Weight Loss Pills and Pharmaceutical Companies

Nothing in this world is stationary not even the tiniest of all disease causing
organisms. Doctors and scientist experience different new strains of
pathogen often. This is an indication that no disease can be talked off as fully
understood. The same is the case for obesity. Incomplete knowledge about
a body disorder can only result into limited effective drug research and
development to curb the disorder or the disease effectively. This is the reason
even the best weight loss pills do not appear to be working. Scientist have
yet to grasp the neural basis of appetite and how best to suppress it. Appetite
is an inborn survival instinct. Abolishing appetite using a drug can therefore
result in mortality cases and the rate may increase if the chemicals involved
fail to work as predicated by test and trials of different kinds in the laboratory.
This has in the past been known to create mistrust between the conventional
drug consumers and pharmaceutical industries.

Vote Now for your Favorite Neighborhood Haiku

Link here for the entries in random order for the Neighborhood Haiku Contest 2011!
Please select 3 favorites from the 17 entries. The entry thread has been hidden for now to conceal the author of each Haiku.  Some clever authors submitted more than one entry. If an entry has a letter and number (ie: Z1, Z2, Z3) you may only select one Z entry.

A 1-page PDF file of the entries is attached for

Thai Noodle Salad

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. dried vermicelli, cook according to package instructions
  
  


• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  
  


• ¼ cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  
  


• 2 tbsp peanut butter
  
  


• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  
  


• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
  
  


• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
  
  


• 1 tsp minced garlic cloves
  
  


• 1½ cups chopped cooked chicken
  
  


• 1 red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
  
  


• 3 green onions, cut diagonally into ½” pieces
  
  


• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  
  


• Lime wedges for garnish
  
  

Preparation:

• Combine soy sauce, chicken broth, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger, crushed red pepper in a medium-size saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until peanut butter is melted.
  
  


• Add cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly.
  
  


• Stir in cooked chicken, sweet pepper, green onions and cilantro.
  
  


• Serve with lime wedges.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (185 g)): 317 Calories, 25 g Protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 882 mg sodium

Tabbouleh Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups uncooked fine-grained cracked bulgur wheat
  
  


• 1½ cups boiling water
  
  


• 3 tomatoes, chopped
  
  


• 6 green onions, chopped
  
  


• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  
  


• 1 cup cucumber, chopped
  
  


• ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  
  


• 3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
  
  


• 1 can (15-16 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
  
  

Lemon Garlic Dressing ingredients:

• ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  
  


• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
  
  


• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  
  

Preparation:

• In a medium sized bowl, using a whisk, combine all dressing ingredients, set aside.
  
  


• In a medium sized bowl, place bulgur then add boiling water. Stir then let stand for about 60 minutes. Pour off any excess water and fluff with a fork.
  
  


• Stir in vegetables and garbanzo beans with the bulgur then toss with the dressing.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (325 g)): 291 Calories, 10 g Protein, 55 g carbohydrates, 12 g Dietary Fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 621 mg sodium

Buck up Buttercup

I'm starting to get over the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know I'll get through this thing at work. At least I have some time to figure it out. It's not like I'm suddenly out of work. I really do love the company I work for and the thought of leaving it hurts my heart. Leaving is just one option, there are others. I just have to figure it out. It's at the very top of my list of things I'm worried about. Like I needed another one.

My husband and I talked about it today. He kept telling me it would be okay, that we'd figure it out (I think he meant "I'd" figure it out, but he said "we" out of kindness). Even though I know that's true, it will be okay, it's hard to believe it at the moment.

I made it to the gym today, after I made a new playlist on my iPod. It wasn't my best workout, but focusing on how fast I could go on the StairMaster really helped, at least for the thirty minutes I was on it.

I didn't do weights because all three weight rooms were packed with men. Usually I don't mind that much, and usually it's not that busy. It was 6pm and I couldn't understand why all those young men weren't out on dates on a Saturday night. Anyway, today I just didn't feel like lifting weights surrounded by men. I always wonder why there aren't more women at the gym on Saturday nights.

New music really helps with my workouts and my mood. The top five songs are new as of today, then down to 22 were on my May playlist, and the last eight, well, they're from my top 25 most played on my iPod (and yes, Poker Face, Hot Mess and Fake It are there). Fake it. I guess that's what I need to do for now.

June 2011 playlist:

I know it's probably not what most almost 56-year old women listen to, but this music really helps me keep up the intensity of my workouts.

Now if only I can sleep tonight. It's past midnight, and I'm wide awake. For the past week when I do actually fall asleep I've been plagued by nightmares. Last night I was killing animals. I smashed a baby turtle's back and decapitated him (I was crying in my dream), and then I tried to killed an old raccoon with a brick. If you know me at all, I love animals. I would never, ever harm an animal. I'm the one that stops my car on the street for a squirrel to cross, backing up traffic. The dreams are vivid and horrible and feel very real. After the baby turtle dream I woke up crying. It was just a dreadful dream, one I can't get out of my head.

I guess I have to try to sleep. I wish I could just turn off my brain.

Food Reward: a Dominant Factor in Obesity, Part VI

Reward Centers can Modify the Body Fat Setpoint

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (chemical that signals between neurons) that is a central mediator of reward and motivation in the brain.  It has been known for decades that dopamine injections into the brain suppress food intake, and that this is due primarily to its action in the hypothalamus, which is the main region that regulates body fatness (1).  Dopamine-producing neurons from reward centers contact neurons in the hypothalamus that regulate body fatness (2).  I recently came across a paper by a researcher named Dr. Hanno Pijl, from Leiden University in the Netherlands (3).  The paper is a nice overview of the evidence linking dopamine signaling with body fatness via its effects on the hypothalamus, and I recommend it to any scientists out there who want to read more about the concept.
Read more »

Struggling with life / 189.2

This continues to be my theme for the last several months. Today is no different.

Yesterday something really awful happened at work. It has to do with me and my future with my company. I'm not fired or anything like that, but my current position will be phased out in about two years. This means I absolutely must make some major decisions about my future. A different career path with the same company (almost 28 years here) or perhaps a different company. I'm almost 56 years old and this is very scary.

I've known this was coming for about a year and even though I knew it, I tried not to think about it. Yesterday I decided to have a heart to heart about it with my manager and talk through what we'd briefing touched on in a meeting about a year ago. It did not go well.

I left work early and cried all the way home. I still have a lump in my throat and continue to feel I'm right on the edge of crying. She only stated the truth, so I don't fault her. It's something I have to figure out. I have options at work, but I don't like any of them.

My sweet husband called me as I was on my drive home. I was stuck in horrible Friday traffic. When he called, I'd been crying, and then burst into tears again. He was very sweet and tried to comfort me, telling me it would all work out. I appreciated it, but this is really my problem, and it's a huge one. I have to figure it out.

He came home with flowers and Chinese takeout for dinner. I haven't eaten Chinese food in over three years. It wasn't delicious and even though I ate some of it (beef and broccoli and some chow mein noodles, two steamed pork stickers) it was like I couldn't taste it. I followed it up with two sugar-free Klondike bars. Again, the food was just tasteless.

The only positive side effect of me being extremely stressed out and worried is that I don't want to eat. If it's just a little annoyance or general sadness, I want to eat. If I'm happy, I want to eat. If it's a horrific, life-changing event (and this feels like one to me), then I don't want to eat at all. I just feel like I want to curl up and die.

It's almost 2pm here and it's 56 degrees with dark skies. It rained all night and looks like it's going to start again any minute. This weather perfectly fits my mood.

It's almost like I have analysis paralysis. This situation seems so overwhelming that I can't seem to take the steps to figure it out. Number one of course, is to update my resume. Number two is figure out what the hell I want to be when I grow up.

I have to get really serious about losing weight. The thought of looking for a job at my current weight of 189 is horrifying. At least I don't have to start looking today, but I need to start working on a plan now, not two years from now.

I'm going to the gym now. I'm sure that will help. First I need to download some new tunes on my iPod.

I'll be okay.