There is a new spa in Malibu that everyone is talking about. It promotes:

1. About 1,000 calories a day

2. 6 hours of hiking

3. Even more torture than the 6 hours of hiking.

Do you know what you get for your $5,000-$6,000 a week and tons of work? A destroyed metabolism.

The only tissue you will burn when performing that amount of exercise on that amount of calories is muscle.

Great!!! The scale will go down, then scream up as you gain all your fat and then some since your metabolism is so terribly diminished.

Like all the fad cleanse programs, this is a disaster.

But I bet it will be very, very popular.

Jim

Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about natural disasters, such as earthquakes and Tsunamis.

But, as I have said before, we CAN do something about what we put in our mouths and whether or not we exercise.

I keep getting phone calls for Japan relief and other causes. When can we start a “weight loss” relief fund. Will anyone donate???

Jim

For those of you who also follow me on Twitter, I’ve been getting a lot of flack for my attacks on Michelle Obama’s weight.

But I have to be honest. She IS overweight and may even, according to BMI, be in the obese category.

She has gained weight while in the White House and, while I applaud her for her “Get Moving” initiative for kids, the first step to ANY movement is to believe and practice what you preach.

I would say she has at least 20, possibly as many as 30 pounds to lose.I bet she weighs more than the President.

Also, as an African American woman, the risk of heart disease is HUGE. Ever pound lost makes a difference and she should lead by example.

Sorry, some of you have told me that the First Lady should be off limits. I disagree and feel she should be the ultimate role model.

Jim

I’m reading the last section of the journal and am laughing.

Frito Lay is going to make All-Natural Junk Food.

Come on, chips are crap. They’re simple carbs, they are filled with oil, salt and calories and they are NOT a health food.

But, once again, the food companies are going to tell us that they are healthier than the classic version.

Bottom line, chips are never healthy. Sure, I eat some from time to time, but I eat about 100-120 calories and no more.

Most people eat a 1000+ calories in one sitting.

Don’t be fooled. There are FAR better snack options such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean protein, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, etc.

Just watching Rocco and his new book and he says “2,500 calories equals one pound.”

Sorry Rocco, the answer is 3,500.

I hate when people hear the wrong information.

I also dislike when people push diet books WITHOUT exercise. It’s the reason why 97% of all people gain all their weight back post dieting, and then some…..

You have to know the facts AND strength train.

Jim

Check out this article from a recent edition of the New York Times and pass it along to your marathon running pals. It’s fascinating, but what I have been saying for a long, long time.

Marathons KILL!!!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/when-exercise-is-too-much-of-a-good-thing/

Dr. Oz doing a GREAT segment on why we get puffy and how to more effectively manipulate your lymphatic system.

What causes us to retain water? Food, such as processed carbs, and sodium, as we are eating 2-3 times more salt than we need. Add to that fried food, which is just poison in your body, and you can see WHY so many people are walking around terribly bloated.

For some, it’s just vanity. For others, it’s actually very dangerous to your health.

What can you do? Eliminate all the “white” carbs in your diet and pull all the sodium out. You will be amazed how great it looks AND feels to reduce water bloat throughout your entire body.

Jim

If I blogged about this in the past, sorry, but it stands repeating.

The CDC developed a National Action Plan in 2005 to improve public consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Their goal was to get each American to eat 2 servings of fruit and 2.5 servings of vegetables a day.

Guess what percentage of American’s accomplished that goal? 6%.

No, that is NOT a typo. Only 6% of Americans ate 2 servings of fruit and 2.5 servings of vegetables a day.

Are you one of the 6%? I think that number is pathetically low. I eat at least double that, sometimes triple.

Jim

Another great article that was sent by Andrew Gallagher, who heads up my “Cardio-Free” program in Chicago:

The Myth of Moderation: Do All Foods Really Fit?

by Jeff Novick, MS, RD on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 9:02am

You know what they say when it comes to what to eat, “everything in moderation.”     Whether it is chocolate, wine, red meat, dessert, etc.  Nothing is bad, in and of itself, as long as we just don’t consume too much of it.   
 
But, how do we would define “too much” and how do we know if we have surpassed this?
 
Let’s start at the beginning.  
 
Our current concept of “everything in moderation” comes from ancient Greece, where at the temple of Apollo at Delphi there was the inscription, “Meden Agan” or  “Nothing in Excess.”    From this, we got the concept of doing something “in moderation” which means, not doing it excessively.    Therefore, someone who moderates their food consumption may choose to eat food from all food groups, but will limit their intake of those foods that may cause deleterious effects to harmless levels.
 
So, how are we doing in this area?
 
The items we know that are causing harm to Americans right now are the excess consumption of added sugars, refined grains, sodium, fat, and saturated fat.
 
So, how much does the average American consume of these?
 
Added Sugars – 242% over the recommended upper limit.
 
Refined Grains – 200% over the recommended upper limit.
 
Sodium – 229% over the recommended upper limit.
 
Saturated fats – 158% over the recommended upper limit.
 
Solid fats – 281% over the recommended upper limit.
 
Therefore, these are 5 items we can no longer consume “in moderation” as their current level of consumption is far beyond the level we know to cause harm.   The only solution is a dramatic reduction in the amounts we consume of these items.   Then, and only then, perhaps we can again, consume these things in moderation.
 
However, there is also a flip side to the saying “everything in moderation.”   There are items that we know are very beneficial, that we should be consuming a certain amount of in order to gain their benefit.  These are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fiber.  
 
So, how much does the average American consume of these?
 
Fruits - only 42% of the recommended minimum intake.
 
Vegetables – only 59% of the recommended minimum intake.
 
Whole Grains – only 15% of the recommended minimum intake.
 
Fiber – only 40% of the recommended minimum intake.
 
Therefore, these are also items we can no longer consume in moderation as their current level of consumption is far below the level we know to be beneficial.   The only solution is a dramatic increase in the amounts we consume of these items.   Then, and only then, perhaps we can again, consume these things in moderation.
 
I have posted recent graphs from the USDA that show these points.
 

http://tinyurl.com/2d2g9ut

http://tinyurl.com/2bqr97j

 
In addition, over 2/3’s of Americans are currently overweight and over 1/3 are obese. We did not get this way by consuming “all things in moderation.”  We got this way by consuming many things, and many of the wrong things, in excess.  Great excess.  And, the USDA figures in the above graph, bears this out as since 1970, the average American consumes 30% more calories with most of these calories coming from added sugars, solid fats, saturated fats and refined grains.
 
Even the saying from the American Dietitic Association, ”All foods fit,” has been taken out of context. The original saying is not ”all foods fit,”  but, ”All foods can fit into a healthful diet ‘if’ consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity.”
 
As we see, Americans’ are not consuming foods in moderation nor are we engaged in regular activity as over 70% of Americans do not even meet the minimum recommendations for activity/exercise.   This is why the current concepts of”everything in moderation” and ”all foods fit”  for the average American today is a myth.   
 
Moderation is no longer an option in regard to calories, or in regard to the foods we know can be harmful, or in regard to the foods we know to be beneficial.  We are so far from what constitutes healthy in America, that we have much work to do to get back to where we could once again discuss moderation.  Rationalizing the over consumption of harmful foods, or the minimal consumption of beneficial foods, with a saying that does not apply to our situation, will not help us.  
 
We have to at least double the intake of fruits, vegetables and fiber just to reach the minimum recommendations.  In addition, we have to cut our consumption of added sugars, fat, sat fat and sodium in at least half just to get down to the upper level of the recommended limits.
 
Moderation will not help accomplish this.
 
We need a dramatic shift in our understanding of our current situation and the solution we take. 
 
In Health,
Jeff

LOVED this info that was sent to me by a friend, so I wanted to share.

And everyone, I LOVE it when you send me articles and research. Please bring it on so I can get it out there.

BROCCOLI FIGHTS CANCER

When your mom told you to eat your broccoli, she may have been giving you good advice on how to avoid cancer.

Researchers already knew that a chemical found in broccoli, cauliflower, and related vegetables, called isothiocyanate, appeared to stop the growth of cancer by causing apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells. But researchers didn’t know why.

Recent research at Georgetown University found that isothiocyanate sticks to a defective protein found in cancerous cells. The broccoli-born chemical only binds to the protein when it is defective. The normal version is left alone.