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  • #31
    Originally posted by mamamax View Post
    Since I have yet to fully quit smoking -
    This might matter more than all the supplements and exercising in the world.
    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

    No island of sanity.

    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
    Answer: Medicine


    "We are all African."

    Comment


    • #32
      I am ready along with the rest of you.
      I have been maintaining my weights regimen of four days a week around an hour per.
      I am attempting to add some running. I have run 5K twice since Canadian Thanksgiving. It still stresses me a bit to think about. I would rather do 900 lbs on the leg press than run 5K.
      I am glad to see nutrition is on everybody's mind. My contest prep experience tells me that nutrition is about 70% of the process. I eat about six meals a day, with a focus on the ratio of macronutrients; protien, carbohydrates and good fats. Good sources of carbs are whole grain. Brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc. Also yams over white potatoes.
      Oatmeal is an excellent way to start everyday (and good for your cholesterol), along with 40 or so grams of protien, usually from 1 cup egg whites (and a whole egg or two).
      I suppliment a fair bit. Whey protien for rapid absorption pre- and post-workout. This supplies the body with protien so that is doesn't go after muscle for energy.
      Important additions, depending on the intensity of your workouts; branch chain amino acids (BCAA's) for endurance and recovery, L-glutamine for a whole host of reasons including recovery and immunity boosting, creatine for strength and power, Omega 3-6-9 for healthy fats, multi-vitamins, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for mass maintenance and fat management.
      So far, the running has not had an adverse affect on my back. Beats the heck of my lungs, but legs and back are fine!
      Looking forward to sweating through the next 30 days with everyone.

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by Pooka1 View Post
        This might matter more than all the supplements and exercising in the world.
        It is no doubt a contributor - however, far too many people who have never smoked, could benefit from a program of better nutrition, and at least a good one a day supplement since mass production (processed food) and genetic engineering (a big experiment with unknown consequences) has pretty much made the food of today, less nutritious than the food of our grandparents.

        Are you joining the group Pooka1?

        Comment


        • #34
          Originally posted by mamamax View Post
          It is no doubt a contributor - however, far too many people who have never smoked, could benefit from a program of better nutrition, and at least a good one a day supplement since mass production (processed food) and genetic engineering (a big experiment with unknown consequences) has pretty much made the food of today, less nutritious than the food of our grandparents.
          Quitting smoking is hard no doubt. But until you quit, you can't really engage the possibility of having surgery. Have you thought in those terms? Is that part of your quest to find an elusive non-surgical option?

          Are you joining the group Pooka1?
          No but I think it's a good idea. I am not overweight since losing ~15 pounds in 2006. I have lost about 10 pounds recently on top of that. I have done this entirely for the sake of my horse (though I let my husband think I did it for him ). Although he could easily carry me at my original weight (he is large and strong), every pound counts (horse weight, rider weight, tack weight) in terms of horse joint health. And I ride very often which is good exercise for both of us.

          I hope the players are successful in this endeavor not just in getting through the next month but in changing their lifestyle. In my experience, that is the only long-term solution. Diets don't work. And get a great horse if that's what it takes to eat better.
          Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

          No island of sanity.

          Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
          Answer: Medicine


          "We are all African."

          Comment


          • #35
            Originally posted by Pooka1 View Post
            Quitting smoking is hard no doubt. But until you quit, you can't really engage the possibility of having surgery. Have you thought in those terms? Is that part of your quest to find an elusive non-surgical option?
            I don't really understand your question. Not everyone who has scoliosis requires, or will require surgery. That's were I am at the moment according to my surgical doctors - it is not where I was a little over a year ago. There is no telling where I will be in the future. That being the case, it is important to me to do what I can to maintain the current status. If I were engaging the possibility of surgery in the near future - I would set the date one year after quitting smoking and get myself in the best shape for it. Till then, I'm concerned with just getting myself in the best shape possible for life (with scoliosis). That should cover any unexpected future circumstance. And yes, for the time being, when I do smoke it is organic :-)

            Comment


            • #36
              Hi All!

              I actually started on the challenge 3 weeks ago, with private yoga lessions, to focus on core strength, and strengthening muscles on the weak side of my back. I do aerobic exercise minimum 3x week, and stretching daily. I need to incorporate light weights, which I plan to start tomorrow
              A few thoughts on supplements: The body can only absorb 500mg of calcium at a time, so divide your doses. Also, I agree that Vit D3 is vital, but is can become toxic. It is usually recommended to not exceed 800mcg daily. It is a good idea to get a serum Vit D level to see if you are deficient. Also, Magnesium can also help with chronic headaches ( I take 500mg daily). I recently saw a doctor (ex OB/GYN), who lectures around the country on bioidentical hormones. She just finished taking part in a five yr. study on the use of natural progesterone cream, and its affect on bone density. The study group consisted of post menopausal women, and concluded that they all increased bone mass with use of the cream. A nice alternative to the bisphosphonates, if it is true. I am willing to give it a try.
              A word about sugar; yes it is bad for you, but artificial sweeteners are worse. A doctor and dietician where I work recently gave a lecture on this topic. The end product of these sweeteners, when broken down by the body, is similar to formaldehyde. The dietician recommends using organic sugar. It contains 15 calories per tsp. The key is limiting your intake, obviously. You have all probably read articles about artificial sweeteners contributing to abdominal fat. I asked the Dr. the reason for this, and she said the products are so acidic it causes the fat cells in the abdomen to "plump" in attempt to protect the internal organs. I asked the dietician how she deals with diabetic pts., and she said she still recommends organic sugar, and calculates it in to their carb count for the day. Just some food for thought.
              Foofer- I know exactly how you feel. I saw Dr. B also this past week, and he recommended surgery also. I am tentatively on his OR schedule for June 7th! I am still in denial He said to "do my sit ups" and keep my BMI under 25 in prep. for surgery. If you are thinking of surgery, in that time frame, maybe we can be roomies!!
              Good Luck to everyone this next month, we can do it!
              Lori in PA, 52 yrs. old
              T54/L72
              Surgery 6/7/11, T3-S1, all posterior, with pelvic anchors
              Gained 2 inches!
              Dr. Boachie, HSS, NYC
              12/10/13 Hardware Removal for infection
              Lost 2", gained PJK!

              Comment


              • #37
                Originally posted by Lorz View Post
                You have all probably read articles about artificial sweeteners contributing to abdominal fat. I asked the Dr. the reason for this, and she said the products are so acidic it causes the fat cells in the abdomen to "plump" in attempt to protect the internal organs.
                This is wrong. The acidity of diet sodas is about the same as regular soda because it comes from citric and phosphoric acid in both types of soda, NOT artificial sweeteners in the diet version...

                http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/diet_soda.htm

                Taking a specific example, Dr. Pepper has a pH of 2.92 and diet Dr. Pepper has a pH of 3.41 for example. Since pH is on a log scale, the regular soda has about a three-fold HIGHER acidity compared to the diet soda.

                So that claim is pretty clearly wrong. It's disconcerting that a licensed MD stated it if that is truly the case. It literally took me a minute or two to disprove it.

                Here's a discussion of this issue on the science-based medicine blog indicating that people gain fat while drinking diet drinks because they overcompensate. Further, I can't find any legitimate site claiming they have good evidence artificial sweeteners increase belly fat. If you find one I'd like to see it.

                http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=6822#more-6822

                The question of aspartame and weight control is a complex one, and can be approached from many research angles. Here is a recent review of research. At present the question is very much unsettled. It seems that there is no significant metabolic and no demonstrated neuronal effect from artificial sweeteners. However, people who knowingly consume diet drinks do tend to overcompensate by consuming greater calories overall. While studies of substituting aspartame for sugar in a blinded fashion show that calories are reduced, contributing to weight loss.

                By my reading, the current summary of available research is that consuming calories in drinks contributes to weight gain and obesity, substituting calorie-free drinks (whether water or diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners) does help reduce caloric intake and aid in weight control, but there is a tendency to overcompensate by increasing other caloric intake. Therefore it seems reasonable to use artificial sweeteners to reduce caloric intake from drinks, but to be careful to control overall caloric intake (so no, putting aspartame in your coffee does not mean you can eat the cheesecake).
                Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                No island of sanity.

                Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                Answer: Medicine


                "We are all African."

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by Lorz View Post
                  The end product of these sweeteners, when broken down by the body, is similar to formaldehyde.
                  This is wrong in a specific and overall misleading.

                  Aspartame, as opposed to the universe of artificial sweeteners, produces methanol (methyl alcohol) and formic acid (formate). But see below...

                  http://discovermagazine.com/2005/aug...ial-sweeteners

                  When the sweetener aspartame is digested, its methyl ester bond is broken down into methanol, which further degrades into formaldehyde. Both methanol and formaldehyde are toxic in high doses, but a person would have to drink 600 cans of diet soda to get as much of either substance as is contained in a single orange.
                  And from wiki...

                  Aspartame has been the subject of several controversies and hoaxes since its initial approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974. Critics allege that conflicts of interest marred the FDA's approval of aspartame, question the quality of the initial research supporting its safety,[40][41][42] and postulate that numerous health risks may be associated with aspartame.

                  The validity of these claims has been examined and dismissed.[40][3][43] In 1987, the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded that the food additive approval process had been followed properly for aspartame.[40][44] Aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than ninety countries worldwide,[45][46] with FDA officials describing aspartame as "one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved" and its safety as "clear cut".[47] The weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.[3]
                  I think some of the other clams you made are probably also false. It is very hard to get straight dope even from physicians it seems. The world of nutrition is rife with pseudoscientific claims unfortunately.
                  Last edited by Pooka1; 10-31-2010, 06:09 PM. Reason: correct chemical
                  Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                  No island of sanity.

                  Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                  Answer: Medicine


                  "We are all African."

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    an article that might be false

                    (emphasis added)

                    Effect of repeated ingestion of aspartame-sweetened beverage on plasma amino acid, blood methanol, and blood formate concentrations in normal adults

                    Lewis D. SteginkCorresponding Author Contact Information, a, b, c, L.J. Filer Jra, b, c, Edward F. Bella, b, c, Ekhard E. Zieglera, b, c and Thomas R. Tephlya, b, c

                    aDepartment of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA USA.

                    bDepartment of Biochemistry, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA USA.

                    cDepartment of Pharmacology, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA USA.

                    Available online 2 April 2004.

                    Abstract

                    Aspartame (APM) is a widely used dipeptide sweetener (l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine methyl ester). It has been suggested that excessive use of APM might elevate plasma aspartate, phenylalanine, and/or methanol concentrations to levels that are potentially harmful. Six normal young adults ingested eight successive servings of unsweetened and APM-sweetened beverage at one-hour intervals in a balanced crossover design. In one part, the beverage was not sweetened. In the other, each serving of beverage provided 600 mg APM, a dose equivalent to the amount provided by 36 oz of APM-sweetened diet beverage. Plasma aspartate concentration was not significantly increased after ingestion of unsweetened or APM-sweetened beverage. Similarly, ingestion of the unsweetened beverage had no significant effect on plasma phenylalanine concentration. However, ingestion of APM-sweetened beverage significantly increased plasma phenylalanine levels 1.41 to 2.35 μmol/dL above baseline 30 minutes after ingestion. Plasma phenylalanine values reached a steady state after administration of four to five servings and did not exceed normal postprandial values at any time. Blood methanol and formate concentrations remained within normal limits. The data indicate ready metabolism of APM when administered at levels that may be ingested by normal individuals who are heavy users of diet beverages.
                    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                    No island of sanity.

                    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                    Answer: Medicine


                    "We are all African."

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Pooka1 - you know, it really isn't wrong or false to share the fact that artificial sweeteners may not be good for the human body ... they are chemicals invented in a laboratory somewhere and imo not fit for human consumption. Are they fatal? No (except in rare circumstance). Are they health enhancing as a food product? No.

                      It would be really nice if you could restrain yourself from hyjacking this thread and using it as a platform to exercise your debate skills. We are all adults here fully capable of making our own adult decisions and Googling any information we find questionable.

                      Maybe you could start another thread where you can list all your many thoughts on what we are doing - and let this thread evolve among a group of folks trying to help each other develop better lifestyles. In your own thread you could link to us and tell everyone your opinions on the subject.

                      Lorz - thanks for the posting and congrats on your current program. I'm adding some web links from the Mayo Clinic and National Institute of Health for further reading, in case anyone else is interested. Is your progestrone therapy yam or NGM soy? I actually did this years ago with great success - using the guidelines of Dr. Lee.

                      Vitamin D - Mayo Clinic
                      http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vit...tient-vitamind

                      Vitamin D Fact Sheet - NIH
                      http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind/

                      Calcium Fact Sheet - NIH
                      http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium/

                      Magnesium Fact Sheet - NIH
                      http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium/

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Originally posted by mamamax View Post
                        - you know, it really isn't wrong or false to share the fact that artificial sweeteners may not be good for the human body
                        No but the claims have to be factual and not false. Artificial sweeteners might not be good for the human body but folks can't just "know" that. They have to show that. And they shouldn't rely on folkscience to do it obviously.

                        Otherwise we might as well all be singing (no aspersions on Singer).
                        Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                        No island of sanity.

                        Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                        Answer: Medicine


                        "We are all African."

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          By the way, science isn't only relevant to the folks who happen to be interested in it.

                          Science is the rule book for everyone. An example is the following...

                          Gravity... not just a good idea. It's the law.
                          Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                          No island of sanity.

                          Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                          Answer: Medicine


                          "We are all African."

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Pooka1 -

                            Well, we're not here to debate. We are here to share a 30 day experience. You could allow us to do that. And I was serious about starting your own thread to debate those things you do not agree with. Otherwise I fear you make our project most difficult.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by mamamax View Post
                              Otherwise I fear you make our project most difficult.
                              Pointing out false claims makes you project more difficult?

                              Generally speaking, people want their claims to map to reality. People don't want to be wrong. Pointing out that someone has some wrong information is not criticizing that person.

                              I want to be correct. I am grateful to anyone who edifies me on any of my fact claims. YMMV.
                              Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                              No island of sanity.

                              Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                              Answer: Medicine


                              "We are all African."

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Originally posted by Pooka1 View Post
                                Pointing out false claims makes you project more difficult?

                                Generally speaking, people want their claims to map to reality. People don't want to be wrong. Pointing out that someone has some wrong information is not criticizing that person.

                                I want to be correct. I am grateful to anyone who edifies me on any of my fact claims. YMMV.
                                I'm simply suggesting that you do your thing in another thread by referencing this one - leaving this one to be shared by folks who signed up for a 30 day exercise/life style challenge - and not a 30 day debate.

                                Comment

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