I want to thank Dr. Gupta for his comments, which were made without judgement about smoking. Far too often, we who don't smoke make statements about them that do. This doesn't help people stop smoking, just as it doesn't work to tell someone that they are fat and then expect a change. BUT telling someone that they are getting skinny does work. I am sure that my fellow NEW YOUers have felt the power of positive reinforcement, yet still, ultimately, it has to come from within.

Now we have heard from Dr. Gupta -- with this power of PAIRS -- what about the O'Brien's!!! What have they been doing for the New You? I know that the producers who we met in New York were going to start with us. I wonder how they have been doing. After all, they also have busy schedules. Have they been able to keep up?

Frank, yes the AMA (JAMA) reported that low-fat diets don't work, but these diet studies are based on self-reporting information. How have you been doing with your food log? I know that I have been having a lot of trouble writing down what I am eating.

My wife (Happy Aniversary) has been great with all this, and has been packing me "pre-set" meals and snacks to take with me, and for the most part that is ALL that I have been eating. I have resisted ordering out. But this has been only for the past five weeks. Imagine this for an ongoing study, such as the current JAMA, with a large population, provided that this is a prospective study. I agree, this week, low-fat is out, next week, who knows.

What I tell people is to eat and drink in moderation, watch dietary fat, and sugar content. And the best way to be healthy is to start teaching your kids to be healthy and they will keep you in line! Now I have to do the same.

Six weeks into the New You, and the truth comes out!

Low-fat study leaves little to chew on

Great. Wanna eat weeds? Go ahead. But we're nevertheless joining the ranks of the pulse-free, someday.

I'm reminded of a satirical news story some time back. Scientists discovered coffee was good for you, it said. Readers should drink lots of coffee! Because at some point in the future, it is certain that some other scientists will conclude coffee is bad for you. Then you'll have to go cold turkey.

So now what?

Compared with Old Me, consuming fewer, better calories, while burning more calories, has yielded less weight, more energy, and minimal-to-no sense of deprivation. More fruit and vegetables. Whole grains. Lean protein, chicken, fish. Healthy snacks so I don't get to starving. Laying off the junk.

Regardless of what the latest government report says, maybe there's something to be said for chilling about it, for keeping it simple.

Whaddya think?

A comment from Rocky Mount on the "Living Healthier/Cost More" blog got me thinking. This person has a valid point...if beans and frozen veggies were all I ate. But I found myself thinking more and more of my mom and how she grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Seven kids and not a lot of money.

Most days all my grandma had were beans, peanut butter or oatmeal. I laugh every time they tell me this story, because the rule was, if you don't want what is put out for you to eat, then you just don't eat. My mother got tired of those three staples and she grew up the skinniest of them all, because she decided she wasn't going to eat. Well, she vowed that when she grew up, she would never have those staples in her kitchen.

Now, I come along and I love beans, peanut butter and oatmeal, but I didn't know how much I loved it until I went to grandma's house, cause it wasn't available at mom's. What I'm trying to say is -- these types of staples, along with greens and cabbage -- were available to the poor. T-bones, pork roast, asparagus, artichokes, duck, salmon, pomegranates, certain fresh berries and year-round citrus, etc. were not. And if you grew up on a farm, you had your rich creams and butters and knew darn well there was no such thing as substituting them for margarine. That was a sin.

Now, my grandma is living a wonderful long life and all her faculties are working. My mother is strong, but with so much health facts available now, she's re-evaluating what should go into her cabinets. She now knows the value of beans and oatmeal, so I can find those when I go home. I'm not sure she's gotten a hankerin' for peanut butter yet, but if you tell her it is the cancer fighting food of the week, she might pick up a jar.

If I were forced to eat oatmeal or [plain] cheerios everyday and a peanut butter and fresh fruit marmalade sandwich at lunch with a hot baked skin-on yam and beans for dinner, and made to walk three miles to school in the snow, up a steep hill to and from (I could never figure out how they went up hill both ways, but it made the story good, didn't it?) I'm willing to bet you, there would be no diabetes, hypertention or those other blood illnesses to worry about when I'm older.

But dang it, it took all day Sunday to clean those beans and greens. And to tenderize the meat that sometimes went with it. And there was no such thing as instant oatmeal, so that took time too. WHERE DOES A WORKING MOM TODAY FIND THAT TIME?

And here comes fast food, instant grits, instant oatmeal, the microwave, the waffle in the freezer and so on.

Well Rocky Mount, if I want to save money and go back to basics, my mother's childhood staple foods would be the way to go. Thanks for the memories, as I finish up my beef burgundy and new potatoes, with a succulent apple-cranberry crisp dessert, all from a frozen microwaveable meal.

Remember those days from your childhood when your mother, father or some important adult gave you direction and told you what they expected and what you were suppose to do? Then you forgot, chose not to do it or got side tracked?

This has happened to me!

Mary, our trainier gave us some portable exercise bands and provided us with written instruction so that we could exercise during our trip to Puerto Rico last week. No surprise, but we blew it. We walked around a great deal, but no gym time, no pool time and no exercise with the bands that we packed into our suitcases.

I will be honest when I tell you that we could not fit it in. Really, it wasn't that we forgot or decided to skip our exercise. It goes back to one of the main frustrations that brought us to the New You program....time, time, time! Where do you find time and how do you fit it ALL in?

I know Donna doesn't want me to mention smoking, but I am going to do it anyway, just this once. Too often doctors forget to tell their patients to quit smoking in the first place or applaud them when they make progress toward kicking the habit. I don't want to make that mistake.

So let me just take a moment by saying I am proud that Donna has taken first steps toward quitting smoking by reducing her daily intake. And kudos to the many New You supporters who are watching and reading and perhaps trying to kick the habit themselves.

But I also know that there are a lot of things pushing Donna to keep smoking. She says it helps her get through the stress of school, busy days with the kids, and house renovations. So quitting smoking completely is going to be difficult.

Donna began smoking after receiving a sample pack at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Ever since, she has bought them on her own, at no small cost.

The American Cancer Society has a handy calculator that helps people keep tabs on how much buying cigarettes costs them. If you type in four cigarettes per day, which was Donna's average intake before New You. Well, just from the fall of 2004, when Donna began smoking, the cost has been $500.

Now if Donna smokes until she finishes school, which could be another five years, as she has said, that's almost $2,000 in "smoky treats," as she likes to call them. Invest that same $2,000 in a 401K plan that earns around 8 percent and in 25 years it could equal roughly $14,000 dollars. That's a lot of money to give up so easily. And that says nothing about the health costs associated with the greater care many smokers need or lost days at work.

When all these things are factored in, even a few "smoky treats" each day is rather expensive. So Donna, listen to what your wise grandmother told you and start treating yourself right.

It's been awhile since I have had the chance to blog. The Rampolla's have been on the fast track over the last couple of weeks, traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico, last week after my return from a trip to Washington, D.C.

As usual, I expected the temptations of junk food and airport fare that temp and tease not for its gourmet content and taste, but simply because one is famished! I have never planned for meals or travel snacks before, but this time, I was going to do it. I was determined that each Rampolla would have direct control over what he or she ate. I planned travel packs carefully -- sugar-free candy, sugar-free gum, 100 calorie pack snacks, small bottled water, almonds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and small bags of veggie chips. I hoped that this would be enough to deter the wide-eyed curious and hungry. To my delight, it worked and there were few to no complaints.

Everyone did fairly well balancing portions and declining fried foods and sweets. The children did feast on occassional ice cream, but did not have candy or soda. Gentle reminders kept everyone on task.

I spent time away from my family at conference meetings during the day. Lunches were remarkable, with lots of steamed veggies, broiled chicken and beef. There were salads, which I ate without dressing. I did indulge by taking a small spoon taste of carmel cheese cake and coffee ice cream. Then I gently pushed them to the center of the table to the congratulations of my colleagues. I have great support within the ranks of the many fine folks that I have the good fortune to work with in the National Guard Bureau Family Program.

I did endulge in two pina coladas though. Pedro had two rum and cokes. We figured we were on holiday, so we had to live a little. This week it will be back to the gym!

All and all we keep pushing forward on our New You Resolutions. I was worried about falling far off the wagon during our trip, but a surprise bout with the flu toward the end of the trip kept me hanging on. I did not have to worry too much about indulging since I could not eat...and did not want to eat...I could not stand food! What a way to finish a lovely time in beautiful Puerto Rico. Thankfully, it has passed. Maybe I even lost a pound or two on my flu diet.