Denmark Introduces ‘Fat Tax’ on Foods High in Saturated Fat – ABC News.
It was bound to happen. All it takes is one country, state or city to start the ball rolling. Look for it to spread across Europe and cities across America.
The government’s definition of healthy food is not the same as mine.
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You walk in the office and in the break room is a tray full of donuts, pastries, croissants and bagels. Oh boy! You know it’s so bad for you but you grab one anyway with your coffee. Later that afternoon, it’s someone’s birthday and it’s cake for everyone! Ugh! The office is a dietary disaster.
An article in the Daily Mail gives tips for avoiding the temptation. The article quotes a professor from the University of Bristol saying it’s hopeless. Humans are “biologically programmed to eat what’s put in front of us.” But all is not lost, the professor then says, “…the truth is, some of us are better at saying no than others.”
There’s the answer. Just say no. If you are already on a low-carb diet, then saying no is easy. You know you are not going to eat a donut or bagel no matter how tasty it is. You know it is not healthy for you. Even if having one, “won’t kill you,” you won’t succumb.
It’s more difficult to say no during family gatherings, but at the office, you’re under no obligation to indulge. Just say no. Just yesterday in my office break room there was a tray full of rich, gooey, freshly-baked fudge brownies for the taking. I love brownies, but I eat low-carb so there was no way I was going to take one, and I didn’t. I poured a big cup of strong, black coffee and walked back to my office.
You can do the same. The article made it appear that it’s nearly hopeless to escape from the sugary, carb-loaded treats. You’re will power is much stronger than you realize. You can say no.
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A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever, by Marianne Williamson
I was hesitant to write a review of this book, not because it was bad, but because it was written for women. There is no specific mention of the book’s target audience on the back cover, but within the first few pages, its specificity is quite clear.
The book takes a different approach to weight loss. There are no diet plans and exercise routines. It contains 21 spiritual lessons to guide you in your journey. It was actually refreshing to read a weight loss book that focuses on the mental aspects rather than the physical. That’s not to say you can lose weight sitting on your rear end all day long.
The primary focus is twofold: learning to love yourself and your body, and readjusting your relationship with food. Those are noble goals and should be the first thing you do when wanting to lose weight. Changing your mindset is paramount before engaging in any type of diet or exercise program.
Marianne Williamson encourages digging into your past to unlock your bad relationship with your body and food. Through meditation, prayer and journal writing, you can retrain your thoughts and tap into what she calls your “Divine perfection.” This is the notion that, as creations of God, we are already perfect. It is our own thoughts and actions that moves us away from perfection.
I admire Marianne’s candor in talking about her own struggles with weight loss and the personal ordeals she went through in her childhood.
This is a good book to start for women who are having a hard time, mentally dealing with their bodies and struggling to lose weight. It can help them channel their thoughts and energy towards their goal, and then begin the physical process of diet and exercise.
When it comes to changing your life, it always starts with your mind.
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An article by Dr. William Campbell Douglas debunks new studies showing obesity can be inherited. The studies, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, are based on rats being fed a high omega-6 fatty acid diet. The rats’ offspring were fatter than their parents and each subsequent generation were fatter. Rates of diabetes also increased with each generation. They conclude it’s possible for humans to inherit obesity if their parents were obese.
Dr. Douglass’s response is, “So what?”. It’s not your DNA, or what your parents ate. It’s what you eat. It’s your activity level. He places the blame squarely on the typical American diet of processed carbs, sugar, and soy. Soy is filled with omega 6. “…and we eat it day and night. Not only that, but our cows, pigs and chickens are eating it too — and we are what they ate.”
By claiming obesity can be inherited, or genetically predetermined, it sets up an excuse for many to continue their poor eating habits. It’s the excuse South Park’s Eric Cartman uses. “I’m not fat, I’m big boned.” All the while he’s sitting on the sofa, scarfing down Cheesy Poofs and playing Xbox.
Your genes will determine how tall you are and your build. In my opinion, genes won’t determine how fat you are. That’s entirely determined by what you put in your body. Eliminating almost all carbs and all sugar and eating only the highest quality proteins and fat will ensure a healthy, normal weight for the rest of your life. For more information on this type of diet, see Dr. Robert Atkins’s, “New Diet Revolution” and Mark Sisson’s, “The Primal Blueprint.”
Quoting Dr. Douglass:
What does this mean for you? It’s easy: I don’t care what’s in your DNA — just what’s on your dinner plate. If you eat grass-fed beef and almost no carbs, you will reach a normal, healthy weight — and it won’t matter what mom and dad ate.
Then, if you have kids, forget genetics and pass along your healthy habits the old-fashioned way — by setting a good example and keeping those orange stains off their fingertips.
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I’ve read countless books and browsed even more countless web sites on personal development. I’ve listened to countless audio programs and seminars. Every one has something good in them. There’s always some little nugget of information that has helped me. That’s why I continue to ready everything that comes out in a wide range of subjects. There’s always something new to learn, some new technique to try, or another way of looking at a situation.
In marketing these development products, many of them fall victim to the one-size-fits-all approach. Their methods are the best and the only one worth considering. This is notorious in diet and fitness books. Every one of them claims their diet is the fastest and safest way to lose weight. Look, nearly every diet and fitness program will work if you stick with it. But ultimately, you have to find the program that works for you, and only you.
Try everything and see what works for you. Overtime you will find what’s best for your development. Whether it’s a time management system, diet, goal-setting program or spiritual enrichment. You create your own customized development plan.
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It’s always fun watching the mainstream media hem, haw, backtrack and make excuses whenever it’s forced to admit that exercise doesn’t lead to weight loss.
Take a recent New York Times article, which to my shock actually reported on the latest studies saying that treadmill torture won’t help you lose weight. But surprise, surprise…By the end of that article, they were still busy inventing bizarre new reasons to drown yourself in sweat.
I guess they don’t want to lose revenue from all those gym ads.
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine followed 58 obese people who exercised for 12 weeks but didn’t change the eating habits that got them in the study in the first place.
The average fatty lost 7 pounds… but many lost just half that.
Practically speaking, they may as well have lost nothing at all. There’s really no difference between someone who weighs 303 pounds and someone who weights 310 pounds. If they had simply tried sticking to a sensible diet free of sugar and other carbs, they’d have lost some real weight by week 12 – without ever breaking a sweat.
Now that the fat cat’s out of the gym bag, the fitness barons are scrambling to come up with new bogus reasons for you to risk your life and wallet in their overpriced and dangerous dungeons.
My favorite is “an acute exercise-induced increase in positive mood.”
I’ll tell you what puts me in a positive mood: Not exercising. And if you walk by the gym and see all those miserable, grimacing hamsters stumbling on treadmills and rolling off exercise balls, I don’t think “positive mood” is the first phrase that’ll come to mind.
Another of these supposed benefits is “increased aerobic capacity.” In other words, exercise makes you better able to do more exercise.
Still one more – they claim that once you lose the weight WITHOUT hitting the gym, exercise can help keep it off.
Trust me on this one – if you can lose weight through diet alone, you can keep it off through diet alone.
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This post is a shortened version of a chapter in my forthcoming book. It’s about how easy it is for anyone to lose weight and get into great shape. It won’t cost a fortune and you won’t have to spend hours in the gym. Yes, I sound like a late-night infomercial but it’s true because I’ve been doing it for the past four months with great success.
Many people fail consistently at losing weight because deep down, they don’t want it badly enough. They try for a little bit, then come up with excuses to quit; or worse, they come up with excuses before they even try. They are not sufficiently motivated to finish. They may be afraid of actually succeeding. What would their spouse say? Their friends and family? You would think that they would encourage and compliment you as you lose weight and start looking good. But that is not always the case. Spouses may be afraid their man or woman becomes too good looking and would start becoming attractive to other people. Friends and even family members may become jealous of you as you become healthy and fit. They see you accomplishing your goal when they themselves are struggling to accomplish the same thing. If you are to accomplish your weight loss goal, or any other goal, you must ignore any external pressures from your friends and family. You have to be overtly motivated to achieve your goal or else you will fail every time.
Now, on to the actual program. It’s extremely simple. There are three steps:
1) Eat low-carb
2) Eat less
3) Move
That’s it! I follow an Atkins-style high-protein, low-carb diet that has worked wonders for me. I eat small-to-medium sized portions and I exercise every day. My exercise routine is free and simple. I walk 45-60 minutes every day, sometimes more because I enjoy it so much. I do a 10-15 minute body weight exercise based on Charles Atlas’s program.
I don’t have a scale at home so I don’t measure my success by weight. I measure by how my clothes fit. I’ve gone from wearing 40″ jeans that were a little tight, to 38″ jeans that require a belt in just under 4 months. I feel fantastic now. My goal is to comfortably wear a pair of 36″ jeans.
You must have patience when losing weight. Ignore all the ads proclaiming massive weight loss in a short time. That won’t happen. Weight loss is gradual. You’ll start noticing it after the first 2-3 weeks. Your clothes will feel a little loser. You’ll have more energy. You’ll feel better and more alive. This will motivate you more than ever to continue as you will actually see the results of your actions.
So what excuse is preventing you from starting? Get rid of the excuse and get going!
* – Naturally, I have to say this. Check with your doctor before starting any diet and exercise program. What works for me may not work for you.
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