Three Ways to Make Your Lunch Hour Healthier

Now that you are taking your R&D Diet Cookies with you and eating them throughout the day, you have a free hour to deal with (i.e. "lunch").  Here are 3 ways to make your lunch hour healthier and more fun!

1.  Bring your hobby to work.  Find out if any of your coworkers like to knit, read books or play cards, and commandeer a conference room or break table for a weekly get-together.

2.  Volunteer.  Many organizations would be happy to put you to work for just an hour at a time.  Call schools, churches, hospitals and other non-profits like the local no-kill animal shelter, or check out Volunteer Match to see what the needs are near your workplace.

3.  Lunch and Learn.  Plug in to an educational podcast, like Radio Lingua's free 20-minute language lessons.  A recent study at Yourk University in Toronto found that being bilingual may delay the onset of Alzheimer's.


Submitted by:
Dorothy Palmer
Sr. Research Scientist
R&D Diet Cookie
A "cookie diet" is simply a number of "mini meals" eaten throughout the day followed by a sensible, low calorie dinner.

True or False: Eating honey from your hometown will help fend off seasonal allergies.

False!  Eating honey containing local pollens will not increase your tolerance for the allergens, say experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  In fact, if you're especially sensitive, eating raw honey could cause a severe reaction.

Submitted by:
Dorothy Palmer
Sr. Research Scientist
R&D Diet Cookie
A "cookie diet" is simply a number of "mini meals" eaten throughout the day followed by a sensible, low calorie dinner.

True or False: An Obese Person Can be Fit and Healthy

True.  While fitness and fatness are usually inversely correlated, several studies have shown that many active individuals can maintain good health regardless of body weight.

There is also evidence that a large number of these obese individuals do not suffer from a defective metabolism from their extra weight that might be expected, and a large number of lean individuals do suffer such health problems.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A cookie diet is simply eating a number of mini-meals (in the shape of a cookie) throughout the day followed by a sensible and balanced dinner.

Source

True or False: You Lose More Weight Doing Exercise You are Good At

False.  People become more efficient and expend less energy as they become experienced with a particular form of exercise.  A fit, experienced runner requires less energy to cover a set distance than an unfit individual of the same weight, age and gender. 

Weight loss requires excess energy expenditure, which comes more from activities with which an individual is not so familiar.

Source

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A cookie diet is simply eating a number of mini-meals (in the shape of a cookie) throughout the day followed by a sensible and balanced dinner.

True or False: The Best Measure of Bady Fat is Body Mass Index (BMI)

False.  BMI is not well validated as a measure of body fat at the individual level.  Body mass index is less accurate in muscular men, some ethnic groups, and the elderly.  This can lead to unrealistic weight goals.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A cookie diet is simply eating a number of mini-meals (in the shape of a cookie) during the day followed by a sensible and balanced dinner.

Source

True or False: Weight Lifting is Good For Fat Loss

True.  Any form of exercise involving energy expenditure has benefit for weight loss.  Weight lifting is often underrated and considered only for the development of strength or size.  But when large muscle groups are used or when using light weights at high repetitions, weight lifting is effective for muscle strengtheningas well as weight loss .

Source

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A cookie diet is simply eating a number of 'mini-meals' throughout the day followed by a sensible and balanced dinner.

True or False: Swimming is Better than Walking for Weight Loss

False.  In general, the best exercises for weight loss are those that are weight bearing, such as walking or jogging.  Up to 30% less energy is used in weight supported activities such as swimming or cycling.  Also, because fat floats, an obese individual is likely to use even less energy while swimming compared to a lean individual.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

Source: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/200911egger.pdf

True or False: Exercise is Better Than Dieting For Weight Loss

False.  It is easier to reduce calorie intake by a given amount (e.g. by 1000 calories/day) than to burn the same amount of calories in exercise.  For this reason, restriction of food intake (‘dieting’) is more likely to be successful in the early stages of a weight loss program.  Exercise may be more important than dieting in the maintenance stage after effective weight loss.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A 'cookie diet' is simply a number of 'mini meals' eaten throughout the day!

Source

True or False: Humans Need Eight Glasses (of 8 oz.) of Water per Day

False.  First of all 8 oz. is only 1 measuring cup and I don’t think 1-cup size glasses are made any more.  Your most conservative kitchen glass will hold about 2 cups so now “8 glasses” has become “4 glasses”. 

Fluid needs are dependent on a range of factors including age, gender, climate, activity level and disease state, and vary from about 2 glasses (16 oz.) to 17 glasses (136 oz.).  The suggested eight “glasses” a day, while widely quoted by health professionals and the public alike, is no more of a guide than six, or 10, or 12 glasses.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A "cookie diet" is simply a number of "mini meals" eaten throughout the day!

Source

True or False: Fat People Don’t Get More Hungry Than Lean People

True.  Although hunger is difficult to measure, indications from a range of sources suggest hunger is not a distinguishing factor in obesity.  Much overeating has a psychological and environmental, rather than physiological basis.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

A "cookie diet" is simply a number of 'mini meals' in the shape or form of a cookie.

Source: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/200911egger.pdf

True or False: Chocolate is Healthy Provided it is ‘Dark’

False.  Since the antioxidant effects of cocoa were discovered, there has been over a decade of research on the health benefits of dark chocolate.  Cocoa is high in bitter tasting flavonoids which are the prime source of these antioxidants.  Most chocolate manufacturers extract these bitter flavonoids in order to improve taste.  However, there are no labeling law requirements to inform the consumer of this.  Sugar, which can reduce the benefits of cocoa, is also added to improve the taste.  Therefore, while genuine dark chocolate has health benefits, chocolate that is simply labeled ‘dark’, does not necessarily have these benefits.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

 A cookie diet is simply a number of 'mini meals' that are in the shape of a cookie!

Source: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/200911egger.pdf

How To Lose 50 Pounds Fast

To lose 50 pounds is never an easy thing to do. But people have done it before you, so it’s entirely within your power.  I say this only to be honest with you: you have to be committed to the plan, but you can succeed if you set your mind to it. I can only suggest a way in which you can do it.

To lose 50 pounds fast, you need a diet which will provide a fast and continuous weight loss.  Fast because you want to get thin as soon as possible, continuous because it takes time to lose 50 pounds. To do so, you need a diet which will work in the long term and not just in the short term. That’s why you need to be extra careful when choosing a diet to follow, it has to be one you can follow more than a couple of weeks

To lose 50 lbs as fast as possible, I recommend 2 tools: the best cookie diet: R&D Diet Cookie and a computer program called DietPower.  Why do I make this recommendation?  Because the R&D Diet Cookie will eliminate hunger and cravings so that you can stay on a low calorie diet and the computer program DietPower  is a great program for calorie counting and nutrient tracking.  It also monitors your metabolism to guarantee reaching your goal weight on your target date, and even recommends foods you like that are best for your nutrition—all in five minutes a day.  It's a very good tool for weight loss and nutrition.

How does this diet work?   On the R&D Diet Cookie Program you eat about 6 of the hunger-fighting high protein/fiber/whole grain cookies throughout the day and a sensible, low-calorie dinner.  Each day you enter the foods you eat and any exercise into the DietPower Program.  It’s actually fun and very motivating to monitor your weight loss success this way.

How much can you lose with this diet? It really depends on your starting weight and a lot of other factors like how strictly you stay true to the plan.  If you are very overweight and you stick to the plan, you could lose 50 pounds in as little as 4 months which is very impressive.

I hope I’ve given you something to consider when you ask yourself how to lose 50 pounds fast. I wish you the best of luck.

What Does 4000 Calories Look Like?

The average American consumes almost 4,000 calories every day! That’s anywhere from 1500 to 2500 more calories than the average man or woman really needs (children and athletes have different needs).

All these calories are adding fat to our body, increasing the pressure on our heart, and stressing our organs (not to mention the environmental impact of all this gluttony).

But why are we eating so much?  And what are we eating?  You may be surprised to really see just how easy it is to eat 4000 calories in one day!  Here is a sample…

Breakfast: How about McDonald’s? That’s a typical choice for millions of Americans every day.

To be an average American, you need to eat at least 700 calories and up to 1300 calories at each setting. McDonald’s can help you with that. Another tip: it helps to drink your calories, so remember to wash it all down with a big slosh of soda or juice! Or a nice venti caffe mocha (360 calories) will do the trick.

Bacon n egg biscuit sandwich – 460 calories

Hash browns – 160 calories

Large coke – 320 calories

Total breakfast calories - 940

Lunch: I know Burger King is bad. I’ll go for Subway. Subway is fresh, so I’m sure whatever I eat there is going to be good, right?

Well, maybe if you get a 6″ whole-grain sandwich with vegetables or a salad. But according to Subway, the most popular Subway item in the world is the toasted steak and cheese sandwich.

Toasted Steak and Cheese sandwich - 400

Chips - 290

Large coke – 320

Total lunch calories – 1010   (total for the day so far = 1950)

Dinner: Pizza and burgers are beloved American foods.   But let’s stop for a burger…

Burger King double whopper – 1020

Large fries – 540

Large coke – 320

Total dinner calories – 1880     (total for the day so far= 3840)

We are at 3840 calories for the day and we haven’t even added in any snacks or office birthday party cake!  I’m not saying we eat this way EVERY DAY… but it doesn’t seem that far-fetched!

It’s sad that the most famous American foods – pie, burgers, pizza, hot dogs, French fries – are all JUNK foods!

I thought it would be a little bit of a challenge to eat 4,000 calories, but thanks to the vast majority of what’s available at every restaurant these days, it’s actually pretty hard not to consume twice as many calories as you need – and that’s the whole problem.  It shouldn’t require a degree in nutrition or hours of online research to know what’s reasonable to eat and what isn’t.   Stopping in at Subway to eat lunch shouldn’t be an obesity challenge!

We have to… MUST… get away from this “three meals a day” idea.  Our meals have to … MUST… be smaller and healthier.  Get away from processed foods and eat more whole grains and home-cooked foods.  The R&D Diet Cookie is the best cookie diet to help you there.  Start your days with the cookie… 2 or 3 will get you going.  Have them for lunch or have them as between meal snacks.  They will help you make better food choices for your other meals and you can reduce the number of calories you eat without being hungry or craving.

What do you eat in a day? Tell us!

Daily Calorie Calculation

I found a great tool…

Take your body weight, divide it by 2.2   (which will equal your weight in kilograms)….  Then multiply by 30.  This will give you the results of how many calories you are consuming to maintain that amount of weight.

Here’s the formula…                      weight   X   30    =   Calories

                                                          2.2

Results?

In order to maintain your weight, you have to be consuming that number result in calories on a regular basis.

For example… let’s say you weigh 250 lbs.  250 lbs / 2.2   X   30  =  3409 calories you are eating daily in order to maintain your 250 lbs in weight.

Now let’s use the same calculation another way…

Take the weight you want to weigh and divide it by 2.2 then multiply that number by 30.  This will give you the number of calories you have to eat in order to weigh what you want to weigh.

For example… let’s say you want to weigh 180 lbs:  180 lbs / 2.2   X   30  =  2455 calories you need to eat in order to weigh 180 lbs.

R&D Diet Cookies can help you reach your goal weight.  You can do it slowly or quickly… it is entirely up to you.  Concentrate on your goal daily calories and let the R&D Diet Cookies take away hunger and cravings so that you can stay below your dally calorie goal!  Another tool that may help you is a computer program called DietPower. 

DietPower® is the only weight-loss program that guarantees reaching your goal weight on your target date. Completely science-based, it turns your PC into a private "coach" revealing your intake of 33 vital nutrients as you log your meals. It also tracks exercise, analyzes recipes, brings you daily news and inspiration, and lets you meet other dieters. It works with any diet or supplement.  It works very well with the R&D Diet Cookie Program and it's a snap to use. Shape magazine rated it "4 Stars!" Runner's World declared it "The Ultimate." It comes with a one-year, no hassle, money-back guarantee.

Benefits of Flexibility Training (Stretching)

Flexibility is a joint's ability to move through a full range of motion. The old saying, “Use it or lose it” is quite true when it comes to flexibility.  As we get older we significantly lose flexibility and balance if we do not routinely use it.  Here are many benefits that result from a good flexibility program.

1.  Improved Posture

Stretching improves muscular balance and posture. Flexibility training can improve and possible reverse the effects of gravity or poor posture. Stretching can help realign soft tissue structures, thus reducing the effort it takes to achieve and maintain good posture in the activities of daily living.

2.  Reduced Risk of Low Back Pain

Stretching reduces the risk of low back pain. Stretching promotes muscular relaxation. A muscle in constant contraction requires more energy to accomplish activities. Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, and other muscles attached to the pelvis reduces stress to the low back.

3.  Increased Blood and Nutrients to Tissues

Another great benefit is that stretching increases blood supply and nutrients to joint structures.  This allows greater elasticity of surrounding. Stretching also increases joint synovial fluid, which is a lubricating fluid that promotes the transport of more nutrients to the joints' cartilage. This allows a greater range of motion and reduces joint degeneration.

4.  Enhanced Enjoyment of Physical Activities

Flexibility training also means enhanced enjoyment, and a fitness program should be fun if you want to stick with it. Not only does stretching decrease muscle soreness and increase flexibility, it also helps relax both mind and body and brings a heightened sense of well-being and personal gratification.

Flexibility training should be a part of your exercise routine since it provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. The training does not have to take a lot of time to be effective and successful.  I personally perform a 15 minute yoga-type flexibility routine each morning.  I started it in my 50’s after I noticed a significant loss in both flexibility and balance.  Within two weeks I noticed a drastic improvement which motivates me to continue. 

Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective flexibility program.

Dorothy PalmerSr. Research Scientist
R&D Diet Cookie

Live a Longer and Healthier Life

You should balance your activities with the proper amount of rest. Some of the leading experts in the field of aging now believe that regular exercise along with the proper amount of rest may actually add years to the life span. Results from a number of tests indicate that speed and muscular strength of many of the elderly can be extended.

Leading authorities agree that this new data is going to shatter many of the myths about aging and physical performance. The conclusion now is that the performance and ability of the elderly has long been underestimated, diet, proper sleep and exercise along with rest and relaxation are all important factors in preserving our bodies.

Laughter is one of the best things for your mental and physical state. People are naturally attracted to someone who has a good sense of humor. You can develop a good outlook and a good sense of humor by associating with and surrounding yourself with pleasant happy people.

Recognize that stress is a killer. A life filled with stress can really wreak havoc on your body causing a number of illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, asthma, gastric problems, menstrual disorders, ulcerative colitis, angina, irritable colon, increased blood pressure, ulcers, headaches, etc.

There are different types of stress such as mental, emotional and physical. Emotional stress seems to take the greatest toll on everyone. All stress is not bad; in fact, life would not be very interesting if it were not met with challenges. However, too much stress, too often with no effective and appropriate outlet, does not allow the body and soul to recuperate. You might review a typical week to see if you can identify things that might be making you anxious or causing you stress. Once identified, stressors can be attacked and eliminated.

Are you a worrier? Chronic worriers don't have more serious problems than others - they just think they do. Many worriers try to cope by trying not to think about their problems, but this just makes things worse. Doctors say that chronic worriers feel less anxious if they actually spend a half-hour a day thinking specifically about their problems.

Get plenty of exercise. People who are physically fit look good and feel good. A good exercise regimen will lengthen your life. Improve your appearance, build self-confidence and help delay the aging process.

Remember that you need to do something physical every day. If you don't use your joints, quite simply they'll tighten up with age to create the stooped, bent and worn out appearance we so often associate with old age. Studies have shown that people with arthritis experience less pain if they continue to keep their joints flexible. As one gets older, the bones tend to get brittle which is why it is common for senior citizens to break bones and especially their hips when they fall.

Eating right, getting proper sleep and learning to relax are all very valuable in maintaining a healthy body and mind. And keep in mind that eating healthy foods and avoiding those high in fats, sodium and cholesterol will help to decrease your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and associated problems.  Also remember to incorporate the R&D Diet Cookie into your lifestyle to help you maintain a healthy weight for you!

Weight Loss Online – Using the Internet to Lose Weight

Obesity has become a global epidemic; over 65% of the United States alone is overweight. Because of this dieters are seeking out new nontraditional means to lose weight. The internet is the biggest driving force behind these new means and methods. The internet is home to millions of pages of information devoted to helping people lose weight. There are weight loss articles, diet forums, weight loss blogs, online diet planners, diet pills, weight loss tools and calculators and much more.

Whether you need to lose 10 pounds or 100 you will find amazing weight loss support online. For example if you want some great weight loss tips to get you started on your diet, Weight Loss Center has many at a click of a mouse:  Here’s one among many…    Weight Loss

If you want to get one on one support and have experts answer your dieting questions, why waste your time at Jenny Craig or LA weight loss when you can just go to a weight loss forum and get answers within minutes without ever leaving your house?  Weight-loss-forum  or Weight Loss Forum   You can even start your own blog and have people post helpful suggestions to it.

Sign up for our blog at R&D Diet  Cookie and get useful information and ideas.  We can even start a conversation there about any issues you want to discuss.

Indeed the evolution of weight loss is taking place right before our eyes on the internet. It is an exciting time for dieters because there are many more options available. These new options should help bring about a decrease in obesity in the near future.

Get Fit on a Shoestring Budget

Aside from all the health benefits of exercise, a good exercise program can also help you save money and possibly make more money....and you can implement an effective, comprehensive exercise program with very little expense.

Research has demonstrated that people who exercise on a regular basis save thousands of dollars in medical expenses over a lifetime. Because exercise improves your immune system, exercisers usually experience fewer colds and other respiratory infections and thus have fewer "down days" and doctor bills. Exercisers also have fewer sprains and strains, and the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and certain cancers is lower in exercisers!

Exercise also increases mental acuity, reduces fatigue, and improves the quality of sleep...leading to improved productivity and thus more income for many people.

A comprehensive exercise program consists of two components; aerobic and anaerobic. They work together to give you all the benefits you can derive from an exercise program.

1. Aerobic exercise refers to exercises like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, aerobic dance, outdoor cycling, stationary cycling, rowing, stair climbing, etc. The benefits of aerobic exercise are numerous including increased caloric expenditure, increased metabolism, increased energy levels, decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease, etc.

The simplest, most liked, and usually least expensive of these is walking. Or, If you already have the required equipment such as a rower or stationary cycle, or access to a swimming pool, these would also be inexpensive options.

I recommend doing some form of aerobic exercise on a daily basis, preferably first thing in the morning.

2. Anaerobic exercise is the second component of a comprehensive exercise program and refers primarily to resistance exercise like weight training to tone and strengthen your muscles. Weight training is loaded with benefits such as increased metabolism, improved appearance, increased fat burning 24 hours a day, increased sense of well-being and confidence, decreased incidence of osteoporosis, etc....

Weight training can be done at home. For less than $20 you can usually buy the dumbbells (small weights) needed for an effective home weight training program. You should weight train three days per week.

My experience over the years is that most people try to "buy" a successful exercise program....they believe that if they "buy" the "latest and greatest" exercise gadget or if they "buy" the magical new supplements that burn five pounds of fat a day, or if they "buy" a health club membership, they can achieve their exercise goals. The fact is that an effective, comprehensive exercise program can be implemented with very little, or no, expense! Get started!

Information submitted by

R&D Diet Cookie

Most of the information in this article was obtained from  http://www.greglandryfitness.com

True or False: Fruit Juice is About as Fattening as Beer

True.  In terms of energy content (calories), same size servings of fruit juice and beer are roughly the same.  Since alcohol cannot e stored in the body, and is never directly converted to fat, any fattening effect of alcohol is dependent on other factors.  The description 'beer belly' is really more of a 'beer plus food and drink' belly.  Therefore, fruit juice is as potentially fattening as beer.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

Source: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/200911egger.pdf

True or False: Dairy Products Can Help Weight Loss

True.  The accuracy of this statement remains controversial.  There is a common belief that all dairy products cause weight gain probably because of the fat content of most natural dairy products.  However, recent research shows an inverse link between low fat dairy intake and body weight.  There are indications that certain dairy ingredients (e.g. Whey protein) and ingredient combinations (eg. Protein/calcium) can have a positive effect on toward a feeling of fullness, as well as other weight loss factors, which may assist weight loss.  This is only one of the reasons the R&D Diet Cookie is effective at helping you lose weight.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

Source: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/200911egger.pdf

True or False: A Low Protein Diet is Best for Weight Loss

False.  While any ‘diet’ is dependent mainly on energy ‘volume’ (calories) and is, to a large extent, independent of specific nutrients beyond their calorie contribution, there are other advantages of some nutrients.  Protein can have a satiating effect so a reasonable intake of protein is likely to be better for weight loss than a low protein diet.  The R&D Diet Cookie is packed full of the best quality, most effective proteins so here is just another reason they will help you lose weight.

Submitted by

Dorothy Palmer

Sr. Research Scientist

R&D Diet Cookie

Source: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/200911egger.pdf