Nettie Freshour Interview

Hey all,

I recently had a very productive and interesting interview with  Nettie Freshour, WVU's consulting dietitian (along with numerous titles).  She was really awesome and basically the most knowledgable person I've met that truly wants to help people with weight-loss/weight-gain.

Click the link above labeled "Nettie Freshour" to read more about her and all of the information I captured about nutrition in my interview.

I am veddy veddy Sneaky, Sir

The other day one of my friends and I were talking about “sneaking” food. Not just any food, fast food; foods we know we should not be eating.  Regardless of what kind of food it was, why did we feel the need to sneak it or hide it from the world that we were eating it. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but we’ve all done the “oh I’ll just sneak/have one more…it won’t hurt” phrase.  But seriously who are we hiding food from? Are we going to get 20 lashes with a wet noodle? (My 7^th grade English teacher used to say that all of the time) anyway, IT’S BORDERLINE CRAZY!

To be honest, I do it all of the time and feel guilty about eating fast food (hence why I try to cook my food), but the real question is, “what would happen if someone ‘found out’ I ate that meal?” probably nothing!! So here’s my confession that I was sneaking: I had both Burger King and Chick-fil-a over the weekend for dinner and I had Coldstone Creamery ice cream.  I definitely do not feel healthy or good about my decisions and yes every calorie counts but sneaking foods can only lead to binge eating or over -eating.

The reason why I say sneaking meals can lead to over-eating is because people don’t see you eat and could become concerned but don’t know that you are actually eating in secret, which leads you to eat double…in front of people. It’s a vicious cycle because you want to seem like you eat normal and are trying to be healthy but are really having trouble controlling cravings.

http://caloriecount.about.com/guilt-sneaking-food-ft193172

this woman’s post does not necessarily apply to being obese but if you apply her story as if she were an overweight woman.. It could lead to obesity because of her sneaking of food.  Her constant snacking and hiding meals because she is trying to limit what she is eating during meal times yet over compensating when she should not be eating at all.  It would be healthier and more logical to eat sensible, smaller meals throughout the day (roughly six) than three large meals and overcompensating with snacking or sneaking meals too.

Anytime you feel the urge to hide a meal or sneak a snack... don't bother because it's not a secret anymore...just eat sensible and you'll have more of a secret to keep.

All I Want To Do Is SLEEP!!

Ever been in one of those moods where you feel like everything is dragging and you don’t want to do anything productive?

It’s been one of those days. Like most stressed-out college kids, I’ve been lacking in the sleep department.  Therefore, this week is about sleep disorders and their effects on the body. 

Since the percentage of Americans who are obese is increasing more every day the more prone to developing more disorders than a healthy, normal (according to BMI) individual. 

People who are obese or overweight are likely to develop a sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition where a person stops breathing during sleep and their Oxygen levels decrease immensely. A recently released study, according to njsleepdisorderscenter.com, states that Sleep Apnea can cause a person to become obese because they are so tired they do not have the energy or drive to exercise, in order to lose the weight.

- Glucose does not process through the body as quick in an obese person’s body system. 

- Increasing the amount of sleep will decrease weight and increase energy.

Read more about the effects sleep apnea has to obesity by clicked the link to the article that was referenced above.

http://www.njsleepdisorderscenter.com/obesity.htm

America is known for its larger portions, compared to those in Europe (I’ve been there, I know).  There’s really no rhyme or reason why we have such larger portions than the recommended serving, but larger meals tend to make people more tired than when they normally would be.  Although sleep and water essential to the body and can reduce food cravings, too much sleep can be a bad thing because it can decrease the want to exercise if the individual was overweight.

“A large-scale study at Case Western Reserve University (more than 68,000 women) found that those who sleep less than 5 hours a night gain more weight over time than those who sleep 7 hours a night. The women who slept less were more likely to become obese, and here’s something that may be counterintuitive: the women who slept less consumed fewer calories than the ones who slept a full night, on average.”

http://www.sleepdex.org/weight.htm   < the website explains more about this study for those that are interested in reading further.

Every web site that I searched said pretty much the same things about the connection between obesity and sleeping.  Moral of the story is, sleep benefits the body is more ways than just keeping your energy up.