Paula Deen is now working for and shilling for Novo Nordisk (Novo’s press release). Yup, she has openly admitted that she will be promoting the pharmaceutical companies product, Deen says. “Talking about money is garish. It’s tacky. But, of course, I’m been compensated for my time. That’s the way our world works.”

“GARISH!”

In my life I have found that only people with lots of money or no money can say that, I feel Paula is on the richer side of things. We don’t have to worry about  her son Bobby’s finances since three weeks before her revelation, “Deen’s son Bobby launched a new Cooking Channel show called “Not My Momma’s Meals,” featuring lighter versions of his mother’s dishes.”

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Opinion+Paula+Deen+diabetes+revelation+really+hard+swallow/6049454/story.html#ixzz1kUZdiTMg Senator Grassley should investigate the money that pharmaceutical companies pay celebrities such as Paula Deen and push to have these payments made public just like pharma payments to physicians must be made public.

Deen claims to use Novo Nordisk’s Victoza, a once-daily, non-insulin injection that may improve blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes when used along with diet and exercise.

It also appears that Deen will NOT change her lifestyle — ie, eating habits — much to encourage PREVENTION of type 2 diabetes.

“Type 2 diabetes is like ‘Russian roulette’ when it comes to whom it’s going to strike, Deen says. ‘It’s about heredity. It’s about age, lifestyle, race. I’m the only one in my family who has it. My grandmother cooked and ate like I ate, and she didn’t have it.’

“Deen says she’s not going to change the focus of her cooking shows because of diabetes. ‘I suspect I’ll stick to my roots but will say a little louder, Eat this in moderation.’”

Novo Nordisk appears to be abandoning life style changes it has supported in the past or maybe it’s just exhibiting a form of PR-Marketing schizophrenia.

Just this past November on World Diabetes Day, for example, the company issued a press release in which it announced that it was a partner in the World Diabetes Day campaign and that it “has planned or co-sponsored a variety of activities throughout the world…[all of which] are focused on increasing awareness and improving knowledge of diabetes and its prevention” (see “Dramatic increase in diabetes prevalence calls for action“).

The two activities just do not fit together! The first (sponsoring World Diabetes Day) is a matter of public relations and the second (Paula Deen) is marketing’s turf — never the twain shall meet.

Novo and Paula have launched a new Website (registered for the first time on Dec-7-2011, followed by Deen’s press release) whose very name hints at the new emphasis: “Diabetes in a new light!™” (www.diabetesinanewlight.com)

Apparently, Novo Nordisk is more interested in helping people live with type 2 diabetes by treating it than it is in helping 26 million Americans prevent it.

My actual career is in Graphic Design and like many of you who work in office settings, I sit A LOT.

I believe it was Mark Sisson who said he has a saying in his office,

“Sitting = Death”.

As much as I try to get up and walk around every 20-30 minutes I am stuck doing revisions and meeting deadlines and it just doesn’t work out.  I live on Long island here in NY and commute into Manhattan via the Long Island RailRoad so I decided to instead of looking for the closest spot to park I will choose the furthest ( I would walk TO the station but it is about 4 miles and I just don’t have the time to invest in that walk).  This adds an extra half mile walk in the morning and afternoon and it got me thinking – how else can I add walks to my day so I thought I would just throw some ideas into the blog and see what I can come up with.

1 – park far / walk far – it may add a few minutes to your commute but it’s worth it.

2 – Skip the escalator/elevator – again, this partially works for me but since I work on the 27th floor of an office building I don’t see doing this without being drenched and useless all day but if it is three flights or less, you have no excuse to take an elevator but the escalator skipping is a great way to get a few extra steps in.

3 – Drink a lot of water – your body will alert you when it is time to take a walk and there is no fighting it, not for very long anyway

4 – Buy a pair of comfortable shoes – it will encourage you to walk more

5 – We are converting to standing desks in my new office so this will give me the chance to just move around more and get off my tush

Tomorrow I am going to buy some more comfy shoes, I already drink a lot of water and you know the rest.  If I can fit an extra 1.5 miles in a day I am happy but any extra movement is done in the name of health.

Any other ideas or tips?

I am going to create a collection of Thanksgiving recipes that you can make and stay on your Atkins low carb diet!

I would love to hear your ideas and recipes!

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My plan has extended to a 5 week focus on Primal Low Carb from just an extended induction.  I kept under 50 carbs per day throughout the holiday but need to be back (and I am) at sub 20 carbs per day.  The forst 14 days will be a basic and strict induction and the following 21 days is going to be followed based on Mark Sisson’s 21 Day Total Body Transformation book.  I plan on using resistance bands for 2-3 night a week for 20-30 minutes and just trying my best to add more miles into my walks.  I will be updating as often as possible with my ideas, tips and progress.

In most people Caffeine stimulates cravings, it’s THAT simple! Caffeine can also mess with your blood sugar and basically screw up your Low Carb Way of Eating!  Aside from caffeine most people will add some sweetener and creamer into their drink so you walk away with roughly 2 carbs per cup, not so great if you are keeping under 20 grams a day.

Well, the first thing you want to do to clear your system of this bitter drink is to

1 – replace it with things in abundance, yes, WATER!  64 ounces a day is MINIMUM and easy once you start drinking more water. My rule of thumb is 64 ounces + 8 ounces for every 25 lbs you want to lose. I find when I don’t drink enough water I don’t lose, so up the water intake people!

2 – Put the money you may have spent on it aside – you will be surprised how much those $3 Americano’s add up to a the end of the week.

3 – herbal tea and a little stevia goes a long way

4 – Have a hot broth, aside from adding some good salts it really is tasty

5 - If you get a whiff of some good coffee, take it in and enjoy it, coffee is mostly about the ritual of making it, smelling it and preparing it, drinking it is really only 20% of the process.

Hope this helps some of you to cut the cravings.  Remember, this isn’t forever, your coffee will be there in a few weeks, months, etc waiting for you and possibly you will enjoy it more.