So, you opened this website and are considering reading these articles. You noticed, however, that I have no titles or certifications following my last name: No “MD”, no “RN”, no LPN, no certification, no licensing, and nothing indicating that I have any formal training to make recommendations about health and wellness. There is nothing noting that I may have been involved in medical studies to seek means of effective weight loss, no investigations of the best methods for enhancing fitness, nor trials of the risks and benefits of surgery to remove excess fats and/or reduce the ability to eat large amounts of food.

So why on earth would you or any sane person want to take advice from this source?

Two reasons:

  1. I have been investigating and analyzing nutrition and health since 1980, and
  2. Through constant attention to nutrition and activity, knowing my body, knowing my passions, and what I like to do, I have maintained both a healthy weight and lifestyle over this time frame.

Why is this important?

The knowledge of foods, activity and self-knowledge play a critical role in the avoidance of long term health issues;

This knowledge is transferable to people wanting to feel better;

We have an epidemic of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardio-vascular disease associated with poor nutrition and inactivity;

These knowledge and skills have been pursued and acquired diligently. Over the past five plus decades, the value of this information supersedes a diploma, citations, research grants, and income. I have seen many friends die and become incapacitated as a result of poor nutrition, lack of activity, and both types of diabetes. It’s personal and critical that I studied (and continue to study) these issues and live by this earned knowledge. I hope you can take advantage of these insights as well.

The skills to evaluate issues and studies evolved through extensive education in the sciences. Before moving to a career in information technology, I worked in a genetics research lab and chemical labs. Understanding how studies are design, and where the designs can be corrupted to produce specifically desired results, allows me to scrutinize the content and potential impact of the methods and results of these studies.

So what is the approach?

Knowledge is king. Start by knowing where you are and what you want to be. Take an honest assessment of yourself and where you would like to see yourself. Then look at your eating habits. Honestly assess if they are taking you closer or further away from where you want to be. Look at your activity level and run the same checks to see if they are moving you closer or not. Finally, open yourself up to changes, and what you need to do to make the changes.

The upcoming articles and podcasts describe many facets in nutrition and activities areas.  Food groupings and pyramids are thrown out and replaced with a more common sense approach to nutrition. Exercise, a term which many people loathe, is replaced by play, which, instead, is more fun and captured the biggest reason for making the changes. Finally, a template to create your own plans based on the content is provided to help you transition to new paradigms.

One key factor is this: eliminate goals. Goals set an ultimate end-point, which you either achieve or fail to reach. Goal, in turn, provide a stopping point, which allows a person to slide back into the bad habits. Sound familiar? Sounds like the yo-yo dieting that so many people battle year in and year out. So, NO GOALS!

The Dine and Play Project is not about success or failure. It is about consistent, incremental improvement. The rewards are feeling better, being happier, and being able to do more fun stuff.

But before you get started, I must add the following to keep the blood-sucking attorneys at bay (I’d prefer to keep many of them at the ugly end of a slip knot, but that just isn’t possible):

  • The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Reliance on any information appearing on this website is solely at your own risk.

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