Should have been a sign. If I knew then what I know now…

Ah, yes, if we all knew then what we know now… 

Thanks,
Mary

My pleasure.  I’m glad you enjoyed the photos.

MRE 

I’m convinced that it’s not just an intellectual process, ie, “I can eat dessert because I drink diet coke.”

I wanted to let you know that I am still fasting. I fast for 20 hours and eat for four. My cycles are getting shorter and lighter. They went from 6 days to about 4-4 1/2. They are also less heavy.I would like to be able to go for 36 hours but I don’t think that I can. At the moment, I will be happy with the 20/4. I lost 8 lbs since April.

Take Care,
Mary

Hi Mary–

Glad to hear your still doing well with the fasting program.  Hope you have a great trip to Ohio.

Cheers–

MRE 

Anna, you’re so right. “It’s real British nose-to-tail eating at its finest from chef/owner Fergus Henderson. And get the cookbook! Pork has never looked so good!”

It’s a fantastic book. It’s truly a shame that folks in the USA can not make real dishes like that anymore. St. John Restaurant is the best! I’m in the process of sourcing local organic/real meats to try the recipes myself.

Dr. Eades, I’m also interested in your take on the Framingham Offspring study. I happen to agree with the Soda Folks, in that a diet soda is 99% water, a few flavorings, and some artificial sweetener. How could it possibly contribute to CHD? I don’t like the smell of it, and I don’t buy it. There is obviously something else going on (like the diet soda drinkers are using the diet sodas to wash down all those chips & twinkies & Big Macs).
Granted, if those folks were coming down with cancers caused by documented Benzene exposure, then I’d cave.

At my college job (20 YA) I couldn’t believe how many people ordered a diet soda with their half dozen donuts. Fellow students noshing on a giant NY bagel (no butter!) with a diet Coke… ahh it’s all coming back to me. Nipping on fries with the Diet Coke…

Pul-ease!

Hi Karen–

Since there is so much interest on the Framingham Offspring study with the soft drinks I plan to read the paper (I just pulled it today) and lay out my thoughts on it in the next couple of days.

Cheers–

MRE

As for wifi, Paris was consistent and I’ve noticed E. Europe tends to be well connected too. Perhaps change the countries on your itinerary

And the pop study. Blech. I’m no expert, but it seems to point toward a behaviorial root cause not a physiological one. Remember all the ‘studies’ and ‘warnings’ that low cal foods weren’t a free pass to cake? People were rationalizing extra calories based on what they had ‘saved’. It seems to be the same thing.

Also, have you seen the study that said if your friends are fat you’re likely to be fat too? Haven’t read much on it, but ummm aren’t most of us fat at this point? So, like, isn’t it kind of hard to avoid overweight friends? I dunno. I have heavy friends and friends that look like they’re starving.Not sure it has any bearing on my weight at all.

Thus far, the thing that has had the biggest impact on my weight in the last 7.5 months was morning sickness and its constant demands for peach yoplait and nothing else. Why don’t they study that? Because I don’t even like peach yoplait yogurt!

M

Hi Michelle–

As with the soft drink study, I’ve read about the study concerning the relationship between obesity and the obesity levels of one’s friends, but I haven’t read the actual study.  I’ll pull it and read it in the next couple of days.

Congrats on the morning sickness.

Cheers–

MRE 

To borrow your phrase, “Jesus wept!”

Hmmm.  Can’t wait to read it.

Cheers–

MRE 

Thanks again. 

Thanks for the tip.  I’ll put it in my book for the next trip.

Cheers–

MRE 

When you have time, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the recent Boston University finding that drinking as little as one can of diet soda per day is associated with a 48% higher risk of metabolic syndrome.

http://snipurl.com/1osmb

Hi John–

I read about the study while I was in Scotland.  As soon as I get home, I’ll pull the paper and read it.  Then I can comment intelligently.

Cheers–

MRE