Once Upon a Thigh: February 2009

Table of Contents

Letter from the Editor

We are having great information coming back after repeating the Insulin Resistance Test. Remember if you have been good on taking Metformin, exercising and watching your diet (not perfect, but better than before), let's retest and see what that number looks like. If your number is larger than before, great job, and keep up the good work. If it is smaller than before then we need to work together more.

I have enjoyed marking a calendar for January for my insurance. We mark it when we exercise 30 minutes daily and also if we make more healthy choices for eating. Their goal is 80% of the time. I can do that. Exercise has been easier for me than eating. Some of you may find that making healthier eating choices is easier. What I have found for me, is that for the most part, I cannot have bad food choices in the house because under times of stress I reach for the bad choice.

I will also include some information from the BHRT Conference I attended in Las Vegas last weekend.

You will enjoy having a new part to our newsletter this month. It will be entitled: Elaine's Corner. You will enjoy hearing her story and things that are working for her.

Elaine's Corner
"Somewhat hesitantly, I will attempt to share with you a glimpse of the lifelong battle I've waged related to my weight and body image. I am far from declaring victory, but am finally feeling hopeful. I suppose I've always considered myself overweight, but was not medically identified as such until my 'premarital' exam in 1975. I was devastated when the doctor in SLC noted that I was an 'obese white female' (I weighed 140 lbs). I catalogued that in my mind, and went forward into marital bliss and rearing 5 children. I put myself pretty much last on the list through the child rearing years, and by the time I had delivered my 5th child I had gained 80 lbs. I was the mom who wanted the smell of cookies and brownies welcoming my children home from school (and I'm not sorry I did.) The problem became that my kids (and husband) only benefited from about 1/2 the goodies I baked. I 'benefited' from the other half. Through life's ups and downs, I put on another 20 lbs. in the last 10 years bringing the grand total to a weight gain of almost 100 lbs. (It's hard for me to write this down, I'm 'choking' on the grand total myself). Lest you think I didn't try to control my weight periodically, rest assured that I tried everything to lose weight. I've been on every commercial; weight loss program known to man, and have invented a few myself. I have lost 10, gained 15; lost 10 gained 15; lost 10 gained 15; you get the idea. (To be continued...)

"TIP OF THE MONTH: Try Nestle's fat free hot chocolate (25 calories a packet)"

Carol's note: Elaine is looking wonderful. She is on a weight loss program that is finally working for her: Weight Watchers. She has added exercise also and has lost a total of 45 lbs. Let's diet SMART, not hard.

Foods That Help You Sleep Better
Foods that contain the amino acid, tryptophan can help to make you sleepy. Turkey is high in this amino acid, thus aiding to sleepiness following Thanksgiving dinner. Milk has the same relaxing effect and it doesn't have to be warm to work. If you combine the amino acid tryptophan with carbohydrates you get an additive affect.

Here is one suggestion:

  • 4 oz low fat vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 c mango sorbet
  • 4 raspberries (garnish)
Place yogurt in a bowl, top with sorbet. Garnish with raspberries.

Feel Good Fruit for Winter Blues
Bananas are a great source of B6 and may perk up your brain. The brain cells tend to communicate better and enhance the effects of feel good neurotransmitters such as seratonin. Happier thoughts are also a byproduct of this great fruit.

Banana Drink:

  • 1 banana
  • 1 c milk
  • 2 tbs. cocoa
  • 1 tbs. honey
Slice banana and freeze. Blend milk, cocoa and honey in blender until smooth and then add banana slices through hole in top of blender and blend until smooth. It tastes like a banana split and is loaded with fiber, magnesium and potassium.

Why Weight Gain?
What 2 things cause weight gain? Obviously larger portion sizes are answer #1. Answer #2 has to do with how long it takes you to eat. Try eating slower, take 30 minutes per meal and you will find the scales going down. Speedy eaters kept eating until they were full and thus were 3 times more likely to be overweight than people who ate more slowly. Here are some tricks to help you slow down:

  • Keep distractions to a minimum so you can focus on your food
  • Serve small portions; you can have seconds or eat more later, if you're hungry again
  • Stay tuned in to each bite
  • Take a couple of sips of water between bites
  • Give yourself plenty of time to feel full; it may take 20 minutes for your satisfied stomach to send a signal to your brain
  • Aim for 3/4 full instead of stuffed
Thought for the Month
"Some people no matter how old they get never lose their beauty-they merely move it from their face to their heart."

-- Maelea Buxbaum

How to Crush a Craving - Fast
These hints are from www.realage.com. Use your feet for 15 minutes, to crush this craving, especially for chocolate, cigarettes and alcohol. Research has shown that by stimulating the activity of feel good brain chemicals, your cravings decrease. This feel good chemical continues for 10 minutes more, thus allowing your brain to move on to other ideas (hopefully non-food).

8 Secrets to Losing Weight - Joy Bauer
1. Start dinner with a first course -- soup (broth type with vegetables) or salad. This can cut your total calories at meal time by 20%.

2. Enjoy unlimited snacks -- non-starchy vegetables like peppers, carrots, celery, and cucumbers all have high water content and low calorie count. Drink lots of water throughout the day.

3. Walk off cravings -- see above.

4. Avoid trigger foods -- identify foods that are your triggers and avoid them at all cost.

5. Get your head in the game -- commit completely in your head (this is your year) and you will be successful. The head moves to the heart and the heart moves to the mouth and stomach. You can do it.

6. Double up on the good stuff -- ditch starchy carbs at dinner (potatoes, peas, corn, pasta, bread) and replace them with loads of vegetables. If you eliminate one cup of starch every night and double up on nonstarchy veggies, you could save more than 80,000 calories in a year which equates to dropping almost 23 pounds in a year.

7. Eliminate extras -- picking at tiny amounts of food throughout the day may not seem like such a big deal, but the calories add up. Every bite counts. Write down everything you eat for 3 days and reevaluate if needed.

8. Cut back on sweets, real and artificial -- we all know that decreasing sweets will decrease calories, but new studies are finding that even diet soda and artificially sweetened foods can lead to weight gain. Fake sugars keep sweetness on our taste buds and minds.

Conference Ideas
Men who are insulin resistant have decreased testosterone levels while women have increased levels. Interesting? YES. Studies have shown that weight loss alone can dramatically improve testosterone levels. Insulin Resistance has had many names in the past: Syndrome X, Metabolic Syndrome, Dysmetabolic Syndrome, Diabesity, Prediabetes, Reaven Syndrome, Deadly Quartet and Beer Belly Syndrome. Here is a current list of medical problems associated with Insulin Resistance:

  • type 2 diabetes
  • obesity
  • polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • infertility
  • hypertension
  • dyslipidemia
  • cardiovascular disease
  • strokes
  • deep vein thrombosis
  • fatty liver disease
  • gout
  • sleep apnea
  • insomnia
  • gallbladder disease
  • anxiety and depression
  • chronic fatigue
  • kidney disease
  • cancer
  • male hypogonadism
  • stroke
  • and the list goes on...
Assess your BMI- this can be done quickly at the office with a special wheel to register weight and height. You are considered overweight if your BMI is 5.0-29.9, obese if BMI is >30. Second thing to assess is your waist size. Do this by placing a tape measure by the top of your hip bone and ending at the belly button. For males, anything greater than 40 is a red flag, for females the # is 35. Central fat, around the abdomen, is the most dangerous for men and women. If your triglycerides are >150, HDL < 40 for men or < 50 for women, blood pressure >= to 130/85 and fasting glucose level 100 we have a problem.

Studies show that 58% of people who make lifestyle changes can increase their IR number and thus not progress to diabetes. The same study shows that if you do Metformin/Glucophage alone you will be 38% successful. Just think of your success if you combine lifestyle and medication.

We are in an epidemic in the United States with 24.1 million people having been diagnosed with diabetes. 57 million people in the US have pre-diabetes. Vascular complications happen in the 10-15 years prior to the diagnosis of diabetes. Be sure you are having dilated eye exams yearly.

So, the take home message for me was: eat healthier and continue exercising. Remember that you can request an extra serving of veggies instead of potatoes when you go out to eat.

Let me know how I can help you this year. THIS is the year of YOU.

-- Carol

Don't forget to tell a friend about Once Upon a Thigh!