Food for thought

[Tom Faigle]

There are several things you can do. They include protien shakes. Buy some, and get a mixer cup, that way you only have to add water. Or you can grab some fruit, cereal, or other "portable" food. Just get some "extra" the day before and have some when you get up. The trick is to get inventive and do what works for you. I'm sure if you think about it a little and do a little experimenting you'll find lots of solutions.

Tom

[Bill Glasheen]

Tom's got the right idea. But I wouldn't limit it to a protein shake per se.

I keep Zone Bars in my kitchen at home for myself and the young boys for quick snacks. They follow the 40/30/30 formula, and give you a small snack that'll keep your energy going. Balance bars do the same, but I don't much care for the flavor and texture of the things. EAS also makes these kinds of 40/30/30 bars.

Forget Power bars...they are ubiquitous but they'll break your teeth and I don't care for the composition.

Stay away from "low carb" bars and shakes. That's the Atkin's diet junk. It's designed to keep you in a constant state of ketosis.

Zone shakes (or any 40/30/30 equivalent) are better because they don't have the saturated fats that the zone bars have. In case you didn't know, a fat must be saturated to be a solid at room temperature, which is why "bars" aren't going to be as healthy when they contain any amount of fat. But bars are so convenient.

I'd recommend a quick zone shake or zone bar just when you get up, get your workout, and then do breakfast.

Most of the 7-11s around here carry the zone bars, and occasionally even the cans of zone shakes. You can get a better selection at health food stores; they have lots of flavors. You can even get a powdered form that you can mix with water, which I am guessing has the healthier kinds of fats.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

A few sites worth contemplating here...

ZonePerfect

Balance

EAS website

- Bill



[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited November 08, 2002).]

[krymrgn]

Hi chef/Vicki-

Awesome book re all this is called "Fit for Life" old- but I can find the author for you if you'd like. Also- as people get older your metabolism completely changes and half the time you don't even realize it- Uechi training has helped me take off 30 pounds- reletively quickly- but it isn't easy. In a recent doctors app for my hub- we found out that as men/ in particular, age, their abdoman muscles (excuse sp please) "thin-out" so to speak. I thought that sounded odd, and was curious as to the best way to counter act that- (question for Mr. G- I spose) But most of all- the best thing I've personally found- aside from all the work out stuff, and all that- is water. Drink a ton- you'll loose a ton. I really have to push myself to do this- but it doesn't just help weight- helps sinuses- helps digestion- weight control too- everything. Everyone says- drink water- and I have to admitt- it really is the way to "go" LOL..

K-
(krymrgn@hotmail.com- for the book)

[Tom Faigle]

Kerry,

"Fit for Life" or "Body for Life"? BFL is a good begineers book. MOST of the stuff is ok. He has a few things that aren't considered right, like working out BEFORE eating. And a bunch of hints to push EAS products.

Glasheen Sensei,

The things I suggested were just ideas. The other things you added sound great also. BTW, AST ( http://www.ast-ss.com/) is another company to consider for supplements.

Tom

[krymrgn]

The book I was referring to is "Fit for Life" and mostly talks about what to eat, and when to eat it to get the best use out of it. Like The author- says that eating fruit - as much as you want, until noon, only fruit, just until noon, will best bennefit your body because of what it's doing at that time- pasta at night- nothing after 10 I think- It talks about the digestion- what your body is doing at night while you sleep. Stuff like that-

The authors are Harvey and Marilyn Diamond- He does mention aerobic excersize- and does say that in the morning is a good time though. He mostly emphasizes that 20 minutes a day of "excersize" will bennefit your body the best.

K

[Tom Faigle]

Kerry, thanks. That's what I thought, but I wanted to be sure (just in case of a typo or a mistake).

Tom

[Bill Glasheen]

The time-of-day thing is interesting... You can work out in the morning and peak your metabolism for the rest of the day. Or, you can work out in the evening and have your metabolism peaked all night long. That's fine, but you may have problems sleeping. I dunno... I think it's best to find a time of day that suits you and not worry about it too much. It's more important to work out in the first place than obsess about doing a workout in a manner that doesn't suit your personal lifestyle.

The length of workout thing Vicki refers to is interesting. Adam touched on it in his post. Basically you want to build good tissue (like muscles, tendons, ligaments), store readily available energy (glycogen) and keep the undesirable tissue (like fat) to an ideal amount. By the way, you need SOME fat... But most people on this earth don't have a problem with too little fat on their bodies. That's a problem mostly found in teenage girls dealing with neurotransmitter imbalances and wacky societal messages.

The body's anabolic (building) vs. catabolic (tearing down) processes are in constant dynamic tension with each other. Hormones like testosterone build beneficial muscle, whereas hormones like cortisol tear it down. Eating and training in a manner to get your body to do what you want it to do (without major pharmaceutical help) is an artform. Mother Nature and your genetic tendencies will try to fight you. There's a reason why our bodies like to make fat; once upon a time, feast and famine were a way of life.

The reason to keep your blood sugar constant is to keep your body from thinking that this is famine time. When it goes into famine mode, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) drops. When that happens, you will gain weight just by looking at chocolate cake. This is a survival mechanism that is no longer necessary. In any case, this is a reason NOT to crash diet. All you do is make it easier to get fat.

The key to energy storage (as fat vs. glycogen) has a lot to do with a concept called the glycemic index. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100. A certain bolus of it will cause a certain known effect on your insulin (sugar regulation) system when you take it on an empty stomach. Different carbohydrates have different glycemic indices. The glycemic index of a carbohydrate drops when you combine it with a protein, fat, or fiber in a meal.

Combining a protein with a carbohydrate keeps your body from spiking insulin. And you need the protein. A spike of insulin will make you store sugar as fat, and then make you hungry as heck a little later when your blood sugar drops.

A good rule of thumb about the carbohydrate vs. protein vs. fat... The experts say that you should consume them in calorie equivalents of 40/30/30. This is consistent with the Barry Sears "Zone" diet. That will vary a little by age and what you are trying to do, but it's a good starting point. If you look on nutritional labels, they often have calorie equivalents of those three components. In any case, you want to have a little of each with a meal.

I realize that the Atkin’s diet people like to shun the carbohydrates and eat just protein and fat. That's fine; you'll lose weight on that diet. But it has its consequences, and most people can't eat like that forever. When you get off the diet, WATCH OUT!

As for the length of workout thing, that has to do with the hormones your body will release subsequent to training. You get the maximum anabolic effect when you work out INTENSELY for an hour, and then rest. If you work out longer, you send a message to your body that it needs to tear tissue down. A marathon runner looks like...a marathon runner, and for good reason. Such a body will be capable of a moderate effort for a long period of time. Such a body will NOT be capable of explosive movement, or weather the effects of a strong attack.

If you work out casually for an hour, you will probably improve your social contacts in the local gym but...you won't be doing much to make yourself strong and increase your BMR.

Obviously this can get very complicated.

One final note. The best way to become an "expert" in nutrition is to be famous for some reason other than food, and have somebody approach you about writing your own "diet" book. 'Nuff said.

- Bill

[chef]

Have any of you out there tried the Pilates work outs? If so, did you get fairly fast results? I have heard some really good things about these workouts.

Vicki

[Jackie Olsen]

How's this for a diet?

Jack LaLanne at 88
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - With 88 years behind him and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, fitness guru Jack LaLanne remains busy and energized. "How many of you have a disease called flabbyseatitus?" LaLanne asked about 100 men and women as he led them through a workout Friday at the Arthritis Institute of the Desert Regional Medical Center. His secret to longevity? Routine. Up at 5 a.m. to lift weights and swim for two hours. Breakfast is soy milk with 50 grams of protein powder; lunch consists of four egg whites and six raw vegetables. Supper is fish, 10 raw vegetables and a couple of glasses of wine. LaLanne said others can keep fit like him if they pass on caffeine, sugar and cigarettes. "Would you get your dog up in the morning and give it coffee, cigarettes and doughnuts?"

[gmattson]

Tia likes cigars!

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GEM

[This message has been edited by gmattson (edited November 11, 2002).]

[Ted Dinwiddie]

Couple of things about Atkins...

I started down that road and did alot of reading and evaluating vis a vis my personal makeup (psychologically as well as physically). I concluded that my weight problems were not going to be solved by Dr. Atkins' Program. Having said that, I still see alot of innacurate and unfair information promulgated about what is and is not part of his program.

First of all, most people who talk about his stuff haven't actually read all of his book(s) all the way through. Many of the comments and critiques are addressed, if you can wade through the rah, rah crap.

The diet is three phases: Induction, Continuing Weight Loss, and Maintenance.

Most people stop at the Induction phase (which is only supposed to be two weeks long). This is a a period of shocking your system into finding a new source of energy, which ends up being your body fat. It is extreme and only meant to be maintained for a short time.

The next phase (continuing weight loss) is where you BEGIN to progress toward a more balanced diet. If you quit the diet after the Induction phase your body responds by storing those carbs away even faster, especially if you have maintained this phase for longer than the two weeks. There is a gradual process of phasing in a more normal diet over months. The end result theoretically being your particular dietary balance of carbohydrate content in your diet and a level of health from which you can begin to thrive again.

All the extreme stuff we hear on the "news" is incomplete and innaccurate.

This is not to say that this diet is something that works for all of us.

Atkins is a Cardiologist. In his clinic he was treating obese, sedentary people with heart problems. The single biggest thing they needed to do was lose weight by reducing body fat. This where his diet comes from. Induce starvation without killing people. These were people whose systems were already so out of wack that extreme measures were needed. Somewhere along the line he jumped on the fad diet bandwagon and became a millionaire with all his special "Atkins Diet" crap.

It is also interesting to note that in his book, the subject of exercise is hardly mentioned. The book essentially says that exercise will help the process, but is not essential for it to work. Regular exercise is given credit for being something you should do, but not critical for the success of his program.

This is where I realized the "Atkins Diet" was not the correct approach for me personally. I love to exercise. I found my energy level was terrible. I found my urge to move and be active was reduced. I could feel a sludgy imbalance to my chi (I wrote that with a clenched sphincter). I realized that he had developed this diet for fat, non-moving, heart patients who were going to die anyway and had nothing to lose.

The concept of eliminating carb excess is correct I think, and our culture is not conducive to good eating (or exercise) habits either. Atkins' program is intended for those who fall into the extreme end of that disfunction and I think it has served many of them well. Its' portrayal as a panacea for overconsuming hedonists is a shame.

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ted

"I learn by going where I have to go." - Theodore Roethke

[This message has been edited by Ted Dinwiddie (edited November 11, 2002).]

[Bill Glasheen]

I got a snicker out of this today. This isn't "news" to me. I hear people rationalize their bad habits all the time. Seeing the broad data (as opposed to observing the anecdotes) really drives it home.

Americans with bad habits claim 'excellent' health

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Ted

Very well stated... Thanks.

I will tell you, however, that there are quite a few Atkins folks that stay on the low to zero carb diet ad infinitim. They SAY they feel great. If you read Undaunted Courage (about the Lewis and Clark expedition), you will see that those men that essentially dragged a boat up to the origin of the Missouri river lived on an Atkins diet. Once they hit the plains, they shot and ate anything that moved, and didn't eat much else. Those boys were lean and mean...

There's really quite a bit of controversy amongst the gurus. On the other extreme among cardiologists is Dean Ornish's diet, which calls for people reducing fat content down to 5% of total calories (accomplished essentially by going vegetarian) and practicing yoga. My take is that Dean Ornish thinks Atkins is the devil reincarnated. The issue isn't weight per se, but rather the lipid profile and the long-term effects of a high fat diet (like risk for various cancers). Back when people didn't live very long, this wasn't an issue. There were whole hunter/gatherer civilizations that lived quite nicely on a modified Atkins. Now that people live long enough to have heart attacks and cancers of all variety, we have to consider what quality of life we will experience in our latter years.

The truth is that we don't know everything. There's a long-term study going on now as I type that's designed to look at short and long term consequences of various diets (Atkins, Ornish, Sears, et al).

And no, they aren't looking at diets you read about in the various supermarket magazines or "health food" sections of stores. Buyer beware on all those diet books; most are written by people that don't have the qualifications to even begin to know what they are talking about. Before going on any "diet" or lifestyle change, check the credentials of the source. This stuff is extremely complex, even for the experts.

Kerry

The water thing (about 8 glasses a day) is the secret ingredient of any decent diet. It actually has a multi-layered effect, but the execution is simple and cheap.

George

I can't imagine that ANYBODY - not even Tia - smokes in YOUR house... Must be a beef jerky cigar or something.

- Bill