When Your FAMILY Doesn’t Recognize Your FACE

You know you’ve lost a lot of weight when your mother doesn’t recognize your pictures.

I sent pictures of the kids at Christmas to my sister-in-law to share with the western branch of the family. She commented on how much weight Eric has lost since she saw him last. He looks great. I mentioned that I’d lost 80 pounds and sent a picture. Mom didn’t know who it was.

I’ve told Mom several times that I was losing weight. I’ve always suspected that she didn’t listen, so this proves it.

It’s happened off and on for the past 2 years. People don’t recognize me till I speak. The voice is a give-away.

FACING FACTS: Hunger

TV. The Internet. Even the radio stations I work for. They are all full of ads promising weight loss without hunger and THAT”S CRAP!

Now I am not advocating slashing calories below 1000 or anything drastic. But you have to look at what hunger is. Our bodies are set up with warning signs. If you’re sick, you feel bad. That lets you know things are out of balance. If you’re not taking in enough calories to maintain your weight, your body lets you know. You feel hungry. This is not bad … a little uncomfortable, but not a big deal. You can not lose weight without taking in fewer calories than you burn up, so occasionally feeling hungry is just part of it. Man up and move on.

This is the lecture I’m giving myself. I was extremely overweight in the beginning – 270 pounds. I’ve gradually cut back and gradually lost. I haven’t been really hungry very often … until recently. Now I’m closer to a healthy weight, so I’m feeling hunger more.

FOOD: Acai Berries

I’ve been looking into Acai berries. I can use all the help I can get losing this weight, but I really don’t want to waste my time on scams. One site pretended to be a news story. -- http://www.theacaiberryexpert.com/  I really hate it when idiots try to scam me.

This site ( http://www.aprovenacaiberry.com/acaiberryland.php?t=487940878 ) said things about scams that made sense, but that doesn’t mean they’re trust worthy. And I still don’t know if the berries themselves are a good idea.

Then I ended up on Oprah’s site. She’d never knowingly pass on inaccurate information, so this is what I was looking for. A source I can trust. 40 different Acai concoctions say she’s endorsed their products … without her permission. ( http://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/20090105_orig_acai ) This tells me there’s a lot of crap floating around the net. (Surprise. Surprise.) But before the scammers got involved, was Acai a good idea?

Then I found Dr Perricone’s List of 10 Super Foods. - http://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/20090105_orig_acai  He spotlighted 10 foods that were “rich in either the essential fatty acids (EFAs), antioxidants or fiber, and as in the case of açaí—all three!” Every year it’s something. Red wine is suppose to good for you (Whoopee!). Tomatoes, blue berries, green tea … they’ve all had their15-minutes of fame. I have nothing against Acai, but I’d like to know more.

Then I went to the Personal Blog part of Oprah’s web site. Ok, I thought it would be Oprah, herself, on Acai berry. ( http://www.oprah.com/community/blogs/acai1berry ) I was wrong. “The Real Acai Berry Truth” is written by “acai1berry.” Apparently her name is “Janette J. Agustin.” She writes, “If you really want to Lose Weight the healthy way, then you must try this Acai Berry Diet Free Trial.” This is a sales pitch. I might buy the product, but first I need to be convinced it’s worthwhile. Inform and convince first. Then sell.
Finally, I found a video of Dr. Oz this time, talking about Acai berries. I’m starting to believe they have health benefits. However, after an hour of prowling around the web, I have found nothing credible linking Acai berries and weight loss.

FACT and FICTION: Quack Watch on Adkins

OK, I’m plateaued. So what am I going to do about it.

I thought I might consider a diet plan. There are millions. The trouble is, FOLLOWING the plan. People cheat. I am no different. That’s why I created my own plan. I thought I’d stick to it better. It’s worked for 75 pounds, but this last 35 is very stubborn.

Anyway, I went into quack watch to learn some things. Here’s what I found. ( http://www.quackwatch.com/ )

“There are about 3,500 calories in a pound of body weight. To lose one pound a week, you must consume about 500 fewer calories per day than you metabolize. Most fad diets, if followed closely, will result in weight loss—as a result of caloric restriction.”

“Low-Carbohydrate Diets also produce ketosis, but if properly designed, they enable the body's nutritional needs to be met by dietary protein, dietary fat, stored body fat, and stored glycogen, so that body muscles are spared . As this "nutritional ketosis" begins, there is a diuretic (water loss) effect, leading the dieter to think that significant weight reduction is taking place. However, most of the early loss is water rather than fat; the lost water is regained quickly when if the dieter resumes eating carbohyrate (as would occur, for example, with a balanced diet). Appetite, often reduced during ketosis, also returns when a balanced diet is resumed. In the past, it was thought that patients restricted their caloric intake because the food restrictions made the low-carbohydrate diet monotonous. However, current theorists suggest that appetite reduction has a hormonal basis. “

ATKINS:“In yet another study, researchers who compile the National Weight Control Registry analyzed the diets of 2,681 members who had maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for a year or more. Because the Atkins diet had been used for more than 30 years, the researchers reasoned that, if it worked, its followers would be well represented. However, they found that only 25 (1%) of these successful people had followed a diet with less than 24% of their daily calories in the form of carbohydrates. The mean duration of successful weight maintenance in this low-carbohydrate group was 19 months, whereas the mean duration of dieters who consumed more than 24% of their daily calories as carbohydrates was 36 months. Because so few Atkins dieters were found in the Registry, the researchers concluded that the Atkins diet may not create the favorable "metabolic advantage" claimed for it.”

First, I found it disconcerting that people only manage to keep it off for 3 years (regular dieting). I’ve been working on losing for 2 years, so … I hope to be in lasting habits. Hope. I work with someone who was very successful on Atkins, but put it all back on in less than a year.
Clearly, I will not be trying Adkins.