Wow! And I thought I’d heard almost every crazy quick-fix out there. This one’s a doozy … and it comes with a medical recommendation! Researchers from Imperial College published a study in The American Journal of Cardiology, which claimed by handing out statin drugs (cholesterol lowering medication) with a hamburger, the detrimental health effects would be somehow neutralised. They claimed that while they were not encouraging poor eating habits, they acknowledge that many struggle with making the right choices, so this may be a solution. Is this really what it’s coming to? I’m not sure whether to feel mad or sad.
Taking the antidote with the poison!
September 1st, 2010Wow! And I thought I’d heard almost every crazy quick-fix out there. This one’s a doozy … and it comes with a medical recommendation! Researchers from Imperial College published a study in The American Journal of Cardiology, which claimed by handing out statin drugs (cholesterol lowering medication) with a hamburger, the detrimental health effects would be somehow neutralised. They claimed that while they were not encouraging poor eating habits, they acknowledge that many struggle with making the right choices, so this may be a solution. Is this really what it’s coming to? I’m not sure whether to feel mad or sad.
Naturally thin?
August 19th, 2010
I read an article recently about whether someone being ‘naturally thin’ really exists. As a former fat chick, I found this most intriguing. While I believe that while there are many factors involved in influencing our metabolism, in my experience, if you spent a day shadowing a ‘naturally thin’ person, you’d likely find yourself starving and exhausted! I have known many lean individuals who claim not to do any exercise and that they eat whatever and whenever they like. While this makes many of us mere mortals green with envy, I challenge you to try keeping up with that person for a day. While they may not participate in intentional exercise, they usually move quickly, and a lot. Very rarely will you find the elusive ‘metabolically blessed’ ones slumped on the sofa. They jig their legs when sitting and generally get from A to B pretty quickly. Another observation is that thin people are usually completely emotionally detached from food. Unlike emotional/stress eaters, they tend to lose their appetite when upset or stressed. They will often ‘forget’ to eat as food is not particularly important to them. While they may eat whatever they like, they probably only eat it once a day and don’t graze between meals, therefore consuming fewer calories than most. At the end of the day, hormones, genetics, etc will always play a role in our propensity to be thin or overweight, however, for me lifestyle is still the most significant factor.
Drink up!
August 2nd, 2010
Water is more important than food!
On a daily basis I consult with clients who don’t drink enough water. The majority will freely admit they’re aware of this, yet they don’t seem to understand the importance of adequate hydration. Water is involved in almost every process in the human body, from digestion to fat burning. If we allow ourselves to get 1% dehydrated, our energy levels can fall by as much as 10%. If we feel lethargic, the first thing we go for is sugary foods to try and regain some energy. Of course we know that this will send our blood sugar and insulin through the roof and cause excess fat storage. Just the thing we want to avoid! And this is only one of the many side effects of dehydration.
To put water into perspective, complete starvation in adults leads to death within eight to 12 weeks. Without water you will be dead in between 1-8 days depending on temperature!
You can lose 2% of your body weight before thirst is initiated, which may get worse as the severity of dehydration increases. With 4%-6% body water loss, you are impatient and you have symptoms of headache. With 10% loss, you have dizziness and cyanosis. You also become light-headed and have syncopal episodes. With 12% loss, you have difficulty swallowing and you require assistance in re-hydration. 15%-25% water loss is lethal. Sweat rates can be as high as 1-1/2 liters per hour, or roughly 15 liters a day!
So how much water should you drink? Try dividing your weight by 28 and you will have your answer. For example, 70kg divided by 28 = 2.5 litres of water per day. If you are not keen on drinking cold water during winter, try hot water with a slice of lemon. And remember, caffeine containing beverages (coffee, tea, cola drinks and even green tea) will dehdrate you.
Are we all capable of losing fat?
July 21st, 2010
Question: Most of us, well everyone I know wants to lose at least a little weight and keep it off. Is it really possible for absolutely everyone? Jenni (USA)
Answer: Yes. Realistically it is absolutely possible, but perhaps not probable. It’s like asking if it is possible for everyone to have a successful career, or to achieve any other specific goal – of course you can if you want to apply yourself to the task and be consistent. It will always seem a little more difficult for some, however, I do believe that everyone gets to a stage in their life when they are ready to take on the challenge and at this point the success rate is high.
In the majority of cases the psychological hurdle is far greater than the physical one. Modern society associates food with social events, comfort, reward, etc. And many have ‘failed’ several times in weight loss attempts, so confidence is often low. Very few of us ever think about food as nourishment until we have some kind of health scare, or we get plain fed-up with feeling tired and unwell. I’m almost positive that I couldn’t follow most of the diets out there today, so yo-yo dieters – stop kicking yourselves!
In all of my books I have attempted to give readers the knowledge to take control of their health and weight, once and for all. The message in ‘Fat or Fiction’ was described as a breath of fresh air by many readers. The reason for this is that it’s not ‘another diet book’. It’s essentially the ‘instruction manual’ for your body. It’s the information everyone must be aware of before embarking on any kind of change to your diet and/or exercise regime. Like anything, once you have a clear understanding of ‘why’ you are choosing to make specific changes, it provides stronger motivation to stick with it. Your body is a mirror image of your lifestyle. If you’re 90kg and wish to be 60kg, if you start eating and exercising like a 60kg person, your body has no choice but to follow you there!
Mr SEN
July 14th, 2010
As many of you are aware I am on SEN radio every Friday morning with Tim Watson, Andy Maher and Dermott Brereton, to chat about a new health & fitness topic. Last Friday we launched our Mr SEN challenge. If you think you’re up for the challenge (don’t worry girls, Ms SEN is coming!), please visit the SEN website to apply as a contestant. We have some fabulous and fun challenges set up over the next 6 weeks. The ultimate winner will go up against Dermott in the final challenge in an attempt to win the bonus prize. Tune in to SEN radio (online if you’re outside of Melbourne) to keep up with the weekly action and eliminations…..
Are labels on junk food the answer?
July 6th, 2010
Got to say, while it’s a good effort on behalf of the Vic Government, I don’t think it’s going to make any difference. Firstly, if you were to quiz people on the street about kilojoules I could almost guarantee the majority would not be familiar with calories or kilojoules. It’s a bit useless knowing that a burger has 2000 kilojoules if you don’t know what a kilojoule is or how many you should be having in a meal/day. And for those driving through McDonalds, is knowing the kilojoules of a burger really going to deter you from eating it? I think not! While I commend the government for taking positive action in an effort to create awareness of what we’re putting in our gob, I don’t know if this is the most appropriate solution. Perhaps if further information is provided to consumers (via labels or an advertising campaign) on what our optimum level of kilojoules is, this may have the desired impact. After all, how many of us really believe that burgers are low-cal? I don’t think this plays a part when chosing take away. Do you?
New App!
June 28th, 2010
Hello all … very excited to announce the launch over the weekend of the new ‘Fit To Go’ App. This one is focussed on training for women. Just click a body part and your video workout will be revealed! Guys, your App is in the pipeline, so it shouldn’t be too far away. There is also a great ‘Burn Chart’ – spin and see how long you’ll have to walk to burn off some of your favourite treats – as well as some motivating health and fitness facts. Please click on the link below for further information. Enjoy!!
http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fit-to-go-express-series/id378730436?mt=8
Exercising around injuries…
June 22nd, 2010
Q: Hello Donna, Firstly thank you for all of your wisdom, I’ve been on your mailing list for years and have most of your books and think you are most real and honest fitness health expert I’ve come across. I have a question about exercising with an injured knee? What exercise is there to do? I’ve been told to swim and I can walk, but to give up my running, cycling, kickboxing all which I love because I’m a sweat and feel it kind of person. I’m a trained swimmer so technique is fine but it’s never been something that I feel keeps me toned and the fat off, what are your thoughts? Thank you again, Chantelle
A: Thank you Chantelle. It’s a little tricky to answer without knowing the details of your injury, so I will answer generally. Firstly, with any debilitating injury, I recommend finding a good physiotherapist to help you heal as effectively as possible and advise on your gradual (and safe) introduction of various activities. Meanwhile, there are plenty of exercise options to explore which will allow you to ’sweat & feel’ your training, without putting unnecessary stress on your knee joints. Obviously swimming is a safe option, but it’s not always the most convenient, nor is it my first choice for fat burning. If you have the opportunity to hire a reputable Personal Trainer who understands injuries, you will likely be amazed at how creative you can get! If not, I would suggest finding a gym with a ‘grinder’ (like a bike for your upper body). It’s an amazing cardio experience and can be teamed up with various upper body and core exercises in a circuit-sytle workout. Boxing with a partner using focus pad (seated on a stability ball) is another option, as well as upper body and core weight training. A specialised TRX session may also be a good option. If performed at the right intensity and pace, you will certainly get an intense workout from any of these activites, with or without your legs! Who knows, you may even prefer some of them to your regular routine…
June 21st, 2010
Q: Hi Donna, I recently had my cholesterol tested and was very surprised that my cholesterol was 7.1 – especially when I started reading about other factors contributing to heart disease and none of them related to me – I don’t smoke, or drink a lot of coffee, I’m not overweight at all and have never been, have always done lots of exercise going to the gym at least 3-4 times a week for the past 20 years (I am now 40), plus already eat pretty healthy low fat foods the majority of the time. So I was quite annoyed and frustrated that it was still so high! Then I found out it is in my genes – my grandfather had a heart attack at 50 and has been on cholesterol medication ever since (he is now 86), my grandmother was also on medication for years, as well as my mother and uncle being on it for years – they all have very high cholesterol. I went back to see my Dr this week and she has put me on a low dose 5mg of Crestor Rosuvastatin – she said at least take it for 6 months to see how things go. I will also focus on modifying my diet – but don’t actually want to lose any weight as I am already pretty lean. Since finding all this out, I have been thinking more about what I eat and reading up on cholesterol – and wondered if you had any additional advice/suggestions.A feature on this would be great – especially focusing on high cholesterol which is for familial reasons, not lifestyle/diet causes. Kind regards, Suzannah
A: It can be a bit confusing when you feel you have a healthy lifestyle yet discover you have high cholesterol. As you have mentioned, there are certain genetic factors which make us more vulnerable to such ailments. However, it has always been my view that these factors are the ‘weak link’ in our genetic chain. So if something goes wrong, it will likely be related to the weakest link. While our genetics all have weak links, I don’t believe this has to be our destiny. I’d like to congratulate you on your consistent exercise and healthy weight to date, but there may be a few extra things you can look into to boost your cholesterol-lowering powers! For example, you mentioned a low-fat diet, so it’s possible you’re lacking essential fatty acids (in particular Omega 3 from fish oil and flaxseed oil). I would recommend a tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily as well as an EPA/DHA supplement. Sugar/refined carbs can have a significant effect on lowering HDL (good) cholesterol, so if you can cut these back and increase your colourful, fresh plant food (including blueberries, spinach, cruciferous vegetables, etc) and add some daily rolled oats it may be a good start. Changing your diet doesn’t have to mean calorie restriction. As long as you don’t reduce calories with these changes you will not lose weight. In fact, once the balance is right you should better maintain your lean body weight (muscle) and keep body fat at bay. I hope this is helpful… Donna
Cash for kilos? You’ve got to be joking!
June 9th, 2010
I was horrified to hear a story on the news this morning about the UK governments scheme to pay ‘pounds for pounds’. That’s right, obese individuals will be offered a cash incentive for weight loss. Is it just me or is this sending completely the WRONG message? Is the government actually naive enough to believe this will fix the obesity epidemic? This is not going to educate, support or guide obese individuals. In fact, it could be a disaster. Often those who reach morbid obesity have significant psychological issues to overcome. The often compulsive nature of those carrying significant excess weight, combined with poor self esteem, could drive some towards quick-fix, unhealthy crash dieting. This is hardly a long-term solution. Will others now gain excess weight in order to become eligible for the scheme and extra cash? I just hope that the Australian Government has more sense!