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You are here: Home / Archives for northern california

Of Dietary Supplements and Flying Unicorns

February 22, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Why is the diet industry replete with so many phony claims?

Recently, I was exposed to yet another “miracle diet product” that got my hackles up — and rest assured you don’t want to be around when I have elevated hackles.

The radio ad began something like:

“We are looking for a select few people in this listening area that want to be involved in a new weight loss study who want to lose no more than two pounds a day.”

Firstly, announcements referencing “this listening area,” are not from “this listening area;” they’re part of a national or regional campaign pretending to sound local. Should they be homegrown, they would say something such as, “We need people in Northern California…” Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with national advertising; however, the fact that it’s disingenuous raises the first in a series of red flags.

Speaking of such, let’s wave some more.

Indeed, there are countless people “in this listening area” who would easily want to shed the required poundage at approximately two pounds every 24 hours. It ain’t gonna happen. Granted, they reference “no more” than two pounds a day. I mean, who would be upset if all they shed was a pound a half a day?

In one month, I have the perfect body. How cool is that?

An important admonition: One cannot lose weight — and sustain it (and that’s essential) — that rapidly without sacrificing one’s health. Therefore, the set up is not only promoting unrealistic and unhealthy expectations, but it’s setting up “participants” to feel like failures should they lose the more realistic one to two pounds per week.

Being your dedicated diet detective, I ventured to the website to suss out the details. What I discovered was that we could purchase a new miracle supplement “electromagnetically encoded to copy the effects of homeopathic formulas.” To get the aforementioned results, one consumed a few drops regularly and followed a “VCLD” (very low calorie diet) of approximately 500 calories per day.

Let’s put that in perspective.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Change, Diet, Exercise, Health, Newspaper Column, Rant Tagged With: calories, change, diet industry, diet product, homeopathic formulas, low calorie diet, miracle diet, miracle supplement, northern california, perfect body, phony claims, rant, weight loss

No One Does That Here: A Humorous Look at Trying to Take a Walk

January 4, 2011 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

“Howdy bud. Welcome to the Comerite Inn. Where ya from?”

“Northern California,” I say, dropping my bags on the lobby floor.

“California, huh? I’ve never been there. Anyway, consider this your home for a few days.”

“Thanks. I’m just glad to be on solid ground.”

While I fill out the registration form, he references the hotel’s amenities, “Breakfast is served from six to nine. Ice is next to the elevator. And every room comes with free wi-fi.”

“Before I go to my room, could you point me to a restaurant within walking distance? I’d like to get something light before it gets too late.”

“Save your feet; the hotel shuttle can take you; no charge.”

“No thanks, after sitting all day, I could use the walk.”

Confused, but caring and concerned, he replies, “Really? Walk? It’s at least a quarter mile to the closest restaurant.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Exercise, Health, humor, Newspaper Column Tagged With: exercise, frontage road, hotel shuttle, northern california, sidewalks, texas, travel, walking, walking distance

No More Potato Salad; Please!

December 13, 2007 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Each dieter does it differently. Some eat a lot but look forward to exercise to burn it off. To me, looking forward to exercise is akin to eager anticipation of a root canal. Ain’t gonna happen.

My method of staying on track is by removing temptation; i.e., if it’s not here, I won’t eat it. Should you inspect my refrigerator, you would lay view to a vast amount of empty space. It’s a Spartan existence, but – for the most part – it works.

My mother used neither exercise nor my “minimalist” approach. Rather, she simply controlled her portions. Wow! What a novel concept: Eat well and eat the correct amount. Who would have thought?

Yet, therein lies a rub.

Whenever I visited, she would organize some form of get-together “in Scott’s honor.” Aunts and cousins would converge on Saturday afternoon to see how the Northern California component of the clan was surviving. Hugs. Conversation. Photographs. And of course, food. Lots and lots of food.

Across numerous tables would span a landscape of desserts, rolls, cheese, desserts, cold cuts, desserts, drinks, and – did I say – desserts. If ten people were expected, we had foodstuff for 50. “Food shortage” was not in her vocabulary.

For Mom, being encircled by so much food worked fine; she refused to give in to it. For me, it was difficult; I tried to elicit her support.

“Mom, can we not have so much to eat?”

“No, honey. People expect food at parties.”

“I know; but we have enough for a small nation. It’s too tempting.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: family, humor, Newspaper Column, Traditions, Weight Loss Tagged With: aunts, cousins, foodstuff, hostess, irony, northern california, potato salad, ruth marcus, saturday afternoon, support mom

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