Gaining to lose

Tags

clara k.showalter, fitness, gastric bypass, health, lap-band, life, weight loss

In a world which at times seems focused on weight loss, there are those who are so desperate to lose weight that they chose to gain it first.

Gastric bypass surgery and less invasive options like Lap-Band can seem like magic bullets. The weight loss post surgery is drastic. You may even hear a recipient of the surgery call it a miracle. As the push for surgery as an option grows, the companies providing the technology have pushed for changes in the regulations. Earlier this year, the FDA changed the requirements for Lap-Band surgery and lowered the Body Mass Index (BMi) requirement. By changing the BMI needed for surgery to between 30-35, more people are eligible to receive insurance coverage to pay for the surgery.

This means you find more people looking for ways to gain enough weight to qualify for the surgery. By engaging in binge eating, potential candidates hope they will gain the few needed pounds that will qualify them for surgery.

I’ve had friends over the past few years who’ve expressed similar interest. If they gain enough weight, they may qualify for surgery. It always boggles my mind. I had to work darned hard to get my weight off. I’ve had to work hard to keep it off. I know the process isn’t easy. I know that you’ve got to fail in order to lose and keep it off.

There are no magic solutions. There’s no easy path. My heart breaks a bit when I see people who think the only way to get the weight off is to make things worse.

Eating healthy on a budget

Tags

$35 a week, eating, fitness, health, life, lifestyle, nutrition

A recent research study presented data which indicates that eating healthy adds on average $380 a year to the household grocery bill. This started a series of discussions about the viability of eating healthy if you are on a restricted budget.

My default reaction is to call shenanigans and start picking the study apart. Thinking about it further, I’ve reconsidered. Sure the study was done in a very affluent neighborhood where the default store options are Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The deeper message has gotten misplaced. How do you eat healthy on a budget? Is it really possible to do this?

Since I’m coming home to a fairly empty fridge, this is an excellent week to start this off and see how it works. I’ve set a target budget of $35 a week for food. This week’s purchases:

2.5 pounds of chicken breasts- $6.00

4 cans tuna fish- $3.50

4 bags mixed frozen veggies- $4.00

1 bag black beans- $.99

1 lb tomatoes- $1.97

Fresh mozzarella cheese- $4.00

3/4 lb stew meat- $2.75

Plan yogurt- $3.00

—

I’ve got assorted frozen veggies in my freezer, and a selection of flour and grain products in my pantry. The idea is to mix and match to create interesting eating options, while also aiming towards healthy eating. It should prove to be interesting.

Fitness and health news of the week

Tags

clara k.showalter, clara showalter, diet, fitness, health, linkdump, links, news, wellness

Presented without comment. These are some of the articles I’ve read this week which caught my attention.

Zumba away, but avoid injury

Can too little sleep make you gain weight?

Mixed Martial Arts makes inroads in baseball training

Would you like a shake with that workout?

Modest reduction in carbs can help you lose body fat

If you lose weight, you need a new diet strategy

Each one reach one: Mid-Mo Fitness

Tags

abbott labs, body for life, champion, clara k.showalter, clara showalter, coach roz, cross-fit, debbie rosslan, eas, fitness, health, jefferson city, mid-mo fitness, wellness

Debbie Rosslan is a school physical education in Jefferson City, Missouri. She’s the perfect embodiment of the Body-for-Life philosophy. You see, it’s not just about how you can make yourself better. It’s about how you help others reach their potential.

She’s been using the Body-for-Life program for a few years now. Along the way, she realized that in order to keep building her own best body and life, she needed to grow. For her that growth came via Cross-fit. Cross-fit is a very intense and demanding workout system which integrates body weight movements, high intensity cardiovascular work, gymnastics, and strength training. Debbie enjoyed these workouts and quickly realized that they could have a positive impact on the kids in her physical education classes.

Putting her students through mini Cross-fit style workouts allowed Debbie to challenge them and teach them valuable lessons about pushing through adversity. Her passion and intensity carried over to the parents of these students. Soon she found herself running boot camp style workouts for these parents.  She also started doing Body-for-Life orientation workshops to help people get started on a lifetime of fitness.

Her passion, desire and heart are clearly making an impact on students and their families. I had the pleasure of spending a little time with Debbie this past weekend in Dallas. She was in town working to obtain her Cross-fit Kids certification. Her intensity and enthusiasm are contagious.

In the best tradition of Body-for-Life, Debbie is living the life of a champion. She’s not only walking the walk, she is reaching out to help others along the way. She’s not willing to settle for average. She’s encouraging the people around her to be unwilling to settle either. She’s going to continue making a big difference in the lives of Jefferson City residents.

That’s the definition of a champion. It’s not about what you win, it’s about what you share with others.

If you’re in the Jefferson City area, check out one of Coach Roz’s boot camps. It may be just the thing to help you change your own body and life.

What is food?

Tags

diet, food rules, health, michael pollan, what is food

Mirriam- Webster defines food as, " material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy; also : such food together with supplementary substances (as minerals, vitamins, and condiments). By that definition, a wide range of consumable items qualify as food. 

The folks at Oxford Dictionary define food as, "any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth." With the addition the word nutritious, the meaning of food changes. 

In the last several years, we've added a value qualifier to the word food. There's an argument made that products which are designed for consumer to consume don't meet the definition of food. That's one of Pollan's  key arguments in his Food Rules concept. Pollan argues that these "food like substances" are not real food. They are chemical concoctions designed by scientists, not designed by nature. 

Yet depending on the definition you chose, these designer consumables are indeed food. They combine protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals into a substance used to sustain growth, repair the body, and support various vital processes. After all, the commercially designed feed that goes into pigs, cows and chickens does indeed fulfill those requirements. 

So if we proceed to add the word nutritious into the mix, it appears on face to change things up. Nutritious comes from the word nourish, meaning to "nutrure or rear, or to promote the growth of."  So nutritious leads us to look at food types as foods which promote growth or encourage. There's a positive value associated with them. 

So how do we associate these values with the things we eat? Is blowfish, a fish valued for the toxin it produces, better for you than a cheeseburger from McDonald's? Why? The blowfish requires minimal preparation, yet prepared incorrectly it can lead to major illness or even death. The McDonald's cheeseburger won't kill you with the first bite. Are both items food? Are both items nutritious? What changes between the two?

There's no easy answer. At what point does human manipulation of an edible item change it from a nutritious food item to something else? Where do we draw the line?

Zero Coke

Tags

artificial sweeteners, diet, diet soda, fitness, food rules, health, michael pollan

So after some considerable reflection, it's looking like I need to put breaking up with diet soda into the challenge mix for this year. 

Let's be honest here. There's nothing redeeming about diet soda. It's a chemical stew of colorings and flavorings, combined with artificial sweeteners and phosphoric acid. There's nothing good in there. It's a pure vanity drink.  

Now I've got pretty firm views on food science. I can find studies which support both sides of most food related issues. So I don't fall into the "artificial sweeteners are evil" camp just yet.  I think in moderation most of this stuff is fine. The whole moderation thing is where you run into issues. When you are eating pounds of artificial sweeteners every month, that's not moderation. Same thing with soy or corn. In moderation, it's not an issue. Given that HFCS is seen all through our food supply, as is soy we've got issues. 

In this case it's not about the morality of health of the artificial sweeteners in the soda. It's about being honest. I made a decision that I was going to allow myself to use protein powder during this self challenge.  Eventually I imagine it will drop off the okay list. For now it's a good security blanket. If I'm ingesting the protein powder, I need to not also be ingesting the evil chemical laden soda too. 

That's the trade off. It's an either or situation. If I drink my sodas, I can't use the protein. Given that I'm also doing a fitness challenge right now, the protein is going to be more useful. So out the door it goes.  I've eliminated artificial sweeteners everywhere else. I don't use Splenda in my tea. I don't eat low sugar candy. So it's time to cut the final tie.

I am allowing myself sodas using real sugar if I like. The rule remains if I drink a soda, I don't get my protein powder as an option. Additionally, I don't happen to like to consume excessive amounts of liquid calories. So a soda once or twice a week moves back to "treat", not necessity. 

And so fades out the diet soda from my food list…bye bye soda!

Food Rules- BUSTED!

Tags

additives, fitness, food rules, health, michae pollan, sushi

I'm fuming. I just had a major food rules boo-boo. The irony, the break in rules occured with sushi. 

FISH. Fish and rice to be specific. Honest to pete, nothing is sacred. 

The set up- I decided that I wanted to kick off the weekend with a little fish. I hit my local H.E.B. grocery store and cruised over to the fish counter. Nothing really jumped out at me. (Which is good given that I didn't really want my food to jump at me.) So I shifted over to the sushi bar. I happen to like sushi. I'm still learning about it, but I've got no issues eating raw fish. Or raw beef. But I digress. 

I did a quick eyeball and bypassed the various California roll options and shifted towards the Deluxe Sushi box. I grabbed a tuna/salmon variant and wandered back up to the front for checkout. Came home, sat down for an early dinner and began to munch. 

As I chewed, I gave a passing thought to the label on my box. I was curious about calorie counts. So I flipped the box over and started reading. I'm running down the label (4g of carbs and 3g of protein per piece for those interested), and my eyes stray to ingredients. 

I see the words, "high fructose."

Big, flashing alarm bells go off. Whyfor is there high fructose ANYTHING in my fishies? 

I start piecing the label that I'd ripped off the box together. High fructose corn syrup in the vinegar. Potassium sorbate. Acetic acid. Aspartame.

… So not only is there fake sugar in my sushi, there's fake sweetener.

Yeah. The vinegar is used to prep the rice, so it's all through the meal. I mean that's the point of sushi. Fishy bits and the spiffy rice. Full of chemicals. One of which I work very hard to not ingest ever.

I know better. I am a devoted reader of labels. This caught me off guard. It's sushi. Not a chemical bomb. Yet within my humble fish I discovered a plethora of chemical non yummy.  

I finished the sushi. I've got issues not finishing meat products I've purchased no matter where they come from. I believe if an animal dies to be on my plate, I need to respect that death and not just throw it away.  So meat doesn't get tossed. But man am I ticked. Yes it's my fault, but yeeish! It's a fresh prepped item, it spoils, and it doesn't glow green in blacklight. It's what I'd tell my clients is a safe food option. 

Amazing how that perspective changes when you actually check what's in your food. 

Peanut Butter Bison Chili

Tags

bison chili, fitness, food rules, health, michael pollan

I honestly can't recall where I picked this recipe up. It's fallen into my stable of favorites. It's simple, yet provides endless room to improvise. 

1 pound ground bison

2 cups cooked beans of your choosing. I prefer black

2 cups chopped tomatoes (keep the liquid)

1/4 cup cilantro

2 tbs natural peanut butter

lime juice to taste

salt to taste

chili powder to taste

 

Brown the meat, toss it in with the beans and tomatoes. Add in the peanut butter, stick the whole thing on low and simmer. Spice to your own taste. 

Today's confession, I ended up using chopped tomatoes from a can. I'm getting rid of some of the stuff in the pantry. The tomatoes shouldn't have been a problem. Until you get to the chemical preservative in the tomatoes. Just goes to show, we've got the random chemicals in the oddest places. 

Rule #5- Don’t eat foods containing sugar in the top three ingredients

Tags

fitness, food rules, health, michael pollan, sugar

This is another clear no brainer.

By law, manufacturers are required to list ingredients by weight. So if the top three ingredients contain sugar, you can bet it's a significant part of the product.

(As a side note, I'm reaching a point where I wince at using the word product. I don't want product, I want food dangit!)

Now this seems clear and simple. Sugar is a treat food, plain and simple. It's not something the human body is used to consuming in bulk, it's designed as a source of quick energy, and bottom line is we eat way too much of in the US.

Thing is, the manufacturers are sneaky. There's a lot of ways to hide sugar. For example, this is a list of different types of sugar.

1. Barley malt
2. Beet sugar
3. Brown sugar
4. Buttered syrup
5. Cane juice crystals
6. Cane sugar
7. Caramel
8. Corn syrup
9. Corn syrup solids
10. Confectioner’s sugar
11. Carob syrup
12. Castor sugar
13. Date sugar
14. Demerara sugar
15. Dextran
16. Dextrose
17. Diastatic malt
18. Diatase
19. Ethyl maltol
20. Fructose
21. Fruit juice
22. Fruit juice concentrate
23. Galactose
24. Glucose
25. Glucose solids
26. Golden sugar
27. Golden syrup
28. Grape sugar
29. High fructose corn syrup
    
30. Honey
31. Icing sugar
32. Invert sugar
33. Lactose
34. Maltodextrin
35. Maltose
36. Malt syrup
37. Maple syrup
38. Molasses
39. Muscovado sugar
40. Panocha
41. Raw sugar
42. Refiner’s syrup
43. Rice syrup
44. Sorbitol
45. Sorghum syrup
46. Sucrose
47. Sugar
48. Treacle
49. Turbinado sugar
50. Yellow sugar

I imagine some of those caught your attention. Take a look at the boxes you have in the house again. Do you see rice syrup listed in the first three ingredients for a child breakfast cereal? Guess what- sugar. Yes it's "healthy", yes it's organic. It's still sugar, still in the top three ingredients and still needs to go the way of the dodo.

With that out of the way, I'm pleased to note that workouts are stringing together nicely. I've got a good rotation of daily walking combined with resistance work and interval training going. The battle with the dinner table still isn't getting easier. I think I'm about to institute a no television rule to go along with the must eat at a table rule.

So why get rid of high fructose corn syrup?

Tags

fitness, food rules, health, hfcs, high fructose corn syrup, michael pollan

When last we left our intrepid hero, she was ensuring that the last of her High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) containing items had been removed from the hacienda.

Now thankfully since I've been eating healthy for a good number of years now, the amount of HFCS in my house is minimal. Now odds are good you've been reading the news and watching tv over the last few years. You are aware that HFCS is a bit of a lightening rod food for folks. In some circles it's being touted as the food of the Devil! On the other hand you have the good folks with the Corn Lobby who insist that HFCS is a natural sweetener. Who's right? The answer is both of them.

First things first, high fructose corn syrup is indeed made from a naturally occurring product- corn. Said corn is taken through a series of steps in a factory setting. Those steps include, milling the corn, separating out the starch from other solids, adding naturally occurring enzymes, and finally filtration. 

You can safely say that HFCS is made from naturally occurring ingredients, but is not something found in nature. 

Now the research is still in progress about just how much of a negative impact HFCS makes on the human body. The picture is not clear yet that this particular form of sugar is worse for you then other forms of sugar. By that I mean there are not multiple, peer reviewed studies that clearly demonstrate a causal link. What can be stated is that HFCS is a wide spread source of additional sugar in many foods. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and a source of calories. Ingesting too many calories without enough exercise leads to growing waistlines.

For people looking to improve diet, cutting extra sugars is a great way to do just that. HFCS is also a product that was not on great gramma's shelf. (It was invented in 1957). So if you are looking to shift away from highly processed foods, looking for HFCS is a great way to do that too.

On face that seems easy yes? Did you take a look at your fridge for HFCS containing items?

Things you may have found-

Skinny Cow Ice Cream bars

Nutrigrain bars

Special K cereal

Yoplait Yogurt

Smuckers Grape Jelly

Clausen Pickle Relish

Ben and Jerry's ice cream

That's just a couple of the items you may find in your fridge. We won't even go into your sodas, assorted kinds of kid food, and salad dressings.

You've got a pile of stealth calories in those foods, several which masquerade as healthy food. No go. Just because a product is natural, that doesn't make it healthy. Remember, arsenic occurs in nature too. Not sure that's on my good eats list. 

Again, the research is still out on HFCS being the tool of the devil. At a minimum, for someone trying to eat healthy and lose weight you do not need those added sugars.