Good news! A study published in the International Journal of Obesity says fat in the hips mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries from clogging.  It’s great to find a cheerful note in the constant bad news, and visual reminders, of the great American obesity epidemic.

I’m wondering how long Rubens models lived; I’ve never seen one who had narrow hips or skinny thighs - I’m guessing they maybe lived a hundred years.

Some people say, “Finally, something good about a big backside.” The researchers don’t really know for sure why extra fat around the waistline and too little in the hip can lead to serious metabolic problems, but they’ve got guesses.

One guess is that the waist fat breaks down more quickly than the thigh and backside fat and that waist fat can trigger inflammation in the body. Inflammation leads to diabetes and heart disease, to name a couple of problems.

So I guess, if you’re tummy’s flat and you have a couple of extra pounds on your hips and thighs, you should not worry as much as if you have a Santa belly (See Santa’s Belly, No Laughing Matter.) Do remember that some people have an increased risk of arthritis and some cancers, if they’re carrying too much weight, so generous hips are definitely not the ‘free pass’ to use as an excuse to stop striving to keep the weight down and waist flat.

Last year we learned that obesity has overtaken smoking as the top US public health problem on quality of life, sickness and death. This is not to say that smoking has ceased to be a huge problem, but at least the trend is declining. People are getting educated, turning their backs on smoking, and working on stopping.  The point is, obesity has passed it up.

In the past, the public health statistics frequently focused upon the financial burden to the taxpayer that smoking or obesity caused. Now there seems to be more information focused upon the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Those stats are about disability and activity limitations. Obesity has increased by 127 percent in 2008 over the past 15-year period. Smoking decreased by 18.5 percent, most of that in the last six years. The proportion of the population that was obese increased by 85 percent.

The food industry is under pressure to stop supporting the growing problem of obesity. But, unfortunately, it seems that they are designing more foods that layer fat, salt and sugar in just the right ways to increase the inclination for people, who have evolved to seek it. (See David Kessler’s book, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite) I don’t think that we can wait upon the food industry, which is so liberally rewarded for designing foods that are almost addictive. We’ve got to make the decision and move away from the complex processed foods built with addictive layers of fat, sugar, and salt that are stealing our quality life years.

Like the new U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., millions of us battle the scale. I like that Dr. Benjamin said that she wants to ‘work together’ to fight the U.S. obesity epidemic. I believe that her attitude of having others helping her and her helping us can be good. If she commits to losing weight, others might identify with her and that can be very motivating.

• So, how are you doing with your resolutions?
• Are you adapting to new changes, which support your goals?
• Are you focusing on the foods that are good for you, foods that you love?
• Are you striving to keep your attention away from the foods that your mourn?

Note examples for me:

*I really enjoy shrimp; it’s less than 30 calories per ounce.

* I’m so happy that I enjoy Clementines and oranges; they nourish me and fill me.

* I really enjoy blackberries and blueberries – I especially like them on my pancakes.

* I mourn, too; about chocolate.  My solution is not total abstinence.  Heaven forbid!  It is portion size.  I permit myself to eat 3 (that’s three) tiny chocolate chips to top off a meal, and have 1 (one) small square section of a high-quality Intense Orange Lindt chocolate bar (or the like) at bedtime. (OK, there are a few other occasions, but not many).

• Are you focusing on the joy of how delicious the new whole grain products are?
• Are you taking joy in eating dip again?  Try my red pepper humus (easy to make, see below), fits into the Mediterranean diet, is so healthy and has a delicious taste.

I could go on, but the point is that, the journey is made up of multiple small steps. It’s not like quitting smoking (and going through hell, but attaining the goal – being a sweet-smelling non-smoker).  Losing weight and healthy eating is a lifetime management job; it’s a journey. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tzu.
The January Dr. Grandma’s newsletter offered 20 thoughts on resolutions. I also mentioned a few words about staying positive; about seeing past failures as jewels – jewels that give information about what doesn’t work. I like the way Will Durant says it. “Forget mistakes. Forget failure. Forget everything except what you are going to do now and do it. Today is your lucky day.” Stop with the negative self-talk! Just keep pulling yourself up again. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Confucious  And lastly, Thomas A. Edison had another way of looking at it; he knew failure very intimately, but ended up being an incredible success. He said, “Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Getting out of the clutches of obesity is not an easy goal, but certainly one worthy of our efforts and commitment – it can be done. Not giving up is at the heart of the success. Protecting your quality of life from disability and limitations of activity are worth more to you than to anyone else. Picture yourself healthy, vibrant and active. Stay committed and take the necessary steps. Let the necessary thinking provide the wind beneath your wings on the journey.

Roasted Red Pepper Humus

Ingredients:

2 – 15 ounce cans of garbanzo beans rinsed and drained, with 1/3 cup liquid reserved

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups roasted red pepper, drained

3 tablespoons peanut butter (peanuts only – high quality peanut butter – no added oil);

you can make it without the peanut butter.

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients, including the reserved garbanzo bean liquid. Process until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to use. Perfect for a fresh vegetable dip; whole wheat crackers or whole grain corn chips.

Gather the ingredients.

Rinsed and drained garbanzo beans.

Add roasted red pepper pieces.

Add the minced garlic.

Reserved liquid from garbanzo beans.

Measure two tablespoons of lime juice.

Add the spices.

Add the nut butter or tahini.

Whirl in the blender or food processor until smooth.

You've controlled the ingredients - yields 3 to 4 cups humus.