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 FINISH LINE!
Candidates Lose Collective 55
lbs.
For our three makeover candidates -- Amber
Spahr, Janet Picarelli and Frank Jacobs -- the odyssey of the past
six months has come to an end while a new journey begins. By making
fundamental changes in their diet and exercise regime, each has
embraced a new, healthier lifestyle that will dramatically reduce
their risk profile while providing a solid platform for further
progress.
While none of our candidates came close to reaching
the goals they originally set with our registered dietician, they've
each lost significant weight. Amber lost 12 lbs., weighing in at a
healthy 122 from her original 134. Janet took off 25 lbs., bringing
her to 230 from a starting weight of 255. And Frank dropped 17.5
lbs., finishing at 218.5, down from 236.
Together our team
has shed nearly 55 pounds, which in addition to taking a load off
weary joints and overworked organs, lowers their risk for heart
disease, diabetes, cancer and a host of other ailments. Such a
substantial reduction in total body fat also will improve the
functioning and efficiency of their metabolic systems while
decreasing the amount of toxic substances secreted by excess adipose
tissue (see Nutrition News, below).
What have we learned? One
of the advantages of having such great makeover stars is that we've
had the opportunity to read about a variety of different experiences
and find the ones which most resonate with our own lives. But based
on meetings with our candidates and my own observations of their
trials and triumphs, here's a fairly universal top 10:
10)
Peer pressure works -- join Weight Watchers or form your own
group.
9) Regular weigh-ins count.
8) Don't cheat -- one day
of excess can blow a week's worth of discipline.
7) Keep a food
diary.
6) Exercise daily -- make appointments if necessary.
5)
Incorporate strength training -- more muscle burns more
calories.
4) Salads -- load up on greens, skimp on fats to keep
full.
3) "Speed bump" your meals by eating fruit or veggies
first.
2) Make your family a partner in exercise and
meal-prep.
1) Pound for pound, fruits and veggies have fewer
calories, more fiber, nutrients and will keep you full longer than
other foods.
So what are you waiting for? Let the pounds lost
and lessons learned by our makeover candidates inspire you to begin
your own program of lifestyle change.
As Amber, Janet and
Frank attest below, it's not easy, but the results, in body and
spirit, are more than worth the effort. While the grand prize of a
free spa weekend will have to go back in the kitty to be pursued by
our next intrepid candidate, each of our stars will receive "Day of
Wellness" certificates worth $175 each for letting us be a part of
their passage to better health.
AMBER SPAHR
GOAL: 19 lbs.
LOST: 12
lbs.
INITIAL
Weight: 134
Waist: 32.5"
Body fat:
28.1%
BMI: 25.3
FINAL (Aug. 2)
Weight:
122
Waist: 27.5"
Body fat: 23.4%
BMI: 23.1
I have to
start by saying thank you: to my husband for helping to support and
encourage me, to my trainer for getting me in the best shape of my
life and to everyone who has stopped to share words of encouragement
to help me get through many tough days and helping me feel good
about myself on other days.
I have enjoyed these last six
months despite not reaching my initial goal. I am not upset about
not making my target weight because I have adopted new habits that
will contribute to a healthier life. According to Weight Watchers
standards, I am now in a healthy weight range for my age and height,
and I plan on staying there this time.
In looking back, I
didn't "diet" for six months to make my target, I changed my
lifestyle! I didn't gain that much weight overnight and I shouldn't
expect it to come off too quickly. When I changed my lifestyle for
the better, I saw slow and steady results. As I continue to see
results, I will not give up the habits I am learning and practicing
now. After all is said and done, I am a winner -- and my reward is a
healthier life.
JANET PICARELLI
GOAL: 50 lbs.
LOST: 25
lbs.
INITIAL
Weight: 255
Waist: 48"
Body fat:
43.3%
BMI: 42.5
FINAL (Aug. 2)
Weight: 230
Waist:
43"
Body fat: 42.3%
BMI: 38.9
Although I
didn't reach my goal of 50 pounds of weight loss, I have succeeded
in so many ways. I have shed 25 pounds as well as many bad eating
habits. Don't get me wrong, I still have cravings for those bad
foods. I just see and feel the difference in me, and I try to work
through them. Just yesterday I sweetly asked the DMV to change my
weight listed on my license. I'm sure the clerk knew I wasn't really
180 pounds, but I knew I would be soon and, hey, why have that old
weight listed for another few years?
My family has been a bit
harder to train, but since we are now cooking healthier, they are
slowing learning and seeing the benefits as well. My husband
actually asked to write my final comments. He wanted to send his
personal thanks, but I knew you would all miss my sense of humor, so
I said "no." Well, that -- and the fact that he wanted to "thank you
all for rallying around the hag."
Try not to be upset, but
you will no longer have immediate access to my weight, body fat or
waist size. This is my last article as a DEW model. I am sorry I
wasn't a shining example. I will continue on this mission, and I
will reach my ultimate goal of 175 pounds by year's end. Personal
updates can be provided for a donation in my name to the Ojai Spa.
All kidding aside, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ENDLESS
SUPPORT.
FRANK JACOBS
GOAL: 45 lbs.
LOST: 17.5
lbs.
INITIAL
Weight: 236 lbs
Waist: 45"
Body fat:
29.4%
BMI: 37
FINAL (Aug. 2)
Weight: 218.5
lbs
Waist: 42"
Body fat: 28.2%
BMI: 34.2
Over the
last few months I have achieved many of my health goals even though
I ultimately fell short of my target weight. I have habituated the
"5-9-A-Day" standard, dropped body fat, built muscle and have begun
again competing in 10K runs and triathlons. I am registered in early
October for my first full marathon in five years.
While
disappointed about missing my target in the allotted time frame, I
am confident that the habits I have developed over the last few
months will ultimately result in my desired weight loss. Most
importantly, the preponderance of my diet will continue to consist
of fruits, vegetables and legumes -- the fundamentals to a healthy
life.
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 FAT: IT DOESN'T JUST "SIT THERE"
How the Adipose
"Organ" Acts to Poison
Inactivity may lead to excess
fat, but excess fat is anything but inactive. New scientific
research is revealing that adipose tissue is far more than a
lifeless layer of oleaginous energy storage. In recent years,
scientists have taken to speaking of fat as an "endocrine organ,"
much like other glands that pump hormones into our bloodstream,
affecting other bodily functions as well as behavior.
But as
health writer Denise Grady pointed out in her superb New York
Times piece, "Fat: The Secret Life of a Potent Cell," unlike
the thyroid or pituitary gland, fat "has a seemingly infinite
capacity to make more of itself. Too much body fat can act like a
poison, spewing out substances that contribute to diabetes, heart
disease, high blood pressure, stroke and other illnesses, including
some cancers."
The paradigm shift in scientific understanding
of fat came with the discovery of leptin, a hormone released by the
adipocyte (or fat cell) to signal satiety to the brain. Fat tissue
also teams with macrophages that trigger the body's inflammatory
response, which in excess and over time can increase the risk of
heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer's, cancer and myriad other
diseases.
Other heft-related hormones have been linked to
insulin resistance, which would help explain why excess weight is
such a risk factor for diabetes and its attendant
ailments.
While health professionals have long known that
abdominal fat posed a greater health threat than lower-body largesse
(the old apple vs. pear comparison), why the former should prove
more lethal than the latter has thus far eluded them. Breakthroughs
in understanding adipocyte activity may finally provide the missing
link. Researchers speculate that visceral fat (deposited around the
organs in the midsection) might even be more metabolically active
than subcutaneous fat (the lardy layer under your skin).
The
internal organs -- particularly the liver -- essentially marinate in
that sea of fat, vulnerable to the toxic secretions that can monkey
with your metabolism. Interestingly enough, this is why liposuction
can suck away billions of subcutaneous fat cells without touching
the treacherous types tucked around your gut or changing the size of
those cells which remain.
"Obese people have huge fat cells,
with 50% to 75% more mass than fat cells in lean people," writes
Grady, paraphrasing the observation of Dr. Samuel Klein, director of
the Center for Human Nutrition at the School of Medicine at
Washington University in St. Louis: "Large fat cells are not a good
thing to have because research has found that they are more active
metabolically than small ones, and more likely to churn out harmful
substances."
The answer: diet and exercise, or as our
makeover candidates might tell you -- lifestyle change. Losing
weight by making time for the gym and replacing unhealthy junk food
and saturated fat-laden fast food takes effort and self-discipline,
but the rewards are far more enduring and the alternatives far more
unpleasant.
Take the first step in dropping pounds by
shedding the illusion that those rolls of fat or that over-the-belt
bulge is merely the innocuous if unsightly evidence of too many
return trips to the buffet line. The old adage heretofore employed
to balance the scales between the beautiful and the over-bountiful
may be truer than previously conceived: it's not how you look, but
rather what's inside that counts. And when it comes to the active
life of your fat cells, too much of what's inside could be killing
you.
SEXUAL HEALTH WEEK (Aug. 4 to 10)
Veg-Edge vs. STDs,
Infertility & Cervical Cancer
Promotion of
sexual health goes hand in hand with the prevention of sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs), and prevention is primarily achieved
through protection, education and youth-oriented abstinence efforts.
This focus makes sense given that an overwhelming majority of STD
sufferers become infected before the age of 25 -- and that 25% of
all new infections occur among teens.
But while most sexual
health campaigns focus on modifying sexual activity, per se, very
little is said about the role of diet in reducing the frequency
and severity of STD outbreaks. When you consider that lowered
resistance can trigger attacks of certain STDs, like genital herpes,
it makes sense that immune-boosting foods might also help protect
against viral eruptions as well.
Now comes new research
suggesting that eating veggies such as broccoli might halt herpes flare-ups. A study done
at the Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine found indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in cruciferous
veggies such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage,
kept the herpes virus in hibernation during lab experiments
(clinical studies would be needed to confirm the in vivo
benefit for humans).
Lysine is another compound that may inhibit herpes
viral activity. Soybeans, cooked and raw, are a super source of
lysine -- lima beans are also loaded. Conversely, herpes replication
may be supported by the amino acid arginine, found abundantly in
beef and peanuts. Keep the connection in mind next time you're
ordering during halftime.
While more than a million people
acquire herpes annually, five times that number will become infected
with human papilloma virus (HPV). Once again, prevention is the key
to putting a cap on such stats, but given that HPV is considered to
be the most common STD in the U.S., it's worth noting that for those
already exposed to the virus, diet can make a difference.
Women who eat the most veggies are 50% less likely to
have persistent HPV infections -- thus reducing their risk of
cervical cancer and infertility. While fruits and juices were not as
protective as vegetables, lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes and
watermelon had the highest benefit.
As long as we've broached
the subject of diet and reproductive health, please also keep in
mind that low-carb diets can also significantly reduce a woman's
chances of becoming pregnant. Animal studies conducted at the
Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine found that even a
"moderately" high protein diet could prevent an embryo from
attaching to the wall of the womb or hinder its early
development.
Though further research will need to show that
the same effect may be responsible for fertility impedance among
humans, the findings suggest that women's protein intake should be
less than 20% of overall calorie consumption during efforts to
conceive. Moreover, given the role of folic acid in preventing
neural tube defects, Mother Earth's bounty of folate-rich fruits and
veggies -- all too often scanted in low carb regimes -- should be
first on the menu of all mothers-to-be.
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 AN EXPERIMENT IN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS
Back in
October 2003, the Dole Nutrition Institute launched the Dole
Employee Wellness (DEW) program for employees at its Westlake
Village, Calif., corporate headquarters with an ambitious goal. We
hoped to create an oasis from the "toxic food environment" decried
by nutrition activists by devising a program that
would surround employees with healthy options -- even pay them to
make choices that would improve their health.
We monitored
participation, commissioned surveys, provided redeemable "Dole
Dollar" incentives, measured before-and-after weight and blood
values of a volunteer study group and looked at the impact of these
changes on health care costs. The results were mixed.
Some
components were more popular than others, but popularity did not
always correlate with positive health impact. An evaluation
conducted by our DEW dietician and program director, Tara Cox, with
input from other DNI team members, provides helpful insights on how
our own program could be improved, and how other corporate wellness
programs might learn from both our wins and misses.
Here's
what the program included:
Free morning fruit and afternoon veggie snacks.
Dining room overhaul and vending machine changes.
Lunchtime Laps walking group.
Free on-campus Bikram yoga and fitness classes.
State-of-the-art fitness facility.
One-on-one dietician consults.
Visual cues like signs encouraging stairs vs. elevators.
Bimonthly diet and nutrition newsletter.
Most popular --
and the most expensive -- was the free snack program. No big
surprise there -- folks love free food. Our survey revealed 40% of
respondents participated in snack times, while 100% of the fruit
usually disappears. We did move from rather lavish displays of cut
fruit at the beginning of the program to more mundane single pieces
of fruit -- partially to try and contain costs and partially because
the displays seemed to encourage overconsumption.
A total
overhaul of our headquarters' dining facilities was undertaken in
January to eliminate most saturated fat, trans fat and refined
sugars. Corporate and DNI subsidies saw an increase, as the costs of
the salad bar and a low-fat fish or vegan "Daily Dole" entree were
dramatically reduced to encourage consumption of healthy
options.
According to our survey results, a substantial
majority of employees have embraced these dietary reforms. Nearly
two-thirds of respondents feel that the dining room changes have had
a positive impact on their health and diet. On the other hand, those
who can't do without "fast food"-type entrees like cheeseburgers and
fries may be staying away, contributing to a drop in dining room
revenues. Still, an amazing 79% of employees surveyed say they have
tried vegetarian entrees, soups and foods they had never eaten
before. Clearly we're expanding dietary horizons and improving daily
nutrition when it comes to the vast majority of
employees.
The DEW program has been less successful in
increasing the fitness levels of our employees. Those who were
already using the gym are using it more often, leading to an upward
trend in the number of visits while the number of individuals using
the facility has remained fairly stable.
While the
introduction of Bikram yoga classes elicited initial enthusiasm,
participation dwindled to the point where we decided to cancel that
offering. Similarly, the "Lunchtime Laps" walking group started
strong but fizzled over time. New classes, like a "Spring Boot Camp"
have proved more popular, suggesting employees may prefer a more
fast-paced, upbeat program, and also that frequently rotating the
type of classes offered might help maintain
interest.
Moreover, if our survey results are to be believed,
63% of employees already exercise outside of work or at home. A
quarter of employees exercise at work -- a fairly high percentage --
while the percentage of people who claim to do no exercise, 8%, was
relatively quite low. All in all, these numbers suggest Dole
employees are an active bunch when compared to national statistics
showing that nearly 40% of Americans do nothing more strenuous than
clicking their remote control at the television set -- and only one
in 10 exercises vigorously on a regular basis.
Fewer
employees than we would have liked participated in the educational
components of DEW, such as the "Lunch 'n Learn" lectures -- 45 to 60
minute talks by outside experts on health topics ranging from heart
health to strength training to vegan cooking classes. Our survey
results suggested the topics that drew the greatest response were
memory enhancement, healthy cooking, women's health, stress
management and cholesterol/general nutrition.
In order to
measure the health impact of these changes, DEW organized a
55-subject test group, then partnered with the National Genetics
Institute to monitor changes in blood values, weight, body fat, etc.
over a six-month period. Most encouraging was a slight drop in
triglyceride, LDL and VLDL (bad and very bad) cholesterol and
C-reactive protein levels and a rise in HDL (good) cholesterol
levels. Further analysis is needed to determine whether these
changes were partly responsible for the modest reduction in health
care costs for this group (during this time frame over last year's
costs for the same group in a comparable period).
While the
group lost 104 pounds as a whole, the average number of pounds
dropped was just 1.89. We would recommend a greater focus on weight
loss, per se, rather than just general wellness, to improve
anthropometric results.
Another study, commissioned by the
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN), was
released about the same time as we completed our report and may shed
some light on new ways businesses can help employees lose
pounds. While only 2% of those surveyed claimed to have
participated in a workplace weight-loss program, nearly half of the
participants reached and maintained their long-term
goals.
This is an impressive result, particularly given the
high rate of relapse back into old habits by those who lose pounds
only to regain the weight and more. The built-in peer motivation,
employee incentives and convenience of such at-work programs may
help explain their unique efficacy. Those activities and services
most highly valued by survey respondents included on-site visits
with trained health professionals (38%), gym memberships (23%),
health seminars (16%), diets with outlined goals (14%) and on-site
exercise classes (13%).
Interestingly enough, the relatively
low value assigned to onsite fitness classes certainly showed up in
our experience as these constituted one of the least utilized
components of our program. To put a twist on an old aphorism, you
can lead a horse to the racetrack, but you can't make him run. At
the end of the day, the key to weight loss and better health lies
within.
Activists can rail all they want against outside
forces -- the food industry, television watching, aggressive
marketing, labor-saving technology, etc. -- and certainly such
factors have created an environment in which eating healthy and
staying active is just that much more challenging. But if we've
learned one thing from our experiment in employee wellness, it's
that no matter how much you change that environment, individuals are
not determinist beings. The human will still remains the biggest
deciding factor in determining one's dietary destiny.
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Spirited Peach Cobbler*
This scrumptious
dessert, sometimes called a "crisp," is served warm with a brandied
syrup drizzled over each serving.
8
Servings
Cobbler
1 cup frozen white grape juice
concentrate
6 cups sliced frozen freestone peaches
1/3 cup
Sucanat (unrefined cane sugar)
1/4 cup peach brandy
2
Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons cold
water
Topping
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup
wheat germ
1/3 cup Sucanat (unrefined cane sugar)
3
Tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3
Tablespoons prune puree**
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In
ovenproof and stovetop safe (Corning Ware-type) 2-quart casserole,
heat juice concentrate over medium heat for 3 minutes or until
thawed. Add peaches and lower heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes,
or until peaches are almost thawed. Add Sucanat and stir to mix. Add
peach brandy and simmer 3 minutes. Liquid will have the consistency
of syrup. Turn off heat, and remove 1 1/2 cups of the syrup, setting
aside in a small saucepan. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir
into filling.
Topping:
Place the flour, wheat germ,
Sucanat, walnuts and cinnamon in food processor blender, and pulse
to mix. Add the Lighter Bake and process until mixture has the
consistency of a moist crumb.
Sprinkle generously over
filling and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Bring the
reserved syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook
down and reduce syrup to about 1 cup, approximately 10 minutes.
Spoon over warm cobbler.
Enlightened Spirited Peach
Cobbler
Nutrition Analysis: per serving: 1 1/4
cups
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrate: 82 g
Fiber: 5 g
Fat: 2
g
Sat. Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Calcium: 24 mg
Sodium:
48 mg
Calories 297 (Calories from Protein: 4%, Calories from
Carbohydrate 90%, Calories from Fat: 6%)
Traditional
Spirited Peach Cobbler
Nutrition Analysis: per serving: two
cookies
Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 90 g
Fiber: 4 g
Fat:
16 g
Sat. Fat 8 g
Cholesterol: 31 mg
Calcium: 21
mg
Sodium: 148 mg
Calories 524 (Calories from Protein: 2%,
Calories from Carbohydrate 70%, Calories from Fat: 28%)
**
Prune puree is a terrific fat-replacer in baked goods and easy to
make in your own kitchen. However, in this recipe you can use prune
baby food.
PRUNE PUREE
Homemade prune puree is a
snap: simply place 2 cups of pitted prunes in a food processor or
blender, with 3/4 cup of water and 4 tsp. vanilla extract. Blend
until smooth, cover and refrigerate. Prune puree will keep in the
refrigerator for more than two weeks.
*by Marie Oser,
best-selling author of The Enlightened Kitchen, John Wiley &
Sons, Inc, 2002.
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PEACHES N' CREAM SKIN
We're celebrating
National Peach Month with yummy recipes that can benefit your skin
from the inside -- and outside. But August is also a time when too
much sun can take a toll on your skin. Overexposure to UV rays
promotes free radical production, which, in turn damages your DNA,
leading to cell malfunction that manifests itself visibly as
wrinkles and age spots.
Fortunately, summer fruits can provide protection against some of
the more harmful effects of the sun's rays. The combination of
vitamin C, carotenoids and phenolics found in peaches provides an antioxidant cocktail to help
neutralize free radicals that contribute to the premature aging of
your skin.
Vitamin C-rich foods like peaches also help
support the synthesis of collagen, the connective tissues that give
your skin its elasticity and youthful
fullness.
Dermatological studies are confirming what the
great beauties of the ages have known and practiced: Fruit
ingredients are a key component to treatments that help burnish the
complexion and lend a healthful glow. According to Dawn Gallagher,
author, model and modern-day "peachy queen,"
legendary lovelies like Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Mary Queen of
Scots and Queen Elizabeth resorted to beauty recipes similar to the
one borrowed below.
As Gallagher recounts, "the term 'peaches
and cream skin' came from a technique used generations ago by women
who combined mashed peaches and fresh cream as a facial mask. The
mixture made the skin lush and beautiful, thus the term 'she has
peaches and cream skin' was born."
Try this Peaches and
Cream Mask or other Secret Remedies to More Beautiful Skin.
1
large peach
2 to 3 Tablespoons cream
Peel and pit the
peach. Mash peach. Add cream until smooth. This mixture is a bit
runny, so you may want to lie back in your bath for 10 minutes or
so.
Rinse with warm water.
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