MICHAEL & SUSAN DELL CENTER for HEALTHY LIVING

Living Well: Fighting February's Blues

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:23:25 PST

I've lost it.

"It" meaning those 15 pounds I aimed to shed when I wrote my weekly "Losing It" blog in 2011. My new goal is to live well, and that's the name of my new mostly-monthly blog. "Living Well" means I'm striving for healthy living and a life of quality. So please send me feedback and tell me how YOU live well!

February is the cruelest month, with apologies to T.S. Eliot and April. The skies can be endlessly gray with early morning fog here in Central Texas, inviting Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's called SAD, because the lack of sunshine and light can help foster low moods and depression.

Freezing air and spitting ice can bring on cold weather onset asthma: you breathe in suddenly the cold, cold air and it triggers an asthma attack and you have trouble breathing. It's no fun, I know, because I get it.

If the generally dismal February weather isn't enough to derail your diet and outdoor exercise, along comes Feb. 14! More on that in a moment.

So here are five suggestions to help you survive February without gaining weight, clogging your arteries at Super Bowl and Valentine parties and wearing a month's long frown.

1.) Love yourself.
I'm not promoting narcissism. But if you anticipate a gift on Valentine's Day and you base your emotions and wellbeing on whether or not you receive a heart-shaped box of chocolates and/or flowers from a loved one, you hand over control of your life to someone else. Or you go out possibly and buy yourself that box of chocolates, or two.

Don't do it!

And if you do eat chocolates, eat the dark variety, which is the healthy kind, and in moderation. Like maybe one chocolate a day. Ideally, you can pamper yourself in a more healthy way by giving yourself or getting a manicure, buying yourself a new bottle of perfume or body lotion, or getting a massage. Or try the ultimate pampering: take a nice long walk.

2.) Try something new just for fun!

I got a jump on February by enrolling my dachshund Oscar Wilde in agility at The Zoom Room off Anderson Lane. We have had three lessons so far and I can't begin to tell you how much fun it is.

And Oscar, who has never done agility, is a natural. Last week he got impatient and raced over two obstacles without even being asked, hoping to please me and get a treat.

Now I said that just for fun, but I am getting some exercise benefits from racing around the arena as Oscar dashes through tunnels, leaps over small jumps and flies up the A-Frame and the Dog Walk.

At first I thought it was a bit frivolous. So what's wrong with frivolous? Not every single thing you do has to be high-minded and aimed at saving the world.

3.) Be adventurous with your diet.

Go vegetarian or vegan for the month. Or, if you are like me and can't imagine going a month without chicken and milk, try one diet for a week. Then go for the month. Or even just eat that way one week a month. I'm starting some reading on vegetarian and vegan eating styles. Will report back later.

4.) Challenge your mind with a new learning project.

It can be taking a course in art. Or even just visiting once a week or month a different museum or art gallery in Austin. I never formally studied art, so I became a charter member of the Blanton Museum some years back. Although I'm still no art expert, I do enjoy the Blanton's fun programs, educational lectures and docent-led tours.

5.) Declare a "Do Nothing" Day!
Step outside of your daily life with its to-do lists and deadlines, and stimulate your mental health by removing stimuli. Take a long nap. Play Solitaire. Count the stars in the sky. The only rule is you can't do anything of any redeeming or practical value.

An advisory: be sure to warn your family first and we don't recommend this if you have young children.
But otherwise, do try it. You will wake up the next day feeling great: recharged, revitalized and renewed. And it's a great way to ward off burn-out.

When my mind is rested and happy, I'm more caring and protective of my body. In other words, I'm more likely to turn down that ice cream drumstick that is tempting me.

Remember what you eat (or don't) and how much you exercise (or don't) in February will be evident on the scale and obvious in how your clothes fit in March.

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Read Lee's previous column "Losing It"

Losing It: The Weigh-In

Image Source: [Postpartum Progress]

Child obesity rates still high, but not rising

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:12:31 PST

I recently watched the original Terminator movie with my son (it's a guy thing). The first time I saw it was in basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, in the summer of 1985*. We weren't allowed to read novels or watch TV during basic training, so the Terminator was the only "culture" I saw that summer. It's burned into my memory.

If you've seen the movie (what's wrong with the rest of you?!), you'll remember the plot line that the fate of humankind is not sealed--we are not doomed to extinction nor guaranteed prosperity. In the early 1990's experts warned that, left unchecked, childhood obesity rates could hit 30% by 2030 (a Schwarzenegger-led robot apocalypse notwithstanding). So does the latest childhood obesity data, showing a flat line of ~17% from 1999-2010, mean that our prevention efforts are failing, or that we're succeeding at altering our destiny?

The updated data from the CDC show child obesity rates holding steady just shy of 17%, with boys sitting a little heavier than gals (18.6% vs. 15.0%). Overall rates have been nearly constant since the 1999-2000 survey, with the exception of 12-19 year old males, which are rising. These data confirm we still have an obesity crisis among American youth, but leveling-off is a good sign that our efforts are not in vain.

What is unsettling about the new data is how dramatically the obesity rates vary between groups. Overweight/obesity rates are highest among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic kids.

And while this article does not present data by socioeconomic status (SES), nor does it adjust for it, lower SES is known to relate to higher rates of obesity. We must continue to expand intervention efforts, targeting those most at risk. The NHANES data also clearly show an obesity problem starting as young as 2 years old (12.1% of whom are obese). Obesity prevention and obesity treatment are resistant to change, so we need to start young, before unhealthy diet and physical activity behaviors become habitual.

No single segment of society will solve the obesity problem alone. Parents, families, schools, communities, health care, agriculture, food producers, media, and businesses must prioritize and coordinate actions. Given recent public information and policy efforts, multilevel systems or societal changes will be necessary to avoid the harmful health implications of obesity.

Our fate is not sealed, but solving the obesity problem will require a big solution.

What should YOU do?

If you have preschool, elementary or middle school children, insist your child's school implement the CATCH program. Just send an email to your school district's School Health Advisory Council (SHAC).

If you don't have kids, volunteer to build a school garden or walking trail.

Hasta la Vista, baby!

Written by
Steven H Kelder, PhD

Steve Kelder is Co-Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, and a Professor of Epidemiology at the UT School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus.
Follow Steve on Twitter: @DrSteveKelder

*I've since learned that Ft. Leonard Wood is the first Army training base to change their physical training and food service regime to account for more obese and unfit recruits. The Army has been washing out and recycling a higher proportion of recruits because of injuries while molding their fighting machines.

Going the "extra mile" with CATCH

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:12:43 PST

The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) is an innovative school-based program designed to help students eat right, be active and learn healthy habits. Valerie Phillips at CD Fulkes Middle School went the "extra mile" with a school-wide fun run at the end of the year. How does your school support healthy living? Let us know in the comments.

How do you eat an elephant?

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:30:30 PST

Hi, I am Kelli Drenner, a 2009 graduate of the UT School of Public Health and former employ of the MSD Center. I am so glad to be back in Texas after doing a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University Institute for Community Health Promotion in Providence, Rhode Island. I really missed Texas – my family, friends, and of course, the FOOD.

Since coming back to Texas, I am greeted with a few phrases that I will talk a little about - “Welcome back… Oh my God, you look GREAT… what did you do?” Did I mention that I have lost 50 pounds? Those who haven’t seen me in 2 years tend to notice that right away.

I have always struggled with my weight. Not that I was always overweight – just never satisfied with the fact that I wasn’t one of those “thin” girls. You know the ones. I was always a little “athletic.” Or as the mother of one of my exes said, “You have a matronly figure.” Yes, she really said that – and I was a size 8 at the time. You know how it goes, you think back to a time when you weighed x pounds and wish you would have appreciated it now that you are x + 25.

In 2001, I discovered that I had rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ouch. I was an avid exerciser and thought the pain was just about getting older so I slowed down until I just couldn’t go any more. By the time I got diagnosed, I could hardly walk or write. So when the going got tough, I decided to go back to school to get my doctorate. I know, it sounds a little crazy.

The initial treatment for RA included corticosteroids to control the inflammation. They made me ravenously hungry. I gained about 30 pounds in no time flat. It seemed like overnight. Once I began grad school, what good eating habits I had were replaced with trips to fast food joints. I was too tired and too busy to cook. I gained another 20 pounds.

In 2006, I started working for the MSD Center. It was a fabulous time (except for the dissertation part). Surrounded by people who advocated good nutrition, physical activity and less time in front of screens (outside of work) was inspiring. And humbling. Here I was, advocating all of these healthy behaviors and doing many of the not-so-healthy behaviors. Something had to change. By this time, I had started some amazing treatments for RA that had stopped the damage. I could walk and write again. That also meant that I could exercise – as long as my body agreed. I couldn’t be a runner, but I found that I could do strength training and walk for exercise as long as my joints weren’t swollen. No more excuses.

Change. Is. HARD. I, like many others, had been on a diet FOREVER. It didn’t work. Over a lifetime, I had mostly gained, rarely lost, and regained again. I knew from experience that if I focused on losing weight that I would be easily discouraged. This was the time for lifestyle changes. It felt like I had to change everything, NOW.

So, how do you eat an elephant? One. Bite. At a time. I started with ONE step.

Step 1: For Lent, I gave up sodas. I never liked artificial sweeteners and am still a little suspect about their effects on the body. Now, I limit my intake of those to special occasions. They are a treat instead of a staple in my diet. I drink WATER.

Step 2: I joined the YMCA close to work. My focus was on strength and health. I had learned those who had more lean muscle burned calories faster. The strength training was also great stress management while working on the dissertation.

Step 3: Eat when hungry and eat until satisfied – not full. I know, this sounds so… simple. It does sound simple, but not necessarily easy. I had this idea that I had to eat 3 times a day. Never one to snack, I had a tendency to overeat at lunch and dinner thinking that I had to eat enough to last until the next meal. Once I came to the realization that I could stop before FULL and eat a little bit more later if I was hungry, I felt so free. In the past, I had shrugged off the idea of an apple knowing that it wouldn’t fill me up. Since the goal was now just to get fuel, I was free to eat smaller portions.

Step 4: Smaller portions. Most restaurants want you to think they are a good value so they pile way more food on a plate than we really need. That means way too many calories for a meal. Now, as a habit, I automatically divide my plate into half or thirds and ask for a doggie bag. Voila, lunch for the next day (or lunch and dinner).

Step 5: I focused on ADDING healthy fruits and vegetables to my diet – a piece of fruit at breakfast, fruit at lunch, at least 2 veggies at dinner. I grew up eating lots of fresh veggies so I tried to get out of my rut and add some veggies that were not a part of my usual weekly diet – carrots, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and asparagus. I replaced my usual lunch with a low-calorie fruit smoothie with protein powder. This added fruit and felt like a treat especially on the hot Texas spring, summer and fall days.

By the time I graduated I had lost about 9 pounds.

Step 6: When I moved to Rhode Island, I limited fast food to no more than one time per week.

Step 7: I cooked meals at home and took my lunch to work. That isn’t to say my food wasn’t tasty. Did I mention that I actually like to cook? I challenged myself to try one new recipe each week. While I confess that I still use real butter to flavor some foods, limiting the quantity is a big part of my health plan. If I like the flavor of these dishes that are prepared in a healthier way, I am more likely to keep eating them. A life of eating cardboard-flavored food does not inspire me to keep up the healthy changes.

Step 8: MOVE. When it is nice outside (often in Texas) and my joints aren’t screaming at me, I walk. In fact, just the other day, I did something very unHouston-like. I WALKED the 2 blocks to the Starbucks. Yes, there were a few stares – I live in Houston after all – but I was proud of me.

After 3 years of lifestyle changes that are very doable and eating whole foods that are tasty but mostly prepared at home, I have now lost 50 pounds.

How do you eat an elephant? ONE. BITE. AT A TIME. All of those little bites add up to a lot of change. Pick up your fork, take a step and get started!

What ONE step are you taking toward lifestyle change?

Written by

Kelli Drenner, PhD

Kelli is a consultant withBrown University working on pediatric obesity prevention. When she's not doing research, she's cooking up yummy foods, reading books and playing as much as possible.

12 Steps... And 6 Flights

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:58:38 PST

35 years ago I could run 45 minutes of stair laps. Just up and down in a stairwell. After a 2-hour basketball practice. Coach Condill believed in conditioning.

Fast forward a lifetime, and I’m out of breath climbing 6 flights of stairs this morning. The only reason I didn’t stop and rest was because there was some guy behind me. We all have our reasons… I couldn’t let him pass me. Coach would be proud.

#The500Club is about being mindful about eating and exercise. What goes in. What comes out (I mean calories burned; how old are you?).

I mean, 90% of success is just showing up, right? So I tell my mind to pay attention to what I eat and figure out new ways to boost physical activity. If I want to stay ambulatory until I’m 83, I better up my game.

So here’s what I learned over the past week.

Cutting most of the 500 calories with lunch is stupid. I got crazy hungry after work and made up most of the gain hitting the chips before dinner.

On the other hand, I sort of like the feeling of being hungry. It’s a reminder that I’m doing something for myself. And I think I’m more energetic, at least right before my glucose crash. Note to self: find the happy medium.

I decided to try a no alcohol rule. I’m not an alcoholic, but I do like a nip now and again. I resisted taking the students out for beer after my Friday afternoon class. My office is right across the street from an English pub: a pint of Guinness is 170 calories. 3 pints = 510. Bingo. (By the way, that’s a BAC of .05, over 1 hour.)

I went to a party on Saturday and drank iced tea instead of wine. A 5oz glass of wine = 125 calories, 4 glasses = 500 calories in my pocket for the day! It was interesting to watch the others at the party lose it a little. I’ll join them again when I can easily climb 6 flights of stairs.

Written by

Steve Kelder, PhD, MPH

As part of his effort to return to a healthy weight, Dr. Kelder decided to cut 500 calories/day from his normal diet; #The500Club was born. Share your tips for making #The500Club with Dr. Kelder on Twitter: @DrSteveKelder

Steve Kelder is Co-Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, and a Professor of Epidemiology at the UT School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus.

Read Dr. Kelder's first post on #The500Club

Losing It: Here's To Maintenance!

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:45:39 PST

"Losing it is easy. It is keeping it off that is hard." So says a friend of mine and an aficionado of yo-yo dieting. She loses 10 pounds for a special event, and then puts it back on as fast as she drops it.

I don't agree with her that losing weight is easy. But I do recognize the challenge of maintaining weight loss.

But before we continue, I've got to share my great news. I have lost one extra pound in the last week, meaning I've reached my goal of 15 pounds! Not in the time frame I had originally planned -- it took extra weeks -- but I've lost those 15 pounds!

How did I do it over Thanksgiving, considering I planned to eat liberally on that holiday?

I surprised myself. When you diet, your stomach shrinks. And I felt uncomfortably full with one plate of food, plus a little second helping of French fried green bean casserole, my favorite.

There was absolutely no room for sweet potato casserole, or even banana pudding and pumpkin pie.

I had no desire for even one more mouthful of food, so full was I!

So where do I go from here, considering I'm ending my weekly "Losing It" column, although it will return the beginning of February on a monthly basis?

Of course, it is to maintain what I have worked so hard to achieve since July.

For tips on how to do that, I asked the experts.

The Center's exercise and fitness guru, Harold (Bill) Kohl, III, Ph.D., advises, "Strive to meet the recommended amount of physical activity -- 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity each week.

"If you notice you are regaining more weight, you may need to do even more -- up to 300 minutes each week." Bill's recommendations come from the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Bill is a professor of epidemiology and kinesiology with the University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus (UTSPH--ARC) and the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Now, I believe, I need to focus on how I can keep my programs varied and interesting.

But John Bartholomew, Ph.D., professor and associate chairman of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, says that it isn't clear that this should be the goal.

"It may be more important to have a routine in which diet and activity are a habit, like a morning walk, salad for lunch. This reduces options, which makes it easier to control.

"For example, if you know you are going to order a salad for lunch, it becomes a simple question of which one to chose. If your goal is variety, then you consider the full menu, which may make it more difficult to chose healthy options."

Now I have emphasized again and again in Losing It, that you have to find what works for you. And while I really like the idea of a regular exercise routine that John suggests, I need lots of variety to satisfy my taste buds. Sometimes, when I eat foods that are boring, shortly thereafter I raid the refrigerator for something more satisfying.

But actually, John and I don't differ that much, food-wise. He is talking about choosing from a restaurant menu, or a home with a refrigerator with enormous variety, salad-wise. And as you know, I love salads. It is just I don't have as much variety in my home fridge, generally!

So I'm more in sync with Alexandra (Sandra) Evans, Ph.D., associate professor with with UTSPH-ARC and the Center. She suggests trying new recipes and new foods, which is more to my taste preferences. And she says you can get inspired and motivated by going to your local farmers' markets.

"It's a fun, healthy environment and the farmers and patrons are always happy to share recipes and cooking tips," says Sandra.

"Social support is important for maintaining changes to diet and physical activity and farmers' markets can be a great place to find that support," Sandra concludes.

And finally, I mentioned last week that I am thinking of setting a goal of losing another 10 pounds. But I'm reconsidering that specific goal based on suggestions from Professor Bartholomew.

Oh, it is not that he doesn't want me to lose that weight -- it is just that he believes in long term -- not short term -- goals.

"The key (to maintenance) is to have a daily commitment to being active and eating well, " John says.

"That is why we counsel against focusing on weight goals, because once you reach your 'ideal' or goal weight, many people simply go back to the kind of lifestyle that led to their initial weight gain," he emphasizes.

Hopefully, not me!

But John's ideas have reinforced my ideas to write, come February, about health as much as losing weight. So please stay here while I am on hiatus. Enjoy and educate yourself with the many fine blogs on the www.msdcenter.blogspot.com

Special thanks to those Losing It readers who have taken the time to make suggestions, send along tips, raise questions and offer me encouragement in the Comments section in this dieting challenge.

And remember to Move and Eat Healthy and come back to Losing It in February!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: The Weigh-In

Losing It: The Countdown Continues...

Losing It: 1 Week 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 2 Weeks 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 3 Weeks Left, Revitalize your Program

Losing It: 4 Weeks Left, Self-Image

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Losing It: Week 8, Bye Week
Losing It: Week 7, Reward Yourself
Losing It: Week 6, Portion Control
Losing It: Week 5, A Setback
Losing It: Week 4, Nutrition
Losing It: Week 3, Exercise Program
Losing It: Week 2, The Diet
Losing It - The Start

Losing It : The Weigh-In

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:00:12 PST

Happy Thanksgiving! And on this occasion, let's ask ourselves what we should give thanks for, health and fitness-wise, in this year of 2011.

Tops on my list are a good report last week in San Antonio from my lung transplant pulmonologist, Dr. Luis Angel, and my to-date, 14 pound weight loss.

Dr. Angel was pleased with my success. "Losing weight is always very important for lung transplant patients if they are overweight, " Dr. Angel said. "It is better for your overall health . When you exercise, it's not just the muscles getting better, but the heart and lungs, too, because they need to provide oxygen to the muscles. So you are improving your cardiovascular function."

He does not recommend specific fitness, diet and weight loss programs "because everyone is different. People adjust differently to different programs."

Dr. Angel does advise against "extreme" programs that encourage "quick" weight loss because "that weight loss is not sustainable" for someone of my height and weight. He defines quick weight loss as "more than five pounds per week."

He does approve of my weight loss goal of 15 pounds -- and the fact that I am considering trying to lose another 10 beyond that. He especially likes my slow weight loss approach of 1/2 pound to 1 1/2 pounds a week.

To succeed at dieting, Dr. Angel said, "You need to cut down on the number of calories you eat and you need to exercise consistently over the long term."

Dieting, Dr. Angel emphasized, "Is not easy. You need to have discipline."

"It is very easy to gain weight and it can be very hard to lose weight."

"But if you are consistent," Dr. Angel said, "you can do it."

Moving on to more "thanks" in my life.

I'm thankful to be alive and in as good health as I am, in large part to Juanita Gutierrez of San Antonio who donated her late son's organs so others could live. I received Edgar Gutierrez's right lung 11 years ago come Dec. 2nd. I can walk my dog, Oscar Wilde, 7, and play with my doxie MayBelle, 17, every day thanks to that transplant and my right hip replacement surgery three years ago.

I'm thankful to my family and friends for their support. Especially their understanding, and pitching in, when I'm not feeling well.

And although I can't work full-time because of my health, I'm very thankful for my job consulting with the Center and the people who are employed there. It helps give me the mental challenges and satisfactions that make me want to keep myself fit!

I am thankful I was born basically without much of a sweet tooth. Among my favorite foods are salads, and my biggest problem is portion control (not of salads but of pasta and ice cream, my only irresistible sweet).

And I thank God. He gives me what grace, discipline and strength I have.

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: The Countdown Continues...

Losing It: 1 Week 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 2 Weeks 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 3 Weeks Left, Revitalize your Program

Losing It: 4 Weeks Left, Self-Image

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Could Austin’s new policy on outdoor fitness classes impact public health?

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:30:22 PST

The City of Austin is adopting a new policy that curtails the number of public spaces in which fitness-related businesses can offer classes, and requires vendors to go through a permit process and pay fees (45 cents per person, per session) to use public parks. What kind of impact might this new policy have on public health in Austin?

Increasing physical activity at the population or community level is a primary goal of public health. One effective strategy, identified through systematic review of the research, is the creation of “enhanced access” to places for physical activity. Ingredients of enhanced access include training and support to be physically active in a setting that is convenient to participants.

Research also tells us that seeing others - especially people you consider similar to you - being physically active in your neighborhood is among the community-level ingredients that positively impact physical activity behaviors.

With these facts in mind, we can see how classes such as a fitness “boot camp” or yoga held in residential areas, offered before work (allowing participants to shower at home) or in the evening (while kids play on an adjacent playground), can play a role in increasing community-level physical activity. Many of these activities take place at our wonderful “joint-use” school-community parks (co-managed by our Parks and Recreation Department and AISD) and are located within neighborhoods throughout Austin.

From this public health perspective, the City of Austin could view such community-based classes to be to the benefit of the city, contributing to the vision of a fit, active, and healthy population.

However, if these classes are framed simply as the “commercial use of dedicated parkland,” relegation of activities to larger, regional parks where they are more easily monitored and less likely to get in the way of “non-commercial” park uses might make sense.

But does this approach help us move the needle of public health in a positive direction? Is there a way that legitimate concerns with such practices (such as the monopolization of spaces) can be addressed while still maintaining - and hopefully furthering - the community-health-enhancing nature of these activities?

What are your thoughts about this new policy? If you have questions for our physical activity researchers, post them in the comments below. If you have questions for the City, there will be a public meeting on Friday, November 18th from 2:30-3:30 at Zilker Botanical Gardens auditorium.

For information on the City’s new policy, visit: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/commercialuse.htm

Written by
Eileen Nehme, MPH

Eileen Nehme is a doctoral student studying epidemiology at the UT School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus. As one of the Center’s “Dell Health Scholars” she investigates the impact of policies and environments on public health, with a focus on population-level physical activity. When she is not working or studying, she is likely to be playing in a neighborhood park with her two daughters.

Losing It: the Countdown Continues...

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:22:23 PST

Expecting my weigh-in? See explanation below.*

'Tis the dangerous season for dieters.

Please do deck the halls during the holidays.

And if you follow my suggestions, you could gain nary a pound despite the tempting platters of turkey with stuffing and gravy, plates of pumpkin and apple pies with whipped cream, and trays of sugar cookies in the shapes of Santas, evergreen trees and ornaments.

Now, no Foodie Scrooge here. I plan to enjoy holiday specialities, even the sweet potatoes topped with marsh mellows, the creamed spinach with sour cream and cheese, and my personal favorite, those green bean casseroles with French fried onions, mushroom soup, minced garlic and toasted slivered almonds.

In fact on Thanksgiving and Christmas -- just those two days -- I eat everything I want.

Well, within reason. Overeating -- even just one day -- is not healthy for you. I must emphasize this. I do overeat, but I do not stuff myself. I accept that because every single other day between Thanksgiving and Christmas I adhere to my "holiday" diet. That allows one sweet or goodie a day -- but only if I am attending a party or bowl game or parade watching event. Otherwise, it is just another day of watching what I eat!

An advisory: I don't gain weight, usually, on this one-month "diet," but I sure don't lose any either.

The key is total discipline. In other words, no cheating. Forget telling yourself "I overate yesterday so one more day won't matter." It will and it does.

Also, and this is important, I increase my daily exercise to mitigate some of the damage of those extra calories.

I shared my "holiday" diet plan with Samantha Weiss, a Registered Dietitian and Master of Public Health student with the Center. She agreed that indulging during the holidays is pretty much a given for everyone. But, she suggests challenging yourself to limit the indulgence to one plate at those holiday meals, instead of making it a no-holds-barred event.

"Be conscious of what will get space on your plate before you go to the serving table. If a particular food doesn't make it on your plate, then it clearly isn't a favorite food."

We do tend to excuse our overeating by using that term favorite during the holidays, don't we?

She added, "The holidays have always been about gathering with friends and family, so spend your time socializing not stuffing."

So here are my tips with some input from Samantha. Pick the ones that will work for you.

Ask friends with whom you exchange gifts to please not give you any food or sweets -- no boxes of Texas pecan pralines, truffles, chocolate turtles or fruit flavored jelly slices. If they do anyway, be gracious. Then immediately re-gift the goodies.

Sometimes you just have to have a little taste, especially if the gift is homemade, like fresh from the oven cranberry or banana bread. Taste it, then cut it in half and freeze until after the holidays. For the other half, follow suggestions to re-gift.

Turn a big gift of food into fun neighborhood-hopping visitations. I received one year a great big tin filled with candied popcorn. I opened it Christmas Eve in the early afternoon and knocked on my condo neighbors' doors. I stayed no longer than 15 minutes at each home. Just long enough to wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, chat a bit and give them a heaping portion of my popcorn.

If you stop by an after-work party that features heavy hors d'oeuvres, sate your appetite by picking your one or two favorites and again, spend your time being social. What can really ruin your diet is nibbling half your dinner calories at the party and then eating a full sit-down supper when you arrive home.

When partying, dump the bread off those finger sandwiches and eat your turkey, ham or roast beef with a fork. And if you make a sandwich yourself, skip the mayo.

Detour around the dessert table. If that is impossible, pick one item and then steer clear of that table for the rest of the night. This can be a dangerous place to indulge, so stay disciplined.

Watch the alcohol intake. Festive holiday cocktails can be especially calorie-laden. So skip the eggnog, Kahlua and liqueurs. Or at most have one alcoholic drink at a party per day. Even those calories will quickly add up if you party several nights a week. Our best advice, abstain.

Buy yourself, or ask Santa, for a gift of an eat healthy cookbook. Go on-line or visit a bookstore and study the titles. Skip any books with the words "comfort foods," "Southern cooking," and "barbecue" in the titles.

And make your 2012 New Year's resolutions to eat healthy -- cut back on red meat, your salt intake, and especially processed foods. And don't forget to reflect on the healthy changes you've made this year and resolve to continue them in 2012.

Happy Holidays!

*My weigh-in countdown was skewered because University Hospital in San Antonio rescheduled my transplant check-up appointment. Come back next week for the report. In the meantime, I lost one-half pound last week, for a total of 13 pounds. My final weekly Losing It column will be Nov. 30. Then starting in February, Losing It will appear monthly.

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: 1 Week 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 2 Weeks 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 3 Weeks Left, Revitalize your Program

Losing It: 4 Weeks Left, Self-Image

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Losing It: 1 Week 'til Weigh-In

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:00:10 PST

Have you ever been on a medication with side effects that make you pack on the pounds?

Some brands of birth control pills will do it for certain women. And some antidepressants may put a few pounds on certain people.

In my case, it was Solu-Medrol that made me want to eat and eat and eat.

Sometimes when I think back on my right lung transplant, which was almost 11 years ago, and the severe lung disease and respiratory failures that preceded it, I feel like it happened to another person. Thanks to my surgeon at University Hospital in San Antonio, Dr. John Calhoon, I survived the transplant. Thanks, too, to my Austin pulmonologist, Dr. David Pohl, who helped keep me alive until the surgery.

Weight-wise, pre-transplant, I dropped from 125 pounds to 106. A friend said I looked like a skeleton.

Post-transplant, I was treated three times in two years for organ rejection. Each time I gained 20 pounds on Solu-Medrol, which you receive intravenously to fight the rejection.

Its side effects: I talked very, very fast; I enjoyed housework for the only times in my life; I couldn't sleep for 24 hours or more straight; and I was constantly not just hungry, but ravenous. You could eat a five-course meal and when you were finished, start over on another five-course meal and polish that off, too.

In no time, none of my clothes fit. And by the time I hit 40-plus pounds, I all but quit buying clothes because I would outgrow them so fast.

I knew I would never be a size four or eight again, but I didn't want to be a size 14 or 16 either!

Especially because when you are overweight, your high and low cholesterol may go into the danger zone for strokes and heart attacks. At least mine did.

What got me weighing even more was the forced inactivity and searing pain of my osteoarthritic hip.

It hurt so badly that when I rolled over in bed at night, the pain woke me up and kept me up.

I started walking with a cane. And when I could no longer walk my dogs MayBelle and Oscar Wilde, I consulted three years ago a fine orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Eugene Schoch.

Getting back to exercise after a successful surgery helped me drop some of that weight.

But I regained it, and more, last winter as I struggled with pneumonia. It put me in the hospital for four days and zapped my energy for five months. To comfort myself, I ate lots of ice cream, pasta and sandwiches with two slices of bread. Plus stuff I would hardly ever eat like sausages, candy and jellies.

I began to feel miserable as the needle of the scale climbed upward. But I kept on eating.

Finally I realized I had to take personal responsibility for my weight gain instead of making up excuses. That realization came in part as a result of a gentle warning from my outpatient transplant pulmonologist, Dr. Luis Angel in San Antonio.

So I took, and am taking, action. As you know from following this column, it is not easy.

Still other women I know are gaining weight due to age -- and are 100 percent blaming menopause and changing metabolisms.

One friend has gained five pounds in the six years since she went through menopause. That was on top of her gaining more than 15 pounds in the previous couple years.

She accepts it, blames it on advancing age and just shrugs it off. And most of her weight gain and fat are in her belly area, which can be potentially dangerous.

Please don't accept or excuse your weight gain.

If you are overweight or obese, you may be at risk for a disability, or even an early death.

Speaking of health, next Tuesday I go to San Antonio's University Hospital for my transplant check-up and meeting with that physician who advised me last May to watch my weight, Dr. Angel.

Wish me well!

By the way, I've lost another pound in the past week for a grand total now of 12 1/2 pounds!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: 2 Week 'til Weigh-In

Losing It: 3 Weeks Left, Revitalize your Program

Losing It: 4 Weeks Left, Self-Image

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Join the 500 club!

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:21:56 PST

Do I have to start today? Tomorrow? In the grave?

I don’t know about you, but I’m 53, and my youngest child is 10. 63/20. 73/30. 83/40. It would be nice to make it that long. Hopefully longer.

But I have three problems.

I have neurological disease called Charcot-Tooth Marie syndrome. It’s a demyelinating condition, which means the nerves in my hands, feet, and legs are slowly losing their ability to conduct electricity. It’s a bummer. No running, jogging, hiking, basketball, tennis. All the things I like to do.
I had a motorcycle accident 7 years ago, had a severe concussion and broke my neck. I needed skin grafts for the burns. It’s kinda hard to bounce back from that. Every time I go to the gym to lift weights, I end up hurting myself.
I work too much. I do love my job, but I work way past 40 hours per week. There’s always another mountain to climb in academia. Papers, grants, new teaching techniques, new problems to solve.

I’ve let it all slip too long. I know exactly what to do. Hell, I teach this stuff!

So, I thought I’d share my struggles and let you know how it goes.

I don’t like structure too much. I’m not a group processor either. It must be the Danish ancestry.

Hence, the 500 club. Look at the chart below. It comes from the USDA Dietary Guidelines. It’s worth looking at the guidelines. They are well written and cover the most up to date research there is. Notice how many calories you are supposed to eat, based on how physically active you are. For me, it’s depressing. About 2,200 calories per day. How many calories are in those Torchy's breakfast tacos anyway?

I hate calorie counting. I know I won’t do it very long. So, I’m setting a daily goal of cutting 500 calories and climbing the stairs at work (6 flights). Given that I love to eat out (and have a beer now and again), it shouldn’t be that hard.

Please join me. How are you going to cut your 500 today? Today, I’m not going to eat out, and I’m going to take it easy on dessert. No problem. I’ve stretched my legs this morning and climbed the stairs at work.

Every journey begins with a single step.

Written by

Steve Kelder, PhD, MPH

Steve Kelder is Co-Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, and a Professor of Epidemiology at the UT School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus.

Follow Steve on Twitter: @DrSteveKelder

Losing It: 2 Weeks 'til Weigh-In!

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:00:10 PDT

Last Friday I felt like a million dollars!

Remember that black pencil skirt that I love that didn't fit when I started this dieting column last July? That I hung on my closet door as a constant reminder of my need to lose weight?

Well, that skirt fits! And I wore it, feeling great, when I met a friend for lunch at Gloria's at the Domain.

Now this good Brazilian restaurant has lots of fattening offerings, as it turns out. (My friend suggested it, and I had not been there). But it has some wholesome ones also. So I stuck to salmon with grilled veggies and rice and limited my chips intake. A tip: break that chip in half and pile it high with the healthiest of salsa.

I have to admit I felt really special wearing that skirt. It has only taken three months -- sometimes that seems like an eternity. Other times, well, it seems like three months of hard work, denial -- no, let's make that more positive as in discipline -- and determination.

It was fun getting dressed and this is the first time I have been able to say that in some time. I didn't feel like I had lost the weight until I put the skirt on. But I do think the exercise and weight loss have given me more energy. And I had not originally factored that into the pluses of weight loss.

In the past week, I've lost one whole pound for a grand total of 11 1/2 pounds. When I hit 15 pounds lost I'm going "shopping" in my closet and donate some clothes to one of my favorite charities.

Moving on .... I wrote two weeks ago that I constantly refine and redefine my diet. And a careful reader asked me to elaborate.

What I mean is that I constantly analyze my diet, and change it when necessary. As I have said before, my diet is a work in progress and will be for the rest of my life. And some of the tips and advice I have given in past weeks no longer work for me.

For instance, remember when my at-home dancing to Abba, and Motown and Lady Gaga CDs caused my osteoarthritic knees to act up? So now I am doing stretching, limbering and balancing exercises -- all low impact -- instead for 15 minutes, five days a week.

Also remember when I said to reward yourself when you reach 10 or 15 pounds lost? Now I try to reward myself daily. Maybe just give yourself a head to toe moisturizer treatment. Or listen to the birds chirping outside for 10 minutes in the early morning before you race off to your obligations. This can result in not just physical improvement but mental too.

Why daily? Because it is hourly, daily decisions and actions that keep me and you on course with our dieting.

I'm also trying to sneak in naps. I used to do this, but I have not done it in awhile. And some dieting studies indicate that not getting enough sleep may activate hunger pangs.

Plus, I've never been a fan of processed food. Except for cheese. Now I'm cutting way back on that, and trying to eat instead natural cheese.

And finally, I realized that eating three regular sized meals a day, plus a snack, was too much food and too many calories for me. So I cut back on the portions, but I discovered that was not enough. At least for me.

Now, at least at this point in my life, what works are a small breakfast (maybe an apple, or a banana with a small handful of cereal or a scrambled egg with spinach), a large, as in main meal lunch, and a small dinner (maybe a little salad or a cup of homemade soup). If I get hungry and need a snack, I'll eat a handful of nuts (almonds, walnuts or pistachios) or a couple of sardines.

Hope this helps you lose weight and feel better, as it has me!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: 3 Weeks Left, Revitalize your Program

Losing It: 4 Weeks Left, Self-Image

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

MORE Healthy Halloween Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:00:01 PDT

Halloween is just days away and you probably haven’t even begun to think about the Halloween party menu or what you’re going to put in the trick-or-treaters’ candy bowl have you? Before you go out and buy high-sugar, high-fat, dye- and preservative-laden treats so readily available at the supermarket, take a minute to consider some healthy (yes, healthy) but still fun treats.

If you’re looking for easy-to-hand-out treats, then you want to be sure to get small, individually wrapped goodies. Some prepackaged, snack-size treats you may want to consider:

raisins or cranberries
animal crackers
pretzels
cheese sticks
all-natural fruit wraps
dark chocolate (hey, it is Halloween and chocolate is actually a great treat!)

Of course, you’ll want to read the ingredients to avoid partially hydrogenated fats, artificial colorings, and any ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce. And remember, usually the fewer ingredients, the better.

For a Halloween party, you’ll probably also want to have some other types of snacks, something you can easily and inexpensively put together. My daughters and I recently tried out this recipe for a fun and delicious party snack:

Pizza Mummies

whole grain English muffins
pizza sauce
black olives
green onion
red or green bell peppers
part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Heat the oven to 350º F. For each mummy, spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of a whole grain English muffin.

2. Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils.

3. Lay strips of cheese across the muffin for the mummy’s wrappings.

4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.

5. Enjoy!

Written By

Melissa Campos De Hernandez

Melissa is a graduate research assistant with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Losing It: 3 Weeks Left

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:00:08 PDT

Adopt an active and fun lifestyle and you won't have to depend as much long-term on workouts and gym and health club visits.

What I mean here is now is the time to join that tennis league, take lessons in golf, horseback riding, snow skiing or dancing.

The primary goal is not exercise -- that's secondary -- but pure unadulterated fun! Plus, perhaps, to learn a new sport and/or socialize with friends.

Try the Country Western dance lessons at the Broken Spoke. I did and it's a hoot! Or aim to increase your spirituality by taking yoga classes. Enjoy the early morning stillness of Lady Bird Lake on a Sunday in a scull. And once you get somewhat proficient at horseback riding, sign up for a trail ride at a dude ranch in the Hill Country. Or take a skiing trip to Colorado, where so many Texans hit the slopes, Colorado is called "Texas West," or it should be!

When you love what you are doing, when you are passionate about a sport or activity, it is fun, not work. Also, you will meet and make friends with like minded souls, if socializing is part of your goals.

And, let's face it, going to the health club day after day, month after month, year after year, can get tiresome. Yes, it is productive and enjoyable. But I have never heard anyone say that they are passionate about going to a health club.

So for the long-term, set some goals with sports and activities that don't primarily target weight loss.

I remember my transplant pulmonologist, Dr. Luis Angel of San Antonio, telling me that Oscar Wilde was "saving your life" when I started getting Oscar in tip top shape for a dachshund race that was four months off.

I'd take him to the nearby tennis court and toss tennis balls to him, gradually building up to an hour a day. The race in Buda was so much fun, and Oscar has gone on to win five trophies in different races for his endeavors! That doggie just loves to run and compete. And I have so much joy in my little Mama's Boy as he breaks from the starting gate and streaks to me.

Now I'm going to sign up Oscar for agility, for which he has shown an aptitude. And I think it will be fun to work with him as he flies through tunnels and jumps small barriers as I run along with him, giving him directions.

I don't know about you, but I can get bored with an exercise routine. So sometimes I'll load Oscar Wilde in the car and drive to another neighborhood for our daily walk. We no longer visit Lady Bird Lake, though. He wants to run with every biker and jogger who passes us and I hate to curb his ebullience.

A couple more "cures the boredom blues." If you work out at your gym solo, you might try switching it up by taking a group class for 10 weeks or so. Or, you can set yourself a goal of walking or jogging in a 5 or 10-K race. Or joining a walking or jogging club.

How do you know when it is time to initiate a change? It's when getting out of bed for a walk or run becomes onerous. It's when you start trying to figure out how to get out of your exercise every day.

A major excuse I have made in the past for not exercising was "I don't have the time today." We all only have 24 hours in a day. And other people find the time.

Why? Because they know it is good for them.

Be kind to yourself and make the time!

Footnote: I lost one-half pound last week for a grand total now of 10 1/2 pounds.

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: 4 Weeks Left, Self-Image

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Guest Blog: Growing Goodness of Greens

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:00:08 PDT

Barbara Storz was awarded the 2011 Texas Health Champion Award at this year's Texas Obesity Awareness Week event.

Has the doctor told you to put more greens in your diet to reduce your cholesterol, protect from heart disease and cancer, or support eye health? Maybe you’ve heard that greens are loaded with nutrients that support healthy bodies and prevent disease. You can’t go wrong by planting a powerhouse of three leafy greens: Collard greens, Mustard greens and Kale.

Beginning in mid-October, we have the best weather conditions for planting members of the Brassica family. In small acreage or backyard gardens, you can get the most of the season by planting a little of these greens each week from now until late December. Stop after Christmas as the best flavor and nutritional value will come from these greens during cool harvests in November through March. This is when their vitamins and antioxidants are at their best. Once it warms up, flavors will change and the plants will flower and seed out, ending the harvest season and the lifespan of these annuals.

Direct seed these greens into raised beds, planted one fourth inch deep and spaced 2 inches apart. Commercial producers generally apply half of their fertilizer requirements at planting and the other half by the time the plants are being thinned out. Organic producers and gardeners should note that these plants are heavy feeders, as are all members of the Brassica family, and would do well with a dose of fish emulsion or a higher rate of nitrogen found in the new Miracle Grow for Organics on a regular basis.

Blue Max, Champion, Vates, and Georgia Southern are varieties of Collards that work in Texas. Mustard varieties for our area include Early Mizuna, Florida Broadleaf, Green Wave, Large Smooth Leaf, Flash and Southern Giant Curled. Both green and red leafed varieties are available in Kale: Dwarf Blue Curled, Nero de Toscano, Rebor, and Red Russian.

Why bother to grow greens? Collard, Mustard, and Kale are packed with Folic Acid, minerals like Vitamin A, C, E, and carotenes, Vitamin K, manganese and zinc. All of these greens are a good source of fiber and work overtime to lower blood cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease, promote eye health and bone health and protect us against a variety of cancers. Mustards are spicy, peppery and kale is mild and earthy in flavor. All three of these flavors can be enhanced with garlic, lemon, onion, and a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. While they can be eaten raw (and juiced), their powerful nutrients work best for us when they are steamed instead of eaten raw (try not to overcook).

For more information on growing Mustard, Kale, and Collards, go to: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.

Written by

Barbara Storz, MS

Barbara Storz is an Extension educator for horticulture with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, part of Texas A & M University system and she can be reached at (956) 383-1026, or by e-mail at b-storz@tamu.edu.

Read Barbara's previous blog post: Growing "Earthly Delights" - Natural Obesity Prevention

Losing It: 4 weeks left

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 03:00:02 PDT

How do you view yourself? Fat? Thin? Just right?

And what are you, in reality? Overweight? Underweight? Or just right weight?

For many of us, the two answers don't always coincide.

I got a body self-image shock when I was about 10 years old. And it impacted me emotionally for a very long time.

Back when I was growing up, my family vacationed for two weeks every summer in Ocean City, Md. My brothers Jack, Pat, Rich and I jumped the waves, built sand castles, walked the boardwalk and went crabbing in the bay. All great activities for children.

Not so good were basking in the sun's rays without repeated sunscreen applications and over-indulgence in the island's famous fudge and salt water taffy. To be fair to our late parents, many moms and dads didn't know then the dangers of skin cancer and the harm of too much sugar.

An annual highlight was visiting the fun horror house located near the downtown pier.

We laughed and cried out in mock fright as the fun house floors shifted beneath our feet and the walls moved. Also monstrous shadows appeared and we stared at ourselves in distortion mirrors.

That summer, like many a preteen, I was acutely conscious of my body. That was my "a little bit chubby" period. Hurtful children -- we now call them bullies -- taunted me with "Fatso."

So that summer I reacted differently when, staring back at me from the mirror, was a grossly fat, ugly child.

I still vividly recall that moment.

Instead of laughing, I was terrified.

That was me! Of course I knew without a doubt that the mirror that made me look skeletal wasn't me -- and I never gave it a second thought.

But that "fat mirror" cemented in my mind a bad body self image. And it took me decades to realize emotionally it was not me.

Over the next eight years, without even trying, that preteen fat melted away. In fact, when I was 18, I was asked by a modeling representative of a high class, but now defunct, six-store department chain, Hutzlers of Maryland, to be a model in their shows and in-store promotions. Which I did for four years while I was in college.

By then I was slender, but I still thought of myself as a bit overweight. And sometimes, even now, I feel a bit fat emotionally. Even when I'm not. And my self image plummets.

For instance, I have finally lost 10 pounds!

And a fine friend, Mary Ann Roser of Austin, told me she could tell I have lost weight. Your clothes fit better, she said.

Immediately my old, bad, negative self image surfaced. I said to her, "Thank you. But I still don't fit back comfortably into my clothes. That will be another five pounds." Or something like that.

Instead of rejoicing in the three-month effort it has taken me to lose those 10 pounds, I put myself down.

I realize a poor body self image often is planted in childhood by bullies, thoughtless but well intentioned parents and, or, horror house mirrors.

But only you can work to improve your self image.

Accept yourself when you are overweight, as many of us are at least sometimes in our lives. And determine to safely and sanely lose that weight through proper nutrition and exercise.

A longtime friend from Maryland, Anne Williams Gibson, suggests hanging on your bedroom closet door one of your favorite outfits that doesn't currently fit. That way you see it every day, and daily it serves as a motivator.

I have hanging on my closet door a black pencil skirt that I have practically lived in during past winters.

I picture myself wearing it to some fun event.

And I am slender once again!

Footnote: Today the most famous horror house in Ocean City, Md., is Trimper's Haunted House built by Bill Tracy. Ornately carved "coffin cars" wheel you past skulls and rats and severed heads and torture rooms, including a tableaux where a hapless victim, strapped to a conveyor belt, is sliced in half by a table saw. That's one way to lose weight -- just joking!

Happy Halloween!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: Week 12, Do's and Don't's

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Virtually smoke-free

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:00:03 PDT

The latest data show that 40% of 12th graders have tried tobacco and 20% are regular smokers. We still have work to do.

"Tobacco companies rely on addicting new smokers, and teenagers are still at risk,” said Dr. Alex Prokhorov in a presentation to faculty and students at the Center about teen smoking and how to prevent it.

Prokhorov, with MD Anderson Cancer in Houston, has spent the past 30 years developing new ways to keep kids from becoming addicted. “We know what to do, we just need schools and parents to inoculate kids with our anti-tobacco programs.”

Programs, policies, and mass media have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of children experimenting with tobacco and becoming hooked on cigarettes. The hurdle to jump is delivering anti-tobacco programs using methods that are interesting and entertaining to kids.

My son Ben loves playing games online--in fact, we're both particularly fond of Minecraft right now. When well done, online games can be extremely effective at securing our attention for large spans of time. Games can also serve as an effective tool for learning, and they don’t require much class time or teacher preparation.

The ASPIRE smoking prevention program, which I've been working on and studying with Dr. Prokhorov, uses flash animation and cartoon characters to deliver an educational experience specially tailored to every user. When kids log in, they create an avatar that represents themselves and their perceptions or experiences with tobacco. The game takes this information to adapt the lessons and messages to fit each individual.

It turns out these tobacco prevention games aren't just effective with kids. Dr. Prokhorov gave us a peek at a similar smoking prevention game he's working on for US soldiers that can be played on a tablet computer, like an iPad.

Cheryl Perry, PhD, Dean of the Austin Regional Campus and editor of the upcoming Surgeon General Report on Teen Smoking, spoke about the optimum time for smoking prevention. “Children typically start experimenting with tobacco in 4th or 5th grade, so it’s important to start anti-tobacco education in late elementary school. The onset of regular smoking begins after experimentation, so kids need smoking prevention education messages through middle and high school.”

Does your school or youth group need an effective, entertaining, and free tobacco prevention and cessation program? You can learn more about the ASPIRE Program here.

Written by

Steve Kelder, PhD, MPH

Co-Director, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living

Losing It: Week 12

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:00:15 PDT

A trusted friend tells me I'm not being specific enough in my diet advice. She wants more actual dieting do's and don't's on exactly what I have been doing to lose 9 1/2 pounds to date.

That's just 1/2 pound in the past week. Oh, well, hopefully this week I'll reach the Big 10!

I am tempted to give just a simple answer: in the past, I would have eaten ice cream and had a second helping to satisfy my immediate cravings. Now, I discipline myself and say "No," by picturing myself 10 pounds lighter. And I forgive and go on when I do cheat -- but it is rare.

But instead, I want to share a major reason why I think my slow but steady diet is succeeding.

I put about two months of thought and research and analysis into this diet before I even started it.

It wasn't formal, academic-type thinking. I just ruminated about my health in general, my diet and nutrition, my lack of a sustained exercise program -- other than walking my dog Oscar Wilde. I knew I wanted to lose weight -- but how?

So before I started the diet, to help cement my resolve -- I made some decisions. First, I asked myself, "Why do you want to lose weight?" In other words, what are your motivations?

Health was primary for me. Losing weight would help my breathing, lower my cholesterol and aid my osteoarthritis-challenged knees and hip. (One hip already has been replaced).

Also I wanted to lose weight for practical and vanity reasons. I want to fit back into clothes that have gotten too tight. And I didn't like the way I looked in outfits that did fit!

Next, I spent time working on my attitude.

I would ask myself "Why am I eating this second helping of pasta?" Part of this was studying my eating and over-eating habits. "When did I eat?" "Why?" -- sometimes I was just tired, which can stimulate your appetite -- "And how much?"

Thirdly, I identified the three foods that are my personal downfall. They are ice cream (I used to eat lots of it), bread (many a day I ate three or four slices of whole wheat or multi-grain bread) and pasta (usually three meals a week). Yes, I am a carbo addict!

And finally, I began to formulate a diet of my own devising, based on this newly gained awareness, plus knowledge of what worked and didn't work in past diets.

For instance, you won't find me telling you to count calories, weigh your food and write down everything you eat in a day. This is essential for some diets and some people. But it flat out doesn't work for me.

So you must create your own diet, based on your own strengths and weaknesses. View it as a buffet where you pick and choose what will work for you. As for the buffet word... I've banned buffets for the foreseeable future. I went to one last week, and I just eat too much at them!

As I have said, my diet is a work in progress. I'm continuing to refine and redefine it.

So I did pick a diet start date and had a "Last Meal" of ice cream, pasta and bread the night before. And my priority the first couple of weeks after starting the diet was curbing my desire for those three foods.

Then I turned to portion control. I've written on this a number of times because it is a stumbling block for a food lover like me.

As for exercise, check out Losing It -- Week 3. The essentials: get clearance from your physician, determine what you can do based on your age, fitness level and overall health.

For instance, a wheelchair-bound person might try "Sit and Be Fit" exercises or, if healthy enough, might set a goal of entering the wheelchair division of this spring's Capitol 10,000 here in Austin.

I strongly believe that each of us needs to manage our weight and nutrition and exercise each and every day for our lifetimes. Say no to roller-coaster dieting and the new diet trend of the month.

I'm not saying my diet plan will work for you. I'm just saying it works for me.

And some of my IDEAS may work for you!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: Week 11, Educate Yourself

Losing It: Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Losing It: Week 11

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:00:09 PDT

When you are dieting, a key to success is your mental attitude. In fact, I'd wager that you won't succeed in losing weight long-term without a positive, can-do approach.

And a major way to uphold and increase your mental resolve is to read articles in magazines and on-line that educate you on the latest news in nutrition, exercise and dieting. And they can inspire and motivate you to stay on track.

Also, a number of research hospitals and foundations that target specific diseases or areas of health publish newsletters. But some can be pricey, charging as much as $25 a year per subscription.

Over the years, I've ordered a number, including Weill Cornell Medical College's Women's Nutrition Connection, Harvard Medical School's Harvard Heart Letter, Cleveland Clinic's ARTHRITIS advisor and Massachusetts General Hospital's Mind, Mood & Memory.

But I also always peruse the free magazine rack at People's Pharmacy on Lamar. I go there monthly to pick up my elderly dachshund MayBelle's compounded medicine. Last week I discovered a bonanza.

Welcome October with its cool weather that draws you outside like a magnet for a brisk walk or jog.

'Tis also the season of the pumpkin. And, according to the October 2011 issue of Delicious Living magazine, the nutritionally robust pumpkin boasts loads of fiber, potassium and iron, making it a food that's yummy and perfect for dieters like me and maybe you.

The magazine also notes, "Convenient canned pumpkin contains less fiber but more bio available beta-carotene than fresh."

Get ideas from the issue on pumpkin spread, baked pumpkin, pumpkin-ginger pudding and pasta sauce featuring pumpkin.

Last week another magazine, Guide to Good Health, Fall 2011, all but called out my name. The article was "Am I Eating the Correct Portion of Food?"

Now we have all heard the U.S. Dietary Guidelines that we should eat no chicken or other meat protein larger than three ounces, the same size as a deck of cards.

But how about one portion of peanut butter, two tablespoons, is equal to a golf ball?

A portion of cheese cubed is equal to four dice.

A serving size of baked potato should be the size of a computer mouse.

And -- oh, no, this can't be true but it is -- a serving of pasta, 1/2 cup cooked, is equal to 1/2 of a baseball!

So even though I have cut back the portions of food I eat considerably as a result of my dieting, I still am not where I should be, portion-wise.

Also in this issue, you can read interesting healthy living advice from fascinating women including Melinda Garvey, founder and publisher of AW Media, Inc.; Jeanne Goka, principle of the Ann Richards School; Terri Givens, associate professor in government at the University of Texas at Austin; and UT-A Super Coach Bev Kearney.

Also at People's, parents and parents-to-be shouldn't miss the October issue of Austin Fit magazine. The must-read article by Leah Fisher Nyfeler, is titled "Can Fitness Help Prevent Childhood Diseases?"

Nationally known Austin pediatrician Dr. Ari Brown comments, "Teach your child healthy habits and she will make good decisions when she is given the chance to make choices on her own." And "The time to start obesity prevention for your child is while she is in the womb!"

So please don't just rely on exercise and nutrition to lose weight. Nourish, too, your mind with educational information gleaned from reputable magazines. This will help you better discipline yourself when temptation arises.

And here's a positive note: One more pound down, so I have now lost nine pounds. One more to go to reach the big 1-0!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It, Week 10, Chaos!

Losing It: Week 9, Important Questions

Walking the Walk: the 2011 Be Well Walk

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:44:53 PDT

Sunday for me usually means football, the weekly grocery store run, and maybe some yard work (if after this drought you can still call it a yard). But yesterday was different. I competed in obstacle course races, scrambled to sort and throw food packages into different colored bins, and embarrassed myself with a total lack of hula hooping ability.

This weekend, I and over 2,600 Texans took part in the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation’s first ever Be Well Walk at Lady Bird Lake in Austin. I was there with our Center and team from the CATCH Program as one of the 15 inaugural partners involved with the Walk. Our booth had all of the activities I listed above, and a pledge wall where families could make a promise to themselves to eat more “GO” (healthy and nutritious) foods.

Our booth buzzed with kids as they scrambled between each activity, culminating with a spin of the prize wheel. It’s such a great and rewarding experience to see kids and families having fun while learning about healthy living. Kids would come up to our booth and tell us all about CATCH at their school, and then show us that the healthy messages were sticking when they sorted and tossed a grocery bag full of food packages into GO, SLOW, and WHOA bins.

By the end of the day our entire team was exhausted, sweaty, and covered in dirt and dust kicked up by 2,600 walkers. From set-up to breakdown we were out in the sun for about 7 ½ hours. I’m sure everyone did the same thing as me when they got home: showered, put on clean clothes, sat down on the couch, and promptly fell asleep.

So I'm a little tired at the office this morning, and my hula hooping muscles are sore, but I also feel that renewed passion for what I do. It's amazing how exhausting yourself physically energizes you mentally.

So this Sunday, instead of watching football on TV, I threw a football around in an obstacle course. Instead of fighting through the crowds at the grocery store, I sorted and tossed grocery food items in a toss game. And instead of yard work… Well let’s face it, my lawn is dead anyway.

Written by

Brooks Ballard, MPH

Brooks has been working with the Center for about 3 years, the last of which as the Center's communications specialist. His graduate work was with the CATCH middle school program.

Losing It: Week 10

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:49:54 PDT

Good news: I lost three pounds in the past three weeks for a total of eight pounds lost toward my goal of 15.

Bad news, sort of : The fates, the powers that be, misfortune, whatever, have conspired to aid my diet -- in a bizarre, twisted way.

Pipes burst showering water into my kitchen from the second story of my condo last week.

Also, two days before, my Mustang was rear-ended by a student on her way to a sorority meeting.

So I had no access to my kitchen for four days. That will cut down on your food intake!

Now I have only limited access. And when the reconstruction begins -- most likely next week at the earliest -- the kitchen with the refrigerator, stove and oven will be off-limits again. That's because of my lung transplant and compromised immune system. Construction sites are verboten.

"Get in your car and drive to a restaurant," you say. That's not possible until the car is repaired. If all goes according to plan -- which it rarely does -- the car should be legally drivable by today, Wednesday Sept. 28.

"Well, take a hike," you tell me. I don't think so. Only one restaurant is within walking distance, considering the heat. And while it is very good, it offers ethic food and not the type I would eat more than once a week.

The saving grace here was my cousin, Lynn Jeppi, visiting from the town where I was raised and she now lives, Ruxton, Maryland. I don't know what I would have done without her. Talk about total support....!

Now my condo is basically cut in half. And the kitchen is on the side inaccessible to me.

So Lynn ferried the essentials from the inaccessible side to where I am now living 100 percent of the time.

What are the essentials? Stuff like the coffee maker, the coffee, filters and the measuring spoon. Plus paper towels, toilet paper, dog toys, my doxie Oscar Wilde's leash, and meds for myself and my almost 17-year-old dachshund MayBelle.

Also, of course, dog food.

On the second day, my hairbrush and make-up migrated over via Lynn.

What about people food, you ask?

In the half of the condo where I am living now, there is a small wet bar with a tiny refrigerator. It is large enough to hold a milk container, small yogurts, a couple of diet cokes (I know, I know, not good), and not much more.

Now my cousin Lynn is a true car lover. And when she visits she rents a car. She enjoys driving different models.

So after the pipes burst. we had bananas for breakfast, and, after talking with plumbers, my contractor, and insurance people for both the car and the condo -- we went out to eat.. Usually it was 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. by that time.

Mindful of my diet and valuing good nutrition, I ordered salmon at the Roaring Fork, an entree salad at the Westwood Country Club -- we were the guests of a friend of mine for some 30 some years, Vickie Roan, owner of that exquisite jewelry and fine gift shop, The Menagerie -- a steak filet with a dinner salad at Bartlett's, an Asian salad with tuna at the Four Seasons and really fine dim sum at Chinatown.

I only cheated once on my diet. Who can resist the ice cream pecan ball smothered in chocolate at Westwood -- not me!

We supplemented our food with forays into the kitchen for slices of ham, a gift from philanthropists and longtime friends Dick and Sarah Rathgeber. You have not eaten ham until you have tasted the Rathgebers'.

Now I have said that all these disruptions, disasters, whatever, have helped my diet.

Yes, I am eating less.

Try planning a food shopping expedition for healthy eatables that don't require refrigeration and cooking when you are on a diet. Once you get past fruits, some veggies, nuts, and cereals, that's about it.

Unfortunately, Lynn has returned home now, and I am own my own.

So part of the reason I'm eating less is inertia. This morning I was contemplating going next door to get more food from the refrigerator. But you have to exit one door, walk across the patio, and unlock another door to get into the kitchen.

And I have to put on an N95 mask to enter the kitchen with its contruction area.

The more I thought about it, the more I decided I didn't need those extra calories.

And besides, it was just too much trouble!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Do Good by Being Well

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:25:15 PDT

The first ever Be Well Walk will be held October 2nd, in Austin, TX, and we’re very proud to say that our Center was selected as an inaugural partner. So what does that mean? When you register for the Walk you’ll pay $25 and get to pick one partner organization to receive 100% of that money as a contribution. When you complete the walk, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation will give you a sweet Be Well Walk t-shirt and water bottle and then match your $25 contribution.

How cool is that?! When you walk you’ll support your own health and the health of your community by supporting local organizations. So if you choose to have your contribution go to our Center/CATCH program, how will we use it?

We believe that by fostering collaborative health efforts between families, schools and communities, we can reach the goal of 15 by 15: reducing childhood obesity to 15% by the year 2015. So we’re introducing the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living Community Collaborative for Child Health.

Guiding principles of the Collaborative for Child Health include a focus on local action—even with small steps, —an embracing of a culture of learning, and a recognition that local decision making and action hold the potential to drive positive change from the bottom up. Currently, community leaders from the education, religious, and nonprofit sectors have come together with faculty and staff from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living to form a steering committee for the Collaborative.

The Collaborative for Child Health has two initiatives that will be launched in the 2011-12 school year. The first will allow middle school student and adult mentor teams to apply for mini-grants of up to $500 to identify, plan and implement action around healthy eating and physical activity in their respective schools and communities. In additionThe second, a separate grant initiative will provide ten lower income elementary schools with funding to enhance their playgrounds with colorful and engaging playground markings which have been found to increase children’s activity during recess time. Funding from the Be Well walk will provide direct support to schools for local action around physical activity and healthy eating promotion.

You can support the Collaborative by participating in the Be Well Walk and designating your contribution to go to the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living/CATCH Program.

We hope to see you there!

For more information about the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living Collaborative for Child Health, please contact: Emily Hines, MPH, at Emily.B.Hines@uth.tmc.edu or Andrew Springer, DrPH, at Andrew.E.Springer@uth.tmc.edu

Losing It: Week 9

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:57:41 PDT

Here's my take on some important questions. Your answers can help make or break your dieting and exercise program.

Do you set up a workout program with a friend, join an organized exercise class, hire a personal trainer, or go it alone?

Which is better -- a coed gym or a health club that caters solely to one sex?

Should you weigh yourself daily or weekly when you are dieting?

Those are the questions. And there are no right or wrong answers. They depend solely on your own experience and self-knowledge about what works best for you medically, physically and psychologically.

First things first: For many people, working out with a friend helps and inspires them to stick to the program. It makes you feel accountable to your friends as well as yourself. By building a bond of "we're in this together," you can even strengthen your friendship through shared activities.

But you need to pick a dedicated person -- one totally committed to the program.

Overall, I do better on my own I have discovered through trial and error. For some reason, I seemed to more often than not pick partners who canceled 1/3rd of the time. Too often, when they flaked out, so did I.

Two friends who are total exceptions to this are Rebecca Allmon Mikkelsen and Alexis Addison. Both always showed up, always were upbeat and encouraging, and working out with them was always great fun! Unfortunately Rebecca and her husband Tom Mikkelsen now live in San Diego, Calif., and Alexis still lives in Austin but dropped her Premier Lady membership.

So what works best for me right now, is to partner with myself. Then I exercise, or not, and only have myself to blame if I don't.

Also what works for me are large group classes that you can drop in when you feel like it, or as needed.

And I think a personal trainer would inspire me -- but to date I'm a bit shy of them. I have had a total right hip replacement and I have bum knees. I've worked with physical therapists -- most were excellent, but the last time I did rehab I ended up with a great hip but sore knees.

Ditto for a personal trainer I worked with once. Although she was informed of the tender knees, I was limping the day after our session.

So, be very careful about the person you choose. Do your research and ask them about their experience working with people with not great hips and knees, or whatever your weak spot is.

As to my choice of gyms, I prefer an all-woman health club. The reason? Here are a couple. Those men with their perfect abs, sculpted arms and wasp waists are just plain too distracting. I need to concentrate solely on my exercise program!

The second reason is related to the first. Have you ever noticed at coed gyms that many a woman shows up with full make-up and salon worthy hair? I like to shower and put my make-up on and fiddle with my hair AFTER I work out rather than before.

As for how often do you weigh yourself, I go back and forth. I've read in a number of exercise feature stories that if you go the daily route, do it first thing in the morning before you eat. Why so? Because your weight may fluctuate throughout the day.

But the big advantage of daily weigh-ins is that you can nip immediately even a small weight gain. Right now I'm doing weekly weigh-ins primarily because this is a weekly blog, and I'm on a slow weight loss program. Also, I'm using the physician's type scale at Premiere Lady. And I have to get in the car and drive there, so I don't do it daily.

One piece of advice: Always weigh yourself on the same scale. Individual scales can be calibrated a tad differently and you could end up weighing more -- or less -- on one scale compared to another.

Now I did say I weigh myself weekly, but I haven't this week and last. I'm still recovering slowly from that attack of bronchitis and asthma that has laid me low for two weeks. I do feel a bit better but my physician, Dr. David Pohl, prescribed some more meds for me Monday.

But here is very good news: my lounge-around-the-house clothes, especially pants, feel like they fit a bit looser!

By Lee Kelly

Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: Week 8

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:00:04 PDT

The past seven days have been a "bye" week for my exercise program. About 10 days ago I started feeling lethargic and totally unmotivated. Which is very rare for me.

I thought at first that I had been overdoing it. So I tried to get more sleep. One night I slept 10 1/2 hours and woke up tired. That should have been a clue. So much for listening to my body...

The next morning I got up with some energy but also a mild sore throat.

Allergies? It was an ozone action day and molds were high.

The smoke blowing into Austin from the Central Texas fires circling our city? A number of days people with chronic lung disease were advised to stay indoors. So I did.

But the next day my nose alternated between being so stuffed up I could hardly breathe out of my nostrils to my nose dripping like a leaky faucet. Soon my bedroom floor was littered with Kleenex.

The next day the cold, or whatever it was, eased down into my chest.

So two days ago, I went to my fine Austin pulmonologist, Dr. David Pohl. It was now bronchitis with some asthma.

Now I'm on a nebulizer four times a day. Also I'm on two nasal inhalants, and the strong antibiotic Avelox for seven days. As well as what I was taking over the counter, Tylenol and Vicks VapoRub. (An advisory: Your dogs may vacate your bed for other sleeping quarters if you apply Vicks liberally to your nose, throat and chest!)

The bottom line is I didn't make it to my health club for my official weekly weigh-in. So I don't know what I lost this week, hopefully something.

And I didn't make it to the Texas Obesity Awareness Week ceremonies, partially sponsored by the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. I had been looking forward to it for several months.

But I'm sure people at both places are happy I stayed home. I didn't cough over them and spread my germs to them and their families. People who are sick and go everywhere regardless of their colds and fevers are totally inconsiderate.

Have they especially no regard for people like myself who have lowered immune systems? I had a single lung transplant almost 11 years ago. Other people with weakened immune systems are pregnant women, cancer sufferers undergoing chemo and/or radiation and AIDS patients, among others.

And people with colds who insist on going to church and the movies and other such places put us all at risk, and, possibly death, in some cases.

I can rant on and on about this but must admit I always went to work sick when I was a reporter and columnist with the Austin American-Statesman, as well as a writer with the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. (An aside: I primarily work from home with the Center, so I'm not exposing anyone there to my germs!)

In fact, many reporters went to work with colds, as if it was a requirement of employment, or a badge of honor!

How ignorant we were, compromising our own health as well as jeopardizing the well being of our co-workers.

So, my advice is, wash your hands often. Get a flu shot. If you are at an event and someone next to or near you is coughing, move your seat. Even physicians will tell you they can't tell the difference in the early stages between allergies and colds.

Hopefully, I'll be fully recovered by next week. And in the week ahead, may you feel great and stay healthy!

By Lee Kelly
Kelly is an internationally award winning writer who consults with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living.

Catch up with Lee's previous "Losing It" posts:

Losing It: Week 7, Reward Yourself

Losing It: Week 6, Portion Control

Losing It: Week 5, A Setback

Losing It: Week 4, Nutrition

Losing It: Week 3, Exercise Program

Losing It: Week 2, The Diet

Losing It - The Start

Guest Blog: Growing "Earthly Delights" - Natural Obesity Prevention

noreply@blogger.com (The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:05:00 PDT

Barbara Storz is a winner of the 2011 Texas Health Champion Award, which will be presented during the Texas Obesity Awareness Week event Tuesday, September 13th in Austin, TX. This event is free and open to the public. For more information and to register to attend visit www.texasobesityweek.org

I still remember holding a huge, beautiful, speckled butter bean and being so excited that my dad was going to finally let me plant with him that day. I was 3 years old. Now that I know a bit more about plants, I understand that children sometimes push the seeds in the ground too far and they don’t always germinate. That is why he gave me such a big seed. It certainly had more chances of survival, under the care of a 3 year old, than a lettuce seed would have.

I was blessed to be raised by a farming family and to have parents who were tuned into the cycle of food production from preparing the land, growing the crop, harvesting and preparing for consumption. We ate what we picked and we canned for times when crops were out of season. Fig preserves tasted so good on a cold January morning with a warm biscuit. The hot, sweaty, sticky fig harvest of July totally forgotten with every bite!

Today, as we face staggering statistics about our obesity, its toll on society and productivity, and the loss dreams of children due to diabetes and heart disease caused by obesity, I am reminded of how easy it was for my family to be healthy. Although we raised cattle and chickens, meat was usually served at lunch on Sunday; fish we caught were eaten on Friday, and for special occasions, like birthdays, my grandmother made turtle soup. My brother, my cousins, my parents and aunts and uncles worked in the family vegetable garden together after school. As young children, we got excited when crops were developing for harvest. “What is it going to taste like?” and “How soon can we eat this?” were common questions. Today, I love to visit school gardens and hear the children asking the same questions. The young children are a natural part of the cycle, just as I was and am today.

The easiest way to control weight is to be part of the cycle. As you get involved in the physical process of growing the crop and caring for it, you start thinking about how you are going to prepare the crop and how good it is going to taste. Filling a plate full of vegetables becomes a reward for your hard work and it cannot get better than when you share this experience with a child. As they get older, children also enjoy being part of the planning process and will look at the seed catalogs for ideas. Let it happen.

The more vegetables you put on a plate the less room you have for things that need to be eaten in moderation, like meat and French fries (even biscuits!). The taste of freshly harvested vegetables is wonderful! And, as you develop your gardening skills and harvests become more and more plentiful, you will find there is not much room for the fattening foods. Keep a garden diary, take photos of your garden and harvests, make note of how you prepared your vegetables and note what varieties produced the best or tasted so great that the whole family noticed. These are the true “Earthly Delights” and you and your family deserve them.

Written By

Barbara Storz, MS

Barbara Storz is an Extension educator for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, part of the Texas A & M University system. She can be reached at their Hidalgo County office at (956) 383-1026 or by e-mail at b-storz@tamu.edu.

Barbara Storz is a winner of the 2011 Texas Health Champion Award, which will be presented during the Texas Obesity Awareness Week event Tuesday, September 13th in Austin, TX. This event is free and open to the public. For more information and to register to attend visit www.texasobesityweek.org