Category Archives: Conventional Wisdom – How I hate you
Things I hate…
- I hate stupid conventional wisdom articles that tell people to eat lots of meals and lots of carbs.
- I like FITBOMB’s post, but I hate people like Paula Deen. I mean come on…your food didn’t cause your problems!?!
- I hate when people come to you and say “I want to be in shape” because what does “in shape” really mean? For some people, it means being able to function in everyday life or lose weight. While for other people, it means running 3 bazillion miles a day or being able to lift 1,000 pounds! “In shape” is too general a term, which I think is why so many women’s magazines and diet ads use it – the term can literally mean anything so they use it to sell you something that does literally nothing! So if you really want to be successful at getting “in shape,” I would suggest that first you define what “in shape” means to you. Once you define “in shape,” you can set goals and create a plan that will get you there. Trust me, you will be way more successful at reaching your goals once they are CLEARLY defined.
- I hate the fact that celebrities are out there promoting bogus diet and workout plans. I thought this article by Charlotte Andersen about bad celebrity fitness/diet tips was pretty amusing.
- Talk about bad advice….There is a month dedicated to Oatmeal? Who in their right mind would have decided that? And I’m sorry…YOU DON’T NEED WHOLE GRAINS! So BOOOO to this article!
- The DASH Diet? Really people!?! How is this the diet to follow in 2012?
- I’ve seen too many articles about how on Paleo and Primal you miss out on key vitamins and minerals. People say you miss out because you are eating a high protein, low carb diet. But you can eat low carb and get plenty of vitamins and minerals! I mean I’ve found that I eat WAY more vegetables on Paleo and Primal than I ever did on a high carb diet!
And somethings that amused me…(mostly because the baby is cute!).
Calories In vs. Calories Out
Weight loss isn’t simply calories in vs. calories out.
If you want to lose weight not only on the scale but also improve your body composition, the type of calories you consume not only matter but matter MORE than how many calories you eat.
I never count calories anymore. NEVER.
I used to count calories when I ate junk – I needed to. I needed to count calories so that I didn’t eat more than like 1,200 a day and gain weight on the scale. I needed to count calories because I wasn’t eating the right foods.
AND on top of the torture of counting every calorie each and every day, my body composition wasn’t very good. I was doing all this work to just be skinny fat. YUCK!-
Not anymore!!!
I don’t need to count calories anymore because I know that the foods I’m putting into my body are healthy foods that my body needs. I honestly eat closer to 2,000 calories a day now and have a better body composition than I did when I was counting calories.
I’m sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but it just isn’t as simple as calories in vs. calories.
When you are eating the right foods, it is sooo much easier to achieve great body composition. You also feel soooo much better eating the right foods and eating A LOT of them!
Eat Meat
I run into vegetarians all the time who tell me that my meat-eating ways are bad for the environment and that I’m promoting cruelty to animals. And I’d like them to reconsider that statement.
For one, I eat animals that have been naturally raised – I eat pigs that grub and cows that eat grass. So actually by eating naturally raised animals, I’m doing more to fight against the farms/companies that raise animals in an inhumane environment than you vegetarians are!
And two, herbicides and pesticides are NOT good for the environment. And what do you think we use to grow the crap load of vegetables, grains and such that you vegetarians eat?
Could it be that eating meat that is raised in a natural way is actually way better for the environment? YEP!
Check out this article “Ordering the vegetarian meal? There’s more animal blood on your hands.” Maybe you vegetarians will stop trying to convince me that eating meat is so unethical!
A true environmentalist! haha
Is Paleo a trend?
Right now the hot topic in fitness is trends. What were the best, worst and weirdest trends of 2011 and what trends will continue into 2012?
On a few of the trend lists I found was Paleo…of course it was listed with alternative therapies and cleanse diets….but I guess at least its popularity is being recognized?
I was both happy and sad?, confused? that it was being include in these “trend” lists.
Why did it slightly upset me? Because I don’t consider Paleo to be a trend.
I consider a “trend” to be something that is “in style or in vogue,” which means that if you call Paleo a trend, you think that it will eventually go out of style.
And Paleo, aka a healthy lifestyle, won’t ever go out of style.
Yes, diets become super popular and then fizzle out as a new faster, easier diet pops up. But the diets that I would define as “trends” are all weight loss diets. People do these trend diets because they are looking to lose weight quickly and don’t necessarily care about long-term consequences or their overall health. They want to lose weight and they want to do it fast – that is all that matters.
So no, Paleo isn’t a trend. Yes, it has just recently been getting a ton of attention and growing in popularity, but it will never go out of style.
How could being healthy ever go out of style?
Haha ok I guess you could argue that being healthy has gone out of style for the last 50 or some years and that is why we have an obesity epidemic….BUT you could also argue that we’ve been TRYING to be healthy all along and have just been misled by the government and corporations who’ve been telling us that low-fat, high carb is healthy!
I’m going with the second one. As more research comes out Paleo has been gaining popularity. We are now realizing that a high protein, high fat, only healthy carb (like veggies and fruits) diet may be the RIGHT way.
So it isn’t a trend rapidly gaining popularity only to fizzle out. Paleo has actually been around for a while, slowly gathering momentum until finally it has only recently gained mainstream attention.
And with its solid nutritional guidelines, backed up by LOTS of research (contrary to what Conventional Wisdom would have you believe), Paleo will only continue to become more and more popular.
What do you think? Is Paleo a trend?
Why is there so much crap out there?
Seriously, why is there so much crap out there? Why do people make being in shape more difficult than it actually is?
In a span of like five minutes I saw two ridiculous infomercials. One was for the Brazil Butt Lift Workout and the other was for Sensa.
Cocaine in a box?
First off, if you want a nice butt you don’t have to do some ridiculous dog-peeing-on-hydrant move. Just do a freaking deadlift. Trust me, deadlifts will give you a nice, firm, toned butt.
You don’t need to do ridiculous workouts like this. There is no “secret” to a great butt. This video isn’t anything revolutionary (actually half of these moves have been stolen from Jane Fonda workouts…)
Yep see there is no new “secret” move. It’s just the same old stuff re-packaged. It’s just another company trying to sell you something instead of telling you, “Hey, having a nice ass is easy. Do deadlifts and squats and use heavy weights and you will have the tight firm ass of your dreams in no time!”
AND SENSA!?! A magic powder that makes you lose weight without dieting…I think Candy’s statement was spot on…”What is it? Cocaine!?!”
I mean if you read how it works…it does kind of sound like an illegal drug…
And you always see these testimonials saying the product works, but does anyone ever know the people? I’ve never had a friend or even a friend of a friend be one of those people….Is it possible they are just actors! :-0
The Primal Powerlifter
This past Sunday I competed in my first powerlifting event and I still can’t believe I actually did it. I was so proud of myself for even just showing up at the event. Also, I want to say a big “THANK YOU” to both Brian and Ryan for coming with me. Ryan was great moral support and Brian coached me to success!
The entire week before I was nervous and stressed. I was trying to make it through a long week of work while also making sure that I had everything I needed for the event (unisuit, t-shirt, shoes, socks…all conforming to their standards).
I also had to lose some weight to be able to compete in the 123 weight class (because of traveling and Thanksgiving I had packed on a few pounds haha). I stuck to Primal, eating only meat, veggies and protein powder (even though numerous people told me I should be eating carbs…like bread…). I ate pulled pork, ribs, oxtail…all nice fatty meats that made me feel full and content.
And over the week everything came together and before I knew it Sunday was here (of course Saturday morning I was so nervous that Ryan said I was shaking the couch enough to make him nauseated).
I had all of my equipment, and lots of Primal snacks, including potatoes, protein powder, macadamia nuts, and apples. I was also well within my weight class, weighing in at 118lbs. The intermittent fasting and Primal diet had paid off! And my energy level was high despite the week of weight loss because of all the fatty meats (and a few potatoes on Saturday) that I had consumed.
Even though I was ready, I wasn’t any less nervous. Even most of the girls who were competing for the first time had spent about the last year training while I had only really spent the last two months even considering entering.
That fact was a bit intimidating. I’m usually the over-prepared person…not let’s-do-this-at-the-last-moment-on-a-whim person.
But, hey, I had spent the last two months training so why waste all that hard work? Even if I didn’t do well, it would be a great experience!!!
But I did do well…despite the fact that conventional wisdom would have told you that I had absolutely no chance, between my low carb, intermittent fasting diet, inconsistent workout routine and lack of a weight lifting belt (Ryan thought the fact that I was one of the few without a belt was pretty “bad-ass” haha).
Anyway, the point is I was nervous and not fully prepared especially by conventional standards. I’d never squatted or benched on command and I’d always had a mirror in which to watch myself deadlift and squat. I was super worried I wouldn’t go low enough on my squats and that I would fail on all three attempts and be out of the competition in the first lift. (A bit pessimistic but this thought kept running through my head…so much so that I was literally revising my numbers in my sleep.)
Anyway, because I was so nervous for squats (and we wanted me to feel good for deadlifts, which were the third lift of the day), we set my numbers super low…I attempted 150 then 160 then 170. In practice I’d hit 200lbs numerous times, and had almost even gotten 205lbs, so all three lifts ended up being super easy. On my first squat, I was so worried about going low enough that I almost dropped my butt all the way to the ground.
But the three successful squats, while too easy, did make me relax and feel more confident.
After about a two-hour break while all the men’s flights went, was bench…my least favorite lift probably because it is my weakest.
In practice, I had hit a PR of 120, but it wasn’t with a pause (I got close 125lbs but it was such a freaking ugly lift to get it up that it definitely doesn’t actually count). So we decided that my attempts should be 90lbs, 105lbs and 115lbs. I had no problem pausing on my first two attempts. But on the third, 115 just wouldn’t go up. Looking back on the lift, I wish I had taken more time to set up because I think it would have gone up if I’d planted my feet more and gotten a bit more arch in my back. But hey, hindsight is 20/20.
Anyway, 105, while a slight bit disappointing still wasn’t too shabby.
Then again we had another long break before we finished the day with deadlifts. While I’d felt more relaxed for bench, probably because I didn’t expect too much, I was super nervous for deadlift. Deadlift is my best lift and I definitely wanted to impress!
In training, my PR for deadlift was 280 and the Mass. State record was 275lbs. I thought I had a good chance of tying it at least!
So we set my first two attempts at 245lbs, 260lbs and figured we would see how those went before deciding if I would attempt 275 or 280. The first two lifts were super easy although my form definitely wasn’t perfect…I was nervous and worn out from a very long day.
We decided that my last attempt should be 275 to tie the record. Again looking back, I wish I had taken more time to get psyched up and set for the lift before I attempted it. I think it would have made a big difference. But despite the fact that I’ve hit 275 almost every time recently when I’ve trained, I just couldn’t make it budge on Sunday.
I was super bummed. My last lift of the day and my strongest and I couldn’t hit a number that I’d just easily pulled that Monday before.
Not the way I’d wanted to end the day. But I was still proud that I’d at least managed to pull over double my bodyweight and hey…I’d made it through my first competition!
A little upset by my last lift and super worn out from the stress of the long day (it is amazingly hard to get revved up for an event then cool down only to have to get revved up two hours later to compete again!), we decided to stay for the awards ceremony just in case I won something.
I’m definitely glad we did! I ended up winning both my weight class and the Best Lifter award for the Women’s Raw Division. The Best Lifter award is a relative strength measurement. They take everyone in the raw division from every weight class and figure out who lifted the most weight in relation to their body weight.
So in the end I left proud and happy even though I still wish I’d made those two lifts.
Overall, a very successful meet. And one of the things that makes me most proud is that I did it my way. While everyone else was drinking Gatorade and eating bread and protein bars, I was eating my Primal snacks.
Although I do have to admit…I’d train a bit differently before my next competition. I would definitely create a schedule and a more consistent program than the one I did these past few months! haha
Anyway, Ryan made a video of the meet. Right now it is just on Facebook, but I’ll upload it to YouTube later today!
It was a great experience and if you are into powerlifting, I would recommend you enter at least one competition!
P.S. Sorry for the super long post…I’m just super excited!!!
Is not eating until the afternoon bad?
I don’t do intermittent fasting every day, BUT I do think it is a very effective fat loss tool.
Of course, people thought I was crazy yesterday when I worked out in the afternoon without eating and didn’t eat till around dinner time.
One person even told me, “That it isn’t healthy.”
And yes, conventional wisdom tells you that you NEED to eat breakfast and not skip meals so not eating till dinner time does seem a bit crazy.
But is it?
In my opinion no, Intermittent Fasting (IF) isn’t crazy…especially if you aren’t eating a high carbohydrate diet and can be patient enough to get over the hunger pangs that occur when you first change your eating schedule.
If you are eating a high carbohydrate diet, then yes…it may seem like more of a challenge to get used to IF.
If you eat a high carb diet, you will experience more energy fluctuations throughout the day than someone on a lower carb, high fat and high protein diet. Your insulin will spike after each high carb meal, making you feel energized. Of course after the spike, your energy levels will dip, making you feel sluggish and tired.
When your energy levels dip, usually you feel hungry. This feeling of hungry caused by a high carb diet, and skipping those meals that your body feels it needs, does make doing IF more challenging and can make you feel light-headed at points.
Trust me…I’ve tried this and it wasn’t near as easy to get used to IF as it was with a high-fat, high-protein diet.
BUT if you do eat a lower carb diet that includes lots of fat and protein, you don’t have the constant energy dips and hunger pangs, which makes IF easier to do and an effective way to burn fat and gain muscle.
Just like calorie cycling and carb reloading (with potatoes and non grain carbs of course), doing IF every once in a while can keep your body guessing and stoke your metabolism.
Intermittent fasting can be challenging on either diet if you are used to eating at specific times of day. After a week or two of adjusting from your set meal times, you will feel like you have more consistent energy on IF.
Yesterday, I never felt hungry or like my energy was sagging. I got in a great workout too. All while on an empty stomach.
So tell me…how is that not healthy compared to a high carb diet with set meal times where you feel constantly hungry especially if you skip a meal?
If you need more convincing read this piece by an IF expert. Leangains wrote a great article debunking the Top Ten Fasting Myths.
Pre and Post-Workout Meals
How important is it to eat in a specific time frame before and after your workout? How important are the pre and post workout meals?
If you Google “pre and post workout meals” a bazillion different articles come up.
And most articles tell you when the best time to eat is and what ratio of carbs to protein you should consume.
What do I think about most of these pre and post workout meal articles?…
They aren’t worth paying attention to.
Are you a world-class athlete or a fitness model? Or are you just an average Joe/Jane trying to look your best, be healthy and reach personal fitness goals?
I would say most of us fall into the second category, which means that pre and post workout meals shouldn’t be our main concern. Having great nutrition overall and working out consistently should be our primary concerns.
Yes, eating the right things at the right times before and after your workout could help you, BUT they would only really make a significant difference if you are already near perfect. At least that is my opinion.
If you are trying to lose weight, I think it is more important to learn to eat when you are hungry than it is to try to force in extra calories around a workout because some article tells you that your muscles NEED the fuel at a specific time.
I know there are lots of people who would disagree with me – that think the proper pre and post-workout meals can make a huge impact on your progress…but they just aren’t correct…sorry.
Your muscles won’t disappear if you don’t drink that protein shake within an hour of working out. You really don’t NEED carbs or even food for that matter to be able to perform an intense workout. I’ve actually even found that when I perform fasted training, I get in my best workouts!
So then you may ask why there are so many articles about pre and post workout nutrition.
BECAUSE THERE IS A WHOLE INDUSTRY AROUND WORKOUT NUTRITION.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory. People want to make pre and post workout meals a big deal because it helps them sell products!
Also, for bodybuilders and fitness models and figure competitors, pre and post workout meals ARE important. And a lot of the products were original created for those people.
Of course, now the industry has a great marketing tool…if you want to look like those people, you must consume our products around your workout.
What do you think? Do you worry about your pre and post workout meals? Or are you like me and just make sure that you eat the proper things throughout the day without worrying about the exact timing?
The P.I.N.K. Method
What does a workout and diet program need to make it big in the mainstream?
Apparently it needs to endorse lots of products and make it onto Dr. Phil. At least that’s all I could see that the P.I.N.K. method had going for it…(Oh and obviously a ton of money to spend on the packaging and marketing).
Oh and I guess it does need a whole lot of women who supposedly never liked working out, but managed to lose a ton of weight, endorsing it and saying it was the only program they could stick to. HA!
As far as I can see, the P.I.N.K. method (which stands for Power, Intensity, Nutrition and “Kardio”…yuck) is the same old crap just re-packaged with lots of pink. Light weights, “toning” exercises and cardio that looks like ever other workout tape for women is what you’ll get on their nicely packaged DVDs.
Along with the workouts, you’ll also get the same old nutritional information you find in every women’s fitness magazine, BUT they’ve made up catchy names for their dishes…like “Shred Soup” (which is essentially just a chicken broth, veggie soup) and some Pink Smoothie (I can’t remember the exact name, which is just a berry protein smoothie).
But hey…I mean don’t listen to me…Dr. Phil says it is a revolutionary new program. And with their Sketchers Shape Ups and Yoga pants that will burn more fat, it has to work right?
And if it doesn’t at least you got a free bracelet along with the DVDs…
P.S. I also love the lack of information on the P.I.N.K. method website. And I wish I could come up with some witty thing to say that P.I.N.K. stands for…Any ideas?
Man Bicep Principles
This post was inspired by Fit and Feminist. Caitlin wrote a post about 15 things she did to improve her health. When I started writing my list, I realized that everything on the list stemmed from 5 main principles. And these principles in my opinion are the foundation of developing a healthy lifestyle.
1. Question everything. Don’t blindly follow what others do. Study any diet or exercise program before you follow it. If you know the arguments for and against a program, you can really make an informed decision about whether or not you want to follow it. Questioning conventional wisdom about diet and exercise is what led me to Primal and heavy lifting/Crossfit – it led me to find a diet and exercise program that I think is IDEAL for me.
2. Experiment on yourself. Everyone is different. Just because it works for your friend, doesn’t mean it will work for you. You can’t know if something will work for you unless you give it a shot. The best way to create the perfect healthy lifestyle for yourself is by experimenting to find out what works! For example, the variation of Primal and heavy lifting that I do isn’t exactly the same thing that works for Ryan or Candy or Brian!
3. Lift heavy weights. I’m sorry. Cardio just doesn’t cut it ladies and gents. You need to lift heavy weights – you need muscle and strength to really be healthy (PLUS there are tons of benefits besides looking sexy that you get from lifting heavy weights…like increased bone density!)
4. Always challenge yourself. I don’t mean that you have to push yourself every workout, but don’t ever become complacent. Always set new goals to strive for. Don’t ever just get stuck doing the same thing over and over again. Always seek out new ways to challenge yourself. Try a new workout routine or a new sport. Try lifting heavier weights or a new form of cardio!
5. Focus on the big picture. This one has been the hardest thing for me to do. You can get so caught up in your day-to-day diet or even your weekly diet that you don’t realize all the progress that you’ve made over the past year. I know I’m guilty of occasionally getting stuck on daily fluctuations in weight or even weekly fluctuations in how much I can lift. Remember, the day-to-day stuff doesn’t matter that much as long as you remain committed to your health a majority of the time. One cheat day isn’t going to ruin your year even if it makes you gain weight the next day. One bad workout won’t set you back. Remember the 80/20 rule. If you work hard and commit to your diet and workout program 80% of the time, you WILL see results over time. Don’t stress over the few times you cheats or have a bad workout because they won’t matter. Just enjoy the adventure!
So those are the 5 main things I always keep in mind – those are the five main things I think everyone needs to live by if they want to lead a healthy happy life!
Man Bicep 