A few good reads for today....

Weight loss

First a quick update: I'm down another lb, which leaves only a lb to go before I'm back at 161.4. Curse those chips!

We had dinner with friends last night and they started asking me about my diet. I explained how low-carb works, etc. They didn't look sold when I was finished, but I know the results I'm having speak for themselves. About 9:30 last night they called me from a Wal-Mart Super Center asking me what they should buy to start the diet. :0)

I gave them a quick rundown and told them I'd bring them my copy of DANDR (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) and some copies of my favorite recipes. Keep your fingers crossed that they can get through the induction phase, which is the hardest part.


Links

Today will be another busy day, so I thought I'd just share a few articles of interest. I don't have time to give my detailed thoughts on them as I'd like to, so just read and enjoy. And feel free to leave any thoughts you have on these articles in the comment box!

"Good Carbs" Yield New Found Benefits
Again, nothing new under the sun...

More Evidence Favors Low-Carb Diets
My favorite quote from the above article:

Taken as a whole, the evidence suggests that carb-control offers considerable potential as a weapon in the battle of the bulge.

Amen Dr. Briffa!

After reading this article I decided to look at his blog: Dr. Briffa - A good look at health

I don't the time today to read in detail, but I'll definitely be going back to see what he has to say. It does look promising! I'll let you know my thoughts on this blog in a future post.

"Healthy" Foods May Not Be
I think I've posted this before, but the warning bears repeating. Do more than look at the nutrition labels... read the ingredients labels as well! (No that can't "fix" this problem, but it will help you spot those things that just don't seem to add up. You can also use the hidden carb calculator on my site to check things out.)


Words of Wisdom

A photographic memory is of no use if it's never developed.

OK.. I need to get busy. Have a great day

Sore losers...

Boo Hoo, cry me a river. Here's a tissue...

Ya know, there is nothing worse than a sore loser. They whine about how unfair something is or they talk about lack of equality. Just suck it up and admit you didn't come out on top this time! Why am I talking about this? Because of this article on Yahoo. By now I'm sure you've heard all about the JAMA study comparing diet plans and their effectiveness. As great as that is, I don't want to talk about it. You can find plenty of wonderful and informed blog posts on that topic. What I want to discuss is the whining by the other diet creators. Such as...

The study "had a good concept and incredibly pathetic execution," said Zone diet creator Barry Sears.

There may be a measure of truth in this complaint. I wasn't there to see how they conducted this study so I can't say he's completely off base. But it's still sounds like whining. This study seemed to be based on how things happen in the real world. We can't have a dietitian watching our every move to make sure we follow the plan to the letter. It's not realistic.

It's a lot easier to follow a diet that tells you to eat bacon and brie than to eat predominantly fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Dean Ornish, creator of the Ornish diet.

As for Ornish.. ugh. Where do I begin? First, he obviously is still determined to fabricate the myth that Atkins is not about fruits and veggies. He is spouting the same old lies about Atkins being an all meat and cheese diet. Second, he's admitting that Atkins is easier to follow, which frankly cracks me up. Mr. Ornish is 100% correct and this is probably the only time I've ever agreed with him. As has been mentioned a bazillion times, protein and fat fill you up and keep you satisfied. THAT is why it's easier to stick with a low-carb plan. So.. would you like a little cheese with that whine Mr. Ornish? Oops.. for give me. I forgot. You think cheese is evil. How about some tofu then.

Shouldn't everyone be happy that we are learning what may or may not help literally millions of obese people across the globe? Yes.. regardless of the findings, curing disease and helping people regain their health should be the number one concern. Why do these other diet gurus care so much that their plans didn't make the top rating? I can sum it up in 5 letters: M-O-N-E-Y. If a study comes out saying this is the best way to do something, people run like lemmings to try it. They know that most people won't do their own research and therefore will be influenced by the latest headlines. This means less book and product sales for them. I wouldn't be surprised if we see another mini low-carb craze for a while. I just hope this time people will actually read the books, educate themselves and do it correctly.

I'll be the first to admit that low-carb isn't for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all diet plan. We have to find what works for us and make it happen. While I felt awful on a low-fat diet, and yes I'll complain about what I went through now and again, I do not condemn those who use low-fat to take care of themselves. All we want, as low-carbers, is the same respect that is given to other diet plan followers and acknowledgement of our specific health needs. Is that really too much to ask?

OK.. now I'm whining. Pass me those tissues.

Tools You Can Use

Here are some of my favorite tools for weight loss....


Hidden Carb Calculator

Hidden carbs are very easy to find. All it takes is the nutrition label and a little math. Here's an example of how it works:

The Great Value Heavy Cream nutrition label says it has 50 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0 carbohydrates, and 0 grams of protein per 1 tablespoon. To see if this is accurate we simply use the following formula:



fat x 9 calories + carbs x 4 calories + protein x 4 calories = total calories per serving.



So here's how this works. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. Each gram of protein contains 4 calories. (Now you know what that little line at the bottom of the nutrition label means!) In our example above, our fat should be worked like this:



5 grams of fat x 9 calories = 45 calories.



That accounts for most of the calories in this product. But we still need to find out where the other 5 calories are coming from. So we continue on..



0 Carbohydrates x 4 calories = 0 calories.

0 Protein x 4 calories = 0 calories.


Now we have a problem. There are 5 calories unaccounted for. Most likely those are attributed to carbohydrates. So while the label says there are 0 carbs per 1 tablespoon, in all likelihood there are actually 1.25 carbs per tablespoon.



5 left over calories divided by the 4 carb calories = 1.25


How do the food industry get by with this? In most cases all they have to do is keep the serving small enough that the carb count is below 1. It could be .9 carbs and they can still list it as 0 because it isn't technically a full gram of carbs. Do you see how easy it can be to ingest more carbs that you realize? Now this isn't meant to make you paranoid about everything you eat. It's just a little tool you can use to help with those items you just aren't so sure about.


Measuring Tape

Any measuring tape will do.. but sometimes it's tough to get accurate measurements when you are doing it by yourself. Here's where I can help. Go to your local department store and look around in the sewing department. For around $1.95 you can find this little dandy:



The plastic slide moves around easily to help you find the right measurement. The red line helps you easily see the marks.



The slide on the back snaps to the end of the tape. Once you have the tape in place, simply unsnap and look at the slide! No more trying to bend over to see and worrying that you'll move the tape.













Muscle Vs. Fat

Another thing that can help you understand the importance of measurements is the following picture:




As you can see, fat takes up much more space than muscle. So the next time you feel like nothing is happening because the scale hasn't budged, remember this picture. You very well could be replacing fat with muscle.

Speaking of.. I measured today and compared to my last measurements, when I weighed around 196, I have lost a total of 4.5 inches!

I'm out of time for today.. but there are a couple of other tools I'd love to share with you tomorrow.. so check back soon!