Most people track their weight gain or weight loss by the numbers on a scale.  Imagine this scenario: you weigh yourself but to your horror, the scale shows 160lbs.  Stop right there!  Let’s go on a field trip to the moon.  Once on the moon you jump on the scale, and obviously, you weigh less.  Did your appearance change? Do your clothes fit better? What is the reason for this, if the scale shows a lower number?  The fact is a scale measures your body under the control of gravity. It can’t distinguish if you’re losing water, muscle (which diets do quite effectively), or fat.  So why judge your progress on something that can’t possibly tell you how much fat you’ve lost?

At this point it seems the right thing to do is to have your body composition measured (body fat percentage). Well, hold on a second. The problem with body composition tests is that they’re not 100% accurate. Don’t misunderstand; Read the rest of this entry

Here is an article that I wrote back in 2007 (yeah that long ago!) I believe for my good friend Ernest as a recommendation for cycling.  It’s interesting for me to read the stuff that I wrote a long time ago and wonder at the timid and fearful write that I was.  I have added a couple of my comments (they are in the italics called Dan’s note) where I reflect back on what was partially honest or tainted by my limitations and fears.  I feel that I have come a long way in those areas yet the underlying message is still a strong one for me, so I share it with you here.

Dan’s Cycling Confessions

What has cycling done to make my life better?  Oh, let me count the ways!  Weight loss, cardiovascular strength, muscle building, more energy, stronger immune system, and the list goes on and on and on without even touching on the ascetic aspects of riding a bike (seeing nature first hand, exploring neighborhoods, meeting passionate people, etc).

Let me give you a bit of my history Read the rest of this entry

Let me say that when I first read the title to this recipe I went, “Ewwwww”.  Yet I have professed that I will try anything, once.  This recipe is not only easy to make, it tastes INCREDIBLE!  Let me preface this by saying that the chef who is supplying me with her healthy living recipes is Amanda Freeland.  Amanda is the wife to one of my best friends Ernest Freeland (who owns the Crofton Bike Doctor in Gambrills/Crofton MD).

Let me tell you something about Amanda.  I am working with her to create a bio, but until then you get to get my insights to her life (at least the parts that matter for cooking and health!).  When I met Amanda, she was not in the greatest health and wanted to change this.  Yet unlike many of us, Amanda had an excuse for not having the best of health…as she is a trained Pastry Chef.  I personally can only imagine the health I would have if I was a Pastry Chef.  In the words of Ernest, “When she’s baking cakes, I feel like I’m getting fat just sitting here on the couch smelling the aromas.”  It’s sooo true.  Her cakes, cookies, confections, and sweets are AMAZING.  Yet, her skills in the kitchen don’t stop with pastries, no they go on through to the full course of a meal.  I have eaten foods (like the recipe below) that I would have rather died before consuming.  Yet, she has opened my eyes to new worlds of food and culinary delights.

Read the rest of this entry