"The LILI Letter" - July 2024
Heart Center, weight loss/wellness class & support group newsletter.
The Ogden Regional Medical Center / Heart Center, weight loss/wellness class & support group newsletter
July,
Fireworks, rodeos, corn on the cob, watermelon, and backyard barbeques come to mind with the month of July. Utah celebrates its statehood, and We the People celebrate freedom from England. What is impacting our independence? Negative thinking? Bad habits? Fear? Thinking we know it all? This is something to consider. Happy Independence Day and Pioneer Day my friends. Stay cool. 😎
In good health,
Jennifer James
Success story
A trap I think we all fall into at times is the trap that we think we have all the answers. News flash! We don’t. This became clear to me on two occasions where I thought I had something figured out, but I was completely wrong. Both times, to my detriment.
If we hold stubborn opinions and attitudes about things, would it hurt us to consider another point of view? Or that another approach might work better? Or someone else might know more than we do? When we think we have all the answers, watch out! Life is a wonderful teacher and will correct us if we have a humble attitude and willingness to learn.
For example, after getting Covid this winter, (first time), I experienced a headache and chills every time I tried to exercise. Dr. Google suggested it was symptoms leftover from Covid. I followed the recommendations for exercising after Covid, and my symptoms never improved. Someone suggested I visit a medical provider, which I grudgingly did. Lo and behold, it was something completely different and my symptoms are now gone, and I have resumed exercising. Jennifer does not know everything, obviously. It takes a village, folks. Lesson learned.
Do you really know…pistachios?
Pistachios, the green nut (technically a drupe, similar to a plum), have been around for millennia. There is archeological evidence of the nuts being enjoyed as early as the Bronze Age in central Asia (today’s Uzbekistan). They are mentioned in the Old Testament, and used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines in savory and sweet dishes. The nut was introduced to the U.S. much later, and is now grown in California, New Mexico and Arizona. They are lower in fat than most nuts, and one serving, 49 nuts, is only 170 calories. They are high in protein, vitamins B-1 and B-6, copper, manganese and potassium. Try the simple recipe below for another way to enjoy this ancient and delicious nut.
History | American Pistachio Growers (americanpistachios.org)
Backpacker wisdom
I occasionally listen to the podcast “Hidden Brain”, which explores the underlying causes of human behavior. The most recent podcast was on subtraction, not addition, and why humans have such a difficult time with it. I am not talking about mathematics here, it is about our tendency to keep adding things: activities, possessions, living space, responsibilities, items on the “To Do” list…you get the idea. Having more stuff means cleaning, storing, heating, cooling, insuring, maintaining, and keeping track of it all. More responsibilities chip away at our relaxation and down time. Not fun!
Even before listening to this podcast, I have had this urge to shed things in my life that are not serving me. Friends I send Christmas cards to every year, with no reply. Stuff in my cupboards, closets, and garage that I no longer use. Spending time doing things I really don’t enjoy, buying clothes I don’t need, and eating foods that don’t make me feel good. Holding a grudge that wastes energy and serves no one.
I like the analogy of a backpacker, who carefully packs just what they need for their excursion. Would this backpacker take a bunch of unnecessary side trips, considering their limited energy, food, and possibly water? Would they plan a trip that does not appeal to them, or hike with people they don’t trust or really like? Would they carry things they won’t need or use, since it just adds weight? Of course not. If we treat our lives like a backpacker, we might shed all kinds of things: stuff, activities, people, weight, time-wasters, and sour attitudes that just weigh us down. Our lives become more manageable, relaxed, and enjoyable. We can breathe. Life is precious and finite, after all. Use it wisely.
Vedantum, S. (Host). Innovation 2.0: Do Less. Hidden Brain podcasts. (2024, May 27). [Audio podcast]. Innovation 2.0: Do Less | Hidden Brain Media
Diet head
We live in a culture that prizes thinness, although over 73% of us are overweight or obese. In the past month I have met with at least three people who were aggressively restricting their food intake. They were tired, hungry, irritable and the weight was not coming off. They were too tired to exercise much, and if they managed to drag themselves through it, it was not a pleasant experience.
I honestly think people don’t realize why we need to eat! They see food as an enemy that makes them fat. Very few are even aware of something called the basal metabolic rate (BMR), (the amount of energy required to maintain the body in a fasting state after restful sleep). To make it more specific, how much energy/fuel do our brain, liver, lungs, kidneys, and other organs require to function? I will use two examples: “Fran”, a 5’4” woman, 175 pounds, age 50, and “Wilbur”, a 5’10” man, 200 pounds, age 35. The approximate BMR and percentages of energy required by their different organs are below*:
Fran
- Basal metabolic rate: 1400 calories per day
- Brain ~22%: 308
- Liver ~21%: 294
- Heart ~8%: 112
- Kidneys ~7%: 98
- Muscle ~22%: 308
- Fat tissue ~4%: 56
- Other organs ~16%: 24
Wilbur
- Basal metabolic rate: 1845 calories per day
- Brain ~22%: 406
- Liver ~21%: 387
- Heart ~8%: 148
- Kidneys ~7%: 129
- Muscle ~22%: 406
- Fat tissue ~4%: 74
- Other organs ~16%: 295
The basal metabolic rate does not include activity (driving, cleaning, showering, etc.) or exercise (bicycling, swimming, pickleball, etc.). The calories to maintain our bodies with the additional activity/exercise are obviously more than the basal metabolic rate. For weight loss, I encourage people to eat at least their basal metabolic rate, and possibly a bit more, based on their activity level. We don’t want to shortchange the body of its “housekeeping” energy needs. If we only eat 700-1000 calories a day, do we see how this affects our bodies’ ability to function? It will hunker down, slow us down, conserve energy, and fight us for any weight loss, thinking it is in a famine. The folks I met with recently were eating 56%, 70% and 37% of their resting metabolic needs. And not losing weight! Of course, they weren’t, their bodies were trying to survive the artificial famine!
Anytime we lose weight, we will lose some fat and muscle. The weight lost through extreme dieting is initially water, muscle, and smaller amounts of fat. The weight lost through sensible calorie restriction and increased activity is a higher percentage of fat loss, and less muscle loss. To figure out your basal metabolic rate, do an internet search for the Mifflin-St. Jeor or Harris-Benedict equation. The number may surprise you.
*Averaged from a variety of sources
FastStats - Overweight Prevalence (cdc.gov)
Human Energy: The Body at Rest | Common Science Space
My aching back
For those of us who suffer from low back pain, it can be quite debilitating. Days missed from work, inability to participate in our usual activities, trouble sleeping, trips to the emergency department, doctor visits, surgeries, and pain medication/muscle relaxants, plus the cost, are all part of the picture. Australian researchers used walking as an intervention in treating low back pain, which they found to be quite effective. Read on for the specifics.
The researchers wanted to investigate if walking would be a cost-effective and clinically effective intervention for decreasing back pain with an individualized, progressive walking program. Physiotherapists (physical therapists) would facilitate the program. They recruited around 700 adults from across Australia who had at least one episode of non-specific back pain, not due to a particular cause, that lasted at least 24 hours. Half of the participants were to undergo a progressive walking program that included six sessions and education with a physical therapist, over six months. The other half, the control group, did not receive this intervention. The participants were followed for up to 36 months. Most of the participants were women (~80%) and the average age was 54 years. The folks in the intervention group were assigned a walking program based on their age, personal goals, limitations and fitness level, making it more individualized. They were given pedometers and instructed to record their steps every day. The education piece of the study was to help them manage back pain, by adjusting their walking routine rather than abandoning it.
The biggest positive result was that the intervention group went nearly double the days before experiencing an episode of back pain, compared to the control group (208 days versus 112 days). This meant fewer doctor visits, back scans, medications, missed works days, etc. (which obviously saved money). It also greatly contributed to their quality of life. Who wants to lay in bed all day with a sore back? However, the walking group did experience more “lower extremity adverse events” than the controls. I did some digging and found that “adverse events” included a wide variety of ailments, but topping the list were osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, bursitis of the hip, sprained ankles, unintentional falls, plantar fasciitis, and complaints of knee, hip, and back pain. I did not see dog bites on the list. 😊 One would expect some of these occurrences in sedentary people who start walking more. The number of complaints regarding low back pain was 61 in the intervention group, and 112 in the control group.
What struck me was that the amount of walking these people did was actually quite modest. The less fit, older group walked 10 minutes, 3x per week to start, and the younger, fitter people started at 30 minutes, 3x per week. They were to increase the amount of walking 5-10% per week, with an eventual goal of 30-40 minutes, 5x per week for all by 12 weeks. The fitter folks were to increase the intensity and possibly progress to jogging by this time.
What have we learned? That moderate walking, done consistently, can lower the incidence of back pain and save money in the long run. It is not without risk, but those that did experience adverse lower-leg related issues were in the minority. Walk on!
Pistachio butter
Something new and different to try. I like to use a variety of nut and seed butters, but never considered making my own pistachio butter. The nuts are lower in fat than others, so adding a little canola oil while processing makes the ground nuts mix better. Not to be eaten with abandon, as this is just as high in calories as other nut butters. It’s a good plant-protein option for breakfast.
- 2 cups of shelled, roasted, and salted/unsalted pistachios
- 1-1/2 Tbsp. neutral oil, such as canola
In a food processer, process the nuts and oil until
blended into a liquefied mass. This may take a while. Spread on toast, pancakes, celery, crackers, apples, stir some into hot cereal or spread on a sandwich. Keep refrigerated in a glass jar with a lid, such as a mason jar. Enjoy!
1 Tbsp. ~ 100 calories
July Support Groups
Mondays, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Heart Center Conference Room
ORMC Medical Plaza
Free to graduates of ORMC weight loss/wellness classes
Fitness is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition.
You can’t outrun your fork.
Anonymous