DR. KAL'S WEIGHT LOSS BLOG

Bad Eating Habits Destroying America

2008-08-15T21:28:00.002-04:00

The benefits of modern medicine are broad and profound. Advances in health care and health care delivery allow physicians to perform modern day miracles. We are now able to teat symptoms and cure diseases once thought to be untreatable and incurable. However, the most impressive benefit of modern day medicine is the increase in our lifespan.

The increase in our lifespan should be a blessing but our bad habits have turned it into a curse. Our overeating, under-exercising, consuming bad foods, smoking, overspending and under-saving; has prevented us from enjoying the fruits of medical technology. Let me show you how.

Overeating and Under-exercising

Americans eat and drink too much food. We underestimate how many calories we actually "inhale" on a daily basis. We are living to eat instead of eating to live. Americans are also extremely sedentary. We overestimate how many calories we burn on a daily basis. Technology has made our lives so simple that we only have to expend a minimal amount of energy to make it through the day.

The combination of overeating and under-exercising has produced a country filled with overweight and obese individuals. This increase in body weight has helped increase the number of Americans with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, asthma and many types of cancer. Our decreasing health has led to an equal decrease in quality of life and increase in the cost of health care.

Consuming Unhealthy Foods

Overeating is not the only food problem we have. We also consume the wrong foods. The typical American diet is too high in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and processed carbohydrates. The American diet is also too low in unsaturated fats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The highs and lows of our diet has also contributed to the increase in the number of Americans with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer.

Modern Day Medicine

Modern day medicine is allowing us to live longer lives. Unfortunately, these long lives are not healthy lives. Our bad habits, including overeating, under-exercising, and consuming unhealthy foods, have turned the gift of long life into a curse.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Dr. Kal Is Going Low Carb?

2008-08-08T17:22:00.006-04:00

I have spent years studying weight loss, weight gain, obesity, human biology, psychology, behavior change, medicine, and disease prevention. However, I have can admit to not approaching the subject of weight loss with a completely open mind. In all of my studies of weight loss, I ignored low carbohydrate eating.

Low Carbohydrate Diets

I ignored low carb diets because:

I thought they were not based on science
I thought they were hard to maintain
I thought that I couldn't maintain my muscle
I thought that I would always be tired
I thought they were too high in "bad" fats, and finally because
I like carbs

Now I can admit that as a physician and a scientist, I should have been more open minded. I should have done more research. All of my prior research was based on logic and dogma instead of pure evidence and data.

Good Calories, Bad Calories

I have been a proponent of low glycemic load eating since reading The Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index-The Groundbreaking Medical Discovery, and the studies that the book references. However, I did not research low carb eating the same way.

After reading Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb™ Blog and Muata Kamdibe's Mr. Low Body Fat Blog for a few months and talking to Jimmy personally, I have decided to thoroughly research low carbohydrate eating. I am going to start with a book Jimmy reccomended to me called Good Calories, Bad Calori es by Gary Taubes.

11 Critical Conclusions

According to Random House, The 11 Critical Conclusions of Good Calories, Bad Calories are:

1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, does not cause heart disease.
2. Carbohydrates do, because of their effect on the hormone insulin. The more easily-digestible and refined the carbohydrates and the more fructose they contain, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.
3. Sugars—sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful. The glucose in these sugars raises insulin levels; the fructose they contain overloads the liver.
4. Refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are also the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and the other common chronic diseases of modern times.
5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behavior.
6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter any more than it causes a child to grow taller.
7. Exercise does not make us lose excess fat; it makes us hungry.
8. We get fat because of an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of fat tissue and fat metabolism. More fat is stored in the fat tissue than is mobilized and used for fuel. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this imbalance.
9. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated, we stockpile calories as fat. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and burn it for fuel.
10. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.
11. The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the leaner we will be.

The Perfect Diet

There is no perfect diet or nutrition plan, but low carb eating may be a viable option for many, including myself. So, I will spend the next few weeks dissecting this book and its references. I'll let you all know what I find.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Loss Goals

2008-08-01T15:21:00.004-04:00

Two-thirds of American adults are overweight. Most of them want to lose weight. Some of them want to lose weight for superficial reasons. However, the ultimate goal is an improvement in your overall health. But how will this be gauged?

Long-term Goals

Women

If you are a woman, your first long-term goal is a waist circumference less than 35 inches. The second goal is a BMI less than 25, and the final goal is a body-fat percentage less than 25%.

Men

If you are a man, your first long-term goal is a waist circumference less than 40 inches. The second goal is a BMI less than 25, and the final goal is a body-fat percentage less than 20%.

Short-term Goals

As you attempt to reach your long-term goals, you should use short-term goals to challenge yourself.

Overweight

Your short-term goals, if you are overweight, will be half of a pound a week or 2 pounds a month.

Obese

If you are obese, your goal is one pound a week or 4 pounds a month. Do not laugh. I am sure you are thinking you could do this in your sleep. Good. Then do it. You may lose a lot more weight once you start but your weight loss will slow down as you get closer to your target weight. If you focus on these simple goals you will not be disappointed.

Weight Loss "To Do" List

Measure your waist circumference and calculate your current BMI.
Get a small notebook and use it to log everything you eat or drink.
Use measuring equipment including a food scale to aid in calorie counting.
Use calorie counting websites like www.calorieking.com to calculate calories in foods without nutrition labels.
Lose one pound a week if you're obese and one half of a pound a week if you're overweight.
Periodically check your weight, waist circumference and BMI to gauge your progress.
Forget the excuses.

The Perfect Diet

2008-07-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

This is the article where I attack all the popular diets in the market. Where I tell you how none of them work and how I have the perfect plan for you. Well, the truth is that most popular diets work if you follow them.

Diets

A diet is simply the type and amount of food and drink you consume on a daily basis. A diet is not a four-letter word that means the elimination of all enjoyable food. The typical American diet is high calories, high saturated/trans fat and high processed carbohydrates. Now, the high fat and high processed carbs part leads to many other health problems but they are not the reason you are overweight. It's the high calorie part. Calorie count is the reason you lose or gain weight.

The Candy Bar Diet

The average candy bar is 275 calories. I could create a diet that consisted of 6 candy bars a day, for a total of 1650 calories a day, and the average American would lose weight. You would lose weight because most people burn more than 1650 calories on a daily basis. This diet may create other problems because it would be high in saturated fat and low in proteins and vitamins, but you would still lose weight. The Candy Bar Diet is similar to most popular diets in that it is low calorie.

Popular Diets

Most popular diets work. If you follow them, you will lose weight. They work because they get you to eat less. Each diet goes about it in a different way, some good and some bad, but the end result is you eating less. This decrease in calories is what fuels your weight loss.

I Hate All Diets Except The Don't Go Broke Diet

Am I against popular diets? Quite the contrary, I like quite a few of them. The only diets I do not like are plans that have phases, are short term or are too restrictive in food choices. These diets are usually confusing, difficult to follow or are attempts at quick fixes to a chronic problem. Quick fixes do not work. In order to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for life, you must maintain good eating habits for life, not just a few weeks.

Calorie Controlled Diet

There is only one type of diet that will help you lose weight and that is a calorie controlled diet. A calorie controlled diet instructs you to eat fewer calories than you burn. A calorie controlled diet combined with proper food selection will help you lose weight and improve your overall health.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Lose Weight Saving Money On Gas

2008-07-18T13:42:00.002-04:00

Weight loss is a frequently discussed topic because two out of every three Americans is overweight or obese. The cost of fuel is another frequently discussed topic, as the price of gas and crude oil continues to sky rocket. Losing weight and saving money on gas are both daunting tasks. But what if you could combine them? In this article you will get the top 10 ways you can lose weight while saving money on gas.

#1: Walk

Walking is a great exercise and does not require gas. There are many places that are within walking distance of your home or your job; consider walking to those places instead.

#2: Ride a Bicycle

Bicycling is another great exercise. If it is too far too walk, consider riding your bicycle.

#3: Go Grocery Shopping Once A Week

Going to the grocery store once every week will keep your life organized. You will have no need waste gas driving for unhealthy foods. You will eat healthier and spend less time on the road.

#4: Carry Your Lunch to Work

If you have your lunch, you will not need to drive anywhere to pick up lunch. Just make sure the lunch is healthy.

#5: Join a Gym In Between Your Home and Your Job

Gyms are a great place to exercise. If your gym is in between your home and your job, you will not waste gas driving there and you will be more likely to go. You will lose more weight if you go to the gym instead of driving by it.

#6: Build a Home Gym

Having a home gym is even better than having a gym in between your home and your job.

#7: Get Netflix

Blockbuster Online and Netflix both have a wide assortment of DVDs, including workout DVDs. This is an inexpensive way to get a variety of aerobic classes in your own living room. You will also save money on gas because you will not have to drive to the movies or Blockbusters

#8: Park Far Away

After you enter a parking lot, park in the first empty spot you see. This will force you to walk farther and drive less. Looking for a parking spot is lazy and waste fuel.

#9: Park on the First Floor

After you enter a parking garage, park on the first floor. This will force you to climb stairs and drive less.

#10: Eat At Home

Cooking at home puts you in control of what you eat. You can prepare healthier and smaller meals. You will also save gas by not having to drive to a restaurant.

Bonus Tip: Get a Fred Flintstone Car

The man-powered cars in Bedrock do not require gas and are a great way to exercise.

Any of these techniques and strategies can help. However, if you use them all, you will really start to drop the pounds and save some money.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Return to Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Blog Main Page

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

KaBOOM! and CNN's Fit Nation

2008-07-11T22:21:00.003-04:00

CNN's Fit Nation and KaBOOM! teamed up with over 200 volunteers to build a playground for the children of Metairie, Louisiana. Metairie was one many cities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Active Children

It is great what they did for the children of Metairie. It will help get these children more active and get them away from the video games, the television, and the Internet. Increased activity is one of the best strategies to prevent and cure childhood obesity.

The CNN Fit Nation team has inspired me. I am going to research KaBOOM! and try to get some playgrounds built in the Atlanta/Decatur area.

Watch the video about the playground building.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Becoming Thin Within: Interview with Dr. Kal

2008-07-10T15:03:00.004-04:00

I was recently interviewed by Mrs. Deborah J. Wright on her online talk show: Becoming Thin Within. It was my first live interview and I think it went well. Check out the interview and tell me what you think.

We also discuss the Don't Go Broke Diet. She seemed to like my behavior change first approach.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Overweight Children Face Emotional Pains

2008-07-10T11:21:00.003-04:00

I was reading this article on MSNBC about overweight children. The article discusses the:

Emotional torture,
Teasing,
Rejection,
Discrimination
Bullying, and
Abuse,

overweight children must deal with on a daily basis. The discrimination and abuse does not just come from their peers. Parents, teachers, and family members are also perpetrators.

Not Just Fun and Games

The emotional abuse can have many adverse effects. Many of these children develop:

Suicidal thoughts
Low self-esteem
Feelings of inadequacy
Eating disorders
Overall poor quality of life.

Many of these children's quality of life score were similar to people living with cancer.

Dr. Kal

I was an overweight child and an obese teen, so I experienced the stigma of childhood obesity first hand. Growing up was torture and led to low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy issues that I still deal with today.

Parents

Parents, family-members, and educators should be proactive in helping children lose weight. They should also watch what they say and what they allowed to be said to all children, because words can hurt more than fists.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Diets In Review: Don't Go Broke Weight Loss Plan

2008-07-09T12:00:00.004-04:00

My Don't Go Broke Weight Loss Plan was recently reviewed by Diets In Review. The author of the review did an excellent job of summarizing the program. I should find out who it is and ask them to write my next sales letter.

Check out the review. Let me know what you think.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Watchers Vs. Exercise

2008-07-09T08:18:00.005-04:00

I just read this article in the Science Daily about a recent study. The study compared the weight loss of :

People on Weight Watchers who did not exercise, to the weight loss of
People who exercised but did not "diet".

Results

The study found that the:

Weight Watchers group: Lost more weight, but that weight was both fat and lean tissue (muscle)
Exercise group: Lost less weight, but the weight they did lose was mostly intra-abdominal fat

Lessons learned

To lose weight you need to adopt a balanced, calorie-controlled nutrition plan. However, if you want that weight to be only fat and not muscle, then you must incorporate exercise.

Strength training is very important to permanent weight loss. Strength training allows you to maintain or build upon the muscle you already have. Muscles are important to maintaining your metabolism and burning fat. Especially the most dangerous fat, which is the visceral, intra-abdominal fat.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Double Your Weight Loss With A Food Diary

2008-07-08T13:07:00.005-04:00

I just read this article from ABC News about a recent study. The study showed that dieters that kept food journals almost doubled the weight loss of dieters who did not keep a food journal. This goes along with everything I believe and teach.

Food Journals

People often underestimate how many calories they are consuming. That is one of the reasons that so many people have a hard time losing weight. People often tell me that they never eat or that they do not eat too much. However, when they take a log of it, they realize exactly how much they are eating and drinking.

Drinking

I typically have patients and clients start a food journal. They are often surprised at the amount of empty calories they consume on a daily basis. These empty calories include, but are not limited to:

Drinks: Sodas, juices, sports drinks, and alcoholic beverages are not satisfying, but they can be calorie-filled.
Sweets: Many people will eat a candy here and a candy there, not realizing how many calories are in those little bites of sweetness.
Condiments: Sauces and dressings can add many calories to a meal.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Food Journals

Keeping a weight loss journal is an excellent strategy to lose weight and keep it off. This is especially true early in your weight loss journey. Most people are bad at estimating how many calories they are consuming per meal and per day.

Plan

Get a food journal: It does not have to be expensive, any notebook you will do.
Get appropriate measuring equipment: Food scales, measuring cups, and measuring spoons are important because your eyes can deceive you.
Read labels: So that you know what a serving is and how many calories are in a serving.
Calorie databases: Use calorie databases such as www.calorieking.com when food labels are not available.
Log everything: Write down everything you put into your mouth. Everything!!! Don't worry. You will not have to do this forever, just until you are a better "food estimator".

Start journaling today and watch the pounds just fall off and stay off.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Loss Excuses

2008-07-08T08:32:00.004-04:00

Excuses are like belly buttons. Everyone has one, nobody needs one, and, all they do is collect belly-button lint. Well, excuses do not collect belly-button lint, but they serve a similarly annoying and useless function. Excuses keep you from losing weight.

Barriers

Excuses are barriers along your weight loss journey. These barriers can prevent you from achieving your weight loss goals, if you let them. If you believe in these excuses and believe that you cannot get pass them, then you will not be able to. The human mind will only allow the body to do what it believes is possible. However, if you believe that you can get around or even defeat your weight loss excuses, you will do just that.

Mission Impossible

Permanent weight loss is not easy but it is not impossible. Weight loss excuses are one of the reasons losing weight can be difficult. With the Weight Loss Excuses posts, I will bust the most common excuses and provide strategies to help you get pass them

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Loss Strategies - Burn More Calories

2008-07-04T12:08:00.002-04:00

In order to lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than you burn or burn more calories than you eat. You could simply do this by eating fewer calories. However, in order to accelerate or maintain your weight loss, you should also burn more calories.

Your body burns calories with three mechanisms:

Moving your body,
Digesting your food, and
Staying alive

To burn more calories and lose weight, you should increase the calories burned in all three mechanisms.

Resting Metabolism

Your resting metabolism burns calories just keeping you alive. Your body must perform many processes to keep you functioning, including pumping blood, breathing air and producing waste.

Most of the calories you burn are burned performing your essential body processes. These calories are burned while you are sleeping, sitting, talking, or exercising. Your resting metabolism is working twenty-four hours a day. Your resting metabolism is determined primarily by your genetics and your muscle mass.

Digestion

After you eat or drink, your body has to digest and process the food. The calories you burn digesting and processing your food is called the thermic effect of food. Thermic simply means related to or associated with heat. The thermic effect of food is determined primarily by the amount and type of food you are eating.

Moving

At least eighty percent of the calories you burn daily are burned secondary to your resting metabolism and the thermic effect of food. The rest of your calories are burned moving your muscles and limbs.

Any time you move a muscle, you burn calories. The more often you move your muscles, the more calories you will burn. You can also burn more calories by using more muscles or using larger muscles.

The calories you burn moving have the greatest potential for increase, so you should focus your efforts there. You do this with by increasing your everyday activities and by exercising.

Exercise can be broken down into strength training exercises, core training exercises, and aerobic exercises. You should adopt an activity plan that incorporates all three.

You must create a calorie deficit to lose weight. A calorie deficit is created by eating fewer calories than you burn. To do this you should decrease the calories you eat and increasing the calories you burn. Your body has three different mechanisms for burning calories: staying alive, digesting food, and moving. A successful weight loss activity plan must address all three.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Loss Strategies - Read Nutrition Labels

2008-07-03T13:00:00.002-04:00

Ignorance may be bliss but it can sabotage a weight loss plan. To lose and keep off weight you will need to watch what you eat. This means learning to read nutrition labels.

Nutrition Labels.

Nutrition labels provide us with important information about serving sizes, calories, and ingredients. The top half of the label contains product specific information on the number of serving, calories and nutrient information.

Serving Size and Servings Per Container.

Always check the number of servings. This is a common oversight. You may grab a beverage glancing quickly at the calories. However you might be surprised to find out that the beverage is three servings and not one. Foods that appear low in calories may actually be much more than you want to consume.

Calories.

Depending on your daily calorie target and the number of meals or snacks you decide to eat, your meals should be between 200 and 400 calories and your snacks between 100 and 200 calories.

Total Fat.

Below the calories you will find information for Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. These nutrients are listed first because they are the ones that you should limit.

Fat Breakdown.

Fat information will be broken down into Saturated, Trans Fat and for some foods you will also have Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats. Saturated and Trans Fats are the artery clogging fats. The combined "bad" fats should be limited to 10% of total calories. Trans Fat is man made and is increasingly being eliminated from foods.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are "good fats" and should be consumed as part of a healthy well balanced diet.

Total Carbohydrate.

Carbohydrates will be broken down into total, fiber and sugar. You want to get enough healthy carbohydrates such as those from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans. Limit foods that have sugar listed in the first few ingredients, whether or not you are attempting to lose weight.

Protein.

Proteins are an important component of your healthy weight loss plan. I recommend that you eat meals that are at least 20% protein.

Ingredients List.

Finally, always look at the ingredients list. If you see any of the ingredients listed below in the first four ingredients, consider a better product.

Trans fats
Partially hydrogenated oils
High fructose corn syrup
Other syrups
Sugar
Fructose
Refined whole grains
Enriched whole grains

Becoming conscious of what you are putting into your body will put you on the road to a healthier lifestyle. Read labels before you buy and compare different brands. You can and will find distinct differences among brands.

Becoming a label detective requires just a little effort but the return on your time has a big payoff in better health and smaller clothing sizes.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Doctor Prescribed Laughs: The Food Linebacker

2008-07-02T11:13:00.003-04:00

Doctor Prescribed Laughs are explained here.

The Food Linebacker

Wouldn't it be great if there was a linebacker who followed you around and tackled you whenever you were about to cheat on your diet.

This clip was hilarious. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Don't Go Broke Foods: Jimmy Dean's D-Lights Sandwiches

2008-07-01T08:49:00.004-04:00

On my journey to over 330 pounds I ate many breakfast sandwiches at fast food restaurants. I am not blaming the sandwiches for my morbid obesity because there were numerous factors involved. However during my weight loss journey, I rarely ever ate breakfast sandwiches. That was until I found Jimmy Dean's D-Lights Sandwiches. These sandwiches taste great and are also healthy. I especially like the Turkey Sausage variation.

The sandwiches are made from:

White Flour English Muffin
Fried Egg White Patty
Cooked Turkey Sausage Patty
American Cheese

I'm not loving the White Flour English Muffin, but it's not that bad.

Facts:

To understand COPS, CAPS, and PROPS click here.

• COPS: $1.50
• CAPS: 260 calories
• PROPS: 18 grams
• Carbs: 30 grams
• Fats: 7 grams
• Sugar: 3 grams
• "Bad" Fats: 3.5 grams

Commentary:

This is a nice, healthy, and inexpensive breakfast to jump-start your metabolism. These sandwiches will also keep you satisfied until your mid-morning snack.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Dr. Kal Cheats: Frozen Peanut M&M's

2008-06-30T15:57:00.004-04:00

Dr. Kal Cheats are explained here.

This week it is time for a cheap cheat, but a great cheat nonetheless. I have been craving M&M's for a couple of days now. Not just any M&M's, but frozen Peanut M&M's. You cannot find these delectable snacks in your grocer’s freezer. Actually, preparing frozen Peanut M&M's is a very difficult task and is typically reserved for experienced cooks or professional chefs. However, I am going to tell you how I created these sweet and salty snacks at home.

I wanted to eat my cheat on Sunday, so I went to the local CVS to get the ingredients on Saturday. I picked up one 1.74 ounce package of Peanut M&M's. I took the candy-coated, chocolate-covered peanuts home and put them in the freezer. Voila!!!!

The next day, I retrieved my little bag of goodies from the freezer. I sat down at my dining room table. I looked around for moochers. The bad thing about M&M's is that if someone sees you with them, then they automatically want some. Well, there were no moochers in site. So, I ate them slowly. They were so good and well worth the 69 cents and 250 calories they cost me.

The Damage

How much damage did I do? According to M&M's website, a 1.74 ounce bag of Peanut M&M's is:

Calories: 250
Fat: 13 grams
Bad Fats: 5 grams
Carbs: 30 grams
Sugars: 25 grams
Protein: 5 grams

Well, that was my weekly cheat and I enjoyed every minute of it. There are definitely too many grams of saturated fat and sugar in Peanut M&M's, but everything is okay in moderation. That's why they call it a cheat.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Reasons To Lose Weight - To Save Money On Gas

2008-06-27T17:20:00.001-04:00

The Reasons To Lose Weight posts are explained here:

Gas is very expensive. Here in Atlanta, it cost over four dollars a gallon for regular. Eventually, it will reach an astronomical five dollars a gallon. It is unbelievable.

Jokes

There has been one benefit to high gas prices, and that is all of the great jokes such as:

Did you hear the one about the woman who begged her husband to take her somewhere expensive for a change? He drove her to the corner gas station. --DangGoodJokes.com

"The average national price of a gallon of gas hit an all-time record high …….. Meaning that wherever you're going this summer, it might be cheaper to mail your car." --Amy Poehler—PoliticalHumor.About.Com

"There was a sign at the station near by my house that said, 'We take Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express.' After I filled up they took my Visa, Master Card, my Discover Card, and my American Express." --Jay Leno—PoliticalHumor.About.Com

"As you know, the government takes 40 percent of what you make. The other 60 percent, of course, taken by the gas stations." -- Jay Leno—PoliticalHumor.About.Com

"How many went to the beach this weekend? How many went to the mountains? How many just piled in the family car, sat in the driveway, and pretended you could actually afford gas to go somewhere?" --Jay Leno—PoliticalHumor.About.Com

Jokes Aside

While the jokes are funny, the situation is not. All of the great American minds are working on techniques and strategies to decrease the burden of high fuel prices. Well, I have the solution. If you want to save money on gas, simply shed a few pounds.

Fuel Efficiency

The heavier an automobile, the more fuel it requires. The weight of the vehicle includes the weight of the passengers. So, the heavier the passengers, the more gas your automobile will use.

If you and your passengers were to lose some weight, your fuel efficiency would improve. Then you would buy less gas and save some money.

Losing weight will save you money on gas. So, get started!!!!

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

F.M.U. - The Best Foods For Men

2008-06-27T16:56:00.001-04:00

I wrote a blog post on Israel's Fat Man Unleashed Blog.

The post discusses a recent article in, my favorite magazine, Men's Health. The article is entitled, The 125 Best Foods For Men. Check out the post here.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Reasons To Lose Weight

2008-06-26T21:49:00.001-04:00

If you are overweight or obese, it is important that you lose weight. The most important reasons to lose weight are:

To live a healthier life
To prevent an early death

Reasons

However, those are not the only reasons to lose weight. Two out of every three Americans are overweight or obese. Each and every one of them want to, or should want to, drop a few pounds. And each of them has their own reason for wanting to do it.

Medical Reasons

With the Reasons To Lose Weight post, I will share with you the many reasons to get thinner. Some of these reasons are medical and are intended to encourage you to improve your health.

Non-medical Reasons

The other reasons are not medical and are intended to make you smile or laugh. If you know me or have been following this blog, you know that I believe that laughter, smiles, and optimism are essential to permanent weight loss.

Enjoy my reasons to lose weight and share your reasons with me.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Doctor Prescribed Laughs: What's A Gym?

2008-06-25T09:47:00.005-04:00

Doctor Prescribed Laughs are explained here.

What's A Gym?

If you:

Don't know what a gym is,
Don't remember what a gym is, or
Don't want to remember what a gym is;

Please send me an email, so I can help you out.

This clip was hilarious. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Loss Strategies - Get Ready (Part 2 of 2)

2008-06-24T21:40:00.000-04:00

During my college and medical school days, I spent a large percentage of the little money I had on weight loss. I bought healthy smoothies, shakes, protein bars, supplements, fat burners, books and other crap I did not use. I even bought organic foods. I did not have to buy expensive exercise equipment because my school came with a great gym...which I never used. During that eight year period, I gained over 80 pounds. Why? I was not ready to lose weight.

Before you start trying to lose weight, you must make sure you are ready to lose weight. If you are not ready to lose weight all of your efforts will be in vain. To assess your readiness you should be able to answer yes to the six questions in the first article and the six questions in this article.

7. Are you ready to stop blaming others, your situation and yourself?

There are a million reasons for why you are overweight. You could spend the rest of your life blaming everyone and everything for you being overweight, but your time would be better spent trying to create and execute weight loss strategies.

8. Are you ready to take control of your life?

The only person keeping you from losing weight is you. Until you accept full control of you and your life, you will never achieve your goals. You have to grab the steering wheel of your life and drive the car where you want to go.

9. Are you ready to stop making excuses?

The road to failure is paved with great excuses. There is a solution to every excuse you have.

10. Have you addressed all the distractions in your life that could impede your progress?

It is hard to make lifestyle changes when you have large distractions in your life. If you are going through a messy custody battle, wait until it is over to change your diet. First remove the distraction or wait for it to pass, and then start your weight loss program.

11. Do you believe that the rewards that come from weight loss outweigh the time and energy you will have to invest?

If losing weight is not really important to you, then you probably will not lose it. You must have a good reason to get you through the difficult times.

12. Do you believe you can and will lose weight?

In order to lose weight, you must believe that you can lose weight. If you do not believe you will do it, then you will not be able to.

If you have answered "Yes!" to all twelve of those questions, then you are ready to lose weight. So get up and go do it.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

McDonald's Diet

2008-06-24T00:08:00.005-04:00

Morgan Spurlock’s movie Super Size Me shows how eating McDonald’s for every meal of the day can lead to obesity. However, this is not entirely true. There are some options at McDonald’s that are healthier than others. When there are no better options, it may be possible to lose weight on the McDonald’s Diet.

All the nutritional information is from McDonald’s website.

The McDonald’s Diet Breakfast has a few choices:

The Egg McMuffin with half of the English muffin removed.

Calories: 230 - Protein: 15 gms - Carbs: 17 gms - Fat: 12 gms

Scrambled Eggs with a Sausage Patty

Calories: 340 - Protein: 22 gms - Carbs: 2 gms - Fat: 27 gms

1% Low Fat Milk Jug

Calories: 100 - Protein: 8 gms - Carbs: 12 gms - Fat: 2.5 gms

Small Coffee with Cream sweetened with Splenda

Calories: 20 - Protein: 0 gms - Carbs: 0 gms - Fat: 2 gms

The McDonald’s Diet Lunch has a few choices:

Honey Mustard Snack Wrap (Grilled)

Calories: 260 - Protein: 18 gms - Carbs: 27 gms - Fat: 9 gms

Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (Grilled)

Calories: 260 - Protein: 18 gms - Carbs: 28 gms - Fat: 9 gms

Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich without mayonnaise

Calories: 370 - Protein: 32 gms - Carbs: 50 gms - Fat: 4.5 gms

Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich without ½ of a roll

Calories: 350 - Protein: 32 gms - Carbs: 30 gms - Fat: 11 gms

Dasani Water

Calories: 0 - Protein: 0 gms - Carbs: 0 gms - Fat: 0 gms

Large Diet Coke

Calories: 0 - Protein: 0 gms - Carbs: 0 gms - Fat: 0 gms

The McDonald’s Diet Dinner has a few choices:

Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken without tortilla strips

Calories: 280 - Protein: 30 gms - Carbs: 25 gms - Fat: 8 gms

Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken

Calories: 300 - Protein: 32 gms - Carbs: 23 gms - Fat: 10 gms

Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken

Calories: 260 - Protein: 33 gms - Carbs: 12 gms - Fat: 9 gms

Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette

Calories: 40 - Protein: 0 gms - Carbs: 4 gms - Fat: 3 gms

Newman's Own Low Fat Family Recipe Italian Dressing

Calories: 60 - Protein: 1 gms - Carbs: 8 gms - Fat: 2.5 gms

Dasani Water

Calories: 0 - Protein: 0 gms - Carbs: 0 gms - Fat: 0 gms

Large Diet Coke

Calories: 0 - Protein: 0 gms - Carbs: 0 gms - Fat: 0 gms

If you are traveling or are on the road and you can not find a better option, you can eat at McDonald’s. However, I would not suggest that you make food from McDonald’s the foundation of your nutrition plan.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Weight Loss Strategies - Get Ready (Part 1 of 2)

2008-06-23T13:54:00.001-04:00

Everyday, thousands of people decide that they are tired of being overweight. They are tired of being unhealthy. They decide that "today" is the day they are going to start losing weight.

They then start to throw money at weight loss. Some go out and join fancy gyms. Some start expensive weight loss programs and others buy expensive home gym equipment. These seem like great first steps but they are not.

Before you start trying to lose weight, you must make sure you are ready to lose weight. If you are not ready to lose weight all of your efforts will be in vain. To assess your readiness you should be able to answer yes to all these 12 questions.

1. Are you ready to work hard at changing your thinking?

Albert Einstein said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

You have probably tried to lose weight before. You probably did not achieve the results you wanted. You failed because of the way you thought about weight loss. If you want to succeed in the future, you must change the way you think about losing weight.

2. Are you ready to stop your bad habits?

You are overweight because of your bad habits. Most of these habits took many years to develop. If you want to lose weight and keep it of, you will have to eliminate these bad habits. With hard work and patience, all habits can be learned and unlearned.

3. Are you ready for a long but rewarding journey?

There are no quick fixes to losing weight permanently. Any quick fixes you have seen will only result in temporary weight loss. The road to permanent weight loss can be very long, but your life will be so much better when you reach your goal weight.

4. Are you ready to change your lifestyle permanently?

Temporary lifestyle changes create temporary weight loss. Permanent lifestyle changes create permanent weight loss. The same strategies you used to lose weight are the same strategies you will have to use to maintain your weight loss. You must be in it for the long haul.

5. Are you ready to pick yourself up after you stumble?

On your long weight loss journey you will stumble. You are human. Occasionally, you will have lapses. Expect them and get pass them.

6. Are you ready to give up perfection?

Weight loss success is the result of persistence and perseverance, not perfection. You do not have to eat perfectly or work-out perfectly to lose weight. Slow and steady wins the race.

If you have answered "Yes!" to the first six questions proceed to the next article where I outline the final six questions

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**

Dr. Kal Loses 130 Lbs, Featured on CNN's Fit Nation

2008-06-19T09:03:00.004-04:00

I was recently featured on CNN's Fit Nation. I discuss my weight loss success and my past struggles. I keep missing the piece on CNN, so I'm not sure if the actual piece is longer than this clip. However, they were able to catch the essence of my story in 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Check out the clip and tell me what you think.

Start losing weight today without breaking the bank using Dr. Kal's Don't Go Broke Diet.

Get personal weight loss help with Dr. Kal's Weight Loss Coaching.

**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**