Interview With Ben Davis: "My 120 Pound Journey"

In January of 2009, a young man by the name of Ben Davis had had enough. He was 358lbs, and his weight was taking its toll on his health and his personal life. Then one day he started to run...

If you haven't seen this incredibly inspiring video, do yourself a favor and watch it. Then watch it again, and share it with others. Ben Davis' journey is a true testament of the human spirit and what one can accomplish with dedication, hard work (and some nipple band aids!)

Here's the video:

Determined to get into the head of such a determined and fearless human being, I caught up with Ben Davis, and had the privilege of picking his brain about his amazing journey.

MH: Hello Ben!

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to do this.

BD: It's my pleasure; I'm honored.

MH: I was really struck by the line in the video that says "and then I got inspired". Was there a moment/event/epiphany that occurred that sparked you into action? Describe if you can what the turning point was.

BD: There was absolutely a moment for me. It was Christmas of '08. I was spending the break with my grandmother in Massachusetts. She's always been a big supporter of me, but has always been concerned with my health and obesity. Throughout my life, she had always offered me advice and tips on how to become healthy, but where I appreciated it, I had also always kind of dismissed it. Then, this particular Christmas, in one of our many conversations she just asked me if I was happy. At the time, I just nonchalantly told her I was. Later that night, though, I started to think about it, and realized I wasn't happy. I also had the luxury of being able to pinpoint my sadness to my obesity.

So the next morning was Christmas and, being the irresponsible grandchild, I hadn't gotten her a gift. I woke up early and made the website. I wrote the address on a card for her and told her it was my commitment to her, that it was finally time to get my life together. She loved it.

MH: When you decided you were going to start running, did you have a specific goal in mind? Did you ever imagine when you started this journey less than 2 years ago that you would have undergone such a drastic transformation?

BD: There wasn't really any goals at first other than, "lose weight, get fit." But I knew running would be a means to that end, so my brother, Jed, and I signed up for a 5K to kind of kickstart us and give us something to work towards. He had about 50 pounds to lose (and has, by the way) so it was a perfect time for us both to be getting our act together.

But finishing the 5K 17 days later lit a fire in me. I loved the race atmosphere and loved seeing my times improve, so I never looked back.

MH: People start these kinds of endeavors all the time with the best of intentions, but very few of them accomplish what you did. What was it that kept you going, Ben?

BD: A few things, actually. First of all, the fear of going back to the dark place of depression. I knew how sad I was back then and never wanted to go back. I actually wrote a letter to my future self on the blog. It basically said, "Dude, if you're thinking of giving up, just remember, you've never been as happy as you are now. Keep going." And any time I would have a bad run or eat bad for a week, I would remember that letter and keep going.

Second thing was the running scene and the constant races. Having races and goals for those races really keeps the motivation up. I probably wouldn't have been successful if I had gone in just trying to have random workouts each day. With races, you're always kind of on a set schedule, training wise, and always wanting to improve your times, so you're always motivated to keep hitting the track.

MH: You've accomplished such an amazing feat to this point. What are some of your personal and athletic goals for the future?

Being bigger, I'm not really built for speed. I'm more into the long distance, endurance stuff like triathlons and long road races, so my goals are more marathonish type things. Of course, it would be fantastic to run a marathon in all 50 states. That's one of our big goals. More Ironmans, no doubt. And recently we've been toying with the idea of a 100-miler, but nothing set on that. The main goal, though, is to keep going. Just keep doing it. If nothing else, just make sure to stay with it.

MH: Lastly, what message do you have for people out there who may find themselves in a situation similar to yours of 2 years ago?

BD: My four commandments!

1. Be public
If you keep this to yourself, it will be easy to quit. The thing about having a health problem/addiction, is that the natural impulse is to hide it and keep it secret that you're trying to better yourself. But, it's also easier to quit if it's just you that knows about it.

And here's a secret: Unlike some addictions like alcoholism or drug use that are hideable, obesity is different. People know you're obese. It's not your little secret; you're not fooling anyone (no matter how much black or vertical lines you wear). So if you want to change, tell people. It seems embarrassing, I know. And it's hard, but you'll find that the people that love and care about you are going to be excited for you.

2. Get involved in something official
The feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself will keep you motivated to keep going. Join a local fitness movement (running club, cycling group, weight watchers, etc...) If you have a group of people with likeminded goals, you'll keep coming back. As a bonus, if you join a running club, you'll have official races (Crazy scary, at first, but really no big deal) that you can work toward to keep you having goals. Get involved. You won't regret it.

3. Do something that you enjoy
Running isn't for everyone, so don't do it if you don't want to. Do you enjoy rollerblading? Good. Do that, but do it enough for it to work. Love cycling? Perfect. Did you swim in high school and kind of wish you could get back into it? Great.

If you hate what you're doing, you won't be doing it for very long. If I had said at the beginning, "I'm going to get really freaking good at doing the elliptical," BenDoesLife would have lasted two weeks. Find something that works for you and kill it. You can do it.

4. Be a smarter eater
And I don't mean you have to find a popular name-brand diet thing. If you want to, fine, but they aren't for everyone. But you have to eat better and, more importantly, smarter. Are you and your friends going out for pizza? Ok. Have two slices instead of seven (which was my number of choice.) Want something easy for breakfast? Toast an English muffin rather than a Pop-Tart.

And, if nothing else, learn portion control. Our portion sizes are completely out of whack these days, and what you think is a small meal is probably still more than you should be eating. It's going to take a month or two before you're used to the smaller portions but you'll get there, and it's imperative that you do. Give it time.

MH: Well, Ben I'm sure I speak for many when I wish you a very heartfelt congratulations and all the best in your future pursuits.

Be sure to check out Ben's blog - documenting his continuing journey and sharing thoughts, tips and other musings.

View the original article here

The Top reasons why you too

Sorry, that I could not read the contents scostanti this page.

View the original article here

Interview With Ben Davis: "My 120 Pound Journey"

In January of 2009, a young man by the name of Ben Davis had had enough. He was 358lbs, and his weight was taking its toll on his health and his personal life. Then one day he started to run...

If you haven't seen this incredibly inspiring video, do yourself a favor and watch it. Then watch it again, and share it with others. Ben Davis' journey is a true testament of the human spirit and what one can accomplish with dedication, hard work (and some nipple band aids!)

Here's the video:

Determined to get into the head of such a determined and fearless human being, I caught up with Ben Davis, and had the privilege of picking his brain about his amazing journey.

MH: Hello Ben!

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to do this.

BD: It's my pleasure; I'm honored.

MH: I was really struck by the line in the video that says "and then I got inspired". Was there a moment/event/epiphany that occurred that sparked you into action? Describe if you can what the turning point was.

BD: There was absolutely a moment for me. It was Christmas of '08. I was spending the break with my grandmother in Massachusetts. She's always been a big supporter of me, but has always been concerned with my health and obesity. Throughout my life, she had always offered me advice and tips on how to become healthy, but where I appreciated it, I had also always kind of dismissed it. Then, this particular Christmas, in one of our many conversations she just asked me if I was happy. At the time, I just nonchalantly told her I was. Later that night, though, I started to think about it, and realized I wasn't happy. I also had the luxury of being able to pinpoint my sadness to my obesity.

So the next morning was Christmas and, being the irresponsible grandchild, I hadn't gotten her a gift. I woke up early and made the website. I wrote the address on a card for her and told her it was my commitment to her, that it was finally time to get my life together. She loved it.

MH: When you decided you were going to start running, did you have a specific goal in mind? Did you ever imagine when you started this journey less than 2 years ago that you would have undergone such a drastic transformation?

BD: There wasn't really any goals at first other than, "lose weight, get fit." But I knew running would be a means to that end, so my brother, Jed, and I signed up for a 5K to kind of kickstart us and give us something to work towards. He had about 50 pounds to lose (and has, by the way) so it was a perfect time for us both to be getting our act together.

But finishing the 5K 17 days later lit a fire in me. I loved the race atmosphere and loved seeing my times improve, so I never looked back.

MH: People start these kinds of endeavors all the time with the best of intentions, but very few of them accomplish what you did. What was it that kept you going, Ben?

BD: A few things, actually. First of all, the fear of going back to the dark place of depression. I knew how sad I was back then and never wanted to go back. I actually wrote a letter to my future self on the blog. It basically said, "Dude, if you're thinking of giving up, just remember, you've never been as happy as you are now. Keep going." And any time I would have a bad run or eat bad for a week, I would remember that letter and keep going.

Second thing was the running scene and the constant races. Having races and goals for those races really keeps the motivation up. I probably wouldn't have been successful if I had gone in just trying to have random workouts each day. With races, you're always kind of on a set schedule, training wise, and always wanting to improve your times, so you're always motivated to keep hitting the track.

MH: You've accomplished such an amazing feat to this point. What are some of your personal and athletic goals for the future?

Being bigger, I'm not really built for speed. I'm more into the long distance, endurance stuff like triathlons and long road races, so my goals are more marathonish type things. Of course, it would be fantastic to run a marathon in all 50 states. That's one of our big goals. More Ironmans, no doubt. And recently we've been toying with the idea of a 100-miler, but nothing set on that. The main goal, though, is to keep going. Just keep doing it. If nothing else, just make sure to stay with it.

MH: Lastly, what message do you have for people out there who may find themselves in a situation similar to yours of 2 years ago?

BD: My four commandments!

1. Be public
If you keep this to yourself, it will be easy to quit. The thing about having a health problem/addiction, is that the natural impulse is to hide it and keep it secret that you're trying to better yourself. But, it's also easier to quit if it's just you that knows about it.

And here's a secret: Unlike some addictions like alcoholism or drug use that are hideable, obesity is different. People know you're obese. It's not your little secret; you're not fooling anyone (no matter how much black or vertical lines you wear). So if you want to change, tell people. It seems embarrassing, I know. And it's hard, but you'll find that the people that love and care about you are going to be excited for you.

2. Get involved in something official
The feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself will keep you motivated to keep going. Join a local fitness movement (running club, cycling group, weight watchers, etc...) If you have a group of people with likeminded goals, you'll keep coming back. As a bonus, if you join a running club, you'll have official races (Crazy scary, at first, but really no big deal) that you can work toward to keep you having goals. Get involved. You won't regret it.

3. Do something that you enjoy
Running isn't for everyone, so don't do it if you don't want to. Do you enjoy rollerblading? Good. Do that, but do it enough for it to work. Love cycling? Perfect. Did you swim in high school and kind of wish you could get back into it? Great.

If you hate what you're doing, you won't be doing it for very long. If I had said at the beginning, "I'm going to get really freaking good at doing the elliptical," BenDoesLife would have lasted two weeks. Find something that works for you and kill it. You can do it.

4. Be a smarter eater
And I don't mean you have to find a popular name-brand diet thing. If you want to, fine, but they aren't for everyone. But you have to eat better and, more importantly, smarter. Are you and your friends going out for pizza? Ok. Have two slices instead of seven (which was my number of choice.) Want something easy for breakfast? Toast an English muffin rather than a Pop-Tart.

And, if nothing else, learn portion control. Our portion sizes are completely out of whack these days, and what you think is a small meal is probably still more than you should be eating. It's going to take a month or two before you're used to the smaller portions but you'll get there, and it's imperative that you do. Give it time.

MH: Well, Ben I'm sure I speak for many when I wish you a very heartfelt congratulations and all the best in your future pursuits.

Be sure to check out Ben's blog - documenting his continuing journey and sharing thoughts, tips and other musings.

View the original article here

Belly fat cure

The cure for Fat Belly by Jorge Cruise has found its way to the Best seller list New York Times and is one of the latest diets hoping to appeal to millions of people who struggle with obesity.

Jorge Cruise is also the author of the popular 3-hour diet, which instructed dieters eat every three hours to lose weight.

So, what promotes new cruise diet to help dieters lose belly fat and the promised "4 pounds a week"?

The basic premise of new diet Jorge Cruise is based on maintaining regulated insulin levels in the body. care of Belly Fat claims that high insulin levels causes the liver to convert sugar into fat, which ultimately is stored in the belly.

If a dieter wants to preserve insulin levels within a healthy range must get rid of simple sugars from the diet. Jorge says that The Belly Fat Cure not counting calories, but to pay attention to what kind of calories consumed are.

Jorge claims that eating less and exercising more does not work and he guarantees that if the dieter sticks to its plan "verbatim", he loses 4 pounds a week and results will be "almost immediately".

A free 7-day plan and promises to be with dieter every step of the way of future supply cruise dieters.

Breakfast for 2 or 3 eggs any style with a slice of whole wheat toast with a Pat of butter or cream cheese. a cup of coffee with cream or half and half; but not milk, its full of sugar hidden Snack Lunch Snack Dinner Salad with baby spinach, grilled chicken, black pepper and olive oil dressing. A side of broccoli or Zucchini, sauteed Onions in butter and topped with melted mozzarella.DessertDecaffeinated espresso with a dollop of heavy cream sprinkled with cinnamon and sweetened with a package of stevia. While cutting out the simple sugars is not really anything new and has proven to be effective in helping people not only lose weight, but to have better health as well, many Cruise credits in The Belly Fat Treatment are not based on solid research and are more or less marketing hyperbole.

Statements like "the results are almost instantaneously" "eat less, exercise more doesn't work", and "aroma of each of the three main meals daily with a pinch of salt will also assist in digestion and accelerate your weight loss", are not purely factual.

I signed up for the plan sample of 7 days, that was really just a ploy to me on the mailing list cruise. very little information Contained, apart from a couple of days worth of menus that seem to be quite high in saturated fats and is designed for a woman of 40 years, that I'm not.

In automated email cruises, which he claims to be with me every step by step, but when I answered his email with a question, instantly bouncing back saying email quota has been exceeded.

Although Cruise is a pretty savvy marketing of its products, getting attention from Oprah and Dr. oz, his care of Belly Fat teaches nothing new and encourages actually dieters to consume large amounts of saturated fat and salt. not to mention the notion widely disproved that belly fat may be targeted by a certain diet or certain exercises.

View the original article here

PETA Mad at Joe Biden's Hotdog Cart

Oh boy, PETA is growling about something stupid again. The anti-meat, anti-fur, anti-animal testing crusaders are mad. And, this time they're ticked on a Presidential level, actually, a Vice Presidential level.

PETA is mad that United States Vice President, Joe Biden, stopped by The Colbert Report to show support for American servicemen and women... with hotdogs.

"You can't expect the troops to be lean, mean fighting machines if you're stuffing them with fattening, artery-clogging meat, eggs, and dairy products every day," said PETA Executive Vice President, Tracy Reiman, in a very, very crazy statement.

PETA also sent Joe Biden a letter expressing the group's disappointment, and suggested next time he should pass out veggie dogs.

Sorry PETA, hotdogs are gross and unhealthy, and probably made with cow feet, but veggie dogs are nasty too; processed junk loaded with sodium.

Here's what PETA is up in paws - err, arms - about, Joe Biden fulfilling the other of his two Vice Presidential responsibilities. "Giving hotdogs to returning warriors," said Mr. Vice President. That day, Stephen Colbert was saluting American troops returning from Iraq who were in the studio enjoying free beer and real grass under their feet.

When the news broke about PETA's outrage and their suggestion that Joe Biden hand out veggie dogs and vegan food instead, Stephen Colbert fired back, mocking PETA with kitten pie and calling them "PUTA."

PETA is a little kooky, okay, a lot kooky. I don't eat meat, and yes, world health would be much better off if we all ate more fruits and vegetables and less meat, but nitpicking a goofy sketch on a fake news show is just plain silly. If PETA ever wants to be taken seriously, this is hardly the way to do it. Fail.

Image credit: The Colbert Report

View the original article here

Please Help: Ex-nurse, Herbalist, Fat and Confused! [Forum]

Please, read this in its entirety. I am not lacking knowledge by any means. I just think I am missing something and would love some advice to maybe jar my memory.

I am 41, 5'7 weigh 210 look like I'm only about 180. But, Im done with the body builder look, I want to lose weight and tone. I have tried everything. I think there is something wrong that I am not getting. I dont drink any soda, i drink water all day, cup of hot tea at bedtime(no sugar). I dont eat any bread,processed foods,candy and I actually dont like salt. I love spicy foods, take a multi vitamin every day. Do pilates 3 times a week, yoga twice a week. And walk the big doggies 3-5 times a week 3-5 miles every time. I am a very busy, active person. Only sleep maybe 6 hours a night and Im ok with that, hardly ever feel drained or tired. Do not drink any alcohol. Ride bicycle to grocery store and eat mainly fruits and vegetables and nuts. I do eat bison instead of hamburger. And I have a small stomache where I have to eat 4-5 small meals a day, large meals hurt me and will bloat me. I do take fiber daily too.

Not sure if Im forgeting something? Oh-Im sure I eat around 1200-1500 calories a day have kept a diary log-so now what?? I will lose 5 lbs, then gain 7 back? I have eaten this way for years-but it seems that Im actually gaining faster? I have to have something medically wrong? I have tested bloodsugar too just in case and Im pretty darn normal. Stay around 80-112. PLEASE SOMEONE-I beg anyone to show me the light. What am I doing wrong? Or what is wrong? I have had thyroid tested 6 times!! They just say normal levels?? I am so lost. Thank you!!

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Two-Ton French Fries Record Attempt Fails

Another day, another food-related record breaking attempt. We've had the world's longest pizza, now how about two tons of French Fries to go with that?

Sadly, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the Grand Forks (in North Dakota) attempt at the "World's Largest French Fry Feed" failed.

Despite the rather appropriate name, Grand Forks failed to get enough people forking up fries, as TwinCities.com reported. 4,110 pounds of fries (around 2 tons) were fried - less than the record of 4,890, set a couple of years ago.

Some might say that records are made to be broken, but is this obsession with food-related records a sign of our growing dysfunctional relationship with food? Like competitive eating, producing vast quantities of food (much of which is likely to go to waste) seems at best misguided, and at worst seriously wasteful.

Once, the records we broke were sporting ones: fastest mile, highest jump, longest throw. Let's just hope that today's kids won't grow up aiming to beat the "Biggest Burger Eaten" record...

View the original article here