Thursday

The numbers for today:

• Fasting blood glucose:  105 mg/dl.  Textbook.
• Weight:  188 lbs.
• Exercise:  45 minute ride
• Mood 8.00  The fat man is coming back to town! 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapefruit, oatmeal with craisins. 
• Lunch:
• Dinner:
• Snacks:

Look good, feel good department:
Lose some weight, exercise and you start to get compliments on how much better you are looking.  That will really make you feel good that you look good.  So you want keep it going.  WebMD offers some skin care advice on what to eat to keep that glow of radiant good health glowing and radiating.  It's mostly the stuff we all hear we are supposed to eat anyway, but it's good that a proper diet is good for more than just the waistline.

This must be part of that holistic approach everyone is on about. 

A lot of the advice here depends on antioxidants. Does it work?  Not a clue. Can't hurt, but I wouldn't count on it, either.  I think it has more to do with genetics and what you don't do.  Has anyone seen a picture of Lindsay Lohan recently?  She's still in her early twenties and she looks as if she is in her early forties.  Rode hard and put away wet, as the saying goes.

 Lindsay's September 2010 mugshot after 

testing positive for cocaine and amphetamines.

 File photo from September 2010 court appearance.

I guess being a mean girl does have its cost.

The drinking man's diet

The numbers bright and early this morning:

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  114 mg/dl
• Weight:  188 lbs.
• Exercise:  45 minutes.  Good ride this morning.  It's very humid here and muscle just seem to love it. 
• Mood:  8.0.  It's Christmas.  All I want for Christmas is a big weight drop. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapefruit, oatmeal with craisins. 
• Lunch:  Lots of leftovers from yesterday's company Christmas Lunch. I can't eat like this anymore.  I felt miserable all afternoon.
• Dinner:  Late night trip to the Petrol Station, had my usual hummus plate, which is a good sized dollop of hummus, cucumber, tomato, red pepper and pita bread and one beer.  Not two beers, one. I nursed the heck out of it. The Charming Mrs SWMBO had a cheeseburger.
• Snacks:  None. 

Anyone remember the Drinking Man's Diet?  I do.  I was in junior high school and delivering my papers on my morning Detroit Free Press route when I heard about this.  I used to carry around a little radio listening to WKNR, Keener 13, a top 40 station in Detroit.  The early morning, late night DJ at the time (I was delivering the papers before 5:00 am) joked about it often.  I think even Mad Magazine made a few jokes out of it for a while.

Well, the book is still out there and the author of it is still alive.  His name is Robert Cameron, he's ninety-three and he looks dapper and fit.  He was the first to promote a high protein, low carb diet.  Given his age and appearance,  the diet certainly works for him.  The book was beat up several years after it was first published as being dangerous because ignored , nay, promoted high fat foods.  You know, the foods that really taste good.  Sales dropped after that, but it initial popularity did afford Mr.Cameron a comfortable life.  He's still publishing, doing coffee table-type books.

Why cocktails as part of the diet?  No carbs.  I think a big underlying theme of his approach is to take care of yourself and enjoy life.  He seems to have done that all very well.

I can drink to that.

His book, first published in 1964 is still in print.  You can order it here:  Drinking Man's Diet.  When came out the price was $1.00.  Now it's up to $4.95. Heck of a deal.

Fat not so bad so I pigged out. Responsibly.

The numbers for today:

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  117 mg/dl.  Okay, but probably should not have had some ice cream and the hot fudge sauce the Charming Mrs. SWMBO made as a gift.  It was good, though. 
• Weight:  187 lbs. 
• Exercise:  45 minuted ride and a good one, too.  It's warm and humid out there and I loved the sweat.  Make me feel virtuous or something. 
• Mood:  7.5.  

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapefruit, oatmeal with craisins. 
• Lunch:  Company Christmas Party.  Pigged out, lots of beef and chicken fajitas.  Only two tiny little deserts late in the afternoon.
• Dinner:  Not hungry after a large lunch.
• Snacks:  Apple.

The ten worst sandwiches
Also, ten of the best to substitute for the ten worst, all from popular fast food sandwich places.  Why do so many of the worst have bacon in them?

Fat not to bad?
Maybe. Some now argue the link between heart disease and dietary cholesterol and fat has not been proven.  What's more the culprit may be refined wheat flour, potatoes, white rice, sugary drinks and snacks.  I don't think anyone is going to argue against that, mostly.  This stuff is made into an endless variety tasty things to eat, it's cheap, it's plentiful and it's available everywhere.  (Well, maybe. There is the Twinkie Diet out there.) These are also the foods credited for the growing diabetes problem and there is a strong correlation between diabetes and heart disease.

I still think potatoes get an unfair rap.  I also think it is all about the quantity we eat.  It's just too easy to buy and consume the bad foods.  It's just too easy to fill up on this stuff and so many do that.  Cut that out and anyone will lose weight.   The paleo diet also gets a nod in this piece. I bet this view will change in the next few years to something else.  I think it ultimately comes down to quantity.  Eat too much of anything and you get fat.

Big problems for guys

First, the numbers for a Monday Moanin' (A tip of topper for the Monday Moanin' line goes to Bob Talbert.  It's amazing how little things just stick in my head.  That was the line he used for his Monday column in the Detroit Free Press for decades.) 

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  105 mg/dl.  Yippee!
• Weight:  188 lbs.  Miserably the same.
• Exercise:  45 minute ride with some seat trouble.  Hey, it's a Monday Moanin', right?
• Mood:  8.0.  It's Christmas time and I still have a job.  

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Grapefruit, grapes and oatmeal with craisins. 
• Lunch: Salmon Salad
• Dinner:  Leftover tofu lasagna and broccoli
• Snacks: Pretzels

Nineteen body problems for guys 
Sheesh, and women whine they have it rough.  

The Christmas eating edition

 Hey, everyone else seems to do some sort of Christmas Special, so I will give my hand a go at it. I love the holiday season. I love to get all sentimental at this time of year.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's are times to eat and drink and make merry with friends and family, all of which I dearly love to do.  A month of dedicated to happy indulgence and celebration.  What is not to love.

Yet always now in the back of my mind is my morning fasting blood glucose level.  It's like a steely eyed cop with a radar detector  lodged in my psyche.  It forces me to press the brake to slow the overindulgence that I would normally do.  There were many times past that if I didn't feel stuffed the gills, I was not having the best time I could.

So, how to eat, drink and be merry and not spike the BG, and the weight and everything else bad and still feel as if I had enjoyed the season to the max? And there is the alcohol issue.  I thoroughly enjoy a good drink; several just makes the event even better.

I sometimes think there is an angel and demon on each shoulder and my goal is to keep each happy without a war waged in the center of my brain.

So, with all of that rumbling in my head, here is an article form Nutrition Data as a primer to letting the good times roll in a responsible and satisfying way.  In a nutshell, it's called learning to be happily disciplined.  I followed this last night at the Christmas party we attended and it worked out well.  The shrimp was just right and as appealing as the large desert selection was, I skipped it all together.  The meatballs were killer as well, meaning a ate my reasonable share.  Not on the McDougall plan at all,yet even he allows that feasting on the holidays is acceptable. I did do my best, sort of, to enjoy the vegetables with a minimum of dip. 

What I did was have a Woodford Reserve, neat,  for a bit of desert.  I doubt that it would be on a diet article's list of good deserts, but the natural sweetness and complex blend of flavors in the bourbon really finished the dining for me. This stuff hits all of the right notes, and a fine whiskey just looks cool in the tumbler, brown and shiny and warming. Delicious.

More practical ideas here.

My numbers for today:

• Fasting blood glucose:  113 mg/dl.  Pretty good.
• Weight: 188 lbs.  
• Exercise:  45 minute ride on the bike.  Really worked it this morning.
• Mood:  8.0  It's Christmas.  First time, I really feel it now. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapes and oatmeal with herbal tea and raisins.
• Lunch:  Cup of soup and half a club sandwich at the Mason Jar.  Too much fat.
• Dinner:  Friday, so it's two margaritas and pachuca gringa. 
• Snacks:  Nothing. 

For motivation there is also the real reason for the season, as Linus reminds us.

It's Christmas time

My numbers for today:

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  122 mg/dl.  Sigh
• Weight:  A sold 187 lbs.  Why is it when I drop some weight, the BG goes up?
• Exercise:  45 minuted ride.  Warm this morning, pleasant and sweaty. 
• Mood:  7.0  Up a bit, down a bit.  More sigh. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapefruit, oatmeal with raisins and infused (I love that) with herbal tea.
• Lunch:  Business lunch.  I would like to call it a review of the current state of the AEC market.  Others may call it a bitch session.  Whatever.
• Dinner:  A cocktail party put on by one of The Charming Mrs. SWMBO's clients. I am wildly tempted to not be good. Note:  the food there was plentiful and outstanding.  The meatballs were killer and the shrimp piled high. 
• Snacks:  I will try to be good and avoid them so I can be bad.  See dinner. 

In short, I was a bad boy today.  It's Christmas and I can be bad at a couple of times when meeting with friends and colleagues. I did have vast amounts of shrimp, but as I live about 60 miles from some of the best shrimping waters in the country, so what.  I am happy to keep a bunch of Texas shrimpers bountifully employed.  I happily admit that I had no deserts other than a few grapes, so it was not a total food debauch.  The disciple remains, mostly. 

I also had one of my favorite whiskeys, Woodford Reserve to night.  Neat.  Here me, Santa? Water just ruins the flavor. 

The diet from 1 million years BC

First, my numbers for today:

• Fasting blood glucose: 113 mg/dl.  Ok, not great. Must have been the sweet potato fries from yesterday
• Weight:  187 1/2 lbs. 
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike. 
• Mood:  7.5.  A little bit up, a little bit down. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapefruit, oatmeal infused with herbal and raisins.  
• Lunch:  Leftovers.
• Dinner:  Leftovers.
• Snacks:  Pretzels. 

A few days ago I was reading an online article about Obamacare, and the comments on the article veered off into a discussion of  individuals being more responsible for their own health, more proactive as we say today.

With or without Obamacare, the general consensus was that many of our ills are self inflicted.  We eat too much, we eat too much of the bad stuff and too little of the good stuff, we drink too much, we smoke too much and we don't exercise enough.  It all has its consequences, little of it good through the years.

Save for the smoking, that was me.

One poster told about his adherence to the paleo diet and the problems this diet was preventing.  He said he was in his 80's and gave full credit to the paleo diet for his good health. As with the other most of the posters on this thread, I had never heard of the paleo diet.

As I understand it this diet posits that we should eat what our paleolithic hunter gatherers ate, mostly grilled lean meats and seafood, fruits, vegetables and nuts.  It's the diet our genes developed around way back when.  No grains and no dairy. It's adherents say it will cure, prevent or at least improve a number of ills and conditions that are potentially diet related, including irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, and multiple sclerosis.
 
Fine and dandy, I say.  If it works for them, that's wonderful.  Maybe it will work for you. You can learn more about here and here. 

I am not sure about that bug feasting bit, though.  It can be considered part of the diet.

I should also note that the Twinkie diet may offer similar results. Bugs optional.


Maybe the diet explains why these cave women looked so good .







Okay, this partly is just a cheesy reason to run this 1 Million Years BC/Raquel Welch video. 

Wow, two guilty pleasures in one post, 1 Million Years BC and the Twinkie diet.

It's no way to go through life, Son. Michael Moore loses weight.

The numbers for today.

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  104 mg/dl.
• Weight:  188 lbs.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the trainer.  Thank goodness for global warming or it would really be cold out there. 
• Mood:  7.0.  Family issues. Nothing to do with the Charming Mrs. SWMBO.  She's great.

Menu.

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapes, oatmeal with herbal tea and raisins.  
• Lunch:  Too much.  A sandwich with sweet potato fries at Cafe Express.  The Charming Mrs. Swimbo and I snuck out for lunch together. Best way there is to spend the lunch hour.
• Dinner:  Stuff and stuff.  We have lots of leftovers to eat. 
• Snack:  Pretzels and soy yogurt.  Not together. 

Celebrity Fate in the News
Filmmaker Michael Moore is trying to loose weight.  Again. He was seen checking into the the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa, described by the Daily Caller as a "luxury weight loss spa."  At $4,500 a week, I guess that would be an accurate description.  I don't know what problems Mr. Moore is having besides just weighing too much, but it's not hard to suspect high blood pressure, sleep apnea and diabetes and even arteriosclerosis as a possibility.  Each one leads to attendant problems and really they are all linked back to being obese. Good think we haven't done the full Cuba thing on health care yet, eh, Mike? 

This is not the first time he's done this I gather.   Here in 2005.   Here in 2007  Here in 2009.  Well, he is nothing if not consistent, and I would suspect that after four rounds of this, Pritiken and its program is not treating whatever his problem is. 

I wish him well, that's for sure, even if he is one annoying man and seems to lack any kind of self discipline.  Yet, if help is what he needs, and he can afford it, I say go for it.  At his present state, I think he thinks he hasn't too many years to go. That I can understand.  Every time I have seen him I always think of this bit from the movie Animal House. Separated at birth from Flounder?



To his credit, he has made a lot of money being a celebrity socialist, so he can't be that stupid.  He is richer than I am, that's for sure.   

Monday, back at it

Monday motivation for the week. 
Monday and it's time to get back to the morning routine: test, weigh-in, slip on the iPod and ride, and when that's over clean out the cat's litter box and make coffee and breakfast. My only exercise on the weekend is either cleaning up the yard or walking while shopping with the Charming Mrs. SWMBO.  Getting back into the routine even after two days takes a bit of resolve.  I would prefer to lie in bed and snuggle. It's tedious slog, but I do it.

Every Monday morning this little tune pops into my head.  Yes, it's corny, but it works. Yes, I have mentioned this before, but what the hay, it's a classic and Meredith Wilson did write it for the President's Council on Physical Fitness, so it fits.

Since the creation of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, our nation's youth has become much fatter and even more out of shape.  Why is it that all government attempts to do good things just never seem to work?  Can't blame the music, it's a catchy tune. 

My numbers for this morning.

• Fasting blood glucose:  104 mg/dl.  Wow.
• Weight:  188 lbs.  Well, I am consistent, give me that. 
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the trainer. It's cold out right now.  Winter is even coming to Houston, for a few days anyway. 
• Mood:  7.5  Sunny, if cool today and faster BG was great.  I'm normal!

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, grapefruit, oatmeal with herbal tea and raisins. 
• Lunch:  Leftover chicken soup and an apple.
• Dinner: Pasta Rustica and a salad.  
• Snacks:  Pretzels and some soy yogurt. 

Keeping that motivation going.
Articles like this help keep the mood from flagging and giving in to my occasional urges to slack off on the diet or the exercise.  If these losers can do it, so can I.  That and the desire to live a long life with the Charming Mrs. SWMBO.  I want to hit 50 years of marriage and I will be 95 when that happens.  Gotta stay fit and motivated. 

It's (sensibly) splurge Friday! And just Friday in general, splurge or not.

Numbers for today:

• Fasting blood glucose: 100 mg/dl.  Sweet! (or lack thereof.)
• Weight: 188 lbs.  Sigh.
• Exercise:  45 min. on the trainer.  It's still cold out there, wuss that I have become. 
• Mood:  8.5.  It's Friday!

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Leftover pizza and a banana. 
• Lunch:  French onion soup.  Delicious, but maybe not the best choice.  The cheese on top was thick and gooey, meaning lots of fat. Well, it is spurge Friday
• Dinner: Tony's night. Two margaritas and probably the Carne Asada Gringa. 
• Snacks:  Pretzels.

Whole grains can help lower blood pressure: 
The Charming Mrs.SWMBO and I have been switching to whole grains as much as possible.  One good reason is that they taste better.  Whole grains add more character and flavor to the meal. We have gotten used to eating brown rice and whole wheat pasta.

Another good reason to consume for chowing down on them is whole grains can help lower blood pressure. I should also note the study involved a group like myself:  overweight guys in their 50's. That is encouraging. 

Advice for newlywed neurotics.
Lots of sex is good for your marriage.  I would think that would also go for non-neurotics, but whatever works.

Exercise and eat well and you will live longer.
Or so says this study.  I should add that well refers to the quality of the food, not necessarily the quantity.  Did they know about the Twinkie diet?  My guess is no.  I am still holding out for a Banana Flip diet.

There is always some SOB who has it worse than you.

Sometimes, things really aren't that bad.  They just seem that way.

I am the first to admit I can get a bit depressed on this lose weight, get healthy program.  I have been more or less at the same weight for several months now.  Why that is I am not sure.  I don't think I am eating more than I was, nor has what I have eaten changed.  To me it all seems pretty much the same.  Yet losing weight is just simple physics.  If you use more calories than you consume, you lose weight.  Very simple.  So something has changed.

My blood glucose has continued to trend lower and that is good.  That is mostly diet related, so I should take some solace I am doing something right.  It's also Christmas time and all of the good, and really fattening stuff that I love about Christmas food, is mostly on my do not touch list. Mostly.  Really, I am pretty proud of myself.  Maybe a little taste here and there and then it's back on the program.  The little taste here and there of the the really bad good stuff, like gooey cookies, seems to satisfy the craving. The discipline I have developed over this past year is holding.  So, again, I must be doing something right.

There is also this.

This is Terri Smith, whom the Daily Mail calls the fattest woman in the world. She weighs over 700 pounds.  She has constant headaches and needs an MRI in the hope to explain them and she can't fit in an MRI machine.  Her life is in danger, and I think doctors suspect a tumor.  She can't move at all and depends on her husband and daughter for even basic hygiene.  Just look at the pills she has to take.  That would be my nightmare come true.  Now she has to lose weight or risk death soon. 

So I don't really have it so bad, do I?  She is fortunate to have such a loving husband, Myron. He really sounds like a great guy. Her daughter is a sweetie, too.

My not so bad numbers for today:

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  105 mg/dl.  Sweet
• Weight:  188 lbs. Not as sweet.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the trainer.  It was nippy this morning.  It took me a about 20 minutes just to stop shivering. 
• Mood:  8.5.  It's sunny and Christmas is 2 1/2 weeks away. Looking forward to it. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Grapefruit and herbal tea infused oatmeal and raisins. 
• Lunch:  Chicken soup we made last night.  Better the day after.  Apple for desert.
• Dinner.  It's Thursday, clean night, pizza night.  One slice only
• Snacks:  Pretzels.

Sunday morning and just catching up

My numbers for today

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  112 mg/dl.  Same as the past three days. This despite a very good Italian dinner last night at our new favorite Italian place, Fratelli's.  I had the Tagliatelle con Ragu Bolognese.  The Charming Mrs. SWMBO went with the Lasagna Bolognese again.  She's stuck on it.  We both passed on any desert, tempting as that was.  They were really busy last night, large Christmas parties and the everyone was ordering something fattening along with an espresso.  We just stuck to coffee.  
• Weight:  188 lbs.  Down a pound.  I bet I pay for my Fratelli's treat on Monday.
• Exercise:  None today.  Yesterday, just worked around the house, cleaning up the leaves, the back yard patio and hung Christmas lights.  Have to admit, the lights look good.   Also have to admit, the day's exertions and the dinner and wine really put me to sleep last night.  Mom used to call it the sleep of the just.  Works for me. 
• Mood:  9.00  It's Christmas time.  Stay happy. 

Menu for today:

• Breakfast:  Banana, tangerine, oatmeal with raisins.
• Lunch:  Leftover red beans on toast.  Real McDougall
• Dinner: Grilled salmon, broccoli and salad.  

We are putting up the tree today and I think a martini is in order.

Towards as color blind diet?  

Further reinforcing my good mood is that red meat, the stuff I grew up on, is at least not really bad for me.  Mostly.  This from Nutrition Data.  Color really should have nothing to do with it, red or white, light or dark,  it's all the same.  

The Twinkies Diet may have some of the most relevant diet research and revelations in a generation. 

Grapefruit: Miracle fruit or breakfast fruit of death.

The Numbers:

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  120 mg/dl.  Meh.
• Weight:  189 lbs. Sigh.  Double sigh.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the trainer.  It's was cold this morning.  Cold for Houston, anyway. 
• Mood:  6.00:  Sales suck.  Stress is a recognized contributor to weight gain.  See number three of seventeen. 

The Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, tangerine, oatmeal with raisins.
• Lunch:  Leftover Pasta Rustica di Cecil over roasted vegetables and an apple
• Dinner:  Red beans on toast and turnips and turnip greens.  Very McDougall, but it will be hell on my BG tomorrow I bet.  I seasoned it all with a liberal slathering of Clancy's Fancy Hot sauce.  Kinda wish now I had gotten the extra hot variety. For a Yankee concoction, pretty good stuff.  Just wish I could find it down here. 
• Snacks:  Pretzels.  Careful to watch the portions. 

Reason 2,348 why I want to avoid having to take medications.

I love grapefruit and have loved since I was a kid.  It's a fixture, usually, at breakfast and the Charming Ms. SWMBO occasionally makes a to die for avocado and grapefruit salad.  I don't want to give it up and here's why.

I also know several people who are or have taken cholesterol lowering medications, such a Lipator. They were all told to avoid grapefruit.

In Texas we grow pink grapefruit in the Rio Grande Valley.  It's the best on earth and that is not Texas puffery.  Sweet and tart, it is either good for you or bad for you.  Good because it can be a nutraceutical,  food that can treat medical conditions or diseases.  Grapefruit contains chemicals that can treat or prevent hardening of the arteries and help prevent some cancers. Bad because those same chemicals can mix with some medications to prevent them from doing their work or worse by turning them toxic. For list of medications that should rendezvous with grapefruit check out this on WebMD.  

Reason number one on why I want to avoid having to take medications is the expense.

Thoughts on prune juice and other weighty subjects

The numbers:

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  122mg/dl.  That is what I get for being smug yesterday.  Still, okay.
• Weight:  189 lbs.  Sigh. Thanksgiving lingers on. 
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike, and I really pushed it.  I feel great.  At least I accomplished something useful today.
• Mood:  8.00  It's better than it seems.  See below.

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, tangerine, oatmeal and raisins with soy milk.  Have to get my daily dose of plant sterols.I really don't know what they are, but they are supposed to be good for me and soy has a rich source.
• Lunch:  Leftover pot roast sandwich (multi-grain bread) and an apple.  Can't find any Michigan apples, the nation's finest.
• Dinner:  Leftovers again, which is fine. I like leftovers. 
• Snacks:  One serving of pretzel rods (2.5 rods) and one serving of prunes.  No, I do not have a problem; we just have them and I like them.  

Prunes:
How do they make prune juice from a dried fruit?  Why do Klingon's like prune juice?  Is it similar to a Klingon drink?  Did Quaark ever add a little something extra to Wharf's prune juice? 

Other weighty subjects:
Moving on from prunes, I read this about belly fat. Americans have more of it than the English and have a higher rate of type two diabetes than the English.  It seems to be the best predictor of type two diabetes. Comparing American and English people who have all of the usual symptoms to predict diabetes  -- obesity, high body mass index (bmi), smoking and lower education level all in the a group of age 52 to 85 years old -- the difference that seems to explain the higher rate is flabby bellies.  Our waists are just bigger. 

The thought is that fat inhibits the liver and the liver can no longer absorb and store glucose. 

How explain our bigger bellies?  We eat a higher fat diet and we exercise less.  How to fix this?  Eat less, eat better and exercise more. Duh. It always comes down to that, doesn't it?

Well, my belly has shrunk.  My BMI and weight is still higher than it should be, but I am just about passed the the type 2 condition.  Based on me, there may be something to this. My long ago BA degree from Michigan State (Big 10 Football Champs) still remains. Had to work that in somehow.

The Banana Flip Diet

But first, my numbers for today:

• Fasting blood glucose:  108 mg/dl.  Right where it ought to be.  
• Weight:  189.  Stuck and I still have Christmas and New Years to get past.  Still I only gained a pound or two, so it's not all bad.
• Exercise.  45 minutes on the bike.  Back in the saddle again.  After a nine day hiatus over Thanksgiving, I was really feeling it at the 30 minute mark.  Still, I felt great when it was over.  
• Mood:  7.5. Have to break through the rut, drop off the plateau.  

Menu:

• Breakfast:  One banana, one tangerine, oatmeal with craisins.
• Lunch:  Whole wheat pasta with some of Cotten's barbecue sauce and bit of grated cheese.  I called it Pasta di Cotten.  Plus one apple. 
• Stuff and stuff night.  A bit of this, a bit of that.  It did include a lot of leftover roasted vegetables from last night. 
• Snacks:  A handful of Baked Cheetos and a bit of turkey jerky.  

Losing weight is really a matter of simple physics.  The energy used, calories, has to be greater than the energy ingested.  Do that with a sufficient deficit and there is weight loss.  I have hit a plateau, which means I am no longer using more calories than I am taking in.  Not sure what I am doing wrong, but I am not doing something right.  Sort of.  I am now consistently below 120 mg/dl now and most often below 110 mg/dl.  The BG is getting consistently better, yet my weight is staying pretty much in a narrow range.  So I guess I am do something right, just not enough of it.

Which brings me to the Twinkie Diet.   Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, confirmed that if the calories used is greater than the calories consumed, you, I, anyone, will lose weight.  He put himself on a junk food diet, was careful to limit his calories, about 1,800 per day. Every three hours he ate a package of Twinkies.  To add variety, had would substitute other Hostess or Little Debbie's cakes, Doritos, sugary cereals ( Captain Crunch? I love Captain Crunch), Oreos, canned green beans and a few celery stalks.  He also drank a protein shake and took a multivitamin.   By all standards, this was an unhealthy diet.

Yet the results strong suggest quantity to be more important that quality.  His weight dropped, his good cholesterol went up, his bad cholesterol went down, his triglycerides went down and his body mass index went from overweight to normal.   By normal measurements he is in good health, even if much of the food he ate is not consider food for good health. 

Numbers don't lie, right?  Any exam would consider him to be healthy. Maybe I need to change my approach.  Maybe it's time to give up the roasted vegetables for something...better?  different?  tasty?

I have never been a fan of Twinkies. My preferred snack cake of choice was the Banana Flip.  Sadly they are not made anymore.   Here is the only picture I could find of them.  As a kid I loved these things.  Spongy, sweet yellow cake wrapped around a creamy sweet gooey something and it all tasted like bananas, or the laboratory version of bananas.  They were also seemed a bit bigger than competing cake products for the same price, so it was hitting all of my big buttons for a guilty pleasures:  taste, size and value.  

Here is the only picture I could find of them.  My beloved Flip is in the back row.  I can almost taste it. 

Update:  Yes, my beloved Banana Flips are still being made by The Nickles Bakery Company.   Sadly, not available here in Texas, and that may be just as well.  For good measure, here is a recipe for my beloved Banana Flip.  No matter how good, this could never be as good as the original fresh from the cellophane package. 


 

Splurge Friday and a Little Reflection.

This is Labor Day weekend.  I had a big goal set this weekend.  I planned to weight 170 lbs.  Why that weight on this date?  When I set it in the winter, it seemed a reasonable goal to obtain.  This morning I am 15 lbs. above that. Earlier in the summer when I suspected that I would not get to 170 lbs by Labor Day, I readjusted to be happy with somewhere in the 170's.  That did seem reasonable back in June and even that easier goal I missed.

Still, I am not down.  I did hit 185 lbs this morning.  I finally got off the 186-187 mark, if only by a pound or two.  I seem to have at this weight for an eternity.  Well, OK, not eternity, but for a too long anyway.  I continue to get compliments from people on my weight loss.  That feels great. I get lots of questions on how am I doing it.  Eat less and exercise I say. That always gets a funny look and the question, "that's it?"  Yep.

I know several people who have had some sort of operation to tie up their stomach as a way to lose weight, lost weight, and then gained it all back.  I am not sure how that works, but I bet it's uncomfortable.  We me I just want to develop the right habits to get to the right weight and stay there.

The Charming Mrs. SWMBO asked me the other day if I am going to keep getting up early to exercise when and if I lose all the weight I want to lose.  Yes was the answer.  I don't exercise now just to lose weight.  I exercise to stay fit.  I don't like to exercise, really, and in a perfect world I could just roll over and go back to sleep instead of getting up to peddle my bike.  It's not really bad once I start.  It's nice to plug in the iPod, peddle and get into that zen zone. The time goes by pretty quickly.  When I am done I feel great.  Why stop? 

My final goal was to get to 150 lbs. by my birthday of 2011.  That's in February.  Will I get there?  I hope so, but I don't know.  With the proper habits I will get there sooner or later.

The numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  119 mg/dl.  OK, nothing to write home about. 
• Weight:  185 lbs.  Not 170 lbs. but better than 186  lbs. 
• Exercise:  45 minutes on my bike. 
• Mood:  8.0.  It's Friday before a long weekend, I am meeting my good friend Bob Miears for lunch at the Mason Jar Restaurant, the Charming Mrs. SWMBO and I are going to Tony's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina for a meal and some strong margaritas with friends and I have the the reasonable expectation of going back to work on Tuesday.  Life's good. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Fruit salad of a banana, strawberries and blueberries and one slice of leftover pizza. 
• Lunch:  The grilled portobello mushroom sandwich with a side of butternut squash at the Mason Jar.
• Dinner:  Leaning to the fish tacos at Tony's and two margaritas.  I have been waiting all week for this moment.
• Snacks:  Pretzels.

Going for the Flow and Get a Swelled Head.

But before that, my number for today:

• Fasting Blood Glucose: 110 mg/dl.  That's the top number for normal. 
• Weight:  186 lbs. Still.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on my bike.
• Mood:  8.0  Decent blood glucose, number, a long weekend to look forward to, Heidi Klum comes on tonight and the Charming Mrs. SWMBO and I will have some homemade pizza for dinner.  Seriously, how bad can it be?  

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana and oatmeal infused with herbal tea and topped with blueberries and strawberry.
• Lunch:  Leftovers of some variety. 
• Dinner:  Homemade pizza and a glass or two of healthful red wine. 
• Snacks:  Pretzels. 

No one ever seems to dispute that exercise is good for you.  A lot or a little, it all adds up and is considered good for the heart.  The offshoot is that good blood flow to the brain may also have the additional  benefit of slowing down aging of the brain.  The proper functioning of the one organ, the heart, improves the function of another, the brain.  Good blood flow to the brain may slow the aging of the brain. Blood flow is measured as the cardiac index.  People with high cardiac indexes (strong flow) had bodies that maintained their brain volume compared to people with low cardiac indexes (low blood flow) who showed reduced brain volumes.  Their brains atrophied.  Even people with blood flow on the low end of normal had showed signs of brain atrophy. 

The benefit of this is that a brain that is slowly aging will delay or even prevent the onset of dementia like Alzheimer's.  Strong heart, strong brain. 

Maybe.

Ronald Reagan and Johnny Weissmuller were good athletes who stayed fit and who died of complications from Alzheimer's. Closer to home, my mom, who used to exercise along with Jack LaLanne and was into aerobics before the word existed, is in the final stages of Alzheimer's.  Is the relationship between good heart health and good brain health just a coincidence?  Were their hearts strong enough?  My guess is that there are other issues here beyond heart health, but that's just me.

Still, for me, I am going to stay huffin' and puffin' and sweatin'.  If nothing else, I feel better and look better.  That's worth something, right? 

Chocolate. Is There Anything It Can't Do?

Because I have been bad about posting, the numbers.

• Fasting Blood Glucose:  125 mg/dl.  Good, not great. 
• Weight:  186 lbs.  More like 185 1/2, but whose counting?  Well, me.  I am tired of this plateau and I want to get down.
• Exercise:  45 minutes of heavy sweatin' cycling. 
• Mood:  7.5.  Could be a lot worse. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins and strawberries. 
• Lunch:  Leftover something.  We have a lot in the fridge. 
• Dinner Pasta Rustica, but with a twist.  The Darling Mrs. SWMBO wants to substitute spaghetti squash for the pasta.  Easily done. 
• Snacks:  Pretzels.

We have a neighbor who is on a diet.  She has lost I think it was over 70 lbs and she want to lose more.  Good for her.  She is inspiring.  She, like me, will get a sudden craving for chocolate, so she and her husband will take a vigorous walk done to a local dollar store and get something chocolate.  Lately, her craving of choice has been M&M's.  Man, talk about developing some good habits.  Exercise and chocolate.

The happy news is, chocolate can be good for you.  I have read that it is the most chemically complex food substance we put can put in our bodies.  It has a chemical for any mood or need.  Need to calm down, chocolate can help.  Need to get a bit up, chocolate has you covered there.  It's also good for your heart, within moderation.  From this study, the key is to indulge only a few times a month and make it high-quality chocolate, which means something made from high-density cocoa powder, which I am taking to mean dark chocolate, which happens to be my favorite. (Well, anything made from chocolate happens to be my favorite, but so what.)

I am not sure how much a serving is, but I am sure it is much smaller than I would like.  Here is one of my current favorites, Brix.  It's made to go with red wine, which is also good for your heart.  So, I get a twofer, two faves good for my heart and all I have to do is sit back and enjoy. 

Life is gook.

What a Difference a Day Makes...sort of

First, my numbers for today and yesterday:

• Blood Glucose:  Today, 132 mg/dl.  Yesterday: 111 mg/dl
• Weight:  Today, 187 lbs.  Yesterday, 187 lbs.
• Exercise:  45 minutes riding my bike, both days. 
• Mood:  7.0 both days. 

Menu for today:

• Breakfast:  An orange and oatmeal with craisins. Time to go shopping for some fruits and veggies 
• Lunch:  Left over pinto beans and cornbread and an apple. 
• Dinner:  Taco salads.  See need to get some fruits and veggies above.
• Snacks:  Pretzels, just not as many as yesterday.

I think the difference is the pita chips, hummus and pretzels I had waiting  for dinner, which was some killer pinto beans and rice the Charming Mrs. SWMBO cooked.

Question.  Is it better to be fit or slender?  Apparently, slender wins.  Fit and slender is best, but if you are just thin, it probably is better than fat and fit.  People who are don't exercise and are slender seem to have lower blood pressure, and thus stronger hearts and less heart disease,  than those who exercise and are overweight.  If you are fat couch potato, nice knowing you.

Anybody remember Jim Fixx?  Scary stuff.

My Ypsilanti Adventure. No, Really.

I just got back from a trip to see some family in Ypsilanti, MI.  I was there to see my mom, my sister, my new nephew Calvin and her other four kids.  I am a very fortunate Uncle Dave. My nieces are some of the prettiest and charming an uncle could hope to have and the nephews aren't bad, either.

While there, I was not necessarily sticking to my new and developing eating regime.  I am happy to report I still did okay for a guy on a bit of a vacation.  I like to think I was sensible in my indulgences.  I didn't gain any weight, which made me feel really good. Here are a few of my indulgences in no particular order. 

Indulgence Number One:  Baked Oatmeal for Breakfast

Yep, oatmeal.  I stayed at the proverbial charming B&B call the the Parish House Inn.  It's was what I want in lodging, clean and quite. The big plus were the breakfasts that featured a fabulous baked oatmeal.  I mean this stuff was exceptional, like a breakfast desert that's actually good.  When I have some time, I am going to make a batch. The recipe is here.  It's really not that hard and it the variations are almost endless. 

Indulgence Number Two:  The Corner Brewery.

I got in Saturday afternoon and two of my nieces, Charlotte and Maddy, took me to a local micro-brewery called the Corner Brewery after dinner.  The IPA I had was exceptional.  Michigan has some wonderful micro-breweries and this fits right in there (despite the owners being big Democrats; can't be humorless about these things, right?  Good beer is good beer and I bet the employees are not unionized, so this stuff could not be served at the UAW's resort.  They don't know what they are missing, but that's their problem.)

Indulgence Number Three:  Sander's Hot Fudge.

My excuse for buying Sander's Hot Fudge was for my mom, who is in a nursing home.  It made me look like the good son, but real reason is that I wanted it.  Mom was just a convenient excuse.  In the Detroit area this stuff is almost like the center of a cult, a happy cult, a cult open to anyone, a pudgy cult maybe, but a cult nonetheless.  People there will find almost any excuse for something with Sander's Hot Fudge on the top.

All you need to enjoy this stuff is a spoon and in an emergency your fingers will do the trick.  Anything that it goes on top of is strictly optional.  It's perfect on ice cream and a worthy addition on top of almost anything else that is a food stuff.  I just like to eat it straight out of the jar.

I had one sundae and we left the jar and the ice cream we bought at the nursing home.  It was all gone in short order.  Oh well, Mom was happy, along with a lot of other people.

Indulgence Number Four:  A Miller's Cheeseburger.

Miller's Bar is a classic Midwestern corner bar with one exception.  They make the best burgers in the world.  There is no debate on this.  They taste like no other I have had anywhere and served with a timeless, simple elegance.  They stand alone at the top.  They have no equal. 

The patties are spot-on juicy, never greasy, and served only with toppings necessary to enhance and compliment the flavor of the meat: cheese, yellow mustard, catchup, dill pickle chips and white onion.  These culinary gems are served hot off the grill on wax paper. My preferred version is with cheese, mustard, pickles and onion.  Anything else, like lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and whatnot are better off put in a salad for another time at another place.  They would only cloud the ecstatic taste of these burgers.

These burgers have now transcended four generations of Miller's and I hope it continues for generations to come. 

Indulgence Number Five:  Cottage Inn Pizza. 

Good Lord I love this stuff.  Cottage Inn maybe not make the best pizza I have had, but I am drawing a blank to think of an equal.  What makes this pizza so good is the crust.  It's thick yet light with a flavor all of it's own that highlights the toppings.  The toppings are good, the sauce is good, but standard.  It's the crust that makes this pizza so memorable and it's even good cold for breakfast.  I wish we had them here in Houston.

Indulgence Number Six: Carol's Blueberry Pie.

I saved the best for last, my sister's blueberry pie.  Why is it so good?  She uses butter or lard in the crust, fresh Michigan blueberries, a marvelous streusel, and that magic ingredient, love. Yea, it's corny to say it and it's also true.  I had four very large slices.  Here is a recipe for it and I will tell one and all in advance no one will every make a blueberry pie as good as hers. 

My numbers for the day:

1. Blood Glucose:  119 mg/dl.  Good.  
2. Weight:  186.  Not that good. 
3. Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike.
4. Mood:  8.0.  Hey, I am on vacation for the rest of the week.  How bad can it be? 

Menu for the day:

1. Breakfast:  A banana and morning breakfast glop, which is soy yogurt, applesauce and pumpkin granola. 
2. Lunch: Portobello mushroom sandwich at Empire Cafe with the Charming Mrs. SWMBO.
3. Dinner:  Homemade pizza while watching Project Runway.  Sue me,  I think the Heidi Klum is beautiful.
4. Snacks:  Hummus with some Stacy's Pita Chips.  

If It's Down, Is It Really Up?

I found this on WebMD's website.  The story posits that if your LDL, the bad cholesterol, is down way low, usually because of taking medication to get it down, and your HDL, the good cholesterol, is not where it should be, it's really OK because the LDL is so low. One really good thing negates a not so good thing.  Statins are one of the drugs that can do this and a statin maker did fund this study.  HDL is considered a predictor of heart disease.  Low is bad. 

So, taking a pill is good thing, right?  Maybe. 

Buried way down at the end of the story is this..."other research has found that even in patients with very low LDL levels, HDL cholesterol was still predictive of heart attack and stroke risk. So why the new findings didn't reach this conclusion is unclear..."

Further up the story a researcher notes this:  "If you are at increased risk [of cardiovascular disease] due to increased LDL, a low HDL, or an elevated high sensitivity C-reactive protein [another marker for heart disease], the real message should be to go to the gym, throw out the cigarettes, and lose some weight. Next, talk to your doctor about statin therapy."

Would you trust you long term health to this sort of information?   I wouldn't.  It is this type of  story that frustrates me so much.  It always goes like this:  Good news, good news, good news, caveat, caveat, contradictory news, muddled conclusion. 

So, where does this leave us?  Doing the old fashioned thing, diet and exercise,  is still the best thing to do.

Today's numbers (Aug. 12, 2010)

• Blood Cholesterol:  125 mg/dl.
• Weight:  187 lbs
• Exercise:  45 minutes riding on my bike
• Mood:  7.00

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins, blueberries
• Lunch:  Leftover country spare rib, mashed sweet potatoes and white potatoes and cole slaw.
• Dinner:  Homemade pizza and a salad.
• Snacks: Hummus

Wednesday, August 12,2010

Saw this article on the Nutrition  Data web site and they cite a study published in the British Medical Journal that possibly links these conditions or problems to dementia:  Type 2 diabetes, of low vegetable consumption, depression and low education levels.

So, if this article is to be believed we may avoid dementia by avoiding or controlling type 2 diabetes, eating  lots of veggies, looking on the bright-side and reading books or get at least getting a night school diploma. 


The what and why and how of the links are never discussed in this little article and this is what bothers me about so much of the information on health we get from popular places.  It so lacks in authentication and even just basic evidence, which may explain the last link above.  It cites a correlation only they go no further than that.  Watch, a few years will go by and any perceived link will have faded away as untrue or unprovable and we will have moved on to the next possible calamity.

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia and it is near epidemic levels now.  My mother has it. Trust me, you don't want to get it. All through out her life she was not a diabetic of any sort, ate lots of vegetables, was a happy and outgoing woman, and read a lot about the things that interested her. For good measure she exercised routinely.  I remember her exercising along with Jack LaLanne and local Detroit guy named Ed Allen.

For the record, however, I am going to control the type 2 diabetes, eat lots of veggies, look on the bright-side and read a lot.  For Christmas, I am going to ask Santa for one of these to keep up on the reading.

Numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  125 mg/dl.  Been better, been worse.
• Weight:  187 lbs. I have scales.
• Exercise:  45 minutes riding the bike.
• Mood:  7.0  

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins and strawberries.
• Lunch:  Hummus, pita bread and lots of raw veggies (see above)
• Dinner:  Chinese takeout of chicken and vegetables (see above)

Chicken Fat!

As I got on my bike this morning I thought of the "Chicken Fat" song from the " The Music Man".  This is from YouTube.

Given that Robert Preston, if memory serves me right, was a heavy smoker, I doubt that he took Henry Hill's advice.  I remember that song being popular when I was in elementary school.  I think the gym teacher used to play it.

Since I am on a "Music Man" theme, here is Buddy Hackett's big number, Shipoopi.

And here is the version Peter Griffin did on the Family Guy.




I have to give the nod still to Buddy Hackett's version.  Close, though.

My numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  115 mg/dl.  As Peter Griffin says "All right."
• Weight:  187 lbs.  WTF?  
• Exercise:  45 min riding the bike.
• Mood:  7.0  Weight issue.  Why am I gaining?

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins and blueberries. 
• Lunch:  Birthday luncheon at work for one the guys there.  Had a moderate lunch, fried chicken, some raw vegetables, a few crackers with hummus and a few little rounds of ham, turkey and cheese.  The killer was a the cake.  I did have a small slice of it.   It was a chocolate, mocha, espresso, caramel confection that actually gave me a sugar  buzz.  
• Leftovers from Sunday, pork country ribs, whipped sweet potato and white potato with low fat sour cream, and cole slaw. 
• No snacks.  Not after the cake.

It Brain Day

I found two articles on brain health.  Hey, if you are brain dead, the best body in the world isn't going to do you any good, right?

The first one is from Future Pundit and the study cited suggests a correlation between a strong heart, one that pumps a lot of blood,  and a brain that ages more slowly.  A heart that pumps less blood may cause a brain to age more quickly.  To keep the brain functioning better, it needs more blood.  To get more blood to the brain you need to exercise to build the heart muscle to pump more blood to the brain.  Unlike other cell, brain cells do not rejuvenate, so the problem is to keep the ones you have healthy and that may mean more blood.  Simple, right?  Who knows.

The second is on brain health and vitamin D.  Vitamin D is very big right now, much the way vitamin C was big a few decades ago.  This suggests vitamin D can slow or prevent cognitive decline. Vitamin D is found in oily fish, some dairy products and good old sunshine.

Remember a few years ago how we were all told to stay out of the sun?  Mainly the advice was given to reduce skin cancers and wrinkles.  Well, staying out of the sun is not good if you want to get some vitamin D to keep you brain healthy.  Healthy brain, rotten skin.

There is a calculator here to figure out how much you need.  Here in Houston, TX, if I have done this right, I need a whole two minutes to get all of the sunshine I need on today's date.  That's pretty easy to do, and I don't think I risk any premature skin aging.  Assuming I did this correctly here is what it looks like for me here in Houston.

Looks like Mom may have been right.  Go out side and play.  It's good for you.

How much do you want to bet that in a few years the claims for the benefits of vitamin D may have been greatly exaggerated?

My numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  125 mg/dl.  After a weekend, OK.
• Weight:  186 lbs.  More like 186 1/2, but who's counting? 
• Exercise:  45 minute ride on my bike.  Back in the saddle again.
• Mood:  7.  I do have a job.  That counts for something.  

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins and blueberries.  Lots of blueberries.  Lots of antioxidents, but that turned out to be more than a bit of a bust.  Never mind, I still love blueberries. 
• Lunch:  Leftover black bean salsa with some rye bread and a Texas peach.  None better. 
• Paula Dean's Tortilla Soup as interpreted by the Charming Mrs. SWMBO and a small salad. 
• Snacks:  Pretzels.

Just Do It, and if Nike Is Irked, Sue Me.

I know it is Nike's saying, but it's true.  Given the hurly-burly stretched for time way we live our lives, exercise is something all too often put aside for the expedient reason of no time.  Even if it is just walking around the block a couple of time a day, start doing it. Although this WebMD article was written with a woman's health in mind, the prevailing theme applies to both men and woman:  start doing it. 

Stop whining and fretting and just start doing something.  The details will all fall into place soon enough.  It's amazing to learn what other activities that once took up your time move down the list of what is important. Eventually the thought of why-did-I-waste-my-time-on-stuff will dawn you.  Trust me, if you deem something of A1 importance and make it a habit, the results will surprise you.  It did me.

My numbers for today and yesterday.

•  Blood Glucose:  124 mg/dl.  Yesterday 113 ml/dl.  I panic when things go up.  I ate a lot of stuff yesterday, sampling at Sam's and HEB Grocery, and nibbling on things the merchants served at the White Linen Night street fair in Historic Houston Heights. I did pick up three new razors at a couple antique stores, 2 Gillette TTO's (twist to open) from the 1970'a I didn't have and a rare Schick DE probably from the 1930's.  I am going to use the Schick today. 
• Weight:  185 lbs.  Yesterday:  185 lbs.  I am definitely at a plateau
• Exercise:  Day off.  Yesterday:  Day off.  I did sweat a lot yesterday and I did walk a lot and I did work a bit on the flower beds.  Does that count?  
• Mood:  8.0.  It's the weekend.  How bad can it get?

Menu for today:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins and blueberries.  I loves me some blueberries.  
• Leftover something.  Not sure.
• Dinner:  We bought some good looking country pork ribs at Whole Foods and I think we will grill those. 
• Snacks:  Pretzels.  Will also have a manhatten.  It is the weekend after all.

Damn, I Was Hoping for a Pill

First the numbers.  I didn't post them yesterday.

• Blood Glucose:  119 mg/dl.  Yesterday was 124 mg/dl. Okay. 
• Weight:  185 lbs.  Same as yesterday.  On that plateau again.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike. Same as yesterday. 
• Mood:  7.5 Same as yesterday. 

Menu for today:

• Breakfast:  banana, oatmeal flavored with blackberry herbal tea and craisins, blueberries (yes, it is blueberry season and I am going gorge on this stuff.  Lots of anti-oxidants. Those are supposed to be good for me.  Whatever.
• Lunch:  Left over pasta rustica, but with brown rice instead of pasta. 
• Dinner. Not sure. I am sorely tempted to get some pizza tonight with SWMBO after the grass is cut and the yard is cleaned up.  Moderate portions, off course, and with a salad and a bottle of cheap wine.  
• Snack:  Soy yogurt with applesauce and granola stuff.

There was an article publish recently in the Wall Street Journal on why our nation is getting fatter.  It was reprinted here.  The reason, basically, is that food is getting better, cheaper and more available.  The two authors don't see much that can change tht unless a pill of sorts is developed.  Not diet programs, not education, not any sort of government action. We will just keep getting plumper.  Their weak hope is some sort of pill that keeps us thin, but for now that is won't happen and we will just be getting fatter.

For certain we don't have the magic pill now.  WebMD posted an article about a German University that tested 9 different over-the-counter weight loss supplements.  FTA: 

Those expensive dietary supplements that promise dramatic weight loss by trapping fat, blocking carbs, or boosting metabolism work no better than placebo pills, a new study shows.

The best that could be said for them is that if they did inspire someone to eat better and exercise, well good.  But to take pill or supplement to be slim and trim, not there yet.  Nothing works to block or burn fat and reduce calories except a good diet and exercise, damn it. 

This is for my fetching SWMBO.  It's about iced tea.  Overall, it's pretty healthful stuff and little is more refreshing in a Texas summer than a glass of iced tea. 

Six Month Review

Six months ago, I started a new diet-for-life regimen.  I had to.  I was in bad shape and getting worse.  I have since lost about 40 lbs. and I get rave reviews about my appearance.  SWMBO is eager to take me shopping to get some new clothes.  Lots of my old ones are now just hanging on me.  I don't get tired of the notice or compliments, either.

I still have about 35 lbs to lose, so I am about half way to that goal. I still have a noticeable belly and that has to go.  I started this around 225 lbs. and had an expanding 38"+ waist line.  The last several pairs of dress pants I bought for work,  I bought them with a 40" waist had them taken in.  More comfortable that way. My waist is now a more pleasing 36".  I want it to be 32" again.  That is what I was in high school and I think I can do it.

Six months ago, what set this all off was my type 2 diabetes.  My blood glucose was first measured at 263 mg/dl after fasting and I am now averaging in the 120's mg/dl after fasting.  Good, but I want and need it to be lower.  Ideally, I want to routinely measure in the low 100's and even a the 90's would be great.  Insulin not being absorbed seems to be a function of fat inhibiting or preventing absorption on insulin by the cells that need it. Lose the fat, lose the problem.  I still have plenty of fat to lose and I need to reduce it further. 

Six months ago I was the type who when thinking about exercise would lie down and wait until the thought had passed.  Them made myself a snack and turned on the TV.  Now I force myself to get up early to get on my bike and peddle.  My inspiration for all of this is Jack LaLanne.  For decades he was up at 4:00 am to put himself through a nearly three hour daily work out.  He is now in his 90's and still doing it.   My favorite line of his is:  "Only a masochist likes to exercise."  He does it because he likes the results.  I think of that every time I get up at 5:00 am to ride my bike. 

He is also a near lifetime vegetarian.  I think of that, too, when I am tempted to go get a cheeseburger.  Yes, I have not given up meat and I do eat an occasional cheeseburger, but I eat a lot less of it.  I eat a lot of whole grains, beans and vegetables. I have learned to love to fill up on that stuff.  Eating that seems to work for me.  I even have some good tofu recipes. 

Six months ago I was not sleeping well and never knew it. I would get so sleepy in the afternoon.  I had sleep apnea and SWMBO always complained about my snoring. I just thought it was due to nothing more than getting older.  Now I know it was do to my type 2 diabetes. This was a symptom and I didn't know that.  All of that unabsorbed blood glucose was keeping me up like little kid who is bouncing off of walls from a candy bar.  Now I get good restful sleep.  I don't snore.  The sleep apnea is gone and no more complaints from SWMBO.

Six months ago, I started to seriously search out articles to learn about keeping my health up. I read articles about about how bad saturated fat is for heart health and how there is no link to saturated fat and heart health.  What to do?  Find what works and stick with it.  I have also read this about using sex to treat diabetes.  I like it.

So, in six months what have I learned?  My diet has be better for the rest of my life.  My exercise habits have to be better for the rest of my life.  My health is something I have work at everyday for the rest of my life.  I have to find what works for me and stick with it.  I have also learned that I better have a lot of room on my credit card for all the new clothes I am going to have to buy.  But hey, why not?  I look good.

Take a Pill Because We are Only Going to Get Fatter

Saw this on Volokh Conspiracy blog on why we are getting heavier.  The researchers say it is due the falling cost of food, rising incomes and falling need for physical labor.  In other words, nirvana.  Life is getting easier and tastier, and the result is that we are getting fatter.  The authors, Tomas J. Philipson and Richard A. Posner, go on to say that there is ultimately little we can do about it. Food cost, availability and physical exertion at work are only going to get cheaper and better.  Nothing we do, such as dietary education, exercise or diet programs and even taxing fattening foods, will do much to get us thinner. They are looking at medicine to develop a pill to keep us thin.  That fits.

The original article was published in the Wall Street Journal here.

In my little war against fat, the numbers:

• Blood Glucose:  134 mg/dl.  Sigh. 
• Weight:  185 lbs.  OK, now that I am here I just want to get lower.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike.
• Mood:  7.  Weight going down, good and GB inching up, bad.

Menu: 

• Breakfast:  Oatmeal flavored with blackberry herbal tea and craisins.  
• Lunch:  Hummus with cucumber slices, an orange and these whole wheat sandwich rounds, which are quite tasty.
• Dinner:  Pasta Rustica, my version.
• Snacks:  Soy yogurt, applesause and some sort of granola stuff. 

Yeah, but will it last?

Drew Carey has lost over 80 pounds and he really looks good.  I am jealous, actually.  I love the bow tie. I hope he keeps it off.

Amazing what losing 80 pounds can do for you

He did lots of cardio exercises from what I have read, was a type 2 diabetic and ate no carbohydrates.  None.  "No carbs," he said. "I have cheated a couple times, but basically no carbs, not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind."

I think this proves that if you eat less of anything, you will lose weight. The ultimate challenge is to keep it off. 

I bet in a few years he gains the weight back.  I hope not.  I don't think he can maintain that sort of regimen indefinately.  We seemed to be programmed to eat carbohydrates for one thing.  It's the type of carbohydrates we eat that matter.  I don't think a no carbohydrate diet is healthy.  They are like little packets of energy easily used and readily released into the body.  Too much of anything can't be good and that was my big problem.  Too much fuel going in and not enough going out.  Carbohydrates from whole grains and beans are low in fat and calories, have all sorts of nutrients and are filling.  For me, it helps keep the out going above the in coming. 

So, I am going to continue what I do. It may not be as fast, but I think it is a sensible way to eat to live.  Eat a potato, not potato chip. 

My numbers for the day:

• Blood Glucose:  124 mg/dl.  Good, but not where I want it. 
• Weight:  187 lbs.  Gained two over the weekend.  Must have been the beer.
• Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike.  I want to add the resistance bands, but time, time time. 
• Mood:  7. Two pounds.  Frustrating.

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with craisins and a kiwi fruit.
• Lunch:  Leftover ribs (2) and half a chicken breast and an orange.  Cleaning out the fridge. 
• Dinner:  Speaking of whole grains and beans, a bean sauce made from red bean, pinto beans, navy beans over brown rice. Not sure of the the vegetables. 

I over served myself at favorite of place of ours, the Petrol Station.  I had several glasses of Arrogant Bastard's  SSR (Simply Sublime Reserve).  It's a dark, hoppy beer with a lot of alcohol in it.  I have noticed that it takes less to get there faster when it come to alcohol.

Nine Things I Didn't Do and Now Do

I ran across a list of called Nine Harmless Habits That Age You posted on Yahoo Health.  I am guilty of violating more than a few of them. Well, most of them.  A quick run down of the harmless habits that are not good for you.

1. You keep your college bed time. I wish.  In college, if I got five hours of sleep, I was good to go. Now, if I don't get seven hour, I finish the day doing a fine impression of a zombie. 
2. You have a soft spot for sweets.  Yep. Guilty.  Never met a candy bar or desert I have not liked.
3. You're stressed more often than not.  Not really. I have worked to to train myself to leave problems at the front door.  
4. You only exercise to lose weight.  Yes, guilty.
5. You blast your iPod.  Yes, but I can't always hear it.
6. You never see your girlfriends. True.  SHMBO would kill me if I did.  I do try to keep up friends from the past, however,which is what I think the author meant. 
7. You eat veggies, but not everyday.  Yes, guilty.  Do french fries count?  Trying to fix that now.  Lots of veggies now. Even beginning to look forward to them now. 
8. You've shunned all fats from your diet.  No, and I ate a lot of the wrong ones, the ones that really taste good. I am supposed to consume the ones that contain omega 3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats that are supposed to raise HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol.  Unless you follow the advice of Drs. McDougall and Ornish who say to avoid fats as much as possible.  
9. You can't recall the last time you had sex.  I am good on this one,which one reason I don't bother with number six.  

The numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  128 mg/dl.  At least it is under 130 mg/dl.
• Weight:  185.  Down a pound. 
• Exercise:  45 minutes on trainer. 
• Mood:  7.5.

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal flavored with craisins and herbal blackberry tea, orange
• Lunch:  Left over tofu lasagna and butternut squash with a few dark cherries for desert. 
• Dinner:  Hors d'oeuvres at some client of SWMBO
• Snacks:  Baked Sun Chips.

When I found out I was a type 2 diabetic, my doctor reviewed my two choices to fix the problem with me.  The first was medication. The second was diet and exercise.  I chose the second and so far it seems to working well.  Certainly the work so far has been worth the effort and just taking a medication didn't really solve the root cause of it all, bad eating habits and a lack of exercise.  Since obesity is the problem, stop being obese.  Lose the fat, lose the problem. 

It is also a lot cheaper. 

I received an email the other day from Nutrition Data News with an article about a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, rosiglitazone.  It's often sold under the brand name Avantia.  A bad side effect of the drug is an increase in cardiovascular disease.  Cardiovascular disease is biggest killer of people with type 2 diabetes.  Anyone notice the problem here?

Makes me so glad I chose the course I did. 

This article also talks about the problem of sleep and type 2 diabetes.  That was my problem.  Now I am getting the best sleep I have had in years, just as if I were a teen again.  I think I am sticking with the diet and exercise approach. 

My numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  124 mg/dl.  Creeping up again. Significant?  Don't know.
• Weight:  186 lbs.  I think I am in a drop phase.  
• Exercise:  45 minutes peddling. 
• Mood:  7.5.  Noticed I still have a belly, still considered overweight and still a too high BMI (28.4).

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal flavored with blackberry herbal tea and craisins, kiwi fruit.  
• Lunch:  Barely pilaf, butternut squash
• Dinner:  Grilled catfish fish tacos and a small salad. 
• Snacks:  Last of the fat free artichoke dip and one pita bread.  

Probably too many carbs, but it's all low fat.

John Goodman Did It, So I Can Do It.

Last week I read this about actor John Goodman and his weight loss and exercise.  He does a combination routine of riding a recumbent bike and an elliptical trainer and resistance bands.  It was inspiring to say the least that he could lose so much weight without surgery.  It's the right way to do it.  It takes more time, but it is the way to learn to be thin and he talks about this. It's a life long thing, a way of living.  Plus, it tells me that my approach is, my own combination of riding my bike and resistance bands is a good way to go.

In this article he has lost 100 lbs, 30 lbs of them after he gave up drinking for good.  He mentions that he is an alcoholic and that partially responsible his being overweight. Happily that is not one of my problems.  He also likes the gooey sweet stuff, which is one of my problems. 

My numbers for the day:

• Blood Glucose:  113 mg/dl.  A smidgen above normal
• Weight:  187 lbs.  Well, more like tickling 186 1/2 lbs.  I think I have left 190 behind for good. 
• Exercise:  Forty five minutes on the bike and 15 minutes with the bands. 
• Mood:  8.  Could be a 9, but business sucks. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal infused with vanilla/blueberry herb tea and craisins.
• Lunch:  A small blob of artichoke dip, small blob of hummus (both fat free), one pita bread, cucumber slices, yellow pepper slices. 
• Dinner:  Mary & Dave's salad with grilled chicken.  (Mary & Dave's salad is whatever we have around that is generally considered a salad type vegetable.  
• Snacks:  Soy yogurt mixed with applesauce and pumpkin granola stuff (it really does taste good).

A Long Weekend and It's Time to Stop Goofing Off

Spent an enjoyable weekend in Dallas visiting my sister-in-law.  Enjoyable for me any how.  She is scrambling to sell her old house and get into a new one.  Me, I was just along for the ride, offer some sage advice (it's worth exactly what it cost) and generally kick back and enjoy some good company and good food.  Dallas has some fine places to eat.

I was really proud of myself.  My big splurge was Saturday night.  Had a couple of glasses of wine and chance to really pig out at an event called the Kessler Krawel, which is an excuse for the locals in a Dallas sub-division to meet, eat, drink and gossip.  I was a model of probity and restraint.  I only had two small glasses of wine. We had dinner at a place called Enos. I had a martini made from a Texas made gin, which was wonderful.  (Sadly, I don't remember the name of the gin, but I intend to find out.)  After the cocktail we had a the fig and fennel salad and a their version of a margarita pizza called Mom Pie.  Check out the menu at Eno's Pizza. 

After a good weekend for me I was afraid to test my BG and look at my weight. It was pretty good, considering.  Same weight as when I left and the BG was good.  I also got a lot of compliments on how much weight I had lost from people there who had the before image of me in their head.

Numbers for today:

• Blood Glucose:  122 mg/dl.  Not bad
• Weight:  190 lbs.  Could have been worse.
• Exercise:  45 minutes and I really rode hard.
• Mood:  7.  Not lower vitals, but not higher vitals.

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Leftover waffle from last week, banana, cantaloupe. 
• Lunch:  Left over pizza and a peach
• Dinner:  Left over meat loaf 
• Snacks: Hummus and Sally's Pita Chips. 

New Toys I Have Yet to Play With

Almost two months ago I bought this blood pressure monitor from WalMart and these Altus fitness bands from a local sporting good store.  I have yet to use the blood pressure monitor and I have fiddled a bit with the fitness bands.  They are both just sitting around, getting dusty. 

The problem is time and making it a habit.  Yes, finding the time is a lame excuse. I am not sure when or how often I should check the my blood pressure.  Once a week, every day? Don't know and there is nothing I can find on the Internet for guide other than it is a good idea to do it regularly.  There is also a bit a trepidation factor, like stepping on a scale. I should keep track of my BP, but I am sometime a little nervous about what I might learn. Of course, it could also be good.  I hope it has improved over the past few months.  The readings are highest in the morning and drop from there.  If am good early in the a. m., it's good for the rest of the day.  I guess that is why people tend do in the morning from heart problems.

My problem with the bands is similar.  From what I have read, the bands are an effective and a not-likely-to-cause-injury form of resistance training, good for my arms and abs and Lord knows I need help there.  The problem is again making it part of the routine, a habit like riding the bike and stepping on the scale.  I usually test the BG, ride for 45 minutes, water the backyard the water demanding plants, eat breakfast, shower and get off to work.  Can I work in 15 to 20 minutes more in the morning?  Arrgh, I guess.   I think I will have to start getting up at 4 a. m. to get it all done.

Well that's the time Jack LaLanne gets up to get his work out done. 
  
Just do it, right?  Stop the whining and the fretting and just start doing it.  It will all work itself out.  Soon it will all be part of my day and I will be the better for it.

Something I also did last week, despite my trepidation, is have my eyes checked.  For the most part, this is pretty easy:  Can you see better with A or B, B or C, B or D.  Piece of cake if that were all there was to it.

The part that makes me nervous is the what I might find out when the pressure is checked.  Both my mom and dad have had glaucoma and I am a good candidate to get it.  Last year my pressure was right at the border between normal and high with the need to start putting drops in my eyes to bring it back down to normal. 

I needn't have worried. The pressure is now half of what it was last time, the visual field test was fine as was the condition of the optic nerve.  Whew, dodged another bullet.  Why did it drop?  Dr. Thomas, the optometrist, didn't know.  Might be the weight loss, might be the exercise, who knows?  One of life's little mysteries, I guess.  I am due to have it checked in six months to see if was just a fluke.

The joys of getting older.

The numbers for today:

1. Blood Glucose:  125 mg/dl
2. Weight:  191 mg/dl
3. Exercise:  45 minutes on the bike
4. Mood:  6.  I seem to be stuck and business sucks. 

Menu:

• Breakfast:  Banana, oatmeal with soy milk and craisins and a Texas peach.  None better. 
• Lunch:  One leg and one wing of chicken, leftovers at work (it's free and I am not proud), tomato and cucumber. 
• Dinner:  Taco salad.
• Snacks:  Last of the hummus. Have to make some more.