Red meat, too? Really?

No more steak??? Bummer. Not that we eat that much red meat but I can appreciate a really good steak and sometimes a juicy burger. But really? Living under a rock doesn't work either because of radon as someone commented here recently.

So how much do all these cancer risk factors really matter after all. We have the things we can't affect for any ailment. In the case of beast cancer, we have things we can't change like genetics, family history, child birth, aging, dense breasts, etc. Then there are the things we supposedly can change such as obesity, alcohol use, tobacco (a whole other kettle of fish, so to say in the cancer world), exercise, steak (now), breathing, BPA, blah, blah, blah... but if we have all the primary risk factors we can't change, how much can our diets and lifestyles really make a difference?

Yes we cab be healthier and make better choices for our bodies, but if the main factors can't be changed how much does it matter if we do? And the statistics can be hard to decipher.

Red meat consumption can raise a risk factor I think 13% for each serving per week. That doesn't mean that if your risk is 10% over your lifetime of getting breast cancer, it doesn't mean that a steak a week puts you at 23%,  or 11.3% etc., it probably means 10.13%, if that much.

I am ready to give up on all this risk factor business now because I can't figure out where I can hide from it all either...

The Weighty Question

Here I am feeling old and fat. I am fat. I know it. I wore a dress when we went out to dinner the other night and it made me look pregnant. I am too fat. I know I have to lose weight and believe me I am trying.

Here are the problems I have with losing weight:

1. My newest medication, Lyrica, added 10 more pounds
2. My hormonal breast cancer medication was good for another 10 pounds
3. I can only exercise three days a week or am in pain and uncomfortable for a couple days
4. I like food, I like to cook, and I like to eat
5. I am an emotional eater and eat when stressed 
6. And, last but not least, I work in an office which has a candy basket that is usually full, a snack tray full of tasty and fattening foods, and people bring in goodies a couple times a week. The last two are in full view of my desk and so going back to # 5 on a bad day at work, I am doomed.

I have been working on losing weight. But it is much harder to lose these days.  Having the stomach flu where I didn't have any appetite (or go to work) for 9 days, helped me start. I am down a few pounds that seem to be staying off but want to keep them off and take off more.

I can't live on lettuce. I do like salads and healthy food like Greek yogurt, home made granola, bananas, and other healthy foods. My husband is intent on losing weight as well. Tonight's dinner will be fish with vegetables and maybe some quinoa. Tomorrow night we will probably have fish again. That will be a good start.

I know losing weight will help with fibromyalgia, back pain, RA, and reduce cancer recurrence risk so there is lots of incentive, never mind the emotional side of not wanting to go up another clothes size, again.

The weighty question is it possible for me to lose weight by changing eating habits and food choices for the two of us long term? I certainly hope so. I have blogged about this several times over the years and the scale seems to keep going in the wrong direction. Maybe its time to throw out the scale.

Dieting and such

Here's a theory: skip focusing on which diet is best and start focusing on changing eating habits.

This translates to stop focusing on what we eat and getting the balanced diet and change to focus on how we can get people to make healthier food decisions. Are we eating because we are stressed? Do we have bad habits related to the drive through where we make a quick stop on the way home and eat the food in the car?

Researchers look at all sorts of diets - Paleo, Atkins, Weight Watchers - and compare them all. The FDA issues the nutrition pyramid which is now a plate. But does anyone stop and look at the eating habits we have developed and why we have them?

We live in a world full of light this and fat free that and a widening population. Why?

I used to work with a woman who was a fairly healthy eater at work. She did not snack, she didn't go out for donuts. But she was quite large. I never really figured out why.

Then I went on a business trip with her and  she insisted we stop at the grocery store on the way to the hotel so she could get some stuff for her room. I was happy to go and get some seltzer (my secret addiction). She bought a couple boxes of crackers and cookies - for a three day business conference. I think she went out and made another grocery run later on. I think she was an evening snacker - hence her hefty weight.

So why does a normal, bright, well educated person, sit and eat for hours at night by themselves? That is the question to answer.

If you watch the greater loser shows, people talk about their bad eating habits and are taught how to eat healthy -  no soda, no drive through, healthy snacking. They also get exercise and lose weight. But they change their eating habits. Maybe they eat more salads and fewer french fries but often these shows are accompanied by tears and emotional breakthroughs as well.

I know my weight stems from three issues I have.

1. At my job, there are more snacks than any place I have ever worked and the kitchen is right next to my office.
2. I snack after dinner which I shouldn't do. (Why did I eat that granola bar after dinner last night? I didn't have dessert is my justification and I wanted something crunchy. But I didn't need it.)
3. Sometimes I eat when I am not hungry because I am bored, stressed or in pain.

So if I can get rid of those habits, I can lose weight. I have been working on them, my weight is going in the right direction. The funny thing is I am still eating desserts sometimes and normal food. I didn't switch what I eat. I switched when I eat. My goal is to modify my eating habits so I can get to and maintain a healthy weight but still enjoy eating. I will no live on lite versions of crappy prepared food.

Maybe that's what researchers need to figure out so other people can more easily lose weight.

The Battle of The Bulge in History

I never know where I am going to end up on the internet these days. Its really amazing - even without the cat here to help - he is very helpful in websurfing.

Yesterday I found the historical battle of the bulge or "A Slim History of Dieting" on Ancestry.com (see you never know where I will end up).

Its pretty funny. I can tell you that we are much safer these days in our dieting techniques. Previous diet tips have included that fat people should move to swampy areas or "daily cold baths, lots of exercise, chastity, temperance, and hard mattresses".

Personally, I would prefer watching what I eat vs. daily cold baths and living in a swampy area.

Red meat, too? Really?

No more steak??? Bummer. Not that we eat that much red meat but I can appreciate a really good steak and sometimes a juicy burger. But really? Living under a rock doesn't work either because of radon as someone commented here recently.

So how much do all these cancer risk factors really matter after all. We have the things we can't affect for any ailment. In the case of beast cancer, we have things we can't change like genetics, family history, child birth, aging, dense breasts, etc. Then there are the things we supposedly can change such as obesity, alcohol use, tobacco (a whole other kettle of fish, so to say in the cancer world), exercise, steak (now), breathing, BPA, blah, blah, blah... but if we have all the primary risk factors we can't change, how much can our diets and lifestyles really make a difference?

Yes we cab be healthier and make better choices for our bodies, but if the main factors can't be changed how much does it matter if we do? And the statistics can be hard to decipher.

Red meat consumption can raise a risk factor I think 13% for each serving per week. That doesn't mean that if your risk is 10% over your lifetime of getting breast cancer, it doesn't mean that a steak a week puts you at 23%,  or 11.3% etc., it probably means 10.13%, if that much.

I am ready to give up on all this risk factor business now because I can't figure out where I can hide from it all either...

We are what we eat

We really are what we eat. Here is a (hypnotizing) gif of how American eating habits have changed since 1970.

I find this hypnotizing and fascinating. I know my eating habits have changed in the last dozen years. I probably eat more vegetables and fruit than I used to and know I eat more yogurt. In the big picture, Americans eat a lot more  yogurt and oils than they did in the past. We skip the shortening. But we still have bad eating habits. You can read more here.

This is a lame blog post today because I am back from my trip and all distracted with too many things to do and a neglected (in his mind) cat.

The Weighty Question

Here I am feeling old and fat. I am fat. I know it. I wore a dress when we went out to dinner the other night and it made me look pregnant. I am too fat. I know I have to lose weight and believe me I am trying.

Here are the problems I have with losing weight:

1. My newest medication, Lyrica, added 10 more pounds
2. My hormonal breast cancer medication was good for another 10 pounds
3. I can only exercise three days a week or am in pain and uncomfortable for a couple days
4. I like food, I like to cook, and I like to eat
5. I am an emotional eater and eat when stressed 
6. And, last but not least, I work in an office which has a candy basket that is usually full, a snack tray full of tasty and fattening foods, and people bring in goodies a couple times a week. The last two are in full view of my desk and so going back to # 5 on a bad day at work, I am doomed.

I have been working on losing weight. But it is much harder to lose these days.  Having the stomach flu where I didn't have any appetite (or go to work) for 9 days, helped me start. I am down a few pounds that seem to be staying off but want to keep them off and take off more.

I can't live on lettuce. I do like salads and healthy food like Greek yogurt, home made granola, bananas, and other healthy foods. My husband is intent on losing weight as well. Tonight's dinner will be fish with vegetables and maybe some quinoa. Tomorrow night we will probably have fish again. That will be a good start.

I know losing weight will help with fibromyalgia, back pain, RA, and reduce cancer recurrence risk so there is lots of incentive, never mind the emotional side of not wanting to go up another clothes size, again.

The weighty question is it possible for me to lose weight by changing eating habits and food choices for the two of us long term? I certainly hope so. I have blogged about this several times over the years and the scale seems to keep going in the wrong direction. Maybe its time to throw out the scale.