Just an interesting note on consumption in grams between the US and China. Note the difference first in overall amount of grams, then the amounts in produce, dairy and sugars:
Lead in Chocolate
Exercising When Injured: Yes or No.
A video below on the topic. And under that, some comments regarding the on-going concern about lead in chocolate.
Lead in Chocolate
It has remained a fairly well-hidden topic, and for good reason, that there have been long-term issues with toxic, or nearly-toxic levels of lead in far too many commercial chocolate products.
It is devastating to those of us who enjoy chocolate as our cheat food. I am actually eating chocolate…a tested lead-free kind (more below)…right now. And it’s safe to say I have something close to an addiction to this relatively healthy (and hopefully safe) dessert food.
I have covered chocolate several times in my free videos. No secret that I have a “problem” with it, like so many people do. Meaning of course, that I love chocolate and have since I was a kid.
My tastes have evolved over the years to appreciate dark chocolate even more, while appreciating the enhanced purity and health benefits of this form of chocolate over others.
Imagine the disappointment in finding that dark chocolates specifically, can be so much more prone to lead issues than other chocolates. Once we see where the lead is coming from, it’s easy to understand why.
To cut to the chase and keep this short, I’ll explain the source of the lead, then of course refer you to a recently tested lead-free (or acceptably low level of lead) chocolate, the one I am eating right now.
First, understand that unfortunately lead is ubiquitous. It is everywhere now, is a problem, but is something adults can mostly manage, at least more so than children. Ideally, we need to reduce and eliminate the over-exposure we have brought on mostly due to industrialized society.
That said, the lead in chocolate is coming from two sources: the ground contamination in the growing areas, due to pesticide and other chemical use (be it from the growers or nearby industrial activity) and/or the second area (the one I believe more responsible), the actual processing and somewhat the shipping.
With the latter, there seems to be a lot more ability to quality-control; the companies can actively seek out ways to reduce the lead exposure happening through their processing of their chocolate. And I sincerely hope that as more awareness is broght to this issue, these companies will go great lengths to comply with higher standards, and this exposure can be eliminated completely over time.
Since the latest consumer awareness effort, I have decided to stick with just one brand, the Endanger Species 72% dark. It has passed the lead tests based on California standards, the state leader in providing these kinds of standards.
Understand that unfortunately that does not mean “100% lead-free.” As mentioned, the widespread contamination of lead everywhere makes this standard difficult to achieve.
But it’s far better than eating a chocolate where the standards are relatively far from being met, and where exposure to lead is unneccessary when other options/products exist.
For more info, including a list of foods tested, check out: http://www.asyousow.org/our-work/environmental-health/toxic-enforcement/lead-and-cadmium-in-food/
Tell Me Your Biggest Fat-Loss Issues:
Hey there, it’s Tim!
Please chime in below on your biggest weight loss challenges. It can be absolutely anything at all that you care to comment on, that relates to what you’re struggling with most.
I am finding some interesting similarities among some of the questions that I receive, that seem to be impacting a lot of people.
If you are still fighting to lose weight/fat and it just doesn’t seem to be happening the way you want it to, what about ANYTHING that you have tried…my approach or others…do you feel is not giving you what you need?
In my opinion, there are actually a bunch of “diets” or weight loss programs that, believe it or not…they just plain work. I’ve watched it happen over the years, where what works for one does not always work (or not the same as) for another, even watched a married couple have two fairly different approaches to carbs, each one working for the person, but would def not work for their partner.
You can leave the fields anonymous if you like, no need to fill in your name if you don’t want to.
The post will not show up immediately, but will within several hours. If you do not want it to show up at all, include that in your post and the moderator will omit it from the comments below (but we will still receive it, so we will hear you).
I’d enjoy reading whatever it is you feel the biggest problem(s) is/are with the methods you have used to get to where you’re trying to go. What is it about anything you’ve tried that you felt was lacking, etc.
I will read them and try to provide some helpful insights over the next month with my live emails.
Side note: There is a chance I will begin incorporating other approaches into my free material, by connecting with others in my field, and introducing you to their programs. This may be one of the other core uses of my public videos, and I’ll let you know when we get started on those projects!
Thanks….Love, Happiness, Health and Peace………….Tim 🙂
“That’s a Load of Crap”
Two things I’m focusing on every day are of course what I’m putting in my mouth (avoiding heavy carbs and things like buttons or thumb tacks) and then making sure I have a Bowel Movement (BM).
I have discovered beyond any doubt at this point that topical magnesium, as compared to taking magnesium internally such as via epsom salt or the various magnesium-based supplements works just as well, and more “naturally” (in a non-aggressive manner, certainly nothing like drinking a cup of senna tea) to keep the crap (“keep the krap”) in a soft and easy to manage condition. It completely eliminates binding up, hard, constipation, even though the mag is applied topically.
I have found another neat little trick in this regard, and will be doing a video on it at some point soon to get the word out beyond my subscribers; that of warm/hot drinking water.
Are you thinking coffee? And if so, are some of you saying “yeah, well, with coffee it’s the caffeine that causes the movement, not the warmth of the liquid itself.”
And that would be a common assumption, and I’d say even a partially correct one.
HOWEVER: Ever try drinking a caffeinated soft drink/soda to produce a BM? Of course none of you drink that stuff, as part of participating in the way I live my life via my program, correct?? 😉 (You better not be!)
My point is, the caffeinated pop/soft drink (why do they call it “soft”…because it’s acidic, “soft” on the pH scale) never produced BM’s for me. But when I used to drink coffee (sometimes I miss it to this day, and may drink it again some day minimally) I used to have, as many people do, a BM readily.
Try just warm/hot water.
What I’m doing is either plain warm/hot water (distilled these days, a big video/new info on that coming this year) OR, I will add about a half tablespoon of my grade B or grade A organic maple syrup to the water to sweeten it.
I sip it slow to moderate in pace.
Like clockwork…literally 90% of the time…BM within a half an hour after the drink.
(Stands on toilet and cheers, fists pumping high).
Give it a “go.” Pun way-intended.
P.S. “Yes,” someone really swallowed a thumb tack once. Probably more than once, but it was on a documentary about ten years ago. The show quelled my long-standing desire to swallow one myself.
Join Me in a Fast/Cleanse:
I will be embarking on a fast/cleanse next Monday, as part of the program materials. I invite all to join! The perfect time of year in my opinion, we’re well post-holidays and can use this as a first step towards our Spring/Summer fitness goals.
Your materials outline the fast and the whole purpose behind it; that of clearing out the colon primarily, and amping up the immune system. It will afford us a renewed palate as well, whereby we can break the fast with somewhat less intense, “blander” foods, and maintain a cleaner eating style from that point forward.
I actually obtained all my materials already, but will be using a grade A organic maple syrup this time over the grade B. They did not have the grade B available (I tend to believe due to other people deciding this is a great time to do the cleanse as well…it sold out) but the grade A will do just fine.
I have the bottled organic lemon juice and my high-octane cayenne pepper ready to go, along with organic psyllium, and my full-spectrum salt.
I will see how the morning flushes go to help me determine how long I will do the fast. I may go only until that Thursday, we shall see.
Feel free to contact me with any progress reports. A new video is coming soon, hope you had a happy holidays!…..T 🙂
New Fat Loss Areas, Homelessness, and Song:
“If I cannot bring you comfort, then at least I bring you hope…”
Preview:
-New People/New Fat loss…interested?
-Homelessness in a tiny car and near-leg-amputation in a grocery store with Elsa
-Holiday sing-along smile, the hugely popular song that was never hugely popular
Hey there, it’s Tim/FacelessFatloss,
Interested in new techniques?
I am going in a new direction with the FacelessFatloss effort and YouTube channel. I’ve mentioned I’ll be doing a “Food Rules,” series, a “Move Rules” series, and review videos on some supps…
Would you be interested in hearing about other cutting-edge fat loss tactics from other people in my field?
If you care to chime in and let me know if you have an interest in that, I will continue to build some new connections that I have been establishing, and bring you some interesting and different avenues pursued in the fat loss arena. Just write a comment in below, anonymously if you choose…it may not show up in the comment field, but fear not, we WILL receive it!
Homelessness really sucks.
I have been somewhat absent of late because I was living out of my car for several days. Just happened to be the way circumstances panned out. Had to happen right when the brutal cold was hitting too, oh how fun.
So a short story on how much homelessness sucks:
After falling asleep jammed up in the back seat of my two door Civic, I woke up the first night at about 3AM, freezing my ass off, and when I got vertical, to get in the front seat, my inner thigh muscle decided to “lock” up on me. It was very painful, and I couldn’t move. Yet I was freezing, could not reach my phone even if I wanted to (in my glove compartment), and so I had to think fast and do SOMETHING.
I realized I had only two basic options in light of the temperatures I was dealing with: I had to MOVE, or, I had to DIE…?
(Overly dramatic? Welp, it was freezing, and I COULDN”T MOVE!)
It was below 32 degrees out, I was already too cold (likely part of the reason behind the muscle lock-up) and my options were minimal, and needed to be implemented pronto or I was Skaa-Rooed.
Animals in the wild who acquire an injury have no choice in the matter; they must move for survival. When I had my latest herniated disc flare-up a couple months ago, I kept this in mind and somewhat “forced” myself to move.
I sincerely believe it aided in my recovery, along with lots of water.
So “move” I did.
And “easy” it was NOT.
Holy crap. Bad enough to have half your thigh muscle spasm and lock up painfully (a first time ever experience for me) but pretty close to hell when it’s also freezing outside and a few more minutes worth would put me in big trouble.
I forced myself to get past my seat, pull the latch to open my door, and painfully growled my way out of my car in a “I-choose-not-to-disclose-where” parking lot.
(And “yes,” I realize many folks must think I’m a weirdo).
So I stood up and just MOVED as best I could, with a very gimpy sorta’ circular walk-in-place, gently shaking my leg and trying to massage it, to figure out if the pain would dissipate, which it began to.
I then slowly sat myself in the drivers seat as best I could, relief still slowly coming. And although operating my clutch was almost impossible initially (even tho it was my right leg that froze), I managed to use my movement to get my body/legs at least working properly again, all through residual and fairly intense discomfort, and within a time was able to manage the clutch as the leg-lock-up eased. The gas pedal did however remain a challenge, but thank goodness it wasn’t the left leg that locked; I can’t even speculate what I would’ve done had that happened. Going anywhere above ten mph in first gear in a Civic just wouldn’t be productive, never mind the overheat or screaming engine in the middle of the night, and I love my Civic too much to do that to it anyway…
I happened to be way up a hill so perhaps I could’ve popped the clutch…?…or something had I been forced to. And anyone who’s ever had a Civic knows they can glide…like…FOR EVER….;)
Got the car going, warmed up, went to the grocery store and limped my way to the magazine section where I read an article about the banking crisis of the great recession in Rolling Stone magazine, and then a couple picture books featuring Anna and Elsa in their “Frozen” circumstances…
(Totally unintended, but kinda a pun)
…among the choices of books I would pick for my nephew who is fascinated by any kind of picture book.
Anyway…
An interesting experience I would prefer never repeating. I’ve always been very highly conscious of the homeless, but this experience gave me even more focus on their challenges. I considered vlogging my experience, but the amount of effort involved in just keeping yourself comfortable in cold temperatures, and finding ways to survive, eat, sleep, etc, takes up SO much energy, I decided I was not going to bother.
So that’s my story of the week.
Ending on a Fun Note…Listen and Enjoy!
Lastly, on a bittersweet but positive note…a sorta “holiday song” that is one of the most under-recognized yet wonderful holiday-ish songs of all time. From the movie “Toys” featuring the beloved Robin Williams. Listen to it and see if you don’t agree that it deserved a lot more attention than it ever received.
And then comment below letting me know if you would like to explore new weight loss programs with me with video reviews and interviews with others sharing our path: