Author Archives: Karen Fili Sullivan

When Fitness Success is Old

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Not all my readers are beginners. Most of you have been at this for a long time. Fitness for you is old hat and you are bored. Who can blame you? The same old thing over and over — WHY? What’s the point? To break this down I want you to think about who you are and how you feel about yourself. Then answer the following questions:

  1. Are you depressed,
  2. Are you upset,
  3. angry,
  4. have mood swings?
  5. Is there a void in your life?

Of course not! Because you take care of yourself. You’re eating the right foods. You exercise and move your body. In your world taking care of your health is as important as breathing! Living any other way is out of the question because without that approach life is bleak. The alternative is an individual who answers YES to all of the five questions listed above.

KarenKeep your focus on the positive in your life. Don’t feel stagnant because you’re a whole lot better off than the majority of people in this country. Compare yourself to those people in your neighborhood. People who are out of shape represent where you could be if you didn’t take care of yourself. When you see someone who isn’t fit recognize that you are seeing how the human body responds to lack of good habits. Don’t judge.

We judge ourselves harshly enough. With those judgments we think we don’t measure up. What destroys us most is looking back at what we used to be. How much we could lift, how fast we ran the mile or wind sprints. Time marches forward and if we keep comparing ourselves to what we use do be, how we used to look, the clothes we used to wear we will cease appreciating who we have become BECAUSE of our past.

This picture of myself was taken 35 years ago while I was training for a Body Building contest. I could look at that and think several things such as:

“Those were the days.”       “If only I could look like that again!”      ”Poor me, I’ll never be as good as I was then.”

Truth of the matter is — I’ll never be as young and naive as that girl in the picture. It was her sacrifices and experiences that make me the person I am today. She made me a better health coach, a better individual than she was. When I look at her I thank her for all she taught me. In actuality you are closer to the old you than you realize. Be kind to yourself.

Be Well!

The First Lady’s “Let’s Move!”

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I take my hat off to the First Lady for her efforts to help our children live healthier lives. When Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move!” campaign in 2010 she set out to have food manufacturing “rethink the products..(they’re)…offering”. To a conference of the Grocery Manufacturers Association she said that making changes with parents and schools wasn’t going to be successful unless the advertising stops targeting children with images of sugary, fatty food. Well, that went over like a ton of bricks! Seems the food and beverage groups which spent $83 million lobbying during the last three years of the Busch administration have upped their spending to $175 million since Obama took office*****.

The April 2012 Special Report: How Washington went soft on childhood obesity reminds us that the side with the biggest bucks wins! No matter that the campaign to make our kids healthy is the passion of the First Lady. I believe this puts Michelle Obama in the same category as Jamie Oliver. Both trying to bring awareness and a revolution to the health and welfare of our children — both were shot down.

Oliver, during his second season of Food Revolution was pulled from ABC during the May Sweeps in 2011. Although ABC says they’re still behind the series viewership just wasn’t where it should have been. The fact that fewer people watched during the second season tells me that at a grass-roots level people weren’t interested in making the changes for their health — nor for their children’s health. Why is it people cannot see a reason to change? The emphasis is fitness and health, not looks as some of the critics of “Let’s Move!” suggest. People are dying folks! Children are affected with both physical and mental issues from excess weight. Add to that the emotional struggles and ridicule an overweight child faces at the hands of their peers we have a serious problem.

To her credit Michelle Obama hasn’t stopped her campaign, although it’s more watered down than when she started. Her office never responded to the special report on Washington going soft, but I can imagine she was disappointed. As a mother she understands the importance of her children eating healthy foods and exercising.

So now, three years after it started, the “Let’s Move!” program is a mere shadow of its former self. The ball is back in our court. Personal fitness and exercise is what the campaign now teaches — with no more scrutiny of the food industry. We’re in this alone folks. Stick together and look for healthy food choices. Join the Obamas and Olivers of the world and be an advocate for good nutrition and fitness.

To the First Lady I’d like to say, “Thanks for trying!”

Be Well!

May 17th is Food Revolution Day!

***** These figures are based on The Reuters analysis of records from the Federal Election Commission, the Secretary of the Senate and the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics.

Time for Exercise

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The following is an excerpt from The Zen of Weight Loss: A Mindful Livable Approach to Fitness

Chapter 21  Zen of Health Promotion 

Excuse Me
What’s the purpose of an excuse? It’s an attempt to get off the hook by justifying or overlooking a shortcoming or obligation. Let’s take a look at the granddaddy of excuses; “I don’t have the time.” The recommended exercise time is a minimum of 30-minutes a day, although recent studies suggest this is only a starting point and our bodies really need more.

Start here: elevate your heart rate for 30 minutes or longer and you’ll begin to experience some benefit. Exercise puts a spring back in your step, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and fights off diabetes with a little extra work. Choosing not to exercise actually exercises the choice to tempt disease and illness. Excuses are not great supporters of self-esteem, mindfulness, or fitness. You aren’t thinking right when you try to exonerate yourself from health! Who in their right mind takes flight from health or embraces illness? The mature way to handle health promotion is to accept that daily exercise is as much a routine as brushing your teeth.

A dear friend in Virginia had a very different lifestyle than Karen’s. She was a massage therapist dedicated to the earth
religions. She embodied a free-spirit approach to life. She was a beautiful mother of two wonderful children. She didn’t go to doctors, instead optioning for a homeopathic approach to health and fitness. Generally, a homeopathic approach complements disease treatment systems (i.e., traditional western medicine). To complement a system doesn’t mean to ignore all of its practices. Conversely, she didn’t exercise or keep track of her body. When her breast cancer was diagnosed, it was already Stage III. She fought a valiant fight that ended 18 months later. Could she have warded off death had she had been in touch with her body? If she had been diagnosed earlier would it have made a difference in treatment options and the prognosis? Nobody  knows. Statistics suggest that regular mammograms and self-exams
decrease mortality from breast cancer. The tragedy is that she didn’t keep up with her body and it got away from her.

Fitness lends itself to being in touch with your physical self. Just about everybody gets sick at one time or another. People who are fit are likely to get sick less often. When illness tags people in “good shape” they have more physical, mental, and emotional resources to fight back and are apt to heal quicker. The Surgeon General advocates regular exercise as a core strategy for becoming a “Healthy and Fit Nation” (2010)** The report is blunt, “Today’s epidemic of overweight and obesity threatens the historic progress we have made in increasing American’s quality and years of healthy life.” The facts are irrefutable; extra pounds hurt the body and shorten the prospect of living long and prosperously.

People who exercise have a much lower risk of ever having to face many illnesses on the nation’s menu of health crises. That said, the report goes on to state that, “Americans need to live and work in places that help them practice healthy behaviors.” The Zen of Weight Loss is health promotion. But what if, just for a moment, time is a barrier to a successful fitness routine? Journal about the time not spent working out, grabbing quick bites at the convenience store after pumping gas, and whatever took place during your regular time at the gym. Pick a few choice words that best describe the reflection in the morning mirror and the body state that finally hits the pillow each night. Are you moving towards or away from your goal?

Watch Dogs 

Making time for daily exercise is a bit like having two watchdogs named Timex and Rolex. Your love is whole-hearted

Jeri Levesque, Ed.D.

Jeri Levesque, Ed.D.

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Karen Fili Sullivan

and you can trust the results. The list of excuses can be rather lengthy, but here are a few rebuttals:
• No money? Try cutting out one soda a day, at $1.50 each. That saves $45 a month. Many gym memberships can be had for less than $40 a month. Work with the staff about the sign-up fee. That amount is always negotiable. Just keep talking, if the staff balks, move on to another gym willing to waive or reduce the fee.
• Don’t know how to do exercises? You may need to pay for an initial orientation and workout plan but after that you can be on your own. Ask the staff to give you a tour and explain what each machine does for body fitness. Try a free group intro lesson to see whether group workouts fit your style. If you don’t feel a good fit with staff and other clients, find another gym.

• Embarrassed to be there in revealing clothes? Then don’t wear clothes that make you uncomfortable, select loose fitting shirts and pants that cover your body.

• Too many candles on your cake? On the wrong side of the centennial divide? Sorry Dear Heart, but health promotion and disease prevention are two concepts being championed by many Baby Boomers! It’s never too late to begin to exercise. Lots of Karen’s clients are in their 70′s and 80′s. Why tempt fate? Stay on top of your game and buy into fitness.

Be Well!

See www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/obesityvision/obesityvision2010.pdf

Gathering Diet Advice

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We are gatherers. We collect information, ideas and opinions. I’ve moved several times in my adult life. Collecting information has been an important step when establishing a home in a new city. Think about what you give up when you move to a new town. Basically you start over establishing relationships with a number of people and businesses.

  • ChurchThe is the first house we owned. This picture was taken on a recent visit to the east coast.
    This is the first house we owned. We took this picture on a recent visit to the east coast.
  • Gym
  • Physician
  • Chiropractor
  • Hair Stylist
  • Nail Technician
  • Grocery store
  • Mechanic
  • Pharmacist
  • School District when your children are still younger
  • Restaurants
  • Parks
  • Entertainment
  • Friends
  • Pool and Swim Team

I’ve always used the rule that three time’s a charm. Let’s say I need a chiropractor. I ask people who they use and when I get the same name three times I make an appointment. It’s worked very well through the years. Then I form my own relationships with these people. Sometimes I have to make changes but often I settle in with the people recommended through my search.

The same applies when designing your fitness plan. You do need to ask for feedback, but the rub comes when people keep asking and never act on what they learn. They don’t make a decision and move on it. That’s why people fail with their plan and never reach their goals. Two FALSE Premises keep us from believing our choices are right.

#1 We believe everyone else has an organized life and are doing a better job than us.

NOT TRUE

Within the life of any human being is conflict and triumph. The joy of being human is we can work our way through adversity. Bouncing back is what people do! There is no finish line, stop acting like other people have arrived ahead of you.

#2 We often believe we were better when we were younger.

NOT TRUE

Your beauty has only increased over time. Experience has taught you to be more loving, caring, and discerning. A younger you had a lot more optimism. Don’t let your experiences bring hopelessness. They should be used to support you the remainder of your life. You can avoid pitfalls!

Usually you can be the decisive adult. Someone who is confident in life and in your work. When it comes to changing your body all bets are off. When faced with losing weight, fixing your cholesterol or blood pressure all reason is thrown out the window. As a trainer I normally see a panicked knee-jerk reaction. Instead of eating right and exercising you keep looking for how to lose weight. Not giving your body time to respond to the routine makes you act like a group of kids at their first T-Ball game. Charging from one side of the field to another instead of holding your position and playing the game.

Try the 3 Question method. Ask your doctor or an evaluation of your health and take any recommendations they may throw your way. That counts as one. Then search carefully for the next two sources of data. You only get three! Try asking a personal trainer you may know, or seek out a personal trainer. (Now, you get three more questions while you search for a personal trainer! When you find that three sources name the same trainer then you can set an appointment with that person.) Back to the plan. Now ask the trainer what they think will work for you. Next seek the advice of one more person. The question should be:

How do you stay so fit and trim? OR How did you get your weight off?

As long as this third source didn’t use some fad diet or pills I can recommend you start the process of building your own plan. Start with a Personal Journal. Write down your workouts, food and goals. Discover WHY you are interested in changing your body in the first place. Dig deep until you discover your heart’s desire! Armed with that information — get down to work. Start and keep it up. Adjustments may be made along the way, but your sources (doctor, trainer and friend) can help you keep on the path. Don’t confuse the issue with more data. Stop searching and start doing.

Be Well!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Body Restoration Coaching Goes Global

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A Coaching Program

My work as a personal trainer has been in the wind for a while. Well, not the wind but on the airwaves or net-waves. 10 years ago I began developing a long-distance coaching module. I’m excited to say that the program is now available to the general public. There are limited spots available in the program, so if you are even remotely interested contact me today. (Directions below.)

Life-changing, education and research supported, fitness coaching for everyone.

My goal is to show you how to make the changes you want.

25 Years Professional Coaching Experience

Private — Face-to-Face From the Comfort of  Your Home or Office

You must want to change your body, or you wouldn’t be looking at this site. All the talk and focus about fat and weight loss probably leave you worn out and disgusted. Because it doesn’t make a difference what you do — your body doesn’t change.

In my Body Restoration Coaching Program I become your Mentor and walk you through the process to guaranteed success!

          • Find Your Heartfelt Motivation for Change
          • Design a plan to make changes in your body.
          • Develop a way to make those changes last a lifetime.

For 16-weeks you work directly with the best personal trainer and motivator I know! All joking aside, you will transform the way you attack fitness, and you will be successful this time. Learn to give yourself the attention you deserve without ignoring the people you care about in your life. Solid, scientifically backed results that last a lifetime.

No Tabloid Advice, No Quick Fixes

GUARANTEED

Never miss a Coaching Session —  Follow the Action Steps you decide you are willing to do — Keep track of your progress with Daily Journal Entries — and you will Feel Better – Be healthier, more FIT and happier with your body or I’ll return your money.

Limited Positions Available for the Body Restoration Program. Contact me today!

          1. Sign up for the ZWLClub and
          2. Ask for Coaching in the Comments on this page.

Be Well!

Pushing Beyond Comfort

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I don’t know if I’ve ever been accused of being too easy on my clients, but I believe I’m guilt of that from time to time. I try hard to step up the workouts, challenging the body and mind. I’m not patient with a client who works on the easier side of serious. With the exception of injuries – those injuries arising from play or work over the weekend. People may believe they’re seriously attacking a workout, but occasionally I get someone whose efforts are less than they should be.

Sometimes I have a talk. Often I just increase the weight and keep them working. About 12 years ago I fired a client. After a year of training three days a week I told her I wouldn’t work with her anymore. She was surprised and asked why. I itemized off several reasons:

          • She wore sweat pants and a turtle neck shirt for training — year round. (You’re going to pass out from the heat.)

            I trained Liz Chamberlain for 5 years and never had to fire her. She always worked 110%.

            I trained Liz Chamberlain for 5 years and never had to fire her. She always worked 110%.

          • She always wore her rings which were probably 20 carats total weight. (It will ruin your rings, and you don’t need to be concerned about them here. Leave them home.)
          • She refused to eat vegetables — ever. (Really, are you 2?)

I wasn’t able to continue working with her when her body hadn’t changed in a year. I didn’t want her telling people she trained with me, and yet there were no changes. She begged for a second chance, and I was pleased with the results.

We have to get out of our comfort zone if we are going to get results. We must remember that comfort — furniture, cars, and food — got us in this condition in the first place. Don’t be afraid of sweat. That’s why the shower was invented. Your trainer will know what kinds of exercises your body cannot do. They will be sure to point you in the right direction for ultimate success.

Excerpt from The Zen of Weight Loss: 

“Exercise is a form of movement that demands concentration. It can be an intensely pleasurable experience if it is accompanied by a positive attitude. Rather than consider exercise from a negative “gotta” approach, see it as a “wanna”. When viewed as a deeply personal choice of how one truly wants to spend time, the mind centers on happiness as the motivation to move the body in a vigorous manner. Conversely, if exercise is approached with the
attitude of a freshly condemned prisoner, the mind will find ways to avoid punishing its body.”

Step up to the plate and start to work harder. Then you will see the results you want to get.

Be Well!

Making Fitness Stick

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“Before setting a goal for comfortably wearing your ideal size, figure out WHY you want to be that size. Discovering the deep motivation for each goal energizes successful planning. Otherwise you’ll become easily distracted.”*

Normally people who begin a weight loss program will set a goal for themselves. They decide what they want to achieve and set a time limit. Some reach that goal, but many do not. ZWL says we all miss a step if we set goals before we know WHY we want to even bother changing. Your WHY is the motivation driven by basic needs we have as human beings. 

Basic Human Needs

        • Security. We need to feel comfortable and safe. Have our physiological needs met: food, clothing, shelter. 
        • Love. Being connected with other people is crucial for humans.
        • Importance. This need is an extension of the one above because it encompasses our deep desire to be needed and wanted.
        • Growth. We value knowledge. We like knowing how things work, why life is the way it is and how to accomplish tasks we have never tried before. Our Brains like to learn. It brings satisfaction.
        • Bigger purpose. We would like to leave the world better than how we found it. At the very least we want to improve our neighborhood or hometown. 
My Motivation!

My Motivation!

Human needs were first brought to our attention in 1943 by Abraham Maslow in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. We each value one or two of these needs more than the others. To succeed it’s imperative to know what you want to get out of it — why bother? A nice body or smaller size of jeans won’t meet any of the needs listed above. If you believe they do then its time to do a little soul-searching. Try this exercise and see if you can find your motivation for success. Sitting quietly with a pad of paper or spiral notebook, begin to write a mission statement. Nothing complicated, nor flowery. This is deeply personal and something I encourage you to hold close and not share. 

“I want to lose weight so I can wear a size 10 to my class reunion”

Once you’ve identified your first motivational comment you should sit and imagine how that would feel. Ask yourself WHY that even matters? With each comment you make continue to ask WHY….but, WHY? You may find the flow brings you to your humanity. Look at an example of how your mind can get to underlying motivation.

“I want to lose weight so I can wear a size 10 to my class reunion…because I was always a size 16 or 18 and my friends were tiny and slim…nobody noticed me in high school — this would make them see me…because they always thought I wasn’t good enough to be included in their fun…they excluded me from things and now today it keeps happening…my co-workers never ask me to come to lunch with them…I am lonely…I am afraid to reach out and let people see who I am…WHY??????. . . . Because I feel I will value myself more if my body image is more in line with what I believe other people like.“

The primary need to feel Love and Importance are driving this person. Holding this as a WHY for your weight loss program will help you stay the course. Each time you consider throwing in the towel, or skipping an exercise class remember this final statement and you will stay the course.

Now, as you grow with improving your self-image and your fitness level an amazing thing happens. Your evaluation of your WHY will morph into something else. That is a natural progression meeting the need for Growth and Change! See how fitness can heal more than your physical body? Find your WHY today and Make Fitness Stick!

Be Well!

_________

*The Zen of Weight Loss: A Mindful, Livable Approach to Fitness. 2013. Karen Fili Sullivan. Jeri Levesque, Ed.D.

Fitness Icons

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Many of us in the fitness industry are bowing our heads today at the passing of Joe Weider. At 93 Weider had influenced people directly and indirectly. There isn’t an aspiring bodybuilder anywhere who isn’t familiar with the man, the event he started, his magazine, or his product line. His contribution to the sport is noteworthy. God bless your family and friends as they heal from this loss.March 2013 Snow

We all have our own Joe. Someone who helped us get ready for a bodybuilding show, or who supported our efforts to train for a race. Sitting in my warm home watching a March snowfall I think about the people from my past who have helped me learn about fitness. I haven’t seen those people in more than 25 years, but you made me a better coach and personal trainer.

I’m sure you each have someone who helps you be a better person. Take a moment and tell me who helped you learned about fitness, exercise and how to care for your body. While you are on the page SIGN UP to be charter member of the ZWL Club and receive The Zen of Weight Loss Week at a Glance with a Starting Workout and Food Guide. 

Be Well!

Detox Daily

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Spring has sprung — at least in some areas — and it’s time to clean. Gardens are filled with trash and leaves. Your garage may have accumulated stuff because it was too cold to dig into the rafters. It’s a tradition that can be found world-wide for a variety of cultural reasons. I believe we want to clean because it’s a biological urging. In the winter we have shorter and often cloudy/dreary days. The lack of sunlight affects us right where we live.

The pineal gland produces more of the hormone called melatonin when we have less light. Which in turn makes us sleepy. On the flip side of the hormone coin is when the light of spring and summer reduces the pineal gland’s production of melatonin and hence — more energy/less sleep. The increased light also shows us what a mess we have left the place. 20121202-092138.jpg

Speaking of spring and getting things in shape, we are motivated to do another kind of clean up. Like weight loss. Dreams of swim suits and semi-naked bodies are disrupted by the vision of the chunky body you’ve developed over the winter months. This brings us to the idea that we need to clean the body before we can drop the weight we want. Everybody is doing it. Reports fly across the Internet of celebrities, friends and family who have done or are doing a cleanse.

Here’s my take on this practice:

  1. The idea of cleansing or detox has a false premise. That being: The body needs help to eliminate all the junk we take in from processed food and the environment, and that help comes in reducing the amount of food you eat and taking certain herbs and drinks. Once all those toxins are gone then the metabolism can work and you skyrocket to your goal weight.
  2. The body constantly works to get rid of toxins anyway — kidneys and liver are assigned that specific task. The key is to never put toxins back in — stop eating the processed food and the body will eventually rid itself of this junk. It would be far better for you to clean up the colon by:
          • eating raw vegetables and fruits,
          • drinking lots of water,
          • getting daily exercise, and
          • getting good sleep.

3. Deprivation to the system is not necessarily a re-boot. The body should not be void of fuel and still be expected to work. This detox approach is dieting to the extreme which leads to muscle loss, and is seen as another fad diet in the eyes of registered dietitians and nutritionists.

“Frank Sacks, MD, a leading epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, says, “There is no basis in human biology that indicates we need fasting or any other detox formula to detoxify the body because we have our own internal organs and immune system that take care of excreting toxins.”

Decreased caloric intake leads to a muddled mind, confusion and short tempers. The best plan is to just eat real food. No packaged foods, no chemically laden foods. Hey! I’ve heard that before — heck, I’ve said that before. Make your diet every day look clean and lean. Eat the food, don’t do a pill and enjoy the flavor of: Raw Fruits and Vegetables, Green Tea, Mung beans, and seeds and nuts (Among other good foods).

Be Well!

Ode to the Sugar Article in the NY Times

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There is a hum over the internet regarding an article which appeared in the New York Times on February 28th that began, “Sugar is indeed toxic.” A correction was printed on March 6th.

“This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: March 6, 2013

Mark Bittman’s column on Thursday incorrectly described findings from a recent epidemiological study of the relationship of sugar consumption to diabetes. The study found that increased sugar in a population’s food supply was linked to higher rates of diabetes — independent of obesity rates — but stopped short of stating that sugar caused diabetes. It did not find that “obesity doesn’t cause diabetes: sugar does.” Obesity is, in fact, a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, as the study noted.”

This kicked off blogs and social network comments regarding opinions about the study, but they were based on the comments from Bittman’s article. So, I decided to go back to the original study from PLoS One.

PLOS ONE  I have a limited understanding of the study, but I know enough to understand what it was they were looking for and what they found. Roughly. There were a few things which I found unusual for a study. I thought a researcher controls the study by eliminating as many variables as possible. If, for example, we wanted to know if shrimp caused an allergic reaction in someone we would control all other allergic foods so we would know if the shellfish did cause the reaction. Taking that a step further we would eliminate the environmental factors which may cause any response — as well as keeping the patient subdued if anxiety caused a reaction. That said, I felt overwhelmed by the number of variables considered in this study. I highlighted the factors they considered in bold-faced type and found the amount of information staggering.

“Using econometric models of repeated cross-sectional data on diabetes and nutritional components of food from 175 countries, we found that every 150 kcal/person/day increase in sugar availability (about one can of soda/day) was associated with increased diabetes prevalence by 1.1% (p <0.001) after testing for potential selection biases and controlling for other food types (including fibers, meats, fruits, oils, cereals), total calories, overweight and obesity, period-effects, and several socioeconomic variables such as aging, urbanization and income. No other food types yielded significant individual associations with diabetes prevalence after controlling for obesity and other co-founders. The impact of sugar on diabetes was independent of sedentary behavior and alcohol use, and the effect was modified but not confounded by obesity or overweight. Duration and degree of sugar exposure correlated significantly with diabetes prevalence in a dose-dependent manner, while declines in sugar exposure correlated with significant subsequent declines in diabetes rates independently of other socioeconomic, dietary and obesity prevalence changes. Differences in sugar availability statistically explain variations in diabetes prevalence rates at a population level that are not explained by physical activity, overweight or obesity.

Citation: Basu S, Yoffe P, Hills N, Lustig RH (2013) The Relationship of Sugar to Population-Level Diabetes Prevalence: An Econometric Analysis of Repeated Cross-Sectional Data. PLoS ONE 8(2): e57873. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057873
 Editor: Bridget Wagner, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, United States Of America
 Received: November 8, 2012; Accepted: January 29, 2013; Published: February 27, 2013″
 Copyright: © 2013 Basu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.”

I’m not saying this discredits the study, I am simply pointing out the huge undertaking — over a long period of time — in an enormous area (175 countries). The first sentence actually says a lot about the findings, “While experimental and observational studies suggest that sugar intake is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, independent of its role in obesity, it is unclear whether alterations in sugar intake can account for differences in diabetes prevalence among overall populations.”

It further states:

“The observed relationship between dietary sugar exposure and diabetes in this statistical assessment was not mitigated by adjusting for co-founders related to socio-economic, aging, physical activity, or obesity. This suggests that sugar should be investigated for its role in diabetes pathogenesis apart from its contributions to obesity.

In summary, population-level variations in diabetes prevalence that are unexplained by other common variables appear to be statistically explained by sugar. This finding lends credence to the notion that further investigations into sugar availability and/or consumption are warranted to further elucidate the pathogenesis of diabetes at an individual level and the drivers of diabetes at a population level [13].”

Which came first Obesity or Sugar — which in turn led to Diabetes? Are they independent or is it a “Metabolic Triangle”?
map showing the location of the Bermuda Triangle

As we discuss in The Zen of Weight Loss there is a basic truth regarding the body’s metabolism and how fuel is processed. You, however, are responsible for ascertaining how your body handles specific foods. Sugar is poison in excess — everything is poison in excess, but bodies handle food differently. That is one reason why the study found that in some countries the incidents of diabetes rose with increased sugar consumption, but obesity did not. Discover for yourself what foods do to your body. You owe it to yourself.

Be Well!

Love Yourself as much as God does!