Step away from the cookie jar, jolly fat man

On this Christmas Eve, set out some carrot sticks and bottled water for Santa. He doesn't need any cookies.

"Men's Health" 12/07

I'm perusing through the December 2007 issue of Men's Health, the one with John Krasinski of The Office on the cover. No, I don't subscribe - it's a copy I found at work. I found some interesting bits of information in it.

• 63 men lost 100 pounds in 10 months by replacing one meal with a protein shake made of the following ingredients: 1 cup skim milk, 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, and 1 scoop 100% whey powder. (p. 54) Presumably the other two meals didn't consist of Big Macs and deep-dish pizza slices.
• Those Italians seem to know something, because studies have shown garlic as a cancer fighter. (p. 50) Eat as many breadsticks at Olive Garden that you want!
• Starbucks' walnut bran muffin has 110 more calories than its black forest ham, egg, and cheddar breakfast sandwich. (p. 80)
• MH graded fast-food and sit-down restaurants using the following categories: total number of calories per entree, fruit and veggie side choices, and bread with 100% whole wheat. They also penalized for trans fats and multiple dessert options. The best? Chick-Fil-A and Bob Evans. The worst? Pizza Hut and Macaroni Grill. (p. 168)

to sleep, or not to sleep

Well, isn't this good news.

Worried that too little sleep might be impacting your health? Don't overdo it. Presenting their findings today to the British Sleep Society, researchers outlined a stark conundrum: lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, too much sleep doubles the risk for non-cardiovascular-related deaths.

I'm sleep-deprived during the week. I catch up on the weekends. Perhaps this means I'll never die!

Snow wants more dough

The lead story in this grouping focuses on the increasingly loud sound of crickets at Camp Casey. As intriguing as all things Cindy Sheehan are, I was more interested in the second story, where these words are found:

White House spokesman Tony Snow intends to leave his job before the president's term ends in January 2009. Speaking on Hugh Hewitt's radio show last week, Snow, a Fox News Channel personality who took a serious salary cut to become Bush's press secretary last year, said he needs more money than his $168,000 White House wage. Snow, who is battling a recurrence of colon cancer, did not name a departure date.

"When I have something to announce, I'll let everyone know," he told us via e-mail.

I'm wondering two things.

(1.) How much is the deductible for health insurance obtained through the White House?

(2.) How much money does Tony Snow need to make? $168,000 a year would make life quite comfortable for me.

When should I...?

Call in sick? Call a doctor? Get to the ER?

T.J. Banes of the Indianapolis Star has the answers to the age-old question, "What should I do if I get sick?"

Well, they're her version of them, anyway. You must use your own discretion, of course.