42 hour binge

totally gave up and have been binging for the past 48 hours. massive amounts of ice cream, cake, cookies, cheese, chips, granola bars, etc... so gross. so full. so bloated. i just want my normal body back asap and to never repeat this mistake but in the back of my mind i know i will. i know how to eat right. i know i can eat right. and then after a few weeks i just find myself making the conscious decision to say "screw it." 

this is my worst binge yet. some words of encouragement, advice, motivation to never repeat this, etc. would be much appreciated. 

Edited Jun 18 2013 02:13 by coach_k
Reason: Moved to Health and Support as more appropriate

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Tackling Diet, Exercise Together Produces Best Results: Study

If you have to choose one at a time, hit the gym first, researchers add

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- If you're trying to get healthy, tackling both diet and exercise is better than trying to improve one lifestyle habit at a time, new research suggests.

The researchers did add that if you need to start with just one lifestyle change, choose exercise. They found that changing diet first may interfere with attempts to establish a regular exercise routine.

The study included 200 people, aged 45 and older, who were inactive and had poor diets. They were split into four groups: new diet and exercise habits at the same time; diet changes first and starting exercise a few months later; starting exercise first and making diet changes a few months later; and no diet or exercise changes.

The groups received telephone coaching and were tracked for a year. Those who made diet and exercise changes at the same time were most likely to meet U.S. guidelines for exercise (150 minutes per week) and nutrition (5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day), and to keep calories from saturated fat at less than 10 percent of their total intake of calories.

The people who started with exercise first and diet changes a few months later also did a good job of meeting both the exercise and diet goals, but not quite as good as those who made exercise and diet changes at the same time, the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers said in a news release from Stanford.

The participants who made diet changes first and started exercise later did a good job of meeting the dietary goals but didn't meet their exercise targets. This may be because each type of change has unique characteristics, explained study author Abby King, a professor of health research and policy and of medicine.

"With dietary habits, you have no choice; you have to eat. You don't have to find extra time to eat because it's already in your schedule. So the focus is more on substituting the right kinds of food to eat," she said in the news release.

However, people with busy schedules may have difficulty finding time for exercise. King noted that even the people in the most successful group (diet and exercise changes at the same time) initially had trouble meeting their exercise goal, but did achieve it by the end of the study.

The study was published online April 21 in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

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Injury question

So on Sunday I semed to pull a muscle in my right inner thigh (this happened when carrying my 40lb son about 1/2 mile). I took it easy the rest of that day and it felt fine by Monday morning. I went for a run that morning and it felt fine during the run, but later started to hurt again. Icing helps. I still feel it a bit today and am taking the day completely off exercise.

My question is- I was planning to start NROLFW tomorrow. I'm really excited to get started. Is this slight injury something I can work through, or would you suggest I hold off on starting this program until it is totally healed? TIA.

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Kimberly Walsh at the All Stars premiere

DON'T think you're ready for spring's white trend? Kimberly Walsh is making a case for the LWD (little white dress) in this figure-hugging number by Maria Grachvogel, with sheer side panels.  

H&M's New Partywear Collection

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Kris Jenner V Kim Kardashian

...Hmmm, easy work indeed, when your daughter is a) Kim Kardashian and b) she wore it first. Yes, yes. It would appear that for an appearance in New York, Kris borrowed the Valentino number from her daughter Kim - who was first spotted wearing it on a trip to London in September 2012. A whole seven months earlier.

WINNER: While we hate to pit mum and daughter against each other and while Kris Jenner does actually look pretty amazing, we're just ever so slightly thrown by KJ's matchy-matchy red courts. Compared to Kim's sleek styling teamed with va-va-voom lacey heels, Kim just, just edges this one. Kim wins!

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carb nite solution

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Minorities Less Prone to Think They'll Get Cancer: Study

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans are less likely than whites to believe they will get cancer, even though they are actually more likely to develop cancer and die from it, according to a new study.

The findings suggest that minority groups need to be given more culturally relevant information about cancer risk and prevention, said the researchers from the Moffitt Cancer Center.

They asked people their opinions about their risk of getting cancer, severity of cancer and the benefits of early cancer detection. The participants also were asked about their ability to prevent cancer and their understanding of cancer screening and detection.

"We found that blacks, Asians and Hispanics were all more likely to believe that they had a lower chance of getting cancer than did whites," study senior author B. Lee Green, senior member of the health outcomes and behavior program at Moffitt, said in a center news release.

"This is significant and surprising because statistics show that racial and ethnic minorities, especially blacks, have higher cancer mortality, incidence and prevalence rates than whites and also differ from whites in engaging in preventive behaviors," Green said.

The researchers also found that Hispanics were less likely than whites and blacks to believe they could take steps to reduce their risk of cancer. In addition, people in all racial and ethnic groups said it was difficult to know which cancer recommendations to follow, according to the study, which was published online recently in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

"There is a need for consistent cancer prevention messages and screening recommendations, as well as opportunities to increase education on cancer prevention among all populations," Green said. "These efforts will make individuals feel more empowered to participate in cancer-preventive behaviors."

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Moffitt Cancer Center, news release, April 16, 2013

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Insurance Loss Hampers Young People With Asthma

Harvard researchers report on impact of health insurance in youths' disease management

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- The loss of health insurance is the main reason asthma care for young people deteriorates after age 18, according to a new study.

Certain social factors -- such as leaving school and no longer having adult supervision -- also contribute to the decline in care, according to Harvard Medical School researchers.

"This study suggests that expanding insurance coverage will help many young adults with asthma receive the care they need," study leader Kao-Ping Chua, a staff physician in the division of emergency medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, said in a Harvard news release. "But it also points to the importance of addressing other socially mediated factors in this population."

"Aside from the lack of financial protection, uninsurance poses fewer health risks to young adults than for older adults because they are generally healthy," study senior author J. Michael McWilliams, an assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in the news release.

"But for young people with asthma -- or other conditions amenable to medical care -- it's important to understand and address the barriers to care," he added.

The researchers looked at data from nearly 2,500 asthma patients, aged 14 to 25, in order to determine if they had a regular care provider, if they visited that provider at least once a year, if they used asthma medications and if they made emergency-room visits.

Patients under age 18 were more likely to use primary care and asthma medications, while those over 18 were more likely to make emergency-room visits and have problems getting care and medications due to cost.

The loss of health insurance explained 32 percent of the decline in the use of primary care by patients over age 18 and between 47 percent and 61 percent of the increase in their cost-related problems getting care and medications, according to the study, which was published recently in the journal Pediatrics.

Under the federal Affordable Care Act, young adults whose parents have private insurance will be eligible to continue receiving coverage on their parents' policies until they are 26. But, the researchers said, since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states do not have to extend similar coverage to people on Medicaid, low-income young adults will be left out.

Health insurance, however, is not the only problem, they added.

"Young people with asthma need to work with their care providers to create transition plans from pediatric to adult care that take into account their medical and social history," Chua said.

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not hungry

I'm trying to lose weight and I have lost 18.7 pounds since May 3rd. But, my appetite is very little. My CC says if I want to lose weight, I need to eat 1200 calories. But, I'm way under. Some days I can have a net cal of -1000 and on binge days, net cal of -40. But today, I just have zero appetite. I am forcing myself to eat lunch, at dinner I had to force myself to eat 2 bites of baked chicken. I need to eat more bc I don't want my body to go into starvation mode. I am quite healthy with food choices but indulge 3x a week on 2 alcoholic drinks (6 glasses a week in total). Yes, alcohol is calories but I rather be nervous putting that empty calorie into my log than be happy that I'm hitting near my caloric intake! Does anyone know why I am just not hungry?

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HIV Drugs May Help Protect Young Patients' Hearts: Study

Far from harming the cardiovascular health of infected children, drug cocktails may give benefit

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term use of powerful drug cocktails known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may help protect the hearts of children and teens infected with HIV, a new study reports.

HAART is a form of antiretroviral therapy that is widely used to treat people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Prior to the introduction of antiretroviral therapies, youngsters infected with HIV were at increased risk for heart failure, noted a team led by Dr. Steven Lipshultz of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Since the advent of powerful HIV-suppressing medications, "the effects of HIV and [antiretroviral therapy] on the cardiovascular system of HIV-infected children are not completely understood," the researchers wrote in the April 22 online issue of JAMA Pediatrics. They pointed out that such children are exposed to these drugs for many years, often beginning while they are still in the womb, but the effects on their cardiovascular systems "are unknown."

The new study sought to clear that up. It included nearly 600 HIV-infected and uninfected patients from 14 pediatric HIV clinics across the United States.

According to the team, heart function was better among HIV-infected children receiving HAART than those who were infected with HIV and did not receive HAART, and children who were exposed to HIV but not infected.

"Our results indicate that the current use of combination [antiretroviral therapy], usually HAART, appears to be cardioprotective in HIV-infected children and adolescents," the study authors reported. "This finding is even more relevant in the developing world where the prevalence of HIV disease in children is much higher."

The researchers added that further study comparing different drug regimens might be beneficial "in optimizing HIV outcomes and protecting long-term cardiac health" of children with HIV.

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I just feel drained, do amino acids really help?

My local Popeye's employee (who's opinion isn't just about selling product since he competes in body building and has helped my cousin do the same) suggested Amino Acids for energy to help me get my workouts done.

One he recommended was Aminolast - Recovery & Endurance BCAA Superfuel.  I do respect his opinion but I'm not completely sold.  I'm REALLY struggling to lose weight and my two main problems is lack of energy and intense refined carb (aka chip) cravings and put those two together plus crazy hours at work means I gained 10 lbs in 2 months :(

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Prescription Drug Abuse Up Among U.S. Teens: Survey

More than 5 million, nearly 25 percent, said they had abused these medications

By Alan Mozes

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The United States appears to be in the throes of a prescription drug abuse crisis among teens, with a new survey showing that 24 percent of high school students -- more than 5 million kids -- have abused these medications.

That's a 33 percent increase from 2008, the survey authors noted. They said that 13 percent of teens acknowledged having experimented at least once with either Ritalin or Adderall (normally prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD) that was not prescribed for them.

What's more, 20 percent of teens who admit they have abused prescription drugs said their first experience doing so was before the age of 14, with 27 percent mistakenly believing that prescription drug abuse is safer than "street drugs," such as cocaine or ecstasy.

Compounding the problem: The parents surveyed seemed to share in this misperception, with almost one-third buying into the notion that Ritalin or Adderall can boost a child's school performance even if the child is not diagnosed with ADHD.

The findings stem from a nationally representative poll launched in 2012 by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, in conjunction with the MetLife Foundation. The survey involved nearly 3,900 teens currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12 at public, private and parochial schools, along with more than 800 parents who participated in at-home interviews.

"From my perspective, one way to look at this is that we've got a real public health crisis," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO at the Partnership organization. "And it's not getting better. In fact, it's getting deeper and more complex," he said.

"The key here is that kids and often their parents are buying into the myth and misunderstanding that prescription drug abuse is a safer way to get high, a safer alternative to street drugs, and that they can control it," Pasierb continued. "And it's very important to note that, on this, kids and parents are in the same place. Kids say that they don't think that their parents are going to be upset if they know about this, and parents are essentially saying the same thing," he pointed out.

"Now, if cocaine or heroin use was going up the way prescription drug use is parents would certainly be freaking out," Pasierb added. "And they should be now, because prescription drug abuse is no better."

Among the findings: one-third of teens think there's nothing particularly wrong with the notion of using prescription medications that were never prescribed for them to tackle a specific injury or illness, with almost one-quarter believing that their parents are more concerned about street drug use than the misuse of prescription drugs.

Sixteen percent of parents also said they think prescription drugs are less dangerous than street drugs.

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What is chelation therapy, and can it reduce my risk of heart attack?

Posted June 18, 2013, 2:00 am

I have heart disease. Will chelation therapy help reduce my risk of a heart attack?

That’s a timely question, because a recent study of chelation therapy has generated a lot of interest and debate.

Chelation therapy is used to eliminate metals or other toxins from your body. During the procedure, chemicals are infused into your bloodstream. When these chemicals find unwanted substances as they travel through your blood, they attach themselves to them and carry them out of the body in your urine. For people with toxic levels of lead or mercury, chelation therapy is an FDA-approved method to help with their removal from the body.

Its use for heart disease is more controversial. Here’s the idea: Heart disease results when your blood vessels are narrowed by atherosclerotic plaques that limit blood flow. These plaques are largely made up of fat, cholesterol and calcium. Chelation with a chemical called EDTA pulls calcium out of atherosclerotic plaques — or so the thinking goes. This is supposed to shrink plaques and make artery walls healthier. Thus, the risk of heart attack, stroke and other problems related to blood vessel diseases should decrease.

For decades, chelation practitioners have claimed that the procedure works. But results of a recently published study didn’t support the positive claims.

The study included 1,708 adults age 50 and older who had a previous heart attack. Half of the patients got 40 infusions of EDTA solution along with high doses of vitamin and mineral supplements. Half got a placebo (saltwater) solution. People were chosen for the chelation therapy group and the placebo group by a random process.

The researchers followed the patients for about 4.5 years. Twenty-six percent of people in the chelation group had heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for chest pain or heart bypass surgery. That was compared with 30 percent of patients in the placebo group. Statistical testing showed that the slightly lower rate of heart problems in the chelation group could have occurred by chance.

More troubling was the fact that many people who were assigned to have chelation therapy never actually received the therapy. Nearly 20 percent dropped out of the study before completing the therapy. So drawing conclusions about the value of chelation therapy from this study is difficult.

There are more established ways to prevent heart attacks, stroke and premature death. For example:

Get activeEat betterDon’t smokeControl cholesterolManage blood pressureLose weightReduce blood sugar

If you already have atherosclerosis, you should be taking a statin drug and a daily aspirin.

If you take these steps, I think the current evidence says that you’re unlikely to get any extra benefit from chelation therapy. In contrast to that inconclusive evidence, the evidence on each of these lifestyle changes and medications is conclusive: They all definitely protect you from heart disease, strokes and premature death.

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