But Doctor, "I Really Eat Healthy"

By Al Sears, MD

How would you answer this question: "Do you have healthy eating habits?"

I just read a study which found that more than 75 percent of obese people say they do.

This study reminded me of a new patient, PR. She came for help in losing weight. She weighed 230 pounds, with most of the extra fat hanging around her waist. Her first comment when I asked how she thought she could lose weight? "I know it can't be my diet, because I eat healthy."

With considerable prodding, PR's eating turned out to be far from healthy in just about every way. She ate no breakfast, large dinners washed down by a liter of Coke, processed snack foods, and continuous between-meals "nibbles." In all, it was a protein-poor, high-carb, high-glycemic, nutrient-poor diet - a prescription for obesity and chronic disease.

This is not always the case, but I am sometimes surprised by the power of the psychological phenomenon of denial. It can completely hide a problem from your conscious awareness.

If you think you need to lose fat but don't know where the problem lies, do this. (I've done it myself from time to time for years.) Simply write down everything you eat for a week. Don't forget to include snacks and drinks.

You will be surprised by what your food log will reveal. If you're eating something that's making you fat, it will draw your attention to it - and you'll be able to correct the problem easily.
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Notes From Nicaragua: A View to Surpass All Others

By Michael Masterson

K and I find ourselves strolling down the streets of Managua, Nicaragua's capital, darting in and out of little shops and drinking in the salty air. Managua (the safest capital city in Latin America, according to the Harvard Business School) is only about a two-hour drive from our place in Rancho Santana.

"I came here to visit and never looked back," one recent Nicaraguan convert said to the Miami Herald. He opened up a barbecue restaurant in San Juan del Sur, a beachside town at the southernmost tip of the country, and spends his weekend nights playing guitar in a rock band.

"In the modern world, it's hard to imagine being an explorer or pioneer," Tyler Tibbs, a 27-year-old former Oregon resident, told the Miami Herald. "But in Nicaragua, you can find the rougher edges of life. It's liberating."

We, too, have found Nicaragua to be a place of incredible opportunity ... and beauty.

Back in Delray Beach, Florida, we live across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. It's a beautiful home, with great first- and second-story views of the beach and sea. But our Nicaraguan casa sits on a hill about a hundred and fifty yards from the ocean. We are protected from storms and flooding there, and enjoy a view that's better than the ones we have in Florida. In fact, it may rival anything I've seen anywhere in the world, including Hawaii.

Maybe some day, like many others, K and I will settle here for good ...
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Word to the Wise: Bibelot

"Bibelot" (BEE-buh-loh) - a French word related to "bauble" - is a small, decorative object without practical utility.

Example (as used by Simon Barnes in the London Times): "They break in expecting to find a collection of bibelots, objets de vertu, exquisite porcelain, Elizabethan miniatures, 18th century Italian fiddles, cabinets of curiosa, shelves of first editions, rare erotic manuscripts, rooms full of exquisite things: the fine and delicate treasures of a fine and delicate creature."

Michael Masterson
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1815, 08-23-06], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.