Over the years I have struggled with my weight

Over the years I have struggled with my weight. As a child I never had a problem with my weight and even into my teen years. My mom’s side of the family was a bit on the large size. I thought I had this weight thing beat. Even after I had my daughter I lost all of my baby weight. I felt like I was doing well. About seven years ago my weight started to change.

It started to increase, but I still had that mindset that I had this under control. I was wrong. In 2011 I became obsessed with working out. I was doing combat fitness at least two times a day with private training lessons on my lunch breaks. I had lost 35 pounds in less than four months.

My doctor told me that was too much and to slow down. My weight continues to fluctuate and there are days that it does get me down. I know there is no magic pill or magic remedy that will make me lose. It comes down to eating right and exercising.

But why is this so difficult to do? Doesn’t everyone want to be healthy? In the discussion of Human Natures Perspectives, Ethics in Human Communication (2008), the philosopher Kai Nielson states “We often ‘yearn’ for what not is good. (p.35)” Is this why it is so difficult to lose weight? I know what I need to do to lose weight and feel better, but why is it so hard?

Coming from someone who has never had a major weight problem, I can say I would have never looked twice at your weight numbers on paper. I would not have been the slightest interested. Although, I agree that was an invasion of your privacy.

I am now 64 and have to eat half what I used to to be able to button my jeans. I do weigh every day. That is the only way I can tell over time if I am off course. Far better to track a few pounds each way than wake up 6 months from now 5 - 10 pounds over what I should be. I weigh around 110 so that is a lot for me. Weighing everyday is good because you become desensitized to numbers. For me, it's only a general guide.


I understand the need to want to abandon the obsession with the scale but as a nutrition and health professional, regular weigh-ins are useful in the prevention of a large weight gain. 

Isn't it better to know when you are up a few pounds and try to get that regulated vs 10 lbs or more? Yes, weight is just one tool that is used to evaluate body composition. Using BMI, percent body fat, waist circumference in combination are important tools used to assess and predict risk of chronic disease. It's not just about what you look like in the mirror.

Someone who is logging and journaling food and beverages on a regular basis is most likely weighing themselves on a regular basis, as well.

True, the research says that in addition to regular weighing, keeping a regular food journal will increase your success at reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. There are ways to do both without making ourselves crazy, nothing is easy but it is possible!

Our society's obsession with being ultra thin and having model looks is another discussion altogether.

i recently lost 35 pounds due to a change in a medication i was taking. i'd been taking the medication for 17 years and was 40 pounds overweight throughout. i tried and tried, but i simply could not lose more than 3 or 4 pounds while on the medication.

When i switched doctors, and my new doctor told me that i shouldn't be on this medication, saying that it wasn't good for long-term use, presto, the weight dropped as if by magic. now i am a healthy weight for my height. i cringe at the thought of all of the people who may have been thinking that i was "in denial" or "sad" or a "pig" or worse.

If You Want to Get Fit, Push Yourself!

Here's what people from nytimes are saying about getting fitter and getting healthier. 

My rule of thumb every time I complete a workout of any type--shirt needs to be covered in sweat, I need to stink and require shower immediately--if not, it wasn't a hard enough workout. This is what I call exercise. Most people I know, are just active. 

They go to the gym, fumble around a bit, swing their legs on the elliptical and call it good. Which is fine, but so much of it seems to be smart phone use, from what I presume is finding the right song or texting. Leave the WiFi devices home.

However any activity is better than none so can't be too judgmental.

I just recently read the "Sports Gene" by David Epstine, which explores how gene mapping has allowed scientists to focus on specific sections of human DNA related to certain athletic attributes. Mainly the book is a nature vs. nurture type of dialogue with evidence suggesting a constant interplay between the two, of course. 

However, for geneticists, this type of work is exciting. As for the general public, I wouldn't allow it to influence how we approach exercise too much; we all know that a semi rigorous workout for 20 minutes a day 3x a week is beneficial. If you can push yourself more, great! 

You're probably the one with the six pack, if not, well still, you may even be the 60 year capable of running 3 miles a day 7 days a week.

I keep looking for a an excuse to not work out harder. 

Some magic new study or six minute workout regimen that will allow me to not really workout yet gain all the benefits. Deep down I know that I really have to push myself very hard everyday to make fitness gains. That's just the way it is.

I used to run hard six days a week when I was younger, meaning ages 25-45. Was in terrific shape. Then slowly, insidiously, my knees started to hurt. I finally went to a sports medicine doctor who smiled knowingly and said he sees people like me all day--middle age fitness freaks with patellofemoral stress syndrome. 

 Also known as an overuse injury. End of running career. I have been swimming for exercise ever since. Keeps me in shape, but what a bore, lap after lap. 

Not the same as running over hill and dale, feeling the wind in your face and the sun on your back. I always wonder what might have been if I had run a little less, and a little slower. Maybe I would still be doing it.

Mark, I switched to bicycling 20 years ago and haven't looked back. Can still feel the wind in your face, new vistas around every bend--and lots less knee/back impact. Plus I use the bike instead of a car for all my around town outings, so there are added eco-benefits. 

Getting a decent road bike is a key--makes it much more enjoyable. I have a Specialized Allez--low-end, but good enough for my purposes.

I believe it is good to try to push yourself, but best way for me is exercise in service of some distracting task, like heavy-duty yard work.

Carrying bags of topsoil, pulling weeds, raking, but esp. chopping down invasive, non-native shrubs that destroy forest biodiversity......I tend to push myself past exhaustion and actually enjoy it. At a gym I'd be counting reps, waiting for an hour to be over and hating every minute of it. Outdoors I lose track of time, a whole afternoon might fly by and I have to force myself to quit.

Maybe the difference is the sense of accomplishment, or even higher calling, that makes service to a task not only endurable, but highly rewarding.

A lot of very useful and intelligent comments for this article - just a few of the ranters which is such a relief. My take away is that you have to vary your routine what ever it is and add some extra minutes or reps or position or laps or blocks or whatever it is that you do to stay fit from time to time if you want to experience the best fitness. 

You also have to take into account your age and health. An intense workout for a 60 year old is not the same as for an 18 year old. 

Those who try to draw some conclusion that this or that exercise type is better ("aerobics are the best, weight training for dumb bells") completely miss the point.  

There are many ways to exercise and they are all good for some people at some age some of the time and not good for others. I wrestle at 60 and do weight training. Do I say that is right for everyone? 

No, what's right has to be figured out by each person trying out different types of exercise. The important thing is to do something, to push yourself sometimes and vary your routine. Pretty basic really but worth repeating with some new scientific evidence.

We already knew that intense exercise is good for you, in humans. The goal of the study was to understand how it does so. Good comment about beta blockers. 

I don't think it has been well studied if they interfere with performance gains, but beta agonists, like clenbuterol, certainly are performance enhancing, thoug we didn't know why.

Body fat is an indication of our overall health

These are just some of the posts I've found on nytimes that are very interesting.

Over the years I have struggled with my weight. As a child I never had a problem with my weight and even into my teen years. My mom’s side of the family was a bit on the large size. I thought I had this weight thing beat. Even after I had my daughter I lost all of my baby weight. I felt like I was doing well. About seven years ago my weight started to change. It started to increase, but I still had that mindset that I had this under control. I was wrong. In 2011 I became obsessed with working out. I was doing combat fitness at least two times a day with private training lessons on my lunch breaks. I had lost 35 pounds in less than four months. I have used body fat calculator and it worked.

My doctor told me that was too much and to slow down. My weight continues to fluctuate and there are days that it does get me down. I know there is no magic pill or magic remedy that will make me lose. It comes down to eating right and exercising. But why is this so difficult to do?

Doesn’t everyone want to be healthy? In the discussion of Human Natures Perspectives, Ethics in Human Communication (2008), the philosopher Kai Nielson states “We often ‘yearn’ for what not is good. (p.35)” Is this why it is so difficult to lose weight? I know what I need to do to lose weight and feel better, but why is it so hard?

Coming from someone who has never had a major weight problem, I can say I would have never looked twice at your weight numbers on paper. I would not have been the slightest interested. Although, I agree that was an invasion of your privacy. I am now 64 and have to eat half what I used to to be able to button my jeans. I do weigh every day. That is the only way I can tell over time if I am off course. Far better to track a few pounds each way than wake up 6 months from now 5 - 10 pounds over what I should be. I weigh around 110 so that is a lot for me. Weighing everyday is good because you become desensitized to numbers. For me, it's only a general guide.

I understand the need to want to abandon the obsession with the scale but as a nutrition and health professional, regular weigh-ins are useful in the prevention of a large weight gain. Isn't it better to know when you are up a few pounds and try to get that regulated vs 10 lbs or more? Yes, weight is just one tool that is used to evaluate body composition. Using BMI, percent body fat, waist circumference in combination are important tools used to assess and predict risk of chronic disease. It's not just about what you look like in the mirror.

Someone who is logging and journaling food and beverages on a regular basis is most likely weighing themselves on a regular basis, as well. True, the research says that in addition to regular weighing, keeping a regular food journal will increase your success at reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. There are ways to do both without making ourselves crazy, nothing is easy but it is possible!

Our society's obsession with being ultra thin and having model looks is another discussion altogether.

I recently lost 35 pounds due to a change in a medication i was taking. i'd been taking the medication for 17 years and was 40 pounds overweight throughout. i tried and tried, but i simply could not lose more than 3 or 4 pounds while on the medication. when i switched doctors, and my new doctor told me that i shouldn't be on this medication, saying that it wasn't good for long-term use, presto, the weight dropped as if by magic. now i am a healthy weight for my height. i cringe at the thought of all of the people who may have been thinking that i was "in denial" or "sad" or a "pig" or worse.

Is BMR rate a reliable number?

BMR is a static formula

BMR is calculated using a static formula which takes into account one's height, weight, age and activity level. It does not consider other factors such as bone density and the amount of body fat versus the amount of muscle mass.

BMR for an athlete person with less than 10 percent body fat can be very different than for a person with 30 percent of body fat, although both might be of same height and have the same weight.
But on average, BMR is a fairly reliable number, as not everyone is an athlete, nor an obese person.

So if you are curious what is your BRM rate (by the way, BMR stands for basal metabolic rate) you should visit this link and calculate your rate with a BMR calculator.

Eat at BMR rate to lose weight

Not quite true though. While eating less than your body burns is the way to lose weight, eating at BMR rate still isn't the most effective approach. It is recommended to eat 10 to 20% less than your calories consumption is. But this comsumption is not BMR alone. You need to add calories burned during your daily activities. For example - walking, standing up, sitting down, walking the stairs and so on. If you are active and do some kind of sports you need to throw those burned calories into the equation as well.

Rather eat 20% less than your daily calorie expenditure is, not the BMR rate

So, to make thins simpler. If your BMR is 2000 calories daily and you burnt additional 1000 that day that makes it 3000 total. Eating at BMR rate - meaning eating 2000 calories only - will give you a 33% deficit, which can, in turn, be bad for your organism, as such calorie intake is close to starving, and this is never good. Eat 2400 to 2700 calories per day if your daily calorie consumption is 3000 total calories. That's not so close to BMR, is it?

Always eat smart, not just less!

How many calories per day is enough, how many is too much?

Calories, calories, calories

Every person that has ever started weight loss knows that in order to lose weight successfully one must create a caloric deficit. This caloric deficit depends on every individual alone. There are factors such as height, weight, age and gender to take into account when calculating how many calories should I eat in order to lose weight.

Age, height, weight and gender

Women:
Women are physically weaker than men and therefore need less calories per day than man do. So, for a diet to be effective, women should eat less calories per day than they can burn. How much? About 20% less than daily maintenance is. How do you calculate daily maintenance value? It's simple - simply add to BMR you daily calories consumed for activities such as running / jogging / yoga or whatever it is that you do during the day. This is your daily calorie consumption. Take 20 percent off this value and there is your value. For example if you daily burn 2000 calories than you should eat 1600 calories per day to lose weight effectively.

Men:
It is very similar for men, too. Simply get your daily calorie consumption and get 20% off that value. Why 20 percent? 20 percent calorie deficit is recommended by professionals. If you go lower than that (30% or more) you might run into some problems, one of them being slowed down metabolism. Slowed down metabolism means a slower fat burning rate and this really isn't something you would hope for. So if you are still wondering how many calories should you consume per day your simple answer would be 20 percent less than you need per day.

How to create a caloric deficit without being hungry?

You can create caloric deficit in two ways. Either by eating less calories (less caloric foods) or by being physically active. But caloric deficit means you will be hungry as you eat below the maintenance rate (maintenance rate is the caloric intake at which you neither lose nor gain weight).

The solution is to eat fiber rich foods as such food will make you feel satisfied and not hungry for longer period of time.

Is it possible to hypnotize yourself?

Why would you hypnotize yourself?

Can you hypnotize yourself? Yes, it is possible. Totally possible. But why would anyone do this? Well, hypnosis is known to cure many problems, like depression, eating disorders, even insomnia. With hypnosis you connect to your inner self and become more aware and focused.

For many people, hypnosis is something unnatural. This is mostly due to the presentation of hypnosis in movies. Hypnosis is nothing unnatural at all. In fact, there is a great chance you have been hypnotized before, but you are not even aware of this. You don't agree? Here is a simple example. Remember when you watched that thriller and you didn't hear your brother or sister walk in the room because you were so focused watching the movie? Well guess what, you have been hypnotized. See? Hypnosis is nothing extra ordinary, just a state of mind / focus.

You were hypnotized before - but how can you hypnotize yourself consciously?

It's easy to hypnotize yourself, just follow the steps, describe on the hyperlink. Basically, all you need to do is to find a quite place / room where you will not be disturbed. The other thing you need is determination and faith in yourself. You cannot hypnotize yourself if you are skeptical. It's not possible because your mind must cooperate, otherwise there will be no results.

After you have found yourself a nice and cozy place find an object in the room and stare at it. It can be anything, from a dot on the wall or a small flower pot. Do not lose focus of it. Stare at it and repeat words like "I am going to fall asleep soon". Repeat that until you feel really comfortable. Once you reach this level you are in light trance. From here you have two choices. Either you wake up from hypnosis or you deepen your hypnosis. For a deeper hypnosis you will need to learn how to hypnotize yourself and induce a more intense hypnosis. If you decide to wake up this really isn't difficult. Simple decide to wake up and you will be fully awaken again. Remember, when under hypnosis you are in no way out of control. You mind still controls everything so there really is no reason why you would not wake up from a self-hypnosis.

BP Chart

Measuring BP

After measuring blood pressure you need to assess your numbers. Results may vary so it's best to perform 3 measurement in a row, with a 5 minute pause in between. A value of BP is expressed as 120/80 mmHg, where first number is systolic value and the second is diastolic value.

Assessing the values

After you measured your BP three times it is time to assess your score. For that you will need an accurate BP chart against which you can compare you BP score. If your values are lower than 120/80 this is considered optimal blood pressure. If your values are higher than 120/80 this may indicate pre-hypertension. You should consult your doctor for more information.

Drunk cats

I've found this video of cats that have a medical condition but looks like they are drunk. They walk funny and bounce from side to side. Here's a link to video of drunk cats. It's sad that these cats are ill, but there's nothing we can actually do about it. Go drunk cats! !:)

What to do if you cannot sleep at night?

If you are unable to sleep

There's plenty things you can do. First off think if you are under stress lately? Is you boss giving you a hard time? Do you have problems in your relationship? If there is no stress in your life than you should start analyzing your every day life routine. Do you do sports? Are you overweight? Do you have an illness? Do you take any drugs at the moment which may cause sleep problems as a side effect? You must eliminate your worries in order to sleep better. If you still cannot sleep than you should introduce a prior-to-sleep relaxation ritual. This can include taking a hot bath, reading a book, listening to a favorite CD at low volume and setting the bedroom temperature slightly lower than normal. Because room's temperature is lower your bed feel even warmer and your sleep will be more cozy. If above sleep tips does not help than perhaps you need to talk to some sleep therapist which will try to help you get better sleep. Adequate sleep is very important because when you sleep your body regenerates and your mind rests (except for dreaming). Sleep problems may lead to development of sleep disorder (such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome). If that is the case you should see your doctor and tell him / her about your newly developed condition.

How to lower cholesterol levels if your lifestyle changes don't work?

If you live a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet, weight reduction, regular physical activity, smoking cessation and limit alcohol consumption) and your levels of blood cholesterol are still not optimal than your doctor will prescribe you the appropriate medication. The most effective drugs are statins, which are the first choice for the treatment of elevated levels of cholesterol and fats in the blood.

By regularly taking statins, you can reduce nearly 60% of the cholesterol in the blood, especially of highly harmful LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol levels on the other hand at the same time increase by 5 to 15%.

Statins are safe and tested product as millions of patients are taking statins for more than 20 years. It was also made ​​them very much extensive research, which confirmed their safety and effectiveness in patients who were treated continuously for 10 years or more.

Independent of the reduction in blood cholesterol statins improve the flexibility of blood vessels, inhibit activation and tear of atherosclerotic plaque, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and regulate blood clotting. All of this brings many positive results. Studies have shown that statins reduce the overall mortality and morbidity due to cardiovascular complications (myocardial infarction, stroke ...).

So if you have increased cholesterol levels and you can't do anything about it by yourself than it might be a good idea to talk to your personal doctor. He will suggest you action to lower you cholesterol levels.

Sleep insomnia problems

Insomnia

Did you know that one third of your life sleep? Have you imagined taking over the quality of your sleep? Are you also among those long hours silently watching the ceiling, counting sheep, your head is full of troubled thoughts and worries? Sleep is becoming shorter and shorter over the years and feather, which is a natural process that reflects changes in the central nervous system and other organ systems. Insomnia can happen if you are not sleeping well. Insomnia is one of the most frequent sleep problems. Given the rapid pace of life we often forget the healthy life and a healthy sleep. For a better night's sleep can do a lot just by changing your bad habits. They would wake you happy, rested and full of life energy.Did you know that one third of your life sleep? Have you imagined taking over the quality of your sleep? Are you also among those long hours silently watching the ceiling, counting sheep, your head is full of troubled thoughts and worries?Sleep is becoming shorter and shorter over the years and feather, which is a natural process that reflects changes in the central nervous system and other organ systems. Given the rapid pace of life we often forget the healthy life and a healthy sleep. For a better night's sleep can do a lot just by changing your bad habits. They would wake you happy, rested and full of life energy.healthy sleepSleep is not resting the brain, but an active process. Insomnia is a sleep problem.It consists of two periods alternate, reflecting varying degrees of brain nerve cells. These are non- REM sleep ( non- rapid eye movement sleep with slow - moving eye eyeballs ), also called quiet or deep sleep, and REM sleep ( rapid eye movement sleep to rapid - eye movement of the eyeballs ).REM sleep is also called active sleep. The average 7 - to 8 -hour night sleep, the periods of five exchange. Insomnia can happen to anyone. Period of non- REM sleep in the morning are all shorter intervals of REM sleep are all longer. Deep sleep occurs about half an hour after the body calms down and fall asleep. This period lasts about 40 minutes. Track REM sleep, during which the dream and a face moving at a speed of 1 to 5 Hz. The activity of the brain is in the REM sleep same activity in arousal, but physically muscle at this stage loss of tension, that the intense dreams not to be damaged. In addition to vital organs such as the lungs and heart, the only muscles that are paralyzed during sleep, your eye muscles. REM sleep is essential for learning and well-being.

London bus map

If you want to get some details on London bus network please take a look at my new blog post here: London bus map.
I hope you found it useful.

Erasmus

Hello all. I've recently came across this useful sites about erasmus exchange:

Erasmus forum and Erasmus information blog. I've found some good information there so I suggest it to you!

Shop asisstant :)

Today I went shopping... while I was looking for my trousers somebody thought I was a shop-asisstant and began to ask me about trousers he was holding in his hand.. :) I waited so he finished asking and then I told him that I'm just a customer. He was so embarassed, but I found that very amuzing :))

A very nice picture..

I found this nice picture "lying" on the internet... I quite like it :)

A little note and a little "sorry"...

As I am not from USA or UK, my English is not as good as it could be.. but i will do my best. So I must say sorry for all mistakes in my texts in advance ;) But I'm sure you will all understand what I'm tyring to say...

The Begining...

Everything has its begining... so i start my bloging here, today, on hot hot July's night. I actually have nothing better to do. But i will try and make my blog interesting. You are all welcome to post replies ;)

Matej