Comments on Emotions for Engineers: Eat Food, Light on Carbs, Mindfully - E4E Nutritio...

Hi Carsie, Thanks for writing. Engineers can ...

2010-04-07T16:00:27.491-07:00
Hi Carsie,

Thanks for writing. Engineers can be an ornery lot, can't they (we)?

The thing is, it's not fast food per se that is necessarily the big driver of lack of health. Rent or buy the movie "Fathead" (there's a reference in the main post). Tom Naughton loses weight and improves his health markers eating nothing but fast food. I really believe that overall macronutrient profile, activity level, and avoidance of refined sugars and grains improve the lot for most people.

If he wants data, direct him to Good Calories, Bad Calories by Taubes (link in post). There are several lectures by Taubes on the internet as well. Google "Taubes Berkeley Lecture" and there is the 90 mintue lecture that changed (saved) my life.

Ultimately, he is going to have to believe that he has a problem or he will likely not make changes. How old is he? Is he healthy? Does he exercise? How is his weight? Does he get sick a lot, Is he diabetic? Blood pressure? Blood merkers (HDL, etc). Has he been gaining about 2-3 lbs per year since he graduated from college?

Are you willing to take a role in preparing food for him? Perhaps you two could attend some cooking classes together and learn about food preparation and tools. The Summer Tomato blog listed above is a good resource for foodies...

The answers to those questions can help guide an influence approach for you. I would start with Fathead and Taubes though.

Regards,
e4e

Hi there, I am a girlfriend of an engineer, looki...

2010-04-07T08:17:58.112-07:00
Hi there,

I am a girlfriend of an engineer, looking for hard facts that will convince him to eat healthier. He is pulling the "show me the data that says eating fast food is going to give me a hard attack" argument. After a lot of googling, I can't find much in the way of numbers and statistics. Any suggestions?

Hi Malpaz, I found a link on James Carlsons b...

2010-01-30T09:19:12.958-08:00
Hi Malpaz,

I found a link on James Carlsons blog about whether damage can be reversed.

Here's the link: http://drjamescarlson.blogspot.com/2010/01/can-low-carbs-reverse-prior-damage-done.html

Bottom line is that it depends on the specific damage, but check out what he has to say.

Cheers,
e4e

Hi Malpaz, Thanks for your thoughts. I perso...

2010-01-27T15:08:15.128-08:00
Hi Malpaz,

Thanks for your thoughts. I personally was on the verge of going diabetic/full metabolic syndrome, so I am hoping that with exercise, a diet as described, and time, I can pull my body back to a state of repair.

I don't think it's a guarantee in my case. As far as I can tell, there's little research on the body's ability to repair itself, and lots of research on how drugs can help one survive insulin resistance, etc.

So the emphasis in medicine is on drug therapies, not prevention. No surprise there.

Ultimately, if diet and exercise do not compensate for or repair the damage, I recognize that my alternatives may be limited.

Of course, that's part of the reason I am trying to get the word out to people before they go down the same path that I did.

This probably doesn't really answer your question, but I think there is not a definitive answer.

Regards,
e4e

this is pretty much right on with my thinking. wha...

2010-01-27T09:01:20.679-08:00
this is pretty much right on with my thinking. what are your views on stressed adrenals, bad metabolisms, leptin and thyroid?

@Chris, Thanks for the link. Great overview a...

2010-01-25T22:00:46.076-08:00
@Chris,

Thanks for the link. Great overview and synopsis.

@Eric,
Thanks for the link to precision nutrition. That is a really good source. Berardi's stuff seems generally well-aligned with the e4e recommendations.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/

Regards,
e4e

Your new recommendations look a lot better. I wou...

2010-01-25T18:24:46.609-08:00
Your new recommendations look a lot better. I would recommend people look into Dr. John Berardi's PrecisionNutrition.com for even more refinements (but basically the same things.) His articles also are available for free at johnberardi.com.

One thing to consider is that overweight engineers are probably a lot more like weightlifters than you think. After all, the overweight are carrying their excess pounds 24 hours per day and not just in the gym. A higher protein percentage is almost mandatory to lose weight without catabolizing muscle in this case.

The Vegetarian Myth is definitely worth reading. ...

2010-01-25T10:28:44.850-08:00
The Vegetarian Myth is definitely worth reading. I've got an in-depth review here:

http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2010/01/review-vegetarian-myth.html