Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - MarkMoxom

Pages: [1] 2
1
Here's a monthly health, diet and lifestyle low carb magazine aiming to provide information and inspiration to help us live a better, healthier and more fun low carb lifestyle.

What's better news is that it is NOW FREE for everyone on all platforms - iPad, Kindle Fire, PC, Mac, Android and in fact any recent device that has internet access.

Here's the link to sign up and get a copy - http://ow.ly/uqZZU

2
General Discussion / Re: Carb Counts
« on: June 28, 2013, 12:51:55 AM »
So why does the nutritional value of the food that we eat vary from brand to brand, country to country or even farm to farm, well for that matter, from garden to garden? Well there are three basic things to bear in mind here.

The first is that when you're dealing with crops that are grown intensively or on a commercial basis - chiefly things like nuts - even though they're often taken from the same tree, the nutrients will vary. Those that you find in the nut will be directly proportional to the nutrients available to the tree as it produces the nuts. Now as the tree can't move, it is obviously dependent on the nutrients being brought to it. The chief way in which that happens in nature is that the water flowing through the soil will be the major carrier of the nutrients that eventually goes through the tree and end up in the nut. Just taking water as an example, you'll see that the amount of water a tree gets when it's producing nuts will determine how much water ends up in the nut. So in wet areas for instance each nut will have proportionally more water in it. That means it will have proportionally less, fat, less protein and less carbohydrate. So you can very quickly see that even just looking at something as simple as water content - that will obviously change from tree to tree, farm to farm, country to country and continent to continent.

The other thing that affects the nutritional value are things like the quality of the soil.  Nuts produced from trees grown in rich soil will have a greater range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals for instance. Also the age of the tree will have quite a considerable bearing on the nutrient balance of the nuts that particular tree produces over its lifetime. What is grown around the tree will have a similar effect. Plants that deplete the soil of the nutrients the tree needs will reduce the nutritional value and plants that enrich the soil will increase its nutritional value. I think now you're beginning to understand just why in a natural product like nuts or any other thing that's grown, the nutritional value will vary.

The other thing that will determine the final nutritional value of something like a nut is whether it is raw or cooked and even the manner of cooking. For instance, heat treated nuts will have an increase in things like trans fats. Nuts that are dry roasted will have fat leached out of them. Nuts that are roasted in oil will absorb more oil and nuts that are boiled will have less oil and a higher water content. So you can see there are legitimate reasons exactly why the nutritional value of the nuts that you eat changes, even the raw ones. So there will always be slight variations and I suspect the best way to deal with it is to take the highest value just to be on the safe side.

Of course when it comes to nuts it only really matters if you're eating large quantities of them and that is always the problems with nuts, isn't it? They're just too damn moreish.

3
General Discussion / Re: Have you experienced this?
« on: June 13, 2013, 05:40:08 PM »
Hi Taby,

Something is not right here. You really should see your medical advisor.

Mark

4
General Discussion / Re: low potassium
« on: May 20, 2013, 10:24:13 PM »
Hi Mark!

Although you could take potassium tablets, they are  in fact a very poor substitute for natural potassium that you can get in your food. If you think about it, there are a number of advantages in  relying on food sources for potassium when compared with taking tablets.

The first of those is that food sources actually can contain 8 or more times the amount of potassium than the single potassium tablet may do. Most green vegetables are quite high in potassium, things like brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus and cooked spinach for instance has over 800 mg per cup so with 3 servings of green vegetables each day, that could quiet easily add up to 2,500 to 3,000 mg of potassium from a natural source.

The other advantage of choosing a natural source like that is of course, that it enters the body slowly and being biological in origin, that type of potassium is far more readily used in the various bodily processes that require it just for them to work properly.

It is a fact that our body does need potassium but being slightly lacking in potassium is not as crucial as some might imagine. What’s more important is the ratio between potassium and sodium in the standard American diet or to some extent even the standard western diet. The amount of salt that is found in processed foods is quite frankly dangerously high, again not so much because there is a lot of salt but simply because there is very, very little potassium to go with it. So you might be wondering, what is the ratio? At a minimum it should be 1:1 that is for every 1 gm of salt you have, you should have 1 gm of potassium in your food. However it’s far better to have a slightly more potassium than sodium or salt if you prefer because potassium plays a crucial role in so many body functions. We need potassium for muscle contraction, neurotransmission, glycogen formation, heart and kidney functions and adrenal functions and a whole host of other things. If we don’t have potassium then that could give rise to things like water retention, muscular weakness and cramps, constipation, heart irregularities, hypertension and raised blood pressure.

Now while I said we need to make sure that our potassium intake is slightly higher than our salt intake, that doesn’t mean to say that we should cut down on salt because salt is also crucial for many of our bodily functions and you’ll quite often find it used in the same process as potassium. For instance in things like muscle contraction as well as throughout our whole nervous system. I would also encourage people to stay away from commercially produced salt simply because commercially produced are man made salt and has quite a few things added to it that you wouldn’t really put in your body if you knew they were there at a choice. They’re mainly put in to commercial salt to act as flow agents or to absorb moisture, things like aluminosilicate and ferrocyanide.

In Europe, we also have to put up with fluoride being added to our table salt which is why it is important as much as possible to try and use salt from natural sources. The advantage of that is that natural salt is only around about 85% sodium chloride the rest is made up of natural trace minerals which include things like phosphorus, silicon, vanadium and others which are also going to aid the various chemical processes that go on in the body day by day.

Another point to bear in mind is the ratio between our salt and potassium intake and how much we drink each day. This becomes even more crucial for people who are involved in physical activity and it is obviously much more healthier to balance these things out to fit our activity level, lifestyle and general health needs.

Hope that helps,

Mark

This is a vastly complex subject. I’ve done my best to bring out just the salient points here that is worth noting and not only should we make sure we have adequate levels of potassium but also manganese and calcium as these form a delicate balance of electrolytes in our body that are crucial for good bodily function.

5
General Discussion / Re: Water Retention Triggers?
« on: May 14, 2013, 06:29:19 AM »
Hi Roslyn,

The effect that you are talking about is not uncommon partly because as TooSweet has said, these types of food ingredients will tend to hold on to liquid more than more natural foods and they will also tend to slow down the transit time of the food passing through your body. So over that period there is more food going in than is coming out.

Another reason is that body requires more resources as it were to digest these types of food that are difficult for it to digest. That may also mean that you're drinking a little bit more than you have noticed and as the body is using that liquid to deal with the slight poisoning effect of carbohydrates that you've eaten, it will obviously hold on to that liquid until those processes have finished.

Frankly I'm going to agree with Doug here, why don't you just avoid them? Because you'll find that as you get more in to and knowledgeable about a low carb way of eating, it frankly doesn't limit the choices that you have to any great extent. In fact, with a bit of research you'll find that being encouraged to look for other type of food will broaden your gastronomic horizons immensely and that will be well worth the effort.

Mark

6
How To Register And Use This Forum / Re: My Path to SKINNY
« on: April 15, 2013, 10:46:25 PM »
Hi Sammy and welcome. Yes you can do this! How do I know that? Well you've already done it before admittedly with the help of a very nice doctor. You know you're not happy and that being overweight is causing you pain which is another great incentive and you're actually doing something about it. You're being positive which is always a brilliant step in the right direction and lastly, you've come to the right place to get some first class support, motivation and advice.

The one thing I would ask you to do is to find your big reason why. Why you want to be that slim, athletic, fit person. Once you've got hold of that and you hold on to it with everything that you're worth then your success is virtually guaranteed.

Hope that helps,

Mark

7
Hi Tony!

Have you had a quick look at Dr. Mercola's information on Omega oils?

It's actually very interesting and let's face it we can never be too way informed, can we?

And by the way thanks for all the input you have on the forum. It's very much appreciated!

Mark

8
Hi Angie and welcome!

I used to be quite a keen gym enthusiast. I don't really like the term "bodybuilder".

The great thing is that I switched to low carb while I was doing weightlifting and I actually found that my energy levels went up. My stamina was increased and the effectiveness of each session seems to be multiplied several times.

If you want to find out more about which types of exercises are the best for burning fat then have a look at the work of Dr. Al Sears. You can find that on alsearsmd.com. His PACE program is just the thing and I recommended it to other people in the past and those that had followed the recommendation have found the fat loss as one person put it "was phenomenal".

Hope that helps,

Mark

9
General Discussion / Re: Stevia plant
« on: April 04, 2013, 02:57:42 PM »
It's really very easy and you have two methods. One using a water base and the other using alcohol which makes a very concentrated liquid that is literally used by the drop.

Anyway for the easier water based version you'll need..

(for approximately 1/2 cup of extract)

1/2 cup dried stevia leaves, well packed down
1 cup water


Bring water to just about a simmer in a small saucepan that has a lid. 
Do NOT boil.
Remove from the heat and throw in your dried stevia leaves. 
Place on the lid and let steep for 40 minutes.
I use a coffee filter to strain out the leaves into a clean glass jar with a lid.

You can store it in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Hope thats helps

Mark

10
I agree! Let's do just that.

Here's the challenge. Let's write a chapter each and if it is done by the end of the month I will get it published and you know I'm not messing around.

Cheers,

Mark

11
General Discussion / Re: BEEF FAT
« on: March 07, 2013, 10:03:46 PM »
One of the great uses of for beef fat if you're like me and use cast-iron utensils is that you just take away the fat and use it to grease the pan before you fry anything. It gives a lovely flavor to many many dishes.

Another dish you can use it for is fried cauliflower. Simply steam some tot cauliflower florets then when their al dente put your pan or skillet over a low heat, throw in the fat lumps until they melt a bit and then just plunk the cauliflower florets over the top. Add a little salt and as much pepper as you like and then continue cooking over low heat for about half an hour until the cauliflower florets have started to brown nicely.

If you're not getting enough fat out of the beef fat, a few nubs of butter will also improve the taste at least according to my taste buds anyway.

You can use beef fat virtually wherever you would choose a nub of butter - in savory dishes.

It doesn't work quite as well in sweet dishes because it has that slightly well, beefy taste.... surprise surprise!

Hope that helps,

Mark

12
General Discussion / Re: A very interesting article
« on: February 22, 2013, 01:09:02 AM »
Scott thanks for the interesting article. Well more amusing than interesting.

I'm with Morgan on this one, I just can't see anybody who has a problem with weight wanting to go to the extreme that this article describes and  to answer Andrea's question yes I suspect somebody was paid to write this. After all it's gotta be worth all of five cents.

Cheers,

Mark

13
General Discussion / Re: Just started this program
« on: February 21, 2013, 02:15:43 AM »
Welcome pamsway.

I know you're going to do well if you simply follow the plan and as others have already said, feel free to ask questions. That's what the board and the forum and we're here for.

One thing I would say though is that the diet starts in the shop or the store. If you don't buy and take it home it won't be sitting in the cupboard tempting you.

Cheers,

Mark

14
General Discussion / Re: Literally Watching While You Eat
« on: February 07, 2013, 04:45:34 AM »
Yes other people do seem to be really really really really more interested in what we eat than what we are ourselves and as some of you have already pointed out they seem to enjoy pointing that out to all when we're in the restaurant with them and there are many many reasons why they're like that; some of you have already listed some, jealousy, envy, concern.

But we need to write down the concern into two types. These concerns for us that we may be doing the wrong thing which in their eyes will do us harm. But there is also a concern for themselves that we may be doing the right thing and they may have to change their understanding of what is a good diet and of course many people really do fear change which remind me, some of you may have heard the old saying that "you never talk about religion or politics as that can lead to heated discussions" because people don't like being told what to believe or how they should vote. One thing I found is that neither do people like being told what they should eat.

Anyway, I digress. As far as eating at restaurants goes I found two helpful little things that we can do. Whenever I go into a restaurant now I pick up the menu, scan down it, make a choice of one or two things, close the menu and put it down and say " Yes I know I'm going to eat" whereupon everybody looks at you to say "Oh!". So that then takes away their opportunity to try and  choose things for us because we've already made our choice which means that they get on looking at what they want to eat. Now once they are all engrossed with deciding what they want to eat, you can then return back to the menu if you want to just to confirm your choice or maybe decide on something else. The other thing I always do is order first again for much the same reason, by getting in first and giving  the serving staff my order, it does mean that the others in the party will probably have to go back and look at the menu to make certain that they're ordering the right thing which takes away the opportunity for them to talk about what we're ordering.

The next time you're in that situation try those two little tips, you'll find them very useful.

Hope that helps,

Mark

15
General Discussion / Re: Taking measurements
« on: February 05, 2013, 12:50:32 AM »
Hi Mark,

I would actually use three lots of measuring methods to gauge how well my body shape is changing, obviously the scales although they are known for not telling the truth all the time, and then measuring.

This is how I advice people to measure:

Let's start with the men first:
- Around you neck where the shirt collar would go.
- Around your chest, just under your armpits more or less at nipple level.
- Around you stomach at the largest part.
- Around your upper arm at the largest part but without flexing your muscles and keeping your arm straight.
- Forearm at the largest part with your arms straight and again without flexing muscles.
- Your thighs at the largest part and do take time to measure each leg separately and also around the calves because some men do put fat on around the calves.

Now the ladies: They have a little bit more to measure. Ladies measurements are:
- Again, around the neck where the shirt collar would go.
- Around the chest or bust and it's important to keep the measuring tape parallel with the ground. Probably the best way of doing it is measure around just under the bra and exhale; you want this measurement to be as smallest possible in order to retain the accuracy. Measure your bust as well by standing straight with your arms at your side and measure the fullest part of your bust preferably while wearing a bra and again make sure the tape is parallel to the ground.
- Then the upper arm at the largest part of the arm without flexing the muscles and the arm is straight.
- The forearm, the largest part of the forearm with straight arms and without flexing muscles.
- Then the waist ideally at the smallest part but you need to be the judge of that. The secret is to keep the same place each week.
- The stomach which is normally a little bit lower than the waist, again at the largest part.
- Hips, at the level of the hip joint or the largest circumference of your hips.
- Thighs, at the largest part of each leg again measured separately.
- Calves, at the largest part of each of your calves.

Those are the areas of the body both for men and women that will show the greatest change due to fat loss and a change of muscle tone.

The bottom line is the more places you measure the more indicators you've got of a change of body shape. Different areas of your body will change size at different times depending on the quality of the underlying fat but also the type of exercise that you're getting as well.

One last thing that I always recommend people do is when they first start on an effective diet like low carb is to put on the snuggest outfit they've got and on the same day they measure, get it out and see how loose it's starting to get.

So there are three ways that you can see how well you're doing and encourage yourself from week to week. Oh yes, only do this once a week by the way, any more than that is just a waste of effort.

Hope that helps,

Mark

Pages: [1] 2