In this drunken state, this marketer said “everything I say has an *element* of truth.”  Wow…it surprises me, although in hindsight it really shouldn’t have.  That is the moment I got it! Not everything, and everyone, is as it/he/she seems.  I chose to no longer work with this person and dissolved the business relationship as amicably as I could.  But it really left its mark and widened my eyes to the many ‘almost lies’ that are so prominent in today’s world.

That example was an “in my face” example of how marketing can be deceptive.  And I thought of that event as I was reading about another deception that has been going on for many years.  As I have been researching and writing this series on sugar and how it damages so many parts of your body, I learned that aspartame producer Ajinomoto is soon to be launching a new initiative to rebrand aspartame as “AminoSweet”.  Their element of truth?  There are some amino acids in the powder and it is sweet.  Their elements of deceptions go on and on.

Aspartame Dangers

Rather than detail all of the health issues that have been created by this controversial food addictive (which is now found in more than 6,000 foods), I’ll simply link you to a very well written and eye opening report about the dangers of aspartame that will leave your jaw dropped and hopefully, new knowledge that will push you do choose better.  How could a chemical that had been listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent be allowed in our food supply?  This report details the controversy of this additive and the health issues it has since caused.

I want to you know that when the clever marketing campaigns entice you to choose this new product, it is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothes.  Don’t allow the “element of truth” to hurt you or your families health.  Not sure where you stand on aspartame and how it affects your health?  Then remember this…if you are eating or drinking food that was created in a laboratory, instead of the food/drink that was created in nature, you’re body doesn’t recognize it as food, doesn’t know what to do with it and has to protect you from it.  Each time you give your child a diet soda, their little body is having to rescue them from that choice.  Your own body has to rescue you from that food choice.  Your body can only come to your rescue so many times, before it get tired and stops.  How many cans of aspartame is your body having to rescue you from each day?

Be smart when you shop, be smart when choosing what you eat.

In my last post, I offered a quick calculation to help you better understand how many sugars (in all forms) you are consuming.  By using the easy “carbs minus fiber divided by 5” calculation, you can instantly note the number of teaspoons of sugars you are about to consume per serving.  Remember that these are ALL of the ingredients combined in that product that react within your body as a carbohydrate.  Just looking at the number of sugars in the product doesn’t tell the entire story.

Why is sugar so bad, when it tastes so good?  Over the next 10 days, I’m going to share with you the Top 10 reasons sugar is suicide on a spoon.

Reason #1…Your Weight

If you are addicted to sugar, you are not alone.  In the past 20 years, sugar consumption per person has increased from 26 pounds to 135 pounds…per person!  That is nearly 42 teaspoons, a little over 1/3 pound of sugar the average American eats each and every day.

From a calorie perspective, those 42 teaspoons at 16 calories per level teaspoon adds 672 calories to your daily caloric intake.  That’s 4704 calories per week and 245,280 calories per year.  Considering that a pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, eating the American average adds an extra pound of fat to your body (unless you burn it off thru exercise) each and every week.  Are you seeing how easy it is to gain 50 pounds in a year?

From a “I like what I see in the mirror” perspective, sugar sabotages your scale and your skinny jeans.

Over the next several posts, you’ll learn why Dr. Bill Misner says “The health dangers ingested sugar creates when habitually imposed upon human physiology are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to aggravate asthma, muster mental illness, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, nourish nervous disorders, hurry heart disease, deliver diabetes, grow gallstones, hasten hypertension, add arthritis, and on top of all of that…It will kill you!”

Stay tuned to be inspired to kick your sugar addiction!

Photo Source: boingboing.net/2007/10/21-week/

It is like a best friend who stabs you in the back.  Yes, it is yummy and it is readily available but it truly is very very bad for you, in many different ways.  In addition to being empty calories with zero nutritional content, sugar burns “hotter” in your system, creating more free radicals (those nasty little buggers that cause cancer and crows feet).

What types of sugar?  All of it (white, brown and even fruit and fruit juices, maple syrup and honey) is converted into triglycerides by the liver and are subject to damage from free radicals.  These damaging triglycerides then attack your arteries, which leads to cardiovascular disease.  Ready for this?  Cancer and tumor cells FEED off of sugar. And that is all I have to say about that.

Course corrections:

Even though fruit does convert to triglycerides, it also provides a host of health benefits, one being powerful antioxidants that fight those nasty free radicals. Plus, fruit is rich in fiber which is a key component of losing weight and gaining health.  Eat several servings each and every day.

Limit your intake of sugar to a very very minimum. Watch your labels as sugar sources are tricky.  Instead of looking at the number of grams of sugars in a product, read the number of carbohydrates.  That is the true number to watch for.  To calculate the amount of sugar in the product, simply subtract the amount of fiber from the amount of carbs and divide that number by 5.  For example, let’s look at the label of a “healthy” breakfast cereal.

Although the label says 14 grams of sugars, pay attention to the number of carbs – 43grams.  Subtract the amount of fiber (3 grams) from 43, leaving 40.  Divide 40 by 5 = 8.  This 1 cup serving of “lightly sweetened” cereal has 8 teaspoons of sugars that will affect your waistline and your blood sugar.  (By the way, Fruit Loops has 15 grams sugar, 28 grams carbs and 1 gram fiber, making it a better breakfast choice!!)

Can you imagine sitting down and eating 8 teaspoons of sugar in one sitting?  Icky nasty yuck!

When it was time to auction off my coaching package, I had an opportunity to tell people about my services and warned….strongly….to be careful presenting these gifts as presents.  I gave the men my business card and offered “get out of the doghouse” coaching sessions at discounted prices.  When I sat down at my table, a red faced friend admitted that he had purchased one of the gifts – a beautiful ‘black lab with a duck in his mouth’ painting – for just such a purpose.  As his wife looked at him in horror, he realized that he was a lucky duck to have been course corrected prior to the big day.  I’m guessing he will be going shopping tomorrow!

This entire event got me thinking…being healthy isn’t just about eating right and exercising, it is also about exercising wisdom so that lives can be spared, stress can be reduced, backs can be saved (from couch sleeping) and relationships enhanced.

Guy…pppssss…Valentine’s Day is a TEST!

Want to pass the test with flying colors this year and get the “rewards” that come with making her very happy?  “Rewards” that allow you to use every minute that little blue pill offers?

Then buy the right gift!  Present it the right way! And the “rewards” will surely follow.

I don’t even need to elaborate on what will happen if you don’t.  Let’s just say that Cupid’s arrow will shoot you through your zipper, instead of through your heart.  Ouch!

So what’s a guy to do?  Follow the advice of other guys who had walked those trails before you.  I began asking guy friends some of the best…and worst…gifts they have given and I’m going to list some of them here.  AND…I want YOU to help your fellow men folk by sharing in this blog your hits, and misses.

From my friends, here were the best gifts they have ever given.  How do they know they were best?  Well…the (uh) feedback (cough) they received.

Ohhhh yeah gifts

• Weekend stay at a Bed and Breakfast or any getaway
• Gift certificates for massage, pedicure, manicure, etc.
• Book of the month – IF she loves to read, this is a great idea to include in the overall gift (can’t be used alone). Not only does it show you are “into” her, it shows you are “into” her month after month.
• Jewerly – but know her taste. And…ask as many women as you possibly can find in the store their opinion.  Don’t be afraid.  Women LOVE giving their opinion and your life is a risk here.  ASK!
• Dinner and dancing – stop groaning. Remember this isn’t about you.  Do something you wouldn’t normally do!  Make it sexy.  Shut up about being uncomfortable and looking foolish.  You are being tested!!  It is “do or do not” time.
• All about her day.  You take care of breakfast, lunch and dinner (home made or eating out, it doesn’t matter), run her a bubble bath, take care of the kids, etc.

You’re dead gifts

• Oil changes or car wash coupons
• Gym membership
• Work out clothes
• Towels
• Any…ANY…household appliance
• Any that you like!  If you would want it for yourself, chances are…you need to pass on that one.
• Gadgets – no matter how cool or practical

Iffy

• Sexy lingerie – here, you have to know your girl.  And, if you give it, there needs to be something for HER attached.  Like a “coupon” for a sexy massage when she wears the lingerie (more than a 30 second massage too).  Some women I know see sexy lingerie as being about pleasing the guy, not about her.
• Flowers – most girls love flowers, but Valentine’s is a big deal, so there must, must, must be more.  Or, she will feel it was an afterthought, that you don’t really know her, blah, blah, blah

Now, share your thoughts.  Help each other out here by leaving a comment about the Best and Worst gifts you have ever given, or received (yes ladies, your feedback is very welcome too).  This blog will have a life of its own and will be frequently updated with suggestions that will make Mr. Happy happy, or land your butt on the couch.  Updates end at 8pm EST on Saturday, Febuary 13.  If you haven’t bought your gift for her by then, you are toast anyway and can’t be saved.

Have fun!

Fortunately, that didn’t last long.  Joel embarked on a program to blast that weight off and with a focus that he creates in everything he does, the weight was gone very quickly.  (Hear his story on video).

But…back to belly fat.

I’m not writing this article to poke fun at men or their overhanging belly.  But to provide a reality check that can save your, or someone you love, life.  Belly fat is dangerous.

Visceral fat, sometimes called beer belly or described as apple shaped, essentially clogs up your middle, creating pressure on your internal organs before it begins to spill out over your waistband.  But it does more than that.  Fat cells produces inflammatory molecules, and takes control of your appetite by making you feel hungry, slows fat burning (your metabolism), messes with your insulin receptors and increases your stress hormones, namely cortisol.   Belly fat also creates sexual issues, especially for men.  Not only does belly fat absorb the penis length, making the penis shorter (does size matter??), it “clogs” the tiny blood vessels leading to sexual organs, making it more difficult to attain and maintain an erection.

As you can see, the overhang is the least of your problems when it comes to belly fat, but the reality of the problem must be address first.

Instead of measuring your waist by the size of pants you wear, whip out a tape measure and find out for sure your true waist size.  To measure the circumference of your waist, place a tape measure around your belly button. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around and does not push in or indent the skin. Relax, exhale, and measure.

Your risk for many health ailments increases if your waist circumference is:

• Over 35 inches for women. (Less than 31.5 inches is ideal.)
• Over 40 inches for men. (Less than 37 inches is ideal.)

Now that you know the truth and the reality that truth creates, do something about it.  You can do as Joel did and blast through fat using high quality, medically approved meal replacements. I’m a big fan of meal replacements and love the momentum and instant success they provide.  Not interested in going that route, that is ok!  There are so many simple ways in which you can shed that belly fat and gain the health your deserve. Whatever you choose, just do it.  Your health and your sex life is on the line!

Why weight?

The answer….YES.  The other answer…NO.

Told ya there was alot of confusion here!

That is because there are sooo many mixed messages when it comes to the best way to lose weight.  What to eat, how often to eat it. Which supplements to take. How much to exercise.  The weight loss industry itself is one of the leading offenders contributing to the obesity epidemic.  The weight loss industry would go broke if people lost weight
and kept it off.  Not too many industries are looking for bankruptcy and unemployment lines (remember that the next time you read about the latest, greatest magic pill or potion).

So what is a dieter to do?

Above, I said the answer was yes and no.  Yes, because those things can be useful tools in which to get and stay on track.  No, because you can’t rely on just one of those ways alone. Instead, free yourself from the scale and set goals that take other factors into consideration:

Let’s look at BMI
The Body Mass Index chart is a common way for most people (and physicians) to determine healthy weights for most people.  BUT, it isn’t accurate for a large number of people.  For example:  I am 6ft tall.  According to the BMI, I should weigh about 155.  But, at that weight, I look too thin and sickly.  I look, and feel, best heavier than that.  Yes, that seems like alot, but I have a great deal of muscle and that weight is simply right for me.  Plus, this weight is super easy for me to maintain, which is very important in keeping it off.  I don’t want to feel deprived for the rest of my life. That is a sure way of falling off track.

Another drawback is that the BMI isn’t an accurate indicator of health.  There are many people who are considered healthy on the BMI chart, but whose body fat is way too high.  Thin people can be malnourished and unhealthy too.  For those reasons, BMI isn’t enough.

Pant Size
It has been proven that the clothing industry has been ‘playing’ with sizes for a number of years now.  Known as Vanity Sizing, these manufacturers are making clothes that are bigger then the label suggests.  Basically, a size 6 now, is larger that a size 6 used to be.  It really is a marketing ploy to play toward the larger society we have become and to ‘help’ us feel not so bad about it.  Heck, have you ever bought a pair of pants you didn’t even like simply because they were a size smaller than you normally wear?  Did your hips magically shrink, was the label wrong, or was it a ploy to flatter you into a purchase?

For guys, be honest here.  Are you fooling yourself that you are healthy simply because you are wearing the same size pants as ten years ago?  If you had to wear your belt around your bellybutton instead of your hip bones, would that change?  Don’t ignore the overhang!

Lab results
Oh.My.Goodness — I’ve heard it sooo many times:  “I’m really healthy for my size.”  It truly breaks my heart for several different reasons.  The most important is that being significantly overweight is NOT healthy.  Those lab tests simply mean that person is not clinically ’sick’…yet!  They are ‘non-sick‘ and I’ve even written about that state before.

Measurements
An increased amount of abdominal fat increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancers. For men, it also increases their risk of erectile dysfunction and even shortens the length of their penis (yep…for every 30 pounds a man is overweight, he loses an inch in penis length).

To measure the circumference of your waist, place a tape measure around your belly button. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around and does not push in or indent the skin. Relax, exhale, and measure.

Your risk for many health ailments I’ve listed increases if your waist circumference is:

• Over 35 inches for women. (Less than 31.5 inches is ideal.)
• Over 40 inches for men. (Less than 37 inches is ideal.)

Another measurement you can add to get a good idea of your level of health is your Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR).  Here, you measure your waist (explained above).  Next, measure your hips, from the widest part of your buttocks.  To determine the ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.

Male                             Female                       Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
0.95 or below          0.80 or below         Low Risk
0.96 to 1.0                0.81 to 0.85             Moderate Risk
1.0+                             0.85+                          High Risk

With Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR), body shape really doesn’t matter.  Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren had similar WHR although their weight and height were different.  WHR is considered to be a better indicator of your state of health and is an important addition in creating your goals.

Neck measurement
Most guys have a fairly decent idea of their neck size, mainly because most dress shirts for them some with neck size built in.  But when was the last time you ladies measured your neck…never?  Doing so is important because neck size is an indicator of sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that causes people to stop breathing repeatedly during the night, a dangerous phenomenon.

Having a large neck size (17 inches or greater in men and 16 inches or greater in women) is a risk factor in having the deadly, and weight related, disease.

Other measurements
Measurements such as sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) are available, but these two are easiest and are reliable in determining health. You can also measure your body fat.  There are scales that you step on and devices that you hold that are said to measure body fat.  However, these results are accurate as your level of hydration plays a large role in how the technology works.  You can also purchase calipers or visit a clinic or fitness center and have your body fat analyzed.  There are various ways that this can be done, some more accurate than others.  Learn more about body fat analysis prior to using those results in your goal setting design.

Lifestyle Choices
Even these four evaluations don’t truly define your true level of health.  Lifestyle practices such as your eating habits, smoking, physical exercise/activity and certain medical conditions also affect your health.  Also, your overall health status, exposure to chemicals, pollutants and secondhand smoke and even your age play a factor.  Heck, it’s important to take into consideration things like the number of sexual partners you’ve had, how frequently you wash your hands and how you manage your stress. Take into consideration everything that you do, and don’t do, when you choose to become healthier.  It isn’t just the number on the scale that is important.  It is how you live your life and the choices you make, that truly determine your whole state of health.

The day that you see losing weight and gaining health as only a number on the scale, is the day I predict you’ll continue to ride the yo-yo coaster.

Still confused?

Feel free to ask me a question in the comment section of this post. I’m happy to share with you my knowledge and support you living the life you love, with a body that doesn’t hold you back.  Don’t let the confusion of it all stop you from making better choices each and every day.  It doesn’t matter that you are perfect, it matters that you progress.  Strategically plan your life in a way that brings TRUE health, in all aspects.  That is when the weight will fall off, and stay off!

Blessings,

What types of sugar?  All of it (white, brown and even fruit and fruit juices, maple syrup and honey) is converted into triglycerides by the liver and are subject the damage from free radicals.  These damaging triglycerides then attack your arteries, which leads to cardiovascular disease.  Ready for this?  Cancer and tumor cells FEED off of sugar. Need i say more?

Course correction:

• Eat fruit when you crave sugar as it provides antioxidants that also fight against free radicals.
• Limit your intake of sugar in the foods you eat to a very very minimum.
• If you must have sweetness, my favorite is Stevia, a natural sweetner that is very yummy.
• Read your labels (or investigate nutritional content online) and become aware of the added sugars in the food you eat.  An easy way to check sugar content is with this super simple formula:  Take the total number of carbs from the label. Subtract the amount of fiber. Divide the remainder by 5.  Now, you have the number of teaspoons of sugar in that food.  For example:  if there are 30 grams of carbs on the label and 5 grams of fiber, that means you have 5 teaspoons of sugars in that product.  (30 minus 5 = 25.  25 divided by 5 = 5)

• Being overweight

• Not sleeping well

• Fatigued

• Weak or flabby

• Stressed out

• Taking a lot of over-the-counter medications

• Not as interested in sex or having a lowered libido

Non-sickness is caused by eating excessive amounts of nutritionally barren foods which overwork your organs and facilitate fat being stored in your body. This ongoing habit of poor nutrition can ultimately lead to life-threatening illness over time, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer and other diseases.  Non-sickness is also caused by irregular sleep patterns that don’t allow your body adequate rest and by living in a constant state of stress.

In this non-sick state, time is against you. You become sedated and resigned to the conclusion that how you feel is normal, until, eventually, you have a heart attack or learn that you’ve developed diabetes. Our bodies were biologically designed to eat small, frequent meals, store calories and fat, move and be active, sleep with the cycles of the day and have short, infrequent bursts of stress. Yet, with the “advances” of living in the 21st century, nutritionally barren, calorie laden food is abundant and is as close as opening a refrigerator or sticking a hand out a car window. We have little need to be active as energy saving devices, such as cars and washing machines, are plentiful.

We get very little sleep and are stressed out all of the time. Add to the mix a food industry whose job is to make money and a pharmaceutical industry whose sole purpose is to treat sickness, and we begin to see a clearer picture of why optimal health can be difficult to achieve. In truth, the odds are actually stacked against you and your health with “non-sick” as the eventual winner. These industries do NOT have your best health interests at heart. All the while marketing agencies are getting rich promoting the latest, greatest magic pill and food science is getting better at knowing how to trick the human brain into wanting more and feeling less satisfied. Face it…thin and healthy just isn’t profitable… sickness is…and at YOUR expense!

The good news is that moving from being non-sick to optimal health is a relative short journey.

Taking the RIGHT steps each day will improve your health and give your body the space it needs to repair itself, and being at your ideal weight is a vital part of your journey.

Achieving and maintaining your ideal or optimal weight is essential to walking in the optimal health you were created to enjoy.

One of the greatest values in the super market are the bagged frozen vegetables located in the freezer isle.  With many choices to choose from, these easy to use and cost-effective options are a great way to incorporate a colorful variety of healthy produce into your eating plan.  If you price compare, you’d find that you would spend significantly more on fresh vegetables and if you are like many people, to many of these fresh vegetables go to waste.

Just as nutritious as fresh, these vegetables are picked at their peak and flash-frozen, locking in all their healthful nutrients.  Plus, you can select mixed-vegetable blends (such as stir-fry or California-style varieties) and get up to seven different vegetables per bag. And…(clap, clap, clap), the chopping is done for you!

There are so many options in using frozen veggies – add them to soups, chilies and casseroles.  Stir them into omelets, stir-fries and side dishes with your favorite protein.  You can even add them into your smoothing, adding phytonutrients to a yummy shake.  And, want to sneak veggies into your children’s diet?  Simply puree them to add to pasta sauce (they’ll never know!!)

Just be careful and chose veggies that do not contain sauces, salt, sugar or unhealthy additives

See…eating health IS easy and doesn’t have to be expensive.  Stock up on frozen veggies and you are ready to go!

Blessings,

But take heart, these challenges don’t have to stop you and it is easy to get back on course.  All you have to do is get back to the BASICS.

B – breakfast. Eat a nutritious breakfast including a lean protein and complex carbs within 30 minutes of waking.
A – aware. Be aware of what you are eating.  Journal your food and drink intake and/or measure your portions to make sure you aren’t over-serving.
S – support.  Enlist supportive friends or family to help you get back on track. Or hire a health coach for that extra measure of accountability.
I – infuse.  Infuse your body with pure water throughout the day.  Drink at least half your body weight in ounces (if you weight 200lbs, that’s 100 ounces of water).
C – choose.  Choose foods that nourish your body and mind.  Refuse to eat foods that harm your health. Choose also to manage your stress levels and take time for yourself each day.
S – sleep.  Restore your body with at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

See…it’s easy.  Don’t beat yourself up for sliding back. Simply look ahead and re-commit.

Blessings,