Week 2 Round-up

Ouch.

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Week 2: July 6- 12

Done with Week 2! Below, I've posted the best of the news of the week. If you know of anything I missed or any sites I should be checking regularly, please let me know.

Next week, I'll launch Phase 1 of the experiment and kick off my Paleo Diet. I am excited to actually get started- I have to speed read through Cordain's Paleo Diet book so I can a) figure out exactly what I'm going to be eating and b) report to you what I think of it. Until then... happy weekend!


Top Story of the Week
The article: In Dieting, Magic Isn't a Substitute for Science. Gina Kolata, NYTimes, July 9, 2012.

From Chicago-Hearald-Tribune

What is says: The article profiles an interview with an obesity researcher, Dr. Jules Hirsch, responding to a recent JAMA study which showed that, "after losing weight, people on a high-fat, high-protein diet burned more calories than those eating more carbohydrates."

Dr. Hirsch spends the rest of the article poking various holes in the study, including the fact that there were only 21 participants- not nearly large enough to draw conclusions. He also brings up what I think is essentially the Law of the Conservation of Energy, or at least the dieter's equivalent of it. The Law of Conservation of Energy is a physics principle which states that matter (i.e. energy, i.e. calories) can neither be created nor destroyed. That is, calories going into a system (your body) will always equal calories leaving the system. Therefore, it doesn't matter what form you eat your calories in, you're not going to get rid of extra calories (ie, stored fat) without creating a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you put into your system, either by reducing your calorie intake, or increasing your energy output through activity, or a combination of the two.

Why it's interesting: The question of whether a calorie is just a calorie is really the key issue for every single diet. On one hand, I took physics; I understand the principle and, you know, I'm not really ready to take on whatever genius came up with it. On the other hand, I can't quite believe that my body will really react to 250 calories of Doritos in the same way it might react to 250 calories of blueberries. That's what this blog's about- finding out for myself! One other note: Loren Cordain, who wrote the Paleo Diet book, would argue that a high-fat, high-protein diet like what was studied in the JAMA article is TERRIBLE for you. Paleo is a VERY high protein, moderate fat, low carb diet, and he would argue that that is a significant difference.

Bonus:  Someone suggested on Twitter yesterday that the staff at NYT must wander around with "If you like Gina Ko-la-ta, getting caught in the rain..." stuck in their heads. Ha! That must kill them.

The Other Best Stories of the Week

Cleansing from Cubicle to Cubicle. Courtney Rubin, NYTimes, July 12, 2012.

From nytimes.com

What it says: Juice cleanses, like Organic Avenue and BluePrintCleanse, have been having a moment. These cleanses, which are typically very low calorie, usually feature a concoction of organic potions that you are supposed to drink instead of eating for a period of time. They are marketed as a way to "purify" the body as well as a weight-loss tool. The article discusses a recent phenomenon in which colleagues in various workplaces go on the cleanse together, to support each other and have someone to share in the misery with. As if staff meetings weren't already miserable enough. 

Why it's interesting: I think it's fascinating that the customer base for these cleanses have primarily been women; however, it's largely men, and especially type-A guys working in finance, who seem to be drawn to the office cleanse. They also tend to order the most extreme of the cleanse options. Clearly, there's an element of competitiveness there that is motivating men in a way that seems to be less of a driver for women- maybe societal pressure is enough to drive the women to try it, but men need additional prompting?

Bonus: Check out Erin's entry over at Elements of Style for a not-so-pretty peek behind the curtain of juice fasting. Best line? "Milky white nut waters really are not my jam." Preach.

New Scientific Studies Reveal 3 Effective Weight Loss Strategies. Tim Barribeau, Lifehacker, July 11, 2012.

From shopmania.com

What it says: Barribeau reports on 3 studies that were presented at a recent conference called the "Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior". Marketing tip to conference organizers: perhaps reconsider that title? You're making eating sound dull. The studies Barribeau profiled conclude the following will help you lose weight: 1) getting enough sleep; 2) eating lots of little meals instead of fewer large ones; and 3) surrounding yourself with healthy cues.


Why it's interesting: I like these little tips because they are relatively easy to work into your life. Actually, I love the idea of a sleep diet- perhaps I should make that an extra phase in this project? The advice to eat a lot of smaller meals is a bit more problematic- the trick is that they have to be really small, and I fear I'd end up eating a lot of regular-sized meals, which isn't very helpful. Finally, the tip to include health cues is intriguing- maybe those little pig magnets to stick on your refrigerator door aren't just tchotcke? One thing to note- journalists are notorious for picking out studies that make for good headlines but don't necessarily have a lot of strong science behind them. I'd want to know more before making any major changes to my lifestyle.

What to Never Eat at Fast Food Places, According to Fast Food Restaurants. Melanie Pinola, Lifehacker, July 10, 2012.

Photo by Christian Cable

What it says: FAST FOOD IS GROSS.


Why it's interesting: Mostly, this is just a good gross out. I do think it's interesting how viscerally we all react to stories like this, or like the pink slime story earlier this year. I think most people know, on some level, that food as inexpensive as fast food is not going to be of the highest quality. But we've been so insulated from the food production process that any peek behind the curtain is shocking. NEWSFLASH: FACTORY FOOD PRODUCTION (WHICH IS WHERE ALL FAST FOOD COMES FROM) IS GROSS. Don't say you haven't been warned. (Thanks to my Dad for sending in the link! And for not feeding me too much fast food growing up!)

A very important lesson for us all.
from skywriting.net

Being Obese is Better than Being Underweight. Jamie Condiliffe, Gizmodo, July 10, 2012.

What it says:The article highlights a study out of UC Davis School of Medicine which showed that being severely underweight more significantly increased one's chance of dying than being severely overweight. In the course of the 6 year study, the likelihood of death for severely underweight was 2 times higher than it was for normal weight people; severely overweight people were only 1.26 times more likely to die than normal weight people. No word on who got laid more, but I think we all know.


Why it's interesting: I actually commented for the first time ever on a blog about this article- I thought this was fascinating because the way they classified people as over-vs-normal-vs-underweight was by BMI. And even at my very, very lightest and most fit, when I was wearing a size 6 for crying out loud, I was still considered "overweight" based on my BMI. I think I'm pretty muscle-y, and also fairly heavy-boned, so my weight isn't a good measure of my fitness. That's why I'll be reporting my body fat on the blog. Also, just have to point out that I think the whole argument in this article is kind of ridiculous. Getting eaten alive by a lion will kill you faster than getting eaten alive by a housecat, but neither is a great way to go.

5 Questions: Ultra-Runner Scott Jurek on Training and Diet. James Fell, LATimes, July 7, 2012.

By Mel Melcon, LA Times

What it says: Jurek is as close to a celebrity ultra-runner as it's possible to be. Like many clearly gifted individuals, he talks a lot about how "normal" he is. Which is totally true, if you count running your first marathon under 3 hours and setting a world record by running almost 166 miles in 24 hours as normal. ANYWAY. Jurek is also a vegan, and he finds that he gets enough protein eating this way to fuel his incredible running, which seems like a pretty good argument to me.


Why it's interesting: Jurek talks of the importance of mental strength when speaking about ultra-running, as well as about making the decision to follow a vegan lifestyle. This makes sense to me- certainly, being mentally prepared for Ironman was at least as important as my physical preparation. It's also a bit disheartening- if Jurek is equating veganism with running ultra-marathons, I'm not looking forward to that phase of this experiment.

For more articles, visit my "In The News" page, here.