Weight Lies!

Haha, this is a good one!  Yes, I have been guilt of rounding down when I gave my weight to DMV.  I figured that my license was good for 5 years, and so I’d use the weight that I planned to be in 5 years (always less than I currently was!)

The funny thing is, having gone to a diet that is almost 100% plant-based, eliminating meat, dairy and almost all refined sugar, I have achieved that goal weight.

Just say NO to Diet Soda

I want to share a post from a fellow blogger, Brett Day, writer of NoTimeToW8 a very motivational blog that follows Brett’s weight loss journey.  He very clearly and succinctly stresses the dangers of diet soda.  Read on…

Drink Diet Soda? You Might Want to Reconsider.

Posted on February 8, 2012

If you are one of the millions of Americans who drink diet soda because you think it is a healthier alternative to regular soda, you may want to reconsider opening that next can of diet pop. A new study which has been published by the Journal of General Internal Medicine has shown that drinking diet soda on a daily basis increases your chances of having a stroke or heart attack significantly.This new study which is titled ‘Diet Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with an Increased Risk of Vascular Events in the Northern Manhattan Study‘ was conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

During this study the University studied the drinking habits of more than 2,500 people over a 10 year period. The results were staggering. The study showed that those who drank diet soda on a daily basis were 43 percent more likely to suffer from a stroke, heart attack, or other vascular condition when compared to those who did not drink it,  even if there were pre-existing vascular conditions in those who did not drink the diet soda. Those who drank less than one per day were also less likely to be at risk of having a heart attack or stroke when compared to those who drank a diet soda every day.

The specific connection between drinking diet soda and having a stroke or heart attack was not clear, despite the overwhelming evidence linking the two together. Researcher Hannah Gardener said; “results suggest a potential association between daily diet soft drink consumption and vascular outcomes. However, the mechanisms by which soft drinks may affect vascular events are unclear”.

For a long time, researchers have believed that artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, and Saccharin play a large role in the increased risk of stroke and heart attack events among those who drink diet soda on a daily basis. Artificial sweeteners have also been linked with other health issues such as tinnitus, headaches, nervous system disorders and even cancer.

Next time you are thirsty do not automatically reach for a can of diet soda, (or any soda) especially if you have had one for the day already. Soft drink makers want you to believe that diet varieties of their soft drinks are better for you, but with a 43 percent increase in your chances of having a life altering event, you have to stop and think; ‘is drinking a soda worth cutting my life short?’.

Make healthy choices and live a long, fruitful life,

Brett

Calories in, Calories out

Losing weight is theoretically simple.  Take in less calories than you burn during the day and you will lose weight.  But how do you know how many calories you should be taking in?  Well there is a formula involving basil metabolic rate, height, ages, activity levels that is accurate for most people.

You can use one of the many calorie calculators found on the internet.  A good one I found is at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_6_1x_calorie_calculator.asp You put in your weight, height, age and it will calculate the amount of calories you  need to eat to maintain your weight,or to lose weight.  You can lose weight by eating fewer calories or exercising more, or any combination of the two!

I like this calculator because it presents a reasonable number of calories.  Remember, starving yourself by eating fewer calories than your body needs is not only unhealthy, it is counter productive to losing weight.  When you eat fewer calories than you need, your body believes it is starving and actually slows down your metabolism for self defense.