On a recent trip to Las Vegas (of all places) I decided to undergo a thorough evaluation of my health.I was at theRed Rock Casino & Resort, where an unsuspecting wellness oasis,Well & Being, is safely tucked away from the smoke-filled casino. Theres a full menu of massages and facials to bookor, you can willingly enter an egg-shaped machine that tells you precisely what percentage of fat your body is made of. I did both, as balance is the key to life,or so they say.

While we can all can smile and tell a doctor were eating broccoli twice a day, fibbingthrough my sugar-ridden teeth was not an option for this particular evaluation.The BOD POD, the machine I was preparing to enter, is the worlds most advanced body composition scanner; even the NFL uses it. The machine provides an equal parts scary and depressingly accurate read on what percent of your body is fat versus muscle.

Though the results can be a tough pill to swallow, theyre also illuminatingand most importantly, youre not just given a number and sent on your way. Rather, each session is accompanied by a comprehensive health plan created by an expert. I met with Craig Cristello, exercise physiologist at Well & Being spa, who set me up with a detailed diet and workout plan that involved, for starters, a heavy focus on upping my protein intake.

This process is not aimed at obsessing over numbers on a scale, but itseeks to provide the tools and knowledge for a nutritious approach to diet, which in turn, aids the development of muscle mass and helps you lose the right kind of weight. In reducing obsessive concern with losing pounds, the focus is redirected to healthy eating.

It only takes fiveminutes for the BOD PODan air displacement plethysmograph to differentiate betweenfat and fat-free mass, using whole-body densitometry. The results are incomparably accurate and obtained quickly, safely and comfortably, as long as youre okay with small, enclosed spaces.

Once youre seated in the BOD POD, it gets to work. The machine accurately measures body composition by determining body volume and body weight. Once those two variables are determined, body density can be computed and inserted into an equation to provide fat measurements. The BOD POD measures volume by monitoring changes in pressure in a closed chamber. These pressure changes are achieved by oscillating a speaker mounted between the front testing chamber and a rear reference chamber, which causes complementary pressure changes in each chamber. The pressure changes are very small and are not noticed by the individual being tested, Cristello explained.

The volume of the subject chamber while empty is the first measurement taken by the BOD POD. The second measurement is the volume of the subject chamber with the subject inside. By subtraction, the volume of the subject is determined. Combined with the measurement of mass, the subjects density is determined and subsequently their body composition is determined.

According to David Stoup, chairman of Trilogy Spa Holdings which owns Well & Being, including the BOD POD service was a natural fit for Well & Beings wellness oriented customer. Todays consumers demand diagnosticsfrom calories burned to their resting and active heart rate numbers. The BOD POD can be a starting point for someone visiting the hotel to take charge of their health, which is what Well & Being is all about.

By the time Craig was done with me, Id taken six videos of him demonstrating the kinds of exercises I should be doing in a gym (apparently, I cant only go to spin class and expect optimal health), and ordered the best protein powder, given my dietary restrictionsVega, in case youre wondering. In all honesty, I have by no means been perfect at reforming my diet to meet Cristellos instructions, but I have renewed my commitment to exercise post-meeting and increased my focus on my protein intakefor the sake of healthy eating and higher energy levels.

When youre done considering how youre going to drastically change your diet and habits because an egg-shaped machine told you to, you can quietly retreat into the caring hands of an aesthetician for a Lancer facial (Kim Kardashians go-to derm), and then slip downstairs for a blowout and mani-pedi, with your self-esteem slowly building while you promise that a whole new you is only a few Craig-approved choices away.

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Head to Vegas to Try the NFL-Approved Body Fat Measuring Pod - Observer

Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what athletes in different sports eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the daily diet of Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas as he recovers from injury.

As of this past December, Seattle Seahawks free safety and giver of hugs Earl Thomas was on pace for his sixth career Pro Bowl. But then, a freak collision with teammate Kam Chancellor left Thomas with a broken tibia and doubts about his future in the NFL. We checked in with the former Super Bowl champ after the holidays to see how his road to recovery looks now, and if a broken leg changes the way a pro athlete eats.

GQ: Right off the bat, I have to ask, hows the leg doing?

Earl Thomas: Oh, my leg is good, bro. Actually, I went to the doctor yesterday and they put me in aits not really a walking boot, but a little shoe that they put on my cast. It allows me to put, like, 25 percent pressure on my leg. So I feel like Im in a great place, especially being four weeks out.

Thats great to hear. I have to imagine that your diet becomes even more important for you while youre working through this injury.

Thats so true. Right now, its really tough to get a sweat in. I think that its really important to sweat. But just sitting around, doing whatever, its easy to gain weight. So when the leg does get healthy, now youve got to run all that weight off. So Im tuned into that and Im just really fortunate to have a balanced diet.

It has to be so tempting to think, I cant even put weight on my leg for a couple weeks, I might as well enjoy a Big Mac, though.

My thought process was more drastic, because I was on the verge of retirement. Luckily my mind isnt there anymore, but this isnt my rookie year. Im getting older, plus now the leg injury. Ive really got to be on point with my exercise and diet. I know I cant go and tear up McDonalds. No. I know I need to put good stuff in my body.

So has your diet changed at all right now compared to how it normally would be if you didnt go down with the injury? Anything to address that you cant really work out right now?

Im so active during the season that its kind of tough to keep things consistent. When Im really in it, when Im playing, Im so active and busy. My diet can be really sporadic because I can get lost in my work and just forget to eat. So right now, all I can do is control what I can control, and that is making sure I get my breakfast, a nice lunch, and a nice dinner. And Ive been trying to make sure my core stays strong. Doing a lot of crunches, keeping my core tight and where it needs to be. Thats basically all I can do right now.

For most people in your position, I would think that they would automatically decrease the amount of calories theyre consuming.

I just cant live my life thinking that much about it. I would drive myself crazy. I dont want food to be stressful. Honestly, I think I have a phobia with that. Im not the type of guy to track my calories. Im always conscious, but Im going to enjoy life. My wife is from New Orleans, bro, so if Im down there for Mardi Gras, they have some of the best food around! I gotta try it!

Theres nothing worse than going on vacation or a trip to someplace new and youre trying new foods and someone is like Mmm, Ill just have a salad. Get the gumbo!

You mentioned before that youre paying more attention to getting a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner in now. What do those meals typically look like? Is it typically high protein or?

Id put it in the category of high protein. And my wife does a really good job of mixing things up. Im not a really picky eater. Thats probably why my diet has been so varied before this. But my morning go-to is an omelet with fresh spinach and bacon jerky. For lunch, maybe a bowl of pasta. Penne with shrimp. But, you know, I love chicken. I love steak. I love cabbage. Like I said, my wife does a good job mixing it up.

We really do love a great gumbo at dinner time. Maybe some baked cabbage, cabbage over rice. That sounds good to me.

That sounds like it might be on the docket for dinner tonight.

Yeah. My wife makes a good gumbo.

Any desserts, or have those been totally banned while youre healing up?

Oh, man. I love sweet potato pie, so on Christmas I got that. I just totally stuffed myself with sweet potato pie.

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First, hed question why hes being punished. Second, she might wonder whats left to eat.

But thousands of Americans, including some in the Fargo-Moorhead area, are willingly choosing to eat that way as part of the "Whole 30" program based on The New York Times best-selling book, "The Whole 30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom."

Authors Dallas and Melissa Hartwig say "Whole 30" is not a diet, but a "short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract and balance your immune system."

They argue that some foods, like milk, bread or sugary treats, can cause problems in your body making you feel tired or causing digestive issues.

By giving up all of the potentially-troubling food for a month then slowly reintroducing them, you can figure out what might be causing your problems.

It was an idea that intrigued third-grade teacher Kirsten Johnson of Moorhead who didn't need to lose weight, but says she just wanted to feel better.

"I'd come home from work feeling really tired, and I think I had a lot of blood sugar spikes," she says. "I was interested in learning more about the food we eat. I'm also kind of competitive and wanted to challenge myself. Could I really do this for 30 days?"

At first, her husband Eric, who works at Concordia College and calls himself "not always a compliant joiner" thought about eating Whole 30-style just at dinner time. Instead, he decided to jump in wholeheartedly and even write a blog about the experience, called "The Whole Enchilada".

The couple got rid of the forbidden food (tortilla chips, peanuts and cereal among their favorites) and packed their kitchen full of fruits, vegetables, nuts (except peanuts since they are legumes), unprocessed meats and eggs. Beverages were restricted to water and black coffee.

Kirsten Johnson says the book warns you the first few days can be rough, and it was right. "I was cranky, headachey and tired. I think they even tell you by day 5 you might want to kill someone. It didn't get that bad," she says, laughing.

Kirsten Johnson who is 5 feet 2-inches "on a good day" says she felt like she was getting plenty to eat. But the same wasn't true for 6-foot-tall Eric Johnson who says he felt like he was in near-starvation mode sometimes. Yet, surprisingly neither of the Johnsons were overly tempted by cravings.

"I was never dreaming of sugar," she says. "I thought I'd be driving to Walgreens to sneak Milk Duds, but I was fine."

Her husband agreed. "It was never one thing that woke me up in the middle of the night, like 'I need pizza now!' "he says. "The bigger challenge was if someone brought cookies into the office or something."

That was also the challenge for Julie Manney of Fargo who took on the "Whole 30" diet in December.

"I remember I'd walk by someone's desk at work and see a candy jar and think, '28 more days!' " she says.

Manney, who knows the Johnsons through their children, actually provided advice to the couple as they went through the program a month apart.

"The program can be kind of a shock," Kirsten Johnson says. "So it can be nice to have someone to talk to and compare 'this is hard this isn't.' "

The Johnsons say as the program went along their energy improved, and they learned a lot about dining out, meal planning and reading labels. (They were particularly surprised that most bacon sold at the grocery store comes with added sugar, for example.)

Manney learned something a little more specific: "I can't go 30 days without coffee creamer," she says, laughing.

She also says she learned that she doesn't really have sensitivities to any of the foods she cut out.

"Nothing really changed for me after the program," Manney says. "But I think everybody should try it. Everyone is different, and it might help you narrow down what could be causing you problems."

The Johnsons planned to open a bottle of wine at the stroke of midnight when their 30 days were up. Eric Johnson also joked he might find himself in a nacho hangover.

But instead, when the 30 days were up, they eased back into reintroducing their normal diet: Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast instead of eggs and vegetables. They actually hope to do the Whole 30 periodically throughout the year.

"I couldn't sustain this level of intensity for a year," Eric Johnson says. "I like gluten. I like dairy and I like the social aspect of sharing good food. But this was a good experience that we'll try again sometime."

Kirsten Johnson agreed. "We learned so much," she says. "We learned how to use spices in our food, and we learned that food can be really good without all of those added things."

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I know Democrats and progressives are going nuts over President Donald Trumps first few weeks in office I know the Middle East is a mess and that we have no small number of incredible challenges at home but I have my own worries.

Like millions of other Americans, Im on my annual February diet.

You see, its not easy to be trim and fit in America. Our culture is saturated with an abundance of high-calorie, processed foods that turn into instant fat.

We work long and hard in sedentary office jobs, then eat our stress away, two or three fast-food treats at a time.

Weve become so fat, to quote Rodney Dangerfield, that our bathtubs have stretch marks.

We know our increasing tubbiness isnt healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity-associated diseases such as diabetes have soared in recent years. Gallbladder diseases, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and heart disease are all caused by carrying too much weight.

And so we are on a continuous mission to lose weight. Our challenge is that the fad diets that promise to get us there go in and out of fashion faster than the white patent leather shoes and belts my father used to wear to church.

According to The Daily Meal website, the Mediterranean Diet it features natural, plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts is in.

So, too, is the Paleo Diet, which apparently is similar to the Mediterranean Diet, except legumes are forbidden.

Which is a shame, too, because I just learned that legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupin beans, mesquite, carob, soybeans, peanuts and tamarind which go well with the bourbon I am driven to drink as I try to figure out which diet to go on.

Volumetrics is another in diet. It encourages the consumption of low-energy-density foods, which make you feel full with fewer calories than high-energy-density foods. It also sounds like too much math is involved.

The Gluten Diet is on the outs, though, according to The Daily Meal. Apparently, it puts people at risk for different deficiencies such as B vitamin deficiencies, calcium, fiber, vitamin Dand iron.

The Daily Meal no longer favors the Atkins Diet, either, which makes me sore.

Dr. Robert Atkins said we could eat delicious steaks, pork, chicken and fish. He said we could eat as much eggs and cheese and other tasty no-sugar treats as we could stuff into our bellies. His diet was all the rage for years.

But now The Daily Meal says his diet is a no go? That it is not heart-healthy and that most users are not compliant over the long term?

Not so fast! Several prominent studies have concluded that old Doc Atkins was onto something. Low-carbohydrate diets may actually take off more weight than low-fat diets and may be surprisingly better for cholesterol, too.

One of my greatest dieting disappointments of the last 20 years, though, was the failure of the exercise pill, which had shown promise at Duke University around 2002.

Researchers had located the chemical pathways that muscle cells use to build strength and endurance. With that knowledge in hand, there was hope that a pill could be created that would pump up muscle cells WITHOUT the need for actual exercise.

Dieting Americans could have sat on the couch, chomping potato chips and dip, while their biceps got as round as cantaloupes and their abs got as hard as stone but this uniquely American dieting innovation wasnt to be.

I think Ill try a new, restrictive diet this February: the Democrats in Congress Diet.

Ill deny myself everything.

Tom Purcell, author of Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood and Wicked Is the Whiskey: A Sean McClanahan Mystery, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist; syndicated by Cagle Cartoons. Contact him at tom@tompurcell.com and follow him on Twitter: @PurcellTom. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.

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Tom Purcell: Still Searching for a Diet Panacea - Noozhawk

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