Category Archives: Uncategorized

Okay, let’s get real. Over the 22 months of this pandemic, I gained 13 (yes, that’s 10 plus 3) pounds. My go-to is to say “I don’t know what happened,” like a helpless little space cadet, but I do know exactly what I did. We were all scared and hiding in our homes, the gymContinue reading “Captain’s Log, Stardate: Pandemic 2022.“

An article in the Medical Press titled “Study links depression scores, white blood cell count” https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-links-depression-scores-white-blood.html provides strong evidence of something we already know: the mind and body are not two separate entities; they are one and the same. Apparently, depression increases your white blood cell count, an indication of systemic inflammation. Your depression canContinue reading “Mental and Physical Health: One and the Same?“

I know a ton of us rely on antidepressant, antipsychotic, antianxiety, or antimanic drugs to keep us in a steady state. I also know from experience that many of these drugs can result in weight gain. Although the mechanism that causes weight gain is not clearly explained in the research we have reviewed, there isContinue reading “Weight Management and Psychiatric Medications“

The monitor lizard is common in many parts of the world but what most people don’t know about this critter is how it got its name. This lizard has the habit of standing on its hind legs and “monitoring” its surroundings for prey, threats, and possibly unwanted changes on the scale. Well, two of thoseContinue reading “Be Ever Vigilant—Like the Monitor Lizard”

Is there a fast and easy way to lose weight and keep it off? Our medical establishment seems to think so, or do they? Consider the following advice, found on a printout my partner brought home from the doctor’s office today: If your BMI is elevated, you can lower your BMI by following a healthy,Continue reading “The Obesity Epidemic: Solved!”

Everywhere I go I see it: food porn. Those glossy images of giant desserts, resplendent with whip cream, laden with chocolate, floating on a delicate pastry crust. As a baker I can tell you that those desserts are loaded with white flour, white sugar, and fat, fat, fat, usually in the form of a coupleContinue reading “Food Porn”

Stop Losing and Win is based on two natural acts: eating and moving. Here we address the eating aspect of weight maintenance but we promise to come back to movement in a few weeks. There is nothing magical about maintenance—we are not doing anything extraordinary to keep the weight off, but we have, over theContinue reading “What We Eat: A Tour Through Our Kitchens and Dining Rooms”

By their very nature, diet plans are restrictive, life-limiting, and fraught with anxiety. Schemes and plans that promise wellness are no exception with their strict dietary rules and draconian exercise regimens. Stop Losing and Win offers an alternative, one that you can live with for the rest of your life. So, how can this beContinue reading “An Alternative to “Wellness””

Stop Losing and Win is all about maintenance, and now we have new evidence that maintaining a healthy, manageable weight is a worthy goal. I conceptualize dieting as disequilibrium and maintenance as healthy balance. Dieting forces you to limit calories in order to reduce pounds, a condition your body must hate. Maintenance, on the otherContinue reading “The Dark Side of Dieting“

When we say Stop Losing and Win, one of the most important bits of information to remember is when you lose weight, up to one third of each pound is going to be lean tissue. Muscle. Muscles are necessary: to get you upright from a chair to allow you to stand up straight to yourContinue reading “Exercise Should Be Playtime for Grownups”