Way Too Fat

Can your Dentist help you lose weight?

2009-07-09T23:35:00.002-07:00

My spin on this piece below is that the bacteria will not make your fat: that's what calories do. But maybe this bacteria could make processing food more difficult; or allow people with the bacteria to get into the starvation reflex easier. Or, fat people are so busy eating that their mouths are fertile ground for this bacteria.

ScienceDaily (July 9, 2009) — A scientific team from The Forsyth Institute has discovered new links between certain oral bacteria and obesity. In a recent study, the researchers demonstrated that the salivary bacterial composition of overweight women differs from non-overweight women. This preliminary work may provide clues to interactions between oral bacteria and the pathology of obesity. This research may help investigators learn new avenues for fighting the obesity epidemic.

This work will be published in the Journal of Dental Research."There has been a world-wide explosion of obesity, with many contributing factors," said Dr. J. Max Goodson, senior author of the study. "However, the inflammatory nature of the disease is also recognized. This led me to question potential unknown contributing causes of obesity. Could it be an epidemic involving an infectious agent?" "It is exciting to image the possibilities if oral bacteria are contributing to some types of obesity," added Goodson.

Summary of Study

In order to measure the salivary bacterial populations of overweight women, samples were collected from 313 women with a body mass index between 27 and 32 (classifying them as overweight). Using DNA analysis, the researchers measured the bacterial populations of this group and compared it with historical data from 232 individuals that were not overweight. Significant differences in seven of the 40 species studied occurred in the salivary bacteria of subjects in the overweight group.

In addition, more than 98 percent of the overweight women could be identified by the presence of a single bacterial species, called Selenomanas noxia, at levels greater than 1.05 percent of the total salivary bacteria. These data suggest that the composition of salivary bacteria changes in overweight women. It seems likely that these bacterial species could serve as indicators of a developing overweight condition and possibly be related to the underlying causation.

Dr. Goodson noted that the reasons for a relationship between obesity and oral bacteria are likely complex. The observed relationship may be circumstantial as being related to diet or opportunistic due to metabolic changes. In the next phase of this research, Dr. Goodson plans to further examine this relationship by initially conducting a controlled cohort study to see if this initial observation can be reproduced. In addition, he hopes to conduct longitudinal studies in children to see if oral infection relates to weight gain. Ultimately, the development of strategies to eliminate specific oral bacteria would be required to provide definitive evidence that certain oral bacteria may be responsible for weight gain.

J. Max Goodson, DDS, PhD, is a Senior Member of the Staff at The Forsyth Institute and heads up The Forsyth Clinical Research Collaborative (CRC). . Principal research personnel associated with the CRC include scientists that conduct clinical and health care delivery research.

This work was supported in part by Interleukin Genetics of Waltham, MA and by a grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

The Forsyth Institute is the world's leading independent organization dedicated to scientific research and education in oral health and related biomedical sciences.

Journal reference:

Goodson, J.M., Groppo, D., Halem, S., Carpino, E. Is Obesity an Oral Bacterial Disease? Journal of Dental Research, Online July 8, 2009 88: 519-523 DOI: 10.1177/0022034509338353

Adapted from materials provided by Forsyth Institute, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Half your intake to drop your weight

2008-10-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

By now you should be familiar with your hunger, and you should not eat when you're not hungry. Remember: your body knows.
But the body isn't perfect. There's a delay of about 20 minutes between your gut and your brain, so you can eat way more than your body needs before feeling full. This trick and the next ones help avoid this.
Anytime you're hungry and about to eat, take half a serving. Keep the other half close: you can always eat it if the first wasn't enough. Eat the first half and wait 10 minutes, so your gut and brain get to talk. Then listen to your body. Still hungry? Go ahead, eat the other half. Not hungry? Keep it for later.
Congratulations, you've just cut your calories by 2 for that meal, and you're on your way to a fitter you.
ACTION STEP 15
Take half a serving of your next meal.
ACTION STEP 15 REVISITED
Apply this strategy for the rest of today and tomorrow. Notice how less you eat.

The Skinny on Epigenetics

2008-09-08T07:35:00.003-07:00

Anything that happens in your body is a process-- a factory of reproduced results. You are not fat because of one cell bloating; excess fat comes from millions of your cells storing fat and a whole infrastucture working to keep that fat in place. Genetics are written by your parents, so they cannot be defeated, just accomodated; and updated for the next edition (kids). Is there a factor that is copied like celluar reproduction, but it's affected by environmental factors? Epigenetics (see below) are like tires on a car. Good tires get the most out of the engine; bad tires hobble it. Epigenetic therapy could do things that seemed impractical as gene therapy. Can you affect your epigenetics through different practices (environment, diet, etc..)?

Here's the wikipedia entry of epigenetics:

For the unfolding of an organism or the theory that plants and animals develop in this way, see Epigenesis (biology).

In biology, the term epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression. These changes may remain through cell divisions for the remainder of the cell's life. Sometimes the changes last for multiple generations. However, there is no change in the underlying DNA sequence of the organism,instead, environmental factors cause the organism's genes to behave (or "express themselves") differently. The best example of epigenetic changes in eukaryotic biology is the process of cellular differentiation. During morphogenesis, totipotent stem cells become the various pluripotent cell lines of the embryo which in turn become fully differentiated cells. In other words, a single fertilized egg cell - the zygote - changes into the many cell types including neurons, muscle cells, epithelium, blood vessels et cetera as it continues to divide. It does so by a process of activating some genes while silencing others.

Etymology and definitions

The word epigenetics has had many definitions, and much of the confusion surrounding its usage relates to these definitions having changed over time. Initially it was used in a broader, less specific sense but it has become more narrowly linked to specific molecular phenomena occurring in organisms.

Epigenetics (as in "epigenetic landscape") was coined by C. H. Waddington in 1942 as a portmanteau of the words genetics and epigenesis. Epigenesis (see contrasting principle of preformationism) is an older word to describe the differentiation of cells from their initial totipotent state in embryonic development. When Waddington coined the term the physical nature of genes and their role in heredity was not known; he used it as a conceptual model of how genes might interact with their surroundings to produce a phenotype.

Robin Holliday defined epigenetics as "the study of the mechanisms of temporal and spatial control of gene activity during the development of complex organisms."Thus epigenetic can be used to describe any aspect other than DNA sequence that influences the development of an organism.

The modern usage of the word is more narrow, referring to heritable traits (over rounds of cell division and sometimes transgenerationally) that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. The Greek prefix epi- in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" genetics; thus epigenetic traits exist on top of or in addition to the traditional molecular basis for inheritance.

The similarity of the word to "genetics" has generated many parallel usages. The "epigenome" is a parallel to the word "genome," and refers to the overall epigenetic state of a cell. The phrase "genetic code" has also been adapted—the "epigenetic code" has been used to describe the set of epigenetic features that create different phenotypes in different cells. Taken to its extreme, the "epigenetic code" could represent the total state of the cell, with the position of each molecule accounted for; more typically, the term is used in reference to systematic efforts to measure specific, relevant forms of epigenetic information such as the histone code or DNA methylation patterns.

Epigenetic was also used by the psychologist Erik Erikson in his Psychosocial development theory, however that usage is of primarily historical interest.

Molecular basis of epigenetics

The molecular basis of epigenetics is complex. It involves modifications of the activation of certain genes, but not the basic structure of DNA. Additionally, the chromatin proteins associated with DNA may be activated or silenced. What this means is that every cell in your body has the same instruction manual, but different cell types are using different chapters. Your neurons, for example, contain the DNA instructions on how to make your fingernails- but in neurons, those genes are turned off. Epigenetic changes are preserved when cells divide. Most epigenetic changes only occur within the course of one individual organism's lifetime, but some epigenetic changes are inherited from one generation to the next.^[9] Specific epigenetic processes include paramutation, bookmarking, imprinting, gene silencing, X chromosome inactivation, position effect, reprogramming, transvection, maternal effects, the progress of carcinogenesis, many effects of teratogens, regulation of histone modifications and heterochromatin, and technical limitations affecting parthenogenesis and cloning.

Epigenetic research uses a wide range of molecular biologic techniques to further our understanding of epigenetic phenomena, including chromatin immunoprecipitation (together with its large-scale variants ChIP-on-chip and ChIP-seq), fluorescent in situ hybridization, methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, DNA adenine methyltransferase identification (DamID) and bisulfite sequencing. Furthermore, the use of bioinformatic methods is playing an increasing role (computational epigenetics).

Mechanisms

Several types of epigenetic inheritance systems may play a role in what has become known as cell memory:

DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling

DNA associates with histone proteins to form chromatin.

Because the phenotype of a cell or individual is affected by which of its genes are transcribed, heritable transcription states can give rise to epigenetic effects. There are several layers of regulation of gene expression. One way that genes are regulated is through the remodeling of chromatin. Chromatin is the complex of DNA and the histone proteins with which it associates. Histone proteins are little spheres that DNA wraps around. If the way that DNA is wrapped around the histones changes, gene expression can change as well. Chromatin remodeling is initiated by one of two things:

The first way is post translational modification of the amino acids that make up histone proteins. Histone proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. If you change the amino acids that are in the chain, you can change the shape of the histone sphere. DNA is not completely unwound during replication. It is possible, then, that the modified histones may be carried into each new copy of the DNA. Once there, these histones may act as templates, initiating the surrounding new histones to be shaped in the new way. By altering the shape of the histones around it, these modified histones would ensure that a differentiated cell would STAY differentiated, and not convert back into being a stem cell.
The second way is the addition of methyl groups to the DNA, at CpG sites, to convert cytosine to 5-methylcytosine. Cytosine is the nucleotide that our cells can "read." Our cells cannot "read" methylcytosine. If you think of your DNA as an instruction manual again, changing cytosine to methylcytosine is like changing the font on your word document to "wingdings." Since the cell can no longer "read" the gene, the gene is turned off.

The way that the cells stay differentiated in the case of DNA methylation is more clear to us than it is in the case of histone shape. Basically, certain enzymes (such as Dnmt1) "prefer" the methylated cytosine. If this enzyme comes to a "hemimethylated" portion of DNA (DNA where only one strand contains the methylcytosine, and the other side still contains cytosine) the enzyme will methylate the other half.

Although modifications occur throughout the histone sequence, the unstructured termini of histones (called histone tails) are particularly highly modified. These modifications include acetylation, methylation and ubiquitylation. Acetylation is the most highly studied of these modifications. For example, acetylation of the K14 and K9 lysines of the tail of histone H3 by histone acetyltransferase enzymes (HATs) is generally correlated with transcriptional competence.

One mode of thinking is that this tendency of acetylation to be associated with "active" transcription is biophysical in nature. Because lysine normally has a positive charge on the nitrogen at its end, lysine can bind the negatively charged phosphates of the DNA backbone and prevent them from repelling each other. The acetylation event converts the positively charged amine group on the side chain into a neutral amide linkage. This removes the positive charge causing the DNA to repel itself. When this occurs, complexes like SWI/SNF and other transcriptional factors can bind to the DNA, thus opening it up and exposing it to enzymes like RNA polymerase so transcription of the gene can occur.

In addition, the positively charged tails of histone proteins from one nucleosome may interact with the histone proteins on a neighboring nucleosome, causing them to pack closely. Lysine acetylation may interfere with these interactions, causing the chromatin structure to open up.

Lysine acetylation may also act as a beacon to recruit other activating chromatin modifying enzymes (and basal transcription machinery as well). Indeed, the bromodomain—a protein segment (domain) that specifically binds acetyl-lysine—is found in many enzymes that help activate transcription including the SWI/SNF complex (on the protein polybromo). It may be that acetylation acts in this and the previous way to aid in transcriptional activation.

The idea that modifications act as docking modules for related factors is borne out by histone methylation as well. Methylation of lysine 9 of histone H3 has long been associated with constitutively transcriptionally silent chromatin (constitutive heterochromatin). It has been determined that a chromodomain (a domain that specifically binds methyl-lysine) in the transcriptionally repressive protein HP1 recruits HP1 to K9 methylated regions. One example that seems to refute the biophysical model for acetylation is that tri-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 is strongly associated with (and required for full) transcriptional activation. Tri-methylation in this case would introduce a fixed positive charge on the tail.

It should be emphasized that differing histone modifications are likely to function in differing ways; acetylation at one position is likely to function differently than acetylation at another position. Also, multiple modifications may occur at the same time, and these modifications may work together to change the behavior of the nucleosome. The idea that multiple dynamic modifications regulate gene transcription in a systematic and reproducible way is called the histone code.

DNA methylation frequently occurs in repeated sequences, and may help to suppress 'junk DNA':Because 5-methylcytosine is chemically very similar to thymidine, CpG sites are frequently mutated and become rare in the genome, except at CpG islands where they remain unmethylated. Epigenetic changes of this type thus have the potential to direct increased frequencies of permanent genetic mutation. DNA methylation patterns are known to be established and modified in response to environmental factors by a complex interplay of at least three independent DNA methyltransferases, DNMT1, DNMT3A and DNMT3B, the loss of any of which is lethal in mice. DNMT1 is the most abundant methyltransferase in somatic cells, localizes to replication foci,has a 10–40-fold preference for hemimethylated DNA and interacts with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). By preferentially modifying hemimethylated DNA, DNMT1 transfers patterns of methylation to a newly synthesized strand after DNA replication, and therefore is often referred to as the ‘maintenance' methyltransferase. DNMT1 is essential for proper embryonic development, imprinting and X-inactivation.

Chromosomal regions can adopt stable and heritable alternative states resulting in bistable gene expression without changes to the DNA sequence. Epigenetic control is often associated with alternative covalent modifications of histones. The stability and heritability of states of larger chromosomal regions are often thought to involve positive feedback where modified nucleosomes recruit enzymes that similarly modify nearby nucleosomes. A simplified stochastic model for this type of epigenetics is found here .

Because DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling play such a central role in many types of epigenic inheritance, the word "epigenetics" is sometimes used as a synonym for these processes. However, this can be misleading. Chromatin remodeling is not always inherited, and not all epigenetic inheritance involves chromatin remodeling.

It has been suggested that the histone code could be mediated by the effect of small RNAs. The recent discovery and characterization of a vast array of small (21- to 26-nt), non-coding RNAs suggests that there is an RNA component, possibly involved in epigenetic gene regulation. Small interfering RNAs can modulate transcriptional gene expression via epigenetic modulation of targeted promoters.

RNA transcripts and their encoded proteins

Sometimes a gene, after being turned on, transcribes a product that (either directly or indirectly) maintains the activity of that gene. For example, Hnf4 and MyoD enhance the transcription of many liver- and muscle-specific genes, respectively, including their own, through the transcription factor activity of the proteins they encode. Other epigenetic changes are mediated by the production of different splice forms of RNA, or by formation of double-stranded RNA (RNAi). Descendants of the cell in which the gene was turned on will inherit this activity, even if the original stimulus for gene-activation is no longer present. These genes are most often turned on or off by signal transduction, although in some systems where syncytia or gap junctions are important, RNA may spread directly to other cells or nuclei by diffusion. A large amount of RNA and protein is contributed to the zygote by the mother during oogenesis or via nurse cells, resulting in maternal effect phenotypes. A smaller quantity of sperm RNA is transmitted from the father, but there is recent evidence that this epigenetic information can lead to visible changes in several generations of offspring.

Prions

For more details on this topic, see Prions.

Prions are infectious forms of proteins. Proteins generally fold into discrete units which perform distinct cellular functions, but some proteins are also capable of forming an infectious conformational state known as a prion. Although often viewed in the context of infectious disease, prions are more loosely defined by their ability to catalytically convert other native state versions of the same protein to an infectious conformational state. It is in this latter sense that they can be viewed as epigenetic agents capable of inducing a phenotypic change without a modification of the genome.

Fungal prions are considered epigenetic because the infectious phenotype caused by the prion can be inherited without modification of the genome. PSI+ and URE3, discovered in yeast in 1965 and 1971, are the two best studied of this type of prion. Prions can have a phenotypic effect through the sequestration of protein in aggregates, thereby reducing that protein's activity. In PSI+ cells, the loss of the Sup35 protein (which is involved in termination of translation) causes ribosomes to have a higher rate of read-through of stop codons, an effect which results in suppression of nonsense mutations in other genes.The ability of Sup35 to form prions may be a conserved trait. It could confer an adaptive advantage by giving cells the ability to switch into a PSI+ state and express dormant genetic features normally terminated by premature stop codon mutations.

Structural inheritance systems

For more details on this topic, see Structural inheritance.

In ciliates such as Tetrahymena and Paramecium, genetically identical cells show heritable differences in the patterns of ciliary rows on their cell surface. Experimentally altered patterns can be transmitted to daughter cells. It seems existing structures act as templates for new structures. The mechanisms of such inheritance are unclear, but reasons exist to assume that multicellular organisms also use existing cell structures to assemble new ones.

Functions and consequences

Development

Somatic epigenetic inheritance, particularly through DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling, is very important in the development of multicellular eukaryotic organisms. The genome sequence is static (with some notable exceptions), but cells differentiate in many different types, which perform different functions, and respond differently to the environment and intercellular signalling. Thus, as individuals develop, morphogens activate or silence genes in an epigenetically heritable fashion, giving cells a "memory". In mammals, most cells terminally differentiate, with only stem cells retaining the ability to differentiate into several cell types ("totipotency" and "multipotency"). In mammals, some stem cells continue producing new differentiated cells throughout life, but mammals are not able to respond to loss of some tissues, for example, the inability to regenerate limbs, which some other animals are capable of. Unlike animals, plant cells do not terminally differentiate, remaining totipotent with the ability to give rise to a new individual plant. While plants do utilise many of the same epigenetic mechanisms as animals, such as chromatin remodeling, it has been hypothesised that plant cells do not have "memories", resetting their gene expression patterns at each cell division using positional information from the environment and surrounding cells to determine their fate.

Medicine

Epigenetics has many and varied potential medical applications. Congenital genetic disease is well understood, and it is also clear that epigenetics can play a role, for example, in the case of Angelman syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. These are normal genetic diseases caused by gene deletions, but are unusually common because individuals are essentially hemizygous because of genomic imprinting, and therefore a single gene knock out is sufficient to cause the disease, where most cases would require both copies to be knocked out.

Evolution

Although epigenetics in multicellular organisms is generally thought to be a mechanism involved in differentiation, with epigenetic patterns "reset" when organisms reproduce, there have been some observations of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (e.g., the phenomenon of paramutation observed in maize). Although most of these multigenerational epigenetic traits are gradually lost over several generations, the possibility remains that multigenerational epigenetics could be another aspect to evolution and adaptation. These effects may require enhancements to the standard conceptual framework of the modern evolutionary synthesis.

Epigenetic features may play a role in short-term adaptation of species by allowing for reversible phenotype variability. The modification of epigenetic features associated with a region of DNA allows organisms, on a multigenerational time scale, to switch between phenotypes that express and repress that particular gene. Whereas the DNA sequence of the region is not mutated, this change is reversible. It has also been speculated that organisms may take advantage of differential mutation rates associated with epigenetic features to control the mutation rates of particular genes.

Epigenetic changes have also been observed to occur in response to environmental exposure—for example, mice given some dietary supplements have epigenetic changes affecting expression of the agouti gene, which affects their fur color, weight, and propensity to develop cancer.

Epigenetic effects in humans

Genomic imprinting and related disorders

Some human disorders are associated with genomic imprinting, a phenomenon in mammals where the father and mother contribute different epigenetic patterns for specific genomic loci in their germ cells. The most well-known case of imprinting in human disorders is that of Angelman syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome—both can be produced by the same genetic mutation, chromosome 15q partial deletion, and the particular syndrome that will develop depends on whether the mutation is inherited from the child's mother or from their father. This is due to the presence of genomic imprinting in the region. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is also associated with genomic imprinting, often caused by abnormalities in maternal genomic imprinting of a region on chromosome 11.

Transgenerational epigenetic observations

Marcus Pembrey and colleagues also observed that the paternal (but not maternal) grandsons of Swedish boys who were exposed to famine in the 19th century were less likely to die of cardiovascular disease; if food was plentiful then diabetes mortality in the grandchildren increased, suggesting that this was a transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.

Cancer and developmental abnormalities

A variety of compounds are considered as epigenetic carcinogens—they result in an increased incidence of tumors, but they do not show mutagen activity (toxic compounds or pathogens that cause tumors incident to increased regeneration should also be excluded). Examples include diethylstilbestrol, arsenite, hexachlorobenzene, and nickel compounds.

Many teratogens exert specific effects on the fetus by epigenetic mechanisms. While epigenetic effects may preserve the effect of a teratogen such as diethylstilbestrol throughout the life of an affected child, the possibility of birth defects resulting from exposure of fathers or in second and succeeding generations of offspring has generally been rejected on theoretical grounds and for lack of evidence. However, a range of male-mediated abnormalities have been demonstrated, and more are likely to exist. FDA label information for Vidaza(tm), a formulation of 5-azacitidine (an unmethylatable analog of cytidine that causes hypomethylation when incorporated into DNA) states that "men should be advised not to father a child" while using the drug, citing evidence in treated male mice of reduced fertility, increased embryo loss, and abnormal embryo development. In rats, endocrine differences were observed in offspring of males exposed to morphine. In mice, second generation effects of diethylstilbesterol have been described occurring by epigenetic mechanisms.

Epigenetics in microorganisms

Bacteria make widespread use of postreplicative DNA methylation for the epigenetic control of DNA-protein interactions. Bacteria make use of DNA adenine methylation (rather than DNA cytosine methylation) as an epigenetic signal. DNA adenine methylation is important in bacteria virulence in organisms such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Vibrio, Yersinia, Haemophilus, and Brucella. In Alphaproteobacteria, methylation of adenine regulates the cell cycle and couples gene transcription to DNA replication. In Gammaproteobacteria, adenine methylation provides signals for DNA replication, chromosome segregation, mismatch repair, packaging of bacteriophage, transposase activity and regulation of gene expression.

The yeast prion PSI is generated by a conformational change of a translation termination factor, which is then inherited by daughter cells. This can provide a survival advantage under adverse conditions. This is an example of epigenetic regulation enabling unicellular organisms to respond rapidly to environmental stress. Prions can be viewed as epigenetic agents capable of inducing a phenotypic change without modification of the genome.

The role of BMP-7 in Obesity

2008-08-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

This from the Telegraph:

The promise of turning a beer gut into a six-pack has been raised from two studies into the link between fat and muscle.

But they say only the body's 'good' fat which we are born with can be transformed, and not the 'bad' fat created by over-eating and not exercising enough.
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In two related studies published today in the journal Nature, scientists identify the factors that regulate fat formation and, most important, control the type of fat.

Although we all wish we had a little less of it, fat is essential for managing our energy balance and helping to regulate body temperature.

But there are two distinct types of fat tissue: white 'bad' fat acts as an energy store whereas brown 'good' fat, which largely disappears by adulthood, also helps in burning calories to generate body heat, which is crucial to keep babies warm.

Now one team has shown how to promote the manufacture of "good" brown fat, so we can burn more calories, while a second team, also working nearby on the US east coast in Boston, has shown how brown fat and muscle are linked, suggesting ways to interconvert the two. Both offer a new strategy to fight flab.

In the first study, Dr Yu-Hua Tseng and her colleagues at the Joslin Diabetes Centre, Harvard Medical School, identified one factor - bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) - that promotes brown fat development, after using gene therapy to introduce the protein into mice.

"Obesity is occurring at epidemic rates," comments Dr Yu-Hua Tseng. "We hope this study can be translated into applications to help treat or prevent obesity," though she stresses that "diet and exercise are still the best approaches for weight reduction in the general population."

he new work opens up the way for drugs to mimic the effects of BMP-7 and "may provide hope to these individuals in losing weight and preventing the metabolic disorders associated with obesity," she said, referring to the well known link between type two diabetes and obesity.

In the second Nature study, Prof Bruce Spiegelman and colleagues at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, show that the two types of fat develop from distinct cell types in the early embryo. They found a factor, called PRDM16, that regulates the switch between muscle and fat.

Knocking out PRDM16 in brown fat cells can convert them into muscle cells and they say that finding drugs to do this "could be powerful" when it comes to fighting obesity.

The confirmation will spur ongoing research with Dr Patrick Seale in his laboratory, he said, to see if drugs that rev up PRDM16 in mice -- and potentially, in people -- could convert white fat into brown fat and thereby treat obesity.

Another strategy, he said, might be to transplant brown fat cells into an overweight person to turn on the calorie-burning process. "I think we now have very convincing evidence that PRDM16 can turn cells into brown fat cells, with the possibility of combating obesity,"

Intriguingly, the link between brown fat and muscle has been known for centuries.

In 1551, when the Swiss naturalist Konrad Gessner first described brown adipose tissue, he stated that on examination it struck him it was "neither fat, nor flesh [nec pinguitudo, nec caro] - but something in between".

The new work shows that brown fat is more flesh-like than previously suspected.

These cells are brown because they are rich in energy burning structures called mitochondria. The new work makes sense of earlier research findings, such as the discovery that many proteins found in brown fat cells are more similar to those found in muscle than in white fat.

Health Survey for England data revealed that in 2006, 38 per cent of adults in England were overweight and 24 per cent were classified as obese.

Another report, Foresight: Tackling Obesities: Future Choices published last year, predicts that if no action is taken, by 2050, 60 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be obese.

The Downer of High Weight

2008-06-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

There's rather a sad part to being overweight that goes way beyond the mere fact that you're unable to get into your favorite outfit. Many people who are overweight, especially if they have found that they're unable to lose the pounds no matter what they do, tend to reach a point of acceptance. They stop trying, even to the point of making excuses for their appearance. Some will even go as far as to say that there's just more of them to love. If you've been there, you know who you are and what a lonely place it really is. Well, the first thing that somebody needs to do when attempting to lose weight is actual deal with the problem in a realistic way without burying their head in the sand and either pretending it will go away or that it doesn't matter. This article will focus on some of the main things you'll need to do psychologically in order to deal with actually taking off the pounds.

The first, and probably most important thing that you'll have to do is to accept that you're overweight and that you need to diet. Denial is not going to get you anywhere. You have to stare the problem right in the face and confront it head on. You have to have a positive attitude that you're going to lose the weight. Sometimes attitude is everything. So going in with that positive attitude will make things a heck of a lot easier.

The next thing you have to do is tune out the outside world, especially your friends. When you hit the restaurants with them and order your fruit salad and cottage cheese, they're going to make their comments about why you're dieting. They're going to make you feel like you're missing out on that cherry cheese cake. You'll need to learn how to not let those remarks get to you. More importantly, you can't allow yourself to feel cheated. Make a game of it if you have to. Dieting can actually be fun, especially when you're making progress, which brings us to our next point.

There are safe ways to lose weight and then there are not so safe ways. I'm not talking so much about particular diets but the speed in which you lose the weight. It has been determined that you should not lose more than one pound per week in order to lose weight safely. So when you are going on a diet, you have to learn patience. If you're 50 pounds overweight, you're not going to lose all that weight overnight. Don't even attempt to do it because it's not healthy. One of the biggest reasons why people don't lose weight is that they don't have patience with their diet.

These are primarily the main things that you have to keep in mind when going on a diet. If you can manage to keep a positive attitude, block out all negative influences and learn to have patience, you've already won a big battle as far as losing the weight that you want to get rid of.

In the next article of this series, we'll go over what some of your most common dieting options are.

See you then.

Sincerely,

Karl Warren

Karl Warren is the owner of 'Fight Your Flab... Fast' - a new site dedicated to helping you achieve your perfect body. If you are serious about losing weight, or you simply want to slim down a little, you should check out http://www.fightyourflabfast.com/blog now.

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Morale and Weight : Thoughts on Keep One Up and One Down

2008-06-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

So you've been on a great diet and exercise program for some time now and it's getting to be kind of a drag. Being consistent is getting more difficult, but you know you what will happen if you stop. That fat will start building up again...and you definitely don't want that. What is the key to sticking in there?

Motivation is the key to sticking with your weight loss program. If you don't stay motivated to lose weight, life can just stop being fun and sooner or later, you will fail. Staying motivated is the key to enjoying your weight loss process and to sticking with it.

So how do you stay motivated? There are a lot of tricks to staying motivated, but here are five that I think can really keep you going.

Using Your Imagination To Keep Motivated

The imagination is a wonderful thing. If you use it for weight loss you will be able to peer into a very encouraging future...a future that will keep you so excited about staying on your weight loss program that you will never want to give up! Regularly peeking at the future will not allow you to give up.

This is how it works. Just take a little time each day (it doesn't take much time) to close your eyes and use your imagination to picture what you will look like a year from now if you stick with your weight loss program every single day. In your mind, look at:

How you will look after losing that 50-100 pounds (or whatever your goal is).

Wow, look at you! How much slimmer you are. You look great and you are smiling from ear to ear. You stuck with your weight loss program, and it was so worth it!
How will you feel?

You feel great. "What are those little knobby things down there? Hey, those are my toes. I can stand up straight and see my toes. And look Ma, I can touch them too." And all that energy I have because I am carrying so much less weight around!
What will people say when they see the change?

"Wow, don't you look great. You lost some weight, didn't you?" (What they are really thinking is, "Man you lost a lot of weight, you used to be heavy, but look at you now!" But they are too polite to put it that way.) But that's okay; the "Wow!" is what counts.
What will you be wearing and how will you look in those much-smaller sizes?

What fun! You're just loving buying those smaller sizes. And it's so-o-o much easier and fun to shop in a regular store...and so many choices now! Costs less too!
How will you feel when you look in the mirror?

Hey, this is great! I don't wince when I look in the mirror any more. You're all smiles. And standing sideways... "not bad, not bad at all!"

What you will be seeing is you in the future...if you stick with your weight loss program! Try to do this little exercise each day and that should keep you well motivated.

For more weight loss tips, and information on weight loss programs, diets, quick weight loss, weight loss exercise, and more, go to my Slimmer You Weight Loss Tips web site at http://www.slimmer-you-weight-loss-tips.com

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The Skinny: Cautions Weight Loss Supplments

2008-06-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Weight loss supplements, diet pills, weight loss formulas are all a multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S. alone. So many people are looking to diet pills or wonder drugs to help them lose weight in the fastest possible time without trying to change anything in their eating habits and lifestyle. People are just too busy to get any exercise and they are not too disciplined to curb their appetite and eat only the right amount of food to help them function normally. Many are saying that food addiction is becoming increasingly common to many Americans - we eat even if we are not hungry and just love food period.

This is the reason that most Americans are getting bigger and bigger over the years. There is an abundance of food everywhere you turn and the latest fad is serving up bigger and bigger portions as well. Think about all the upsize, super size, biggie size, etc, that many fast food restaurants offer to their customers. And people wonder how did they get this big and heavy and isn't there a way to lose weight, if not overnight, at least in a month? These wrong concepts are what make the diet supplements and other diet fads so popular; they feed on the people's insecurities and their impatience to lose the weight they have gained over the years.

Many diet supplements, weight loss supplements, herbal or otherwise, promise a miracle cure for those who are overweight. The advertising is just too good to pass and so convincing that many will try them without even considering if they are safe or not. They promise to help you lose weight and get the body of your dreams in a month's time, which is in reality not healthy to do since the healthy way of shedding weight is at most 3-5lbs. a week.

So if you are excessively heavy, it will take more than a month to get back in shape, and you need more than a supplement to achieve that. A total lifestyle change and healthy eating is needed if you are serious in seeing changes.

Weight loss supplements are sad to say not regulated as drugs, this means they are not fully tested for side effects. Many supplements were later found to be dangerous and some are related to deaths, and some were found to damage internal organs especially the heart. If you opt to take these then you should be aware that these wonder pills are not fully tested and you are making yourself available for these companies to experiment with.

Whatever side effects you may experience as well as others will then be documented and if there are too many reports of incidents for that particular supplement, it is then banned in the market. That is how it works with supplements, your safety is not guaranteed because they are classified as foods and not drugs, therefore not regulated.

If you are serious about getting back in shape, the best road to recovery remains the same. And active lifestyle (exercise, movement) and healthy diets are the best way to go. They are proven and weight loss is more permanent and lasting.

You can find out more about Weight Loss Supplements as well as much more information on diets and weight loss at http://www.FatLoss4IdiotsA-Z.com

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Five Things to Add To Your Weight Loss

2008-06-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Certainly, you've tried a lot diet pills, read a lot of rapid weight loss tips on e-books and manuals. And the only thing you've lost so far is money instead of fat!

The problem with most rapid weight loss tips and programs offer you results that are outstanding BUT they're anything but permanent. After achieving your ideal weight, you hit a plateau and start rolling back to your fatter self.

If you're sick and tired of that, then these practical and time-tested rapid weight loss tips will surely bring you GUARANTEED and LONG-TERM results.

You just better make sure you'll apply these rapid weight loss tips.

Rapid Weight Loss Tips No. 1

Drop the junks and eat small meals.

If ever you're going to see that body of yours perfectly fit and sculpted, you cannot continue your lifestyle of care-free eating habits.

You NEED to put a stop to eating A LOT of junk and you MUST reduce your diet by half. Here's an example: instead of eating your dinner in one serving, break down your meal into smaller ones and try to consume each of them after every 2-3 hours.

Another thing you can do to discourage yourself from eating too much is to buy plates that are way smaller in size than what you currently have.

Rapid Weight Loss Tips No. 2

I don't know about you BUT it has been scientifically proven that eating spicy foods aid greatly in rapid weight loss.

Now is the perfect time to love those hot and spicy foodstuffs you used to steer away from.

Rapid Weight Loss Tips No. 3

Go easy on meat. Sure they're protein rich that will aid greatly in building muscles and body mass. BUT they're also fat-dense!

Slowly but surely, decrease your meat consumption for the weeks to come and replace them instead with vegetables, soy proteins, mushrooms, etc.

Rapid Weight Loss Tips No. 4

Sweat it out! Go to the gym and workout everyday!

So you don't have the extra bucks to spend for the gym?

Walking a few miles to work and leaving your car at the parking area is just one of the nice things you can do to lose weight. Or instead of using the elevator, why not take the stair?

See, just look around you and you'll find more than a hundred ways to stay active and lose weight.

Rapid Weight Loss Tips No. 5

Now you may have some prescribed drugs for weight loss, BUT you sure want to replace them with herbal counter parts instead..

Aside from having minimal to totally ZERO side effects, there are other benefits you can grab from herbal supplements like Ayurslim which helps you lower you cholesterol levels and risk of heart-attack.

Steven is a long time health and fitness enthusiast and has been involved in diet, weight loss and exercise since 2002.

If you're looking for valuable and practical tips, tricks, and secrets about weight loss & fitness, so that you can loss weight naturally and rapidly to enjoy a healthier and happier life, do visit http://www.tipsforfastweightloss.com

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Dieting : A Sub-culture

2008-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love that the number one non-fiction sellers are cookbooks: #2 is diet; #3 is self-helf. Why not skip the cookbooks and the other titles too?

Obesity is certainly a rapidly growing health crisis in the United States, and many corporations, media forums, and organizations are dedicated to fighting this nation-wide epidemic. Television shows such as "The Biggest Loser," "Shaq's Big Challenge," and "Fat March" have even turned weight loss into a public competition. Not only is the obese population of America on a mission to shed those pounds, but it seems as though most people, whether they are 5 pounds or 50 pounds overweight, are eager to slim down, tone up, and achieve the body of their dreams. Americans spend over 4 billion dollars a year on diet pills, appetite suppressants, and fat diet plans. Over time, this diet craze has created a new increasingly popular subculture in America: diet culture.

WHY IS DIETING SO POPULAR?

The market is flooded with images of perfectly sculpted bodies, airbrushed figures, and flawless features. From magazine ads to cosmetics packaging, Americans are constantly told by the media that perfection is obtainable. In addition, increasing health threats aided by obesity puts more pressure on Americans to lose weight and avoid these health threats. A combination of these pressures forces people to spend hundreds of dollars on quick-fix diets to lose weight and improve their health as quickly as possible with minimal effort.

DIET PILLS

It seems as though there are hundreds, if not thousands, of diet pills on the market. Every diet pill claims to be the best and claims that you can effortlessly shed the pounds once and for all. Every diet pill works differently, but there are four main types of diet pills on the market: those that suppress appetite with an amphetamine-like effect, a second type of appetite suppressant which triggers your brain to desire to eat less, a third which prevents the absorption of fats into your body, and fourth are detox pills which aid in digestion and food processing. Many diet pills can be extremely unsafe and hazardous to your health, and always require research before purchasing. So how do you know which diet pill to choose? Always look at a full list of ingredients and research any unfamiliar products in the pill. Also, don't be fooled by 'all natural' diet pills - just because the pill is made from all natural products does not necessarily mean it's completely safe. Always consult a physician before purchasing a new diet pill, and always ask for him or her for recommendations. If the product sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

FAD DIETS

Much like diet pills, fad diets are everywhere. From Atkins to the Grapefruit Diet, fad diets have covered an entire spectrum of weight management. Everyone wants a diet that is easy and doesn't interfere with their daily lives, but also they want one that works. Too often do people start a fad diet and end up gaining back the weight that they lost, if not more, after stopping the diet plan. So how do you choose the right diet for you? Sometimes, simply watching your calorie intake and increasing your activity can prove effective. If that doesn't work, look for diets that allow you to eat foods that are nutrient-rich and lean. Diets that make you starve yourself are never a good idea, and most of those diets are the ones that will cause you to gain excess weight back after you stop the diet.

Jim Mackey is a renowned dietitian. He has been advising people on how to maintain a proper diet and how to lose those extra calories. If you want to know more about Diet, south beach diet, diet plans, diabetic diet you can visit www.dietsinreview.com

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Losing More Than Weight : Hair Loss And Crash Diets

2008-06-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Harken back 20 years. I went on a crash diet: 60 lbs. in 3 months; 40 lbs in the 6 months that follow. Then my hairline started thinning.

Hair loss is a problem that can be experienced by both men and women of all ages. One of the main reasons for hair loss is that it was inherited. Basically, your genes will determine whether you are prone to hair loss or not. Aside from this, there are many more causes of hair loss like bad habits, harmful hair treatments, skin infections, and even hormones.

Another important fact that you should know about hair loss is that diet can also make a huge impact in your hair's health. Although it is not known by many, crash dieting can actually lead to hair loss.

Crashing Diets Means Crashing Your Health

It is unfortunate but true, crash dieting has been proven to cause hair loss if prolonged for a long period of time. For this reason, everyone should be careful and eat the right diet. Deciding to succumb to crash diet (maybe due to an important event you would want to look your best for), might make your body react drastically because of the sudden threat caused by crash dieting. The result would be that the body will roughly store nutrients instead of using it to produce hair, which can lead to the dreaded hair loss. This can prove to be a bigger problem in the long run. Also diets that lack protein are especially risky because protein is a major component in healthy hair growth.

Body's Defense Against Crash Diet Malnutrition

Also note that the body would suddenly make all the vitamins and minerals in its system turn into maintaining your vital organs because it is deprived from the nutrients necessary for everyday living. During crash dieting therefore, it would stop all the mechanism necessary for maintaining your hair's health as it will devote all of its resources into preserving your life because of the threat of starvation.

Hair Phased Out Because of Crash Dieting

The hair has two phases. One is the growing phase and the other is the resting phase. Normally, almost ninety percent of your hair is in the growing phase while the remaining ten percent is in the resting phase. The ten percent that is in the resting phase is that hair that will start to fall. This is a part of its normal cycle so it is typical for you to lose some hair every once in awhile. However, in crash dieting, an unhealthy amount of hair that is in the growing phase would suddenly shift into the next phase, the resting phase. Hair is pushed into the resting phase by the body so that it can conserve all the nutrients it can. When this occurs, hair loss will follow.

In many cases, hair loss from crash dieting may not be experienced immediately. In fact, this is the reason people do not associate the hair loss they are experiencing to the crash dieting they did some months before. Usually, there are two to three months interval before the obvious consequence of the crash diet can be felt. This is in part because the hair that was in the resting phase previously would fall out as part of its cycle.

A person will most likely experience six months of hair loss due to crash dieting. And the hair would only return to its normal condition when you resume your normal eating habits. But there is still an added hazard because the stress that your body feels from starvation also has the possibility of producing a particular male hormone that is responsible for the destruction of the hair follicles. When this had already occurred, then the hair will no longer be able to grow because the follicles are gone. When this happens aside from cosmetic surgery that is available at astronomical prices, not much of remedy can be offered. Crash dieting is a great risk for people who already have the gene that is prone for baldness because the effects of crash dieting can be worse for them compared to other people

Charlene J. Nuble

For All the things you need to know about hair loss, please go to: Cause of Hair Loss

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Vitamins and Weight Loss

2008-06-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

When the human body is spending more energy in work and heat than it gains from food or other nutritional supplements it will catabolize stored reserves of fat and muscle. In other words, weight loss can only take place when the calories intake is less than the calories burn. Ones weight will stay the same when the calories one eats and drinks equal the calories one burns and add when the calories one eats and drinks are greater than the calories one burns.There are several essential nutrients missing from the diets most people eat. Replacing them with vitamin supplements doesn't make up for the synergistic effects of nutrients found in food.

1)Fiber :

Fiber is the indigestible part of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Whole grains and cereal fiber can lower your heart disease risk by 30%. To increase the fiber in your diet to the recommended 14g for every 1,000 calories eaten, have a 1/2 cup serving of Fiber One cereal and add more beans to your diet with lentil soup. Use whole grain bread and add some fruit and vegetables to your meals.

2)Magnesium and Potassium :

Magnesium and potassium are linked to blood pressure control, protection from osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. To add magnesium, have a half-cup of bran and cooked spinach daily. For potassium, eat sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans and bananas.

3)Calcium :

Calcium provides the raw material for building your teeth and bones. It prevents bone-thinning osteoporosis, contributes to healthy blood pressure, and can reduce the risk of colon cancer. To have the right amount in your diet, drink three glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk every day, or have eight ounces of fat-free yoghurt and 2-3 ounces of low-fat cheese each day.

4)Vitamin A:

Vitamin A cares for and maintains our eyes, the linings of the respiratory, intestinal and urinary tracts, and the quality of our skin. To add more vitamin A to your diet, add darkly-pigmented foods to your daily diet. These include carrots, spinach, kale, winter squash, and a medium baked sweet potato. They do not include lettuce and french fries.

5)Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is necessary for our body to create collagen, a glue that holds our skin, bones, blood vessels and skin together. It also helps to make brain chemicals, neutralize damaging free radicals, and metabolize cholesterol. Vitamin C may also help the heart and reduce arthritis and diabetes. To add vitamin C to your diet, simply add a glass of orange juice or an orange every day. Other helpful foods with vitamin C are kiwifruit, cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, red or green bell peppers, and broccoli.

6)Vitamin E :

Sufficient vitamin E also neutralizes free radicals to protect cells from damage, plays a role in the immune system, can help prevent the common cold, and can lower the risk of Parkinson's disease. Foods healthy in vitamin E include almonds, sunflower kernels, and sunflower oil in salad dressings, which helps you gain the nutrients from the vegetables and carry the vitamin E into the bloodstream.

The one thing that is key to consider: find these vitamins in your diet. Vitamins in pill form will often pass through the body. Vitamins found in your foods will always be incorporated in your body in a healthy way.

For more great site reviews and tips on weight loss visit these sites

http://reggie.bezoogle.com/pp/weight-loss/

http://goodhealthandfitness.blogspot.com/

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Under The Knife : Thoughts on Weight Loss Thru Surgery

2008-06-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you've tried dieting and failed. Atkins, South Beach, or even a nutritionist. And perhaps you've tried an exercise regimen and either had trouble sticking to it, or difficulties performing the exercises. If you're wondering if weight loss surgery, such as lap band surgery, is the best option for you at this point, the answer is... well... complicated.

It's important to realize that weight loss surgery is NOT cosmetic surgery. It is major surgery, it is potentially life threatening, and those that choose this route will have to make changes that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Before reading on, please keep these facts in mind-- because weight loss surgery is not a decision to be made lightly. There are consequences to this choice, and not all of them are feel-good, positive consequences.

However, a lot of positive changes come from losing a large amount of weight, especially for a person who has faced lifelong struggles with their weight. An increase in mobility and enjoyment of time spent in active pursuits. Higher self-esteem and better self-image. These are all valuable changes, and are of course things you want in your life. But they should not be the only deciding factor in getting weight loss surgery. The most important reason --in fact, the only real reason-- for a person to get weight loss surgery is to live a better life, a healthier life, for longer. If those things are your true motivation for weight loss surgery, you may be a good candidate.

When looking online into your weight loss options, you've probably come across a lot of information about weight loss surgery. A lot of the information you'll find (especially on the web) comes from sources that you cannot necessarily trust. Don't take what you read at face value. The best thing to do when considering weight loss surgery is to talk to your doctor. He may refer you to a qualified surgeon who performs lap band or other weight loss surgeries, or you may need to find one on your own.

A qualified surgeon will be able to sit down with you, and outline the risks and benefits of the surgery. He should give you an indication of whether or not you're a good candidate for the surgery, and give you an overview of the process, including the life changes you'll need to make after the surgery itself. A lot of weight loss clinics offer seminars or information sessions about weight loss surgery. If you really think that weight loss surgery might be the right choice for you, you may want to think about attending. You'll meet people who are going through (or have been through) the same experiences and it's a good way to get support as well as information.

TLBC - Toronto Laparoscopic BAND CENTRE provides a sound solution for lifelong healthy weight loss. Lap Band Surgery, along with TLBC's care program, can help maintain your ideal weight.

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30 Lbs in 20 Weeks

2008-06-10T05:48:00.002-07:00

Losing weight seems to be a losing battle for so many people because they are either doing it all the wrong way, or they just don't stick at it.

Many weight loss programs are lacking in good information and once your "diet" is finished, you end up putting on on what you lost (and then some!), sending you right back to square one. This is extremely frustrating for so many people. It is little wonder there are so many overweight people in the world. Does any of this sound like you?

Now, what if you were to read a story of a woman who lost 30 pounds in only 20 weeks, who felt great, didn't have to exercise for hours at a time and who didn't have to starve herself to get there?

Well that's what I did this morning. I was reading through yet another Fit Yummy Mummy (FYM) success story of a 38 year old woman who had lost 30 pounds in 20 weeks. She had tried other weight loss programs before but none of them had worked. Until now.

Another funny thing about the FYM program is that many women (like myself) have to remind ourselves when to eat because we're not left hungry all day like many diets.

The FYM program is all about eating often and eating healthy. This is the most important aspect of losing weight in a healthy way. Also, exercise is a must, with a maximum of 90 minutes a week of your time required. This can be broken down into various combinations, such as 15 minutes a day, 6 days a week, or even 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week.

The FYM program is the best I've seen so far and it is so flexible that there really is no excuse for not sticking to it. You will learn exactly what you need to do to lose weight, once and for all!

If you really want to lose weight, then here's what you must do right now...

Visit http://overweightandunhappy.com and make sure you take advantage of the free offers available, including the free weight loss ecourse or you can check out Michelle's progress as she attempts to become a Yummy Mummy!

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Thoughts on the Popular Fad Diets

2008-06-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you were tempted to try that fad diet you have found in the latest magazine that promises the world with fantastic fat losses and without doing a thing. What was it again; just take a couple of fat burning pills follow the diet and then bang! A brand new you in a couple of weeks.

The sad fact is they do not work, they just provide more suffering in your efforts to lose weight, and the only thing that you are losing is your hard earned money.

Firstly lets look at the latest fad diets on the scene at the moment, their pros and cons and then you will be shown how to save your time, money and unnecessary suffering by pointing you in the right direction for permanent weight loss.

The latest studies show that 90 per cent of fad dieters regained everything they had lost and even gained more weight within eighteen months.

The Atkins Diet.

The body burns carbohydrates and then fat for energy. This diet recommends limiting the intake of starchy, high carb foods so that the fat is burned first. So by eating meat, cheese and eggs and keeping bread and potatoes to a minimum, fat is lost.

Pros: Steak with cheese topping, Chocolate mocha ice cream and pork scratchings.

Cons: Studies show high protein diets lead to increased risk of heart disease, colon cancer, bad breath (halitosis) and constipation. Consuming more carbohydrate that can be used by the body will store this excess in fat cells.

The Zone Diet.

This diet claims to decrease hunger and boost energy by keeping your bodies eating habits in the zone or at its peak. Keeping all your meals and snacks in the ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats does this.

Pros: Being a low calorie diet, you can't help but lose weight.

Cons: Very difficult to adhere to the strict regime the diet requires. Will experience metabolism slow down because of low calories and will lead to starvation response, which will eat away at the muscle tissue while retaining the fat.

The Blood Group Diet.

By having a blood test and determining your blood group, this then tells you how you can absorb nutrients, thus you can plan your diet accordingly. Different blood groups can eat different food groups.

Pros: Another calorie restricting diet so weight will be lost.

Cons: There appears to be little clinical and scientific evidence behind this diet and by the elimination of whole food group's important nutritional deficiencies are likely with long-term health problems encountered.

The Ashram Diet.

This diet is basically a very low calorie diet (near starvation), which is coupled with a very high intensity exercise regime. A sample of this diet would include: One boiled egg for breakfast, a green salad for lunch and a baked potato with salsa for dinner.

Pros: A very quick weight loss, 10 - 15 lbs in a week (Mostly muscle tissue and water).

Cons: Fast weight loss leads to many unpleasant side effects such as bad breath, bone loss, constipation, deprivation of nutrients (vitamins and minerals), muscle loss, metabolism slow down, headaches and poor sleep.

Who would want all these problems for the sake of quick weight loss where the weight will eventually be put back on and more in a couple of months?

The Hay Diet.

The main rule to follow for this diet is to not eat protein and carbohydrates together. Combination of these two foods together appears to prevent protein from being digested in the gut and can lead to an accumulation of toxins.

Vegetables and fruit form the bulk of the diet with very small portions of protein and carbs.

Pros: Plenty of fruit and veggies in the diet means plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Cons: There doesn't appear to be too much scientific evidence about food combinations and by limiting yourself to certain food groups you will miss out on important nutrients.

All these diets work because of a drastic cut in calories, when this happens our metabolic rate can be brought down in a matter of 36 hours by as much as 50% which means your body is now burning only half of your calories.

To compound matters further, hunger kicks in after a period of inadequate eating setting you up for over eating and binging.

Everyone is an individual so you have to be careful of diets that require you to set out what types of foods and quantities you have to eat at every meal. Just because a movie star lost weight on a fad diet doesn't mean that you will.

Before starting a weight loss program take into account your age, fitness levels, activity levels and medical history.

Do yourself a favour and follow a real weight loss program including all the food groups, strength training, low level aerobics, a slight decrease in your daily calorie levels and a program that can be followed for life.

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' weight loss or muscle building e-courses.

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Some Obesity Medicines On The Market

2008-06-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Obesity is a rising problem in our country and many people are struggling to lose weight, without any major success. To lose weight significantly, read on.

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a serious condition in which people have more weight than it is healthy. Excessive weight is a serious problem and leads to many illnesses, psychological and social problems. Many people are overweight or obese and are not aware of the problems it might cause them. Believe it or not, obesity can also lead to premature death and it is only second to smoking, number one cause of preventable health risk.

Reasons of Obesity

Obesity can be genetic or environmental. Obesity can also be brought about by poor lifestyle habits, unhealthy diet, and lack of exercises. Your obesity may be caused by anyone of these reasons or may be due to a mixture of many reasons. In any case, it is important to lose weight and manage obesity, if you want to be healthy and lead a quality life.

The first thing that you need to do to fight obesity is control your calories, followed by exercising at least 60 minutes a day. If you still cannot lose weight, you can try slimming aids that are available in the market. The most popular slimming aids are slimming pills, both over-the-counter and prescription pills. Though over-the-counter pills may be effective, their efficacy and safety is not proven, and health authorities do not regulate them. On the other hand, prescription pills are approved and their efficacy and safety is tested in clinical trials.

What is Acomplia?

Acomplia is a prescription slimming pill that is available as an aid for weight loss. However, you should not think that Acomplia is a complete solution for weight loss. Acomplia is only an aid and adjunct to conventional weight loss measures, dieting and exercising. In absence of a healthy lifestyle, you will not get much benefit from Acomplia.

What is Rimonabant?

Rimonabant is the active ingredient of Acomplia. It is a novel drug and works by preventing the endogenous cannabinoid from binding to CB1 receptors in nerve cells. These CB1 receptors are responsible for stimulating appetite. Rimonabant in Acomplia blocks the activation of these CB1 receptors and reduces appetite.

Who can take Acomplia?

Though almost every obese person can take Acomplia, certain people cannot take it due to their medical conditions, these people are:

• People with decreased liver function
• People with kidney problems
• People suffering from uncontrolled serious psychiatric illness or any major depressive illness
• People taking antidepressant medicines
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• People having rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency, or glucose-galactose malabsorption
• Children and adolescents under 18 years of age
• People allergic to ingredients of Acomplia

Benefits of Acomplia

Acomplia helps in significant weight loss. According to the results of clinical trials, 39% people achieved 10% weight loss and other 67.4% lost 5% of their body weight. This weight loss of 5% to 10% can significantly improve risk factors for obesity-related diseases and delay or prevent type 2 diabetes in people at high risk.

Acomplia can help in weight loss and maintenance for two years, which is a record, as no other drug has managed this before.

Side Effects of Acomplia

Side effects of Acomplia are mostly mild and transient in nature. However, you need to be aware of all the possible side effects of Acomplia before taking it.

Acomplia side effects can be enumerated as depression, anxiety, irritability, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and stomach upset. In case, you experience any persistent or serious side effects, seek immediate medical attention.

Availability of Acomplia

Acomplia is available in many countries around the world including the UK and major European countries. You can also get Acomplia online. It is very easy to get Acomplia online and very convenient and cost-effective too.

Why Acomplia for Obesity Treatment?

There are several treatments for obesity. However, many people prefer Acomplia due to its significant success in clinical trials. You should consult a doctor or get a consultation done online to know more about Acomplia for your obesity treatment.

Brief description

If you are obese or overweight and looking for some answers and treatments for it, read this article.

Hayden Eck is a content writer who specializes in health topics and health-related issues. He is associated with reputable Online Clinic provides information on obesity treatment and obesity drugs like Xenical and Acomplia.

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Same Old Thing : Eating the Same Thing As A Means of Dieting

2008-06-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of times, we make the process of losing weight out to be a complicated process. When we attempt to lose weight, we find ourselves endlessly counting the calories and reading the labels of food products for everything that we consume. Needless to say, this constant analysis of everything we eat can be a burden on our lives.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Instead, we can simplify the process by just eating the same thing everyday.

To follow this weight loss strategy, simply write out a list of the foods that you would feel the most content eating on a daily basis. This list can include your favorite, most delicious, snacks and meals. The only catch is that you need to make sure that once you have created the list, the portion size is such that the resulting calories of those foods is lower than the daily amount of calories that you are allowed to eat each day.

Take your list and go to the grocery store. Purchase those same foods so that you have enough in stock for two weeks.

Assign the foods from your list to the three meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

After two weeks, if you are tired of eating those same foods everyday, then simply recreate a new list of foods. Just be sure that your list of foods always falls below your daily allowance of calories that you are allowed to consume each day.

When you simplify the process by eating the same thing everyday, you are creating an organized structure for your food intake. This “organization” is what helps you to stay on track and not deviate from you plan by eating foods that can result in gaining weight. Your life becomes simpler and your chance of success in losing weight is greatly increased.

Are you trying to lose weight? Consumer Product Watch reviews the latest products in dieting and weight loss. Visit http://www.consumer-product-watch.com/content/fat-loss-4-idiots to see our latest reviews of new strategies for losing weight or click here on Consumer Product Watch - Weightloss Reviews.

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Turning the Corner : Changing Your Habits to Change Your Weight

2008-06-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Expect history to repeat itself if nothing changes about your past health habits. Dietary supplements may help you loose weight quickly, but it is also important to change your eating and exercise routine. Whatever exercise routine and diet you have now, allowed your body to get into the physical shape that it is currently in. Thus, if you make no change to your diet and exercise routines, they will almost certainly produce the exact same results about which you are currently unhappy. So, be responsible to yourself and be responsible for your actions. If you are not happy with your weight, realize that only you have the ability to change your life! Additionally, success takes dedication, commitment and hard work. Successful weight loss is no different and permanent, safe, long-term weight loss simply cannot be expected to happen over night.

The following list contains several keys to successful weight loss:

1) Make small sustainable changes that you can maintain. This is the first step toward truly adjusting for a healthier lifestyle.

2) Set goals. Realize that it may not be possible to achieve complete satisfaction with your body and diet, overnight. Permanent weight loss is not always fast weight loss. Set small attainable weekly goals and realize that each week you are moving closer to true happiness and be happy with each small accomplishment. It is with an accumulation of these small accomplishments that you will reach your final goal. Sometimes...life is about the journey, not the destination. So enjoy the journey as you travel down the path toward a slimmer you, better health and a higher quality of life.

3) Eat right for you. Realize now, that all people are not created equally. Some people burn carbohydrates quickly but have a tendency to store fats. While a different body type may handle carbohydrates and fats in an opposite manner. Consider starting a food diary. Keep a journal of the foods you eat and how they make you feel. Try eating nutrient rich foods that provide your body with the nutrients it craves, instead of filling your body with empty calories.

4) Don't skip meals. Eating several small meals throughout the day will help hold your body in the burn as fuel mode for longer periods of time, thus increasing your overall metabolic rate. Numerous dieticians and weight loss experts suggest eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day, instead of eating two or three big meals. Sue Ayersman, a certified clinical nutritionist (CCN) at Kronos Optimal Health Centre in Scottsdale, Arizona said "Your body needs a certain amount of calories and nutrients each day for normal function...Denying the body of these essential elements throws the system into survival mode, slowing metabolism and encouraging the storage of energy in the form of fat. You have to eat in order to lose weight."

5) Drink lots of water. Drinking plenty of water can help maintain a higher metabolic rate. Conversely, a lack of water can slow metabolic rate, just as a lack of food can also slow metabolic rate (see point #4 above). As stated by John Acquaviva, PhD, assistant professor of health and human performance at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia "Since water is the body's most important nutrient, the liver will turn its concentration to water retention instead of doing other duties such as burning fat."

6) Exercise regularly. Muscle is more "metabolically active" than fat. This doesn't mean you have to become a bulky body builder, but no one can deny that regular excise and an increased heart rate will help you burn extra calories while increasing toned, lean muscle mass and the more lean muscle mass you have, the more easily you will maintain your desired weight. Aerobic exercise is defined as "brisk physical activity that requires the heart and lungs to work harder to meet the body's increased oxygen demand." This does not mean that you even have to go to a gym. Aerobic exercise can be achieved by doing simple household chores, gardening activities, swimming, walking or riding a bike, for example. Try to combine activities that allow you to do 60 minutes of aerobic exercise each day. If you are not able to do 60 minutes a day, set small goals and try to increase your activity until you are able to do 60 minutes a day.

7) Count calories. To loose weight, you must burn more calories each day, than you consume. Also, please recognize that your metabolism will slow down as you get older. Madelyn H. Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, associate professor and director of the UPMC Health System Weight Management Center in Pittsburgh says that your metabolism will decrease by approximately 5% each decade.

Good luck and let me know how you are doing!

Disclaimer: The information in this article is not provided by a medical professional and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment.

Tawne Bachus is the President of HealthDirectNet.com HealthDirectNet.com offers affordable quality of life through better health. For more information on diet, weight loss or Slendcor, please visit the HealthDirectNet.com Home Page or to purchase Slendcor online, please visit the HealthDirectNet.com Online Shopping Cart

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Like Mitichlorians -- but real

2008-05-31T21:56:00.004-07:00

I have had a wretched year: stress, cold-after-cold and weight gain. Along with the colds, I got rounds of antibiotics-- great for killing all of the critters that live within.
For a while I have been running through the theory that leptin has a role in weight loss. The problem with leptin is that the reception mechanism can be broken. It can be a disorder. It might not be a power outtage-- it might just be that the traffic lights are out of order.
We can never forget that we are host to hundreds of millions of bacteria: creatures that do anything from process lactose to keeping us healthy. We're in a state of symbiosis. Two of these residents may be directly related to obesity. There is some evidence that the ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes is often out of whack in fat people. Having too many Firmicutes in ratio to Bacteroidetes may be connected with obesity.
Researchers say that genetically obese people lack genes for leptin reception, a hormone that monitors body fat and can limit food intake. Obese mice had more Firmicutes bacteria in their gut than their leaner relatives. A detailed analysis showed that obese mice gut microbes were better at harvesting calories from food - suggesting that the bacteria made the mice fatter. They gleaned calories. While lean people pass on excess calories, Firmicutes get those calories and do not pass on notice to leptin receptors. You get the calories and you don't even know it.
I'm working from the theory that I am not part of the genetically obese crowd, but I might be part of the leptin-addled group. Add in the spate of flora killing events and I may not have a way to convey my intake to my brain. This would explain why I am perpetually hungry.
I have resumed taking 5-HTP. It may be that I need to make sure the receptors get some help at the reception point. I have also started a regiment of Bio-K+, a culture of L. acidophilus and L. casei. If it can make my body inviting to Bacteriodetes, I may be able to set-up good leptin reception.
After five days of Bio-K, my intestines have gone from their usual spastic state to something a little more sedate. I am also getting nauseous when I overeat. What I should eat doesn't trigger the nausea. Eventually my mindset will shift with the negative re-enforcement to eat within those boundaries. In the meantime, my perpetual hunger appears to have gone away.

Fun Fat Facts

2008-03-28T08:00:00.002-07:00

This article:

Feeding the obesity epidemic

Contains a number of fun facts:

- “Firearms will kill about 30,000 Americans in 2008, but obesity will kill 75,000 people.”

- “Since the 1970s, the U.S. obesity rate has doubled; two-thirds of our population is now overweight. (200 million fat Americans)”

- “Diabetes eats up one of every $5 Americans spend on health care.”

- “And today, a whopping 35% of our weekly caloric intake is consumed in restaurants. That’s up from 23% in the 1970s.”

- “At Outback, the Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing comes loaded with 2,900 calories and 182 grams of fat.”

- “In a 2006 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, consumers presented with obviously high-calorie restaurant foods still underestimated the nutritional heft of the items by an average of 600 calories.”

- “Eating 600 unexpected calories just once a week would add an extra 9 pounds to the average American’s weight each year.”

Three things become obvious after reading this article:

1) Someone needs to discover a cure for diabetes, or a cheaper way to treat it. That “$1 in $5″ statistic is amazing. In the ideal world, the government would sponsor a $1 billion “let’s end diabetes” research program, or DARPA might create “The Diabetes Challenge” with a $10 million prize.

2) Restaurants really should put nutritional info on their menus.

3) Since the NRA opposes putting nutritional info on menus, I will make the following prediction: either a new or existing restaurant will start putting nutritional info on its menus and will be very successful doing it. This seems like an exact parallel to airbags. All car manufacturers once opposed airbags (”too expensive!”). Then one car company broke ranks, made airbags available and was successful. Now we all have airbgs.

Choose the Diet Routine That Is Right For You

2008-03-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Most of us, in an effort to find ways for shedding a few lbs within a minimum time possible, either starve or opt for very strenuous physical exercises to achieve the goal of weight loss. Actually it is not required if we take the right kind of food to lose weight.

There are certain types of food which when consumed, actually burn more fat than the calorific value of the food itself. These kinds of foods are also known as negative calorie foods. They are classified into three different groups such as the citrus group – consisting of lemons, limes, tangerines, grapefruit, oranges, kiwi fruit etc, the cellulose rich fruits and vegetables group consisting of cabbage, asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, blueberries, apple, watermelon etc and the dairy group of foods including non fat milk, white cheese and low fat yogurt. As far as dairy products are concerned, they have clinically proved it that calcium rich dairy foods help in weight loss by increasing the breakdown of fat in fat cells. Hence, non-fatty dairy products should be included in the diet towards weight loss. When these foods are combined with mild exercise, tremendous results are achieved.

Cinnamon is the oldest spice which was once considered to be more precious than gold and were used by the early Egyptians for medicinal purposes and for flavor in foods. It was accidentally found that foods containing cinnamon helped in reducing the blood sugar level in the body. If cinnamon is added to the diet in any of the forms such as herbal tonic, or as a capsule or by sprinkling over foods, it tends to reduce weight.

Foods which are metabolism friendly and the carbohydrates with lower or moderate glycemic indexes help in weight loss. Normally foods which are rich in protein are low in carbohydrates and in turn are with low glycemic index. Such foods are eggs, turkey, fish, red meat, ostrich, chicken etc. To minimize fat, lean cuts of meat, or chicken without skin can be eaten. Soy products like tofu, soymilk, soy powder etc are very good for weight reduction.

Raw vegetables and green leafy vegetables are lower in glycemic index, carbohydrates and fat and they are very much higher in minerals, vitamins, anti oxidants and fiber than when they are cooked. Fruits with high glycemic index need to be avoided and those with lower glycemic index can be consumed.

Article Source http://www.freearticalespro.com/Article/Right Diet Regime Help Reduce Weight

Lesley Lyon contributes regularly to www.healthopts.com which has many informative articles on weight loss.

Myth Vs. Legend : Weight Loss Facts

2008-03-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

The myths about weight loss are making rounds everywhere and they never cease to end, as the people are very much concerned and are in the look out for easy way to lose weight, hence lots of wrong theories going around. Listed Below are some weight loss myths along with corresponding facts.

Myths Pertaining to Physical Exercises:

Myth: Exercise when done on an empty stomach results in more fat burn out.

Fact: The weight loss is said to be effective when the calories consumed are burned the same day no matter, how they are burned. Hence the impact of exercising with an empty stomach is the same as with a full stomach. Studies have revealed that the increase in metabolism seen in anaerobic exercise is reduced after a full meal. It means that more energy is used for digestion than to repair muscles.

Myth: The more the exercise the more the benefit.

Fact: It is not true. Even though every exercise session is good for an individual, there is a required level and frequency to get optimum results. After the optimum level, the exercise done will have an opposite effect by not allowing the body to cope up with the stress created by the exercise, which can be actually detrimental towards weight loss.

Myth: Muscle turns into fat once the exercise is stopped.

Fact: It is not true. Muscles, as a matter of fact, cannot be converted into fat as they are entirely different kinds of tissues. When the exercise is stopped, the muscles shrink but do not disappear. If the calorie intake is more, which is not burned it actually deposits as fat.

Myth: More the Sweat, More the hard work is done.

Fact: This too is not true, as sweating is the body’s cooling ability. Sweat can be due to lot of factors like body temperature, type of exercise done, fat deposition of the body, room temperature, the kind of clothing used for exercise, and the intensity of exercise done.

Myth: Drinking water while exercising might lead to cramps.

Fact: If more litres of ice cold water are drunk in one go while doing exercise may result in cramps. Hence, it is good to drink water consistently before, during and after exercises in order to replace the fluid lost and to avoid any discomfort being caused.

Myth: exercise done to tone the abdominal muscles also tones potbelly.

Fact: When exercise is done for the abdominal region only that region gets toned up. The fat deposits are not burned, reducing the potbelly. Fat reduction happens uniformly throughout the body and there is no possibility for spot reduction.

Article Source http://www.freearticalespro.com/Article/Weight Loss Myths and Corresponding Facts

Lesley Lyon contributes regularly to www.healthopts.com which has many informative articles on weight loss.

Salad Rolls : A low calorie snack

2007-08-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Neuropeptide Y2R Receptor And You

2007-07-03T08:38:00.001-07:00

Once again, it seems like there is evidence that stress makes us fat, but this time it isn't a problem with leptin or cortisol. This time the culprit is the neuropeptide Y2R receptor. This from Mercury News:

Scientists reported Sunday that they have uncovered a biological switch by which stress can promote obesity, a discovery that could help explain the world's growing weight problem and lead to new ways to melt flab and manipulate fat for cosmetic purposes.

In a series of experiments on mice, researchers showed that the neurochemical pathway they identified promotes fat growth in chronically stressed animals that eat the equivalent of a junk-food diet.

The international team also showed that blocking those signals can prevent fat accumulation and shrink fat deposits, while stimulating the pathway can strategically create new ones, possibly offering new ways to remove fat as well as to mold youthful faces, firmer buttocks and bigger breasts.

"It's very exciting," said Zofia Zukowska of Georgetown University, who led the research published online by the journal Nature Medicine. "This could be revolutionary."

While cautioning that the safety and effectiveness of the approach remains to be proven in people, other researchers said the findings reveal new clues about the basic biology of fat and why obesity has been increasing so quickly in Western countries.

"There is a lot of uncontrollable stress right now in our societies. There's also a lot of inexpensive high-fat food," said Mary Dallman of the University of California-San Francisco, who co-wrote a commentary accompanying the research. "This could help explain the obesity epidemic."

Human potential
The researchers have applied for a patent and begun negotiating with drug companies to license the technology. They said studies in people could begin within two years.

Previous studies have indicated that while acute stress can make some people lose weight, chronic stress, such as long-term job insecurity, might cause some to put on pounds.

To explore this, Zukowska and her colleagues subjected mice to chronic stress - either standing in cold water an hour a day or being caged with a more aggressive alpha mouse for 10 minutes a day - and then gave them standard feed or a high-fat, high-sugar diet similar to the junk food fare many consume.

After two weeks, only the mice that were both stressed and fed the junk-food diet gained a significant amount of weight, accumulating about twice as much fat in their bellies as non-stressed mice that consumed the same diet.

"This tells me it's not just the stress. It's the combination of stress and the high-fat, high-sugary rich diet - that is the humongous combo. There is some kind of interaction going on," Zukowska said.

Belly fat
Moreover, the stressed-out junk-food eaters put on the worst kind of fat - deposited around their abdomens and laced with hormones and other chemical signals that promote illness. After three months, the animals became obese and developed the constellation of health problems that obese humans often get - high blood pressure, early diabetes, high cholesterol - an condition known as metabolic syndrome.

"By treating the mice the way humans are treated, which is introducing a chronic stress from which they can not escape and introducing this abundance of food, we mimicked what happens in American society," Zukowska said.

When the researchers examined the animals' fat tissue, they discovered sharply elevated concentrations of a substance called neuropeptide Y (NPY), a chemical messenger produced by nerves in the body, including fat. They also had far higher levels of a molecular partner neuropeptide Y needs to work, known as the neuropeptide Y2R receptor.

The researchers also demonstrated that injecting a substance that blocks neuropeptide Y prevented mice from accumulating fat even if they were stressed and ate a high-fat diet, and could shrink fat deposits by 40 percent to 50 percent within two weeks.

On the flip side, when the researchers inserted pellets containing neuropeptide Y under the skin of mice and three monkeys, they were able to stimulate fat growth, suggesting the approach could replace skin fillers and other cosmetic and reconstructive surgical techniques.

Detailed studies of the mice and preliminary findings from the monkeys found no signs of any adverse side effects.

Others cautioned that much more research would be needed to confirm that the same system works in people, and to learn whether blocking or stimulating neuropeptide Y receptors is safe.

Another Solution To The Problem

2007-06-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of debate over whether or not obesity is a disease. It boils down to the concept that fat people have no willpower. I have also heard that it's because so many people have it, it can't be a disease but a social trend.
This led me to another thought: what if the presumption is that something common isn't a problem but a common condition (like growing old is a symptom of age that we all suffer)? Does this mean we should live with it? If so, does that mean was can end racism by making everyone into a bigot? Or make everyone an alcoholic so that alcoholism is a common state of being? Just because something like obesity is prevalent, it doesn't mean we have to live with it or accept it.

I Broke Something Else

2007-06-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

Woo! For the first time in a long time, I've broken the 260lb. mark: I am now 256lbs. I coasted at 270lbs since last summer. I realized that I needed to establish a base camp to get my metabolism out of its starvation reflex. I am now making a point of walking as much as I can. I have some severe anxiety issues that have made the daily walks almost impossible. For a while, I've been dealing with it all in small bites:

Frequent walks up to our crappy local hardware store, for supplies for my Cthulhu Sculpture.
Smaller and more frequent grocery runs with an emphasis on getting fresh produce. Then, I'm trying to do those by foot.
I'm trying to get to and from meetings by foot. The time difference is small and my boss has been suggesting these locales with underlines how good they are.
I've started counselling to get a handle on it.

Dietary changes:

I'm trying to quit coffee (and thereby cream and sugar). That's a chemical addiction and the process has been unkind.
I'm replacing iced tea and Diet Coke with soda water. I actually like soda water a lot, so it's an easy task.
My evening snack (when I want one), is often fruit.
I'm back onto 5-HTP (100mg/day). 5-HTP has a lot of good side effects, so I going to stick with it until it bites me (as it did last August with major headache, dizzyness and jitts).

I won't voice my goal to time and scale, I just want to do it and take you all (well, both of you) along for the journey.

A New Kind of Fat Pill

2007-06-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

This from Wired:

Italian scientists are testing a new diet pill that turns into a clear, gelatinous blob the size of a tennis ball that may help shrink waistlines by giving dieters a sense of satiety.
The pill, currently undergoing clinical trials at Rome's Policlinico Gemelli hospital, would be downed with two glasses of water at the first sign of a stomach rumble.

"The effect is like eating a nice plate of pasta," said Luigi Ambrosio, lead researcher on the project at the National Research Council's Institute for Composite and Biomedical Materials in Naples. "If you sit down for a meal with a stomach that already feels full, you'll end up eating less."

The unnamed pill is made from a cellulose compound of hydrogel, a material that's powdery when dry but plumps up to a cousin of Jell-O when wet. The gel can soak up to 1,000 times its weight. A gram in capsule form quickly balloons from the size of a spit wad to a ball that holds nearly a liter of liquid.

Growing waistlines are an increasingly hefty issue. The World Health Organization calls obesity (.pdf) "one of today's most blatantly visible -- yet most neglected -- public health problems." The WHO estimates that 1 billion adults worldwide are overweight, 300 million of them obese. Attendant illnesses include type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and certain forms of cancer.

Ambrosio and fellow researcher Luigi Nicolais, now minister for reform and innovation, noticed the burgeoning girth of Americans during a trip to the United States in the '90s.

The pair had been working with a team to develop super-absorbent materials for Swedish paper-product company Sca and wondered whether a hydrogel could produce an effect similar to gastric banding -- without the surgery.

Along the way, they discovered the spongelike material could be used to treat edemas, and are currently experimenting with it as a way to slow-water plants. The versions of the material for use in the diet pill is biocompatible, so the body just flushes it out, the scientist say.

Jelly belly: from about the size of a spit wad the compound grows to a tennis ball so dieters sit down feeling full.

Image: Courtesy of Prof. Luigi Ambrosio

But in a market glutted with miracle cures and trendy diets, some folks don't gel with the concept.

Lona Sandon, a dietitian at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, sighed slightly before commenting.

"I don't think we'll find the answer to obesity in a pill," said Sandon, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "The only long-term solution is cutting back calories and getting exercise."

Though it may not be a magic bullet, some experts think it could help those whose girth has already grown out of control.

"A pill like that one could be a valid aid when you've already got a serious problem," said professor Antonino De Lorenzo of Rome's Tor Vergata University, who has conducted extensive research on benefits of the classic Mediterranean diet. "The real challenge is teaching people to eat properly before they need it."

If trials are successful, researchers hope to put the gel pill within easy reach of calorie counters on both the EU and North American markets in about a year.

"Obesity is such an enormous problem," said Ambrosio. "If we managed to reduce it by even 10 percent with this pill, it would be a huge accomplishment."

Negative Calorie Foods

2006-08-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

I know that some food are low-cal. Did you know that some are anti-caloric? They provide little energy and take a lot of energy to digest. The net result is a calorie burn from eating these foods. Some of them pack vitamins. All of them can fill you up. Below are some negative calorie foods that you should slide onto your plate.

With negative calorie diet and several versions of this diet, dieters are to eat and drink food products that are nutritous but are said to have a negative caloric effect; i.e., they provide fewer food calories than the calories needed to digest them. The energy that the body needs to digest the food is usually given as a certain amount of calories, whilst the energy content of the food is given as kilocalories. There is, however, no such thing as a negative calorie food. The "negative calorie" foods allowed in this diet are mainly vegetables and fruits. including:

This diet is criticized as being not a very realistic one. Opponents argue that these foods may be healthy, but the only way to get rid of calories is to use up more than you eat - a diet along with exercise is a way to see faster results. You should talk to your doctor to find a diet that is right for you.

Some criticize that such dieters use the concept of negative calories to justify eating unlimited quantities of such foods, and that doing so is not healthy. In all cases, when in doubt, ask your physician.

Material for this post came from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_calorie_diet

ECCG Primer

2006-08-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

ECCG is a flavonoid. The term flavonoid refers to a class of plant secondary metabolites based around a phenylbenzopyrone structure. Flavonoids are most commonly known for their antioxidant activity. Flavonoids are also commonly referred to as bioflavonoids in the media – these terms are equivalent and interchangeable, since all flavonoids are biological in origin.

Biological effects

The flavonoid synthetic pathway begins with a product of glycolysis, phosphoenolpyruvate, entering into the Shikimate pathway to yield phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is the starting material of the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway, from which 4-Coumaryl-CoA is produced. This can be combined with Malonyl-CoA to yield the true backbone of flavonoids, a group of compounds called chalcones. Ring-closure of these compounds results in the familiar form of flavonoids, a three-ringed phenolic structure (polyphenols). The metabolic pathway continues through a series of enzymatic modifications to yield flavanones → dihydroflavonols → anthocyanins. Along this pathway many products can be formed, including the flavonols, flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins (tannins) and a host of other polyphenolics.

Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants fulfilling many functions including producing yellow or red/blue pigmentation in flowers and protection from attack by microbes and insects. The widespread distribution of flavonoids, their variety and their relatively low toxicity compared to other active plant compounds (for instance alkaloids) mean that many animals, including humans, ingest significant quantities in their diet. Flavonoids have been found in high concentrations in butterflies and moths sequestered from dietary intake at the larval stage and then stored in adult tissues.

Flavonoids have been referred to as "nature's biological response modifiers" because of strong experimental evidence of their ability to modify the body's reaction to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. They show anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity. In addition, flavonoids act as powerful antioxidants, protecting against oxidative and free radical damage.

Consumers and food manufacturers have become interested in flavonoids for their medicinal properties, especially their potential role in the prevention of cancers and cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effects of fruit, vegetables, and tea or even red wine have been attributed to flavonoid compounds rather than to known nutrients and vitamins.

Important flavonoids

Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonoid that forms the "backbone" for many other flavonoids, including the citrus flavonoids rutin, hesperidin, naringin and tangeritin. In studies, quercetin is found to be the most active of the flavonoids, and many medicinal plants owe much of their activity to their high quercetin content. Quercetin has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity because of direct inhibition of several initial processes of inflammation. For example, it inhibits both the manufacture and release of histamine and other allergic/inflammatory mediators. In addition, it exerts potent antioxidant activity and vitamin C-sparing action.

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins

Proanthocyanidins extracts demonstrate a wide range of pharmacological activity. Their effects include increasing intracellular vitamin C levels, decreasing capillary permeability and fragility, scavenging oxidants and free radicals, and inhibiting destruction of collagen, the most abundant protein in the body.

Epicatechin

Epicatechin improves blood flow and thus seems good for cardiac health. Cocoa, the major ingredient of dark chocolate, is loaded with epicatechin and has been found to have nearly twice the antioxidant content of red wine and up to three times that of green tea.

Important dietary sources

Good sources of flavonoids include all citrus fruits, berries, onions, parsley, legumes, green tea, red wine, seabuckthorn, and dark chocolate (that with a cocoa content of seventy percent or greater).

Citrus

The citrus bioflavonoids include hesperidin, quercetin, rutin (a sugar of quercetin), and tangeritin. In addition to possessing antioxidant activity and an ability to increase intracellular levels of vitamin C, rutin and hesperidin exert beneficial effects on capillary permeability and blood flow. They also exhibit some of the anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory benefits of quercetin. Quercetin can also inhibit reverse transcriptase, part of the replication process of retroviruses (Spedding et al. 1989). The therapeutical relevance of this inhibition has not been established. Hydroxyethylrutosides (HER) have been used in the treatment of capillary permeability, easy bruising, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins.

Green Tea

Green tea polyphenols are potent antioxidant compounds that have demonstrated greater antioxidant protection than vitamins C and E. Green tea may also increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Green tea polyphenols may inhibit cancer by blocking the formation of cancer-causing compounds and suppressing the activation of carcinogens. The major polyphenols in green tea are flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin gallate,(EGCG), and proanthocyanidins).

Though both green tea and black tea are derived from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), they possess different antioxidants. In producing black tea the leaves are allowed to oxidize, during which enzymes present in the tea convert many polyphenols to larger molecules with different biological effects. However, green tea is produced by lightly steaming the fresh-cut leaf, which inactivates these enzymes, and oxidation does not occur.

Availability through microorganisms

A number of recent research articles have demonstrated the efficient production of flavonoid molecules from recombinant microorganisms. Such an approach opens the possibility of readily producing these compounds using renewable feedstocks and thus increasing the availability of rare flavonoid molecules for human and animal feed through dietary supplements.

Links out: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7].

this material comes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EGCG and my obsession with green tea in all of its many forms.

Cortisol

2006-08-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Quickie:
All this talk about how stress triggers the release of cortisol has been stressing me out.

Regular Exercise: Mike

2006-08-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have started a regular workout of five times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday). Rather than wait to see if it works, I will post photos here from my weekly "photo" in and let you be the judge.

June 27th, 2006	July 4th, 2006	July 12th, 2006	July 18th, 2006


July 26th, 2006	August 1st, 2006

*Editor's note: I work out early in the day, so technically these are photos of me while I am asleep.

Why Blame Science?

2006-06-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Fat gene, intestinal bacteria, leptin, fat virus. Why look at these and consider them? Shouldn't fatties just buckle under, eat right and exercise? Yes. But what if dieting isn't enough?
Here's a parable:

Take two drivers. Both drive the same way in the same kind of car.
One driver gets a ticket for every driving violation (signalling, stopping at stop signs, speeds, shoulder checks).
One driver gets a ticket as often as you would expect for an average motorist.
Who do you think will end up punished more for their behaviour? If the heavily fined motorist became a better driver but still got fined for 100% of their infractions, they would have to go a LONG way to get down the "average" level that other motorists experience.

I look to scientific causes for obesity because some people can intake excess calories and not end up gaining weight. They can exercise and lose weight. Other people cannot. When diet and exercise don't change your weight, you have to ask why. In the driving example above, the police dole out punishment. In obesity, the punishment is doled through scientific factors.

Gut Bugs and Big Guts

2006-06-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

When I started my successful diet, I began with a fast. The fast was dangerous long (9 days) but I have to wonder-- in light of this piece-- if maybe it was dangerous to sluggish bacteria in my digestive system. This is from Live Science:

The microorganisms that live in your gut could explain one of the sources of obesity, says a new study from researchers at Washington University.
Bacteria live throughout the body, but some intestinal bacteria appear to be better than others at helping their hosts turn food into energy, say researchers Buck S. Samuel and Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon.

They believe changing the mix of bacteria in the intestine could influence how much people weigh.

Bacteria and archaea, another kind of single-celled organism, are common in the human intestine. Researchers are discovering that together, they help their human hosts extract calories and nutrients from food.

"We know very little about who they are and what they do,'' said Dr. Martin J. Blaser, chair of medicine at New York University.

Samuel decided to investigate that question by inoculating identical mice with different microbes, or a combination of two of the single-celled organisms.

The researchers found mice whose guts were inoculated with just the bacterium Beta thetaiotaomicron (B. theta) could process rodent food better than mice that were given no bacteria.

A second group of mice were inoculated with a combination of B. theta and an archaeon called Methanobrevibacter smithii (M. smithii). Those rodents could extract many more calories from the same amount of food, but they stored the extra energy as excess fat.

The researchers haven't yet concluded whether obese people have more M. smithii in their intestines. But Blaser said he believes scientists could eventually help control human nutrition by manipulating the types of microbes living in the gut.

The results of the study will be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Aversion Therapy

2006-06-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a wild concept: aversion therapy. I'm not talking electrodes or the Clockwork Orange treatment. Try carrots and celery.

Eat a sensible diet of 1000 to 1500 calories a day (300-500 calories per meal is do-able). If you have any inclination for indulgences (cookies, chips, chocolate, etc.) swap out the craving for carrot stick and/or celery sticks. Eat those until the cravings pass or you're full. Every time the urge hits you hit the sticks. Before you know it, your stomach will associate cravings with carrots. You'll hate it, but this will re-program your cravings. After about three or four days, you'll associate treats with carrots and the dissatisfaction that they bring.

Here's a quick comparison of small orange snacks: carrots are 10 calories per ounce; cheetos are
162 calories per ounce.

Genes Linked to Obesity

2006-04-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

This just in from the New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9002-common-genetic-change-linked-to-obesity.html):

The first common genetic variant that substantially increases a person’s risk of obesity has been identified, researchers claim. They hope that their discovery will open doors to new treatments for the condition.

The team identified a small genetic change in a region of DNA near a gene known as INSIG2 as being linked to obesity. DNA code is made up of four bases, or "letters". A single change in this particular region, from a G to a C, makes a person more prone to obesity, according to the study.

They believe this change somehow affects the regulation of the gene INSIG2, which has a role in fat production.

The US researchers, led by Albert Herbert at the Boston University Medical School, found that an individual with two copies of the C variant is 22% more likely to have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 – the point where people move from being "overweight" to "obese".

This is the first study to strongly identify a genetic component in obesity in a number of populations, comments Carol Shoulders at Imperial College London, UK.

Environmental factors

More than one-third of people in the US are obese and other countries’ populations are increasingly facing similar weight issues. Scientists predict that genes may contribute anywhere from 30% to 70% of the risk of obesity, but they stress that environmental factors, like diet, play a crucial role.

Herbert and colleagues looked at almost 87,000 points in the human genome which show variation between individuals, and related this to the BMIs of over 900 people. They studied families from a long-running coronary study in Massachusetts, called the Framingham Heart Study.

The team found that one particular genetic variation near the INSIG2 gene correlated well with obesity.

Slim nurses

In follow-up studies involving about 9000 individuals in total, they found the same association. The C variant was found to increase the risk of obesity in populations including people of Western European ancestry, African Americans and children. About 10% of populations they studied carried two copies of this mutation.

Herbert notes that the C variant did not show a strong influence on obesity risk in a population of nurses they also examined. He says that this might be because nurses concerned about maintaining a healthy weight were more likely to participate in the study.

People with two copies of the C variant were about 1 BMI unit heavier than other individuals – a relatively small difference in weight – than those with one or no copies of this variant. This underscores the idea that the genetic variant simply tips people from overweight to obese, believes Shoulders.

Journal reference: Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1124779)

Vegan Weight Loss

2006-04-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

A New scientific review shows vegetarian diets cause major weight loss

April's Nutrition Reviews has an article about vegetarian diets and weight loss. In short, if you want to lose weight loss the critters from your diet. Vegetarian populations are slimmer than omnivores; and the experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. Compiling data from 87 previous studies, the review shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week. That'll take the burger out of your hand. Consider this: its cheaper to lead a vegetarian diet and by making this switch you could drop 50lbs. per year. The other day we did a grocery run. My wife and I buckled out knees with the amount of food we brought in. How did we get some much food with $200? Three of the items were meat and two items were dairy. Vegetables are cheap.

In vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent, note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

The authors found that the body weight of both male and female vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than that of meat-eaters. Vegetarian and vegan diets have also been put to the test in clinical studies, as the review notes. The best of these clinical studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping exercise constant. The researchers found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, even without additional exercise or limits on portion sizes, calories, or carbohydrates.

"Our research reveals that people can enjoy unlimited portions of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight without feeling hungry," says Dr. Berkow, the lead author.

"There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently as fuel for the body, as opposed to being stored as fat," says Dr. Barnard. Insulin sensitivity is increased by a vegan diet, allowing nutrients to more rapidly enter the cells of the body to be converted to heat rather than to fat.

Earlier this month, a team of researchers led by Tim Key of Oxford University found that meat-eaters who switched to a plant-based diet gained less weight over a period of five years. Papers reviewed by Drs. Berkow and Barnard include several published by Dr. Key and his colleagues, as well as a recent study of more than 55,000 Swedish women showing that meat-eaters are more likely to be overweight than vegetarians and vegans.

Pet Food is Healthier Than Fast food

2006-03-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

This via Daily Snack:

Undisclosed food experts revealed that dog and cat food have less fat, salt and sugar than your average fast food meal.

A container of Gourmet Gold cat food contains 2.9g of fat per 100g, while KFC chicken contains almost eight times as much, lab tests found.

The cat food also has less than a third of the fat found in a Big Mac or Pizza Hut pizza. Cesar dog food contained 4.4g of fat per 100g - still far lower than fast food.

Scientist John Searle, who led the tests at a lab in Burton, Staffs, said: "It would not do a human any harm to eat pet food. The taste would be a bit different, but nutritionally it is fine."

The unhealthiest meal tested was KFC chicken pieces, with 23.2g of fat per 100g. A McDonald’s Big Mac and fries contains 12g.

tags: McDonalds, KFC, dieting, fat, fast food

The Fat Virus

2006-01-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Are there more fat people these days? All of the speak a resounding, "Yes!" All of the fast food joints peddle to the masses. What if we were looking at this situation the wrong way? People consume cold medication because they're sick. What if they're dietary habits are being shaped in reaction to an illness: a virus. Leah D. Whigham, Barbara A. Israel, and Richard L. Atkinson have authored a paper entitled, "APPETITE, OBESITY, DIGESTION, AND METABOLISM" for the American Journal of Physiology suggests that a virus may cause obesity in some people. Human adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) increases fat build-up-- adiposity in chickens, mice, and nonhuman primates. It's also associated with human obesity. Ad-36 reduces serum cholesterol and triglycerides in animal models. Ad-36 promotes the build up of triglycerides. In the study, groups of chickens were given human Ad-2, Ad-31, Ad-37 at 3 weeks ofage. Food intake and weights were recorded for 3 and a half weeks. Then the chickens were killed and examined. The
visceral fat, body composition, serum lipids, and viral antibody status were determined.
Visceral fat and total body fat were significantly elevated. Final body weights were higher in chickens inoculated with Ad-37 compared with the groups that recieved the Ad-2 virus;but not significantly higher than in control or Ad-31 groups.

Food intake did not differ among groups.

With the same amount of caloric intake amongst roughly equivalent chickens, chickens with Ad-31 and Ad-37 had worse cholesterol and more fat that the other group.

So the questions:

Is this really going on or is there a flaw in the study? Is the duration of obesity coincidental with the lifespan of the virus. In other words, if these chickens were allowed to continue on for another month, would they have cast off the virus and the associated obesity.
Is this contagious? Are infected fat people making other people fat? If so, how? Are they sneezing chubbiness on others? Or, are they transmitting to offspring much in the way a mother shares HIV with a baby she carries to term.
Is there a cure? The polio vaccines of the 1950s; the smallpox vaccine of the 1960s. Are we all going to line up for a shot in the arm that keeps our waistline slim?
Does this study help to show the tenuous link between calories and obesity? If different groups recieved the same amount of food and some ended up fat and some didn't what does that say about us? Forget the virus: does this say that your cheeseburger packs a different punch than the exact same cheeseburger that your skinny friend scarfs down?

tags: obesity; cholesterol; triglycerides; virus; body weight; body fat

Alex's Detox Diet

2005-12-31T23:50:00.000-08:00

If you've seen Super Size Me, one thing of note: Morgan Spurlock's girlfriend is a vegan chef. She has a book and a website: http://www.healthychefalex.com/

McHarm

2005-12-31T22:58:00.000-08:00

I bought "SuperSize Me" on sale and watched it as New Years Eve fair. I figured it was a good way to start the new year: a big allergic reaction to fast food. While I have not shut out fast food altogether, I last visited McDonald's four months ago and I have no plans to go again. My weakness is A&W-- and I will visit there about 2 times per month for one of their burgers.

So, anyways: some of you will be reading this in the morning of the new year. Let me suggest one of McDonald's super excellent meal combos to start off the New Year "right":

Total	2950	1050
Harm	Calories	Calories from fat
Chicken Selects® Premium Breast Strips (10 pc)	1270	590
Large French Fries	520	220
Chocolate Triple Thick® Shake (32 fl oz cup)	1160	240

Substitute Teachings

2005-12-28T19:20:00.000-08:00

I did this a while ago, but I thought it was worth revisiting the topic while I lumber in post Christmas padding.

Original	Substitute	Savings
Eggs	Egg whites	49 calories/each
Canola Oil	Wonderslim Fat Replacement	467 calories/ 1/4 cup
Eggs	Ener-G Egg Powdered Replacer	51 calories/egg
Cheese	Soy Cheese	100 calories / 1/4 lb.
Pizza Pepperoni	Soy Pepperoni	30 calories / 2 oz.

Mexican / Indian Express

2005-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

This is a think-piece, not a piece of advice. A friend of mine complained about "Delhi belly" while he is living in India. Think of Delhi belly as a drive-by-shooting where your colon is the target, the tandoori does the driving and the vindalu is the shooter. I've been the victim of this before too. Mexican food, Thai food, Indian food: you name it, it's bowled through me. There are 1 billion people living in India. Does that mean 1 billions cases of Delhi belly every night? I don't think so. People get used to their cuisines and their bodies learn to metabolize the chow. If your body can metabolize the food, then that means you can gleen every bit of nutrition out of it. Unfamiliar food doesn't find a familiar home in your system and it's more likely to pass undigested. If that's the case, could a steady bait-and-switch of cuisines keep your digestive system off balance and less efficient?
I will research this and update this piece at a later time.

5-HTP: Day 28

2005-09-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

I've hit another base camp / plateau. I am 11 pounds lighter than when I started. My biggest loss came on the week that I exercised most. It could be that leptin for weight loss acts in much the same way as steroids do for muscle gain. You don't pop a pill and lose weight. What leptin may do is make exercise more effective and calorie burn more pronounced.

tags : leptin 5-HTP

5-HTP: Day 2 for Mike D?W*

2005-09-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine started talking 5-HTP. Here is what he has had to say:
here's some of my observations of 5-HTP.

Mental: It has changed my mood dramatically, as if a veil had suddenly
been lifted from my eyes. Everything seems to be in sharp focus, and
I'm a bit more hyper than I used to be -- the first night I had trouble
falling asleep the effect was so dramatic. I did suffer from a mild
headache on the frst night, but that quickly passed.

Appetite: While I still get ravenously hungry, I am finding that it
takes less food at a sitting to sate my hunger, and I am not tempted to
overeat to excess. I am not keeping track of weight as you are, but am
primarily taking the 5-HTP for its effect on my susceptability to
depression. I note these changes for your study, but I can tell that
the increased energy is definately burning more calories than I did
before. The extreme hunger probably offsets any gains made in the
caloric burning dep't though.

5-HTP: Day 21

2005-09-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

I would like to give you nothing but good news, but that isn't the case this week. I am up 6 pounds from last week (e.g. after three weeks: net loss 5 lbs.). In my "defense" I think I threw off my weight by have salty food on prior day, but I am going to leave that to the jury.

5-HTP: Day 14

2005-09-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

Two weeks into using 5-HTP and things are good.
My digestion issues have settled down to a dull roar. I came into this with a lot of IBS issues. If nothing else, I am having fewer IBS issues, which I may be able to attribute to a better diet or less food seiging my system.
My sleep levels and mood remain good. I have thrown off a control aspect by purposely getting up earlier to synchronize with my family's routine. Nevertheless, I am doing okay on this front.
I am no longer as hungry. In my last report, I found I was hungry all the time, but able to ignore the impulse to eat. I have to attribute this to smaller portions allowing my stomach to shrink in size. As I said in another post, stomach size is a factor in Ghrelin production that spurs the hunger sensation.
Best part of all: since last Sunday, I have lost 11 pounds. I have not skipped a meal in the last week. In fact, on Friday, I had fish'n'chips for dinner. I have been physically more active, but that may be a side effect of feeling like I have the energy to exercise. I started my diet a year ago, I lost 40 lbs. and then stalled out. I think I hit a base camp. Now, I'm out of the camp and continuing my descent. If I hit a wall in 30-40 lbs, I will repeat the process: establish a base camp, hunker down, wait for my metabolism to reset, and start the descent again.

5-HTP: Day 7

2005-09-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Seven days ago, I started taking 5-HTP. Here's my first report:
For the first few days, I had afternoon headaches. They have mostly passed.
I noticed that my mood is more stable. That is supposed to be the primary effect of 5-HTP-- as a supplement that aids emotion and mood. From a dieting perspective, if mood can get factored out of dieting, mood induced food choices can get factored out.
The next effect: hunger and saiety. Since starting 5-HTP, I have been more hungry, but I eat much less often. Snacking is out of the picture. If I'm three hours late for a meal, that's not a big deal. When I eat, I never wish for seconds. So, on the saiety front it's a win. On hunger front: not so much.
A friend once said, "We're just big, walking chemistry sets."
The big question: have I lost weight? Yes, I have lost a couple of pounds.
So, we'll see how things are next week.

When You Should and Shouldn't Weigh In

2005-09-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Like the song says: "For every thing there is a time." If your weight loss and self-esteem are in any way tied in any way, when you weigh can be as important a what you weigh.

Do:
First thing in the morning after your first trip to the washroom. This is the most accurate weigh in you'll get. If you want a good gauge of your current weight.
Before exercise: Again, this is close to accurate.
When you're not depressed: If you're in a bad mood, the last thing you need is an excuse to slide on your diet.

Don't:
After a large meal-- or large glass of water: All you'll be doing is weighing the food you ingested. Water has zero calories, but a liter of water weighs over 2lbs.
After exercise: Your workout will have left you dehydryated. Your weigh in will not so much show you how many calories you've burned, as how much water you've left in the gym.
Weigh in everyday: Your weight can fluctuate. I weighed my fit little daughter. She came in at 52lbs.; the next day: 50lbs.. Two pounds of swing on a 50lb girl. Choose two days of the week thaty are generally good days. Make those your two weigh in days and skip the other five days.

Remember:
Friday's indulgence is Monday's flab: Even though you get the sugar/insulin benefit from eating soon after you eat, excess calories and missing calories cruise around your body for upwards of two days. In other words, if you have a double cheeseburger then weigh in and see little change, you might think you've dodged the bullet. Wrong. By the same token: exercise will strip off water right away, but lost calories and lost fat will take a couple of days to make their way out of your body. So, if you sweat off half a litre, then drink that back, you'll think you did nothing for your weight loss. Give it some time.
+/- 1%: If your weight can swing randomly 1%, you have to factor in that when you weigh in. If you weigh 200lbs-- a +/- 2lbs is a 1% swing. If you weigh 300lbs-- a +/- 3lbs is a 1% swing. When you cheer because you lost two pounds, remember the +/- 1% rule.

tags: dieting, obesity

Fat and Grumpy is a Bad Combo

2005-08-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Years back, a doctor tried to prescribe Prozac for my wife's weight issues. She was so incensed that she dumped the doctor. Granted, Prozac is a lousy drug unless you want to feel good about taking to the bell tower and mowing down the citizenry with a semi-automatic rifle. Nevertheless, the doctor may have been onto something with the wrong drug for the wrong reason.
Problems and solutions travel in constellations. It's why a disease has several symptoms. It's why a cure has the desired effect plus side-effects. Several factors combine to make up saiety:

Fullness-- is your stomach full?
Leptin-- a protien released by fat cells. Receptors in your brain are told you're full
Gehrlin-- released by the stomach lining. The more gehrlin in circulation, the hungrier you feel. When people go in for stomach stapling, the stapled-- omitted part of stomach doesn't release gerhlin.
Psychology-- what triggered the eating? Hunger? Mood? Obsessive-compulsive disorder?

If any of these misfire, you may overeat. Some of these are geared together. If you eat calorie intesive food, you won't be full. If leptin reception is poor, you may also have poor serotonin reception. If you are depressed or OCD, overeating will throw off your leptin levels. If you're overweight, that could get you down. What if you eat when you're depressed?
There may be a therapy that can attack this issue on a few fronts at once: 5-HTP. 5-HTP or 5-hydroxy tryptophan is a supplement that is made from Griffonia seeds, a cactus from South Africa.
Often used as an antidepressant, evidence from small double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials suggests that 5-HTP may also help people lose weight. It is thought to work by raising levels of serotonin may influence eating behavior. L-Tryptophan is converted to 5-HTP before becoming serotonin; taking 5-HTP bypasses this first step of the process. What's more wild: there is evidence that 5-HTP boosts leptin levels. As I wrote in an earlier piece, leptin is a big deal.
So, I am starting a one month trial of 5-HTP. I am going to take 50mg of 5-HTP three times a day for 30 days. If the research is on target, leptin should help me feel full. More than that, leptin stimulates metabolization. If it works, what I eat will give me more energy. Less food plus more energy is a good combo for weight loss.

Leaping Leptin and Ghrelin Growlies

2005-08-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

Leptin is a protein that acts as a receptor. It’s created by fat tissue. The theory is that the more fat you have, the more leptin you have and that will suppress your need to eat. Hyperleptinemia—the malfunction of the mechanisms that circulate and expend leptin -- may be large factor in obesity. Leptin has links to insulin deficiency, but it also has strong ties to weight. Deficiencies in leptin cause spikes in appetite and the “starvation reflex”—the body’s physiological response to a lack of food. About 5% of obese people are considered "relatively" leptin deficient.

Those people can benefit from leptin therapy. Leptin has two roles in human physiology. During the periods of weight maintenance, when caloric intake and use are equal, leptin levels reflect total body fat mass. During periods of weight loss and weight gain, leptin acts as a sensor of energy imbalance. Like a dietary counterweight.

A small study from The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism suggested that even though giving people leptin does not help them lose weight, it can help them keep weight off. The study observed six people, three obese and three normal, who dieted until they lost 10 percent of their body weight. When they lost weight, their bodies tried to slow their metabolism.

"Then we gave them injections of leptin at very low doses, just enough to put back into the blood the amount that would have been produced by the fat they'd lost," Dr. Leibel said. "We were trying to trick the brain." It’s not about having a high leptin level: but having one closest to an ideal baseline.

In short term fasts of 24 hrs, leptin levels will drop 30% from basal values. It works in reverse. Massive overfeeding over a 12 hour period can increase leptin levels by 50%. Short term changes in diet can create changes in your leptin level. In addition, the circadian rhythm—your urge to work by day and sleep by night—falls in step with your leptin levels. Leptin levels were highest between midnight and early morning hours, and lowest in the afternoon. These levels are independent of your schedule and sleeping pattern. If you live your life in conflict with this rhythm, you will run in conflict with your leptin levels. Your body gives you a pass and doesn’t expect you to have a meal at 4 AM. When you’re up at odd hours, you may well eat when your body is anticipating a fast; and sleep when your body is expecting dinner.

Fat people are hungry for a good reason. When you’re obese, your leptin levels are more susceptible to large swings. Lean subjects, stay on more of an even keel. In other words, they aren’t so leptin deficient so they don’t have the same urge to compensate when food is available.

Having comparably high leptin levels—close your baseline level—while you’re fasting is important to give you the stamina to live with a reduced calorie diet and do it with fewer cravings. Where do you locate leptin? Right now, medicinal leptin therapy is in the realm of gene therapy and that gene therapy is still in the early trial stages. Those studies are yielding great results. Test mice have dropped to two-thirds of the weight of the control group. Researchers examined the rats' fat cells and discovered "profound morphological and molecular changes." The cells became crammed with mitochondria, burning oxygen and providing energy.

What if you’re not a mouse and you’re not reading this book while flying your jet car? Because leptin is a protein, it must be injected into the body and cannot be taken orally as a pill or capsule. Imagine you metabolism is a kids looking for Lego. If you give it the right number of pieces, it can build the Eiffel tower. You can encourage leptin levels by adjusting your diet.

One study asked 12 normal-weight women to accompany balanced meals with drinks sweetened with either fructose-- a form of sugar found in corn syrup, honey and fruit-- or glucose. When the women drank the fructose drink, their levels of insulin and leptin were lower than when they consumed a drink flavored with glucose, and levels of ghrelin were higher. Ghrelin is the counterpart to Leptin. If you want a high level of leptin, you want a low level of ghrelin. Ghrelin acts to stimulate appetite. In addition, drinking the fructose drink was associated with a spike in levels of blood fats, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Even though the pop bottle may say, “0% fat”, your bloodstream can’t read. Past the fructose vs. glucose swap out what can stimulate leptin? Stay tuned…

There are clinical trials for leptin replacement therapy: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/show/NCT00085982

Related reading and article source material:

http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/news/20020624203308_health_news.shtml

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4660

http://www.raysahelian.com/diet.html

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/investigation.php

tags : Leptin Ghrelin diet food obesity

Low Calorie Spinach Salad

2005-08-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

I love spinach salads. Mmmm.... the bacon, the cheese, the dressings... wait, those ingredients are death when you're way too fat and trying to lose weight. Here's a way to use subsitution to turn a healthy looking salad into a healthy salad.

Wash and blot dry the spinach. Poach the egg whites and allow to cool, then chop. Grill the bacon and dice it. Slice thin rings of red onion. If raw red onion is too harsh, grill it to take the edge off. Otherwise, substitute the onion for green onion. Combine ingredients then sprinkle the top with the soy cheese

Mix together dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad.

Ingredients (per serving)
Salad: (231 calories)

3 cups of raw spinach (21 calories)
2 cooked egg whites-- pref. poached and then chopped (34 calories)
2 slices of Canadian bacon, grilled and diced (86 calories)
1/4 sliced red onion (10 calories)
1/4 cup (1 oz.) loosely grated of Mozerella soy cheese (80 calories)

Dressing: (33 calories)

3 tblsp. balsamic vinegar (24 calories)
1 tsp. oregano (5 calories)
1/2 tsp black pepper (prepared) (3 calories)
1 tsp parsley (1 calories)

Total calories: 264 calories

Caloric Swap: Episode II

2005-08-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

There are five foods you need to get familiar with. They can step into your diet and replace starches and dead calories.

Mushrooms: (1 cup: 16 calories). Versatile and tasty. Mushrooms can replace meat partially or entirely.
Broccoli: (1 cup: 35 calories). Sure kids hate it and cheese sauce loves it, but broccoli is full of vitamins. On a dinner plate, it can nudge off potatoes. If you succumb to dunking something in a dip, leave the chips and dip these the mirco trees.
Green Beans: (1 cup: 42 calories). Leave pasta off the plate and coat green beans with tomato sauce.
Spinach: (fresh: 1 cup: 7 calories; cooked: 1 cup: 40 calories). Fresh, it's a tasty alternative to lettuce in salads. Cooked and thrown into a chinese noodle meal, it can replace heavy calorie noodles.
Tomatoes: (1 cup: 32 calories) Tomato sauce, salsa, chopped into a salad: they can replace heavier alternative like cream sauces. Look at some of the prepared foods that use tomato at the core: salsa is 16 calories per tablespoon compared with Ranch dressing (90 calories for regular; 25 calories for fat free).
Cabbage: (raw: 1 cup: 21 calories) At the next picnic, drop potato salad in favour of cole slaw. When you go to the baseball game, replace chili (28 calories/oz.), ketchup or cheese with sauerkraut (7 calories /oz.).

Caloric Swap: Episode I

2005-08-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

I love beef stroganoff. It's a guaranteed opportunity to over indulge.
Here's a quick (and tasty) swap-out:

If you were going to put 2 cups of egg noodles onto your plate (426 calories)
Swap it for 2 cups of frozen, cooked green beans (58 calories)

Savings: 368 calories. It also moves it from being a GI hazardous meal, to being a GI positive meal.

Big Asian Salad

2005-07-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is simple to whip up and low calorie. Best of all, it's tasty.

Wash and combine salad ingredients. Mix together dressing ingredients. Pour dressing into salad. Toss thoroughly. Eat. (well, if you want to)

Salad:

2 cups of raw spinach (14 calories)
2 cups of lettuce (19 calories)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (3 calories)
1/2 cup of fresh bean sprouts (17 calories)

Dressing:

1 tblsp. Hoisin sauce (35 calories)
2 tblsp. pickled ginger (40 calories)
1 tsp wasabi (prepared) (18 calories)
1 tsp mayonaise (40 calories)

Total calories: 196 calories

Living La Vita Sobria

2005-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

In 1558, Luigi Cornaro theorized that if you lived life in moderation your could outlive those who like there's no tomorrow. Ironically for them, there may be no tomorrow. Cornaro kept himself on a low calorie diet, under 1000 calories per day into perpetuity. He lived to be 102 years old.

There are many schools of thought on hypocaloric diets and longevity. Scientists have found in mice and nemitode worms that if their diets are seriously limited, they can live up 25% longer than their full calorie counterparts. What's going on? Is food innately poisonious? Does the digestion process wear us out in time? Are the likes of Cornaro onto something and we're all overeating?

To use a automobile analogy. Maybe we think of our bodies as gas tanks: fill it up and go! Instead, maybe our metabolism is like a transmission: too much or too little transmission fluid and we're in trouble. Get it just right and you can go for miles.

If you want, check out Luigi Cornaro's Discourses on the Sober Life.

Fat Red-Haired Mutant

2005-07-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have been reading this great book called, Mutants. I am on a part about skin color and melanotropin. If you are deficient in melanotropin, you are pale, red haired and fat.

Melanotropin prompts skin darkening. It's also helps receptors that act as appetite suppressant. People who are low in melanotropin are red-haired (strawberry blonde to auburn) and are much more likely to be fat because they don't have this capability to feel full.

Previous to the section on melantropin, there is a section on pie balding. A side effect is deafness. In so many words, our nervous system has a connection to our skin pigmentation.

Lacking melanotopin, is like going to a home construction and telling the foreman that he has to build the house without finishing nails. Almost all of the work will get done, but some stuff won't look right. The connection between crappy edging and big nails sticking out of the kitchen cabinets is the finishing nail deficiency.

For the researchers out there, this article is very long, dry and focussed on the science of melanotropin

http://www.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wrapomim?176830
(be warned, it's likely only a clear read if you are a doctor, a biologist or similar).

The question: how to stimulate melanotropin or mask its absence?

tags: diet mutant melanotropin

Idle Hands Remedy

2005-05-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

I can't sit still. Really. I know ex-smokers who trade handling cigarettes for handling snacks. If you put a bowl of snack food nearby me, it's likely I would nibble my way through it. Part of this is an eating disorder. An active lifestyle is ideal, but that may not be realistic (really: it's November and your two year old has a cold-- you're home). Basal calorie burn is approximately 9 kCal/lb/day (200 lbs means you burn 1800 calories by being alive). If you do nothing, you're running at that basal burn-- that's what you're using when you're sitting there watching TV. Add in a bag of chips and you have a problem. Here are some ideas for the idle hands issue. Here's some thoughts on what to do with idle hands:

Crafting: If you have your hands covered in glue and glitter, you're not fit to handle bigs'n'bites. My personal favorite is sculpting. I noticed that when I am deep into a project, I don't even think about food.

Keyboarding: Why not? Yes, a senditentary passtime is a killer and surfing the web probably keeps your calorie burn rate close to a coma. But, it will keep your fingers busy.

Knitting: It's active, it keeps your hands busy and Russell Crowe does it.

Busy Balls: Replace the snack bowl for one of those cornstarch filled rubber balls. It will keep your hands busy if all else fails.

Wasps Can't Fly Down

2005-05-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

We had a wasp problem. I got a "natural" trap: basically a cylinder with a hole in the middle. Fill it with sugar water and pests will go in, feed and be unable to leave. According to the label, bees and the like can't fly down.

It gave me a thought: what if fat people can't fly down? I've started to inch off the weight again. As soon as I did, my body started these nagging reminders. You're hungry, it's time to eat. There's slightly less flab: time to stock up. When I've gained weight, there hasn't been that nagging chime. Maybe that's part of problem: everyone has a saiety/hunger alarm; and one of my two circuits has burnt out.

Okay Day Followed By The Pit Trap

2005-05-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

With a new job, I'm trying to captialize on the dynamic to revisit my diet. Here's how day one went:

Breakfast: (209 calories)

3 egg whites (75 calories)
2 cup of raw spinach (15 calories)
1/2 tablespoon butter (49 calories)
1 mug of hot iced tea (Nestea Calorie Reduced) (70 calories)

Snack:

Green Tea (0-1 calories)

Lunch: (80 calories)

1 bowl of Fiesta Tortilla soup (200 ml) (80 calories)

Dinner: (760 calories!)

Huge steak (doh!) (450 calories)
Salad (60 calories)
1/2 cup mac'N'cheese (250 calories)

Total: 1049 calories

Any ideas where I when wrong? Yep: despite how tasty that steak was I could have done a few things to put that main dish back into perspective:

Replace the mac'n'cheese with a vegetable:

1/2 cup of broccoli w/cheese (from Green Giant 45 calories)
1/2 cup of fast fried or BBQ grilled zucchini (10 calories + 10 calories for BBQ sauce)

Replace the steak with the equivalent:

8 oz. Tuna steak (245 calories)
8 oz. Chicken breast (250 calories)

If I wanted to have the same mass on my plate, I could have swapped out a huge hunk of steak and KD (700 calories) for a smaller piece of tuna (125 calories) and 2 cups of broccoli w/cheese and zucchini (130 calories). Net difference: 455 calories.

What is close to 455 calories?

Wendy's bacon cheeseburger (387 calories)
5 oz serving of nachos (463 calories)
Dairy Queen med. chocolate sundae (400 calories)

If you want a treat, this is a good place to cut back. If you had a treat six months ago and it's now part of that mass of fat around your middrift, swap steak and pasta for fish and veggies and make up for it now.

Signature Soups

2005-05-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

Safeway deli departments have a line of "Signature Soups." Some should have a flashing red lights atop them and blast out, "DANGER" but some are downright healthy:

Fiesta Chicken Tortilla Soup - 100 calories/250 ml (275 kCal for a full container)
vs.
Baked Potato Soup - 440 calories/250 ml (1100 kCal for a full container!)

They are all tasty, but choose wisely.

Will Well

2005-05-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

When you burn out your willpower with a tough day of work, you might not have the capacity to resist comfort food.

http://www.exn.ca/dailyplanet/story.asp?id=2005051652

"Diet" Foods

2005-05-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

A lot of low carb food is a scam.
A good example are low-carb tortillas. I compared a low-carb tortilla and the regular of the same size. The calorie gap? 145 for the regular vs. 123 for the low carb. Wow. An amazing 15% reduction. With 22 calories less in my day, I can save the exercise of walking up those last five steps.

Vegan Cream of Tomato Soup

2005-05-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

I like tomato soup more than I like dairy. Here's a really simple recipe.
Ingredients:

1 28oz tin of crushed tomatoes
1 mashed avocado
2 cups of water (less for thicker soup)
1/2 teaspoon of crushed chilis (optional)
pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, take avocado, mash it up. Add some of the tomato. Mix tomato with avocado. Blend. Add tomato slowly to make sure that the avocado has completely blended with the tomato. Add water until you have an acceptable consistency. Add pepper and chilis. Heat Soup. Serve. Well, you should serve it. After all, you had to mash up an avocado and open that tin.

Calories per 2 cup serving: 120 calories.

Wrap it Up!

2005-05-15T09:37:00.001-07:00

I like stuff in wrap form: burritos, egg rolls, spring rolls, salad rolls, souvlakis, pinwheel sandwiches-- you name it. When I gave up bread in favor of tortillas, I thought I was make a calorie conscious choice. Nope. A 10" tortilla has a calorie count of approx. 150 calores. Two slices of bread have approx. 140 calories. Pitas? Pitas are a bad option: they weigh in at 300+ calories per.
How do I satisfy the wrap craving? Apart from moderation, I have three approaches: crepes, crepes light and rice paper.

Crepes. Traditional crepes are more soldified egg than a flour suspension like a tortilla. In other words, tortillas and pitas are calorie heavy because of their flour content. Crepes rack up a lot of calories from fat, but they net fewer calories. So, I will make a batch and sub them out for tortillas.
Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions: Mix together, chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Use a hot non-stick pan. Ladel out 1/2 cup of the batter in a donut shape-- not on the edge, not in the middle. Then swirl the pan. Some of the batter will move to the outside of the donut. Some to the inside. In the end, you will have an evenly coated surface. When its done, the crepe will lift up and can be flipped.
Yield: 10-12 crepes.
Calories: ~110 per crepe

Crepes Light. If the crepe calorie count is too high, try a spin on the recipe. They won't taste as good, but they will be better for you.
Ingredients:

1 egg
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions: Mix together, chill for 1 hour. Use a hot non-stick pan. Ladel out 1/2 cup of the batter in a donut shape-- not on the edge, not in the middle. Then swirl the pan. Some of the batter will move to the outside of the donut. Some to the inside. In the end, you will have an evenly coated surface. When its done, the crepe will lift up and can be flipped.
Yield: 9-11 crepes.
Calories: ~90 per crepe

Rice Paper. In the Chinese food aisle or most store in your town's Chinatown, you will find sheets of rice paper. They are disc shaped with a funky cross hatching pattern that makes them look almost like white wicker. The best part, they're really low calorie (approx 20 calories each) and really easy to work with. Stick them in a shallow bath of hot water. After a couple of minutes they're easy enough to work with. Pull them out, pat them dry and fill with ingredients. My favorite:

3/4 cup of spinach
2 tablespoons of cooked rice vermicelli
2 tablespoons of carrots
1 piece of green onions

Roll it up and you have a 60 calorie salad roll.

Fat Ass Rollercoaster

2005-05-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been fat since I was six.
I fight a thirty-one year battle with weight. My enemies:

Metabolism. My body likes to store weight. Everything efficiently turns into blubber.
Society. You name it, I can buy crap at almost any hour. Donuts, burgers, pizza, beer, Chinese food. TV blares out its feel good message. If I eat, they promise I can be happy. Dance to a jingle, cram something crappy in your face.
Family. My mom always laid out a spread of high calorie food. If I didn't eat, something was wrong. If I got fat from food, it was my fault. They weren't forcing chow into me.
Me. I have a whole host of problems that make me susceptible to weight gain. I have triggers that make me eat and fitting my life into the groove where I can follow a decent diet. I have depression issues and I like to cook. It's like an alcoholic running a bar. I need to be strong. If I am weak, I need a system of protection-- like a bumper or an airbag.

For the last three decades, I have fought this battle. Bit by bit, I slide. Sometimes I make great strides.

Here's the skinny on the chubby (a chronology of fat)

Date	Weight

1968	6lbs. some ounces	Born
1975	100 lbs.	I was Seven. Who doesn't see that a child this fat isn't an issue?
1984	260 lbs.	I lived across the street from a Macs and its 24hr. access to slush cats. The trip across the street never twigged my agoraphobia. Bad news.
1987 - August	270 lbs.	The fattest I had been yet. On a fateful day in August I made a huge Chinese food meal. The next day I started to diet.
1987 - December	200 lbs.	I stopped eating. I screwed over my small intestine. I would go out for walks and come back 2lbs lighter. By the time I was done, I would forget to eat for a day or two.
1988 - June	175 lbs.	My personal best. I was within 10lbs of my ideal weight. Like seeing Vahalla and getting spun around by Grendel.
1995	200 lbs.	Like the toc-toc-toc of a roller coaster, I edged back up again.
1999	250 lbs.	I couldn't fit into a pair of pant to go to a friends wedding. I was almost in tears.
2004	300 lbs.	When I would carry my daughter, my backpack and groceries, I would tip the scales at 375 lbs. Wow. How could I walk? That I'll never guess. I knew I was far gone. When I weighed in at the doctor's office, I almost broke down crying.
2004 - December	260 lbs.	With a fervent effort, a lot of vegetables and very little starch I was able to shed 40 lbs.
2005 - May	265 lbs.	Back up the roller coaster...

Way Too Fat

Can your Dentist help you lose weight?

Half your intake to drop your weight

The Skinny on Epigenetics

Etymology and definitions

Molecular basis of epigenetics

Mechanisms

DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling

RNA transcripts and their encoded proteins

Prions

Structural inheritance systems

Functions and consequences

Development

Medicine

Evolution

Epigenetic effects in humans

Genomic imprinting and related disorders

Transgenerational epigenetic observations

Cancer and developmental abnormalities

Epigenetics in microorganisms

See also:

Further reading:

The role of BMP-7 in Obesity

The Downer of High Weight

Morale and Weight : Thoughts on Keep One Up and One Down

The Skinny: Cautions Weight Loss Supplments

Five Things to Add To Your Weight Loss

Dieting : A Sub-culture

Losing More Than Weight : Hair Loss And Crash Diets

Vitamins and Weight Loss

Under The Knife : Thoughts on Weight Loss Thru Surgery

30 Lbs in 20 Weeks

Thoughts on the Popular Fad Diets

Some Obesity Medicines On The Market

Same Old Thing : Eating the Same Thing As A Means of Dieting

Turning the Corner : Changing Your Habits to Change Your Weight

Like Mitichlorians -- but real

Fun Fat Facts

Choose the Diet Routine That Is Right For You

Myth Vs. Legend : Weight Loss Facts

Salad Rolls : A low calorie snack

The Neuropeptide Y2R Receptor And You

Another Solution To The Problem

I Broke Something Else

A New Kind of Fat Pill

Negative Calorie Foods

ECCG Primer

Biological effects

Important flavonoids

Quercetin

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins

Epicatechin

Important dietary sources

Citrus

Green Tea

Availability through microorganisms

Cortisol

Regular Exercise: Mike

Why Blame Science?

Gut Bugs and Big Guts

Aversion Therapy

Genes Linked to Obesity

Environmental factors

Slim nurses

Vegan Weight Loss

Pet Food is Healthier Than Fast food

The Fat Virus

Alex's Detox Diet

McHarm

Substitute Teachings

Mexican / Indian Express

5-HTP: Day 28

5-HTP: Day 2 for Mike D?W*

5-HTP: Day 21

5-HTP: Day 14

5-HTP: Day 7

When You Should and Shouldn't Weigh In

Fat and Grumpy is a Bad Combo

Leaping Leptin and Ghrelin Growlies

Low Calorie Spinach Salad