Just a quick post to let everyone know that I’m still alive and kicking. MD and I are closing in on the deadline for our book so I have been consumed in a frenzy of writing. Writing the last parts of a book are like losing the last five pounds – the most difficult part of the whole process. All the stuff you don’t want to dig in and write you keep putting off until you’re at the end of the project, and then there it is, still there and staring you in the face.
MD is much more industrious on a daily basis than I. She plugs along writing a little every day whereas I jump in and write in large chunks. Since she has plugged along for a long time and gotten her sections written, she is living large right now. I, on the other hand, am binge writing for all I’m worth.
So, bear with me. The deadline is next week. As soon as I’ve put paid to the rest of this manuscript I’ll be back to posting regularly once again. And dealing with comments. If you’ve had a comment languishing in comment purgatory for the last few weeks, don’t despair. It hasn’t been erased or eliminated; it’s just been put off until I finish up on my day job.
See you back in a week or so.
The official website of Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, low carb pioneers and authors of Protein Power.
I can’t wait to read your next book Mike. I know how my life changed when I read Protein Power.
I couldn’t help but looking at your desk… It’s looking more and more like mine!!!! I’m glad I’m not alone 🙂 Or maybe I just like to repeat to myself that ‘a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind’ (just kidding).
Cheers!
Dr. Eades,
Glad you checked back in. I was about to organize a search party.
Thought you might be interested in the headline of my post yesterday. Been a low carb high-protein boy for years now. Thanks for leading the charge.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/high-fat-diet-no-cardio-washboard-abs/
Hey Mark–
Great abs! The isometric exercise you employ is the same one we write about and recommend in the new book. Most people we explain it to seem reluctant to believe that something so simple can work so well. Maybe we’ll start using you as an exemplar.
Cheers–
MRE
Looking forward to the book!!! MD did mention you were chained to your chair!!
That’s a funny picture, Dr. Mike! 🙂 Maybe funnier for us than for you though.
I figured that’s where you went and what you were up to.
I hope you find all the right words and put this book to bed. Good luck!
I second Gabe’s comment about the upcoming book–eagerly awaiting! I’ve been in your position with dissertations. I use to take out my frustration with a fist to my desk or a kick to the concrete wall. I don’t advise these approaches. Perhaps some smelling salts and a little Grateful Dead, ha!ha! Actually, though, i always did my best work in the hours after midnight relaxing with a cold alcoholic beverage.
Hang in there, Dr.
Here is another article quoted by a blogger promoting high complex carbs. Insulin and glucose responses are higher in the higher fat diet.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/73/5/878
There are all sorts of problems with this study not the least of which is that the high-fat (supposedly low-carb) arm of the study provided a diet that was 40 percent carbs, which really ain’t a low-carb diet by any stretch. There are a number of other flaws as well, but too much to go into in the comments section.
Cheers–
Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many icons on a computer desktop! You almost need a bigger monitor. Looking forward to the new book.
Best
Those are not all icons. Most are pdf files. Preview, the default pdf reader in a Mac, opens pdf files and sends them to the Desktop whether you want them there or not. In researching this book (and in my everyday trolling through the medical literature) I pull down hundreds of pdf files. With Preview they always end up on my Desktop. Periodically I go through and sort them into folders, but when I’m in the heat of writing or researching I simply leave them where they fall.
MD, as you might suspect, cleans her Desktop every day, putting all the pdf files in folders and storing them away out of site.
Cheers–
MRE
Good luck! Can’t wait to read it.
I’m a chunk and binge writer as well. Damn these industrious, sensible writers…:)
What are you talking about Gabe?? That IS a clean desk!!
I’m looking at your Mac’s desktop and can’t help noticing that that needs a bit of tidying up 😉
Best of luck with finishing the book !
Anne
Only “a bit of tidying”?
Cheers–
Gee, I thought I had a lot of icons on my computer’s desktop.
A new study is out regading the treatment of epilepsy with high fat diets:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/health/research/06epil.html?em&ex=1210478400&en=086d8d52b4cf9599&ei=5087
Any thoughts as to whether the success of this treatment could be due to the absence of certain things in the diet as much as the presence of fat in the diet?
I think the benefits arise from the large amount of ketones such a diet produces. Ketones are nourishment for the brain, and I suspect that many people with epilepsy probably have a problem (which could arise from a number of causes) getting adequate amounts of glucose to susceptible areas of the brain. If so, the ketones step in and pinch hit for the glucose.
This is a question you ought to ask Dr. Larry McCleary on his blog.
Cheers–
Hi Mike, you say that Preview sends those pdf files to your desktop – no it’s not Preview doing that, Preview is just opening them. It’s your browser that’s downloading them to your desktop. If you use Safari just go to Preferences, select General and you’ll see a command to “Save downloaded files to” then there’s a drop down menu with Desktop as the default. Just make a new folder called, say, Pdf files, and set the preferences to download to there. Much tidier 🙂 If you use Firefox it’s similar but select Main in Preferences 🙂
bw’s
Anne
Sounds great. Problem is, it doesn’t work. I use Firefox and early on when this problem of the Desktop cluttered with pdf files started I asked a number of people how to send the files to a folder instead of the Desktop. All gave me the same instructions you did. I dutifully created a folder called PDF files and set my Firefox preferences to send everything there. It still opens to the Desktop. If you were to pull up my Firefox Preferences right now (which I just did) you would see that the box by Save files to is checked and that the save to address is the above mentioned folder. (It’s the same on both my laptop and desktop computers.) I even went to the Apple store and asked the folks there who told me that they didn’t know anything about Firefox or Thunderbird (my email system), so they couldn’t really help. Now if I wanted to switch everything over to Safari and the Mac email, they could help. But I didn’t, so I just live with it.
If you (or anyone else) has another method to get pdfs opened by Preview to go to a specific folder instead of the Desktop, I’m all ears (or eyes, I guess).
Cheers–
MRE
Slow down Dr Eades, you are giving yourself gray hairs!
Can’t wait for your new book. I know it will be top-notch.
PS I have a full head of grays and I’m only 28. How great would it be if a low-carb diet could restore it? ha.
Hi Mike,
I just set my preferences in Firefox to save pdfs to a file I created and it did exactly what your Mac does, it put the pdf on the desktop instead of where I’d told it to. Dh then quit Firefox and started it up again, and when I downloaded a pdf this time it worked, it put it in the folder I had created ! I’m using an iMac and Tiger.
bw’s
Anne
PS…but it doesn’t open it automatically in Preview, you have to select open from the downloads box.
Oh well, I don’t think you can have it open with Preview *and* saved somewhere other than your desktop 🙁
bw’s
Anne
Steve,
I, too, have alot of grey hair, and i am younger than you. I also have some grey hair in my semi-beard. For what it is worth, alot of women find grey hair sexy, and moreover, masculine.
Just went through this Mike – fun, ain’t it?
A real blast.
I’ve been getting swamped with inquiries about your whereabouts, Dr. Mike! THANKS for checking in. Everyone was wondering if my podcast interviews with you and MD in Phoenix last month were your swan song. HA! Not hardly. Keep on truckin’ my friend. 🙂 The new book will be AMAZING I’m sure.
Jimmy Moore
Here are the links to those podcasts for anyone who missed them:
– Part 1
– Part 2
Hey Jimmy–
Thanks for the links. When I get uncovered I will probably post them myself for those who don’t read the comments section.
Cheers–
Mike
I might know what the problem is. When you click to download a file, does it begin downloading automatically, or are you given a window with the options “Open with” and “Save to disk”? And if the latter, which one do you select?
I just select ‘Open with’ because I don’t want to go through the extra step to retrieve it from a folder.
Actually my last question doesn’t matter.
It may be that your mac is automatically saving the file to your desktop because any file (in both mac and pc) needs to be saved before being opened (pc’s just usually save the file in an obscure folder no one ever sees). If you want the pdf files you look at to be saved to a specified folder, you should try this:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing+file+types
Instead of having pdf files open automatically, it might be worth trying to make “Save them on my computer” the default option. But if it doesn’t work how you want, you can just change it back.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Cindy, but my pull down menus on the Mac don’t look anything like the ones pictured in the link above. It will probably take me less time to drag and drop all the pdf files on the desktop to a holding folder than it will for me to diddle around trying to find the perfect solution.
Cheers–
Hi Michael. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but hopefully it will be helpful. I’m a computer Help Desk person by profession and I can confirm the strange pdf behavior you have reported in Firefox. Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, is aware of the issue and it is has been actively discussed in their forums. Check out the link below if you really want all the gory details.
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=552309
To sum it all up, there is currently no permanent fix for this issue. Even worse, it is hard to troubleshoot as some proposed solutions behave differently depending on numerous factors such as the version of Firefox you are using, the version of Mac OS X you are using, the version of Safari you have installed, and whether or not you are on a PowerPC or Intel based Mac. Is your head spinning yet?
While we are all waiting for a fix from Mozilla, others has suggested a different approach that may still help. I use it myself. Forget about redirecting the pdf download location. Instead, change a setting to tell Firefox to Trash those extra unwanted pdf files when you exit out of Firefox. The end result will still be a clean Desktop. The steps below may seem a little scary, but they only need to be done once.
Here are the steps:
1. Launch Firefox. In the address bar, type the following:
about:config
2. Control-click (or right click) anywhere in the page that appears, then click “New”, then “Boolean”.
3. In the dialog that appears, type the following for the preference name:
browser.helperApps.deleteTempFileOnExit
Choose True when prompted.
4. Quit and re-launch Firefox.
It’s also worth mentioning that this change will not affect files that you purposely choose to download. For example, if I download a picture to my Desktop, it will still be there, even after I exit Firefox, but the rogue pdf files will be gone.
I sincerely hope the above information helps. On a parting note, I am truly grateful for all the great information you have made available to us mere mortals via your books and television appearances; your work (and that of your wife) is most appreciated.
Hey Chris–
Thanks for taking the time to educate me on this. I’m a little afraid to try it, though, because I kind of like the idea that all the pdfs I open stay with me without my having to do anything extra to keep them. I just wish they would go somewhere else other than my desk top. If I could use Preview to open them, then read them, then exit out of preview and have the pdfs go to a specific folder (where I could retrieve them later if needed) instead of the desktop it would be terrific.
Best–
MRE
I figured that was the reason for your absence! You can make it up to us by posting the amazon preorder date as soon as that is known. Good Luck!
Will do. As soon as it’s available.
Just to comment about grey hair. A couple of years after beginning low carb, I noticed that I had considerably fewer grey hair. I had read about others having similar experiences. I’m just sayin”…Also Dr. Mike… I am trying to make my husband appreciate painting a small section of the house, from time to time, instead of trying to do the whole thing at once. Painting is much less stressful and is is a more enjoyable process. No wonder he hates to paint. He tries to do it all in one gob. So for your next book d like Mary…write a little here and there so when the due date arrives you too can be livin’ large. 😉
I look forward to reading your new book,
Mary T.
The main key is not to become discouraged and give up on your writing project. As long as you continue to work on this project you know you will some time soon complete it. Thanks for your honesty.
Dr. Mike,
Just got my results from the full medical i did last week. Although i have nothing to compare against, as i haven’t been to the doctor for such a check-up since i was a kid, my results are as follows:
Total Cholesterol: 227
HDL: 73
LDL: 146
Triglycerides: 73
Glucose: 88
As you can see, my Triglycerides to HDL ration is exactly 1. Not too bad for a guy who has been loading himself with butter, cream, cheese, meat, eggs, and other high-fat fare for approximately 1.5 years. Of course, the doctor wants me to go on some cholesterol-lowering meds on account of my ‘high’ total cholesterol. Let’s just say that i let that recommendation go in my left ear and out the right one. My glucose could be a bit lower, but i wasn’t as strict as i usually am with carbs during the week leading up to my medical. Another happy Protein Power LifePlanner.
Hey Peter–
Congrats on the great results! I can never believe it when doctors look at only the total cholesterol. Even the most zealous lipophobes (at least the educated ones) are of the opinion that total cholesterol is an almost worthless number. Especially in the face of high HDL levels and low triglyceride levels. Yet some docs still focus on total cholesterol. Strange.
Unacceptable. My right to an entertaining, informative and illuminating post has been denied for too long now. My attorney will be in touch. We’re talking severe mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life.
Uh, I’m trying to cure (I think that’s the legal term) the breach. New posts should be forthcoming. Thanks for hanging in there.
Cheers
Genetic Variation Linked To Preference Sugary Food
ScienceDaily (May 14, 2008) — A new study in Physiological Genomics finds that individuals with a specific genetic variation consistently consume more sugary foods. The study offers the first evidence of the role that a variation in the GLUT2 gene — a gene that controls sugar entry into the cells — has on sugar intake, and may help explain individual preferences for foods high in sugar.
See also:
Health & Medicine
Diet and Weight Loss
Nutrition
Staying Healthy
Mind & Brain
Nutrition Research
Dieting and Weight Control
Child Development
Reference
Blood sugar
Glycemic index
South Beach diet
Diabetic diet
The study was conducted by Ahmed El-Sohemy, Karen M. Eny, Thomas M.S. Wolever and Benedicte Fontaine-Bisson, all of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. *
Summary of the Study
Food preferences are influenced by the environment as well as genetics. Cravings for foods high in sugar vary from person to person, but the reasons why are still unclear. To better understand the mechanism, the research team examined the effect of a common variation in a gene that controls the entry of sugar (glucose) into cells. The gene is called glucose transporter type 2 or GLUT2.
The researchers tested the effects of the genetic variation in two distinct populations. One population consisted of older adults who were all either overweight or obese. The other population consisted of generally healthy young adults who were mostly lean.
The diet of the participants in the first population was assessed by recording all of the foods and beverages consumed over a three day period, and repeating this 3-day food record two weeks later to ensure that the effect was reproducible. All participants were interviewed face-to-face during the two visits to the research centers. For the second population, the study participants used a questionnaire that asked about the foods and beverages typically consumed during a one month period.
Blood was drawn from each participant, and their DNA extracted. The researchers examined the genotype distribution and compared the food intake data each participant provided between individuals with the variation and those without the variation in GLUT2. The DNA samples that carried the variation in GLUT2 were associated with consuming more sugars in both populations studied.
Findings
The results of the study showed that a genetic variation of GLUT2 is associated with differences in the habitual consumption of sugars both within and between two distinct populations. Specifically:
those individuals with the GLUT2 variation consistently consumed more sugars (sucrose (table sugar)), fructose (simple sugar such as corn syrup) and glucose (carbohydrates), regardless of age or sex.
the two sets of food records from the older group showed that the older individuals with the variation consumed more sugars than their non-variant older counterparts (112± 9 vs. 86±4 grams of sugar per day and 111±8 vs. 82± 4 grams per day).
the individuals in the younger population who carried the variant were found to consume more sweetened beverages (0.49±0.05 vs. 0.34±0.02 servings per day) and more sweets (1.45±0.10 vs. 1.08±0.05 servings per day) than their non-variant counterparts.
there were no differences in the amount of protein, fat, starch or alcohol that was consumed by those either with or without the variant.
Conclusions
According to Dr. El-Sohemy, the study’s senior researcher, “We have found that a variation in the GLUT2 gene is associated with a higher intake of sugars among different populations. These findings may help explain some of the individual variations in people’s preference for sugary foods. It’s especially important given the soaring rates of obesity and diabetes throughout much of the world.”
The study was funded by the Advanced Food and Materials Network (AFMNet) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
*The study, entitled Genetic Variant in the Glucose Transporter Type 2 (GLUT 2) is Associated with Higher Intakes of Sugars in Two Distinct Populations, appears in the May 2008 edition of Physiological Genomics (http://physiolgenomics.physiology.org/).
Ain’t no sunshine when he’s gone
And he’s always gone too long
Anytime he goes away
Wonder this time where he’s gone
Wonder if he’s gone to stay…
Dear Doc,
I hadn’t realized how big a part of my mornings you had become.
I check every day, but still no joy…
Hey Isabella–
Thanks for hanging in there and continuing to check. I’m back in the saddle now and hope to start bringing more sunshine.
Cheers–
MRE
Don’t forget to give a digg for Astaxanthin/Krill oil in you and MD’s book! I first read about it here on your archives then kept seeing it e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e… Recently one my friends who had several veins harvested out of her R-leg for a cabg noticed that within 3 days after taking Krill oil (mega red) (and Slo-niacin), she had FULL strength back in the leg. wow! First time since several years after her surgery. (both have phenomenal value in heart disease and longevity)
Thanks for sharing your insights! (I’m a bit of a ‘binge’ blogger — if I could even say that) Please don’t fry too many neurons!
-G
Will do as to the digg for krill. It’s pretty great stuff. Maybe it will prevent the frying of neurons. At least I hope so.
Cheers
Dr. Eades-I don’t have the privilege of teasing you…yet, but I can certainly thank you for the massive amount of research you and your wife performed in the composition of Protein Power. I educated myself through your plan in 2003, and lost the weight I was seeking. I picked the book back up last month when THREE different specialists told me to improve my diet, and lose the refined carbs if I ever wanted to feel better. I asked all of them, “What makes you think my diet needs improving?” Reply? “YOU WOULDN’T FEEL SO LOUSY AND IN SO MUCH PAIN IF YOUR DIET WAS CORRECT!!” Only four weeks into your ‘off the charts’ plan and my fatigue is gone, blood sugar is perfect, and my pain has diminished. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
AJM
Hi Allison–
I’m thrilled to hear you’ve done so well. Keep after it. And give yourself a big pat on the back for all your effort.
Cheers
MRE
From IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367882/trivia
“To reprise his role as the legendary explorer Indiana Jones, the 64-year-old Harrison Ford spent three hours a day at the gym, and subsisted on a high-protein diet of fish and vegetables, thus building his body into a condition where he could perform his own stunts… Steven Spielberg later stated he was so impressed with Ford’s form that he could not tell the difference between the shoots for the third (1989) and fourth films (2008).”
One wonders why actors, to look healthy, beautiful and lean, always turn to such an “unhealthy” diet? Apparently, Hollywood celebrities understand what doctors and the press do not.
Thanks so much for all you do to keep the rest of us looking good!
Yes, it is amazing. Hollywood types are so politically correct…until it comes to getting work. Then they do what it takes.
Cheers–
Regarding gray hair, I don’t care what color it turns, as long as it stays where it’s at!
Well said!
Looking forward for your book, cheers