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Kewl - I just got confirmation and login info for the “webinar” I’ll be “attending” on May 6: “Future Applications of Nanotechnology in Food and Consumer Products: Are Novel Safety Studies Necessary?” It’s being given by Dr. George Burdock and Dr. Ray Matulka of the Burdock Group…looks pretty interesting.
John has to travel this week: he left on Sunday, and won’t be back until Friday night. This means some disruption to his workout and diet.
At least TSA didn’t confiscate his IsaTest…he brought it along with him, and has been sending daily bulletins.
I’ll let him speak for himself…as he laid out his goals for the trip yesterday:
“All natural” - the phrase casts a soft-focus, warm, rosy glow over everything it’s applied to, doesn’t it? After all, this is “Mother Nature” we’re talking about here! If you can’t trust your mother, who can you trust?
This equation of ”natural” with “wholesome” contrasts rather sharply with some of the things I learned in graduate school. I vividly recall one class in particular, “Foodborne Infections and Intoxications,” which was a crash course on how to investigate disease outbreaks associated with the consumption of food and water. I always felt a bit queasy after class, although I guess this was a pretty ”natural” reaction to the course material. How would you feel if you had to talk about vomit, diarrhea, neurotoxicity, liver damage and cardiopulmonary arrest for an hour each day?
Paul sent me an e-mail yesterday that was both extremely funny…and sad. Apparently he has a cyberstalker whose most recent stunt involved posting a wiki ”review” slamming ultimatefatburner.com - he sent me the link in his message. The review was a two-parter: the initial attack - which apparently was posted about a year ago - was on Paul alone. The author couldn’t let it end there, however. Since Paul recently revised the ultimatefatburner.com “about us” page to include me, Amie and Lisa, the smear was updated to trash us too. In particular, I was described as “…a steroid junkie who used so much that she looks like an ugly man with a wig.”
A friend of mine recently shared her low carb dieting experience with me. Although she successfully lost weight on her program, she also experienced some nasty side effects, as a result of mercury toxicity. As detailed in this post, fish like tuna is often contaminated with heavy metals like mercury, and consumption should be limited accordingly.
I asked her to put a post together to share her experience with you. So with no further comments, I’m handing the podium over…
This looks like fun…a lot more fun than the intervals + cardio circuit I’m doing tonight. I’ve been dogging it on my cardio ever since we left Ohio in February. Time to tighten the screws.
About a year ago, I was feeling a little restricted by the gym I was using, so I decided to check out the new Gold’s Gym in our neighborhood. Gold’s was housed in a biiiiig, two story building: all shiny and new, with lots of shiny new equipment too. I especially liked the free weight area, which was bigger and better equipped than the one I was using.
I got a little annoyed, however, when the sales dude giving me the tour pointed out the private, ”women’s only” fitness room to me. I gave him my best “You Have Got To Be Yanking Me” glare, and told him I had exactly ZERO interest in using it. He was appropriately chagrined, and hastened to explain the room was there for their female members who felt “more comfortable” using separate facilities.
Question: There are so many food products that are bad for us out there! Why do food processors make so much crap?
Answer: Because they can.
That was simple, wasn’t it? But that’s really what it boils down to: food is a consumer item, no different from cars, video games or clothing. And - just as it is in other consumer-driven industries - manufacturers both respond to, as well as create, demand. As always, it’s profit über alles. The competition is stiff: so innovation is the key to competing successfully.
Why are so many people’s “healthy” diets, so gosh-darned dull?
It’s one of those unfathomable laws of the universe, it seems. Every time I review a diet, it’s always the same: plain baked chicken/fish or dry canned-in-water tuna, plain steamed or raw vegetables, plain gummy oatmeal, maybe a piece of fruit or a protein shake.
Zzzzzzzz…
John weighed in this morning at 210 pounds - which has been a sort of “glass ceiling” for him over the last year or so. I suspect this is a little on the low side, as he did a pretty strenuous cardio session yesterday afternoon, but he was happy to see it, nonetheless.
Some real progress has been made, though. We did a body comp test this morning, and it looks like his body fat percentage is down 0.5%. His chest, midaxillary and abdominal skinfolds were all ever-so-slightly reduced, which confirms my subjective impression - he’s been looking a little firmer to me (no pun intended).
Over on the “Bodybuilding Revealed” and “Fat Loss Revealed” forums, we encourage people to weigh/measure their food and keep track of their calorie intake. After all, changes in body composition are the name of the game. If things aren’t going the way they should, you need to know exactly what you’re doing, in order to get an idea of what to change.
On the other hand, it can get out of hand. I know of some people who keep obsessive records of every morsel that goes into their mouths, lest they slip up, and - God forbid - enjoy themselves a bit. It doesn’t help that some of these OCD types are in excellent shape, as they lend credence to the fallacy that you must sacrifice all and be as iron-willed as they are in order to get - and stay - in shape.
I have a confession to make.
Gather ’round closely now, I’m going to whisper it in your ear…
I’m suspicious of products marketed through MLM (multi-level-marketing) schemes. I know, I know, there are some reputable companies that do business in this manner. And yes, I know… some of you are not going to be pleased with me for saying so, but unfortunately, I’ve found the very nature of MLM makes it the ideal medium to market products of dubious integrity.
If this ad doesn’t encourage people to eat more vegetables and fruits, I don’t know what will.
Pity you don’t see stuff like this in the US…
So far, we’re rolling right along. John’s been taking the IsaTest as directed each day, and doing a pretty good job keeping tabs on his diet…He’s been consuming approx. 2300 calories/day and averaging 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. His weight is still 212 lbs. (this represents a 2 lbs. loss from Day 0). The workout cycle is repeating, so we’ll be able to assess any progress on the strength front. We’ll also do a body comp test this weekend. Stay tuned…
A few weeks back, one of the members of the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum directed me to this 4-alarm advertisement from “Dr. Suzanne” Gudakunst. In his query, he gave a quick rundown of “facts” he learned from her site: how icky parasites and disgusting intestinal plaque are responsible for making us sick and fat – and how the powers-that-be are not only profiting from this situation, but are deliberately adding parasites to our food to make us worse! Apparently Dr. Suzanne has received death threats for revealing this information – but, as a noble martyr to the cause of YOUR health – she’s defiantly and bravely persisting, because she cares about you and wants to become “close friends starting YESTERDAY.”
Of course, you have to cough up $37.00 first ($57.00 if you choose “Option 2”) – but it’s a small price to pay for the “truth,” no?
Well, it would be…if it really is the truth. Let’s take a closer look, and see if it passes the test.
Awwwww… do I have to?
Despite some recent publicized silliness that indicated that exercise offered no “metabolic advantage” to those who included it in their diet programs (see this post from Elissa for complete details), exercise is a critical element of any weight loss program.
It’s simple really… to lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit; take in fewer calories than you expend. There are two ways to best do this…
The best strategy is implementing a bit of both. Here’s why…
Have you lost at least 30 pounds, and kept it off for more than a year? If so, you could be eligible to join the National Weight Control Registry, which is a large-scale research project designed to study the characteristics of people who’ve succeeded at long-term weight loss. So far, over 5,000 people are being tracked, but there’s always room for more.
Finally done!
D’ya think maybe the IRS will let me write off the $$$ I pay for supps and monthly gym fees as business expenses?
I moderate two private fitness forums: “Fat Loss Revealed” and “Bodybuilding Revealed.” These names are pretty self-explanatory…the first forum is dedicated to fat loss, while the second is concerned with building muscle.
Not surprisingly, the majority of the members on the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum are male. Nonetheless, we have female members too - which is a great thing, in my view…I wish there were more. However, one thing that I find odd - and kinda scary, to be honest - is the number of female members who are shocked when they learn they need to eat more than 1500 - 1600 calories/day to add muscle. I’ve fielded queries from women who’ve used the “Calorie Planner” on the site, who are dumbfounded by numbers as low as 1900 - 2000 calories. They’re afraid they’re going to get fat on that - I kid you not.
So far so good: John’s weight is down a bit…he weighed in this morning at 212 lbs.
His libido is definitely UP.
Further bulletins as events warrant…
