There's something about Dan The Man that reminds me of Richard Nikoley...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Mr. CR: Dr. Roy Walford
I'm starting to really take to this idea that calorie restriction is a fool-proof plan for weight loss and health. One of the pioneers of calorie restriction (CR) was Dr. Roy Walford.
He was apart of the scientific team in Biosphere 2 and wrote books such as "The 120 Year Diet", "Beyond The 120 Year Diet" and "The Anti-Aging Plan". Maybe ironically, he passed away at age 79. He had Lou Gehrig's Disease. Here he is in a 2000 interview with Alan Alda on "Scientific American Frontiers":
He was apart of the scientific team in Biosphere 2 and wrote books such as "The 120 Year Diet", "Beyond The 120 Year Diet" and "The Anti-Aging Plan". Maybe ironically, he passed away at age 79. He had Lou Gehrig's Disease. Here he is in a 2000 interview with Alan Alda on "Scientific American Frontiers":
Thursday, February 23, 2012
My Diet Update February 2012
It's been three months since my previous summary of macronutrient intake. Now is an appropriate time to reflect back.
Last November I finished twelve weeks of high carbohydrate calorie restriction. After I lost weight during that period, I didn't have a plan moving forward. I suppose I was ready for a break. I would have liked to have lost another ten pounds, but I didn't consciously make that goal.
I continued to keep a food log, but didn't enter the data into my spreadsheet on a daily or regular basis. So, I wasn't aware of how much food I was eating. I ate until satisfaction, not really indulging much. I did fudge a little bit, especially around the holidays. When I say fudge, I'm being both figurative and literal, as well as cookies, pie, cake and ice cream. I was eating more refined carbs from December to February than previously during September to November, which added to my overall calorie intake.
The day of reckoning came this past Sunday. I opened my food log and started to enter the data into my spreadsheet. Three months of food logging is daunting. It took an entire Sunday afternoon to update the data. But it's done. The summary table is below. The bad news is that I gained weight, but the good news is that it was at a slow rate, only one pound per month.
The average daily calorie intake was 2600 with a standard deviation of 500. So most days fit between 2100 and 3100 calories. During the previous twelve week period the average daily calories was 2100. The difference between 2600 and 2100 daily calories translated to gaining weight versus losing weight, respectively.
After reviewing the data I decided to apply calorie restriction for another twelve week period with a target to lose about one pound per week. See you in 3 months.
Last November I finished twelve weeks of high carbohydrate calorie restriction. After I lost weight during that period, I didn't have a plan moving forward. I suppose I was ready for a break. I would have liked to have lost another ten pounds, but I didn't consciously make that goal.
I continued to keep a food log, but didn't enter the data into my spreadsheet on a daily or regular basis. So, I wasn't aware of how much food I was eating. I ate until satisfaction, not really indulging much. I did fudge a little bit, especially around the holidays. When I say fudge, I'm being both figurative and literal, as well as cookies, pie, cake and ice cream. I was eating more refined carbs from December to February than previously during September to November, which added to my overall calorie intake.
The day of reckoning came this past Sunday. I opened my food log and started to enter the data into my spreadsheet. Three months of food logging is daunting. It took an entire Sunday afternoon to update the data. But it's done. The summary table is below. The bad news is that I gained weight, but the good news is that it was at a slow rate, only one pound per month.
The average daily calorie intake was 2600 with a standard deviation of 500. So most days fit between 2100 and 3100 calories. During the previous twelve week period the average daily calories was 2100. The difference between 2600 and 2100 daily calories translated to gaining weight versus losing weight, respectively.
After reviewing the data I decided to apply calorie restriction for another twelve week period with a target to lose about one pound per week. See you in 3 months.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Bill Clinton: A Sucker or Smart?
I've spent a lot of my free time this month reading about cholesterol.This came about due to two blood lipid tests in December about three weeks apart. One test was out of curiosity and the other for a life insurance exam. Both tests were relatively close, but neither gave me a reassuring feeling. The results from both tests were (in sequential order): total cholesterol 225, 236; LDL cholesterol calc 152, 162; HDL cholesterol 52, 54; triglycerides 104, 97. Blood glucose was 81, 74.
The results from the first test prompted my family physician to suggest that I eat a low fat diet and be retested in three months. If cholesterol wasn't lowered by then, then perhaps statins should be considered. The results from the second test gave me a passing grade for my life insurance.
There's so much that has been written about cholesterol and heart disease that one could make it a career just reading and digesting all the studies. For sure, there's a lot of evidence that serum cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease are correlated. But then there are a lot of skeptics that say other risk factors are more significant like stress/oxidation, smoking and lifestyle (physical activity). I've been tempted to blog about some of the papers that I've read, but it's very difficult to judge which ones are most relevant.
Speaking of relevancy, there's one very influential person who has decided to change his diet to whole plant based foods in an attempt to reduce his cholesterol levels and reverse his heart disease. I'm speaking of President Bill Clinton, who was interview in 2011 by Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Mr. Clinton talks about the changes he has made and the doctors who influenced him. Then, Mr. Blitzer interviews some of those doctors, Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Ornish. Have a listen:
The results from the first test prompted my family physician to suggest that I eat a low fat diet and be retested in three months. If cholesterol wasn't lowered by then, then perhaps statins should be considered. The results from the second test gave me a passing grade for my life insurance.
There's so much that has been written about cholesterol and heart disease that one could make it a career just reading and digesting all the studies. For sure, there's a lot of evidence that serum cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease are correlated. But then there are a lot of skeptics that say other risk factors are more significant like stress/oxidation, smoking and lifestyle (physical activity). I've been tempted to blog about some of the papers that I've read, but it's very difficult to judge which ones are most relevant.
Speaking of relevancy, there's one very influential person who has decided to change his diet to whole plant based foods in an attempt to reduce his cholesterol levels and reverse his heart disease. I'm speaking of President Bill Clinton, who was interview in 2011 by Wolf Blitzer on CNN. Mr. Clinton talks about the changes he has made and the doctors who influenced him. Then, Mr. Blitzer interviews some of those doctors, Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Ornish. Have a listen:
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Jack LaLanne: 1950s Real Food
For Amy's birthday on Saturday, she got a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. We try to be healthy, although there is an occasional indulgence in birthday cake:
It's been almost a year since Jack LaLanne, pioneer of exercise and nutrition, "ruined his image by dying". He passed away January 23, 2011 from pneumonia at age 96 years. Also known as the "godfather of fitness", he was trained as a chiropractor, but opened health clubs (which later became Bally Total Fitness) and had the longest running exercise TV program (1951-1985). He invented leg extension and pulley exercise machines and marketed electric juicers. He was also infamous for great feats of strength and endurance.
I first became aware of Jack LaLanne a few years ago after reading Paul Bragg's "The Miracle of Fasting". As Jack described himself, he was a miserable sugarholic as a kid. But at age 15, he attended a nutrition lecture with Paul Bragg and it changed his life.
Jack has been described as ahead of his time. I suppose that's a fair description, as this video clip from his 1950's TV program shows he promoted real, natural foods and to avoid processed foods:
It's been almost a year since Jack LaLanne, pioneer of exercise and nutrition, "ruined his image by dying". He passed away January 23, 2011 from pneumonia at age 96 years. Also known as the "godfather of fitness", he was trained as a chiropractor, but opened health clubs (which later became Bally Total Fitness) and had the longest running exercise TV program (1951-1985). He invented leg extension and pulley exercise machines and marketed electric juicers. He was also infamous for great feats of strength and endurance.
I first became aware of Jack LaLanne a few years ago after reading Paul Bragg's "The Miracle of Fasting". As Jack described himself, he was a miserable sugarholic as a kid. But at age 15, he attended a nutrition lecture with Paul Bragg and it changed his life.
Jack has been described as ahead of his time. I suppose that's a fair description, as this video clip from his 1950's TV program shows he promoted real, natural foods and to avoid processed foods:
Friday, December 30, 2011
My Observations on Denise Minger's Review of Ancel Keys
Denise Minger of Rawfoodsos.com recently wrote a blog post titled "The Truth About Ancel Keys: We've All Got It Wrong".
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