Internet dependency

The internet is part of our life these days.
Or at least, it’s part of my life.

I had no idea how much I relied on it until an outage took place.

At the moment I have no connection at all and it is very strange.

Want to see what’s on in the cinema? Drive into town.
Want to know what time the train or bus leaves? Walk up to the train/bus station.
Want to check your bank account? Go to your bank.
Want to check your email? Too bad.
Want to post to your blog? Too bad.

Unfortunately my provider has no idea what is wrong. They say everything should work but as I had to drive about 37km (+/- 23 miles) to post this apparently something is wrong.

Hopefully this will get sorted soon. . .

Mediterranean and Low Carb beat Low Fat

A two year study was done in Israel to compare 3 types of diet, low fat, mediterranean and low carb.

The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, in the 17 July 2008 issue.

It is an interesting read if you are into big words, lots of data and obvious disclaimers. As I am a bit of a geek I do like those first two so I enjoyed reading the article. To save you the trouble though I will highlight what I consider to be the main conclusions.

Aside from showing us that woman are better ‘losers’ than men (sorry guys), it also showed that woman lose more weight on a different weight loss plan than men.

Looking at the results after two years the ’skinny’ (bad pun intended) is on average:

“The mean weight loss was 2.9 kg for the low-fat group, 4.4 kg for the Mediterranean-diet group, and 4.7 kg for the low-carbohydrate group”

As was to be expected not everybody saw the diet through for the entire period (2 years). But even with those numbers included people lost over 50% more weight on the Mediterranean diet and dieters lost over 60% more on the Low Carb diet.

“among the 272 participants who completed the intervention, the mean weight losses were 3.3 kg, 4.6 kg, and 5.5 kg, respectively.”

The people who did stick to the diet for 2 years lost more weight on average. Again the people on the Mediterranean diet and Low Carb diet lost more weight. However, the differences become even more impressive now. People on the Mediterranean diet now lost over 60% more and people on the Low Carb diet lost over 65% more weight than people on the Low Fat diet.

“The relative reduction in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 20% in the low-carbohydrate group and 12% in the low-fat group”

This is probably the shocker for most ‘traditional’ dieters and another confirmation for the Low Carbers. One of the main arguments that we often hear against Low Carb dieting is that it can not be good for you cholesterol. However, this study shows once again that Low Carb is better for your cholesterol levels as indicated by the drop of total cholesterol against HDL (good cholesterol).

This all comes from the summary of the report.

When we dig deeper we find the numbers for both men and women separately.

“Among the 277 male participants, the mean 24-month weight changes were –3.4 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], –4.3 to –2.5) for the low-fat group, –4.0 kg (95% CI, –5.1 to –3.0) for the Mediterranean-diet group, and –4.9 kg (95% CI, –6.2 to –3.6) for the low-carbohydrate group.”

Men lost on average 3.4kg on the Low Fat diet, 4kg on the Mediterranean diet and 4.9kg on the low carb diet. So the Mediterranean diet beat Low Fat by 17% while for men the diet beat Low Fat by 44%.

“Among the 45 women, the mean 24-month weight changes were –0.1 kg (95% CI, –2.2 to 1.9) for the low-fat group, –6.2 kg (95% CI, –10.2 to –1.9) for the Mediterranean-diet group, and –2.4 kg (95% CI, –6.9 to 2.2) for the low-carbohydrate group”

Women on average lost 0.1kg on the Low Fat diet (is that even worth it?). 2.4kg on the Low Carb diet (yes, I’ve switched the order here) and 6.2kg on the Mediterranean diet! Women lost almost 3 times as much on the Mediterranean diet compared to the Low Carb diet and even more compared to the Low Fat diet.
Briefly highlighted:

Men

• Low Fat diet: -2.9kg
• Mediterranean diet: -4.4kg
• Low Carb diet: -4.7kg

Women

• Low Fat diet: -0.1kg
• Mediterranean diet: -6.2kg
• Low Carb diet: -2.4kg

So it looks like the women profit a lot more from a Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet also seems to work well for men however, the Low Carb diet seems to work even better for them.

If you have any questions then, as always, I am more than happy to help you if I can.

If are looking for a weight loss plan tailored to your own needs visit eDiets.com. They have been around for ages and are generally considered the best online service for weight loss.

11 Easy to follow tips to get more exercise every week.

Would you like to exercise more but is your schedule to busy or is the gym to expensive?

Here are 11 tips to help you get started today.

1. When going somewhere. Instead of parking as close to your destination as possible, park a couple of hundred meters away.
2. While watching TV. Take the batteries out of the remote and walk up to TV, stereo, DVD player etc. instead
3. While getting to your floor. Develop a phobia of elevators. Take the stairs instead. If you work or live on the 40th floor, get out of the lift a couple of floors early.
4. During the weekend. Invite friends and family members with kids over during the weekend. Go outside and play with the kids.
5. While at work. Take a break from work every couple of hours. Go for a short walk and stretch a bit. Not only will this help you exercise more but your brain will work better which also increases your productivity.
6. On public transportation. Get of the bus/tram/metro a (couple of) stop(s) early. Walk the rest of the way.
7. While taking care of you car. Wash your car yourself instead of driving it through the car wash. Don’t use the pressure cleaner.
8. When you go to get groceries. Leave the trolley after you have paid for your groceries. Use bags to carry the groceries to your car which you have parked at the end of the car park.
9. With pets. If you have a dog take him or her for an extra walk every day. If you don’t have a dog, borrow your neighbor’s dog.
10. When you have some spare time. Dance! Dancing is a fun way to burn some extra calories. If you can’t dance yet learn how to. Go to a beginner’s class. There will be no need to be self conscious as everybody is there to learn. Or just dance at home when there is nobody around.
11. On the phone. Walk while you are on the phone. Just walking up and down the living room will get you a lot of extra exercise every week.

Just implement all or some of these and you will get a lot more exercise every week. Before you know it you will be losing more weight and improving your health.

Let me know what other creative ways you have found to get more exercise.

8 Common Questions About The Warrior Diet

Over the last couple of day I received some questions regarding the warrior diet.

As you may be wondering about the same things I have published them here.

1.) Are you telling me that I can’t eat at all 18 hours of each day?
No, not at all. You under eat during the day which means you eat less. This is not the same as not eating at all. The Warrior Diet is not meant to be a water fast. You are supposed to eat during they day. Just be aware of what you eat and eat small portions.

2.) Isn’t this how Sumo wrestlers eat to gain weight?
Unfortunately somebody gave you some wrong information. Sumo wrestlers will eat a huge breakfast at 11:00am and around 6:00pm they will have a huge dinner. Both of these are based on pork.

3.) So in what way exactly is The Warrior Diet different?
The biggest difference is that on The Warrior Diet you will only eat small amounts of selected foods during the day. Definitely not unlimited amounts. Another difference is that, unlike Sumo wrestlers, you do not stuff yourself at night. You will feast until you have had enough. The indicator for this is that you’ll be more thirsty than hungry.

4.) I love coffee. Will I have to give up my coffee?
I know exactly how you feel. I love coffee. Go ahead and enjoy your coffee or tea. There are actually studies that show caffeine may help weight loss.

5.) Sounds too good. I remember, you’re going to make me exercise, right?
Not if you don’t want to. However, it is definitely recommended.
Not only will it help you to speed up weight loss but you’ll improve your health. But, if you really don’t want to, even without exercise the diet will work and you will still lose weight.

6.) Will I only lose water weight if I don’t exercise?
No. You will still lose fat while doing The Warrior Diet. Just at a slower rate than if you do exercise.

7.) Will I be tired during the day?
Actually, you’re more likely to be more energized during the day. Although unlikely you may experience some tiredness during the first couple of days as your body adjusts to the new eating habits.

8.) Am I allowed to drink alcohol on The Warrior Diet?
Yes, you are. Keep in mind though that drinking alcohol will slow down weight loss. Also, and maybe even more importantly, don’t combine alcohol and carbs.

If you have any other questions please leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Moved!

I have moved my blog to a subdomain of my own site.

WordPress.com just had too many limitations which made it not possible for me to optimize my pages. By hosting them here I should be able to reduce the time it takes to load a page which will be a big improvement.

If you have any suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me.

All the best,

Walter

Weight loss made easy

When we start changing our weight loss plans we are often overwhelmed by them.

Sure, at first we are all excited but once that initial feeling wears off we start worrying about whether or now we will be able to make permanent changes to the way we eat. It seems like we will not be able to stick with the plan forever so instead we just give up.

If you are also faced with this problem then I have good news for you.

There is a solution to this.

Next time you start a weight loss plan make a smaller commitment. Do not force yourself to make life long changes right from the start. Instead make a 60 or 90 day commitment to yourself.

Tell yourself that no matter what happens you will follow through for that period. When that period is over and you find that the weight loss plan is working our for you then you can make another 60 or 90 day commitment to yourself.

Before you know it you will realize you have been on your plan for over a year and it was not hard at all.

7 Misconceptions About the Atkins Diet

My post yesterday got me thinking about some of the things I have heard about the Atkins diet.

I’ll address 7 of the most common misconceptions that are still around today.

1) Atkins is ultra low carb. No one can live their entire life on less than 20 grams of carbs per day.
Saying nobody can live their entire live on 20g of carbs per day is probably right. But doing that would not be the same as doing Atkins. Atkins only restricts you to 20 grams of carbs per day during the first phase of the Atkins Diet, Induction. After that you start to add more carbs again. Aside from that Atkins only counts what he called ‘net carbs’. If your food is rich in fiber than the carbs from fiber are not counted.

2) Atkins is all about eating fat food.
Atkins is all about eating good food. Fat food is part of that but not the main staple. During induction, the most strict phase of the diet you are recommended to eat 250g (9oz) of salad greens or 170g (6oz) of salad greens and 80g (3oz) of other vegetables. There is not exactly much fat in that. And at that point you are not even close to your carb limit for the day so you can have even more vegetables. Atkins actually recommended that peoplere restrict the amount of certain fat foods, like bacon and sausage, they eat.

3) On Atkins you have steak and burgers every night.
No, on Atkins steak and burgers are permitted. However, just because something is permitted does not mean you should eat it every night. Atkins also stressed the importance of vegetables and fish.

4) You’re not allowed to have fruit on Atkins
Fruit is not forbidden. It is actually recommended. Especially berries. Fruit is only forbidden during the induction phase. The first and most strict phase of the plan.

5) You can eat unlimited amounts of burgers and cheese.
No you can not. Both burgers and cheese are permitted but Atkins stressed repeatedly that this does not give you a “license to gorge”.

6) You will always be tired on the Atkins diet.
You may experience some tiredness during the first couple of days as your body switches from glucose to ketones. This is a pretty significant change and therefor requires a lot from your body. After the switch you will actually find that your energy levels stabilize and you don’t suffer from the ups and downs that you normally experience.

7) It’s a diet so like any diet you’ll gain the weight again when you stop.
Let’s have a look at the dictionary definition for diet:
di·et1 Audio Help /ˈdaɪɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[dahy-it] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -et·ed, -et·ing, adjective
–noun
1. food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health

Your diet is what you eat, every day of your life. Atkins is not meant to shed some weight and then be forgotten about. It’s meant to change your eating habits, making your diet healthier.

Warning: Weight loss plans do not work!

At  the moment I am in a coffee shop in Trier, Germany.
Or rather, when I wrote this article I was in a coffee shop in Trier, Germany. As there was no wifi connection there I was not able to post until now.

The coffee shop, it is really a cafe/restaurant but as most of the regulars only go there for coffee and cake I will keep calling it a coffee shop, is located in a beautiful building on the town square. It is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon on the terrace.

Unfortunately it was raining but I was perfectly happy sitting inside and writing while I enjoyed my “milch kaffee”. Milch kaffee is similar to cappuccino but they use a regular cup of coffee rather than an espresso to make it. All of that is irrelevant though unless you plan on visiting Germany any time soon.

As you might have guessed when I said that most people come here for cake and coffee, this particular coffee shop is especially well known for it’s cakes. Even though they do a wonderful brunch, and I am sure the rest of their food is good as well, the cakes are the main reason that the regulars come back.

So why am I posting this on a blog related to weight loss?

Because of a conversation I overheard.

At the table behind me 2 couples were enjoying their coffee and cake. It seemed like they had not seen each other in a while and they were having a great time catching up. One of the things they talked about was how wonderful the cake was.

I have to admit, I do not like cake anymore. I never thought I would say this but my taste has changed over the last year. Cake is now to sweet for me.

The people behind me were raving about it though and, even though I do not like it anymore, I know what they mean. I used to love it as well.

Then the topic of conversation changed, as it does. They spoke about Trier, the weather and eventually about losing weight.

I am still overweight myself but things are going in the right direction. I still need to lose about 10 kilos (22lbs) though and I know trying to lose weight can be difficult. I have been there.

These people were more overweight than I am so I was not surprised that they started talking about weight loss as well.

They discussed several weight loss plans that they had tried and what they thought of those plans. Then one of the ladies said:”I am going to have to try something else. I have been doing Atkins for months now and it just does not work. I have not lost any weight at all”.

By this time I got curious. I have done Atkins for a year and had very good results doing it. But I did not remember Atkins recommending cake.

I realize this could have been just one day in months when she decided to have a piece of cake as her plan did not work anyway. But I come here regularly and so does the lady I am talking about. She is here at least twice a week and has been coming that often for as long as I can remember.

The other lady who had not tried Atkins agreed that if the plan did not work for her she should definitely try something else instead. She was still curious though so she asked what Atkins was about, what you could eat, what you could not eat, etc.

To my surprise she explained that cake was allowed in moderation and then went on to say a couple of other things that were completely wrong as well. In the end I just could not resist so I decided to ask her the question that had been on my mind for the last 10 minutes.

“Excuse me, I could not help but overhear your conversation. Do you mind telling me where you found out about Atkins and where you found the plans guidelines?”.

She was very friendly and spent the next 10 minutes explaining that her daughter had heard about it from somebody else and recommended it. Then she had found out how to do Atkins by asking other people. Most of them, she admitted, said that they had never tried Atkins but had heard somebody say that, etc.

When she was done explaining I told her that unfortunately she had been misinformed and that, if she spoke English, I would gladly give her my copy of Atkins New Diet Revolution.

This is not the first time I have come across misconceptions like this though. I find it actually happens quite a lot. Ok, in this case it was very extreme. More extreme than what I usually come across.

However, I also often visit weight loss forums. And whenever I do there are always people that say ‘I have been doing Plan X for Y months now. I have not bought the book yet though and I have some questions”.

The rest of their post usually indicates that they have been doing things that go completely against the ‘rules’ of their chosen plan.

Part of me is proud of these people.

They are trying to take control of their weight problem and are making an effort at solving it. The other part of me wants to go out, buy the book for whatever plan they are doing and smack them around the head with it.

Yes, take control of your life. And yes, if you are overweight and unhappy about it then by all means, do something about it. But keep in mind, these plans work for a reason.

They have been fine tuned. Balanced to get results. You will have to stick to the rules though to succeed. Sure, you may be able to bend the rules a bit from time to time but if you only follow half of them you will not get the results that you are looking for.

And not only will you be disappointed when you do not lose weight, you will also start spreading lies without even being aware of it. You will tell other people that Plan X does not work when you really do not know whether it works or not. After all, you have not tried it properly yet.

Now I realize that not everybody can afford to invest in books. I’ve been close to bankruptcy at one point in my life and I know what it’s like to struggle to pay your rent. To wonder whether or not you will have enough money to buy food that month.

When you are in a situation like that there is absolutely no way that you are even going to consider spending money on a book. Feeding yourself/your family is a lot more important so naturally that is what you will spend your money on.

If you are in a similar situation then I recommend the following.

Start by reading the website for the plan of your choice. They usually have the basic information published there for free. After you have read everything on the website find a support forum for the specific plan.

Start reading some of the older post on the forum. See which members have been around for a long time (their number of posts is usually a good indicator) and look up their posts.

Then, when you have read the information on the support forum, start posting.
Introduce yourself in the part of the forum that has been set aside for introductions.
And be honest. Say something like:

“Hi, I am Walter*. I am here because I want to lose weight. I heard about Plan X and decided to read up on it. Unfortunately I can not get the book right now so I have to rely on information I found on their web site and in the wonderful posts that I have found here (it never hurts to tell people their posts are great ;-). I am ready to start now but I would like to make sure that I am doing everything right.

What I have understood so far is that …”

Then start describing how you interpret the plan and see what other people have to say about your interpretation.

If you have followed the steps that I described above they will probably say that you have got it right and encourage you to start. They might suggest some minor tweaks but that will be all.

You will find that, when put in the effort to find information on your own first, other people will gladly help you.

Finally, keep posting on the support forum. Post your meal plan every day and ask for feedback. Others will see that you are motivated and are invested time in your weight loss plan. In turn they will not mind to investing time in answering your questions and giving you feedback.

And to end this post, when you start seeing results, start putting aside some money every week. It does not matter whether it is $0.10, $1.00 or any other amount. Just put it aside every week until you have saved enough money to buy the book. By this time you probably will not need it anymore but buying the book is a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the author.

Besides, you may find somebody else who is in the same situation as you were when you started out. Give them the book and you will be able to help them a lot. Not only will they be grateful but you will feel good knowing that you have helped somebody else get control of their weight problem.

That reminds me, I have to send my old copy of Atkins New Diet Revolution to the lady in the coffee shop and order a new one.

* do not forget to change ‘Walter’ to your chosen name on that forum

What is The Warrior Diet?

I realized that as it was hard for me to find information I should spend some time explaining what exactly The Warrior Diet is and how it works.

After all, you need information to help you get going.

The Warrior Diet is a diet that goes against a lot of the mainstream ideas. Over the years The Warrior Diet has gained a big underground following, mainly consisting of athletes and martial artists. Aside from that it has also gained popularity with the low carb crowd even though, or maybe because, The Warrior Diet is not a low carb diet.

The main principle behind The Warrior Diet is under eating during the day and overeating at night. Like I said, it goes against a lot of mainstream ideas. Definitely no big breakfast here.

However, regardless of what people are trying to make you believe, there really is no conclusive evidence that supports multiple meals per day. And to me eating little food during the day and a lot of sense makes sense from an evolutionary point of view.

After all, when you’re running around trying to kill a mammoth or gathering enough food for you and your family to survive while trying to dodge predators, you won’t have much time to sit down and eat during the day. It won’t be until nightfall that you’ll have the time to enjoy all the wonderful food you collected.

This brings us to one of the biggest misconceptions about The Warrior Diet as well. The main point is to under eat during the day. However, this does not mean that you should fast during the day. It just means that you should eat little during the day.

In his book, The Warrior Diet, Ori Hofmekler will go into detail about the kind of food he recommends. But to get you started, minimize food consumption to mostly raw fruit and vegetables, soups, and small amounts of light protein foods. As you are not eating much during the ‘working’ part of the day your body will burn fat to keep your energy levels balanced. People doing The Warrior Diet all mention an increased energy level during the day which is in line with the information in the book.

According to Ori Hofmekler this is because during the day the sympatic nervous system gets stimulated by under eating. If you want to know more about this than I recommend you go to Ori Hofmekler’s website and buy the book.

The overeating phase of The Warrior Diet starts at night. You are encouraged to switch between days of different fuel foods. For instance, have a high carb day (i.e. grains) followed by a high fat day (i.e nuts). There are some guidelines though when it comes to eating at night.

1. Start with subtle tasting foods like salad, vegetables and protein food before eating more aggressive foods like carb food or fat food (i.e. grains or nuts).
2. Introduce all tastes, textures, aromas and colors possible in your main meal. So like most of us already know, the more colourful your meal is, the better it is.
3. Stop eating when you feel more thirsty than hungry.

Especially the last part can be a bit tricky. I’ve found that most people, myself included, don’t really notice the difference between hunger and thirst. At least not consciously. What I have found to be a good way to tell when this happens though, is the number of times I reach for my drink. When I’m getting full I find myself reaching for my drink more often than at the beginning of the meal. This is my sign to stop eating.

Another point of The Warrior Diet is, just like with other diets, exercise. This makes perfect sense.

Up until a 100 years ago human beings were much more active then they are today. Cars, planes, trains, etc. have all taken away a lot of exercise. Add to that we do much less physical work these days and you’ll have to agree, we don’t move nearly as much as we used to.

Ori Hofmekler recommends strength and speed training as well as velocity drills. He actually created a specific exercise program for The Warrior Diet called Controlled Fatigue Training. Again, for more information about that refer to the book.

Aside from all of this it Ori Hofmekler recommends that you use supplements. It’s no secret that food today is less dense in nutrients than it used to be so this should not come as a surprise. All supplements that are recommended for The Warrior Diet should be easy to find. If you don’t feel like going out and looking for them though you can order them here.

Now for one of the most important questions, is The Warrior Diet a crash diet or a lifestyle?
I guess The Warrior Diet will work as a crash diet. I lost fat very quickly and am still losing fat. However, it is not intended to be used that way. The Warrior Diet is meant to change your eating habits and keep you lean and fit throughout the rest of your life.

Ori Hofmekler is a pretty good representative for both The Warrior Diet and being fit. After all, how many people look like this at 56:

Ori Hofmekler

Does the warrior diet work?

The Warrior Diet.

It is one of the diets that is not so well known and goes against a lot of popular believes. Because of that one of the main questions is “does The Warrior Diet work?”

The main points of this diet is is eating just a little bit during the day and then over-eating at night.

Like I said, it goes against a lot of popular believes. And as I like things that go against the rules I decided to give this diet a try. Ok, if I have to be honest there was another reason I tried it as well, I do not like eating during the day anyway. I’ve never been a big breakfast person, unless I was hung over, so eating only a little bit during the day seemed easy enough.

I started to look into The Warrior Diet a bit more and found it surprisingly hard, at least compared to other diets, to find information. However, after going through some forums I can say that about 99% of the people who tried The Warrior Diet have had good results. I only found one person that said she gained weight on the program. Unfortunately she never posted any other information so it was not possible to find out if she had followed the programs rules properly or not.

From my own experience I have to say, The Warrior Diet worked like a charm. Weight flew off and according to my scale my water percentage went up as did my muscle mass. Fat was the only declining thing.

In another entry I will go a bit deeper into the system behind the diet but based on what I have read and my own experience the answer to the question ‘Does The Warrior Diet work?’ is yes.