to solve the energy crisis, but every little bit helps…and I imagine it would make cardio at the gym a little more tolerable - knowing that you’re producing a bit more than just a sweat.

(h/t That’s Fit)

The WebMD site has a nice little article on crash diets, called “The Worst Diets Ever: Diets That Don’t Work.”  While it doesn’t call out very many diets by name, it provides a good set of guidelines on how to evaluate a diet program. 

What does a bad diet look like?  The author, Kathleen Zelman, offers 5 criteria to ID which ones to avoid:

• Diets that focus on only a few foods or food groups
• “Detox” diets
• Diets with “Miracle” foods or ingredients
• Fasting and very low calorie diets
• Diets that sound too good to be true

Read the whole thing: it’s a good reality check.

Here’s a suggestion for losing weight…

Unplug the TV.

Or, if you want to live a little more dangerously, pull a “Keith Richards,” and heave it off the balcony (checking first for innocent civilians below), or empty a couple of shells of double-ought buck into it from a safe distance away (the living room?). Whatever you do, it’s time to bid good riddance to this benevolent monster.

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Over the last 20 years, portion sizes have expanded…and Americans have expanded right along with them. What’s the peril in larger portions?  A number of studies have now shown that - when people have more food in front of them - they eat more…without feeling fuller either.  As noted in this publication by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

A study by Rolls et al. tested how adults responded to meals on different days of four different portion sizes of macaroni and cheese. They found that the bigger the portion, the more participants ate. Participants consumed 30% more energy (162 cal) when offered the largest portion (1000g) compared to the smallest portion (500g). They also reported similar ratings of hunger and fullness after each meal despite the intake differences. After the study, only 45% of the subjects reported noticing that there were differences in the size of the portions served.

A cup of coffee has 0 calories.  Even with creamer and a couple teaspoons of sugar, it’s under 75 calories.  But a “Vente”  (20 oz.) ”Caramel Macchiato” from Starbucks will cost you 300 calories!

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If you’re considering getting a spa body wrap done to “tone and firm” your body, read this first.

Is such a thing possible?  Sure…if the water in question is “Vitamin Water.”  Despite the sophisticated-looking bottles and claims that “…each one of our grab-health-by-the-horns varieties offers a unique blend of nutrients…” the reality is that it’s just “value added” sugar water.  You get a few random vites and electrolytes for show, but that’s about it.  It’s just another “dysfunctional food” that serves more as a source of calories than nutrition.

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The Washington Post has an article on the results of an interesting…and somewhat odd study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting.  The study focused on the effects of human growth hormone (HGH) injections on athletic performance - but with a twist.  The researchers gave either HGH or a placebo to a group of 64 men and women who were recreational athletes between 20 - 40 years of age.  At the end of the two month study period, the subjects were asked to rate their performance improvement during the time they were receiving the injections, and to guess which group they were in.
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I see these terms used in a lot of dietary supplement ads, especially “patent pending.”  The implicit assumption is - if a patent has been applied for or granted - it must be effective.

Not so.  A patent is simply a legally-recognized grant of property rights over an invention,  formula, or design.  According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a patent represents:

• “…the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.”
• “…the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention in the United States or importing the invention into the United States.”

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The LA Times has a nice little photo montage, illustrating the “thin” line between eating a 1600 calorie weight loss diet vs. a fat-inducing 3000 calorie one.  Now, in my view, the line really isn’t that thin…the difference between the meals is pretty obvious.  The 1600 calorie day meals are all low fat and high in fiber: veggies or fruits are featured in each meal.  What I find interesting about the 3000 calorie day, is that - from a sheer “bulk food” perspective, the amount of food really isn’t that large - it’s just that the foods are indifferently chosen and contain a lot of “hidden” calories from fat and sugar. 

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The incongruity of this statement dawned on me the other day as I stood in line at my local grocery store. ‘Cause it’s one I’ve heard often enough…

It costs SO much to eat right.

Does it? Really?

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…According to research presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco.  Subjects using special savory and/or sweet “tastant” crystals on their food for 6 months lost an average of 30.5 lbs., while a small control group lost only 2 pounds.

 Lead researcher Dr. Alan Hirsch speculated that the subjects getting the taste crystals lost more weight because they were more satisfied, and ate less.  An alternative explanation, however, was that “…the tastants improved the flavor of bland but healthy foods such as tofu and some vegetables, resulting in healthier eating habits.”

Personally, I’d put my money on the second explanation.  In all the years I’ve been reviewing people’s diets, I’ve been struck by how dull they are.  It’s as if people instinctively feel that healthy food = boring food.  It’s been drilled into them that fitness is all about discomfort and self-denial, so they end up fulfilling their own expectations.  It’s plain grilled this and plain steamed that; with the same old meals day-after-day. 

No wonder they crack and give into cravings.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring.  There are tons of ways to make simple foods interesting with different recipes and seasonings - just takes a little imagination.

Glaxo-Smith-Kline, the makers of Alli, reported 4 million people have purchased the former prescription-only weight loss drug in the past year.  It’s not bad, but compared to what analysts expected, it’s “underwhelming.”

Can’t say I’m particularly surprised though, in view of the documented side effects.  No wonder GSK is looking to regulate the competition out of existence.