Slow And Steady Wins The Weight Loss Race

By Kia Edwards

Despite the tricks the weather is playing on us, summer is coming. This typically causes a whirlwind of preparations: vacation planning, dress buying and crash dieting to drop weight quickly. Two out of these three summer preparations are great. One of them is not. 

I always get a bit of a blank stare when telling new clients that weight loss should be slow and steady. The idea of dropping 15lbs in 2 weeks sounds far more efficient than 1-2lbs per week. However, dropping 1-2lbs per week is more effective in the long run. Here’s why:

3,500 calories

It’s the amount of calories in 1lb of fat. Put the tissues away, there’s no need to cry or panic.  Yes, it’s a fairly large number: it translates into a caloric deficit of 500 calories each day to lose 1lb of fat in a week. 1,000 calories per day if you want to lose 2.  However, there’s a way to do it- but we’ll get to that shortly.  When you hear about people losing a huge amount of weight in a short space of time, what exactly are they losing?  The three possibilities are water, muscle and fat. 

Water weight loss is a short term solution often used by athletes who need to “make weight” for competition. You’re not really losing any substantial weight and will regain it after you drink enough fluids. Muscle loss is the worst type of weight loss. This results in loss of toning and a decrease in metabolism.  Due to it’s chemical composition, muscle is far easier to convert to energy than fat. This is one of the main risks people undertake when losing weight very quickly. It also makes it more likely that your lost weight will be replaced by fat when you regain the weight that you lost. Yes, it’s highly likely that you will gain it back. Now, on to fat loss.  Losing body fat increases body tone, reduces your risk of ailments such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even some forms of cancer.  Based on the benefits, we have a clear winner. 

Now that we’ve gone through the “why”, let’s move on to the “how”.  A 500 calorie deficit can be tricky to maintain. Well, it’s tricky if your diet consists of highly processed foods and your exercise program consists of walking to the couch and sitting there.  Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grain bread are good choices to start off with. Lean protein such as white meat, fish and plant sources (lentils, quinoa, beans, edamame) can also help you maintain a low calorie diet while getting most of your nutrients.

It’s also important to exercise! How else will you burn those calories?  Cardio is a great way of burning calories, but lifting weights will ensure that you’re losing fat while maintaining and even building muscle.  Do both- balance is key. A couple days of cardio mixed in with a couple days of weight training (along with some recovery time) will help you look great for summer all keep you fit all year.  In the end, you’re better off this way- it just takes dedication and patience. 

Here are examples of low calorie foods to help you out:

Apple: 60 calories per cup, sliced 

Nectarine: 63 calories per cup, sliced

Blueberries: 84 calories per cup

Mangos: 99 calories per cup

Red or green grapes: 104 calories per cup 

Broccoli- 31calories per cup

Spinach- eat as much as you want! 1 cup is 7 calories!

Arugula: 1 cup is 5 calories! Eat up!

Radishes: 19 calories per cup

Raw beets: 58 calories per cup 

Cooked egg white: approximately 20 calories for 1 large egg

Roasted chicken breast without skin: 145 calories for 3oz 

Broiled duck breast, no skin: 135 calories for 3oz

Quail: 264 calories for 4oz

Boiled lentils: 230 calories per cup 

Source:  HYPERLINK “http://calorieking.com”calorieking.com 

Kia Edwards is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist who lives in New York City. She studied French and Economics at Colgate University, spent 15 years as a high-level competitive gymnast and 6 years as a gymnastics coach.  Her business, La Fortesse At Home Fitness Training, helps clients get healthy with simple at home exercises and nutrition counseling. www.LaFortesse.com 

Steve Snair Announces His Candidacy For Town Supervisor

Steve Snair wants to be Smithtown Supervisor. Who is he?

By Pat Biancaniello

What do the three announced contenders for Smithtown Supervisor have in common? They all have a connection to Kings Park.  Current Supervisor Vecchio lives in Fort Salonga, Councilman Creighton lives in Kings Park, and Steve Snair grew up in Kings Park and graduated from Kings Park HS in 1999. All three express a belief in sound economic policies rooted in practical and economic Steve Snair realities. And, all three men, believe that they can be effective in dealing with the complex issues of budgeting and zoning currently before the Town Board.

To say that there is an age difference between the Democratic candidate, Steve Snair, 31, and the Republican candidates Robert Creighton, 76, and Patrick Vecchio, 83, is almost understating things.  In fact, Vecchio has been town supervisor longer than Snair’s been alive. And Creighton left the police department in 1992 when Snair was a ten-years-old. 

Snair insists that his age should not be an issue in the campaign. Snair currently resides in Nesconset,  is an attorney with a practice located on Main Street, Smithtown . It is his exposure to different communities within the Town that has led him to believe that it is time for a change in Town Government. He is a calm, intelligent man with an understated manner, quick to smile and insightful when it comes to the Town. 

The question, “What made him decide to throw his hat into the ring?” provoked a smile which turned into a serious discussion about drug abuse in Smithtown, of which he is passionate. “My brother, sister and I have attended too many funerals of people our age. Heroin and other drugs are a very real problem in Smithtown.” 

Steve Snair with Kings Park resident and Creighton supporter Tom McCabe at Relish in Kings Park, April 20, 2013Taking on very tough issues requires a vision for the future of the town, not just maintaining the status quo. Steve wants to be Town Supervisor because he sees his hometown suffering from many of the same ills that have affected other Long Island’s communities, including dilapidated roads, downtown blight and young people struggling with drug addiction.

Snair believes it is time to put an end to the planning for a master plan for the town and time to enact a plan. “Creating and implementing a master plan for Smithtown should not take as long as it has. There is a lot that can be done to improve our downtowns. Town houses and apartments on Main Streets  will provide young people with a sense of ownership in the town.  “So many young people move away or live in their parents homes,  housing in the downtown areas would help to keep young people here. It would also help improve the downtown areas and increase our tax base.”

I asked Steve Snair if he felt a little like David taking on Goliath. He smiled and talked about how his vision for the town and how he will make Smithtown a better place than it is today.

BELLONE TO SMITHTOWN-“DROP DEAD” by Legislator John Kennedy

BELLONE TO SMITHTOWN-“DROP DEAD”

On April 15, County Executive Steve Bellone presented his second proposed Capital Budget to the County Legislature, with the pronouncement that, at approximately $130 million dollars, this budget is a full 27% less than current adopted Capital budget.  While savings are desperately needed at all levels of government, in all aspects, what was not mentioned, but for one page, were those projects, fully underway, that became casualties relegated to the cutting room floor.  Groundwater flooding remediation, restoration of the Blydenburgh Historic district, and traffic safety at a dangerous offset intersection all became casualties of Bellone’ s so- called fiscal constraint.

Each of the projects that the County Executive has decided to eliminate in the 12^th Legislative District have been multiyear efforts, all designed to further important public purposes.  Capitol Project 5574, created to support the reconstruction of the dangerous roadway condition at Smithtown Boulevard (C.R. 16), Shepard Lane and Gilbert Avenue followed my efforts to compel the County to address this sight of traffic fatalities, and serious physical injury to pedestrians and bicyclists.  Earlier this year, I hosted a meeting at the Nesconset Library allowing the general public to see various remediation models proposed by RBA (see attached).  In just the three year study period, 32 accidents occurred at this sight, with numerous traffic problems observed by the engineering firm.  Further, Suffolk County expended $74,000 to secure the study, a first step towards commencing design and construction to remedy the dangerous conditions.  Apparently, neither money expended, nor community involvement, nor lives lost or permanently impacted were of that great a concern to the Executive’s Budget office when deciding to terminate this Capitol Project.  I will prepare an amendment to restore the project, and the $200,000 in design funding for this year.   

Equally disturbing was the decision to eliminate Capital Project 8170, the multi -year flood remediation project associated with the Northeast Branch of the Nissequogue River.  Working in collaboration with the Town of Smithtown and the Village of the Branch, over $ 1 million dollars in planning and remediation funding has been expended to date, resulting in the successful clearing of over 4000 feet of the tributary to date, providing much needed relief to homeowners who have suffered from recurring groundwater flooding for decades.   The source of County funds has been the ¼ cent Groundwater remediation funds, derived from sales tax.   Presently, the prestigious engineering firm, H2M, who successfully managed the first phase of the project, is now wrapping up the study and remediation plans for an additional 7500 feet of stream area, in the Village, leading to Miller’s Pond.   This project has built off of the groundbreaking work undertaken 33 years ago with Capital Project 5013 and led to an unprecedented and highly successful methodology for silt removal, winning tremendous support from the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 1 office.   Suffolk County’s Multi- Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, prepared in 2007, found that approximately 3000 properties were impacted by the shallow groundwater table, primarily in the areas of Southern Smithtown, Hauppauge, and Nesconset.   Efforts are presently underway to secure grant funding to continue this project, and maintaining the Capital Project status is critical.  I will submit an amendment to restore the project, and authorize additional funding to continue providing relief to groundwater families.

As outrageous as the elimination of  the above two projects are, removal of Capital Project  7507 is a wholesale rejection of the residents of Smithtown, and the long history of generosity associated with our founding families.  C.P. 7507 in the Parks Department is titled Renovations at Historic Blydenburgh Park.    Among the many buildings in the Historic district area is the Mill, dating back to 1798, and the Miller’s House, from 1802.  These examples of colonial structures date back to the time of the founding of our nation.  While the Mill has undergone reconstruction of the foundation, and sheathing, as well as replacement of timbers, additional work is required to restore the functionality of the wheel.  Likewise, the Millers House, facing Stump Pond is in serious need of stabilization and repair.  While the County’s web page notes that these buildings are on the National Historic Register, and represent the only publicly held aggregation of indigenous farm and mill buildings on all of Long Island,  providing for the upkeep and maintenance appears to be of little consequence for County Executive Steve Bellone.

I will propose an amendment to the Capital Budget to restore the project, as well as the funding necessary to re-activate the Mill wheel, and to restore the Millers House.

These are just a few examples of the projects that have been removed, and elimination of abandoned items is a prudent budgeting practice.  However, none of these projects have been abandoned, nor have the residents of Smithtown.    As always, I stand ready to carry the initiatives and concerns of my constituents to the Suffolk County Legislature.  Thanks for the continued support.

Sincerely,

John M. Kennedy Jr.

Suffolk County Legislator 12^th LD

Commack Hosts Spring Special Olympics 2013

Sunday, April 21, Commack School District hosted the Special Olympics 2013.  Over 800 athletes and 600 volunteers participated in track & field and tennis events. Athletes of all ages marched in the opening ceremony finishing in front of a grandstand filled with dignitaries .  T.J. Timmons wowed the crowd by singing the National Anthem a cappella without missing a beat or a word. T.J. was followed by Yavuz Ozdemir and Jessica Spitz who recited the Special Olympic Pledge “Let me win, But if I cannot win, Let me be brave in the attempt”. The crowd went wild. 

The event was the brainchild of the district’s Community Relations Coordinator, Debbie Virga.  “What can I say. Commack may not have a town, but you sure can’t beat our community! The people in Commack opened their hearts to these very special athletes and their families.  These athletes with varying degrees of disabilities, showed all of us that whatever disabilities or roadblocks they may have, they keep trying. It’s as the Special Olympic oath say’s: ‘Let me win, But if I cannot win, Let me be brave in the attempt.’ We owe them a great deal of gratitude. Bring on next year!”

The idea for Special Olympics began in the late 1950’s when Eunice Kennedy Shriver decided to improve the lives of children with intellectual disabilities. The first Special Olympic Game took place in 1968. Today, Special Olympic events take place almost every day of the year. The organization is one of only two organizations legally permitted to use “Olympics” as part of its official name.

Mayfair Shopping Center Gets Approval For Expansion

With little fanfare Smithtown’s Planning Board voted at its April 17th meeting to approve the request by Levin Management to add a 3,568 sq. ft. addition (restaurant)  to the existing Mayfair Shopping Center.  At the April 3rd public hearing for the expansion about a dozen residents from the surrounding Commack neighborhood spoke unfavorably about the expansion.  The complaints focused mainly on maintenance and traffic.  

On a recent trip to the Mayfair Shopping Center on Tuesday, April 16,  there were indications that the landlord was doing its homework or spring cleaning, the center was a buzz with workers mulching and cleaning the grounds. The area behind the buildings was very clean with a remarkable lone paper cup trolling around the parking lot - remarkable because it was the only item out of place.

The Planning Department signaled that this application was acceptable to them with slight modifications. The ineffective stop sign for traffic entering Verbina Drive will be moved. Due to the sign being located on private property (shopping center parking lot), there apparently was no way to enforce it. The sign will be moved to Town property and will have better enforcement.  This addresses an issue brought up by a resident at the public hearing and apparently Mitch Crowley, director of traffic safety for the town agreed. In a memo sent to Planning Director DeRubeis, Crowley wrote: “The stop sign entering the shopping center at the Verbena entrance is not in  ordinance and appears to be on the shopping center property. However, I will do a resolution to ordinance. I will move the location to Town property. The stop sign will be enforceable 10 days after the approved resolution.”

A second issue of truck access was addressed by changing the configuration of the access route, allowing for better turning range for large trucks.

The Planning Board vote was 4-1 in favor of the application, with Planning Board member James Ehrhardt voting no. Mr. Ehrhardt opposed the expansion due to the proximity to the residents.  Planning Director Frank DeRubeis explained (speaking to Smithtown Matters) that the zoning on this site has been in existence for a very long time, and what  today would be zoned as Shopping Center Business zone, is zoned as Central Business. Shopping Center Business requires larger buffers and set backs.