Halfpounder’s Blog

So I get on the scale again this morning (because I blew off my weigh-in yesterday… slept in, whatever) and I’m up a total of 15 pounds from my best weigh-in a month or so ago. A little depressing…. but I can do this.

I’ve done real well on the bike rides: three days in a row! I’m going to get out every day. I have physical therapy scheduled the next two Mondays and I have a session scheduled with my personal trainer on Tuesday.

I also journaled my breakfast this morning and will get back in the regular routine of writing down my food. Good nutrition and exercise—that’s how you do it. I have proven it works, now I just need to get back in my dedicated mode.

I read another good article from Jillian today. It is in answer to a question asked about skipping meals. Weight Watchers approaches the idea in their new Momentum Program by tracking your levels of satisfaction. A six point scale from starving hungry to Thanksgiving feast bloated (last part described in my own words) all designed to help you be more in control of when and how much you eat. The other part of the equation is that being in control might allow you to make better nutritional choices.

The goal is to keep you at a level of satisfaction that’s as constant as possible: never too hungry and never over-full. The logic is if you are never famished you will be more likely to chose what you eat more carefully. I know everyone of you reading this blog knows what I’m talking about. You skip a meal and you are out driving around in your car and pass a fast food joint. Before you know it, you’ve stopped and you are stuffing your face with a cheeseburger (or something equally as obnoxious.) Would you make the same decision if you were not feeling so hungry? I doubt it. You would probably say to yourself, “Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit hungry. I’ll have to fix something when I get home.” Then once in your safe environment of home you will choose something more nutritious for yourself to eat.

So read this article and see if it makes any sense to you. I like to plan eating about every three hours. They are not always big meals. Sometimes I will just grab some fruit and a handful of nuts. The idea is to help maintain the feeling of satisfaction and avoid becoming beastly hungry. (I used beastly because the inner out-of-control eating me is a beast to my diet.)

Have a great Sabbath. Get out and breath some fresh air today and eat an extra piece of frui

Your good friend in healthy living,

Kirk

Losing It with Jillian, Online with Jillian Michaels, Sunday, June 28, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

SUNDAY: ASK JILLIAN

Okay to Skip Meals?

Question: I’m trying to learn to listen to my body and eat only when I am hungry, and sometimes I just don’t really want anything to eat. Is it okay to skip meals or to eat fewer than the recommended calories?
Answer: You should NOT skip meals. There are so many adverse effects to skipping meals. Not only does it slow your metabolism but it can also lead to overeating, because when you do eat, you’re overly hungry.
As for cutting your calories below your recommended allowance, remember this golden rule: Never allow your daily calorie allowance to fall below 1,200 if you are a woman and 1,500 if you are a man. Falling below these daily allowances can do real damage to your metabolism and result in excessive loss of lean muscle tissue. When you dramatically reduce your calories on a consistent basis, it can slow your metabolism or trigger a plateau.

Consistent exercise — plus the occasional high-calorie day — will help ward off a plateau.
Now, provided you are not going below the 1,200 mark, you CAN drop your daily calories below your usual allowance, but make sure that you are exercising and taking the occasional high-calorie day to help you avoid a plateau.

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY
Eat Every Four Hours

I want you to eat every four hours — breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. This way of eating keeps your stomach from rumbling and your metabolism happy. Starve yourself for any portion of the day and you cheat yourself out of a bump in your metabolic rate. When you first start to eat every four hours, you might find that you’re not very hungry when the four hours are up. But that’s the idea — you don’t want to be famished by the time you eat again. You want to head off extreme hunger, which is a signal that your blood sugar has dipped too low and will lead to cravings and overeating.

It felt good to ride my bike Thursday evening. We have a favorite bike path from our house up the canyon and back. It takes my wife and I a little over an hour to make the round trip. We had company on our ride: my brother-in-law from Scottsdale was in town and he joined us. The canyon part of the trail runs along the Provo River and it makes for a very pleasant ride. I noticed the smells, watched the bugs and animals, and squinted to keep the cottonwood fluff from getting in my eyes. This was a trick because the breeze was blowing the fluff sideways, filling the air to the point that it resembled snow and left white piles of it on the sides of the bike path.

My orthopaedic surgeon suggested I ride my bike more instead of walking for awhile. He told me bike riding is the best exercise I can do for my knee while it is healing. So I am going to schedule time for a daily ride. Thursday was the first time I’ve pushed it since the procedure. I’ve ridden the bike around the block, but I haven’t tried going up the canyon. I was a little out of breath and tired when I got home, but stretching out the muscles through the exertion felt great. (And I didn’t cramp up afterwards.)

I got a good ride in last night too. We took the kids and I ended up taking my recumbent bike. The recumbent is a little harder on my knee, and I don’t seem to have as much torque up the hills, but I made it most of the way on our regular route. I started to cramp up a little last night (a real indicator of how hard I was working), but I took some medication and slept well. (So well in fact I slept in and missed my weight watcher weigh-in again!!!!!) This brings up an interesting debate: did I just happen to sleep in or was I avoiding the weigh-in?

As I’ve mentioned in the last few posts I have found the scale to be unfriendly. Mostly because I haven’t been as active since my knee was scoped, but also because I’ve been a little lax about journaling my food (because I haven’t been too careful about my food choices.) I’m really struggling with this. I’m beating myself up for gaining a few pounds and it is really frustrating me. I’ve almost let myself slip into the “why bother” attitude. I promise I won’t go there, but this whole process reminds me of how much our mental attitude plays into weight loss.

What I should be doing is looking in the mirror and celebrating the incredible weight loss I’ve had this last year. I’m mean, let’s face it, 170 pounds lost is no small accomplishment. Instead I am getting all worked up about gaining 10 pounds. I even know why… but I still can’t seem to push aside the anxiety and avoid the feelings of defeat and frustration.

Whenever I get these “out of control” frustrated feelings, I often think of the prayer adopted by many 12-step addition programs:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

- Original Author Unknown

So this week I will recommit. I will start by getting out on my bike every day. I will write down everything I eat—no matter what—and make an effort to carefully watch my food choices. I know I can turn this frustrating trend of weight gain around.

I read a very timely article by Jillian Michaels yesterday. It ties in perfectly with what I’ve been thinking about. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you have a fun weekend. If you have a little sunshine and blue skies today where you live, get out and fill your lungs with fresh air. Feel the sun on your face and be grateful for the health you enjoy—then walk, jog, ride a bike… do something. You’ll feel better and you will be one step closer to better health.

Kirk

Losing It with Jillian Michaels, Online Edition, Friday, June 26, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

Suffered a Setback? Here’s How to Get Back on the Wagon

It happens — you miss a few workouts and you feel like you’ve fallen off the weight-loss wagon. It’s tempting to mentally slap yourself around, right? (Or head for the fridge.) Before you start, I want to remind you of something: Being hard on yourself is the Old You.
The New You knows how to deal with setbacks and get back on the wagon. And after all, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences. Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost.
And if you miss a workout, it’s not the end of the world! Get to the gym the next day and continue to focus on your short-term goals. Just because you made bad choices today doesn’t mean you can’t start over tomorrow. New day? New beginning. And don’t you forget it!

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY

Rescue Me

When life throws you curveballs, you can dodge them or let them hit you right between the eyes. Sometimes, though, you don’t get a choice. For the moments when you can’t avoid them, create a “Rescue Me” list. What kinds of healthy activities make you feel better? How about enjoying a bubble bath, taking a walk, or getting a massage? The next time you’re staring down a crisis, reach for the “Rescue Me” list, not a bag of chips.

Okay, metabolictic isn’t in the dictionary, but I hope I grabbed your attention. Today I would like to share a short article that reminded me how to keep our metabolism boosted.

These are some of the ideas I’ve learned about metabolism and burning more calories: 1) Eat smaller meals more often. Instead of three regular meals a day, eat three small meals and add two or three snacks a day in between meal times. 2) Exercise regularly. If you can manage 45 minutes to an hour every other day to strength train, and walk as often as you think to eat (sarcasm people…),  you will be on track. 3) Mix cardio and strength training into your exercise. Also mix up the exercises and routines. Don’t let your muscles settle into a rut… keep them guessing what you will throw at them next. 4) Eating more protein will help keep your metabolism burning. Don’t go all Atkins on me, but don’t be afraid to eat more healthy protein. Lean meat, low-fat cheese, an egg, whey protein and lightly-salted nuts are good choices. A good place to add protein is snacks between meals. 5) Protein is more satisfying than carbs. If you are having a snack attack—try protein.

I’m struggling this week. I gained 10 pounds. (I haven’t been to Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks, but my home scale tells the tale.) I know why: lack of exercise and fluctuating emotions. But the short-term forecast is very optimistic: my knee is feeling better since surgery and my new little grandson is doing well.   I have been out for walks a couple of times lately and held my grandson for the first time yesterday.   He is still hooked up to ICU paraphernalia, but the 10 minutes I got to rock and hold him was a very precious Father’s Day present from my son and daughter-in-law.

So have a GREAT week. Recommit and work hard. I am.
Kirk

Lose Your Lard: 4 Ways to Fire Up Your Calorie Burning Engines
Submitted by Editor-in-Chief, Abs Diet Club, Men’s Health Online

Missing a meal doesn’t seem so bad. You don’t need those extra calories anyway, right?

Wrong. When you skip a meal, your body slows down your metabolism to hold on to your existing fuel supply.

Here are three better ways to burn blubber faster:

• When you work out, speed up and slow down. You can interval train with any form of cardio, from the elliptical machine to cycling.

• Perform a bodyweight routine 12 hours before or after your intense weight-training sessions. A handful of pushups and squats will send your fat burners into overdrive.

• Nosh on more protein, one of the hottest-burning food sources out there. Your body uses twice as much energy to break down protein than it does to break down carbs. Translation: Eggs in the morning, string cheese for a snack, salmon for dinner. You’re good to go.

I want to start today’s post with an outstanding quote about motivation and doing:

“Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome.”

-Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.

Arthur Ashe was a dominant tennis player during his 12-year career between 1968 and 1979. He is considered one of the 21 greatest players in the game. I have never followed tennis, but I remember seeing Arthur Ashe play. He was the Tiger Woods of tennis in his day.

I like the quote because it reminds me that my journey towards good health is a day-by-day process. It’s likely I won’t remember the actual day I weigh in at my goal, but my guess is I will remember this two year journey for the rest of my life.   And once I arrive at my goal weight, my journey isn’t complete. As I have said before, this commitment to good health is for keeps. I won’t be finished until I am laid to rest for my big dirt nap.

Another well known phrase comes instantly to mind “The way to eat a whole elephant is one bite at a time,” and it is certainly appropriate (please forgive me, the whole “eat an elephant” thing is not intended as a pun.) If we think about how much we have to lose or how far we need to go to be more healthy it can be daunting. When I weighed 450 pounds and thought about losing weight I often thought, “why bother.”

Does your journey feel overwhelming? Trust me, you are not alone. As I’ve struggled this past week I have felt like giving up. I’ve been hungry and frustrated and have felt like my world turning upside down and inside out. Why not eat some of that stuffed pizza my son brought over last night? (which by the way I did—and it was ALMOST worth it. The only thing I have to justify now is whether what I ate last night is worth the weight gain I’ll certainly see on the scales—definitely not.) But I haven’t lost sight of my ultimate desire: I want to be more healthy and I know how to get there.

Don’t give up and don’t despair. Our journey towards good health is worth every sacrifice. Make good nutritional choices. Get up off your two-spot and move more. You’ll feel better and like Arthur Ashe suggests, the journey will be much more meaningful than the destination.

To follow up the article I shared yesterday about weight lifting, I read this next piece from Jillian Michaels. It gives very helpful ideas about how to make your exercise more effective.

Have a great day and phenomenal week. I’m going to drag my carcass into physical therapy today. I do not want a gimp knee the rest of my life.

Kirk

Shake It Up
By Jillian Michaels, Losing It with Jillian Michaels, Online
Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ever hear the expression “Nothing changes if nothing changes”? If you do the same resistance routine the same way week after week, the day will come when your body will have adapted to that particular workload. In terms of weight loss, that’s not a good thing. If your body isn’t challenged beyond its comfort zone, you won’t see continual results.

Mixing things up to prevent plateaus doesn’t take much. That’s why every two weeks, my program will challenge you in new ways. Varying the number of reps and sets will constantly surprise the body, which is one way to make sure your workout continues to push you forward.

Apart from changing the number of sets and reps per exercise, you can also change the way you perform a rep. During a weight-lifting exercise, your muscles contract in three distinctly different ways:

• When you lift the weight, your muscles contract positively, or concentrically.
• At the midpoint of the exercise, when you stop moving the weight but you’re still holding it, your muscles contract statically, or isometrically.
• When you lower the weight, your muscles contract negatively, or eccentrically.

You can adjust the way you do your reps by shifting the emphasis among the three forms of muscle contraction, which provide you with three ways to do almost anything in the weight room — and endless ways to switch around your routine to keep it fresh and motivating.

Jillian’s Tip for the Day

Good for the Body, Good for the Mind

We all know that change is good — and that holds true for fitness too! After all, challenging your muscles will help you reach your fitness goals. Varying your routine is also good for your mind! Doing the same thing over and over can get stale and dampen enthusiasm. A change in focus — however slight — will keep you coming back for more.

Hi Everyone,

I’ve had a rollercoaster week with my grandson in the hospital. I haven’t spent much time lifting or walking and I’m feeling it. For any of you who have made exercise a habit, you know exactly what I’m talking about. When I get my walk in and lift weights I feel productive. Maybe it’s the chemical thing—endorphins—or whatever. All I know is that when I move more I feel better.

That’s what I wanted to share with you today: move more. (Maybe because I have been moving less and feel a little guilty.) I haven’t been as good at journaling my food and I’ve had the munchies a lot over the last few days. Going back and forth to the hospital and spending more time driving has me off my normal routine. I know I’ve been eating more than I’m used to. (I have succumbed to emotional eating too.) Time to recommit….

So read this article and just do it. Get off your chair and go for a walk. Hop on a bike or grab your swim suit and head for the pool. It’s summertime—most of us have been cooped up all winter and now the weather is perfect for stretching our legs and breathing in fresh air.

All the best… you can improve your health with good nutrition and exercise.

Kirk

The Truth About Weightlifting and Weight Loss
By Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness
MSN Health & Fitness Exclusive

Q: I’m overweight. When I lift weights to try to lose weight, not only do I not lose weight, people tell me that I look heavier. I thought that weight lifting is supposed to help me shed body fat? What am I doing wrong?

A: If you’re gaining muscle mass from lifting weights, you may end up looking bigger, even though you’re trying to slim down. But it’s not that easy to build lots of muscle, so unless you’ve been at it for a long time, it may be that you are simply eating more—and appearing heavier as a result.

If you are significantly overweight, you need to do more than simply lift weights to lose pounds or inches. This may contradict what you’ve been told in the gym. In the body-building world there’s an idea floating around that pounds don’t matter because the secret to getting lean is to shift your body composition by building more muscle and decreasing your percentage of body fat. This is a somewhat simplified claim that isn’t as miraculous a solution as it seems to be.

First of all, to someone who is 50, 70, or 100 pounds or more overweight, pounds do matter. And since fat cells do not turn into muscle cells, ignoring body weight and trying to shift body composition would entail somehow gaining say, 50 pounds of muscle, while losing 50 pounds of fat. Even hardcore body builders may find it impossible to gain 50 pounds of muscle.

Not only do you have to eat more than you normally do to build muscle mass, you also need to lift a serious volume of weights (lots of sets and reps with heavy weights). Even if you do so, it’s tough to gain a lot of muscle (that’s why so many people succumb to steroids.) On average, it takes around six months of progressive weight training for a woman to gain around two pounds of muscle. In this time, men will gain a little more, but not much.

Shedding all that body fat isn’t as easy as the body-building mantra suggests either. Fat doesn’t just start melting off once you start weight training. A position statement by the National Strength and Conditioning Association notes that resistance training may improve body composition and decrease body fat, but the body fat loss is “modest.” Clearly, lifting weights to lose significant amounts of body fat is not a realistic option for someone who is seriously overweight.
So for an overweight or obese person for whom pounds do matter, does lifting weights help them lose weight?

So far, there’s little evidence to show that resistance training by itself leads to weight loss. In 2004, esteemed strength-training researcher William Kraemer, Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, studied muscle hypertrophy (excessive growth) in women doing periodic resistance training.
He found that untrained young women who lifted progressively heavier weights for six months got stronger and gained muscle but showed no significant decrease in body fat. Kraemer and colleagues concluded that calorie control from dieting may be a more effective way to lose fat.

The 2009 position stand from the American College of Sports Medicine, “Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight loss and Prevention of Weight Regain in Adults,” ?notes that “resistance training does not seem to be effective for weight reduction … and does not add to weight loss when combined with diet restriction.” That’s not to say that lifting weights isn’t great for you—it is. It’s just not the magic pill to produce weight loss for an overweight or obese person.

So what’s the prescription most likely to produce the results you want? Clocking up more cardio minutes by being more physically active every single day. That means getting on a cardio machine, walking around the block, riding your bike, hiking or playing a game of hoops. The more you move, the more calories you burn, and over time, this can lead to weight loss and fat reduction, especially in the belly. Plus, a body with less fat will let the muscle you have firmed up from lifting weights look more defined.

So how much do you need to do? There has been much controversy over this and research in this area is just starting to accumulate. But the evidence from well-designed studies shows that you can absolutely lose weight from cardio workouts alone. The only caveat is that you have to do more of it than you might think. While any amount of physical activity is good for your health, the ACSM position stand notes that weight loss is rarely seen when people do 150 minutes or less week (So, a 20 to 30 minute walk every day probably won’t cut it).

But greater amounts of activity—for people fit enough to keep it up—can make a dent in fat depots and a difference on your scale. Aiming to move for at least for more at least 150 minutes, and preferably up to 225 to 420 minutes per week, can burn enough extra calories to produce a noticeable weight loss. So, that means trying to get in about an hour a day on most days of the week. Other official recommendations note that it takes around 60 to 90 minutes of cardio per day to manage weight. Combining cardio minutes with calorie-controlled eating can produce the biggest weight loss results.

But that doesn’t mean that lifting weights is a waste of time. Resistance training has been shown to improve health risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, bone mass and insulin resistance.

And it keeps you strong, probably decreasing your injury risk while you’re racking up all those cardio minutes. And it’s especially important to lift weights if you’re dieting, since resistance training can help preserve lean body mass, most of which is muscle, that’s normally lost when dieting alone.

If you’re not used to doing cardio, start slowly for 10 to 15 minutes at a time and work your way up to faster, longer and/or harder sessions gradually.
Find more from Martica.

URL: http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100240382&gt1=31036

Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist, and an award-winning fitness instructor and health writer. She has a Ph.D. in behavioral nutrition and physical activity from Columbia University, and is also a NASM-certified personal trainer. She has written hundreds of articles for publications such as Self , Health , Prevention , The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of eight books, including her latest, “Cross-Training for Dummies.”

I’ve been working out regularly at Gold’s Gym for over a year and today’s blog and article topic is of great importance to me: How does one boost lean muscle mass? Adding more lean muscle mass has a snowball effect on weight loss. Just like a heavier snowball will pick up size and momentum rolling down a hill, our bodies will become more efficient at losing weight when we develop more lean muscle mass.

I learned last year that our bodies will burn more calories to feed lean muscle than feeding fatty tissue. “Muscle tissue is about 25 times more metabolically active than fat tissue, so an additional two pounds of muscle, burns up to 100 additional calories per day.”(1) Since learning about the benefit of more lean muscle mass I have focused on keeping my metabolism high and adding more muscle to my body. The only problem seems to be my age. The older you get the slower your metabolism and the harder it is to build muscle. The following article characterizes much of the information I’ve read:

The forgotten symptoms of low testosterone levels…
Are you having a hard time building new muscle? Do you suffer from low sex drive, constant tiredness, depression, or a loss of strength? If so, low testosterone levels could be the problem.
Many think of low testosterone as something that just affects older men. However, men in their 30’s and 40’s also fall prey to low testosterone counts. According to the FDA, more than four million men suffer from low testosterone levels. Yet, 95 out of 100 men fail to seek treatment – often because they just accept the symptoms as a “normal” part of getting older.
Low testosterone levels
Testosterone is produced mainly in the Leydig cells in the male testes, and in smaller amounts by the adrenal gland near the kidneys. In women, where production is about one-tenth the total of males, roughly one-half comes from the ovaries. For men, the normal level of testosterone in the bloodstream is between 350 and 1230 nanograms per deciliter.
The production of testosterone increases rapidly at the onset of puberty. Once you reach middle age, however, testosterone levels begin to drop by about one percent each year. In the short-term, this might not sound like much. By the time you reach your 70’s and 80’s, this constant decline increases the risk of obesity, brittle bones, muscle loss and impotence. Very low testosterone levels can also increase your risk of dying from a heart attack.
Although it’s considered as a male hormone, women need testosterone too. Despite the fact they only produce a small amount, testosterone helps women maintain the strength of muscle and bone. After the menopause, testosterone levels drop. Estrogen replacement therapy can also reduce testosterone levels, leaving some postmenopausal women concerned about a lack of energy and libido.
Testosterone is a hormone that’s also very important for people wanting to shed fat while preserving (or even gaining) lean muscle. In fact, hormones such as testosterone are one reason why you can lose weight on the scales without being able to shift the fat that seems to be glued to your stomach.
Think of a hormone like the remote control for your television. In much the same way that you change the channel using the remote control, hormones can change the way your fat cells respond to the food you eat.
Your body has billions of these tiny fat cells. They expand to many times their original size in order to store fat. They also shrink when they release stored fat. Fat cells respond to hormones in one of two ways, depending on whether the signal is lipogenic or lipolytic.
The term lipo means fat, while lysis means breakdown. So, a lipolytic (pronounced lip-o-lit-ik) hormone increases the number of fat calories burned for energy. Hormones that promote fat storage, on the other hand, are known as lipogenic (pronounced lie-po-jen-ik). In other words, lipogenic hormones promote fat storage.
Fat loss
Testosterone affects fat loss in one of two ways [2]. Just like a car, your fat cells have a series of brakes and accelerators. The parts of a fat cell that accelerate the release of fat are called beta-receptors. The parts of a fat cell that put the brakes on fat loss are known as alpha- receptors.
The distribution of brakes and accelerators on each fat cell is one reason why certain parts of your body shed fat faster than others. Women, for example, often have a hard time losing fat from their hips. That’s because the fat cells in that area have a higher ratio of alpha- to beta-receptors.
If a fat cell has more beta-receptors, it will release stored fat more quickly than one with fewer beta-receptors. That’s where testosterone appears to help. By increasing the number of beta-receptors, testosterone makes it easier to lose stored fat.
What’s more, testosterone can also limit the storage of fat. When fat cells are exposed to testosterone in a test tube, the activity of lipoprotein lipase — an enzyme that promotes fat storage — is dramatically reduced.
To see whether the same thing happens in the human body, researchers from Sweden gave a group of overweight older men supplemental testosterone (in the form of a pill or an injection) for six weeks [7]. When it was measured after just one week, lipoprotein lipase activity in abdominal fat tissue dropped. Even more dramatic changes were seen six weeks later. Waist size also dropped in 9 of the 11 men.
Further research confirms the positive effect of testosterone on body composition in older men [5]. The men were aged between 65 and 87. All had low levels of free testosterone, and were treated with either transdermal testosterone (two 2.5 milligram patches per day) or fake patches containing no testosterone.
After 12 months, free testosterone levels in the group using the patches rose by 75%. There was no change in the group given the fake patches. Subjects using the testosterone patches also lost fat, with the average body fat percentage dropping from 26.3% to 24.6%.
A long-term study also confirms that men with low testosterone levels are more likely to develop a pot belly [6]. More than 100 Japanese-American men took part in the research. A number of measurements, including total body fat and testosterone levels, were taken at the start of the study. The same measurements were taken again seven years later. Body fat increased to a greater extent in the men starting the study with low testosterone levels.
The link between hormones and body fat applies to women as well as men. Specifically, researchers from Yale have uncovered a link between a hormone known as cortisol and abdominal fat in otherwise slender women [4]. In other words, women who secrete more cortisol in response to stress also have more abdominal fat.
Testing
While a blood test is one of the most common ways to measure testosterone levels, there are several less invasive methods currently available. For instance, some research shows that analyzing saliva is an accurate way to test for low testosterone levels.
Testosterone travels around your bloodstream in two forms — free testosterone or bound testosterone. Roughly two percent of total testosterone is made up of free testosterone, which is the most “active” form. The rest is attached to sex hormone-binding globulin (known as SHBG) and other proteins [3].
In aging men, it’s possible for total testosterone to appear normal, while free testosterone is actually low. If you do get your testosterone levels measured, make sure to ask for a reading of both total and free testosterone.
While a blood or saliva test is a more accurate way of establishing your levels of testosterone, you can also use The Saint Louis University Androgen Deficiency in Aging Men (ADAM) Questionnaire. Dr. John Morley, a researcher with the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, developed the self-screening tool to help identify symptoms of low testosterone in men. Choose the responses below that best describe how you have been feeling.
1. Do you have a decrease in libido (sex drive)?   2. Do you have a lack of energy?   3. Do you have a decrease in strength and/or endurance?   4. Have you lost height?   5. Have you noticed a decreased “enjoyment of life”?   6. Are you sad and/or grumpy?   7. Are your erections less strong?   8. Have you noticed a deterioration in your ability to play sports?   9. Are you falling asleep after dinner?   10. Has there been a recent deterioration in your work performance?

If you answer yes to question one or seven, or at least three of the other questions you may have low testosterone levels.
Mood
Another common sign of low testosterone is a change in mood and behavior. You find it very easy to get angry at trivial incidents. Things you used to enjoy now seem like chores. Life no longer seems to be an endless stream of possibilities.
When men who cannot produce testosterone come off hormone replacement therapy, they become irritable and depressed. Their mood improves when they resume treatment.
In fact, some researchers think that low testosterone levels are one reason why some men become grumpy, nervous and irritable as they age. Stress can also cause men of any age to experience a drop in testosterone levels.
The reason is that certain regions of your brain are “loaded” with receptors for testosterone. In fact, men with depression have free testosterone levels almost 20% lower than normal [1]. In contrast, high levels of testosterone lift your mood, giving you a feeling of well-being.
If you do have a blood test, remember that testosterone levels are generally higher in the morning and lower in the evening. However, the degree to which testosterone levels vary during the day is reduced as you age. There are also peaks and troughs during the year. Testosterone levels reach a high during June and July, and drop during winter and early spring [8].
One way to boost low testosterone levels is by making changes to what you eat and how you exercise. Changing your diet and exercise routine isn’t going to work for everyone, especially if your testosterone levels are low because of congenital problems (such as deficiencies of male hormones and rare malformation syndromes) or chronic illness, drug use, or removal of or trauma to the testicles. It’s also important to remember that changes to your diet and exercise routine will not elevate your testosterone levels to the same extent as testosterone injections.

References 1. Barrett-Connor, E., Von Muhlen, D.G., & Kritz-Silverstein, D. (1999). Bioavailable testosterone and depressed mood in older men: the Rancho Bernardo Study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 84, 573-577?2. De Pergola, G. (2000). The adipose tissue metabolism: role of testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 24, S59-63?3. Dunn, J.F., Nisula, B.C. & Rodbard, D. (1981). Transport of steroid hormones: binding of 21 endogenous steroids to both testosterone-binding globulin and corticosteroid-binding globulin in human plasma. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 53, 58-68?4. Epel, E.S., McEwen, B., Seeman, T., Matthews, K., Castellazzo, G., Brownell, K.D., Bell, J., & Ickovics, J.R. (2000). Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 623-632?5. Kenny, A.M., Prestwood, K.M., Gruman, C.A., Marcello, K.M, & Raisz, L.G. (2001). Effects of transdermal testosterone on bone and muscle in older men with low bioavailable testosterone levels. Journal of Gerontology, 56, M266-272?6. Tsai, E.C., Boyko, E.J., Leonetti, D.L., & Fujimoto, W.Y. (2000). Low serum testosterone level as a predictor of increased visceral fat in Japanese-American men. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 24, 485-491?7. Rebuffe-Scrive, M., Marin, P., & Bjorntorp, P. (1991). Effect of testosterone on abdominal adipose tissue in men. International Journal of Obesity, 15, 791-795?8. Andersson, A.M., Carlsen, E., Petersen, J.H., & Skakkebaek, N.E. (2003). Variation in levels of serum inhibin B, testosterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and sex hormone-binding globulin in monthly samples from healthy men during a 17-month period: possible effects of seasons. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 88, 932-937?9. Allen, N.E., Appleby, P.N., Davey, G.K., & Key, T.J. (2002). Lifestyle and nutritional determinants of bioavailable androgens and related hormones in British men. Cancer Causes Control, 13, 353-363 (2)

I’ve been taking a dietary supplement since January that is supposed to help raise my testosterone level. I haven’t seen much muscle growth yet, but then again it’s hard to find my muscles behind my sharpei saggy skin. I had to lose a hundred pounds before I finally found abdominal muscles. As the previous article suggests, I might want to have a few tests taken to determine exactly what is going on chemically in my body. If increasing my testosterone medically will help me gain more muscle mass, then I am definitely interested in seeing what my doctor has to say about it.

I know this post is getting rather long, but I also wanted to share what Jillian Michaels wrote today about paying attention to muscle-building foods and nutrition. I think any serious attempt to build lean muscle mass must include close attention to diet.

I hope you are having an excellent summer. Mine has been a rollercoaster ride already. My grandson was born five weeks early and is in the newborn intensive care unit at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.  We packed up and came home from vacation early. He’s a cute little guy, a little over 5 lbs., and our thoughts and prayers are for his continued healthy progress.

Take care everybody,
Kirk

(1) http://www.fitnessusa.com/BurnFatFaster.asp
(2) http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/test.htm

Foods That Boost Your Muscle-Building Hormones
By Jillian Michaels, Losing It ! with Jillian Michaels (online)
Saturday, June 13, 2009

Whether you’re a girl or a guy, if you’re trying to get fit, you’re in the testosterone-boosting business. (Unless you have polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, in which case your body produces too much testosterone.) Testosterone gives us energy, builds muscle, and heightens our libido. It also helps protect our bones and brains — all good stuff. Some foods can help increase this helpful hormone — here’s how you can take advantage of them.
Add some garlic and onions to your meals. A study conducted with rats found that garlic coupled with a high-protein diet increased testosterone levels. Allicin, a phytochemical found in garlic and onions, may also inhibit cortisol, which can compete with testosterone and interfere with its normal function.
Get more niacin in your diet. Niacin, a B vitamin, has been shown to boost HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind), high levels of which have been associated with high levels of testosterone. Niacin is found in many foods, including dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, nuts, and eggs.
Choose healthy vegetable fats. Vegetable fat intake has been shown to increase dihydrotestosterone, a form of testosterone responsible for the growth of body hair. Just take it easy on the soybean, corn, safflower, and sunflower oils — instead get your vegetable fats from heart-healthy canola and olive oils.
Eat zinc-rich foods. These include oysters, Dungeness crab, beef, pork, dark-meat chicken and turkey, yogurt, cheddar cheese, cashews, almonds, baked beans, and chickpeas. One study found that restricting zinc in healthy young men led to a 75 percent reduction in their testosterone, while supplementing zinc-deficient older men doubled their testosterone.

Jillian’s Tip of the Day

Steer Clear of These Testosterone Reducers
Just as some foods can raise your testosterone level, others can bring it down. Studies have show that alcohol reduces testosterone levels in men, and one study revealed an increase in testosterone levels among alcoholics who became sober. Just one more reason to hold yourself to one drink a day, tops. Not getting enough fat or protein can also cause testosterone to take a hit — so make sure your diet is balanced.

Good Morning,

I’ve had a strange week. Still working on my knee rehab. The actual surgical site has not been too painful—the painful part is all the muscles above and below the knee cap. The Physical Therapist tells me it is probably because I’m overcompensating the muscles to protect the knee. (I don’t know if overcompensating is the best word. I’m trying to describe walking differently to avoid irritating the surgical area. Like walking more stiff-legged to avoid bending the knee, if that makes sense.)

I had therapy Monday, Wednesday and Friday last week for about two hours each session. This includes a 15-minute heat wrap on the knee at the beginning and a 15-minute cold wrap at the end. The remaining 90 minutes consists of recumbent and upright exercise bikes and several stretch and strengthening routines. I can walk quite normally into these sessions, but at the end I’m hobbling back to the car. They really work me out—we’re trying to convince my knee to have full range of motion again (and it isn’t being very cooperative.) I’m not saying my progress is slow—just that all the hard work doesn’t come without a price.

On Wednesday evening I was watching a little television and relaxing in my favorite Lazy-boy Recliner when a vicious cramp hit my upper left inner thigh. I scrambled out of the chair screeching with pain only to have my upper right inner thigh decide to join in the fun. (I guess I pushed it a little bit too hard on the recumbent stationary bike earlier in the day.) Anyway, here I am standing in my living room nearly passing out from the searing pain while my family helplessly stands by trying first of all to figure out what in the world is going on and then how to help me. Here’s dad clutching both inner thighs, crying, tears streaming down my face, and hyperventilating.

I knew I couldn’t get down on the floor to stretch it out—if I got down on the floor there would be no way I could get back up. Finally I managed to get myself into a steaming hot shower, ripping clothes off from the living room all the way into the bathroom, then stood under the water rubbing out the sore muscles and praying for relief. My wife grabbed me a couple of Doan’s pills, the only thing I could think of close to a muscle relaxant, and patiently waited on me until the episode subsided. It was by far the worst “charlie horses” I have had in a long time. On Friday I backed off the routines in physical therapy and didn’t push it so much. I’m very anxious to get back in shape, but I don’t dare undo the repairs that have been made or put myself through more pain because I’m not being careful. I learned a very painful lesson.

I wimped out on going to Weight Watchers this week. I told everyone last week that we would be gone on vacation, but we pushed back our departure date a couple of days to take care of my daughter’s summer school things before we leave. I could have made the weigh-in and meeting, but I also knew I was up 3 or 4 pounds. This knee stuff is really kicking me in the butt. I can’t be as active and because I have been fretting about things I have made more poor food choices. (I was snitching bites of ice cream from my daughter’s bowl of Toasted Almond Fudge ice cream on Thursday. That is so not me… I have been so good and so strict to avoid these things in the last year.) So I need to recommit. I need to hop back up on the horse and stay the course.

So in a spirit of renewal, I offer an article I read today about making better food choices when you are short of time. This is something weighing heavily on my mind today because we are leaving for vacation and I always have trouble with food choices on road trips. Additionally, it is a struggle to make the best choices when you are out of your comfort zone: the kitchen in a time-share condo, or when your choices are limited to eating out more frequently. I hope most of you can relate to these concerns. Traveling can be a problem when you are trying to be nutritionally responsible.

I’m going to pack my “72-Minute Kit” before we hit the road tomorrow (see my blog post April 20, 2009) and work hard to plan meals and snacks in advance. Jillian Michaels has some great ideas in the following article. I hope you find it helpful too when you are busy, or having too much fun, and can’t make or take the time to cook.

My family is on the way to the beach…. I hope you are having a fun summer too,
Kirk

SUNDAY: ASK JILLIAN, June 7, 2009
By Jillian Michaels, Losing It with Jillian Michaels, Online

No Time to Cook?
Q: I don’t have time to cook — can you suggest some quick and easy breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that don’t involve cooking?
A: These suggestions depend a bit on what type of oxidizer you are, but here you go:

Breakfast: Snack-sized containers of low-fat Greek or low-fat plain yogurt (varieties with no high-fructose corn syrup!), a Health Valley Granola Bar, Arrowhead Mills Instant Oatmeal, fruit, dry whole-grain toast, or high-fiber cereal with skim milk. Each of these ideas will take less than three minutes of your time.

Lunch: Ideally, you would take some time the night before or on the weekends to prepare healthy foods to pack and carry, but if that just isn’t realistic for you, try the following options. Buy prepared salads at your supermarket. I like to get chicken Caesar, tuna niçoise, and seafood salads at Trader Joe’s to have on hand when I need to run out the door. Another thought is a sandwich — make sure the bread is whole grain and the meat is organic and not processed (look for fresh, low-sodium deli meat). Avoid high-fat condiments like mayo; choose mustard (it’s naturally low in fat) instead.

Snacks: Try nuts, fruit, low-fat cheeses, whole-grain crackers like Kashi, low-fat yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs. You could even buy a Kashi, Luna, or Clif bar to eat on the run.

Dinner: This entails a similar effort as lunch, in that you need to buy precooked foods at the deli counter in the supermarket — but always ask for organic meat (you might have a better chance of getting this at a market like Whole Foods). Buying food like this is a bit more expensive because convenience doesn’t come cheap, but it’s quick, easy, and healthy. If I’m in a hurry, I like to pick up grilled chicken breasts, salmon or halibut fillets, or turkey breasts, all precooked — I toss a portion in a plastic container and run out the door with it. You can even buy veggie side dishes — grilled vegetables, for example — brown rice with shrimp, and so on.

At the end of the day, your choices are going to come down to what is more feasible for you. I’ve given you many options, involving varying amounts of money and time, but I urge you to find the time to plan your meals for the week and cook healthy on the weekends. This way you will know EXACTLY what is in your food — salt, fat, calories, and so forth.

Jillian’s Tip of the Day:

Are Frozen Meals Acceptable?
Frozen entrées are a quick and calorie-controlled option, but the downside is that they’re usually processed — meaning they’re FULL of salt and preservatives. If you absolutely can’t cook a meal and want frozen meal options, there are a couple brands that do pass the health test for me — if you choose an entrée from Amy’s or Kashi, you know you’re in good shape. Both brands are much lower in sodium than others.

Today I want to share a success story. For over a year, since joining Weight Watchers in April 2008, I hear regularly the statement, “Men just lose weight easier than women.” My experience each week at meetings seems to support this idea, but I have really wondered what the differences are. Is it true that men lose easier than women?

Do men just have more dedication and will power? (careful turbo—you’re going to ruffle someone’s feathers… by the way, I don’t believe men have more dedication and will power) With the exception of one thing, I feel men and women struggle with healthy choices about the same. That one thing would be chocolate. There is definitely something wired into a woman’s brain that makes avoiding chocolate almost impossible. ? (sarcasm people—what a beautiful thing)

Stepping back and taking a very unscientific tally of my men friends versus my women friends at Weight Watchers Meeting I would have to say the men are winning the race to lose weight. At least in total pounds lost. Occasionally you will have a break-out female loser (wow, that is quite a title) and today I’m paying a small tribute to two such women.

Tammy and her mother have been attending Weight Watchers a little less than one year and last week Tammy reached her goal: she has lost almost 95 pounds and her mother is close behind. She shared with us these

This is Tammy and her Mom in 2008 before Weight Watchers

Before and After pictures and held up her old “fat” clothes for us to witness. They have made an amazing transformation and I hope these pictures and their success give my women reader’s hope that success is possible: you can reach your weight

This is Tammy and her Mom almost one year later in 2009

loss goals (and with Tammy’s example—you don’t have to resign yourself unnecessarily to a slow, frustrating journey.) Tammy and her mother are great examples of how nutritious eating and physical activity can transform your life.

My hat is off to them and their amazing accomplishment. Great job!

I’ve also found a good article to go along with this theme. I hope it provides you some information and insight. Take care everyone—hope your summer is all you’ve been waiting for (get outdoors and be active.)

Kirk

P.S. My knee is healing well. I am working hard at physical therapy and hope to be back on my bicycle soon. I am almost back to walking one mile a day. It will be nice when I am fully recovered.

Men, Women, and the Race to Lose Weight

Men seem to win the weight-loss race every time, but that doesn’t mean women should get discouraged. There are some strategies you can use to level the dieting field.

By Diana Rodriguez
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Ladies, if you’ve ever tried to lose weight alongside your husband, partner, boyfriend, or any male acquaintance, you’ve probably experienced a little frustration when you compared your weight-loss rates.

If you’ve halved your calories while running miles on the track and still can’t lose weight as fast as he can, take heart: There is a reason for it. But don’t think men have it that easy — losing weight is hard work, no matter who’s doing it.

Why Men Lose Weight Faster
“It is true — men do lose weight quicker,” says Anne Wolf, RD, a registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. And the reasons can be attributed to differences in the physical makeup of men and women and in the very different ways that men and women think.

“There are two physical reasons: Women have different hormones, and I think that impacts our weight-loss rate,” says Wolf. “Secondly, men have more lean body mass. That means their caloric needs are greater.” They can continue to eat a significant number of calories and still lose weight.

Men and women also tackle problems differently. Men tend to be linear thinkers and more businesslike in their approach to weight loss, while women are multi-taskers who become more emotionally involved in weight loss. “Men stick to their goals. It’s like a to-do list. In practice, I see women taken over by their emotions,” says Wolf. “Women will get sidetracked, so they don’t stick with their goals.”

Why Women Will Still Lose Weight
The way you mentally approach weight loss “really does make a difference,” says Wolf.

• She offers these suggestions to keep you from getting discouraged and giving up on your weight-loss plan when you feel your female makeup is working against you:
  • Stay positive; it’s not a hopeless cause. “Women do lose weight and they do keep it off. Don’t use the slower pace as an excuse to not try,” stresses Wolf.
  • Know that weight-loss strategies do work. Some women tend to throw up their hands, believing that nothing works, but that’s not true. “We have a lot of good therapies that actually do work to lose weight,” says Wolf.
  • Start believing that you can do it. “Believe in yourself,” says Wolf. “Keep focused — it’s about consistency.” Even if you get bored or frustrated because you don’t think your plan is working, stick with it. Set goals for yourself and stay focused on those goals.
  • Understand your challenges and limitations. “Know yourself,” says Wolf. “Each person is different.” She suggests asking, “What trips me up every time I try to lose weight? Do I eat when I’m sad or frustrated, or stop working out when I don’t have a workout buddy to encourage you?” Set yourself up for success by preparing for those roadblocks and figuring out in advance how you will overcome them.

Why Men Still Have to Work Hard to Lose Weight
Men do struggle with weight loss. Even if their bodies require more calories, they still have to work hard at it.

“I did lose weight quickly — at first,” admits John from Fairfax, Va. He lost a total of 70 pounds in a year, but while he lost 30 pounds in the first three months, it took him twice as long to lose the next 30, and three more months for the last 10.
John also dealt with his own weight-loss failures twice before finally succeeding. With inspiration from an older brother, he figured out how to do it correctly — by restricting his calories and building calorie-burning muscle through regular strength training, a weight-loss booster for both sexes.

No one can lose weight without diet and exercise smarts, hard work, and sacrifice. Make the effort to learn about the healthiest and most efficient ways to lose weight, and then enjoy your own success. Weight loss isn’t about winning a race; it’s about crossing the finish line at your own pace.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/printview.aspx?puid=194CD5E8-E886-435B-B67A-48BEBBD4DD27