Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I’ve mentioned this website in passing once, but I didn’t give her enough credit.

• Dotti’s Weight Loss Zone (DWLZ)

Dotti has one of those stories that everyone likes to hear. In 1998, she lost 95 pounds using the Weight Watcher’s Points program. It’s the kind of dramatic weight loss that inspires people to start their own journey on the path to health.

The most beneficial section of DWLZ is the restaurants section, where she and many others have compiled the points of restaurant food from all over the nation. They use the nutrition facts supplied by the restaurant chains and the Weight Watcher Points Slider to calculate the points and Dottie has been nice enough to sponsor the website to maintain all of it.

The restaurant section is really helpful even if you’re not using the Weight Watcher system. Many of the collections have the nutrition facts that were originally supplied by the restaurant chains. It’s the perfect centralized location for all the information you need to make healthy choices next time you eat out.

Considering the dangers of gastric bypass surgery, I would think that covering it would be a recipe for surging costs for the Medicare program. I don’t think I like the idea of my tax dollars paying to make people even more sick.

• CNN.com – Companies ask Medicare to cover more obesity surgery – Reuters

If you read this article carefully, you’ll notice that it’s the companies that make the stomach bands and other devices used in the surgeries that are fighting for the coverage. It just goes to show me that the weight loss industry is all about money. If they actually cared about the health of the people receiving these surgeries, don’t you think they would make it safer? One out of every 200 people who have the surgery die within 30 days. I want better odds than that.

Motivational writer Steve Pavlina is writing a series of articles on self-discipline this week, beginning with this great introduction to the topic:

Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of your emotional state.

In this article, he applies the lessons of progressive weight training to building self-discipline, and suggests pushing your limits rather than setting goals that are far beyond your current performance. Whether you’re trying to stick to your diet or improve your performance at work, this is worth a read. Here’s another good quote:

Don’t compare yourself to other people. It won’t help. You’ll only find what you expect to find. If you think you’re weak, everyone else will seem stronger. If you think you’re strong, everyone else will seem weaker. There’s no point in doing this. Simply look at where you are now, and aim to get better as you go forward.

Steve’s weblog might be worth keeping an eye on beyond this series of posts, as he occasionally writes about diet and fitness topics. An example from last week: How to Give Up Coffee.

There are so many descriptive words on the packages of food. Do they really mean anything. If something is “natural” does that mean it’s “organic”? Is it all a bunch of hype or is there some meaning to it all?

• MSNBC – Deciphering Food Labels

There are regulations about the word “organic” and you can look for the approved symbol. Other words like “natural” are used a lot but mean nothing. Check out this informative article.

This is what bugs me about some weight loss “tips”:

• About.com – Your Daily Weight Loss Tip – Food Isn’t Your Best Friend

It’s always been there for you, but if you’ve binged until you developed a weight problem… with a friend like food, who needs enemies? When you’re feeling sad or stressed, pick up the phone, e-mail or ICQ a true friend — someone who you know can offer loving support and comfort. Be your own best friend and give emotional eating the cold shoulder!

Emotional Eating is so complicated that a pat answer like getting in contact with a friend isn’t a viable solution. There are so many things that trigger emotional eating. Sometimes, emotional eating can even be caused by being with friends. How would a call to a true friend help you at your next barbeque? In that situation, you’re surrounded by friends and food and every emotion you’re experiencing is telling you to “try some of this” and “just this once” yourself through the party.

Instead of pat answers, a better strategy is to write down a list of all the situations in which you have found yourself overeating in the past. Once you know the sorts of situations that can trigger overeating, come up with a few plans to keep yourself on track. Depending on willpower in those situations isn’t fair. Don’t set yourself up for failure.

Plan what you are going to say and what you are going to eat in each of those emotional eating situations. Go over your plan many times in your mind, rehearsing what you are going to say. Imagine yourself empowered over the food instead of at its mercy. You can do this!

Scientific American has a lengthy and in-depth article about the “Obesity Epidemic.” It’s a long article, but it’s worth the read.

• Scientific American – Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic? – by W. Wayt Gibbs

I’ve talked before about the idea that the “Obesity Epidemic” is actually a method for the health insurance companies to deny coverage. That is one idea that this article doesn’t touch on. They very logically look at the available data and reveal that some of the figures that have been given to us were actually guesses and have been quoted so many times that they have become “facts” in the mind of the collective unconscious.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this article:

“Underweight, even though it occurs in only a tiny fraction of the population, is actually associated with more excess deaths than class I obesity,” says Katherine M. Flegal, a senior research scientist at the CDC.

Oliver, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, is that “a relatively small group of scientists and doctors, many directly funded by the weight-loss industry, have created an arbitrary and unscientific definition of overweight and obesity. They have inflated claims and distorted statistics on the consequences of our growing weights, and they have largely ignored the complicated health realities associated with being fat.”

“The war on fat,” Campos concurs, “is really about making some of us rich.”

“H. L. Mencken once said that for every complex problem there is a simple solution–and it’s wrong,” Blair muses. “We have got to stop shouting from the rooftops that obesity is bad for you and that fat people are evil and weak-willed and that the world would be lovely if we all lost weight. We need to take a much more comprehensive view. But I don’t see much evidence that that is happening.”

Via: About.com – Is the Obesity Epidemic no Health Threat? – by Wendy Bumgardner

If you look at their website now, there are no products or claims listed at all. Part of the FTC settlement was to remove unsubstantiated claims from their advertising, so it’s not a surprise that all the website has now is a phone number and a frequently asked questions file which clarifies how to return merchandise.

Selfworx marketed two products: Gelthin and Ultra LipoLean. Gelthin was supposed to melt fat away when you rub it on “problem areas.” Ultra LipoLean was supposed to “block fat.” Neither of them did what they said they would do.

The FTC can’t be everywhere. Small companies can pop up, promise great results and dissapear into thin air before the FTC can get them and before you can get your money back. There is no substitute for healthy eating habits and exercise. Don’t let them get you.

Bill Clinton is joining the American Heart Association in the fight against childhood obesity.

• William J. Clinton Foundation – Creating a Healthier Generation: Preventing Obesity

The most interesting part of this site is the discussion about Bill Clinton’s personal problems with weight and eating. Preventing heart disease starts with how you treat your body today.

Via: About.com – A New Initiative Against Childhood Obesity – by Paige Waehner

I’ve been riding my bike to work ever since the weather got sunny. It doubles the time for my daily commute, but it has made the time spent far more pleasureable. Instead of a chore, my commute has become a enjoyable journey. I even look forward to the ride home.

Of course my legs have been aching a bit from the activity. After all that running while I was training for the 5K, I would have thought that I was in great shape for a daily bike commute. The muscles that are asking for attention are ones that were barely used when I was running.

Soon, my legs will become accustomed to their daily use. That’s how muscles work. They adapt and become acclimated to the tasks that we give them regularly. They even grow more efficient and burn less fuel to do the same work. By then, it will be winter and I will be shocked at how much running inside on the treadmill hurts.

If you are looking to mix up your workout a little bit, check this out:

• About.com – Workout Center – by Paige Waehner

They have a huge selection of different workouts you can do complete with pictures and descriptions. I could have really used this when I bought that big Bosu ball and had no clue what to do with it. I got sick of the video really quickly and could have used the workouts that she has on there.