Category Archives: Diet
Celebrities…Role Models?
So by now if you have a Facebook account, you’ve probably seen the story about the “fat” news anchor woman Jennifer posted a bazillion times.
I must admit that I’ve had multiple reactions to this story…some of them not offensive and others that I probably shouldn’t post, but I will.
Let me start by saying I don’t think the man’s email was something he should have sent.
“I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years,” the letter read. “Surely you don’t consider yourself a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular. Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain.”
Two of my non-offensive thoughts about the email were:
It is none of his business what her physical condition is.
And, isn’t she a good role model for young girls who may be overweight and believe they won’t be able to do certain jobs because of their physical appearance? Don’t we want to empower all young girls!?!
Ok…so those were two of my first thoughts…but they coincided with two thoughts which I’m sure I will now catch some flack for, but also made me think. (So before you get super mad…read to the end!)
My next thoughts were:
We have a childhood obesity epidemic occurring so don’t we want all public figures to promote a healthy physique? I’m not saying they have to be a certain weight or shape, but shouldn’t they be within the “healthy” range?
And she is a public figure…all public figures get criticized for their looks. Stars get a comment made if they gain half a pound or lose half a pound too much…
I have to admit…I feel that anyone who may be considered a “role model” should project an image that is worthy of emulation.
I hold myself to the same high standard. I won’t let myself become overweight and I won’t slack on my training because my job is to train other people. How can I give other people advice that I’m obviously not taking myself!?!
BUT as I thought this, I thought about the fact that athletes, actors, news anchors and other public figures really shouldn’t necessarily be our kids role models – WE SHOULD BE.
BUT that isn’t the way it is in most cases unfortunately.
In many cases the public figures ARE role models.
So in this world where we consider celebrities and public figures role models, why wouldn’t we want to hold them to a higher standard?
I mean if you were a public figure, why wouldn’t you want to hold yourself to a higher standard? Why wouldn’t you want to be a HEALTHY role model for young girls?
What was your reaction to this story? Am I just insensitive?
P.S. Yes I do realize that she may still eat the right foods and workout, which could mean she is actually healthier than someone thinner, but let’s also face the fact that in our society, at the moment, we equate a healthy weight to optimal health…
What if you just don’t like water?
So I’ve never been very good at drinking water.
For one, I got used to never having a chance to drink during workouts so I usually have to force myself to drink around my workouts.
Two, I just don’t love water. I would much rather drink something with flavor.
I’ve tried numerous different ways of forcing myself to drink more water.
A few years ago, I would put Crystal light into my water to get myself to drink more liquid. Yes this did get me to consume more water, but the water was loaded now with a whole bunch of crap.
I realized that this wasn’t all that good for me. I was still consuming a ton of the chemicals I was trying to avoid in soda.
So I started trying to just drink water. Forcing myself to just drink water.
This lasted oh about….one week.
So then I moved to carbonated water. For some reason….I LOVE CARBONATION.
No artificial sweeteners. Just carbonated water. Heck even carbonated mineral water.
Although nothing replaces pure water at least I wasn’t loading up my body with a ton of crap.
Things were getting better.
Of course I still know that the most important thing is to stay hydrated and consume enough water, which is why ever day I force myself to make the effort to DRINK MORE WATER!
I mean shoot it is essential if you want to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight AND keep from feeling unnecessarily fatigued!
And I don’t mean that water will help you lose weight just because it makes you feel full (I know this is every magazines’ favorite weight loss tip for that reason).
If you are dehydrated sometimes your body can actually “feel” hungry. It can trick you into thinking you are hungry when, in reality, you just need water.
So you eat unnecessary calories!
Plus, water and proper hydration helps keep your metabolism working at peak performance so that you can efficiently use the calories you consume!
And when you aren’t properly hydrated, you can also feel fatigued. This fatigue can prevent you from getting in a great workout, which may prevent you from progressing toward your fitness and weight loss goals.
So water is super important. I know that and I battle every day to make myself drink it even though I must admit that I would rather drink something with a little more flavor!
But it is worth the battle! I feel so much better when I’m properly hydrated!
So are you drinking enough water!?!
Starbucks Diet…
So some woman lost weight doing a “Starbucks diet.”
Whoopie.
Someone also lost weight eating Subway while another person lost weight eating only fast food.
Basically you can “lose weight” eating just about any old crap. I mean heck I could even go eat only M&Ms and frozen yogurt and even lose weight.
Losing weight on the scale is all about calories in vs. calories out. If you take in fewer calories than you consume no matter where those calories are from, you will lose weight.
BUT that doesn’t mean that you have good body composition OR are healthy.
Weight lost on the scale doesn’t mean instant good health and the body composition of your dreams!
Losing weight is easy.
Losing fat and being healthy is the difficult part.
I hate all of these articles about these fad diets because they make people associate losing weight to be “skinny” on the scale with health. When in reality, the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand.
I know many people hate the term “skinny-fat” but that is really what you become if you eat crap but maintain a weight that says you are skinny by BMI standards.
YOU AREN’T HEALTHY JUST BECAUSE YOU FIT INTO THAT SIZE 4 JEANS LADIES!
Health means eating the right stuff day in and day out regardless of what the stupid dang scale (that you should have thrown out the window by now) says.
AND if you eat the RIGHT FOODS day in and day out you will also be able to achieve optimum body composition if that is what your goal is.
Anyway, if you just want to “lose weight” go eat whatever you want.
If you actually want to be HEALTHY and change your BODY COMPOSITION, let’s talk about eating whole, natural foods and cutting out the processed, sugary crap.
So think twice before you start that fad diet…Think about whether or not “losing weight” is TRULY your goal…
Top 10 Healthiest….
Oh who cares!
Every other day you see a new news article about the Top 10 Healthiest Fish/Cereals/Fruits/Vegetables…But seriously…WHO CARES!?!
Yesterday I made a comment to Ryan about how someone was eating swordfish instead of salmon and that salmon was much better.
He said, “Yay but still…it could be way worse.”
“It could be way worse.”…SO TRUE!
Why are all of these news articles so focused on telling us what the healthiest of already goods food are? Why not focus on making people more aware of how bad vegetable oils and processed foods are!?!
It is almost like what I was saying about supplementation the other day. We worry about micromanaging our diets when our macronutrient intake is awful – we focus on what is the best of an already healthy food instead of at least getting people to eat the worst of a healthy food!
I mean really…If someone doesn’t eat fruit or vegetables, isn’t it way better that they eat bananas and iceberg lettuce than no fruits and vegetables at all? I know we could argue that berries and spinach are way better for you, but isn’t eating fruits and vegetables the most important part.
At least they are eating something non-processed with nutrients!
As Ryan said, “It could be way worse!”
So next time you want to tell your friend that iceberg lettuce isn’t as good as spinach, think about how many WORSE choices they could have made!
Food Logs
So for work this past month, I’ve had to keep a food log, which is something that I honestly haven’t done since I did my low-fat diet experiment a couple of years ago.
The reason I haven’t done one is the same reason I haven’t counted calories for the past year or more….because I don’t need to.
I’m very conscious of what I’m putting into my body and I know that if I eat whole, natural, unprocessed foods, I don’t need to count calories.
For me looking at the nutritional breakdown of what I’ve consumed is interesting, but I also don’t like getting caught up in what I do on a day-to-day basis and I don’t like getting caught up on calories.
For me the overall picture is more important. I know I will have slip ups and bad meals and I don’t want to get caught up on them because I know if I stick to my diet in the long run that is what will matter.
How I FEEL, how my body functions, and how I even look are enough to tell me if I’m on track.
BUT that doesn’t mean that keeping a food log doesn’t have merit or benefit. And I did find it very interesting to look at my macronutrient consumption now that I’ve added in corn tortillas and some rice for carbs instead of only getting carbs from fruits and vegetables.
I think for anyone about to start a new diet, or evening starting a new diet, it can be a great tool. It can get you more in touch with what you are ACTUALLY eating.
I think sometimes we aren’t truly aware of the nutritional value, or calories, of what we put in our mouths. I think sometimes keeping a food log can be eye-opening.
I think it can also force us to be honest with ourselves about our diet.
I hear lots of people say, “Well I was pretty good today. I BASICALLY stuck to my diet.”
But if they were to food log their day, I guarantee most of them wouldn’t be saying it was a good day at all.
Most people don’t realize how quickly that handful of nuts adds up. Most people haven’t really stopped to think about what a handful of potato chips as a snack every day really looks like as part of their diet.
Heck most people have no idea about the nutritional or caloric value of half of the food they eat, especially when they dine out or order in!
So if you are happy with your current diet, I’m not saying you have to start keeping a food log.
But if you want to make a change or have failed to really achieve success in the past, maybe you should think about starting a food log. It may just reveal the flaws in your current diet program.
Here are some great logs you can use online!
SparkPeople – http://www.sparkpeople.com/
Fit Day – fitday.com
MyFitnessPal – http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Do I cheat?
Holidays are usually full of partying and bad food. The question is, “Do you cheat or do you stick to your diet?”
Both can work. And frankly what I do depends on the holiday.
On holidays where BBQ is common, like Memorial Day, the fourth of July and Labor Day, I find it very easy to stick to my diet.
So I do.
BUT on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Ryan or my birthday, I find it much harder to eat well.
I don’t believe in all of those tips to keep the fat off during the winter holiday seasons. I mean seriously…get a smaller plate so you don’t eat as much?!?!
I would much rather just eat badly with family on those days and then go right back to my diet afterwards. I would much rather eat super clean before the holidays and super clean afterwards than deprive myself of food in a social environment that has so much meaning for me.
I don’t like having feelings of deprivation. That is why I eat the diet that I do!
So if I think I’ll feel like I missed out, I indulge. A little indulgence one day could keep me from binge eating for the next week or so.
But it is really up to you. The question I always ask myself way in advance is, “Will I feel like I missed out enough to make me want to cheat for the entire week after or will I be satisfied eating well?”
The good, the bad and the simply stupid
When I was doing my low-fat diet a few years ago, Ryan and I would watch Man vs. Food and plan out our next cheat. Our meals simply weren’t satisfying. We actually watched a ton of food shows or “food porn” as many of us call them.
Right now Jamie, Tucker, and baby Cooper! are watching Man vs. Food. They just showed a huge Cinnamon Roll and I have to say, my belly started hurting just looking at the 3 pound monstrosity. WOW! What a difference between my current diet and my previous low-fat one! I’m pretty much ALWAYS satisfied!
Welcome home baby Cooper! Congrats Jamie and Tucker!
The Good
- You CAN eat pretty healthily even if you eat out. Here are a few of our quick and easy meals out since coming to Cali.
Homemade corn tortilla tacos (steak shrimp, carnitas) and a protein style hamburger. LETTUCE BUN!
- See I’m not the only one that claims you can eat healthy on a budget!
- I also thought it was cool to see a number of recent articles and posts against vegetable oils and in favor of cooking with natural fats!
- An interesting article especially for any trainers out there – what and how we can motivate people to exercise!
The Bad
- Uhm seriously!?! We need to adopt a vegetarian diet or we will face a food shortage crisis!?! HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA!
- So Statins really don’t have any benefit…Yet half of our nation is taking them….(This article is good…the whole fact that it even needs to be written is bad.)
The Simply Stupid
- So Sunday night Ryan and I ate pizza for the first time in over two months. Right now we are living with cats and I’ve had problems with allergies and cats in the past. I haven’t had any trouble with allergies while I’ve eaten Primally. BUT Monday after the pizza, not only did I feel swollen, dehydrated and sick, I also had ALLERGIES. Of course a return to my version of Primal got rid of them quickly, but still the whole experience was eye-opening. The reason this whole story is under stupid is because many people are too lazy or stupid to go without gluten for any extended period of time and see if they feel better without it. I guarantee they will! Health issues they just accepted before, like allergies, may just go away!!!
- READ THE INGREDIENT LABELS PEOPLE!!!!! Soybean oil and other crap is hidden in random products. You may have gone Primal, but if you are still eating some of these products laden with hidden gluten and vegetable oil, you may not be reaping all of the benefits! Check your spices even! Some may not be simply the herb or spice!
Macro THEN Micro-Managing
Today I saw a guy in about his early 60s walk out of 24 Hour Fitness. He had a beer belly hanging out from beneath his nice tight spandex Nike shirt.
And while this picture made me shake my head what made my jaw drop was the fact that this overweight guy, with relatively little muscle, in his 60s was carrying a huge jar of N.O.-Xplode in his hand.
N.O.-Xplode is a nitric oxide booster and dilates your blood vessels to supposedly help deliver all of the extra CRAP the supplement has in it to your tissues quicker.
Some people say it enhances their workouts. Others just feel ill from the rapid heart beat that can follow a dose of N.O.-Xplode.
Really though it is one of those supplements that the average Joe shouldn’t even be worrying about. (I mean I don’t think even the fitness models and athletes should take it, but that is a totally different discussion).
But that is what average people do. They buy supplements and diet stuff that the super in shape models use instead of working on their base program first.
They overcomplicate things instead of focusing on a few solid basics.
This 60-year-old man didn’t need a diet supplement. He needed a new workout program and a solid diet of whole, natural foods.
But the diet supplement was a simpler solution. An easier solution.
One that won’t work.
He is focusing on micromanaging his diet. Supplements are for those people who have a solid diet and workout program and may be looking to get off that last 1% of body fat (of course I don’t think even these people need them, BUT if anyone does they do).
Everyone besides these fitness models and elite athletes shouldn’t even go near any supplements. First, they need to focus on the macronutrient proportions in their diets. They need to focus on eating only nutrient dense carbs, whole, natural sources of protein and lots of good fat. WHOLE NATURAL FOODS!
Build a solid base and then once you have seen results from that, then start getting closer to micro-managing every last thing.
Because if you don’t, you’ll be that 60-year-old man walking out of the gym with your belly hanging out and the latest supplement in your hand.
And in three years, if he hasn’t given up by then, he will be three years older and still walking out of 24 Hour Fitness with the newest supplement. His beer belly still hanging out from below his tight Nike spandex shirt.
Has your diet evolved?
I think the sign of a good diet is whether or not it has evolved, even just a little bit, from when you started it.
It doesn’t have to be one or the other!
When you first start a diet, you should stick to the guidelines laid out as strictly as possible because that way you know if the principles work.
But most of the time the guidelines laid out by that other person, aren’t perfect for you. So either you end up giving up on the diet OR you start evolving the diet to better work for you.
I started out doing the Primal diet as Mark had it laid out. But slowly I made my own changes.
At first apples and almond butter were a staple snack to replace the apples and peanut butter I had been eating. Now….I can’t even remember the last time I ate them as a snack.
At first I also didn’t eat rice and potatoes. I ate nuts and fruit and vegetables as my only carbs. But then when I wanted to really cut body fat, I stopped eating as many nuts (actually I basically only eat macadamia nuts now) and started carb cycling with rice and potatoes.
Recently though, I haven’t eaten any potatoes. Instead I’ve had a very little bit of white rice and homemade corn tortillas. Although corn isn’t recommended in Primal, I’ve found that having tacos with corn tortillas as kept me from really cheating otherwise. And my energy levels have felt great, my workouts have been intense and my body composition has actually improved.
I also used to eat a lot more cheese when I first started Primal. Slowly cheese became more of a treat and less of a staple. I no longer need the cheese each day to keep me sane.
That is really what experimenting with your diet is all about – staying sane while being healthy.
You don’t want to deprive yourself of something you love to the extent that you complete give up on a healthy lifestyle. Remember the 80/20 rule – perfection is only required 80% of the time to reach your goals.
You need to find what works for you.
How many carbs do you need? Do you crave sweets or can you not live without your cheese?
All diets can and SHOULD be adjusted to fit YOUR needs.
How has your healthy diet evolved since you started it? What changes have you made to keep yourself dedicated to an overall healthy lifestyle? What do you allow in your 20%?
Farmers Market
So off course not everything is healthy at the farmers market.
There are people selling baked goods and chips and popcorn. But at least everything is fresh, local or homemade!
Ryan and me at the farmers market today with his dad.
Most of the food is from no further away than a few hours. And a lot of it, like the peaches, was literally just picked yesterday. No pesticides. No preservatives. Straight to from the farm to your table (or your belly if you are like me and want to eat it all right away).
I love the fact that everything is so fresh at the farmers market. I love that everything is local. I love that everything is grown without chemicals and evil farming practices. I love that everything is as natural as can be.
But most of all I love that everything tastes so darn good and is picked and sold exactly when it is in season.
In season….that isn’t really a word that concerns us much any more when it comes to foods.
I mean something is in season somewhere right? So we can always have it.
I do wonder though how much better off we’d be if we only ate foods that were in-season at that time. Granted it would stink depending on where you live, but still.
They do tend to taste a whole heck of a lot better when they are in-season and local. Just look at those peaches and strawberries. I can tell you for sure they are sweet and juicy and delicious!
What do you think? Do you try to eat fruits and veggies that are in-season? Or do you not care? And are you as obsessed with your local farmers market as I am?
Happy Saturday Man Bicepers! Sorry that I’ve been missing in action. Back to more regular posting this week!
Man Bicep 