Here is how you do it

Forget about the Atkins diets and all those other gimmicks. This is how you lose weight and keep it off. Good job.

This is crap

So here's this story on CNN.com saying, "Low-carb diet beats other diets in study." You could say that the Atkins approach -- low carbs -- beat the low-fat approach, but I'm here to tell you this is a load of duck turd. Both of these diets will doom you to failure. You will lose weight with either, but unless you address the basic math of weight managment -- where combining calorie intake minus calorie expenditure (i.e. exercise) is compared to the base level of calories your body requires each day -- you will not reach a long-term healthy solution. And you'll get fat again. Listen people: It's not carbs, and it's not fats. It's calories. Do not take in more calories than your body needs. It's that simple. And when you exercise, you can take in even more calories. And that's good. Again, there are no quick fixes, no gimmicks. I bet you know that.

Lyme disease and other things New York

Meanwhile, today let's check in with the other great American newspaper health section in the New York Times. It's part of the Science Tuesday section, and usually buried behind long, elaborately illustrated stories about evolution or ferrets. (Note: you need an online NY Times subscription to access these stories -- sorry). The Times' health coverage is noteworthy because it is one of the few newspapers that pays enough to employ the writing skills of actual MDs -- which for health coverage is actually a good thing. And then, of course, there's the grande dame of health writing, the witty and erudite Jane E. Brody, who writes an eminently readable first-person column (called "Personal Health," natch). She writes about Lyme disease this week, which admittedly is a much bigger deal in the Northeast than in my SoCal homeland. But that's OK. So, why am I spotlightinging back-to-back the health reportage of the Timeses of LA and NY? Cuz this kinda stuff is getting gutted from our print media. It'll probably get stripped from the LA Times pretty soon. Maybe it'll survive in NY. We hope so.

(Illustration by Jez Burrows for the New York Times)

Why we are fat

Amid the sad news of the impending layoff of 150 journalists and the resignation of its publisher, the Los Angeles Times published this story today in its rapidly evolving and improving Health section. Over the past few months, this Monday staple has made indepth inquiries into the matrix of body weight, diet, exercise and overall health without hyperbole or moral indignation. Plus, they write good, too. Today's exploration, called "What's making us fat?", delves into theories both ridulous (maybe we should smoke) and sublime (it's that damn corn syrup). Anyway, good reading across the board. Here's their list, and let's hope those greedy bastards who control my favorite newspaper don't can the entire Health staff.

• Maybe we're too stressed


• Maybe a virus is to be blamed


• Maybe the temperature is just right


• Maybe it's all that high-fructose corn syrup


• Maybe low-fat foods made us eat more


• Maybe we take too many drugs


• Maybe we're doomed before birth


• Maybe there's too much pollution


• Maybe we're not sleeping enough


• Maybe we shouldn't have quit smoking

(Artwork by Karen Greenberg for the Los Angeles Times.)

Back off!

Here's an interesting story on the New York Times' website tackling the "culture of shame and accusation" surrounding obesity. I find it amusing that in an age in which we are sensitive to race, ethnicity and orientation, we still get a kick out of making fun of fat people and generally making them feel even worse about themselves. As a formerly obese person, I can tell you this with absolute certainty -- overweight people know they are fat. Trust me on this. You don't need to tell them. It's the same as going to an amputee and saying, "hey, do you know you're missing an arm?" And here's another fact you can take to the bank: If it were easy to lose weight, people wouldn't be obese. There's a lot more than diet and exercise to consider; there's a deep psychology surrounding one's self image that's is intrinsically linked to obesity. Some people become fat to shield themselves and to support a negative self image. So, skinny people of the world, have a heart. Tell the obese people in your life that you love them the way they are. I guarantee that this approach will encourage someone to lose weight and get healthier. Oh, and one more thing, should that obese loved one drop 50-60 pounds, don't condescendingly say, "you look so much better!" You think?

A toast to the fuel-efficient body!

This, from today's Los Angeles Times:

The average American walks about 900 miles a year, according to a Harvard study. And the average American drinks 22 gallons of alcohol a year, the American Medical Assn. says. Concludes Jack Finarelli of SportsCurmudgeon.com: "This means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon. Kind of makes you proud to be an American."

More good news about your heart!

Here's an uplifting story telling us that damage leading to heart disease begins early in life. Which makes me wonder ... if EVERYTHING we do hurts our body in one way or another, why are Americans living longer, healthier lives? Is medicine doing that good of a job, or are we humans a little more resilient than we give ourselves credit for? I mean, the average lifespan of Americans has nearly doubled over the past century despite increasingly sedentary lifestyles, chronic pollution and horribly fatty, salty mass-produced foods. Could it be that our genes like the abuse? (My apologies to the 20 million Americans who have or are on the verge of getting diabetes. This obviously isn't the case.)