Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I’d nibbled, the eggnog I’d tasted
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist...
Do the foregoing lines sound familiar? Well, this may well be a lot of people’s lament after a season of food binging. Here’s something to cheer you up. You’ll probably enjoy Christmas without guilt – and the extra calories – if you follow this simple, six-letter advice from a former naval officer named Garth Gibson, who must be in shipshape form: NIBBLE.
According to Gibson, as far back as 20 years ago, researchers at the University of Minnesota found out in separate studies that those who ate the most frequently had the lowest weight vis-a-vis those who ate very few meals. Those who ate more were thinner than those who ate less.
Now, how do you explain that?
Listen to what Gibson has to say: "After you eat, your body must get rid of extra calories. But this causes a rise in body temperature since food is broken down by a series of chemical reactions which in turn give off heat. Just like when you’re moving around, your body burns more calories and your temperature rises as opposed to when you are inactive and lose fewer calories."
When you gorge on food rather than nibble, you are more likely to get fat. With one humongous meal, you’re likely to produce heat up to a few hours only. On the other hand, if you nibble several times a day, you are producing much more heat and you burn many more calories.
Not convinced? Here’s more proof. Gibson shares a European study which shows that men who miss meals are far more likely to get fat than those who take their meals regularly. More, studies on adult diabetics indicate that persons who eat small meals many times a day have lower blood sugar levels and produce less insulin during the day.
Okay, shall we start nibbling?
Merry Christmas to all – and to all, a good diet!
PS: Christmas Wish List |
I read your Christmas wish list this morning. If I were to share what’s foremost on my mind, it’ll probably be safe drinking water in restaurants and fast-food establishments for free. Most restos and fast-food joints do not bother providing drinking water for their patrons for free. Should a customer ask, they’d offer bottled water which costs at least P20. How about those patrons who can only afford less than a hundred for a decent meal? Shouldn’t the local government require this before renewing the business licenses of these establishments?
– Lynn Libo-On
Zamboanga City
Paging The MMDA! |
Dear Consumerline,
After the initial comments and opinions were presented and argued re the clearway at Quezon Avenue, it seems there is no reverting to the previous system with the stoplights designating movement of motorists and pedestrians’ defined stops and gos. Granted that funds have been allocated for pedestrian overpasses to facilitate mobility in several key intersections, for the meantime it is a daily game of patintero crossing this major road while we, the pedestrians, await the completion of these bridges.
To initially solve this problem in a busy intersection like Roces/Pantranco, MMDA traffic aides would hold up a placard reading "Stop/Hinto" for pedestrians. This is not the case all the time and you cannot stop people from crossing just because there are no MMDA personnel to assist them.
Somewhere down the road, it is a different story. Motorists, especially upon reaching the intersection of Quezon Avenue and Banawe, seldom give way to pedestrians when the light turns red. Some pedestrians totally disregard the green light and cross at any given time, making motoring a deadly urong-sulong. In turn, motorists ignore the red light and cross Banawe ... see, the cycle never stops. It is the classic chicken-egg example.
I am a pedestrian and I follow the rules. I cross at designated cross walks and I wait for the light to indicate it is my turn to walk. It is something that my mother and friends from Sesame Street taught me. Now, when I go to work and school and I have to cross Quezon Avenue, I realize I wear a frown and a scowl because some people just wouldn’t follow the rules. When I am halfway across, I start pantomiming that the light is red for the motorist and it’s my turn to get moving – it gets tiring to play charades every day just to go about my daily business.
There are tragic/comic days – like that day when an old lady with a walker was stranded in the middle of the island and she couldn’t cross. She had to solicit the help of an able-bodied pedestrian to be able to cross. Or those days when people in wheelchairs or crutches were trying to cross to get to the Philippine Orthopedic Center which is located along Banawe. I wonder if they would put escalators or elevators in the footbridge just off that corner. Whatever happened to the Accessibility Law? The traffic solutions should not prejudice against pedestrians, the elderly and persons with disabilities. I am able-bodied and I AM having difficulties.
If we cannot stop the clearway scheme from existing and the pedestrian bridges are still not in place, can the MMDA do something about this deadly game of crossing the street for the meantime?
Oh, since I was so vexed going to school one day and my blood pressure must have gone up, I tried ringing up the MMDA hotline number to air my concerns. Guess what? The number 882-0874 is not yet in service while the other number 882-0877 kept on ringing but nobody was picking up. But I waited and waited until the phone company gave up on me and directed a busy tone to my ears. Still another number, 882-0889, rang twice and then the line just went dead. Minutes later, I tried again. Same story.
I hope through this letter, pedestrians like me would get their message across.
Ms. Vexed Working Student