Senin, 31 Agustus 2009

Day 3: It's not rocket science, but ...


ALEXANDER HOGUE
American, 1898-1994
Erosion No. 2 - Mother Earth Laid Bare, 1936P
Picture taken in Tulsa in the Philbrook Museum of art--no flash used. This was one of my favorite paintings in the museum. It has nothing to do with this post. I just like it (and she kind of looks like me).

In a nutshell, my "6-week , lose 10 pounds" plan so far:

Sunday, Day 2 - 29.5 Points (good since my limit is 29 with using the APs and weeklies). I purposely stayed out of the gym and went for a 45-minute walk with my husband.

Day 3 - 28 Points (if I don't eat another bite tonight and I think I can safely say I'm done eating for the day). I really struggled through my 90-minute workout this morning. It was like my feet were stuck in mud. I managed to burn 465 calories, but it was tough going all the way. Usually after five minutes I'm really into my workout. Not today. I wanted to go home and go to back to bed.

What I've learned so far:

Stopping binge eating, at least for the short run, is possible.

Going to bed slightly hungry and falling asleep is possible.

Journaling and counting Points is possible (and it works).

Sticky notes with my short term goal of 152 placed within my vision in every room helps me stay focused. Me staying focused is possible.

Sugar-free jello with fat-free yogurt and a few blackberries tastes great. Giving up sugar-free ice cream is possible.

Getting to my 10-10-09 goal of 152 -- it's going to happen!

I know what to do to lose weight, as does every single person reading this. We all know the secret formula for weight loss: eat less, move more. It can't get much easier than that...but it's still a struggle for me. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every year. It's a big struggle, but one I'm determined to conquer.

Phylicia Rashad Loses 35 Pounds


Phylicia Rashad, age 61, (of Bill Cosby Show fame) has lost 35 pounds. She looks and feels fantastic. She joined Jenny Craig as a spokesperson in December and it's taken her eight months to lose the weight. She says it's not rocket science. She believes she can keep the weight off as she lost it quite gradually and she intends to keep up the regular exercise. See her in this Jenny Craig promotional video below.

Minggu, 30 Agustus 2009

I am here

Just to let you all know, that I am here, I am just on holiday in Crete... or should that be ON Crete... I dont know. Who knows this stuff?
Anyway, I am eating lot of salads and stuff and trying very hard not to be naughty... like avoiding puddings (deserts) and trying in that way. But if you think I have been avoiding wine, the you can't really truly know ME! HA!

Seeing as its all inclusive though...

I am guessing I will be coming back with excess baggage.
Hold your breath.

Day 2 of my plan (and still excited!)

I'm still psyched about having a short-term goal. If you read yesterday's post, I have 6-week plan to reach 152 pounds. That's not my final goal weight, but it's a step in the right direction (final goal weight is still 135).

Yesterday was a near perfect day for eating and exercise. I know I can't be that perfect every day, but it's what I'm striving to attain on a fairly consistent basis.

My workout yesterday
10 minutes warmup on the elliptical
30 minutes on Sadie (StairMaster)

For my strength routine I do the pyramid sets, starting with the lighter weight, more reps, then higher weights with few reps. Below are the reps/weight for each set. I always do three sets of whatever exercise I'm performing, and on the last rep I go as heavy as I can handle for a minimum of eight reps. I read about this in the New Rules of Lifting for Women.

45 minutes lower body strength workout:
Leg extension 12/65 10/67.5 10/70
Seated leg curl 15/65 12/72.5 10/75
Prone leg curl 12/65 10/70 8/75
Back leg kick with cable ankly cuff 12/40 10/45 10/50
Curtsie lunges 3 sets - 20 reps
Prone leg press 12/70 12/70 12/70

Total calories burned according to my heart rate monitor was 499. According to the Activity tracker in eTools this earned me 7 APs. I only planned on using 4 of those a day.

My food was just about perfect, although a rather weird breakfast because I didn't eat before my Weight Watchers meeting at 11 a.m. Afterwards I wanted to work out so I stopped at the store and bought my breakfast, which is definitely not something I would normally eat.

Breakfast
2 boiled eggs - 4 Points
1 Lucerene light raspberry smoothie - 2 Points
1 WW Red Velvet bar (I caved and bought a box at the meeting - not very good. Tasted like chemicals.) - 1
ttl = 7

Lunch
Blackberry Smoothie:
2 cups blackberries - 2.5
WW smoothie mix - 1
1 cup 1% milk - 2
2 scoops goat whey - 3
3 cups spinach - 0
lots of ice and 1 cup water
ttl = 8.5

Dinner
Grilled 5 oz. Sockeye salmon fillet with lemon pepper - 6.5
Stuffed eggplant (delicious! I promise to share the recipe soon.) - 3
ttl = 9.5

Dessert at 9 p.m.
Jello sugar-free chocolate cup - 1
Light Redi-whip whipped cream - 1

Snack at 10 p.m. - still hungry
Sugar free hot cocoa - 1

Total = 28 Points

That was right in line with what I want to eat. My goal is a maximum of 29 Points a day. I still have some junk food in my diet, like the WW smoothie mix and the sugar-free jello pudding, but I can't go all natural. It would sort of be like me going without makeup, it's just not going to happen.

I'm not going to post all my food every day, since I'm sure people could care less what I eat. I'm mainly posting it to let you know I eat a lot, and I'm not starving myself. Looking at what I ate though, I see things I need to change. Smaller meals, and more snacks.

I also posted the "152" stickies all over the house. They're really helping me stay focused. I'm going to put them in my car too, as well as in my cubicle at work. I really don't care if people know what I weigh.

Today I'm riding my bike for 50 minutes and going to stop on the way back to pick blackberries, I love my blackberry smoothies.

I'm still....soooooo excited!

Sabtu, 29 Agustus 2009

I'm soooo excited!

My weighin today (this is NOT what I'm excited about):

Today's weight: 162.8

Gained: +0.8

Total Loss: -76.4

I gained 8/10 of a pound. That's not good, but not horrible either. I know why I gained, I ate too much food. Last week is history and now I have a plan.

My Weight Watcher Meeting Today

I love my leader, Janis. She's the absolute best leader I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a few in the last three years). It was just what I needed to get my diet mojo back. The meeting was about the Lose for Good campaign. It's where Weight Watchers donates up to $1 million to feed the hungry, based on how much weight their members lose.

The Lose for Good campaign starts tomorrow and lasts for six weeks, ending on October 10. Janis told us to set a goal of exactly what we wanted to weigh six weeks from now. She told us to write it in membership book next to today's weighin. I wrote 152.

At next weeks meeting we're suppose to bring in one item for the local food bank per pound we want to lose. Since I want to lose 10.8 pounds I'll bring in 11 items. Then we have to stand up in front of everyone and Janis will ask us two questions. She wouldn't tell us the two questions, it's a "surprise".

If we make our goal on October 10 Janis will give us $5. These aren't real dollars but are for an auction she does at the end of the year. A really cool auction where you can bid on great prizes (things like a weekend for two at a Mt. Hood resort).

This got me really excited. I'm determined to be one of the winners come October 10.

1. Lose 10.8 pounds by October 10 - six weeks from today

2. Exercise

~~~cardio 7 times a week, with one non-gym day of cardio. Biking or walking.
40 minutes minimum cardio workouts

~~~strength training 6 times a week, 3 upper body workouts, 3 lower body workouts
40 minute minimum strength

I already do this, but I just need to keep doing it and do different exercises. Mix it up a bit.

3. Food

~~~Journal everything. Weigh and measure. No more estimating Points. Be exact.

~~~Eat fewer processed foods. No sugar-free ice cream.

~~~Eat more "filling" foods.

~~~Points limit per day = 20 base + 4 APs + 5 weeklies = 29 max. per day

4. Visualize.

~~~Put notes all over the house, the car, my cubicle with the number "152" written on it.

5. Water

~~~~Drink more water. Being too busy is not an excuse to slack on the water.

I'm super excited about this. I feel like my goal is within my reach. I can do this!

Slowing down but speeding up

Twice this week I drove past the gym on my way TO the gym. Another time this week instead of turning left onto the road to go TO the gym, I drove straight on the road that takes me to the freeway, which is the way to work. Each time I had to turn around and drive back to the gym.

Yesterday I was driving to work, on the freeway where the speed limit is 60 mph, and I was thinking about work. Traffic was light. I glanced down at the speedometer and it read 85 mph. I couldn't believe I was going that fast. I drive fast if I can, around 70, but 85! I immediately slowed down to a more reasonable 70 mph.

This is how people get in terrible accidents and either kill themselves or kill someone else. They get distracted, don't pay attention, and do really stupid things.

This is exactly how people gain all their weight back. The weight they fought so hard to lose. They get in a hurry. They don't put their health first. They're distracted. Everything and everyone is more important than paying attention to what they're doing. And this is exactly what I've been doing. Moving too fast through life, distracted, forgetting my main focus should be losing weight and eating healthy.

I've done this many times in my life. Lose a lot of weight, get bored, distracted or tired of the whole thing, and then I gain all my weight back, plus some. It's a vicious cycle I've fallen into for the last 30 years. In the beginning it was only ten or fifteen pounds I needed to lose. This time it was 104 pounds.

I've lost 77.2 pounds since February of 2008. I still need to lose another 26.8 pounds. That may not sound like a lot to some people, but for me it may as well be another 100 pounds. I am struggling to lose this last bit of weight.

I'm going to re-focus on getting to my goal weight. I'm going to do what it takes to get there. I know what to do, this isn't rocket science. I need to speed it up a bit now, but slow down in other areas of my life. I need to keep my eye on the prize.

I have a plan that I'll write about tomorrow. It's not terribly exciting, but it's a plan that I think will work for me.

Now I'm heading out to my Weight Watchers meeting. I'm hoping for a loss, but I won't be surprised with a gain. I have a plan so I have hope for the future.

Jumat, 28 Agustus 2009

New fat-fighting drug has anti-diabetes action too

New fat-fighting drug has anti-diabetes action too
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers searching for a cure for obesity said on Thursday they have developed a drug that not only makes mice lose weight, but reverses diabetes and lowers their cholesterol, too.

The drug, which they have dubbed fatostatin, stops the body from making fat, instead releasing the energy from food. They hope it may lead to a pill that would fight obesity, diabetes and cholesterol, all at once.

Writing in the journal Chemistry and Biology, Salih Wakil of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, Motonari Uesugi of Kyoto University in Japan and colleagues said the drug interferes with a suite of genes turned on by overeating.

"Here, we are tackling the basics," Wakil said in a telephone interview. "I think that is what excited us."

Scientists are painfully aware that drugs that can make mice thin do nothing of the sort in humans. A hormone called leptin can make rats and mice drop weight almost miraculously but does little or nothing for an obese person, for instance.

But Wakil, whose team has patented the drug and is looking for a drug company to partner with, hopes this drug may be different. "I am very, very optimistic," he said.

Fatostatin is a small molecule, meaning it has the potential to be absorbed in pill form.

It works on so-called sterol regulatory element binding proteins or SREBPs, which are transcription factors that activate genes involved in making cholesterol and fatty acids.

"Fatostatin blocked increases in body weight, blood glucose, and hepatic (liver) fat accumulation in (genetically) obese mice, even under uncontrolled food intake," the researchers wrote.

Genetic tests showed the drug affected 63 different genes.

The idea of interfering with SREBP is not new. GlaxSmithKline has been working on a new-generation cholesterol drug that uses this pathway.

After four weeks, mice injected with fatostatin weighed 12 percent less and had 70 percent lower blood sugar levels, the researchers wrote.

Now they plan to test rats and rabbits, Wakil said.

The drug also had effects on prostate cancer cells they said -- something that may help explain links between prostate cancer and obesity.

The insomnia

For about two weeks I've been waking up at about 3 a.m. (after going to bed around 10 or 11p.m.). It's like a switch is turned on in my head and I'm suddenly wide awake. I immediately start thinking of work, of all the things I need to do, and I can't go back to sleep.

I've tried all my tricks that I've used over the years to go back to sleep, but they're not working for me. I usually just give in to it and get up. Often writing down some of my work tasks, checking my work email, even sending work emails.

Around 4:30 a.m. I get dressed for the my workout and drag my tired butt to the gym, getting there around 5 a.m. My workouts are still pretty good, some mornings better than others, some mornings I can tell the lack of sleep is catching up with me because I'm just so tired.

I know how bad this is for me, but I seem powerless to stop it. Several years ago I read a book about stress and the effect it has on your body. Weight gain was only one of the issues, the authors even claimed it could more serious problems such as cancer.

Besides the serious health issues is the simply problem that I'm tired. Very tired. So tired that some days I don't think I'm going to make it through the day.

I have no problem going to sleep at night. In fact, I'm practically asleep before my head hits the pillow. Literally.

Sometimes I take a sleeping pill, just other the counter stuff. This will make me sleep through the night, but then I wake up groggy and exhausted. I hate that feeling.

My only hope is when my current project at work ends things will be better and my sleep pattern will return to normal. Our first beta deployment is tentatively scheduled for September 28 in San Francisco. I hope I live that long. Right now, I'm not so sure.

The food
I'm doing pretty good. I've been eating too much at night lately, but I just don't care. The only really unhealthy thing I've eaten this week were those tortilla chips a couple nights ago. I ate more than the two servings, more like five servings. But I didn't eat the whole bag, which is good. In the "old" days, about two years ago, I would have eaten the entire bag.

I ate out twice this week, the sushi (too much but all healthy) and the Italian Chop Chop salad without the salami that left me starving. That reminds me, I ate Sweet Tarts at the movies and a couple cups of movie popcorn. My weigh in on Saturday is probably going to be bad. Again, right now I just don't care.

Lately I don't have time to eat my mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks at work or drink all my water. I have too many meetings and too much to do. I keep telling myself I need to slow down, not be in such a frantic rush all the time, but I just can't seem to follow through on this thought.

This post
I feel like I'm rambling. I'm writing just like my brain is running lately. Disconnected thoughts that aren't really focused. It's almost like I'm heading towards some sort of mental breakdown.

I know the stress is getting to me. I see a spattering of "I don't care" in this post. That's really not like me. For me to not care about eating too much or not worry about my weigh in, is a sign something is terribly wrong in my life. I guess my brain can only worry about so much at a time and right now my job is my central focus.

Balance in all things, right? How does one do that when one part of your life consumes you? Sucks all your energy and leaves you left with nothing for yourself.

It's 4:36 a.m. I have to go to the gym now. Thank God it's Friday. Seriously. Thank God.

8am - back from the gym. I feel 100% better now...in fact, I feel like dancing! I care! I really do care about what I eat and my weight. I want to get 100% back on track...and that's my goal this weekend. To set up a real plan on how to do this when faced with overwhelming work issues.

I really changed up my upper body workout this morning. I did four machines I haven't used in a long time and four dumbbell exercises I haven't done in months. Everything was new, except for Sadie (the old "StairMistress"). I'm so in love with her I hate doing other cardio. I did the bike and elliptical yesterday so I do take a break from her occasionally, but she's my first love. :)

Rabu, 26 Agustus 2009

Work sucks

The title of this post says it all. Work sucks big time lately. No boring details, just know it really sucks to be me lately. I know I should be glad I have a job, but they're killing me. A slow and painful and tortuous death.

I skipped my morning workout because I had to be in the office at 6:30am to take a call from our vendor in Tulsa. I made up for it tonight with an hour and half workout. It was really nice not to worry about gym guy.

Big event of my evening was I ate tortilla chips in front of my husband. He bought them and left them on the counter. So I measured out two servings and ate them. He had the nerve to say, "you're not suppose to eat those". I told him "you're not suppose to bring them in the house! If they're here you know I'll eat them!" (and yes, the "!" was used in the conversation, at least on my part).

We watched Dr. Phil tonight, and I rarely watch him anymore (he kind of bugs me). Actually, I made my husband watch it with me. It was about couples not having sex. We watched it, and talked about it afterwards. We have work to do in that area, but not tonight. I'm exhausted.

Actually, I'm just too tired to even think right now, much less post anything even semi-intelligent . Is that a word "semi-intelligent"...it looks kind of "stupid"?

Rimonabant - The Treatment of Obesity

Rimonabant works by blocking a receptor in our brain. By blocking this receptor, Rimonabant is believed to reduce the craving to eat more. If our brain is not receiving the signal to eat, then we will not have desire to eat.

There are areas in our brain that regulates hunger. Research into these areas of the brain, known as the cannabinoid receptors, led the scientists to developed this drug.

On February 2006, the FDA Issuing an "Approvable" letter for Rimonabant as a possible weight-loss drug, indicating that it could be approved for this purpose. Rimonaban approved for sale in Europe on June 2006 by European Commission. The EU's approval is in combination with diet and exercise for the treatment of obese patients. Rimonaban is made by French manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis (the world's third largest pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe), under the name Acomplia.

But In October, 2008, the European Medicines Agency recommended that doctors not prescribe the Rimonaban drug due to the scary potential side effect. Data from ongoing clinical trials showed that Rimonabant users suffer mood disorders, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and aggressive impulses. In one study there were five suicides among Rimonabant users. On Oct. 23 the EMEA said "Enough" in 12 languages.

The receptors blocked by Rimonabant are prevalent in areas of the brain responsible for emotional control. Some hypothesized that when the CB1 receptor is blocked, the endocannabinoids are redirected to other targets. They spoke hopefully of compensatory mechanisms.

Many people today feel comfortable making purchases over the Internet, even of prescription drugs. But remember, perhaps there are many other drugs with scary potential side effect out there. Just warn you.

Selasa, 25 Agustus 2009

forgetaboutit

The binges
I'm going to stop talking so much about my binges. I've beaten that dead horse to death. Yes, I definitely have a problem with binge eating, but not every night, just some nights. Sometimes a few nights in a row and then I'm okay for a few nights. I don't know, maybe that's normal. What is normal anyway, does anyone even know?

I noticed the more I talked about the binge eating, the more obsessive I became about it. I still want to stop it, but the obsessing about it needs to stop first. I'm just making it worse by talking about it all the time.

Instead, I'll let you all know how it's going each week, if I've figured anything out. I'll share any tricks or tips on how to stop it, that is if I actually ever figure out how to stop it.

My food
Why does every social get together have to revolve around food? Last night it was sushi when I met up with two girlfriends to celebrate our August birthdays. We had a great time, but I ate about 15 pieces of sushi (too much). Then I came home and was starving so I ate a bunch of other crap. None of which were filling foods. Sushi is definitely not a filling food for me.

This afternoon I left work early for an early dinner and a movie with another girlfriend. It was some Mama something place for dinner, Italian. Yes, a dieter's worse nightmare. I ordered an Italian Chop Chop salad without the salami. It was lettuce, tomatoes, smoked Gouda, smoked turkey and a couple slices of avocado, with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious but very little Gouda or turkey and also the smallest salad I've ever seen. Which led to SweetTarts and a few handfuls of movie popcorn.

The movie
The Time Traveler's Wife. I read the book a couple years ago and cried. Today I cried while watching the movie. A total and complete chick flick. Something my husband, who will usually go to chick flicks with me, actually said no way he was going to see this movie. Probably because when I was reading the book I kept telling him the story. He said it was the stupidest premise for a book that he'd ever heard. I loved the book and loved the movie.

The gym
Dear God, please make him go away! What is the deal with the 38-ear old guy that keeps hanging around me and insists on telling me his life story and all his girl problems. Today it was how his 53-year old girlfriend had broken up with him the day before. He was asking me all kinds of questions as to why I thought she broke up with him. Maybe you talk too much!

He's making me crazy. When I see him I try to sneak and go to one of the other workout rooms. It's kind of ruining my mornings. I've tried the headphones, the "I really need to workout and can't talk", the "I'm really in a rush this morning and have to keep moving". None of it's working. He hangs around me like a lost puppy dog. I know he wants me to be his friend, but news flash, I don't want to be his freaking friend!

I'm at my wits end on this one.

Pamela
If you're fan of Pamela (and who isn't?), her blog is back up. She had a little technical difficulty and disappeared on us for a while. Stop by and say hi to her and welcome her back to blogland. I, for one, sure did miss her.

Senin, 24 Agustus 2009

Last Reviews by our visitors, who had bought Proactol and are Satisfied!!!- Part One.

Slim Person After Using Proactol
Mark Heisley

I lost 38 kilos. Incredible. Before I start using this product, my weight was 120 kilos. I had lost my hope that I can have a slim body and self-confidence. But that is past now and I would never give it the chance to happen again. The wonder had happened... Why is this so efficient, I can't say. I can only say- It Works. Everything else is unnecessary.



A person with lots of experience how to lose weight
John Bolton

I lost 6 kilos in just 20 days. No more visits to the gym. No more diets. The healthy product is here. I want highly to recommend you the best product online, which will not help you only to reduce your body weight, but also your Health level. Do you know, what I mean? This product is clinically proven. According to many specialists, it is 100% natural. So there is no danger for you of any negative effects. Why don't you try it and be slim, while using the best Fat Binder nowadays.



If you want to be slim, you have to lose your weight
Angie Thompson

I lost permanently 17 kilos. In the last two years, I was very exhausted every time, I have to do anything faster that my normal doing. I know that this depends on my weight. I tried a lot of diets, exercises, but nothing helped. Yes, of course, thanks to a diet, I lost two kilos, but after I stopped this diet, I permanently increase my weight back to the previous stage. After I see that there is no more hope for me, I was advised to take Proactol Pills, but like every person, I have negative thoughts. I thought "How can some pills reduce my body weight. A diet cannot do this..." But. Wait a minute. After some pills, I feel the change. As I said I lost 17 kilos. Is this a magic or what, I don't have any idea, but it is working. Come on, people. If you have a problem with your body weight, you must try this Product.


Dr. Stephan

After a very challenging summer, I've finally turned in my written thesis, so it's official: I have my Ph.D. I'm publishing the abstract below. These findings should all be published in peer-reviewed journals in the next 6 months.


Ataxin-7 Conserved Motifs Determine the Severity of the Neurodegenerative Disorder Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 in Transgenic Mice and Influence Lifespan in Yeast

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an autosomal dominant, progressive neurodegenerative disorder whose characteristic features are cerebellar ataxia, dysarthria, and retinal cone-rod dystrophy culminating in blindness. SCA7 is caused by an abnormally long glutamine-coding CAG repeat in the SCA7 gene, which encodes the protein Ataxin-7.

Ataxin-7 contains several conserved motifs that may influence the toxicity of the glutamine tract. Among these are three conserved regions (conserved block I – III), two caspase-7 cleavage sites, a nuclear export signal and two monopartite nuclear localization signals (NLS). Previous investigations have shown that the caspase-7 cleavage site D266 is required for the full toxicity of the Ataxin-7 protein in cell culture. We generated SCA7 transgenic mice expressing a 92 CAG version of the human SCA7 cDNA, with and without a D266N mutation. Mice carrying the D266N mutation were protected from SCA7-like neurodegeneration, behavioral signs and shortened lifespan.

To further characterize the role of conserved motifs in SCA7 pathology, we generated SCA7 transgenic mice carrying point mutations in both C-terminal NLSs (KKRK -> KAAK). Previous work has shown that nuclear localization is an important step in the pathology of CAG repeat disorders. We observed that mice lacking C-terminal NLS activity were substantially protected from degeneration of the retina and cerebellum, SCA7-like behavioral signs and shortened lifespan.

Age is the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative disease. Even in the absence of overt disease, the aging brain shows histopathological and molecular changes reminiscent of neurodegeneration. To explore the link between neurodegenerative disease and aging, we have examined the replicative lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae missing the SCA7 ortholog, SGF73. This strain exhibits an unusually long lifespan, which is dependent on the function of the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIR2. We present evidence that the extended lifespan of the SGF73 null strain is due to the influence of Sgf73 on the activity of Sir2 and the histone deubiquitinase Ubp8. Furthermore, we show that the level of ubiquitinated H2B is elevated in an SCA7 transgenic mouse line, indicating that an alteration in Ubp8 activity may play a role in SCA7 pathology and that aging and neurodegeneration may share a common mechanism.

Dr. Stephan

After a very challenging summer, I've finally turned in my written thesis, so it's official: I have my Ph.D. I'm publishing the abstract below. These findings should all be published in peer-reviewed journals in the next 6 months.


Ataxin-7 Conserved Motifs Determine the Severity of the Neurodegenerative Disorder Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 in Transgenic Mice and Influence Lifespan in Yeast

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an autosomal dominant, progressive neurodegenerative disorder whose characteristic features are cerebellar ataxia, dysarthria, and retinal cone-rod dystrophy culminating in blindness. SCA7 is caused by an abnormally long glutamine-coding CAG repeat in the SCA7 gene, which encodes the protein Ataxin-7.

Ataxin-7 contains several conserved motifs that may influence the toxicity of the glutamine tract. Among these are three conserved regions (conserved block I – III), two caspase-7 cleavage sites, a nuclear export signal and two monopartite nuclear localization signals (NLS). Previous investigations have shown that the caspase-7 cleavage site D266 is required for the full toxicity of the Ataxin-7 protein in cell culture. We generated SCA7 transgenic mice expressing a 92 CAG version of the human SCA7 cDNA, with and without a D266N mutation. Mice carrying the D266N mutation were protected from SCA7-like neurodegeneration, behavioral signs and shortened lifespan.

To further characterize the role of conserved motifs in SCA7 pathology, we generated SCA7 transgenic mice carrying point mutations in both C-terminal NLSs (KKRK -> KAAK). Previous work has shown that nuclear localization is an important step in the pathology of CAG repeat disorders. We observed that mice lacking C-terminal NLS activity were substantially protected from degeneration of the retina and cerebellum, SCA7-like behavioral signs and shortened lifespan.

Age is the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative disease. Even in the absence of overt disease, the aging brain shows histopathological and molecular changes reminiscent of neurodegeneration. To explore the link between neurodegenerative disease and aging, we have examined the replicative lifespan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae missing the SCA7 ortholog, SGF73. This strain exhibits an unusually long lifespan, which is dependent on the function of the NAD+-dependent deacetylase SIR2. We present evidence that the extended lifespan of the SGF73 null strain is due to the influence of Sgf73 on the activity of Sir2 and the histone deubiquitinase Ubp8. Furthermore, we show that the level of ubiquitinated H2B is elevated in an SCA7 transgenic mouse line, indicating that an alteration in Ubp8 activity may play a role in SCA7 pathology and that aging and neurodegeneration may share a common mechanism.

I blew it

I blew my 3-night binge-free streak. After a wonderful dinner of Asian Beef on skewers with Gremolata (I'll post the recipe later - it was fantastic), salad with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, and steamed Brussels sprouts (yes, I love them...I'm weird) at 5pm, I went crazy at 10pm.

I opened the freezer to have 1/2 cup sugar-free ice cream with strawberries leftover from dinner (not the fiber-filled snack I was suppose to have) and staring back at me were those evil Skinny Cow mint ice cream sandwiches. I ate all three that were left in the package. Since I figured I'd blown it anyway, I ate two Weight Watcher cookies and cream bars. I was still feeling hungry and had a bowl of Dan's Good Chili (Hungry Girl recipe but I add ground turkey and shredded broccoli to it), along with two Oroweat Sandwich Thins. I didn't calculate the Points.

I woke up with regrets, as I always do after a binge. It must be similar to how an alcoholic feels after falling off the wagon. The self-hate, the "why did I do that?!" the anger at myself. All negative, bad feelings.

My gym experience sucked big time today, as it always does if I eat too much the night before. I don't know if it's a physical thing, all that food in my system makes me sluggish, or if it's mental. Probably both. I managed 21 minutes on Sadie (StairMaster). I usually do 30, but I just couldn't do it today. 16 minutes on the Crossramp. 45 minutes upper body strength.

My morning got worse when the that guy that likes me came in and saw me on the elliptical and was all excited to see me. He said he'd been wondering what happened to me and he'd missed me. Great. I'd purposely been going really early at 5 a.m. to avoid him but today I was late and didn't get to the gym until 6:15am.

We had a six-minute conversation about spirituality and God and how to have a positive outlook on life. You can see that was a lost cause on me this morning.

I guess there's not much I can do but try again tonight to stop the binging. I have dinner out with two girlfriends at a sushi place so I won't be home until late. One of them is in Weight Watchers so I'm going with her to her meeting tonight before dinner. Maybe I can get some inspiration.

Onward and forward....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another picture of my Fairbanks trip (with my brother and his dog Goldie). I'm somewhat mortified by my hips and thighs, they look huge. If you want to see it close up and get totally grossed out, click on the picture to enlarge it. Aother reason to stop binging. I really need to lose the last 25 pounds! By the way, those jeans went to Goodwill this weekend.

Minggu, 23 Agustus 2009

Best weight loss pills to lose weight?

So We have been talking about "Best weight loss pills". I am not sure if you have learned anything from this blog as yet but rest assured that most of what is explained here is just plain common sense. One thing which is core to all of this is that you have to understand the basic concepts about losing weight. There is no miracle pill which will magically help you and transform you into a different person. Yes there do exist these fat burning pills which will help you improve your self look. They can only work if you make them work. If you are going to sit back and hope for something to happen then this will not do. Most of the marketers know this and therefore take advantage of this. They target people like you and make there millions while you sit there wondering where you went wrong.

Stop going after miracle diet pill and start working and putting all this to work. Just to digress from our usual topic I would like to take about something else:


Coco Chanel said that less people are referring to having a wardrobe, accessories and clothing that were of good quality, as they are conscious of there weight and have been using weight loss pills. Common sense is essential in times of sales or big "sales". Pores, common sense is essential in times of sales or big "sales".


Someone said that "true beauty comes from inside out." More importantly "true beauty comes from inside out." If someone wants to look spectacular has to feel well inside. The inner beauty is to have peace and happiness in the heart. If someone wants to look spectacular you to feel well inside. The inner beauty is to have peace and happiness in the heart. It has to do with having the financial means and the perfect measurements. It has to do with having the financial means and the perfect measurements. What we can do is take the opportunity to invest well on a budget. What we can do is take the opportunity to invest well on a budget. Why then do we focus only on fat burning pills or other diet pills to feel good about ourselves.

On a lighter note, to achieve ordered and take advantage of offers that are out in the holiday season, it is advisable to have a master list of items. Some classical pieces that can take shopping list to put together a smart wardrobe to accompany us throughout the year are: Some classical pieces that can take shopping list to put together a smart wardrobe to accompany us throughout the year are:


• A closed-toe shoes with open toe black or beige color.
• A closed-toe shoes with open toe black or beige color.
• A blue blazer with gold buttons.
• A blue blazer with gold buttons.
• A black dress, empire style with a square neckline.
• A black dress, empire style with a square neckline.
• A pair of pants or skirt with a gray jacket.
• A pair of pants or skirt with a gray jacket.
• A white shirt with ruffled sleeves and empire cut in the bust.
• A white shirt with ruffled sleeves and empire cut in the bust.
• A blue satin blouse and white trousers in wool tropical winter.
• A blue satin blouse and white trousers in wool tropical winter.
• patent leather shoes or handbags.
• patent leather shoes or handbags.
• Choose an accessory, such as belts, scarves, brooches, necklaces long and a wristwatch all in bright colors that speak of optimism.
• Choose an accessory, such as belts, scarves, brooches, necklaces long and a wristwatch all in bright colors that speak of optimism.
• A good gray pearl necklace, that can be used long and short.
• A good gray pearl necklace, that can be used long and short.
• A large portfolio to bring to the office.
• A large portfolio to bring to the office.
• A brightness to enliven the usual lipstick.
• A brightness to enliven the usual lipstick.

Now why are we even talking about all of this. Is this related to losing weight or using weight loss pills aka "best weight loss pills". It is important to understand that when talking about inner beauty we're talking about know where we go, to feel self-motivated and know what makes us happy. Speaking of beauty inside know we are talking about where we are going to feel self-motivated and know what makes us happy.

That beauty is then reflected on the outside. That beauty is then reflected on the outside. Do not forget that our image reflects our inner self: order and harmony in the clothes, the right size, the combination of colors, accessories, cleaning and gestures. Do not forget that our image Reflects our inner self: order and harmony in the clothes, the right size, the combination of colors, accessories, cleaning and gestures.

Now is when we take a trip to our favorite store cosmetics and make an appointment, at no cost, with someone to show us how to use the new collection in line with that we bought earlier. This search for new ideas in fashion is a good reason to leave and get-together with mother and daughter and share moments of friendship and learning, then talk further. This search for new ideas in fashion is a good reason to leave and get-together mother and daughter together and share moments of friendship and learning, then talk further.

"With the happiness anyone stumbles around the corner. It's not like the lottery, which comes a day all at once. Happiness is something internal to man, woman, you should know this not to fall into victim-conformism frivolous or irresponsible. There are many reasons to smile. "With the happiness anyone stumbles around the corner. It's not like the lottery, Which comes a day all at once. Happiness is something internal to man, woman, you should know this not to fall into victim-conformism frivolous or irresponsible. There are many reasons to smile.

Well said by someone that inner beauty reflect on the outside. Fat burning pills are useful and help one lose weight but are not everything. This is the take home message.

Three binge-free nights in a row

I know I really shouldn't talk about this because I'm going to for sure jinx it, but last night was night number three without binging. For some bizarre reason that I can't quite grasp, I feel in control. I also have permission to have a fiber filled snack of my choice with a point value of up to five points. I know it sounds like a lot, but I think it's better than just eating with abandon.

My new rule is I have to measure whatever I'm eating for my nighttime snack and calculate the points, enter it online, then eat it. Then wait 20 minutes before I eat anything else.

Just knowing I have this option seems to give me some sort of freedom. I don't feel as restricted and forced to be hungry when I really want to eat. Of course, it's only been three nights, but lately, that's a record for me. Two of the nights I didn't even have a snack. It's so weird how this is working for me.

Last night instead of eating I went on a manic housecleaning frenzy until 1 a.m. I think that was brought on because I caught an episode of the Hoarders on A&E. Ewwwww! I could see that becoming me. Probably not the rotting food part because that just totally grossed me out, but the hoarding of junk that I think I might need some day. Scary! Now my office is so bare it looks like no one even lives there. I have a pile of junk to take to Goodwill today.

Jack (my husband) is in class today. It's a class on ASP.Net, computer junk (b-o-r-i-n-g). He's gone for most of the day so I'm on my own.

Not much on the agenda except the following:

1. pick blackberries (bike ride included)
2. gym
3. Goodwill trip with my junk
4. make a new recipe I found in Shape magazine for dinner - Asian Beef Skewers with Cilantro Gremolata. If it turns out good I'll post the recipe later.
5. make Dan's Good Chili - from Hungry Girl cookbook
6. a little work stuff (since I'm drowning at work without enough hours in the day)...plus I want to test out using my new 24-inch monitor with my new laptop. Maybe the monitor and a clean office will make work more fun (yeah, right).
7. relax a little (I think I have that part already out of the way. I caught up on a lot of blogs today.).

I hope this is another binge-free day. Maybe I can even have another loss this week. That would be awesome. I think reaching goal is within my power.

Obese Habits?

The Washington Post has a story today about The Seven Secrets of Highly Obese People. The bad habits they point to is things like using big plates, eating fast, always eating all the food on your plate, taking seconds and never eating breakfast.

But here is a comment from a slim reader who begs to disagree.


I am amazed at this study. I have a BMI of 20.5 and I do all of the things that they say obese people do. I eat very quickly, I take the larger plate and always go back for seconds. I actually have a major problem with leaving food on a plate (just wasteful!) The last time I ate breakfast on a regular basis probably was 15 years ago. Either this study is full of crap, or I am the luckiest person on the face of the earth (I think it is the first, not the second). It comes down to a very easy item. Exercise 5 times a week. Even if it is a 20 minute walk. My parents are very overweight, but they do not exercise. Take control of your life and do something about your weight if it is an issue. Someone at my office is always looking for the easy route to weight lose. She drinks special drinks, goes on crazy diets. When I ask her if she exercises, she says that she doesn't have to to lose weight. Obviously, she does.

The buffet photo is via NixKitz.

Another reader makes this point;

While this is all very interesting, I must say I just love how it conveniently wraps all of the actions of obese people in such a neat little package. So THAT'S why they are fat! Seriously, have you put any thought into why food seems to be so important to those who happen to be larger than you? Why they choose larger plates and tables that are closer to the buffet? Not because of laziness. Ever consider the psychological causes? Maybe that person is depressed and uses food as a way to comfort and fill that hole? And at times when they feel that no one truly understands them or is there for them, food is always there. So yes, there is somewhat of a desperation to get to that warm, tasty, comforting food. ...
I'm not saying that this is the case for everyone who is overweight, but it may be for many of us out there. And while these "little steps" sound so easy, the first thing a person has to do before really making a difference in eating habits is working on their self mentally and eventually find out that food is only a temporary solution to filling that void.

Sabtu, 22 Agustus 2009

You are better than it (and today's weighin)

A picture taken at Chena Hot Springs, 60 miles outside of Faribanks. July 22, 2009. It has absolutely nothing to do with this post.

"Scientists say that body fat insulates, but we say that "it" covers our figure, making us appear flabby, weaker and less toned. It imprisons our body, depriving us of our self-esteem, confidence and energy. Be relentless; be who you really are. Deprive "it" of energy right back, increasing yours in the process. Force it to sweat and burn off the excess calories it needs to survive, grow, and imprison you. As body fat shrinks (atrophies), your freedom grows. Your real figure becomes more visible, as the curves and contours return to form. Your self-esteem and confidence, no longer held a prisoner in their own body, are free to breathe. You feel empowered and you project it."

I read this in the back of Shape magazine, in an ad for some sort of weight loss supplement. I normally don't even look at those ads, but the big letters "You are better than it" really caught my eye. This statement is well written and very true. We are all better than "it". We can fight "it". The desire to be healthy should be stronger than our desire to eat.

My weighin

Weight 8/22/2009: 162.0

Lost this week: -2.6

Total loss: -77.2

I went to Weight Watchers this morning and it was an awesome meeting. Today's topic was about crossing the finish line, getting from the start to the finish. Something I've been trying to do for months--make goal. She emphasized how important it is to make goal in order to maintain our loss. I know she's right and I walked out feeling empowered and back on track.

It was a been a pretty good week for me. I ate out twice last week, a Mexican dinner last Sunday and dinner on our anniversary on Wednesday. I had coconut prawns (I only ate three - food of the Gods) and sirloin steak (I ate about 4 ounces of the 7 ounce steak), two glasses of wine and a blackberry cobbler dessert with a slab of ice cream (shared with my husband).

The best thing about the week is that I didn't binge the last two nights. I hope I don't jinx myself, but I feel like I'm somewhat back in control of my night eating. I took some of your advice and allowed myself a snack at 9pm, if I really wanted it. Thursday, I REALLY wanted it, I made a blackberry smoothie with a Weight Watcher smoothie packet, 2 cups frozen blackberries (that I had picked the day before) and some water and ice. It was like a yummy milkshake and only three points. Last night I was more tired than hungry (and that hardly ever happens) so I skipped the snack.

My workouts are rocking because my beloved StairMaster is finally fixed. I love this machine! Here's a picture of her from today. She's not much to look at, but she really kicks my ass and I love her because she does it so well. Oh, and I named her Sadie. Sadie for the "Sadistic", she likes to cause pain.

I just need more weeks like this, so I can be better than "it" and finally cross the finish line.



Supplements for weight loss

There are a variety of supplements on the market, which vary in their mechanism of action. Why using supplements? The main purpose behind taking supplements is to create the best environment for the body. Certain natural compounds can be helpful in winning at weight loss.

Examples are the needs of our bodies in chromium. Chromium has also been shown to be essential in carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Since the need for chromium increases with exercise, and modern refined diets provide little chromium, we may find it in the form of a supplement.

Our environment can also contain pollutants, poor agricultural practices, industrial waste dumping, and indiscriminate disposal of urban wastes can have a great effect on the quality of our food. By using vitamin and mineral compounds, such as antioxidants, vitamins like E and C and selenium and beta-carotene, we hope to clear up any deficiencies that may arise because of this.

Antioxidants have been the focus of a number of studies over the last decade, and there’s strong evidence that they can contribute mightily to overall health and longevity.

The focus of antioxidant use (in weight loss context), are substances in the body known as “free radicals.” Free radicals consist of highly reactive molecules that possess unpaired electrons. These radicals play a big role in the normal metabolism of food and the use of energy resources during exercise.

Green tea, popular beverage offers many health benefits, can also be taken in capsule or tablet form.

Always beware of products that make outrageous claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. When choosing a product, consult with your doctor first for assistance and advice.

Finding the right supplement can really support your healthy weight loss journey.

Kamis, 20 Agustus 2009

Fat, ugly and stupid

I received an email yesterday that reminded me of something I've wanted to write about for a very long time. It was the sweetest and kindest email I've ever received from a reader of my blog.

S.R. wrote me that she reads a lot of blogs and had never written to a blogger before. She went on to say I was "stunning/gorgeous". Wow! That got my attention. No one ever says that about me!

Then she said something I know is so very true, "when I read your blog, I hear such a negative self-image at times....so sad".

S.R. is right, I have a really bad self-image. I'm always criticizing myself, putting myself down, saying I'm fat and ugly and stupid. That I'm boring and uninteresting. Sadly, I believe most of these things.

The funny thing is I know why I'm like this. It's because of my mother. Now I had the most amazing mother you can possibly imagine. I was blessed with incredible parents. I won the lottery when it came to parents. I grew up being told I was smart and pretty, that I could do or be anything I wanted in life. I was told this over and over from the time I was a young child all through my adult life.

So what happened? Why am I like this? It's really simple. Even though my mother told me how great I was over and over, she said just the opposite about herself. She said she was fat, that she hated how she looked. She said she was stupid.

My mother was really pretty with a beautiful smile. I look at pictures of her when she was young and she was gorgeous. She looked like a movie star. She had a weight problem after having three kids, but she was still very pretty. She lost 100 pounds when she was 65 and kept it off during the last 20 years of her life. She still said she was fat. She was 5' 8" and weighed 145.

About her being stupid, it wasn't true. She was really smart. She skipped two grades in high school and graduated when she was only 16 years old. Yet she said she was stupid and dumb, when really she was one of the smartest people I've ever met.

My point is you can tell your kids anything you want, but it's really what you say about yourself is what they're going to hear and copy. They will grow up to be like you. If you say you're fat and stupid and ugly, I guarantee you're going to hear your kid say that same thing about themselves.

So if you can't have a good self-image for yourself, at least fake it the best you can for your kid. When you look in the mirror, and your child is watching you, don't say, "oh, I'm so fat, I just look awful" or make comments that you're stupid. That's probably the greatest disservice you can do to your child.

I don't blame my mother for how I feel about myself. I know she did the best she could and would never have intentionally said those things if she knew I was going to take them on as my own image. The really sad thing is that I can't seem to change it. I know it's not really true, yet I hear that little voice in my head constantly telling me that I'm fat, ugly, and stupid.

Fun Friday Recess

Greetings Neighbors!As you know, our dear Diane "songbirddiane" has stepped down from her post as Fun Friday Hostess because she has so much LIVING happening right now. She has done a tremendous job with our favorite Neighborhood Game Show. Please use this thread as an opportunity to thank her for her effort and dedication. I know that even if I don't play Fun Friday each week I enjoy reading and

Day 6: Beyond the 5 Day Pouch Test

By now you are familiar with the term "Day 6" It is the lifestyle we try to follow after doing the 5 Day Pouch Test. The following is a refresher on what Day 6 is all about. This is such an important topic that my next book (coming out October 26) is all about Day 6. Taking your 5DPT to the Next Levelby Kaye Bailey Most of our centers

Mini Breakfast Pizzas

I just found this great recipe from the American Egg Board: Mini Breakfast Pizzas. What a great way to start your day and what a healthy way to send the kids off to school.Ingredients:4 EGGS, beaten1/3 cup pizza sauce2 English muffins, split, toasted1/2cup shredded Italian cheese blend (2 oz.) Dried oregano leavesDirections:HEAT oven to 450°F. COAT large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat

Rabu, 19 Agustus 2009

FiveFingers in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

I recently bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Sprint (pictured). They're minimal, lightweight shoes with "toes". They're designed to mimic barefoot walking as closely as possible, while protecting the feet from punctures and abrasion. The soles are thin, flexible and offer no padding whatsoever.

I've always been a barefoot walker, because our feet evolved to be nude (or close to it). Besides feeling amazing, walking barefoot allows the body to express proper biomechanics. My feet have become tougher over time, but I still can't handle a rough trail barefoot.

When I first put the FiveFingers on, my initial thought was "these don't feel as much like being barefoot as I wish they did". Simply having something between your skin and the ground makes your feet much less sensitive. But I got used to them quickly, eventually using them for my parkour training.

I had a few converstions with my parkour instructor Rafe Kelley, during which I realized I had to re-teach myself how to walk and run correctly. Rafe is well-versed in natural human movement due to his background in MovNat, gymnastics, martial arts, strength training, parkour and anthropology. Modern shoes allow us to walk and run in a way that our bodies did not evolve to tolerate. The padding in shoes allows us to take large steps, in which we overshoot our center of gravity and contact the ground in a jarring manner. It also allows us to strike with our heels when we run, which is not comfortable when you're barefoot.

I took the FiveFingers on a 13-mile hike in the Alpine Lakes wilderness with a few friends last weekend. The Pacific Northwest has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I was expecting to use the shoes for a few miles and then swap them for my lightweight hiking shoes (Inov8 Flyroc trail runners). The beginning of the trail was really rocky and I thought I was going to have to take them off in the first few hundred yards. Surprisingly, my feet adapted, and although the trail stayed rocky, it became fairly comfortable by the time we had walked a mile.

I found myself thinking about Rafe's advice, and taking smaller steps that strike closer to my center of gravity. Although my strides were shorter, I had no trouble keeping up, and in fact going up the hills was remarkably easy. We gained 3,000 feet of elevation but I never got winded. I had to pay close attention to foot placement, which kept me from looking around much but was actually kind of fun.

After a few miles, I switched to my hiking shoes, with the idea that I should switch before my feet really started to hurt, rather than after. I immediately noticed that going up hills was harder, especially on my calves. My feet felt more cumbersome as well.

Here's me foraging for mushrooms on the trail. This is Laetiporus sulphureus, also known as "chicken of the woods". It's widely eaten in this area. However, my mushroom guide All That the Rain Primises, and More, had this to say about it:

"If you eat and enjoy this moushroom, always cook it thoroughly and do not serve it to lawyers, landlords, employers, policemen, pit bull owners, or others whose good will you cherish!"

I didn't take my chances. If you're going to pick wild mushrooms, make sure you know what you're doing and carry a regional identification guide. "I recognize them from China/Russia/Europe" kills several people a year in the Pacific Northwest. If you're experienced, this area is a mushroom bonanza. I can't set foot outside without stepping on a king bolete (porcini, cep) in the fall.

I ended up switching back to the FiveFingers for the majority of the hike, about 9 miles of it. The soles of my feet were a bit sore by the end (due to stepping on sharp rocks for miles), but my joints and muscles felt remarkably good! I had no joint pain or muscle tightness. I also felt pretty energetic. This was a big surprise, since I haven't done much hiking this year. The next day, my calves were sore, but that was it.

All in all, I really like the FiveFingers. I can wear them in places that require shoes, yet remain nearly barefoot. One potential drawback is the price-to-durability ratio. They cost me $80 and I don't expect them to last a year. That being said, I'm putting a brutal beating on them. Parkour training destroys shoes. The rubber seems to be excellent quality (which you'd expect from Vibram), but it's thin and it has cuts in it for flexibility and grip, which will lower its lifespan. The upper is simply a piece of stretchy fabric that tears easily. I'm willing to deal with the durability issues because the advantages outweigh them [update- several FiveFingers wearers have commented that they actually last a surprisingly long time. See comments].

FiveFingers in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

I recently bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Sprint (pictured). They're minimal, lightweight shoes with "toes". They're designed to mimic barefoot walking as closely as possible, while protecting the feet from punctures and abrasion. The soles are thin, flexible and offer no padding whatsoever.

I've always been a barefoot walker, because our feet evolved to be nude (or close to it). Besides feeling amazing, walking barefoot allows the body to express proper biomechanics. My feet have become tougher over time, but I still can't handle a rough trail barefoot.

When I first put the FiveFingers on, my initial thought was "these don't feel as much like being barefoot as I wish they did". Simply having something between your skin and the ground makes your feet much less sensitive. But I got used to them quickly, eventually using them for my parkour training.

I had a few converstions with my parkour instructor Rafe Kelley, during which I realized I had to re-teach myself how to walk and run correctly. Rafe is well-versed in natural human movement due to his background in MovNat, gymnastics, martial arts, strength training, parkour and anthropology. Modern shoes allow us to walk and run in a way that our bodies did not evolve to tolerate. The padding in shoes allows us to take large steps, in which we overshoot our center of gravity and contact the ground in a jarring manner. It also allows us to strike with our heels when we run, which is not comfortable when you're barefoot.

I took the FiveFingers on a 13-mile hike in the Alpine Lakes wilderness with a few friends last weekend. The Pacific Northwest has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I was expecting to use the shoes for a few miles and then swap them for my lightweight hiking shoes (Inov8 Flyroc trail runners). The beginning of the trail was really rocky and I thought I was going to have to take them off in the first few hundred yards. Surprisingly, my feet adapted, and although the trail stayed rocky, it became fairly comfortable by the time we had walked a mile.

I found myself thinking about Rafe's advice, and taking smaller steps that strike closer to my center of gravity. Although my strides were shorter, I had no trouble keeping up, and in fact going up the hills was remarkably easy. We gained 3,000 feet of elevation but I never got winded. I had to pay close attention to foot placement, which kept me from looking around much but was actually kind of fun.

After a few miles, I switched to my hiking shoes, with the idea that I should switch before my feet really started to hurt, rather than after. I immediately noticed that going up hills was harder, especially on my calves. My feet felt more cumbersome as well.

Here's me foraging for mushrooms on the trail. This is Laetiporus sulphureus, also known as "chicken of the woods". It's widely eaten in this area. However, my mushroom guide All That the Rain Primises, and More, had this to say about it:

"If you eat and enjoy this moushroom, always cook it thoroughly and do not serve it to lawyers, landlords, employers, policemen, pit bull owners, or others whose good will you cherish!"

I didn't take my chances. If you're going to pick wild mushrooms, make sure you know what you're doing and carry a regional identification guide. "I recognize them from China/Russia/Europe" kills several people a year in the Pacific Northwest. If you're experienced, this area is a mushroom bonanza. I can't set foot outside without stepping on a king bolete (porcini, cep) in the fall.

I ended up switching back to the FiveFingers for the majority of the hike, about 9 miles of it. The soles of my feet were a bit sore by the end (due to stepping on sharp rocks for miles), but my joints and muscles felt remarkably good! I had no joint pain or muscle tightness. I also felt pretty energetic. This was a big surprise, since I haven't done much hiking this year. The next day, my calves were sore, but that was it.

All in all, I really like the FiveFingers. I can wear them in places that require shoes, yet remain nearly barefoot. One potential drawback is the price-to-durability ratio. They cost me $80 and I don't expect them to last a year. That being said, I'm putting a brutal beating on them. Parkour training destroys shoes. The rubber seems to be excellent quality (which you'd expect from Vibram), but it's thin and it has cuts in it for flexibility and grip, which will lower its lifespan. The upper is simply a piece of stretchy fabric that tears easily. I'm willing to deal with the durability issues because the advantages outweigh them [update- several FiveFingers wearers have commented that they actually last a surprisingly long time. See comments].

21 years of marriage

It's really hard to buy an anniversary card for your husband when you're angry with him. Like, pretty much impossible.

Note to self: Let go of the anger.

Water & Dehydration

Hey Guys -- This thread from the Neighborhood is darn near older than the Neighborhood! But it is still pertinent to us. As we know, WATER WATER WATER is rule #2.Perhaps you know that two weekends ago I suffered a severe case of food poisoning, so severe that I couldn't even keep water or tea down. Not one swallow. Well, Jim was out of town and by the time he got home Monday night (I had been

Selasa, 18 Agustus 2009

About last night...

The bewitching hour came around 10pm and as usual, I lost all control. Another day down the tubes. Perfect all day, a great workout in the morning, healthy food in modest portions all day, then at 10pm I was stuffing my face with sugar-free ice cream (I must stop buying this stuff) and pecans (yes, on the ice cream).

Tonight was the same dance. My food of choice was Weight Watcher's 1-point caramel snack bars, about ten of them. They don't even taste that good.

What the hell is wrong with me?

There are a few things different in my life right now that are causing a ton of stress. My job is killing me. I'm angry about a work situation, and I just can't seem to let go of it. I'm struggling with a co-worker that I work very closely with on a daily basis. It's a long, tedious story but basically every day I'm trying to maintain my sanity (and as you can tell, I'm losing that battle).

If there was a way out, I'd take it. In this economy that's really not even an option so I have to grin and bear it. This is the worst of times in my job, and I've been through some difficult situations in almost 26 years at this company. This one is one of the most unpleasant I've had to endure.

The other thing is my marriage. It's another daily struggle. Tomorrow is our 21st wedding anniversary, and I don't know if we'll make it to year 22. We're fighting, arguing, bickering and generally not getting along. Neither one of us is happy. I really I don't know how to fix it.

Right now, I don't know how to fix anything. It all seems so...hopeless.

About the laptop
Okay, I'm really loving this sweet little laptop. It's a Toshiba E105-S1602 and was only $799 (but I got $130 discount). It's so awesome. 2.0 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive. My most favorite feature is the backlit keys so you can watch TV with the lights off and the keys are lit. It's also super fast. My old laptop that I bought almost five years ago was $2,800. This is ten times the machine than that one was, for a fraction of the cost. Amazing.

I was leaning towards the Sony VAIO but the one for the same price as this Toshiba was a stripped down version. To get all the stuff that's on the Toshiba in the Sony was about another $1,000. Not worth it for the Sony name and looks (although, that VAIO sure is pretty).

I've already called the Toshiba Help Center and they were great. They're in India, but they all are these days. The tech was super helpful. I accidentally turned of Vista's flash card for the function key and the backlit keys. The guy walked me through what to do and now it's working again. I'm new to Vista so I'm learning (and kind of hating it).

So far (only about 24 hours), I'm loving this laptop.

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I've taken over 1,000 pictures in the last month. Here are just a few:

Picking blueberries in Fairbanks with my favorite nephew

For sale in Nenana for $2.000

Smoked salmon caught in an Athabascan fishwheel in Nenana

A typical home in Nenana - this belongs to the rich guy in town - thus the sign above the door

Guns for sale in the local grocery store in Nenana - not even locked up

Nenana cemetery - I have a thing for cemeteries - long story but they fascinate me

Nenana cemetery with a view

My brother and me, with his dog Goldie...yes, a big Alaskan macho dog...a Pekingnese :)

Senin, 17 Agustus 2009

Hanging in there

I can't believe it's only Monday. How can that be? It was the longest day of my life! I wish tomorrow was Friday.

I'm hanging in there on eating healthy. So far, so good, but it's only 10pm. A lot of damage can happen in the next few hours, what I refer to as my bewitching hours.

My workout was great this morning, after I got past the first ten minutes of pure and utter torture. It always happens after I have a big heavy meal like Sunday night's Mexican Fiesta Platter, a full plate of every appetizer on the menu. My body screamed at me in agony when I started out my cardio. I don't know if it's the sodium or just my body punishing me for being bad to it, but it's always a tough go the next day.

I'm loving my new laptop. It's so cool. It's like a dream machine. Super fast, quiet, pretty. Although it doesn't make my blog any more interesting. :)

Regular Yoga Practice Is Associated With Mindful Eating

Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, and people who eat mindfully are less likely to be obese, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The study was prompted by initial findings reported four years ago by Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., and colleagues, who found that regular yoga practice may help prevent middle-age spread in normal-weight people and may promote weight loss in those who are overweight. At the time, the researchers suspected that the weight-loss effect had more to do with increased body awareness, specifically a sensitivity to hunger and satiety than the physical activity of yoga practice itself.

The follow-up study, published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, confirms their initial hunch.

"In our earlier study, we found that middle-age people who practice yoga gained less weight over a 10-year period than those who did not. This was independent of physical activity and dietary patterns. We hypothesized that mindfulness – a skill learned either directly or indirectly through yoga – could affect eating behavior," said Kristal, associate head of the Cancer Prevention Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.

The researchers found that people who ate mindfully – those were aware of why they ate and stopped eating when full – weighed less than those who ate mindlessly, who ate when not hungry or in response to anxiety or depression. The researchers also found a strong association between yoga practice and mindful eating but found no association between other types of physical activity, such as walking or running, and mindful eating.

"These findings fit with our hypothesis that yoga increases mindfulness in eating and leads to less weight gain over time, independent of the physical activity aspect of yoga practice," said Kristal, who is also a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

Kristal, a yoga enthusiast for the past 15 years, said that yoga cultivates mindfulness in a number of ways, such as being able to hold a challenging physical pose by observing the discomfort in a non-judgmental way, with an accepting, calm mind and focus on the breath. "This ability to be calm and observant during physical discomfort teaches how to maintain calm in other challenging situations, such as not eating more even when the food tastes good and not eating when you’re not hungry," he said.

To test whether yoga in fact increases mindfulness and mindful eating, Kristal and colleagues developed a Mindful Eating Questionnaire, a 28-item survey that measured a variety of factors:
• disinhibition – eating even when full;
• awareness – being aware of how food looks, tastes and smells;
• external cues – eating in response to environmental cues, such as advertising;
• emotional response – eating in response to sadness or stress; and
• distraction – focusing on other things while eating.

Each question was graded on a scale of 1 to 4, in which higher scores signified more mindful eating. The questionnaire was administered to more than 300 people at Seattle-area yoga studios, fitness facilities and weight-loss programs, among other venues. More than 80 percent of the study participants were women, well-educated and Caucasian, with an average age of 42. Participants provided self-reported information on a number of factors, including weight, height, yoga practice, walking for exercise or transportation and other forms of moderate and strenuous exercise.

More than 40 percent of the participants practiced yoga more than an hour per week, 46 percent walked for exercise or transportation for at least 90 minutes per week and more than 50 percent engaged in more than 90 minutes of moderate and/or strenuous physical activity per week.

The average weight of the study participants was within the normal range – not surprising considering that the study sample intentionally consisted of people more physically active than the U.S. population in general. Body-mass index was lower among participants who practiced yoga as compared to those who did not (an average of 23.1 vs. 25.8, respectively).

Higher scores on the mindfulness questionnaire overall (and on each of the categories within the questionnaire) was associated with a lower BMI, which suggests that mindful eating may play an important role in long-term weight maintenance, Kristal said.

"Mindful eating is a skill that augments the usual approaches to weight loss, such as dieting, counting calories and limiting portion sizes. Adding yoga practice to a standard weight-loss program may make it more effective," said Kristal, who himself scored high on the mindful-eating survey and has a BMI within the normal range.

Moving forward, Kristal and colleagues suggest that their Mindful Eating Questionnaire, the first tool of its kind to characterize and measure mindful eating, may be useful both in clinical practice and research to understand and promote healthy dietary behavior.

"Beyond calories and diets, mindful eating takes a more holistic approach that can empower individuals to build positive relationships with food and eating, said first author Celia Framson, M.P.H., R.D., C.D., a former graduate student of Kristal's – and former yoga teacher – who now works with adolescents with eating disorders at Seattle Children's Hospital. "The Mindful Eating Questionnaire offers a new and relevant dimension for masuring the effectiveness of dietary behavior interventions. It also encourages nutrition and medical practitioners to consider the broad scope of behavior involved in healthy eating," she said.

Other authors on the paper included Denise Benitez, owner of Seattle Yoga Arts; Alyson Littman, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the UW School of Public Health and Department of Veterans Affairs; Steve Zeliadt, Ph.D., of VA Puget Sound Healthcare; and Jeanette Schenk, R.D., a research dietitian in the Hutchinson Center's Cancer Prevention Program.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (2009, August 16). Regular Yoga Practice Is Associated With Mindful Eating. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved August 17, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2009/08/090803185712.htm

Didn't last... but still lost weight

Random or what... 1lb lost. Very very peculiar.

I have been B A D with a capital B. I am just thinking "Crete on 26th" and have already got myself into the holiday spirit! I know I will put weight on whilst there, so its like why bother dieting this week. I know it will be like 'lose weight now, and then when you put weight on and come back it will be better'

But it's not better is it. Its like Yo-Yo dieting with benefits...

You still work your butt off losing 4 pound and then put 8 on whilst away... That's not better, that's still 8 to lose. I might as well just forget about weight loss until after the holiday. We have the big 12 anniversary party on the 23rd too, and that's a big Bollywood feast... I will crack on with losing on the 9th September when I get back.

That's what I said to myself last Monday, and what happens... I lost a pound this week. I am not going to bore you with all the SERIOUS amounts of chocolate, crisps, wine, takeaways etc but I have so NOT been doing any kind of diet at all... I lose 1 pound... AND i have the painters in. I mean what on EARTH is going on with that!??!

Cant figure it, but am just going to accept it as a gift and run with it.

Sabtu, 15 Agustus 2009

Ischemic Heart Attacks: Disease of Civilization

Or, more precisely, disease of industrial civilization.

The scientific literature contains examples of cultures that don't suffer from the chronic non-communicable diseases that are so common in modern societies. Much of what I've read indicates that heart attacks are practically unique to cultures that have adopted industrial foodways and a modern lifestyle, being infrequent or entirely absent in those that have not.


I recently came across an incredible paper from 1964 in the American Journal of Cardiology, titled "Geographic Pathology of Myocardial Infarction", by lead author Dr. Kyu Taik Lee (Am. J. Cardiol. 13:30. 1964). This was published during a period of intense research into the cardiovascular health of non-industrial cultures, including Dr. George V. Mann's famous
study of the Masai.

The first thing Lee and his colleagues did was collect autopsy statistics from San Francisco and Los Angeles hospitals. They analyzed the data by race, including categories for Caucasian-Americans (white), Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans, and Filipino-Americans. All races had a similar incidence of autopsy-proven myocardial infarction (MI = heart attack), including both silent (healed) and fatal MI. For comparison, they included a table with autopsy data from hospitals in Tokyo, South Japan and North Japan. I'm including the data from Tokyo in the graph because it's also an urban environment, but the finding was the same in all three regions. Here's what they found, by age group:
The Japanese had a very low rate of MI compared to both Caucasian-Americans and Japanese-Americans. The rate of MI in Caucasian-Americans and Japanese-Americans did not differ significantly. Thus, location but not race determined the susceptibility to MI.

Next, the investigators collected autopsy data from hospitals in New Orleans, again divided by race. This time they exained Caucasian-Americans and African-Americans. Both groups had a very high rate of MI, as expected, although the African-Americans had a lower rate than Caucasian-Americans. They also collected data from autopsies in Nigeria and Uganda for comparison. Here are the data for men:
And for women: Again, location but not race largely determined the incidence of MI. MI was extremely rare in the African autopsies. Here's what they had to say:
There was only 1 case of healed myocardial infarction among over 4,000 adult autopsies in the Uganda series, and only 2 cases of healed myocardial infarction among over 500 adult autopsies in the Nigerian series. In the New Orleans Negro series the occurrence rate was far greater in every sex and age group than in either one of the Negro series in East and West Africa.
Over 4,500 autopsies and not a single fatal MI. If this isn't worth studying, what is? These data should be part of first-year training in medicine and health programs.

To satisfy the skeptics, Lee and colleagues imported hundreds of hearts from consecutive autopsies in Albany (USA), Africa, Korea and Japan. They had an American pathologist analyze them side-by side to eliminate any diagnostic bias. Here's what they found:
In the African Negro series no infarct was found in any age group [out of 244 hearts, 39 over 60 years old]. In the Korean series there were only 2 cases of myocardial infarction [out of 106 hearts] and they were both women... In the Japanese series there were 8 cases of myocardial infarction in 259 hearts. All were men...
In the American sample, nearly 40% of the hearts of men and women over 60 showed signs of MI. The findings of the American pathologist confirmed the international autopsy data, showing that diagnostic bias did not contribute to the results significantly. They also took measurements of the thickness of the coronary artery wall, an index of atherosclerosis. They found that the Americans had the most atherosclerosis, but all cultures had some degree of it and there was overlap in the amount of atherosclerosis between samples. This led the investigators to state:
Myocardial infarction and coronary thrombosis are almost nonexistent in Uganda and Nigeria, and the amount of coronary arteriosclerosis is significantly less in Africans than in whites. However, in the two groups there was some overlapping in the degree of arteriosclerosis. No Africans had infarcts, but some had the same or a greater degree of coronary arteriosclerosis as a few whites who had myocardial infarctions. One explanation for this may be that some difference in clotting or clot-lysis mechanisms is present in the two groups. In a previous study, we showed that the incidence of thromboembolic phenomena in the pulmonary circulation [blood clots in the lungs] was low in East Africans as compared with Americans.
Now, the authors' conclusions:
These data strongly suggest that among the Orientals the environmental factor is playing a major role in the etiology of myocardial infarction and coronary thrombosis. If the genetic factor is an important one, those Orientals who moved to this country many years ago or who were born in this country should still maintain their low occurrence rate of myocardial infarction at least to some extent, and one would not expect to see similar occurrence rates of myocardial infarction in Orientals and whites as old as 50 to 59 years... As with the Orientals, this suggests that for Negroes in the United States environmental factors are more important than genetic factors in the etiology of myocardial infarction.
Africans in Africa and Japanese in Japan = low incidence of MI. Africans, Japanese and Caucasians in the US = high and similar incidence of MI. Genes only influence a person's susceptibility to MI when they live in an environment that promotes MI. Otherwise, genes are basically irrelevant.

What do the traditional diets and lifestyles of Japan and Africa have in common? Not much. Even within Nigeria, the diet varies from heavily starch-based (root vegetables, soaked/fermented non-gluten grains, beans, plantains) to mostly reliant on high-fat dairy and meat. In fact, I believe it's the wrong question to ask. A better question is "what do we eat/do in the US that traditional Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Polynesians, Melanesians and Africans don't"? For starters, none of them rely on industrial vegetable oils, sugar and wheat to nearly the same extent as modern America. Their food is generally prepared at home using wholesome ingredients and traditional methods.


They probably get more exercise than Americans, even if it's only walking in Tokyo or domestic tasks for women in parts of Africa. Traditional Africans surely get more sunlight and thus more vitamin D. I can't imagine life is less stressful in Tokyo than in San Francisco or Los Angeles.

I really like this study, and I think these graphs should be disseminated as much as possible. I've prepared high-resolution versions in JPEG, Powerpoint and PDF formats. E-mail me (click on my profile for the link) if you would like a copy. Let me know which format(s) you want.