Paleo Diet

Several people I know are right into the paleo diet craze, so over the last few weeks I have been reading up on it again. I looked into it years ago when it came out, and wrote it off pretty quickly due to the high protein and fat content.

However, I am not as cynical now because at least it emphasizes eating a high load of vegetables and salad, and some fruit. At least this bit is healthier than the average diet of many Westerners - high protein and starch, very little fibrous carbs and fruit. It is possible the higher load of fibrous CHOs can reduce somewhat the damage of excessive protein and fat.

Personally, I favor the scientific consensus and Dean Ornish when it comes to optimal diet for longevity. That's a vegetarian focus. The research that has made the greatest impact on me are the Seventh Day Adventist studies, Tromso Heart studies, and the National Geographic Blue Zone findings. All these point to a diet low in animal products as being better for longevity.

Nevertheless, I accept that some people with disturbed metabolism may do better on diets higher in protein and fat, and that gluten sensitivity is a serious problem. The Paleo would seem  a reasonable weight loss diet for these people.

As for the Paleo offering a longevity advantage, only time will tell. Personally, I don't see it. Most of the people following Paleo seem not over 65yo or heavy manual workers. I don't accept a heavy manual worker can remain well fed on a diet without starch.

Anyway, I'll continue to familiarize myself with Paleo philosophy. I can certainly see how compelling the logic is behind it, but at a later stage I'll post my criticisms in a concise manner. 











Cheers Bruce

Grays Diet Planner revisions for October and November 2009

- Added a worksheet called 'Planner' that allows one to adjust energy expenditure and intake during the diet.
Previously, I only allowed for a fixed Calorie deficit. Now, one can up and down regulate exercise and food during the diet. This is important for anyone losing >10% of their bodyweight, as their resting energy expenditure will change significantly as the weight comes off. At first looks, the worksheet will seem complex, but it is all quite logical.

- created a save button in the menu planner, so that edits to template menus can be saved permanently.

 - with the advice of John Peltier, resolved a charting issue due to incompatibilities between excel 2003 and 2007.


Cheers
Bruce

Cycling and Energy Expenditure

Cycling is one of the most efficient means to lose weight, especially for those whose knees are no longer up to jogging or long walks

There are many cycling Calorie expenditure calculators on the web. I wasn't happy with what I found, so I did a search of the scientific literature and reputable websites, and produced a comparison of 9 methods.

Some are based on the physics of interacting resistances, while others are estimates of O2 consumption (via its correlation with heart rate).

For the latter, you first need to know your VO2max. This can be estimated reasonably accurately by doing the Rockport Fitness Walking Test, or less so by either the YMCA or Queens College Step Tests. The protocol and calculations for each are in the spreadsheet.

For further explanations, see the Introduction within the spreadsheet.  By the way, don't let the esoteric data input fields spook you. Things like frontal area, rolling resistance, and wind resistance need not be adjusted. If you want to, highlighting each input cell will produce a comment box that explains appropriate inputs.

Download here  CyclingEnergyExpenditure   110KB


Screen shot below.

Cheers
Bruce

Grays Diet Planner Spreadsheet

Hi, I'm Bruce Gray, a physiotherapist and physiologist in Brisbane, Australia.

I've been evolving a quality diet planning spreadsheet for many years.....and I've decided it's time to release it into the wild.

It originally started as a personal diet aid, but quickly evolved to a clinical tool to help athletes manage their weight more accurately.

I began to wonder why government health authorities had not developed similar educational tools in their attempts to curb the obesity epidemic. So, I continued to develop the spreadsheet as a proof of concept of what is possible.

So what does Grays Diet Planner actually do?

1.  Superior Energy Expenditure Estimation

Well for a start, it is arguably the most accurate mathematical method on the internet for estimating resting energy expenditure (REE). Over the years, I've regularly reviewed the scientific literature to identify modeling methodologies that elucidate the relationship between resting energy expenditure, body mass, and fat free mass. i.e. modeling at levels of whole body, tissue/organ, experimental, and interspecies mammalian. From these, a composite algorithm was developed.

Methods considered include those by Brody, Kleiber, Elia, CJK Henry, Schofield, Miflin St Jeor, Harris Benedict, Wang, and The American Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Further, rather then unsubtly multiply REE by a lifestyle multiplier, my method uses a questionnaire about the time spent at various activities of daily living i.e. housework, occupation, recreation, sport, and exercise. These activities are categorized by REE multiples, called metabolic equivalents (METS), which are then used to more accurately estimate Total daily Energy Expenditure (TEE).


2. Determine a Calorie Intake for safe weight loss

A separate algorithm then determines a daily Calorie INTAKE to help you safely lose weight. This is done in accordance with current medical guidelines. The approach taken by some dietitians and diet software are unable to do this with precision because they do not produce reliable energy expenditure estimates. This is especially so for very active people such as elite athletes.


3. Provide a free 7 day DIET plan

Many plans are already in the spreadsheet's database, and more will be added with time. The plans are designed more as portion guides, rather than prescriptive culture specific recipes.

Currently,  there are plans based on the guidelines of government authorities (American USDA, Australian NHMRC), vegetarianism, and Dean Ornish's artherosclerosis reversal diet . In the future, diets will be included for vegans and possibly the Atkins Plan.


4. Provides a free 7 day WEIGHT MAINTENANCE eating plan that you can sustain after reaching weight goal.

Now how many paid services provide that? Further, as you age or change lifestyle, all you have to do is update your vital statistics and activity levels, and Grays Diet Planner will produce your correct Calorie intake.


Anyway, there's a lot of features in Grays Diet Planner. Best if you download it and have a look.

Please note there is a time out for December 2011. If you would like this removed, please contact me re your experience with the spreadsheet, and I'll arrange it.


To DOWNLOAD, click  
GraysDietPlanner 2007.zip   (800KB)

This version was updated 24/11/09 and should be compatible with Microsoft Excel 97, 2003, and 2007.


As the planner's popularity grows, I am becoming aware of some Microsoft generated 'issues'.

1. Apple:         Microsoft Excel for Apple computers does not support macros, ergo the spreadsheet just plain won't work in excel on Macs. Nice one Microsoft. A Windows emulator installed on a Mac would get around this though.... 

2. Linux:          To make the spreadsheet compatible with Open Office would require a lot of rewriting of macros, something I cannot dedicate time to in the near future.  If someone wants to volunteer to do it though, I'd appreciate it. I am committed to keeping the Diet Planner a free widely available resource.

I'd like to hear of any issues users experience, and I'll try to fix them.

Below are some screen shots. Click to enlarge.

     

                                                

                                                          

Good Health..............and Good Habits...........

Bruce