Earlier this month, TLC started a new reality show about a family that is trying to lose weight together. Not only does the show highlight living a healthy lifestyle, but it also shows how difficult it can be to be overweight.
For example, the Coles decided to have a yard sale to get rid of the junk in their lives and maybe make a little money. Whenever you open yourself up to the public, however, you’ll encounter one of those jerks who hate fat people.
Then, when they went to an amusement park, they encountered embarrassing weight restrictions on the rides.
For the first time since we canceled our cable, I’m wishing that I had forked out the monthly dollars to Comcast. I can’t find a way to watch this show except on TLC. I’m interested to see how the Coles progress and see if they have anywhere near the success that the contestants on The Biggest Loser have.
Just when the dieting world seemed to calm down and the mantra of “Eat Less, Move More” seemed to be the prevailing wisdom, Japan goes crazy for bananas.
The Morning Banana Diet regime is simple: A banana (or as many as you want) and room temperature water for breakfast; eat anything you like for lunch and dinner (by 8 p.m.). A three o’clock snack is okay, but no desserts after meals, and you have to go to bed before midnight. Sumiko Watanabe, a pharmacist in Osaka designed this stress-free diet to help increase the metabolism of her husband Hitoshi Watanabe, who had been rather overweight. In due course, Mr. Watanabe lost 37 pounds.
Here is a video explaining it:
If you notice, the most important part of the diet is number four:
Eat until you’re full, but not stuffed.
This simple concept is THE reason that people might lose weight on this diet. It’s an idea that Weight Watchers and many other diet programs have promoted for the last decade. Being able to eat until you’re satisfied, but not full is the biggest predictor of whether you’ll be able to lose the weight and keep it off.
This diet has caused runs on bananas in Japan and it looks like Dole is trying to create the same fervor in the United States. They are calling it the Dole Banana Diet. Look at this advertisement I pulled out of People Magazine last month.
According to Dole,
Bananas contain resistant starch which research shows blocks conversion of some carbohydrates into fuel, boosting fat burning by forcing your body to rely on fat stores instead – a sure aid to sustainable weight loss. Dole has created a delicious banana diet to help you stick to your New Year’s resolution.
Will the Morning Banana Diet make you thin?
Maybe… I think we need a lot more research on the “magical” powers of resistant starch. Replacing your usual breakfast with one banana could save you anywhere from 400 to 700 calories, depending on what you usually eat for breakfast. That amount of caloric reduction could result in a loss of a pound a week as long as you don’t over compensate at lunch and dinner.
Is the Morning Banana Diet hazardous?
Probably not. There is a risk of feeling REALLY hungry before lunch, especially if you deal with low blood sugar on a regular basis. I prefer to have protein with every meal because it makes me feel full. More importantly, eating a banana for breakfast every morning is a really good way to get sick of bananas and never want to eat them again. They are a GREAT addition to your diet but do you really want to make yourself sick of them?
Are you going to try it?
Sorry, Dole, I’m not buying it any more than I bought the Three Apple a Day Diet or the Dairy Diet. Sure, I’m going to eat bananas when they sound like a good breakfast, but the Morning Banana Diet just sounds like a way to make Dole very rich.
Watch out. Even the seemingly healthy ideas are backed by people trying to take your money. Choose a diet that is balanced and that you can live with. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is a good option, but any plan that tries to convince you that one certain food is THE answer is just trying to take your money.
When John realized that he couldn’t compete with the big grocery stores, he decided that Pepsi and Coca-Cola aren’t the only soda pops in town. Instead of running the grocery store like his father did, John decided to specialize in soda pop. His store now sells five HUNDRED different kinds of pop, ranging from Red Ribbon Rootbeer to Rose Soda and even Cucumber Soda.
You can see his interview from Chow here:
The most interesting part of the video happens at the 4:53 mark when he talks about diet sodas.
Are There Any Good Diet Sodas?
Most diet sodas are really pretty bad. I mean they just don’t taste good. There have been a few that have come out, Stewart’s Black Cherry Diet is probably the finest Black Cherry diet I’ve ever tasted. Jones has a Diet Green Apple that’s very good. And then there’s Sprecher’s, which has a low-cal rootbeer, which has 11 calories, which is not a true diet, but it’s low enough that if you’re watching calories. But other than those three or four, most sodas… [he shakes his head]
His advice?
Drink less. How’s that? Drink six ounces rather than twelve and you get 60 calories versus 120 calories, and then you’re satisfied and you’re happy.
If you’d like to try those diet sodas that he recommended, you can purchase them online and they will ship them to you.
You can imagine my surprise when she announced that she was joining Jenny Craig to lose weight.
I’ve always felt a kinship to Sara Rue. She was the fat girl in Popular, who could dance better than everyone else and wanted to be a cheerleader. I was that girl and I LOVED that she got her chance to shine. Every time I see her in a movie or TV show, I feel like she is making a statement for all of us.
Does that change if she loses the weight?
Seriously. If she loses weight and gets back to that figure she had in 2005, will she still make me happy just to see her? Will she still be making a statement for us all?
YES! A thousand times, YES!
If Sara Rue is able to get to her goal weight, whether she uses Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers or goes back to that low carb diet from before, she is a stark reminder to all of us that it’s possible. She isn’t some actress who gained a little weight when her marriage hit rock bottom (yes, I’m talking to you, Valerie Bertinelli). She was a fat kid. She was a fat teen and now, she’s a fat adult. When she gets to her goal weight, we’ll all be there cheering for her as much as we cheered for Carmen when she finally made the cheerleading squad.
Here is a video of her talking about her decision.
I am embarking on this journey to be a happier healthier woman and I’m doing it publicly because I think that there are a lot of women out there that have felt like me over the years and if I can be an inspiration to just one other person, then I’ve done my job in the world.
I love how she talks about her goals.
I would love to put on a blindfold, walk into my closet and just grab anything and know that it’s going to fit, put it on and feel okay in it. That kind of freedom is something that I really crave.
YES! That is EXACTLY how I’d like to feel. Sure, right now, I can put anything on in my closet, but I NEVER feel okay in it. It’s always just clothes on my body and I haven’t felt like I looked good in my clothes for so long.
It’s possible to do this. I’m starting to believe that, and that little kernel of belief is so exciting to me. There’s something where it’s not a crash diet where I’m going to lose all this weight and white knuckle it until I gain it back. It’s a lifestyle choice. I’m learning to eat like a normal person, which I’ve never known how to do. The idea of waking up and not having to worry about food is a huge weight off my shoulders.
Sara Rue is keeping a video blog for Jenny Craig. Here is the first entry:
I wish her the best of luck with this new endeavor and I just want her to know that all of us fat girls are watching and hoping it works for her.
Next time you are thinking of skipping your workout, remember that you might be just making it hard on yourself. You might be Treadmill Tumbling instead of just working out.
Promise yourself that you’ll just get on the treadmill and do a little bit for five minutes. You don’t even need to run. Just get on the treadmill and if it’s miserable after five minutes, give yourself permission to stop.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably feel a lot better after your walk on the treadmill and be willing to do a full workout. Don’t make this hard on yourself. If you are dreading your workout, remember this Treadmill Tumbler and promise yourself that all you have to do is five minutes.
For the next few weeks every Monday, I’ll share a playlist of songs that I have in my Workout Playlist on my iPhone. I’ll include clips to listen to, where you can buy them and why I have them in my list. Just so you know, I do get a portion of the sales of these songs from Amazon, so if you buy them, you’re helping me out.
Bodyrock by Moby: This song has a strong beat, so it’s easy to run to. There aren’t many lyrics, but they get you moving, “Rock ya’all, no stop ya’ll, to the beat ya’all, the bodyrock ya’ll.”
Move Any Mountain by The Shamen: This song is from a little-known band in the early Nineties that I have loved for a long time. It has a great beat to run to and with lyrics like, “I will not fail nor falter, I shall succeed. My perception is altered I do believe. Faith is so strong now nothing shall bar my way.” Ignore the white-guy rapping, and it’s a perfect song.
Work Hard by Depeche Mode: “You’ve got to work hard if you want anything at all.” With a message like that, it’s a wonder that this song isn’t my powersong.
Stronger by Britney Spears: It has become the sport of the media to make fun of Britney Spears, but they have forgotten why they noticed her in the first place. I love this song. Not only does the beat keep my feet moving on the treadmill, but the lyrics remind me that I’m stronger than I remember and I can keep going.
Work That Body by Rupaul: Rupaul has a television show called Drag Race and he’s riding high, but he has been around for a LONG time. I love this song from his album, Foxy Lady. It sounds very disco, but all that counting with the voices singing “Reach, Stretch, Push, Up” really keeps me going.
Everything You Know Is Wrong by Weird Al Yankovic: This song is kind of silly and verses sing about everything EXCEPT working out (unless you count the Almighty running past your room in heaven). The chorus, however, reminds me that sometimes I believe things that aren’t true. If I’m feeling like I can’t finish my workout, listening to this song is really good at showing me that I might be wrong.
Listen to the clips for these songs. If you find just one song this week that motivates you to exercise, then buy it and make it your powersong when you’re working out this week. I bet you’ll find that you’re more willing to get your butt to the gym and your workouts are easier.
This video is an incredibly inspiring story about David Elmore Smith’s weight loss of 401 pounds from ABC’s 20/20. The best part is that he lost it by eating well and exercising, NOT with weight loss surgery, although he DID have surgery to remove the extra skin.
I love how Chris Powell, his trainer, said, “Don’t give up on me and I won’t give up on you.”
That is how we should all look at this. If we don’t give up on ourselves, our loved ones won’t give up on us.
This is an excellent TED Talk from Dan Buettner about how to live longer. It’s a little long at nearly twenty minutes, but it will tell you a lot about living longer.
Myths About Longevity:
If you try really hard, you can live to be 100. This is false because we are not programmed for longevity. We are programmed for procreative success. You have to win the DNA lottery for longevity.
There are treatments that can slow aging. This is false. There are too many things that can go wrong.
The best science tells us that the capacity of the human body is about 90 years, but life expectancy is only 78. Somewhere through here, we are leaving 12 years on the table. The best way to getting these missing years is to look at the cultures where the life expectancy is longer.
After reviewing the “Blue Zones” for longevity, they created this advice:
Move Naturally: None of them exercise. They set up their lives so they are nudged toward activity. Less conveniences.
Right Outlook: Have a strong sense of purpose. You must have a reason to wake up every morning.
Right Outlook: Take time to mellow out with prayer or contemplation.
Eat Wisely: Plant based diet with lots of beans and nuts.
Eat Wisely: Moderate alcohol intake.
Eat Wisely: Eat small meals. Stop overeating by using smaller plates and eating until 80% full.
Connect: Loved ones first by taking care of your children and aging parents.
Connect: Belong to a faith-based community.
Connect: Surround yourself with people who are planning on living a long time as well.
When it comes to longevity, there is no short term fix. Your friends can be the biggest factor to adding more years to your life and more life to your years.
Fitness Magazine provided me with a complimentary subscription in exchange for a monthly review of their magazine.
January’s issue showed up in my mailbox almost a month ago, but the only article that has really stuck with me was The FITNESS Top 100 Workout Songs of 2009. It was a great article showcasing the songs that are great for working out that came out last year. It reminded me that I haven’t shared my workout playlists with you.
I’ve been gathering songs that really inspire me to work out for years. I’ve talked about a few of them here and there, but I’ve never shared my playlists with you, so I’ll be doing that over the next few weeks.
Buy Walking Videos
Earlier this month, TLC started a new reality show about a family that is trying to lose weight together. Not only does the show highlight living a healthy lifestyle, but it also shows how difficult it can be to be overweight.
