This morning I completed the first week of the Couch to 5K program. The first week alternates 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for 25 minutes. The workouts are three times a week, which with my schedule this week was Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday, but I'll probably start doing Mon-Wend-Fri in the weeks ahead. The first day I was able to finish with no problems, the second day I struggled a little but still finished. This morning I wasn't so lucky. I was sore before I even got started, I tried to stretch out really well since I thought I might not be stretching good enough but it didn't help. I struggled just to finish the 60 seconds of jogging. After 4 cycles of walking and jogging I had to stop and just walk the remaining time. At 290 pounds I really don't want to turn sore into injured.. my body is not used to this. I will probably repeat the week one cycles next week before I move on. How can I jog 90 seconds if I can't finish 60 seconds?
May 15th I will be doing the Greek Festival 5K here in Winston Salem, which will be about halfway through the training (Week 5) so hopefully that will help me monitor my progress. If I can jog even half the race and improve on my Lillie's Friends 5K time then I will be doing good.
July 17th, which will be about 3 weeks after I finish the program and will then just be training, will be my first competitive race. The Beat the Heat 5K in Winston Salem is a US Track and Field certified course and is the site of the NC 5K Championships. This is a real race with awards and prize money rather than a charity walk (not that I have anything against the charity run/walks, I love them). My plan for this race is to run the whole distance. Do I expect to win? Heck No.. do I expect to even finish top 50? Probably not, but if I can run the whole distance and post a time in say the 25 minute range (About an 8 minute per mile pace) then I will be doing good.
My friend Amanda, who started her own running craze and has inspired mine, is planning on running the 2011 Disney Full Marathon (she has completed two Half's). My long term goal is to join her in 2012. I will run the Half while she runs the Full. After that I may eventually run the full, but I just really cannot wrap my head around going from 345 pounds to running a half marathon in 2 years, so if I can do it that will be amazing.
My training today did not go well, but I'm not giving up!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Smart Option Low Fat Ice Cream and Baked Lays
I realized I had somewhat strayed from my original intent for this blog which was to give reviews and suggestions for low fat/healthy foods that still taste good. Well here is a few I have discovered recently.
Smart Option Low Fat Ice Cream:
Smart Option is a Food Lion private label brand, so apologies if you don't live in the Southeast, but most stores probably have a similar product. This ice cream is even lower in fat than the Kroger ice cream I reviewed as one of my first blogs. I've seen it in Vanilla, Chocolate and Neapolitan flavors. It also only costs 1.99 for 1.75 quarts.
For a serving of a half cup, this ice cream contains 100 calories, 1.5g fat (1g sat.) 19g carbs, 14 g sugar and 2g protein. I know when I make a bowl of ice cream, it's probably 3 servings, but the serving to serving comparison is still helpful. Compared to a normal ice cream which might have 10-12g fat per serving.. or a premium which would probably be much higher. Also, this ice cream has a slight grainy or icy texture, but you're going to lose that creaminess as you remove the fat. There's not a lot you can do about that. Flavor-wise it tastes just like normal ice cream, and on a hot day (like the 90s we've had recently here in North Carolina) nothing is better than ice cream.
One interesting thing I noticed when I was reading the label. On the front of the box it says "artificially flavored Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry flavored low fat ice cream" and yes, "artificial flavors" is listed in the ingredients, but so is Chocolate Base, Strawberry Puree and Natural Strawberry flavor. So it's not all artificial. I guess one artificial flavor and it has to be labeled as "Artificially flavored"
Baked Lays:
I love potato chips.. they have always been one of my weaknesses. For me "can't eat just one" is not a single Lays chip.. it's can't eat one.. bag. I take a small bag of chips with me to work on the days I make a sandwich, but I try not to sit at the TV eating from the bag since that's when you hit the bottom of the bag without realizing you just ate the whole thing.
Recently our young cousins (quadruplets) came over for a visit before Easter and they brought with them some snacks. Ironically along with the fudge rounds, oreos and Spongebob push pops, they also had a bag of baked Lays. I like normal chips and I'm not a big fan of the "shaped chips" that are made from potato flakes or powder. I've never likes pringles or Lays Stax or anything like that. I figured I would give them a try, and while they don't taste anything like a normal chip.. they aren't half bad and they don't taste "fake". They also don't use fat substitutes like Olestra, which is a very good thing.
I got a bag and I've been taking them to work instead of my normal chips and they aren't too bad. They give me something to eat along side my sandwich and satisfied that "crunchy-salty" craving.
The good news? For a 1 oz serving you get 120 cal, 2g fat (0 sat/0 trans), 180 mg sodium, 23g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g sugar, 2g protein. They compare that to 10g fat for normal chips, so that's 80% less fat. Not too bad for something that still slightly resembles a potato chip (Pringles are just weird). I have it on a good source (my wife) that Baked Cheetos are basically styrofoam (not good) but Baked Doritos are awesome. I don't like Doritos, but if you do give them a try.
Smart Option Low Fat Ice Cream:
Smart Option is a Food Lion private label brand, so apologies if you don't live in the Southeast, but most stores probably have a similar product. This ice cream is even lower in fat than the Kroger ice cream I reviewed as one of my first blogs. I've seen it in Vanilla, Chocolate and Neapolitan flavors. It also only costs 1.99 for 1.75 quarts.
For a serving of a half cup, this ice cream contains 100 calories, 1.5g fat (1g sat.) 19g carbs, 14 g sugar and 2g protein. I know when I make a bowl of ice cream, it's probably 3 servings, but the serving to serving comparison is still helpful. Compared to a normal ice cream which might have 10-12g fat per serving.. or a premium which would probably be much higher. Also, this ice cream has a slight grainy or icy texture, but you're going to lose that creaminess as you remove the fat. There's not a lot you can do about that. Flavor-wise it tastes just like normal ice cream, and on a hot day (like the 90s we've had recently here in North Carolina) nothing is better than ice cream.
One interesting thing I noticed when I was reading the label. On the front of the box it says "artificially flavored Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry flavored low fat ice cream" and yes, "artificial flavors" is listed in the ingredients, but so is Chocolate Base, Strawberry Puree and Natural Strawberry flavor. So it's not all artificial. I guess one artificial flavor and it has to be labeled as "Artificially flavored"
Baked Lays:
I love potato chips.. they have always been one of my weaknesses. For me "can't eat just one" is not a single Lays chip.. it's can't eat one.. bag. I take a small bag of chips with me to work on the days I make a sandwich, but I try not to sit at the TV eating from the bag since that's when you hit the bottom of the bag without realizing you just ate the whole thing.
Recently our young cousins (quadruplets) came over for a visit before Easter and they brought with them some snacks. Ironically along with the fudge rounds, oreos and Spongebob push pops, they also had a bag of baked Lays. I like normal chips and I'm not a big fan of the "shaped chips" that are made from potato flakes or powder. I've never likes pringles or Lays Stax or anything like that. I figured I would give them a try, and while they don't taste anything like a normal chip.. they aren't half bad and they don't taste "fake". They also don't use fat substitutes like Olestra, which is a very good thing.
I got a bag and I've been taking them to work instead of my normal chips and they aren't too bad. They give me something to eat along side my sandwich and satisfied that "crunchy-salty" craving.
The good news? For a 1 oz serving you get 120 cal, 2g fat (0 sat/0 trans), 180 mg sodium, 23g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g sugar, 2g protein. They compare that to 10g fat for normal chips, so that's 80% less fat. Not too bad for something that still slightly resembles a potato chip (Pringles are just weird). I have it on a good source (my wife) that Baked Cheetos are basically styrofoam (not good) but Baked Doritos are awesome. I don't like Doritos, but if you do give them a try.
Friday, April 9, 2010
A brick wall and a milestone.
A couple of weeks ago I hit a brick wall. Shows like Biggest Loser talk about this as a plateau, a section where the weight loss doesn't come easy and you have to fight through it. I was eating better, exercising more even walk/jogged a 5K and nothing made that needle move on the scale. Well I finally got it to drop this week and so I hope the plateau is over and I can keep on moving down.
The last 4 weeks have been terrible number wise. 304, 301, 300 and then 300 again (I put 299 in my record since the needle did dip below, but it wasn't totally conclusive). Well this week it finally started sinking. I haven't had my official Sunday morning weigh in yet, but I checked on Wednesday and it was 297 and then this morning was 295. Well enough below 300 that I could count it and not just a dip of the needle. I try not to weigh myself too often since I know it can fluctuate and you don't want to get yourself caught up in chasing 1 pound up, 1 pound down etc, but I couldn't help but check to see if I was under 300.
300 is a big hurdle for me.. I've been over 300 for a long time and at 295 I am now the lightest I've been since my freshman year in College in 1998. That's 12 years. Clothes I've been wearing for a long time are finally too big for me.
295 is also a big milestone because that means from the time I started keeping track in October of 2009 (345 pounds) I have lost 50 pounds! I had an interesting experience today at work, which I have read several places in the past. I had to get some ingredients to bring to the lab and so I went to the warehouse, tossed the 50 pound bag up on my shoulder and carried it halfway across the plant back to the lab. It was rough by the time I got up the stairs into the lab. That's the same 50 pounds I used to be carrying around my waist. Insane. I recommend you do this. Even if you haven't lost 50 pounds yet, see what it would feel like if you gained 10 or 20 or however much you can carry.
I posted a picture from my race in the last post, but when I looked at it compared to the picture of me at Disney World, (my profile pic) I wanted to post them again side by side as a comparison.
This picture is from May 2009, and I don't know how much I weighed here, but probably close to 340.
And this picture is from April 2010. Quite a difference in a year eh?
The last 4 weeks have been terrible number wise. 304, 301, 300 and then 300 again (I put 299 in my record since the needle did dip below, but it wasn't totally conclusive). Well this week it finally started sinking. I haven't had my official Sunday morning weigh in yet, but I checked on Wednesday and it was 297 and then this morning was 295. Well enough below 300 that I could count it and not just a dip of the needle. I try not to weigh myself too often since I know it can fluctuate and you don't want to get yourself caught up in chasing 1 pound up, 1 pound down etc, but I couldn't help but check to see if I was under 300.
300 is a big hurdle for me.. I've been over 300 for a long time and at 295 I am now the lightest I've been since my freshman year in College in 1998. That's 12 years. Clothes I've been wearing for a long time are finally too big for me.
295 is also a big milestone because that means from the time I started keeping track in October of 2009 (345 pounds) I have lost 50 pounds! I had an interesting experience today at work, which I have read several places in the past. I had to get some ingredients to bring to the lab and so I went to the warehouse, tossed the 50 pound bag up on my shoulder and carried it halfway across the plant back to the lab. It was rough by the time I got up the stairs into the lab. That's the same 50 pounds I used to be carrying around my waist. Insane. I recommend you do this. Even if you haven't lost 50 pounds yet, see what it would feel like if you gained 10 or 20 or however much you can carry.
I posted a picture from my race in the last post, but when I looked at it compared to the picture of me at Disney World, (my profile pic) I wanted to post them again side by side as a comparison.
This picture is from May 2009, and I don't know how much I weighed here, but probably close to 340.
And this picture is from April 2010. Quite a difference in a year eh?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Lillie's Friend's Got Friends 5K
On Saturday I participated in my first 5K of the year. The Lillie's Friend's Got Friends 5K for Neural Blastoma at Tanglewood Park here in Clemmons, NC.
I've been able to jog a little on my walks around the neighborhood, so I wanted to really try to jog some. I think I walk faster in a "race" situation then around the neighborhood, even though I'm not really racing.. yet.
My wife came with me to this race, which made me very happy and also made it possible for me to get some pictures. We got there with literally moments to spare as I got checked in and got my number about 2 minutes before the race started.
I walked the first half all the way to the turnaround and water station, which included a wicked uphill stretch. However after the turnaround, I was able to jog down that stretch which was now downhill. After slowing back down to a walk, i was able to jog two more small stretches, one at about 2.5 miles and also from the 3 mile marker to the finish.
When I saw the time clock I was amazed.. the clock said 48 minutes which really helped me push the last 100 yards or so. My previous fastest time was 57 minutes, so the stretches of jogging really ate away at my time.
As I crossed the finish line, I looked over at the clock.. 49 minutes and 24 seconds! A new personal record by almost 10 minutes. I hope to shave another couple of minutes off my next race by jogging longer. Before long I'll be actually running the races.
I am very pleased with my performance despite the fact that, according to my wife, I "got beat by a three year old".
I've been able to jog a little on my walks around the neighborhood, so I wanted to really try to jog some. I think I walk faster in a "race" situation then around the neighborhood, even though I'm not really racing.. yet.
My wife came with me to this race, which made me very happy and also made it possible for me to get some pictures. We got there with literally moments to spare as I got checked in and got my number about 2 minutes before the race started.
I walked the first half all the way to the turnaround and water station, which included a wicked uphill stretch. However after the turnaround, I was able to jog down that stretch which was now downhill. After slowing back down to a walk, i was able to jog two more small stretches, one at about 2.5 miles and also from the 3 mile marker to the finish.
When I saw the time clock I was amazed.. the clock said 48 minutes which really helped me push the last 100 yards or so. My previous fastest time was 57 minutes, so the stretches of jogging really ate away at my time.
As I crossed the finish line, I looked over at the clock.. 49 minutes and 24 seconds! A new personal record by almost 10 minutes. I hope to shave another couple of minutes off my next race by jogging longer. Before long I'll be actually running the races.
I am very pleased with my performance despite the fact that, according to my wife, I "got beat by a three year old".
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Ms Obama and the Obesity Problem
I applaud the first lady for wanting to help America's children, I really do.. and perhaps I am a little biased as a food scientist who works for a food manufacturing company, but I think she is really going about it the wrong way.
Browbeating food companies, and the jackboot reaction that followed is not the way to get people to eat healthier. Large companies are stepping into the line.. "We'll reduce sugar... We'll reduce fat.. We'll reduce salt" and it won't make a damn difference whatsoever.
There are no bad foods... I will say that again.. there are no bad foods. We are bad eaters. There's nothing wrong with an occasional cheeseburger, or a handful of chips or some candy as a treat but obviously we have lost sight of portion control. Burgers and fries are huge.. Steak dinners at restaurants are 1500 calories etc etc. The answer? Force food companies to only make healthy foods? A) The food companies won't do that and B) It won't help.
When are people going to take responsibilities for their own actions? This generation (yes of which I am a part) has gotten into the habit of blaming everyone but themselves for EVERYTHING and it sickens me. A potato chip manufacturer is to blame for your kid being fat, not the fact that you sit them on the couch with a large bag of chips and tell them to sit there and shut up?
I am overweight, and I have struggled with it for a long time and I am finally getting it under control. Who do I have to blame for this? Myself of course. Eat Wendy's every day for months on end using the excuse "it's the only place open at midnight" and I defy you not to gain weight. Wendy's is not bad... Wendy's everyday is bad.. but it's not Wendy's fault.. I made bad decisions.
As someone who hopes to be a parent in the very near future, I hope not only that I continue to lose weight so I can be active and play with them but also be able to teach them, a cookie as a treat after dinner is fine, as long as you don't sit and eat the whole box.
Will I blame the cookie company when my kids are obese? No.. I will blame myself. But armed with the knowledge I now have, I hope that day won't come.
It sickens me to read the news stories and disturbs me even more the comments from the people who would have you believe that food additives cause cancer and MSG will make you fat. Let me tell you the honest to God truth. Those strange sounding chemicals on food labels? They all come from food. They may be chemically synthesized but they were originally discovered in a plant or animal product and it was determined that they could serve a specific function. The FDA monitors every single ingredient used by food companies and everything is labeled as GRAS or Generally Recognized As Safe, which means MULTIPLE studies have been performed and whatever the ingredient is has been deemed to be not harmful. Yes, if you eat 300X your body weight in Sacchrin on a DAILY basis, it will kill you.. but who does that? NO ONE.. no one even could. Some of the strangest sounding ones that people think are strange actually are as natural as can be. Carageenan Gum is derived from seaweed and is a natural product. That nasty artifical sweetener Corn Syrup? A byproduct of producing corn starch and is completely natural. Even MSG is produced from sugar fermentation by bacteria the same why wine, beer, soy sauce and other fermented products are made.
Sex, drugs, alcohol, salt, sugar, loud music.. anything in too large of a quantity can harm you somehow, but the key is learning moderation, not trying to change the products to where they are not harmful.
The food companies haven't made us fat. We have made ourselves fat, and now we have to fix that problem the same way I am.. eat less, exercise more.. it's that simple.
Browbeating food companies, and the jackboot reaction that followed is not the way to get people to eat healthier. Large companies are stepping into the line.. "We'll reduce sugar... We'll reduce fat.. We'll reduce salt" and it won't make a damn difference whatsoever.
There are no bad foods... I will say that again.. there are no bad foods. We are bad eaters. There's nothing wrong with an occasional cheeseburger, or a handful of chips or some candy as a treat but obviously we have lost sight of portion control. Burgers and fries are huge.. Steak dinners at restaurants are 1500 calories etc etc. The answer? Force food companies to only make healthy foods? A) The food companies won't do that and B) It won't help.
When are people going to take responsibilities for their own actions? This generation (yes of which I am a part) has gotten into the habit of blaming everyone but themselves for EVERYTHING and it sickens me. A potato chip manufacturer is to blame for your kid being fat, not the fact that you sit them on the couch with a large bag of chips and tell them to sit there and shut up?
I am overweight, and I have struggled with it for a long time and I am finally getting it under control. Who do I have to blame for this? Myself of course. Eat Wendy's every day for months on end using the excuse "it's the only place open at midnight" and I defy you not to gain weight. Wendy's is not bad... Wendy's everyday is bad.. but it's not Wendy's fault.. I made bad decisions.
As someone who hopes to be a parent in the very near future, I hope not only that I continue to lose weight so I can be active and play with them but also be able to teach them, a cookie as a treat after dinner is fine, as long as you don't sit and eat the whole box.
Will I blame the cookie company when my kids are obese? No.. I will blame myself. But armed with the knowledge I now have, I hope that day won't come.
It sickens me to read the news stories and disturbs me even more the comments from the people who would have you believe that food additives cause cancer and MSG will make you fat. Let me tell you the honest to God truth. Those strange sounding chemicals on food labels? They all come from food. They may be chemically synthesized but they were originally discovered in a plant or animal product and it was determined that they could serve a specific function. The FDA monitors every single ingredient used by food companies and everything is labeled as GRAS or Generally Recognized As Safe, which means MULTIPLE studies have been performed and whatever the ingredient is has been deemed to be not harmful. Yes, if you eat 300X your body weight in Sacchrin on a DAILY basis, it will kill you.. but who does that? NO ONE.. no one even could. Some of the strangest sounding ones that people think are strange actually are as natural as can be. Carageenan Gum is derived from seaweed and is a natural product. That nasty artifical sweetener Corn Syrup? A byproduct of producing corn starch and is completely natural. Even MSG is produced from sugar fermentation by bacteria the same why wine, beer, soy sauce and other fermented products are made.
Sex, drugs, alcohol, salt, sugar, loud music.. anything in too large of a quantity can harm you somehow, but the key is learning moderation, not trying to change the products to where they are not harmful.
The food companies haven't made us fat. We have made ourselves fat, and now we have to fix that problem the same way I am.. eat less, exercise more.. it's that simple.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Smart Shopping
Along with eating healthier and losing weight, I'm also on a kick to reduce my grocery bills and save money. I used to think buying in bulk and doing one big shopping trip a month was the way to go, but the more I read online I see smaller trips can work, especially when you take advantage of weekly sales and coupons.
I've read so many stories about how people go to the grocery store and buy 200$ worth of groceries for 10$. Sound's fantastic right? Well dig a little deeper and it's not as fantastic as it seems, or at least not as realistic as it should be. If you look sometimes at what they buy, they will buy 10 of the same items that happen to be on sale and it will be an odd assortment of things like laundry detergent, frozen chicken and a bag of oranges. Not your "normal" shopping trip. Sometimes you just HAVE to get something that's not on sale and you don't have a coupon, like a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and other staple items. However this is not to say that you can't use their tips to save a good amount of money, just don't expect every single item in your cart to cost 15 cents.. not everything you need will be on sale every week, but when it is you can stock up.
I went to Harris Teeter this morning to pick up a few things that I had coupons for (they are doing triple coupons up to 99 cents this week) and a good sale on some chicken. For the first time I saved more than I spent, and I did get one item for free and some for darn near free.
Here's the good deals I got on this trip.
Packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (healthy but expensive at 4.99 a pound) were on sale for buy 1 get 2 free. Craziness.
For three packs the regular price would have been $26.89 (5.39 lbs at $4.99 a pound)
I paid $8.95 (5.39 lbs at $1.66.lb) Savings = $17.94
Two packs of Kraft Sharp Cheese (8 oz blocks) - Regular price 3.19 each or $6.38
They were on sale buy one get one free so I paid 3.19 for both, and had a $1 off 2 packs coupon for a total of 2.19 for 2 8oz blocks or 1.08 each. Savings = $4.19
Oscar Mayer Bacon - Reg Price 5.49. On sale for 2/8$ (or 4.00 for one). Plus a 75 cent off coupon that tripled to 2.25. I paid 1.75. Savings = $3.74
McCormick Paprika for my Mac and Cheese, same thing the block cheese was for. Regular price 2.19. I had a .75 off coupon that tripled to 2.25 = FREE. (In reality the coupon only multiplied to 1.44 to make up the 2.19, so it was still free, but it didn't take off the extra 6 cents. Some people post that you can get 2$ off an item that costs 1$ and it will take a dollar off your total bill, this doesn't seem to be the case at Harris Teeter. Will have to check this at other stores.)
I also got some nature valley granola bars, boxes of hamburger helper, macaroni noodles and bounce dryer sheets that I used triple coupons or were on sale. But the chicken, the free cheese, the free paprika and the bacon are where I saved the big money.
Total spent: $25.03
Total saved: $36.28
Saved 59.17%
Not too shabby.
I've read so many stories about how people go to the grocery store and buy 200$ worth of groceries for 10$. Sound's fantastic right? Well dig a little deeper and it's not as fantastic as it seems, or at least not as realistic as it should be. If you look sometimes at what they buy, they will buy 10 of the same items that happen to be on sale and it will be an odd assortment of things like laundry detergent, frozen chicken and a bag of oranges. Not your "normal" shopping trip. Sometimes you just HAVE to get something that's not on sale and you don't have a coupon, like a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and other staple items. However this is not to say that you can't use their tips to save a good amount of money, just don't expect every single item in your cart to cost 15 cents.. not everything you need will be on sale every week, but when it is you can stock up.
I went to Harris Teeter this morning to pick up a few things that I had coupons for (they are doing triple coupons up to 99 cents this week) and a good sale on some chicken. For the first time I saved more than I spent, and I did get one item for free and some for darn near free.
Here's the good deals I got on this trip.
Packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (healthy but expensive at 4.99 a pound) were on sale for buy 1 get 2 free. Craziness.
For three packs the regular price would have been $26.89 (5.39 lbs at $4.99 a pound)
I paid $8.95 (5.39 lbs at $1.66.lb) Savings = $17.94
Two packs of Kraft Sharp Cheese (8 oz blocks) - Regular price 3.19 each or $6.38
They were on sale buy one get one free so I paid 3.19 for both, and had a $1 off 2 packs coupon for a total of 2.19 for 2 8oz blocks or 1.08 each. Savings = $4.19
Oscar Mayer Bacon - Reg Price 5.49. On sale for 2/8$ (or 4.00 for one). Plus a 75 cent off coupon that tripled to 2.25. I paid 1.75. Savings = $3.74
McCormick Paprika for my Mac and Cheese, same thing the block cheese was for. Regular price 2.19. I had a .75 off coupon that tripled to 2.25 = FREE. (In reality the coupon only multiplied to 1.44 to make up the 2.19, so it was still free, but it didn't take off the extra 6 cents. Some people post that you can get 2$ off an item that costs 1$ and it will take a dollar off your total bill, this doesn't seem to be the case at Harris Teeter. Will have to check this at other stores.)
I also got some nature valley granola bars, boxes of hamburger helper, macaroni noodles and bounce dryer sheets that I used triple coupons or were on sale. But the chicken, the free cheese, the free paprika and the bacon are where I saved the big money.
Total spent: $25.03
Total saved: $36.28
Saved 59.17%
Not too shabby.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Still Waters 5K
Not a real 5K... but the name for my walking loop around my (very small) neighborhood.
Using the map program on dailymile.com where I track my walking, I figured out the loop around my neighborhood is 0.8 miles. 4 laps around is 3.2 miles, or about the distance of a 5K. At least I have a distance I can do when I'm practicing for events.
Today I did 3 laps around in 43 minutes.. which worked out to 14 minutes the first two laps and 15 minutes for the third lap. I use my cellphone as a timer so it's only whole minutes, but it had just turned to 12:27 when I finished (I started at 11:44) so it was probably more like 42 minutes and some seconds.
If I had gone the 4th lap at 15 minutes that would have been 3.2 miles in 58 minutes which is right in line for my "normal" pace at a 5k.
Thursday I did two laps around, with some short stints of jogging and did the two laps in 28 minutes (first lap 15 minutes, second lap 13 minutes).
I'm trying to work my way up to actually RUN a 5K, but I know I need to lose a lot more weight to do that.
In two weeks (April 3rd) I will be participating in the Lillies Friend's Got Friends 5K to benefit Neural Blastoma research. If I can I'm going to try to jog some parts of it and improve my time.. Wish me luck!
Using the map program on dailymile.com where I track my walking, I figured out the loop around my neighborhood is 0.8 miles. 4 laps around is 3.2 miles, or about the distance of a 5K. At least I have a distance I can do when I'm practicing for events.
Today I did 3 laps around in 43 minutes.. which worked out to 14 minutes the first two laps and 15 minutes for the third lap. I use my cellphone as a timer so it's only whole minutes, but it had just turned to 12:27 when I finished (I started at 11:44) so it was probably more like 42 minutes and some seconds.
If I had gone the 4th lap at 15 minutes that would have been 3.2 miles in 58 minutes which is right in line for my "normal" pace at a 5k.
Thursday I did two laps around, with some short stints of jogging and did the two laps in 28 minutes (first lap 15 minutes, second lap 13 minutes).
I'm trying to work my way up to actually RUN a 5K, but I know I need to lose a lot more weight to do that.
In two weeks (April 3rd) I will be participating in the Lillies Friend's Got Friends 5K to benefit Neural Blastoma research. If I can I'm going to try to jog some parts of it and improve my time.. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Not all condiments are evil?
File this under the "I never really looked at that" tab. This is one of those things you notice when you start paying more attention to what you eat. This however is a good one rather than an "oh my god i ate what???"
Sauces like ketchup and barbecue sauce has always been portrayed as being sugar laden. I was kinda surprised when I looked at the label. And Mayo is pure fat right?
Ketchup (mine is Food Lion brand, I would think other brands would be similar if not identical) has a serving size of 1 tablespoon (17g). It has only 15 calories per serving! And it has zero fat. It had 4 grams of carbohydrates and yes, all 4 grams are from sugar, but that's only 1% of your RDA.
Barbecue sauce (mine is Bullseye Original, again I think most would be similar) has a 2 tablespoon serving size (36g) and has 50 calories per serving. It also has 0 fat. Now this recipe of barbecue sauce uses molasses, and it is a "sweet" sauce in the Kansas City Style. It contains 13 g carbs (4% of RDA) and 11 g sugar. But two tablespoons is a pretty big dollop, and I probably put about that much (or less) on the grilled chicken I just made, and it's still only 50 Cal.
Mayo on the other hand, by comparison has a 1 tablespoon serving (14g, note slightly smaller than the ketchup serving) and 100 calories per serving and 100 calories from fat. Mayo is evil.. it's like squirting lard in your mouth right? That's what some health books would have you believe but now that I look at the label I'm not so sure. Am I saying Mayo is healthy? No, but out of the 11 grams of fat (17% RDA) only 1.5 of it is saturated fat. It doesn't give the Mono or Poly Unsat levels on this label, but the ingredients are soybean oil and eggs. Soybeans and eggs contain good fat profiles. Should you eat a whole jar? of course not.. but a thin spread on a ham sandwich is not going to kill you. Of course I would still watch out for mayo at places like McDonald's (not that you would eat there on a diet anyway) because if its oozing out the sides when you take a bite its way too much.
The ketchup really blew me away.. only 15 calories? That's the equivalent of a (non-sugar free) stick of gum. So add a little flavor to your meals without being afraid of blowing your diet. It helps somewhat bland food like skinless grilled chicken taste great and still be very low-fat.
Sauces like ketchup and barbecue sauce has always been portrayed as being sugar laden. I was kinda surprised when I looked at the label. And Mayo is pure fat right?
Ketchup (mine is Food Lion brand, I would think other brands would be similar if not identical) has a serving size of 1 tablespoon (17g). It has only 15 calories per serving! And it has zero fat. It had 4 grams of carbohydrates and yes, all 4 grams are from sugar, but that's only 1% of your RDA.
Barbecue sauce (mine is Bullseye Original, again I think most would be similar) has a 2 tablespoon serving size (36g) and has 50 calories per serving. It also has 0 fat. Now this recipe of barbecue sauce uses molasses, and it is a "sweet" sauce in the Kansas City Style. It contains 13 g carbs (4% of RDA) and 11 g sugar. But two tablespoons is a pretty big dollop, and I probably put about that much (or less) on the grilled chicken I just made, and it's still only 50 Cal.
Mayo on the other hand, by comparison has a 1 tablespoon serving (14g, note slightly smaller than the ketchup serving) and 100 calories per serving and 100 calories from fat. Mayo is evil.. it's like squirting lard in your mouth right? That's what some health books would have you believe but now that I look at the label I'm not so sure. Am I saying Mayo is healthy? No, but out of the 11 grams of fat (17% RDA) only 1.5 of it is saturated fat. It doesn't give the Mono or Poly Unsat levels on this label, but the ingredients are soybean oil and eggs. Soybeans and eggs contain good fat profiles. Should you eat a whole jar? of course not.. but a thin spread on a ham sandwich is not going to kill you. Of course I would still watch out for mayo at places like McDonald's (not that you would eat there on a diet anyway) because if its oozing out the sides when you take a bite its way too much.
The ketchup really blew me away.. only 15 calories? That's the equivalent of a (non-sugar free) stick of gum. So add a little flavor to your meals without being afraid of blowing your diet. It helps somewhat bland food like skinless grilled chicken taste great and still be very low-fat.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Yogurt is good for you right?
My breakfast this morning was a cup of yoplait yogurt that I picked up at the grocery store yesterday. Sale and a coupon made them around 40 cents each. Yogurt is healthy.. calcium, vitamins, good bacteria.. what a healthy way to start your day right?
Well apparently that depends on what you are trying to keep out of your diet. The top of the nutrition facts for my Yoplait Original Strawberry Banana yogurt looked great.. 170 Calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 g saturated fat. The bottom of the list, not so much.. 33 grams of carbohydrates and 27 grams of sugar.. holy cow! The cup of yogurt is 6 ounces. Since a pound is 454 grams, that's approximately 28 grams per ounce, or 6 ounces is 170 grams. 16% of the cup of yogurt is sugar. Not quite as healthy as I expected. Another reason why it pays to read the WHOLE label. I looked at calories and fat in the store, but didn't notice the sugar till I got home.
Challenge update: Weighed this morning at 304. 2 pounds of weight loss this week, for 11 pounds total and 3.49% since the challenge started (At 315). The weight loss is coming slower now then when I started at 345 and dropped 30 pounds in 2 months, but that weight was from sitting around doing nothing, and I knew once I found a job some of that would melt right off just from getting around moving again. I'm gonna have to push hard to get below 300 pounds, but if I do it will be the lightest I've weighed in about 10 years. On Biggest Loser they always talk about these limits like hitting a brick wall, and most of it is mental. But these guys have always been above 300, or above 400.. etc.. for years.. and when they finally break through it changes their whole outlook on life. Trust me, I will be celebrating when I hit under 300. The easy part of just cutting calories and losing 5 pounds a week is over. Now the work begins.
And of course my treadmill decided to die on me yesterday, just when I was gonna start walking. Yesterday it was thundering and raining, but today looks good so maybe I'll walk outside.
Well apparently that depends on what you are trying to keep out of your diet. The top of the nutrition facts for my Yoplait Original Strawberry Banana yogurt looked great.. 170 Calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 g saturated fat. The bottom of the list, not so much.. 33 grams of carbohydrates and 27 grams of sugar.. holy cow! The cup of yogurt is 6 ounces. Since a pound is 454 grams, that's approximately 28 grams per ounce, or 6 ounces is 170 grams. 16% of the cup of yogurt is sugar. Not quite as healthy as I expected. Another reason why it pays to read the WHOLE label. I looked at calories and fat in the store, but didn't notice the sugar till I got home.
Challenge update: Weighed this morning at 304. 2 pounds of weight loss this week, for 11 pounds total and 3.49% since the challenge started (At 315). The weight loss is coming slower now then when I started at 345 and dropped 30 pounds in 2 months, but that weight was from sitting around doing nothing, and I knew once I found a job some of that would melt right off just from getting around moving again. I'm gonna have to push hard to get below 300 pounds, but if I do it will be the lightest I've weighed in about 10 years. On Biggest Loser they always talk about these limits like hitting a brick wall, and most of it is mental. But these guys have always been above 300, or above 400.. etc.. for years.. and when they finally break through it changes their whole outlook on life. Trust me, I will be celebrating when I hit under 300. The easy part of just cutting calories and losing 5 pounds a week is over. Now the work begins.
And of course my treadmill decided to die on me yesterday, just when I was gonna start walking. Yesterday it was thundering and raining, but today looks good so maybe I'll walk outside.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
TV Graveyard
So this post is not food or weight loss related, but what good is a blog if you can't write about stuff that interests you right?
2009 was a great and horrible year for television. I was hooked by several great new series only to see them canceled. Once again the driveling, drooling masses would rather watch utterly fake "reality" shows, and the 2% of us who want to watch intelligent thought provoking TV get dumped on.
Kings: NBC - 1 season.
This show was an very interesting modern (or near-future) version of a biblical story. The king of a large country (King Silas, who represents King David) makes a young soldier into a national hero, only to try to ruin him once he gets too popular. What was most disappointing about this show was NBC promoted the heck out of it, only to kill it before it even had a chance. The premiere was on a thursday night, the following weeks episode was on friday, then 2 weeks without shows and so on.. they kept jumping it around.. no wonder no one tuned in.
My Own Worst Enemy: NBC - 9 episodes
Christian Slater as a guy who has two distinct personalities in his head that can be switched back and forth. One is a blue collar family guy, the other is a secret agent. How awesome is that? Interesting concept, the two identities learn about each other and start fighting for control. This one got cut off in the middle and just left hanging. Was a neat show, but I guess campy sci fi is not for everyone.
Defying Gravity: ABC - 7 Episodes
This was an awesome show, but it never had a chance. I can't remember what it was up against, but it shared a time-slot with one of the huge shows on another network. Starring Ron Livingston (of Office Space and Band of Brothers) the premise was a long distance space mission where the astronauts would spend something like 14 years on the ship. Right when they find out there is some sort of "creature" on the ship that's controlling everything they pull the plug...... zap... You can watch the full first season (the last 5 episodes that didn't air) on DVD but why bother? It won't resolve anything and it won't continue. Very disappointed.
Trauma: NBC - One season?
I had heard this show was canceled but a new episode came on last night. Here's the blurb about it from tvseriesfinale.com
"This San Francisco-based drama revolves around a group of brave first responders. The ensemble cast features Derek Luke, Cliff Curtis, Anastasia Griffith, Kevin Rankin, Aimee Garcia, Billy Lush, Jamey Sheridan, and Taylor Kinney. The show struggled in the ratings from the start and NBC initially decided not to order any episodes beyond the initial 13 installments. They later changed their minds and ordered more. There’s a slim chance that there will be a second season but ratings will have to rise significantly."
Sounds like this one could finish it's first season and then be finished. It's a pretty good show.. I imagine with all the car crashes and fires it's a pretty expensive show to produce. When I first heard it got canceled I wasn't surprised.
Shows I'm watching now that I hope don't get canceled:
White Collar: USA
This is a cool show about a con man who gets out of prison to help the FBI, uses his tricks to catch other con men and perhaps still run a few cons himself. Tonight is the season finale of season one.. lets hope it comes back.
Flash Forward: ABC
Returning Thursday the 18th after being off for a while, this great show featuring Joseph Fiennes and Courtney B Vance about trying to solve a mystery where the entire planet blackouts and sees the future. Really great "current day" science fiction. Really hope this one sticks around. Great cast, awesome story.
Fringe: Fox
More sci-fi aliens and parallel dimensions, but still a pretty good show. Some episodes are weirder than others but I like it. Just went off for it's mid season break. I expect it to be back, not sure when. The older scatterbrained, but genius "mad scientist" character really makes it.
Justified: FX
This show premires next week and it looks good. Starring Timothy Olyphant (A Man Apart, Gone in Sixty Seconds) as a lawman of some description (US Marshal maybe?) who returns to his small, crime ridden home town for some good old fashioned style justice. I've only seen the commericals on FX while watching "Archer" but it looks like a good show.
Sons Of Anarchy: FX
Don't know when this will be back on but I can't wait. This Motorcycle gang show is awesome, that's all I have to say about that.
It seems like there were more than 3 shows I watched last year that got canceled but I can't remember what they were.
2009 was a great and horrible year for television. I was hooked by several great new series only to see them canceled. Once again the driveling, drooling masses would rather watch utterly fake "reality" shows, and the 2% of us who want to watch intelligent thought provoking TV get dumped on.
Kings: NBC - 1 season.
This show was an very interesting modern (or near-future) version of a biblical story. The king of a large country (King Silas, who represents King David) makes a young soldier into a national hero, only to try to ruin him once he gets too popular. What was most disappointing about this show was NBC promoted the heck out of it, only to kill it before it even had a chance. The premiere was on a thursday night, the following weeks episode was on friday, then 2 weeks without shows and so on.. they kept jumping it around.. no wonder no one tuned in.
My Own Worst Enemy: NBC - 9 episodes
Christian Slater as a guy who has two distinct personalities in his head that can be switched back and forth. One is a blue collar family guy, the other is a secret agent. How awesome is that? Interesting concept, the two identities learn about each other and start fighting for control. This one got cut off in the middle and just left hanging. Was a neat show, but I guess campy sci fi is not for everyone.
Defying Gravity: ABC - 7 Episodes
This was an awesome show, but it never had a chance. I can't remember what it was up against, but it shared a time-slot with one of the huge shows on another network. Starring Ron Livingston (of Office Space and Band of Brothers) the premise was a long distance space mission where the astronauts would spend something like 14 years on the ship. Right when they find out there is some sort of "creature" on the ship that's controlling everything they pull the plug...... zap... You can watch the full first season (the last 5 episodes that didn't air) on DVD but why bother? It won't resolve anything and it won't continue. Very disappointed.
Trauma: NBC - One season?
I had heard this show was canceled but a new episode came on last night. Here's the blurb about it from tvseriesfinale.com
"This San Francisco-based drama revolves around a group of brave first responders. The ensemble cast features Derek Luke, Cliff Curtis, Anastasia Griffith, Kevin Rankin, Aimee Garcia, Billy Lush, Jamey Sheridan, and Taylor Kinney. The show struggled in the ratings from the start and NBC initially decided not to order any episodes beyond the initial 13 installments. They later changed their minds and ordered more. There’s a slim chance that there will be a second season but ratings will have to rise significantly."
Sounds like this one could finish it's first season and then be finished. It's a pretty good show.. I imagine with all the car crashes and fires it's a pretty expensive show to produce. When I first heard it got canceled I wasn't surprised.
Shows I'm watching now that I hope don't get canceled:
White Collar: USA
This is a cool show about a con man who gets out of prison to help the FBI, uses his tricks to catch other con men and perhaps still run a few cons himself. Tonight is the season finale of season one.. lets hope it comes back.
Flash Forward: ABC
Returning Thursday the 18th after being off for a while, this great show featuring Joseph Fiennes and Courtney B Vance about trying to solve a mystery where the entire planet blackouts and sees the future. Really great "current day" science fiction. Really hope this one sticks around. Great cast, awesome story.
Fringe: Fox
More sci-fi aliens and parallel dimensions, but still a pretty good show. Some episodes are weirder than others but I like it. Just went off for it's mid season break. I expect it to be back, not sure when. The older scatterbrained, but genius "mad scientist" character really makes it.
Justified: FX
This show premires next week and it looks good. Starring Timothy Olyphant (A Man Apart, Gone in Sixty Seconds) as a lawman of some description (US Marshal maybe?) who returns to his small, crime ridden home town for some good old fashioned style justice. I've only seen the commericals on FX while watching "Archer" but it looks like a good show.
Sons Of Anarchy: FX
Don't know when this will be back on but I can't wait. This Motorcycle gang show is awesome, that's all I have to say about that.
It seems like there were more than 3 shows I watched last year that got canceled but I can't remember what they were.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Challenge Update
Two weeks into the weigh to win challenge and I've dropped 9 pounds. From 315 to 306. The interesting thing is how it's come off. The first week of the challenge, I didn't eat as well as I should, and was honestly expecting to gain weight. I managed a meager 2 pound drop down to 313. The second week I ate better, and really felt like I was gonna lose this week, but was still shocked when I stepped on the scale this morning to see it read 306. A 7 pound loss. That's the most I've ever lost in one week. Part of my goal for this challenge was to drop under 300 pounds and now I'm almost there. I don't expect another 7 pound loss, but in 2 weeks I could be there.
I want to share a recipe and get some opinions on it. I found this in Food Network magazine, and it's labeled as a "Low Fat Cheesecake" but while it is reduced, I'm not sure I would consider it low.
9 Whole Low Fat Cinnamon Graham Crackers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 8-ounce packages Neufchatel Cream Cheese (this is the 30% reduced fat cream cheese)
2 8-ounce packages fat free Cream Cheese (I've never seen this)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 large eggs, plus 3 egg whites
2 table spoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Here's the nutrition facts (says it serves 14, which is a pretty small slice)
229 Calories, 11g fat (7g Sat), 61 mg Cholesterol, 319 mg Sodium, 24g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 11g Protein.
The article says it shaved 289 calories, and 21g fat off the average slice, so that would have been 32g of fat and 518 Calories. The Calorie reduction is major, over 50% less, but 11g of fat is still kinda high, but it is way better then 32. Obviously not something you could eat everyday, but a nice indulgence.
What do you think?
I want to share a recipe and get some opinions on it. I found this in Food Network magazine, and it's labeled as a "Low Fat Cheesecake" but while it is reduced, I'm not sure I would consider it low.
9 Whole Low Fat Cinnamon Graham Crackers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 8-ounce packages Neufchatel Cream Cheese (this is the 30% reduced fat cream cheese)
2 8-ounce packages fat free Cream Cheese (I've never seen this)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 large eggs, plus 3 egg whites
2 table spoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Here's the nutrition facts (says it serves 14, which is a pretty small slice)
229 Calories, 11g fat (7g Sat), 61 mg Cholesterol, 319 mg Sodium, 24g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 11g Protein.
The article says it shaved 289 calories, and 21g fat off the average slice, so that would have been 32g of fat and 518 Calories. The Calorie reduction is major, over 50% less, but 11g of fat is still kinda high, but it is way better then 32. Obviously not something you could eat everyday, but a nice indulgence.
What do you think?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Let the challenge begin!
Today is the first day of my Weigh2Win challenge through my work wellness program. I actually gained a little weight this week, which is disappointing, but it reminds me what I'm working for.
My starting weight for the challenge will be 315 pounds.
Yesterday I had a training session for my Civil War Reenacting group, who portray horse drawn artillery. The commanding officer of the group, Capt. Stanley came up to me and asked "Have you lost a tremendous amount of weight?" So my hard work is starting to pay off!
As I was jogging next to the cannon as it was being pulled by the horses I had to hold my pants up, which are now a little big for me, so 1. I was jogging next to the cannon and 2. my pants were falling down, so I guess that answers the captain's question.
My goal by the end of the 12 week challenge is to be well under 300 pounds. 3 pounds a week would be 36 pounds and bring me down to around 280.
My starting weight for the challenge will be 315 pounds.
Yesterday I had a training session for my Civil War Reenacting group, who portray horse drawn artillery. The commanding officer of the group, Capt. Stanley came up to me and asked "Have you lost a tremendous amount of weight?" So my hard work is starting to pay off!
As I was jogging next to the cannon as it was being pulled by the horses I had to hold my pants up, which are now a little big for me, so 1. I was jogging next to the cannon and 2. my pants were falling down, so I guess that answers the captain's question.
My goal by the end of the 12 week challenge is to be well under 300 pounds. 3 pounds a week would be 36 pounds and bring me down to around 280.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Weigh 2 Win Challenge
Starting next Sunday, Feb 21st I will be starting a 12 week weight loss program through my works wellness program. I get a discount on my health insurance for participating in the wellness program, so it's good for the body and the wallet!
I got a little bit of a surprise this morning when I weighed in this morning at 310 pounds. I had noticed myself losing weight, I looked smaller in the belly and in the face, but I figured I was still hovering around 320. Back in October I was 345, so I've already made a big jump, losing 35 pounds in the last 4 months. Hopefully during this challenge I will dip below 300 pounds, the first time I'll be under 300 in about 10 years.
My overall goal is to weigh 220 pounds, or a loss of 125 pounds. My current BMI is about 45, which is in the "morbidly obese" range.. I think that's a little overkill, but still need to work on getting it down anyway.
According to the NIH BMI Calculator (which only takes into consideration Height and Weight), if I weighed 220, my BMI would be 29.0 which is still (surprisingly) on the high end of "Overweight". I think if my muscle mass, and bone structure were taken into account it wouldn't be that high since I think 220 would be a very healthy weight for me. Especially compared to 340/350.
Watch for weekly updates as I weigh in for the challenge.
I got a little bit of a surprise this morning when I weighed in this morning at 310 pounds. I had noticed myself losing weight, I looked smaller in the belly and in the face, but I figured I was still hovering around 320. Back in October I was 345, so I've already made a big jump, losing 35 pounds in the last 4 months. Hopefully during this challenge I will dip below 300 pounds, the first time I'll be under 300 in about 10 years.
My overall goal is to weigh 220 pounds, or a loss of 125 pounds. My current BMI is about 45, which is in the "morbidly obese" range.. I think that's a little overkill, but still need to work on getting it down anyway.
According to the NIH BMI Calculator (which only takes into consideration Height and Weight), if I weighed 220, my BMI would be 29.0 which is still (surprisingly) on the high end of "Overweight". I think if my muscle mass, and bone structure were taken into account it wouldn't be that high since I think 220 would be a very healthy weight for me. Especially compared to 340/350.
Watch for weekly updates as I weigh in for the challenge.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Low Sugar, High Fat or High Fat, Low Sugar.. or neither?
My father-in-law was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and my own father was diagnosed about 10 years ago. I know I'm sugar sensitive and at risk of developing diabetes, but for now I've been able to control my sugar through diet and exercise.
My wife had me try some sugar free cookies that her dad liked, since he can't eat much sugar at all without getting sick, low sugar or sugar free is a must for him. The cookies taste great, but I was a little disappointed in the fat levels. Since my sugar is under control, I'd rather eat something low fat but maybe has a little sugar in it, like reduced fat Chips Ahoys, which are very good.
For example, the Murray's Sugar Free Chocolate Chip cookies have a serving size of 3 cookies (32g). A serving is 150 calories which isn't bad, but 20g of carbs (even with 0g sugar) and 9g of fat (14% of DV) and 3.5g sat fat (18%DV).
The reduced fat Chips Ahoys, while they do have 9g of sugar in a 31g serving, they only have 5g of fat (8%DV). Is that enough to make a huge difference? I'm not sure.
The other thing that caught my eye was two boxes of Pop-Tarts I bought lately, one of which happened to be the "Reduced Fat Strawberry". I wanted to try them, but I'm not daft enough to think Reduced Fat Pop Tart = Healthy.
I was shocked with what I saw on the nutrition panel (and of course I didn't look too hard until I got them home).
The second box was chocolate chip cookie dough. Which sounds healthier, strawberries or chocolate chip cookies? Depends on what your looking at.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
200 Calories
5g fat (8% DV)
18g sugar
35g Carbs
Reduced Fat Strawberry:
190 Calories (only 10 less).
3g fat
21g sugar
40g Carbs
The low fat ones are higher in total carbs and sugars and don't reduce the calories so I don't think those are even really worth bothering with.
I guess it depends on what your health goals are, but for myself I think I should stick to the non-fat, low-fat even if it means a few more grams of sugar. And carbs are 4 calories per gram, fat is 9 calories per gram, so low fat will be much lower in calories.
What do you think?
My wife had me try some sugar free cookies that her dad liked, since he can't eat much sugar at all without getting sick, low sugar or sugar free is a must for him. The cookies taste great, but I was a little disappointed in the fat levels. Since my sugar is under control, I'd rather eat something low fat but maybe has a little sugar in it, like reduced fat Chips Ahoys, which are very good.
For example, the Murray's Sugar Free Chocolate Chip cookies have a serving size of 3 cookies (32g). A serving is 150 calories which isn't bad, but 20g of carbs (even with 0g sugar) and 9g of fat (14% of DV) and 3.5g sat fat (18%DV).
The reduced fat Chips Ahoys, while they do have 9g of sugar in a 31g serving, they only have 5g of fat (8%DV). Is that enough to make a huge difference? I'm not sure.
The other thing that caught my eye was two boxes of Pop-Tarts I bought lately, one of which happened to be the "Reduced Fat Strawberry". I wanted to try them, but I'm not daft enough to think Reduced Fat Pop Tart = Healthy.
I was shocked with what I saw on the nutrition panel (and of course I didn't look too hard until I got them home).
The second box was chocolate chip cookie dough. Which sounds healthier, strawberries or chocolate chip cookies? Depends on what your looking at.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
200 Calories
5g fat (8% DV)
18g sugar
35g Carbs
Reduced Fat Strawberry:
190 Calories (only 10 less).
3g fat
21g sugar
40g Carbs
The low fat ones are higher in total carbs and sugars and don't reduce the calories so I don't think those are even really worth bothering with.
I guess it depends on what your health goals are, but for myself I think I should stick to the non-fat, low-fat even if it means a few more grams of sugar. And carbs are 4 calories per gram, fat is 9 calories per gram, so low fat will be much lower in calories.
What do you think?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Drive Thru Diet? Seriously?
I see a lot of stuff on TV that leaves me scratching my head? I wonder.. who believes this stuff? And then I remember the millions every year who get scammed, hoodwinked, bamboozled or otherwise relieved of their pocket change. As PT Barnum said, there's a sucker born every minute.
The latest thing that caught my eye was the Taco Bell commercial for the "Drive Thru Diet" about the lady who didn't want to give up her "fast food" so she switched to Taco Bell's Fresco menu and lost 20 pounds.. or 40.. or whatever. This has to be a joke right? Just a clever way to advertise the menu? "Results not typical" indeed.
The Fresco menu is lower fat, because it forgoes cream based sauces and sour cream and the like.. but it still has the same greasy meat and probably cheese... how much better can it be?
For Comparison:
Crunchy Taco Supreme: Shell, Meat, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream
200 Calories, 100 calories from fat, 12 g of fat and 5 g saturated fat.
Fresco Crunchy Taco: Shell, Meat, Lettuce, Fresco salsa
150 Calories, 70 calories from fat, 7 grams of fat, 2.5g saturated fat.
This isn't too bad, almost 50% reduction in fat and exactly 50% in Sat. Fat.
Based on 65 grams of fat and 20 grams saturated fat as the recommended daily allowance, the Fresco Taco isn't too bad roughly 10% for both. But that is a little high for a "diet" food... and well.. you have to eat like 3 of them.
Maybe the Fresco items aren't so bad.. but there is something hideously wrong with even suggesting that you can lose weight at a fast food joint. Next someone is going to sue them because they ate one Fresco taco a day (along with non-Fresco items like Nachos Supremes and deep fried Chulapa's) and then wondered why they ballooned up to 500 pounds. Just watch.. it will happen. Taco Bell opened the wrong can of worms with this one.
I love Taco Bell as much as the next guy.. where else can you get food at 2AM and only spend 3.16$. It's great, but healthy it's not. The only thing not deep fried is the meat and it's swimming in a jacuzzi of it's own grease. If it drips down your chin like a memphis pork rib.. delicious it may be, but low fat it's not!
The latest thing that caught my eye was the Taco Bell commercial for the "Drive Thru Diet" about the lady who didn't want to give up her "fast food" so she switched to Taco Bell's Fresco menu and lost 20 pounds.. or 40.. or whatever. This has to be a joke right? Just a clever way to advertise the menu? "Results not typical" indeed.
The Fresco menu is lower fat, because it forgoes cream based sauces and sour cream and the like.. but it still has the same greasy meat and probably cheese... how much better can it be?
For Comparison:
Crunchy Taco Supreme: Shell, Meat, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream
200 Calories, 100 calories from fat, 12 g of fat and 5 g saturated fat.
Fresco Crunchy Taco: Shell, Meat, Lettuce, Fresco salsa
150 Calories, 70 calories from fat, 7 grams of fat, 2.5g saturated fat.
This isn't too bad, almost 50% reduction in fat and exactly 50% in Sat. Fat.
Based on 65 grams of fat and 20 grams saturated fat as the recommended daily allowance, the Fresco Taco isn't too bad roughly 10% for both. But that is a little high for a "diet" food... and well.. you have to eat like 3 of them.
Maybe the Fresco items aren't so bad.. but there is something hideously wrong with even suggesting that you can lose weight at a fast food joint. Next someone is going to sue them because they ate one Fresco taco a day (along with non-Fresco items like Nachos Supremes and deep fried Chulapa's) and then wondered why they ballooned up to 500 pounds. Just watch.. it will happen. Taco Bell opened the wrong can of worms with this one.
I love Taco Bell as much as the next guy.. where else can you get food at 2AM and only spend 3.16$. It's great, but healthy it's not. The only thing not deep fried is the meat and it's swimming in a jacuzzi of it's own grease. If it drips down your chin like a memphis pork rib.. delicious it may be, but low fat it's not!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Saving money and losing weight.
I haven't posted a blog in a while (mostly due to a 2 week lose of computer access) but I wanted to share this.
At the same time I'm trying to eat healthy and lose weight I'm also trying to save money and pay off debt. I wanted to share my little shopping trip today where I used some tricks I learned online.
I've read several websites and blogs about saving money and clipping coupons for groceries including extreme examples of people spending 10$ or less on 100$ worth of items etc. One of the big keys is using a coupon to buy something on sale and boy did I hit it big today.
I went to Food Lion and bought a loaf of bread, a 6-pack of applesauce cups, 3 boxes of Hamburger Helper, a gallon of milk and a bottle of ketchup. I spent $8.99 and my coupon savings were 7.53. I almost paid half price for everything. The bulk of the savings came from the Hamburger Helper.
Regular price $2.16 per box. Food Lion sale 10 for $10. Coupon .75 cents off 3 boxes.
3 boxes regular price - $6.48
3 boxes @ $.75 each $2.25
Savings = $4.23
Plus, the applesauce was half price (buy one get one) savings - 1.23$
the ketchup was 10 for $10 = regular price $1.42, savings $.42
The bread was 1.79 (40 cents off) and a 1$ coupon with the bread and milk dropped the milk to $2.52 for a gallon.
It was a small trip, but it shows what you can do if you plan it out right. I saved around 45% on my total bill, but plenty of people out there have done way better. Multiple coupons, bigger sales etc and you can save a ton.
Makes up for some of that healthy food being so darn expensive.
At the same time I'm trying to eat healthy and lose weight I'm also trying to save money and pay off debt. I wanted to share my little shopping trip today where I used some tricks I learned online.
I've read several websites and blogs about saving money and clipping coupons for groceries including extreme examples of people spending 10$ or less on 100$ worth of items etc. One of the big keys is using a coupon to buy something on sale and boy did I hit it big today.
I went to Food Lion and bought a loaf of bread, a 6-pack of applesauce cups, 3 boxes of Hamburger Helper, a gallon of milk and a bottle of ketchup. I spent $8.99 and my coupon savings were 7.53. I almost paid half price for everything. The bulk of the savings came from the Hamburger Helper.
Regular price $2.16 per box. Food Lion sale 10 for $10. Coupon .75 cents off 3 boxes.
3 boxes regular price - $6.48
3 boxes @ $.75 each $2.25
Savings = $4.23
Plus, the applesauce was half price (buy one get one) savings - 1.23$
the ketchup was 10 for $10 = regular price $1.42, savings $.42
The bread was 1.79 (40 cents off) and a 1$ coupon with the bread and milk dropped the milk to $2.52 for a gallon.
It was a small trip, but it shows what you can do if you plan it out right. I saved around 45% on my total bill, but plenty of people out there have done way better. Multiple coupons, bigger sales etc and you can save a ton.
Makes up for some of that healthy food being so darn expensive.
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