Archive for March, 2010

26
March

Jillian Michaels on pregnancy: “I won’t do that to my body”

The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels is facing criticism for remarks she made to a women’s fitness magazine.

jillian_michaels_book_coverIn the latest issue of Women’s Health, television’s most well-known personal trainer says she doesn’t want pregnancy to ruin the ripped figure she’s worked so hard for.

“I’m going to adopt. I can’t handle doing that to my body,” she told the magazine. “Also, when you rescue something, it’s like rescuing a part of yourself.”

Michaels also said she was overweight as a child and weighed as much as 175 pounds when she was just 12 years old. Today, her muscular, 5-foot-2 frame is a fit 120 pounds.

Michaels, 36, told the magazine she doesn’t plan to train weight-loss clients for the rest of her life. Im not going to be wearing spandex in a [workout] DVD at 40! If I am, shoot me.

Michaels is currently working on a new show for NBC called Losing It With Jillian, in which she dishes her “own characteristic brand of tough love” to a different family each week.

26
March

Kinetix Guidewire from Boston Scientific Promises More Torque Control

Boston Scientific announced new tech for guidewires, the small flexible wires used for control in percutaneous procedures. They claim the Kinetix boasts improved torque control and flexibility for getting around those tight corners in the LAD. The improvements come from controlled flexibility in the sleeve itself rather than the center wire in the traditional spring coil design.

From the press release:

The Kinetix Guidewire features a unique micro-cut nitinol sleeve designed for significantly improved torque control compared to conventional spring coil guidewires. The Kinetix Guidewire represents the first major advance in coronary guidewire technology in nearly a decade. The Company will begin a phased launch of the Kinetix Guidewire immediately and expand to full product availability by next quarter.

Press release: Boston Scientific Announces Launch of Kinetix™ Guidewire…



23
March

Are All Diets, High Fat Diets?

I want to start this post off and say that I love free thinkers and people who question things. I don't even care if I agree with 100% of what the person is talking about. Rebels make the world more exciting. I have spent the past hour over on Free the Animal and have been sucked in to Richard Nikoley's fantastic writing style. He has several great articles talking about a similar subject: That all successful diets are high fat diets. You will see exactly what he means by this in a second.

High Fat Diet Article

[I tried to find an appropriate photo for the topic of "high fat diets", but those were all brutally boring. A ghost lady wearing a bikini instead? Someone needs to make a B movie with this theme!]

How Can a Low Fat Diet be Considered High in Fat?

Well…that is what sucked me in to one of Richard's articles. I was interested to hear what he had to say. I had a suspicion of what the article would talk about (and I was right), but it was very well written. What he is saying is that all diets are high fat diets, because your body releases its own body fat into the bloodstream as you lose weight.

This Article on His Site Has Changed My Outlook a Bit

Losing Weight is Pretty Much Like Eating Lard <---This article makes you think! Richard talks about how your own body fat has a similar composition to lard. Losing body fat involves having fatty acids released into the bloodstream, similar to the effect of eating lard has on the human body. I have never looked at losing body fat in that way. It is certainly a paradigm shift for me.

Losing 2 Pounds of Body Fat Per Week?

A common suggested weight loss goal for many people is to lose 2 pounds of fat per week. Well, that is the equivalent of 7,000 calories per week of fat…and much of that fat is saturated fat (270 grams in this case). Kind of crazy to think about. I honestly never looked at it this way before. Makes you question people who attack eating fats in the diet.

Are You Confused About What Fats to Eat?

This whole thing is confusing as heck at times. You hear so many different pieces of advice. As far as fats go, my friend Scott Kustes of Fitness Spotlight did an excellent guest post on the subject on this site: The Four Types Of Fat Sorting Out the Confusion of Dietary Fats. This is a great article to tell you what to look for in the grocery store. I have been a big fan of coconut oil since Scott wrote this guest article. Great stuff for stir fry!

What I've Learned Over the Past Two Years

One thing I have learned is that hardcore processed foods are the thing to minimize. More than anything else it is these processed "altered" foods that are causing much of the health problems in modern society. If 75% of what you eat are whole foods, then you can be pretty certain that you are eating in a way that promotes good health. It isn't so much about how much fat or how many carbs, but what the fat and carb sources are. Like I said in "Visual Impact"…your grandma is right when it comes to healthy eating. Just make sure you know when to stop and you will be good.

Check Out Your Local Farmer's Market

These past few Sundays, me and my girlfriend have made a point to walk down to our local farmer's market and buy fresh food. It is about a 2-3 mile walk round-trip, so it is a good way to get healthy exercise as well. The one we go to is in a hip and artsy part of our city so we get live music, entertainment, etc. It simply feels good to get food close to the source. Most cities have several of these farmers markets and my hope is that they grow in number. It is fun to interact with people who live in your community…we have become so disconnected with technology that this feels good.

A Quick Video Explaining the Paleo Diet

When you guys head over to Richard's site, Free the Animal, you will hear him talk about the Paleo way of eating. People who are new to this could be slightly confused. Here is the best video on the subject. Created by Methuselah at Pay Now Live Later.

Watch this…it is actually pretty darn entertaining!

[I don't follow these principles all the way, because I like a bit more carbs than what this diet recommends...but I do love the idea to limit processed foods. Instead of going all the way paleo, I find that I will mix in paleo meals many times per week. This works well and gives me more flexibility than eating paleo all the time.]

Note: Free the Animal is a great site, because Richard talks about his experience with the Paleo diet and even discusses challenges with that way of eating. This post created a major buzz and massive discussion a few weeks ago —> Paleo Diet Problems

Tags: Dieting for Fat Loss