Eat till you are no longer hungry, not till you are full!

When studying cultures that have successfully achieved longer than average lifespans, diet plays an obvious and important role. The first lesson we can learn is that trying to diet NEVER works!! What does work is having a better understanding of how to eat.

The lesson to learn is this: The successful cultures are able to reduce their caloric intake by 20% by simply eating until they are 80% full.

This simple, yet powerful restriction results in caloric reduction, the same essential goal of most traditional diets. The difference is this form of restriction doesn’t require any uncomfortable changes in food choices and is therefore far more successful.

Scientists have studied the benefits of caloric restriction.

-Reduced cellular damage from free radicals.
-Weight loss
-Lowered blood pressure and cholesterol
-Reduced heart disease

So how do we reduce our caloric intake without creating additional inconveniences? The strategies are remarkably simple and therefore achievable. Here are some tips:

1. Use Smaller Vessels-Discard the large dinner plates and big glasses for smaller plates and tall, narrow glasses. You are likely to eat significantly less.

2. Eat Early-Accross the board, cultures of who eat their biggest meals earlier in the day live longer than culture who pack it on towards the end of the day.

3. Eat More Slowly- Eating faster usually results in eating more. Slowing down allows time to sense and react to cues telling us we are no longer hungry.

4. Use Your Bathroom Scale- Weighing yourself on a daily basis is one of the most surefire ways to reduce your weight and keep it off.

5. Make Food Look Bigger-People who ate a quarter pounder topped with lettuce, tomatoes and onions felt as full as people who ate the half pound burger, but they ingested significantly fewer calories.

6. Focus on food and Have a Seat-When its time to eat…EAT! Stop working on the computer, texting, eating on the run, etc. When you sit to eat you consume less, eat more slowly, and feel more nourished.

November 26^th, Black Friday, marked the beginning of this year’s holiday season.  Everyone rushing around to get a jump on the best deals on gifts for their loved ones.  Christmas trees being hauled on the top of cars.  The only time of year stamps are used to send out the snail mail Christmas cards and of course, the festive parties.

But for some, it only intensifies the stress of making ends meet.  Many of Americans are unemployed.  Their houses are in foreclosure.  Some are downsizing to apartment living but some are added to the rising homeless population.  How will Santa find them with all these address changes?

This holiday season, Capitol Rehab has decided to adopt a family through the Arlington Food Assistance Center.  Our family has two young girls, Gerawork (age 7) and Bezawit (age 12).  Their parents say they are in the most need of clothing.  If you would like to join us in spreading a little holiday joy to this family, we will be collecting clothing and toys until December 20^th in our office during our business hours.   Please see their clothing sizes below and have a very happy holiday season!

Gerawork (age 7) Size 10, Small Tops

Bezawit (age 12) Size 14, Medium Tops

Why have a Christmas Party when you can go BOWLING!!!

This holiday season the Capitol Rehab staff took the bowling challenge, head on.  Instead of doing the typical office holiday dinner we decided it would be fun to head out to the lanes and enjoy a little friendly competition.

If you find yourself with a free evening at hand, try your luck at Lucky Strike in DC, Adjacent to the Verizon Center.  This is clearly not your dad’s bowling alley.  With better than average bar food, pumping beats and a non-stop light show, Lucky Strike provides a “Hip” venue to bowl.

With over 50 million bowlers in the United States alone, bowling remains one of the more popular American past times.  That being said, our staff still has a long way to go before we can actually claim to considered “bowlers”.  All in all, a fun night was had by all.

Have a GREAT Holiday Season!

Dr. Booker.... King of the Spare!!

Patricia celebrating her STRIKE!!!!

Dr. Beck and Brian

I have to admit, I’m not the most religious person in the world. But despite my theological limitations, I find that the holiday season inspires moments of deep reflection and introspection; and it is in these moments, I am overcome by the tremendous sense of thanks and gratitude as well as an appreciation for what I believe is life’s Master Plan.

Obviously I don’t have life’s answers, if fact, I continue to discover new questions, but this year has been more perplexing than most. After all, who hasn’t struggled with the following questions:

• Is the economy ever going to turn around?
• What is going to happen with health care?
• And of course the most pressing question facing all of us…How many more girlfriends does Tiger Woods ALLEGEDLY have?

I think I will eventually come to grips with these questions, but personally, I continue to struggle with others:

• How could my 41 year old fraternity brother, arguably the most decent person I know suffer a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day? (Thank God, he is doing well).
• Why does my childhood best friend have to deal with a devastating medical diagnosis involving his mother?
• My grandmother turned 104 this year and that is cause for celebration.  But in doing so, she has outlived all of her friends and 6 YOUNGER brothers and sisters.  What could possibly keep her going?

These questions frustrate me because as one who is looked upon to “fix” things, these questions surpass my “fix things” skill set.  I am therefore, left with hope for intervention from a “Higher Power”.

As such, I …

1.  Pray for God to strengthen my fraternity brother’s heart.
2.  Pray that God heals my best friends heart.
3.  And Pray that whatever God has instilled in my Grandmother, my heart is filled with the same.

This Holiday season, probably more than any other, I truly appreciate my blessings; my family, my friends, my staff, my patients, my health and my life.  This year, I hope you will take the opportunity to slow down and do this same.

In keeping with my 2009 slogan, Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying, I hope you make 2010 the best  year it can possibly be!

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmasand a Happy New Year!