Is the Price Right!?

I am in a hotel and The Price is Right is on in the background. The Price is Right...or is it?

What price are we willing to pay to "eat the foods we LOVE?"

Yesterday I visited a beloved extended family member in the hospital, he is just coming to after ONE month post surgery. He had many complications and was sedated for many weeks.

I have to think the reason for his complications stem from his excess weight, at least 100 lbs of excess weight.

Today I met someone who had bypass surgery and lost 50 pounds AFTER having it, saying that he didn't want to let the weight kill him after getting a second chance w/ successful heart surgery.

The taste of a piece of chocolate, bite of cheesecake, a scoop of ice cream may seemingly taste SOOOO good when you eat it, but what about AFTER?

Rarely do I met a person who doesn't regret having 'given in', eaten something they knew they shouldn't have or binged. But, we usually deal with it AFTER the fact--by dieting and trying to repair the damage done.

Not to be the bearer of a gloom and doom message but we have to start thinking about what the bite here, taste there and "just one" is doing to the INSIDE of our bodies, more than the dismay later over the effects it leaves on the outside.

300,000 people died last year directly related to being overweight/obese and another 2.6 million people lost their lives prematurely indirectly due to their obesity/overweight issues.

We can and MUST do better!

What do you consume on a regular basis that you KNOW you shouldn't?

That is your "vice" and you need to bust it!

We can live long, healthy and fulfilling lives without soft drinks, without fast foods and by moving our bodies!

I watch American Idol last night and they airred a Coca-Cola ad that said for every bottle opened, 12,000 bubbles were born. How touching.

For every bottle opened per day, 15 pounds a year are GAINED.

Is the price right? Are you willing to pay the price?

Julia

If you are interested in my help in losing weight, use the coupon code "sparkpeople" and save $50 off of the $197 price for my 26-week; 50 pounds OFF guaranteed program! What are you weighting for? www.ViceBustingDiet.com

Metabolic Syndrome - is it real?

The syndrome that is being talked about in more medical circles and is just beginning to be discussed in mainstream media is also known as Syndrome X, or Metabolic Syndrome. This is a syndrome that is "marked by rising tryglicerides in the blood, by elevated blood pressure, by increased insulin resistance - a laundry list of symptoms that seem to join forces to end men's lives," as is described in BestLife magazine.

This article goes on to say that the research is piling up and suggests a host of heart and blood related ailments on are on the rise and are closely connected. According to the National Institute of Health, some 75 million Americans may have this condition.

Now here is the kicker that I want people to know - the extra fat that has created many health problems for millions of Americans is now responsible for more problems than we previously thought. Researchers are now showing that fat acts as like "another endocrine organ in the body, with biologically active molecules...that effecct the body's sensitivity to process blood sugar."

There is only one way that you can treat such a condition: diet and exercise. You have to get your heart and lungs pumping and in shape; you have to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, lean meats and fish. There is no room for sugar-filled or high-fructose corn syrup-filled liquids; and no room for fast foods or potato chips or doughnuts. The bottom line is that the number of unhealthy foods available to us is so prevalent that the # of people with diet vices is growing... and it's going unnoticed by most.

When you see a full line of cars waiting in the drive-thru for their burger and fries, instinctively most people think that it must be ok or acceptable to do the same, and the next thing you know there is an exponential growth of people doing the same thing. Apply that to burgers, fries, soda, hot dogs, chips, cookies, candy, or anything that was not made to be ingested for the health of the human body, and you've got a serious threat to the existence of a healthy mankind.

You've got to live with a daily dose of fruits and vegetables (and we also recommend a source for getting the nutrients from fruits and vegetables), healthy high-grain bread, lean meat, fish, plenty of water. You've got to bust out of your life any soft drinks, fast food, chips, pizza, cookies, cake, ice cream or any other regularly consumed unhealthy items.

Start your journey toward a healthier lifestyle. Just do one thing better today - or this week - than you did yesterday or last week. Do that each week and you'll find you're 10X the healthier person in just a few short months!

Carpe Diet!

Medications that Cause Weight Gain?

Is it hard to believe that many medications could cause weight gain? When the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) has two pages of side effects for most drugs, is it no wonder that weight gain would be one of them? If you didn't know, the medications you are taking may be hurting you more than helping - in many ways. While some are very necessary and maybe your ailment or problem is the exception, too often most of us are victims of the 'over-prescribed.'

One of my friends who is a physician - a Radiation Oncologist - agrees that most medical doctors have one hand on the prescription pad and one on the door, meaning their so busy it's what drug is needed for this problem and on to the next patient. You really have to be careful about what it is you're taking and whether it is actually necessary.

Weight gain is just one of many side effects of many drugs, and if you're not sure why you've put on an extra 10 or more pounds, then also look at what medications you might be taking.

For those of you who want to start on a healthy lifestyle and get to a healthy weight, start here!.

Carpe Diet!

The Fittest and Fattest Cities

This years tally of last year's heaviest and slimmest cities is in. The winners take home fitness, stamina, a healthier heart, less sickness, more productivity, and happier lives...all due to their healthier and fitter liftestyles relative to the majority of Americans who are not.

The city that placed at the top - Albuquerque, NM. (More results from CBSnews.com as published in Men's Fitness Mag). A place where the outdoors offers much to do in a climate with great appeal, Albuquerque can be proud of the high degree of health that is enjoyed by it's residents. Rounding out the top ten are two cities in Colorado with entirely different climates than Albuquerque - Denver and Colorado Springs, in close proximity to one another. I suppose that Colorado has a lot of great outdoor activities as well. Either way, the people who choose to live healthy are going to have a ripple effect on those who live near them... and in turn, they will live healthy. Or it could be said that those with healthy lifestyles move to places where there are plenty of things to do to fulfill their active-seeking lifestyles.

On the other side, the fattest city is reportedly Las Vegas. And why not, considering they have the most high-end restaurants per square mile than any other place in the world, and as much of everything you want to consume as your heart (or wallet) desires. Look at the number of cities from Texas that are in the top 10 - San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, El Paso... wow! I guess the high fat steak and fries are the diet of the rich oilmen and women of Texas. I don't know, but there must be some commonality to what's being served in the star state.

You can have a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy good foods. It's the consumption of the bad foods on a regular basis that puts us on the heavy end. Look at your own diet and decide if your eating and drinking what Mother Nature has provided, or most of what your eating and drinking is man-made. Soft drinks, fast food, packaged foods (most), sweets, muffins (most), breads (most), lots of starches... those are going to put the weight on and clog your arteries eventually. Start with drinking more water than any other beverage, and eventually making it 90% of your beverage intake. Go from there and you'll find a major difference in your health. And maybe next year your community can be in the top 10 fittest in the country!

Carpe Diet!
Start on the weight loss diet plan that will build a healthy lifestyle: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/

Lies, Fries and alibis from McDonald's...I'm NOT lovin' it!

Dear julia,

Due to a rare and virtually unheard of medical condition, it is critical that you excuse julia for arriving at work late today and that you never whisper a word of this tardiness to anyone. julia suffers from an unfortunate ailment known as chris farley syndrome, which is marked by profuse swelling of the butt and an insatiable urge to eat like a cow. In this case, we found the patient deliriously jogging and mumbling in spanish. julia should also be kept away from staples for at least a week, for obvious reasons. Of course any mention of this condition could cause an adverse reaction and completely undermine the hours of coke therapy we've already completed. Please contact my office if julia has more symptoms or you notice julia beginning to die. In any case, you should expect julia soon.

Is this funny?

Please, allow me to explain. I ran across a banner today that said "Are you morning impaired?". My answer; YES! I am the first to admit that until I get my smoothie, read my emails and get settled in, I am NOT a great "morning person", so I was interested in seeing what this was all about, it said to go to http://www.morningimpaired.com/ .

Imagine my surprise and shock when I learned it was a McDonald's site!

I would like for you to stop reading and take a look at it, then come back and let's discuss!

OK..there is NO cure for being morning impaired..but can fight it??

Then, our attorney Mark Markham tells us that our coworkers say late nights of partying have us in trouble with our boss, and thank goodness he has our 'heiny covered' with the excuse generator 3000! That is what generated the email I got that actually looks like a doctor's prescription!

Cute. Clever. Perhaps a novel way for employees to waste time at their computuers rather than working (my personal favorite for that is MonkEMail from Career Builder) but I can't help but ask, regardless of what a clever marketing idea this may be; is there an excuse for eating McDonald's in the first place?

This picture is of my THREE year old Happy Meal. (Yes, you read that correctly, it is NOT my 3-year old's happy meal but A Happy Meal that is 3 years old!!--I kid you not!!!!)

I used to spend a lot of time talking to people at my live seminars about the dangers of fast food, but now I save myself a lot of unnecessary words just by pulling out my 3 year old Happy Meal and letting the folks see for themselves why it may not be such a good idea to consume McDonald's food--it's neither "happy" nor a meal for starters!

When I was recently in NYC for a taping of the Oprah & Friends XM program of Dr. Mehmet Oz, I brought my Happy Meal for him, along with a 3 week old sliced russet potato. He couldn't believe that my Happy Meal was 3 years old and had NO mold, NO mildew, NO rot, NO deterioration--it was just hard but still smells like McDonald's AND your fingers still get greasy and salty to the touch when you hold the french fries! YUCK!!!!

Clearly, regardless of what attorney Mark Markham is spewing, there is NO excuse for eating ANYTHING that McDonald's is selling! Unless of course, you are looking to die early and unhealthy! I am sure your real doctor can write you a note that your boss may buy if you need to be 10 minutes late for work because you need a few minutes to whip up a more healthful breakfast and improve your health, productivity and longevity!

Coca-Cola's Enviga may make you GAIN weight?

Stop the presses! Just as Coca-Cola and Nestle gear up for the big launch of their fat burningSuper-Uber "Enviga" calorie burning drink; now we know the rest of the study!

For Immediate Release:
Monday, February 12, 2007

Enviga Study Casts Doubt on Calorie Burning & Weight-Loss Claims
Companies' Own Study Shows Many People May Expend Less Energy-- Not More-- After Drinking New Beverage

WASHINGTON—Coca-Cola and Nestlé have claimed that an unpublished Swiss study shows that their new green-tea-flavored soda Enviga burns more calories than it provides, resulting in what sounds like a dieter's Holy Grail: "negative calories." Given the size of the study (just 31 young, lean subjects), its duration (only 72 hours), and the funding of the study (Nestlé itself!), the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) was skeptical enough to file suit in federal court against the companies earlier this month. But the full study, published today in the journal Obesity, shows that there's even less foundation for the weight-loss properties than Enviga's makers imply in their marketing materials.

In the study, 31 young men and women ate strict calorie-controlled diets and drank the equivalent of three cans of Enviga each day for three days. Participants spent the third day in a special chamber that measured how many calories they burned. Most expended slightly more calories after drinking Enviga, but Coca-Cola and Nestlé didn’t disclose publicly that the drink's ingredients had the opposite effect in a significant number of the study participants. Six of the 31 participants actually burned up to 10 percent fewer calories after three days of consuming the ingredients in Enviga.

“If you follow Coke's and Nestlé's logic, then about one in five consumers will eventually get fatter from drinking Enviga every day,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt. "They've been withholding this information from their customers."

The long-term impact of Enviga isn't clear, either. Outside the carefully controlled environment of the laboratory, some people might eat more food or engage in less physical activity and thus negate the benefit of any extra calories expended, according to Schardt.

The scientists who conducted Coca-Cola's and Nestlé's research seem to agree that the companies' claims are premature. In the study published today they concluded that "more long-term studies would be necessary" to confirm the benefit of a drink like Enviga for weight control. Coke and Nestlé evidently couldn't wait for that, according to CSPI.

Coca-Cola spokespeople have maintained that Enviga isn't marketed as a weight-loss product, while simultaneously claiming that Enviga is "much smarter than fads, quick-fixes, and crash diets," and that it keeps "those extra calories from building up." One Coke official seemed to suggest that Enviga can actually replace some physical activity. "I can choose to walk up the stairs or I can choose to have a can of Enviga," Helen Falco, Coke's director of nutrition and health policy, told USA Today.

The editors of Obesity today issued a press release that pointedly states that the Enviga study should not serve as a foundation for weight-control claims.

"Increasing metabolism is not the same as causing weight loss or prevention of weight gain," said Eric Ravussin, professor at the PenningtonBiomedicalResearch Center and president of the Obesity Society. "Increases in metabolic rate may be easily offset by increased energy consumption or decreases in energy expenditure. Far more extensive studies are needed before any claim for efficacy in human weight management can or should be made on the basis of this study."

Enviga consists of carbonated water, calcium, concentrated green tea extract, unspecified "natural flavors," caffeine, phosphoric acid, and the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The company says its green tea extracts are high in an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG.

In addition to being the target of a CSPI lawsuit, Enviga is the subject of an investigation launched by the office of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. He has demanded any studies that the companies have that relate to its weight-loss claims, which he said might just be "voodoo nutrition." ____

They may call it "voodoo" but I call it Doo-Doo!

How can Coca-Cola and Nestle executives do this and sleep at night? We live in a day and age where last year 300,000 people died DIRECTLY due to being overweight and 2.6 million lost their lives prematurely indirectly due to their weight.

I was once a 300+ pound woman and I can promise every board member, scientist and marketing person at Coca-Cola and Nestle that IF they created a drink that actually drinking it would help us lose weight, even though it may cost $1500 a year; that we would buy it and drink it often. But, to lie to us and sell us something that in 6 out of 31 cases might actually help us gain more weight? I for one, if that happened to me, would kick your #*#.

I hope someone does! I am just one voice, but I am willing to be there are millions out there who agree with me! It is just plain dumb, irresponsible and a lie to suggest that ANYONE would be better off drinking Enviga than walking up a flight of stairs! Folks, just bust your vices before they bust you! Today and today ONLY take me up on my offer and order my 26-week program to help you bust your vices and I will give you a FREE copy of my book that correctly addresses Coca-Cola and most of their products as the #1 diet vice causing the Obesity Pandemic--and you can get started with a FREE 30 minute "one on one" phone consult with me personally! I will Invigorate you and save you the waste of time and money of Enviga! http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Coca Cola "Vice" SuperBowl Ad--finally a product from Coca-Cola that lives up to it's claim!

What the heck is in the water coolers at Coca-Cola headquarters?

First, they give us the boneheaded "Drink, Choose and Live" campaign that to win "Sing Like an Idol" among other prizes, actually required the consumption of 4160 12 pks of Coke, 49,920 12 ounce cans, for a whopping 7, 238,400 calories which would add 2068 pounds on the typical human body and one would have to consume 151 12 ounce cans a day to keep pace with their supply over the course of the contest; note to self--DON'T try this one at home kids, after nearing 75 cans you would develop hyponatremia; your kidney's would quit and you would die! OOPSY, someone at Coca-Cola overlooked a few factoids and the silly matter of HUMAN HEALTH!

Anywho, I digress, meanwhile back at Coke headquarters the rest of the management team was putting their head together and came up with Enviga! Ah, sounds so uplifting, invigorating and tempting...AND it burns more calories than you consume! Yes, that's right folks, a workout in a can, a diet in a beverage--a Miracle cure to save you from the fat of the land and deliver you the body of your dreams!

For $1,500 a year in Enviga purcahses (and this time you are actually suppossed to DRINK what you buy vs the "DRINK, choose, live" campaign where Coca-Cola meant BUY, choose and LIVE!)

Thank goodness that someone is looking out for us! The Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Coca-Cola. (wonder if they will call these folks publicity hungry like they did me? I am sure Cokes' sassy mouthpieces will come up with some clever what to cast the blame on these folks while trying to make themselves look like the saviors of the Obesity Pandemic!)

Enviga consists of carbonated water, calcium, concentrated green tea extract, various “natural flavors,” and ingredients typically found in diet soda, such as caffeine (three diet colas’ worth), phosphoric acid, and the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The company says its green tea extracts are high in an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG.

Many of Enviga’s claims are based on a 72-hour Nestlé-funded study of 31 people who were given a drink containing amounts of EGCG and caffeine equivalent to three cans of Enviga. On average, those subjects expended more energy, according to an abstract of the unpublished study. In any event, none of the 31 were overweight or obese—in fact all were quite lean to begin with. In other words, the company’s test may have detected some slight evidence that it increases calorie burning slightly—but only in a short-term test of thin people who were given a strictly controlled diet. And when the study was presented at a conference of the Obesity Society (publishers of the journal Obesity and also known as NAASO), the society disputed the study’s conclusions, insisting “it is improper to state or imply that the results of this study supports any weight loss” claim.

No test of Enviga lasted more than three days. One European study found that EGCG and caffeine did not increase energy expenditure after one month and did not help people lose weight. One longer-term Japanese study did show that a tea fortified with EGCG and caffeine helped people lose more weight than a control tea, but then again, the study was conducted by a tea company and the subjects of the study were 38 of that company’s male employees.

Enviga costs between $1.29 and $1.49 per can, and the company suggests that the maximum effect is gained by drinking three cans a day, or about $1,500 worth of the soda per year.

“There is no clear evidence that what’s in Enviga will help you control your weight,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt. “You’d be much better off giving up non-diet soda, which costs nothing to do, or by joining a gym, which is typically less expensive than paying for 3 cans of Enviga a day.”

CSPI will be represented by its litigation director Stephen Gardner, and by Mark Cuker and Michael J. Quirk from the firm of Williams Cuker Berezofsky, based in Cherry Hill, N.J.

“This deceptive marketing campaign needs to be nipped in the bud before many more millions of Americans get ripped off,” said Cuker. “Enviga burns more money than calories.”

CSPI’s litigation unit, formed in 2004, seeks to stop deceptive labeling or marketing campaigns or other practices that harm consumers’ health. It’s a strategy that helped spur KFC to drop artificial trans fats for deep-frying, and has resulted in improved labeling of products made by Tropicana, Quaker, Frito-Lay, Procter & Gamble, Kraft, and Cadbury-Schweppes. CSPI is soon likely to file a major lawsuit aimed at stopping Kellogg and Viacom (parent of the Nickelodeon television channel) from marketing junk food to young children.

“If the Food and Drug Administration were at all credible, major corporations like Coca-Cola and Nestlé wouldn’t try to take consumers to the cleaners like this,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “Imagine—two of the companies partly responsible for the general fattening of America are now urging us to pay them $4 a day to slim down with Enviga. The chutzpah!”

don't you just LOVE that comment!

Article from ABC News:

Dr. David Katz, ABC News medical contributor and associate professor at Yale University's School of Public Health, said Enviga's calorie burning claims are based on insufficient research.

"It's putting marketing hype ahead of science," Katz said. "The science here is not ready for primetime. There is a hint in animal research and in very early studies that EGCG can boost metabolism a little bit, but we don't know if that contributes to weight control."

And finally, yesterday during the SuperBowl, the boneheads in the Coca-Cola executive box did another misstep! I am going to be very arrogant and assume that this ad was a direct message to me, but they actually ran an ad called "Coca Cola VICE"! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16566275/

The commerical shows a SKINNY guy drinking Coke running around doing random acts of "kindness"--giving others Coke, putting out fires and spinning protesters around and the song playing in the background is saying "you are going to be remembered for the things you say and do" and "give a little love, it all comes back to you"

Well, they got it right this time. YOU are going to be remembered for the things YOU say and DO Coca-Cola. YOU gave us Coke that IS the #1 diet vice that is responsible for the global Obesity Pandemic and you WILL be remembered for it.

You gave us Enviga that is nothing short of a rip-off con-artist-like SCAM and you WILL be remembered for it.

1st Week of Pregnancy, Diet Effects Baby's Health

The answer seems obvious. You're pregnant, you eat fast food and drink soft drinks... your baby starts life overweight and predisposed to being obese because of your habits.

A study done with sheep has shown that the mother's nutrition and the environment of an embryo in the first few days of life – even before implantation in the uterus – can set the scene for later disease, such as heart disease and diabetes. There's no reason not to believe this doesn't hold true across all species of life with gestation periods. More on this study...

It bears the question, 'how many women know they are pregnant the first week of life'? This study would provide an excellent argument for eating healthy and living healthy all of the time, not just when you find out you're pregnant. There are some simple steps you can take to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle if you struggle to live at a healthy weight...or live healthy at all. Don't wait until you feel you have some 'important reasons' to get busy living healthy . YOU are an important reason, so start now.

Carpe Diet!

A Cure or Some Relief for Aids

This reported in Daily Times - a news resource for Pakistan...

Iran unveils herbal remedy against AIDS

TEHRAN: Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani on Saturday announced that Iran’s scientists have produced a herbal medicine that boosts the human immunity system against the HIV/AIDS virus. “The herbal-based medication, called IMOD, serves to control the AIDS virus and increases the body’s immunity,” Baqeri Lankarani was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA. “It is not a medication to kill the virus, it rather can be used besides other anti-retroviral drugs,” Baqeri Lankarani said on state radio. The drug, made after five years of research, has been tested on 200 patients, IRNA said, adding that it is considered the fifth generation of medications helping control the HIV/AIDS virus. “This is a substance good for both AIDS patients and those who carry the virus without showing the symptoms,” the director of the project, Muhammad Farhadi, told state television. Farhadi said the medication would now be tested on some 3,000 to 5,000 Iranian patients in the next year to monitor its efficacy. Health Minister Baqeri Lankarani said that the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Iran stands at around 14,000 while 1,700 people have died of the disease. Last June, Iranian officials warned about the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS infections in the country.

Gambian president says he can cure Aids (same source)

Comments: An herbal remedy sounds like another way of saying 'a healthy diet'. I would have to believe that this 'remedy' would be full of nutrients that most people are missing in their diet, as well as some that are natural but not normally consumed. But a diet which is lacking in nature's nutrients is a going to be show up by way of a compromised immune system. Even if this herbal remedy does strengthen the immune system, why wouldn't this 'remedy' be marketed to help improve the health of all citizens? Sounds hopeful for AIDS/HIV patients, while good for anyone desiring a stronger immune system and healthier body.

The Power of Antioxidants

More studies and more research keep pointing to the antioxidant power that comes from a healthy diet in supporting health and avoiding sickness... and prolonging a healthy life! It comes as no surprise that the degree of health and absence of disease that an individual experiences in their lifetime is in direct correlation to their diet.

A diet full of fruits and vegetables is the best way to support a fit figure, and also provides the antioxidant power to keep you from getting sick. Even Cherries are now being touted as a great 'super food' by The Cherry Institute, which is a campaign that some will view as nothing more than a marketing ploy, but in truth the Institute is taking the greatest benefit of cherry consumption and exploiting it for higher sales. Not so bad when you consider the positive benefits.

Every fruit and vegetable provides health benefits. Our outlook toward fruits and vegetables has changed from necessity to benefits, as if to say that we have a choice in the matter. We don't, if you want to be healthy, that is. You need the nutrients from a range of fruits and vegetables. And if it's your weight your trying to control, you need a plan to make the transition to eating and living heathier.

Carpe Diet!