Extreme Calories and "Leanwashing"

I found a couple of good resources over the past few days.  First, the Center for Science in the Public Interest came out with its Xtreme Eating 2013 "Awards".  After reading this, I can't think of any reasons why calorie counts and some nutritional information shouldn't be printed on every restaurant's menus.  It reminds me of when I was psyching myself up to start a diet and exercise regimen and I went into Chipotle.  They had just put new menu boards up with calorie counts, and I was mortified to find that a "side" of chips and salsa almost doubled the calorie value of my lunch.  At the time I had no idea that chips and salsa could have almost as many calories as a burrito.  Not, a bowl, mind you, a BURRITO.  Point being, I knew then, even before I was committed to weight loss, that I would never order chips and salsa again.  Thank you, Chipotle, for posting calorie counts on your menu!!  Anyway, read the CSPI Xtreme Eating 2013 Awards, and remember, these are just some of the most offensive restaurant items at some of the bigger chains.

The other link I'm sharing deals with one of my pet peeves, which I just found out actually has a name.  This insidious enemy is called "leanwashing," which refers to producers marketing their packaged foods as healthy, light, natural, etc, etc, when they are anything but. You know "Fruit Loops...now made with Whole Grains!" Turns out there's an entire website dedicated to spotting leanwashing and enabling consumers to rate leanwashing claims on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 passing muster and 5 being utter bullshit). And that website links to a bunch of great resources as well.  My rule of thumb is that if food comes in a box or a can--with some exceptions--just don't buy it!  But when you do occasional stray into the interior of the grocery store, and if you are considering buying something in a box or can, this is a great place to help evaluate all those health claims, not to mention all the helpful links on the site as well.

Now, after you've read about all this crap, here's a nice picture of VEGETABLES to center your qi (yes, I just used a Scrabble word, thank you very much!):

Advice (Not Mine) for the Vegan-Contemplative

 I really enjoy Tara Parker-Pope's work at the New York Times Well Column.  It looks like she's decided to try a Vegan diet and is sharing some tips on how to go about it. Most people know my inclinations are omnivorous, and Veganism is not for me, but there a many compelling reasons to consider it.  I think for some people it's great.  My success has come on a diet of lots of protein and lots of vegetables.  Grains and starches--even whole grains--don't really work for me, so if I went full-on vegan I would pretty much have to eat nothing but beans and veggies all the time. 

That said, I seem to have a growing number of Vegan friends who are quite happy with their diet and with whom I would dine any time because they cook wholesome, delicious meals.  I'm also encountering a growing number of people who are practicing flexible veganism.  Their predominant dietary choices are vegan meals, but they will occasionally eat outside that spectrum.  If you're thinking about veganism, that kind of flexibility may be the way to ease into it.

More about my diet and others coming soon!

In the meantime, here's a nice little Vegan Food Pyramid:

Back at the Blog (and some personal musings)

So last week I let the blog drift a bit, not to mention my gym regime, especially in light of my weekend trip down to San Diego.  I am determined to get back at both items full steam ahead this week.  I've been talking to people a lot about what they're eating (or not eating) as part of their fitness plan, and I'll be writing about the challenges of figuring out what works as the dietary component of fitness.

In the meantime, I'm taking up some column inches here to say congratulations to my friends Brian and Elspeth, whose wedding we celebrated this weekend in San Diego.  It was a beautiful wedding and an entire weekend full of good company and good cheer, so I really do want to take a moment from my own soapbox here to thank Brian's and Elspeth's families for hosting a truly joyful celebration.

Brian and Elspeth

And as it relates to this particular blog, I came away from the wedding with this piece of advice:  no matter what your goals are, or what kind of journey you're on, the support and comfort of your family and friends are essential to getting there.  When you're frustrated and tired, they can help you keep going. And when you have a victory, they will be there to celebrate with you.  That's the spirit of what this blog is about: building a community of family and friends who will support and empower each other on their health and fitness journey.  I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to be part of Brian and Elspeth's wedding as an exemplar of the power of family and friends in any journey. 

This is Your Brain on Exercise

A great piece from the NYT Well Blog--via the always interesting @JessKZ on Twitter--exploring the evolutionary link between exercise and human intelligence.

Your Life in Minutes Infographic

Interesting Infographic from Men's Health on just how much time you're adding to or subtracting from your life span with certain activities.  Via @ahulse on Twitter

Food for Thought

This article from the New York Times scared the hell out of me when I first read it shortly after beginning to lose weight. But fear is a pretty good motivator, so I decided I was going to buck the trend.  Science be damned! 

While it's somewhat soul-crushing to know that there are numerous biological factors working against weight loss success, I decided I was glad to know my enemy.  Because I read this early in my process, I better understood the challenges I would probably face, and was able to recognize early on that I couldn't just lose 30 lbs (my goal at the time) and traipse merrily back to a "normal" diet.  Almost immediately after reading this, when people asked me how long I was going to be on a diet, I started answering, "The rest of my life." 

So, yeah, "The Fat Trap" is frightening and depressing, but it may have ultimately helped me buck the odds.  And you know what...if my statistical chances of keeping the weight off approach zero over time, it's not the end of the world.  The benefits of what I've done for my health now are probably going to extend my life.  If age, hormones, and metabolism gradually pack it back on over the next 25 years, my health and quality of life will have been better for it.

Breakfast: The First Commandment

The first principle of the gospel of weight loss is "Eat Breakfast."  Since I'm cribbing religious language anyway, I would go so far as to call it The First Commandment.  It was also one of the first hurdles I had to overcome.

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a morning person.  My morning routine since I left home at 18 was get up, get ready, and get out the door in under 30 minutes, all while mostly still half asleep.  My problem was never doughnuts or fast food, it was the fact that my body found the very idea of digesting anything other than coffee (with cream and sugar of course) before 11:00 a.m. kind of revolting. 

I talk a lot about how I had to trick myself into losing weight, and this probably applies to breakfast more than anything.  I figured it out after some trial and error, and now I can't imagine not waking up hungry and ready for breakfast, or what I would do without the energy it gives me.  So, how did I trick myself into being a breakfast person?

Well, I violated a different rule: "Don't drink your calories."  I knew my stomach could handle liquid in the morning, so I started making smoothies.  The usual recipe was to throw a cup of almond milk, half a frozen acai berry smoothie pack, and a handful of blueberries and strawberries into the blender.  Quick and delicious.  And I loved the energy I suddenly had in the morning.  After a couple months, I graduated to Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, also quick and delicious.  The big breakthrough came when i transitioned to either oatmeal with some berries and a scoop of whey protein powder or a 2 egg-white/1 whole egg scramble with a couple of slices of turkey bacon. Not as quick, but certainly delicious.  As for the oatmeal, you can make it in a larger batch and just pop some in the microwave in the morning...voila.  (Although I didn't say it explicitly quick/instant oatmeal is gross, and not nearly as good for you as "real" oatmeal).  Just make sure not to load your oatmeal up with milk and sugar.  I put in the protein powder, fresh berries, and sometimes, if it's a little thick, I add some almond milk.

I have also gotten quite handy at separating egg whites and egg yolks.  I am not a master omelette flipper, so I tend to go for a simple scramble, sometimes maybe with a little parmesan and some spinach, and maybe mushrooms if I'm feeling ambitious, dressed with a generous dose of Tapatio or Sriracha.  Served with a side of turkey bacon, it's my favorite breakfast at home.

My favorite dine-out breakfast is an egg-white Protein Scramble from Rachel's Kitchen, hold the potatoes, with gluten-free toast, and lots of Tapatio.  You can substitute fruit for the potatoes, but it's mostly melon, which doesn't really have much redeeming value, so I never eat it anyway.

Traveling always wreaks havoc on breakfast, and every other meal, so I'm really interested in what people eat on the road.  One time I was all set to grab a Yogurt Parfait at an airport Starbuck's.  Until I read the nutrition label and the calorie count.  It may sound ridiculous, but the best quick, portable breakfast I have found is an Egg McMuffin from Mickey D's, with the top part of the English Muffin removed.  Lots of protein and automatic portion control, but you do  have to mind your sodium and cholesterol for the rest of the day. 

Workout Apps

Fitocracy, My Fitness Pal, etc, etc.  There is clearly a market for fitness apps out there.  Despite my tech savvy, I have to admit that for the last year I have been counting calories in my head.  It's kind of a Rain Man thing I can do, but just about everything I read says you need to account for everything.   So I'm thinking about an app.  Part of me is just Luddite enough to want to journal and count with pen and paper, but I'm curious what apps people are using.  I downloaded My Fitness Pal around Thanksgiving, but I used it for about three days...it just seemed like kind of a pain in the ass to look find and enter the foods I was eating.  Of course, it was free, and you get what you pay for.  Any recommendations?

LAT: "52 Ways to Leave Your Blubber"

I already shared this article from the LA Times on Facebook today, but it is chock-full of practical suggestions for cooking, eating, and exercising.  One for every week of the year, in fact.  Rene Lynch did a great job on this piece, and I like that The Times is promoting the use of #LATFit to build an online fitness community.  I really hope it's a success. 

New Year New Blog

Happy New Year!  I can't believe it's been almost a year since I made a vague commitment to eat better and exercise more.  And I say "almost" a year because it was kinda sorta a New Year's resolution, but I had to trick myself to make sure I didn't just blow it off.  So I started in February.  The day after the Super Bowl actually.  I guess I needed those final wings and nachos to stiffen my resolve.  But, hey, it worked.  I am a statistical anomaly.  I made up my own diet and exercise program as I went and I lost a lot of weight.  I am healthier and in better shape at 42 than I have ever been in my life.  But my journey is far from over.  This year, the plan is to lose more fat and build more muscle after a year of really focusing on fat burn.  But there's also a bigger plan, and that's where the blog comes in.

Something really motivating happened to me yesterday.  Someone told me that following my fitness journey on Facebook and seeing the results I was getting inspired them to lose 50 pounds.  It wasn't the first time I heard people say I was inspiring (or more often "guilting") them into making some positive health changes. And I can't even begin to express how supportive people have been in social media.  It's been like having an online cheer leading squad.  But yesterday was the first time someone actually wrote the words "You inspired me to..." And it made me feel really good.  It also made me think about how important my online community supporters, my Facebook "journaling," and general networking and support have been to me.  Then the light bulb came on over my head.  I am evangelical about health and wellness, I love giving unsolicited advice, I'm not a bad writer, and it's a New Year, which means a bunch of people are going to start up this journey I began last year.  Maybe there's something I can contribute, like a BLOG!  A place where I and others can share goals,stories, some best practices, menus and recipes, workout ups and downs, and product reviews. If I just inspired one person with some Facebook updates, what might a whole online community of people working toward better health and fitness be able to do for each other?

There are lots of fitness blogs out there and that's cool by me because every journey to better health and nutrition is different.  My story is my own, but if it can help anybody, I'm obligated to tell it.  And believe me this isn't the fitness blog for the person who is looking for gym-shredded perfection and the willpower to never eat another M & M in their life.  But it is for people who want to make positive, permanent changes to their diet and exercise habits that will result in the best you you can be. 

There will be lots more coming soon...this is definitely a work in progress.  And I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for guest bloggers who can share some of their stories, so hit me up if you're interested!  Happy New Year!
-TBrock