2/6/2006

Cold

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

I’m cold this morning. I’m wearing my workout clothes, which will feel untolerably hot as soon as I start working out, but right now, I am cold. This isn’t about winter. This is able being thinner than I used to be. Ever since I lost that first 50 pounds, I am continually cold.

I talked to my Weight Watcher leader about it and she said she is still cold, even after five years of being at goal. It makes me feel a little defeated. I remember winters when all I had to do was wear a turtleneck, a wool sweater and some gloves and I was fine. Now, I am covered in layers and I still feel cold most of the time.

I never believed them when they said that fat was a layer of insulation, but now I do. I don’t want to go back to being fat, so I guess I need to invest in all those expensive thermal layers at REI. I’d rather wear long underwear than go back to where I was before.

2/2/2006

Food Preferences

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 pm — Filed under:

This article talks about recent studies trying to find out why humans might eat too much. It’s not strictly about eating to survive. It’s not even about pleasure.

After tracking the correlation between obesity, depression and bipolar disorder, it seems like a strange conundrum:

“So what does all this mean? Perhaps, in the simplest terms, it’s that the tendency for unhealthy eating habits is less about eating to feel good, and more about eating in an attempt to not feel bad.”

I can say that is true for me. Whenever I’m tempted by bingeing, it is because I am trying to smother a negative emotion with food. Sadly, most of the time it doesn’t work and I end up with a binge AND the negative emotion.

1/27/2006

Get Some Sleep

By Laura Moncur @ 6:36 pm — Filed under:

Get Some Sleep by Laura Moncur 01-27-06About two months ago, my leader at Weight Watchers brought up people who had gotten to their weight loss goal and achieved lifetime status (maintained the weight loss for six weeks). A lot of the people gave good advice in that meeting, but all I remember is a lady who has been at goal for a couple of years now.

My teacher asked the panel of people what they did for exercise to lose weight. The woman who answered was sheepish. She said, “I didn’t exercise at all to lose weight.” Everyone was shocked. She then added quickly, “but I allowed myself to sleep any time that I felt tired, no matter when it was. I think sleep is just as important as exercise.” I looked at her tiny frame and was amazed that she didn’t exercise to get where she was. She had lost almost 100 pounds without exercising. How did she do it?

This article might have an answer:

“Those who got less than four hours of sleep a night were 73 percent more likely to be obese than those who got the recommended seven to nine hours of rest, scientists discovered. Those who averaged five hours of sleep had 50 percent greater risk, and those who got six hours had 23 percent more.”

We need eight hours of sleep every night just to maintain our weight at a healthy level. When we are restricting our calorie levels to lose weight, we might even need more. I know that when I’m tired, I will reach for food to wake me up. I’ve just recently decided that I’m going to let myself sleep whenever I feel drowsy or tired, even if that means taking a nap in the middle of the day. If given the choice between exercise and sleep, I’ll choose sleep every time.

1/22/2006

That’s Bullocks

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

Commenting on my entry about USA Today, Sarabeth said:

Sorry to say this, but that’s bollocks. Being overweight causes lots of problems. Anyone who has been overweight knows this. Okay, so obesity may not cost lives, but it does cost money in medical costs from treating high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, etc.

No one would have ever called me obese before I lost weight. I was only 15 pounds over a healthy weight, but even at a young age (and I’m talking 30) my body did not like being overweight. My cholesterol was high, now it isn’t. My arthritis in my feet was worse, now it is much better. I complained of being uncomfortable all the time, now I’m happy with how my body feels.


Sarabeth,

The truth of the matter is, there is no PROVEN fact that being overweight causes high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or high cholesterol. There is some correlation with obesity and these diseases, but correlation does not mean causation. No matter how much they say it on television, it doesn’t make it true.

Obesity does NOT cause disease. There have been no studies that have shown that obesity causes any diseases. It may aggravate some, but that is an entirely different story.

We all need to have a discerning eye when we see these reports on the news. The major news outlets are owned by big businesses that have an invested interest in the insurance industry. The insurance industry is weighted with the high cost of health care right now and are desperate to find a scape goat.

The health insurance companies have chosen obesity as their scape goat. If we don’t get the insurance companies in line, they will be denying coverage to their paying members who are overweight. Mark my words.

I’m sure you feel better because you have lost weight. I feel better now that I’m thinner. Neither of our examples are PROOF that obesity causes disease. I am grateful that I am living life thinner and I encourage anyone who wants to take that journey to do so. Until there is a study that wasn’t funded by the insurance moguls that proves that obesity causes diseases, I’m not going to let them spout that rubbish. That’s what’s bullocks.

Laura Moncur

1/3/2006

USA Today Finally Gets It

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 pm — Filed under:

This article from USA Today really surprised me. It’s a year in review-type article that looks at the diet trends over 2005.

I almost skipped this article, but I’m glad I noticed the final paragraph.

“Obesity researchers who have long sounded warnings about excess weight were alarmed when a government study suggested that weighing too much may not cost as many lives as previously believed and may actually provide some health advantages.”

The jury is still out on the health benefits or disadvantages of being overweight. For a news outlet that has been touting the evils of being overweight all year, it’s nice to see at least one acknowledgement of the possibility that being fat isn’t nearly as bad as the health insurance companies are trying to convince people it is.

12/15/2005

The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

View book details at AmazonI found this book, the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide, at Barnes and Noble the other day and I thought it would make a wonderful Christmas present for young adults who are going out into the world on their own. When Mike and I were first married, our health insurance company gave us a book called Taking Care of Yourself. I have tried to find this book at stores and online so I could give it as a gift, but I’ve never been able to track it down. This book from Harvard Medical Center is what that Taking Care of Yourself book was copying, I’m almost sure of it.

The best part of this book are the Symptom Flow Charts. If you are having chest pain, you need to know whether you’re having a heart attack or heartburn. The first time I ever had heart burn, I seriously thought I was dying of a heart attack. Mike took out that book and we followed the flow chart. Based on what I was feeling, I was so glad to know that I was just having heart burn and all we needed to do was find a good antacid.

We have referred to those Symptom Flow Charts so many times over the years and I really feel like that book has taught me more about my body than the stupid Health class that they made us take in high school. It kind of makes me mad that my Health class didn’t teach me more and leave me with a Symptom Flow Chart of my own making. It all goes to show that learning is a life-long affair, not something that just happens in school.

The reason that I think the book I have, Taking Care of Yourself, was based on the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide is because the Harvard one is so much better and more detailed. Both the Symptom Flow Charts and the supplemental materials had more facts and information. It’s the first book that I ever considered worthy of taking the place of my beloved little, Taking Care of Yourself book.

If you know someone who is on their own for the first time in their lives, this would make an excellent present. I can’t imagine how many unnecessary trips to the doctor I would have taken if it hadn’t been for those Symptom Flow Charts. Here is a non-judgmental way to give the gift of Health this year.

12/13/2005

The Benefits of Keeping the Weight Off

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 pm — Filed under:

Mary took a few minutes the other day to talk about the benefits of keeping the weight off after working so hard to lose it.

So many of the people in her acquaintance have gained back weight after losing it and the statistics show that they are not alone. Keeping the weight off for even one year is extremely unlikely. There are lots of theories about the reasons why, but the fact of the matter is keeping a healthy weight is a lifetime effort. It never ends.

That’s not a bad thing. Every day you can give yourself the gift of healthy food and invigorating exercise. Every day that you skip your planned workout out or decide to “blow it” you are denying yourself the gift of health.

10/23/2005

Sometimes the Truth Is Right In Front of You

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

I don’t need to say anything, do I?

Via: The Diet Blog – McDonald’s Irony

10/13/2005

Yom Kippur Starts at Sundown

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

For those of you of the Jewish Faith, Yom Kippur starts at sundown tonight. Traditional practice includes fasting from sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow. Sexual activity and bathing during those hours is also refrained from. White is worn during this time.

Yom Kippur is a representation of death. For one day, believers encounter death in a very real form. All earthly pleasures are denied and suddenly the realization that we are not going to live forever is very clear in our minds. Enjoy today, for tomorrow we may die.

You don’t need to be Jewish to follow the practice of Yom Kippur. If you are anxious about the upcoming holidays of overindulgence, here is another practice that urges you to live a better life. Since so many of the major religions have a period of fasting at this time of year, it makes one believe that it is something within our physiological makeup that asks for this.

Beliefnet.com – Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – by Rabbi David Wolpe

10/3/2005

Ramadan Starts Tomorrow

By Laura Moncur @ 5:00 am — Filed under:

For those of you of the Islamic Faith, Ramadan starts tomorrow. Traditional practice includes fasting during the hours between dawn and sunset. Sexual activity during those hours is also refrained from. Smoking is restricted for the duration of the observance. There are two meals a day, Suhur, which is a meal before daybreak and Iftar, the meal eaten as soon after sunset as possible. In essence the fast sacrifices one meal a day.

You don’t need to be Islam to follow the practice of Ramadan. You don’t need read the entire Qur’an during the month in order to devote yourself to healthier living. If you are anxious about the upcoming holidays of overindulgence, here is another practice that urges you to live a better life. Choose which practices you feel you wish to follow until November 3rd, when Ramadan ends. By then, you may have found a new healthy habit that can stay with you all year.

Beliefnet.com – Ramadan Primer

« Previous Page« Previous Entries - Next Entries »Next Page »

Powered by WordPress
(c) 2004-2017 Starling Fitness / Michael and Laura Moncur