Sweet Tooth

So I’m walking in the grocery store to do my weekly shopping one month, and then I see them.  Them…you know what them be?  OREOS!!  OMG….Oreos are like my favorite freakin’ cookies ever!!  There were times in the past where I would buy a pack of oreo cookies, and started eating them when I got in the car.  Those cookies couldn’t stand a chance (and still don’t) in my presence.  I luv ‘em, I luv ‘em, I luv ‘em.  Oh…I so heart oreos!  Okay, now we done got that out the way, you may be able to see that I have sweet tooth.  Oreo cookies hit the spot for me EVERY time; however, I haven’t had an oreo cookie in about at least a year. 

I learned a little secret to help curve my sweet tooth.  We’ll get to that in a second, but first I need explain to you some facts about sugar.  According to the National Federation of Professional Trainers, we generally get sugar from pasta, grains, vegetables, fruits, breads, cereals, rice, beans, sugar (glucose), candies, etc.  These foods are sources of carbohydrates, but are also two basic types of sugars, complex and simple.  Any food which is a simple sugar, when consumed will be absorbed quickly by the body.  The blood can only take up blood-glucose very slowly; therefore, any excess glucose will be rapidly stored in fat cells.   Additionally, within 20 to 30 minutes of eating the simple sugar product, the blood level falls to below resting levels.  This is called hypoglycemia.  As we age, are muscles slowly forgets how to take up sugar, but the fat cells get smarter and gets better at it. (5ed, 2008)      

Back in my young and wild days, I use to run the streets with my friends.  Sometimes, I wouldn’t eat all day, but hit the clubs at night.  When I had my first drink, I felt great!  But usually after about 20 to 30 minutes of completing that drink, I felt like I was gonna collapse or something.  I would completely leave my friends and were ever I was to pursue real food.  I didn’t know it at the time, but this was hypoglycemia.  The first drink was usually a mixed drink with some kind of sweet beverage added, which explains my “sugar high”.  The hypoglycemia explains my moods swings.  (See, I told you friends…I had an issue and I’m not crazy!!)    

Now for you folks who are 25+.  Remember days when you could eat McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…and still go out to the club and drink all night?  Even with this unhealthy life style, you still managed to maintain the same weight?  You remember?  I do!  Well guess what…you probably don’t have the same “problem” anymore.  Now, if you happen to look at something unhealthy, you may feel as though you’ve gained a pound.  That’s how I felt anyway.  As I explained above, as you get older, your body naturally stores more of the food you eat as fat, rather than using and burning it off like when you were a kid.  But there are always exceptions to that rule, because some people can eat all day and never gain another pound.   

  Taking this information into consideration, I learned that I’d always want oreo cookies.  I just had to learn how and when to eat them.  Every person has basic calorie needs.  Once you figure out what this need is, realize that one pound of fat equals 3500 calories, which is about 500 calories a day.  If you’re able to create a deficit of 500 calories from your basic calorie needs, in theory you should lose a pound of fat each week you do that.  The reason I bring this up is although cookies are basically simple sugars and are stored as fat quickly, everything we eat can be utilized as energy.  How are you burning calories off? 

So here’s my little secret.  I decided that I wanted to continue to eat my cookies, and still eat healthy.  So basically I calculated my basic caloric needs, plus the amount of calories I would consume in the cookies, and I created a deficit in my caloric intake everyday by 500 calories.  But I also worked out and did tons of cardio.  Because I was able to create a deficit of 3500 or more calories a week (complete with my workout routine), I was able to have my broccoli and my cookies too!  I’d usually limited myself to a free day (usually Sunday), to eat whatever sugary treat I desired.  I still use this basic principle today.  Basically, everything in life should be done in moderation.  Over doing anything is never a good thing.  So eat a cookie every now and then, it won’t kill you.  Just make sure you’re taking care of business in the gym and throughout the rest of your diet.

D-Rich   

Austin TX Fitness Trainers & New Orleans Fitness Trainers: Lift weights lose weight

Austin TX Fitness Trainers & New Orleans Fitness Trainers: Lift weights lose weight

This is an excellent article I read written by a personal trainer in Austin and New Orleans.  He hit the nail right on the head.  You must lift weight if you want to see real results.  What you want to remember is doing cardio only routines will help you lose weight, but the weight you would lose would be fat and muscle.  You don't want to lose your muscle, because your muscle contributes to boosting your metabolism, which turns your body into a lean mean melting fat away machine!

D-Rich

What do you do when you're starving?

I'd tried to get my hair cut from my barber yesterday, but he was just unavailable.  I said...no problem, I'll just try again tomorrow (today, Thursday, May 20).  So I called my barber and let him know that I was on the way.  I'm skipping down the hall of my job, and then singing to all the songs in my car after I get on the road.  This is my ritual, because I'm going to get dat fresh cut!  Getting my hair cut makes me feel great.

So...I get to the barber, he cuts my hair, I get in my car and I'm on my way back to work.  Simple right?  Haha...right...NOT.  I got stuck in traffic.  Not only was I stuck in traffic, but I was hungry as hell!  Hungry People!  All my friends know how I get when I get hungry....I basically shut down and become dysfunctional, so I try to never let it happen.  I was not just hungry though, I was pissed, because I had an opportunity to eat before I left.  I didn't eat because I had just a protein shake about 30 minutes before I left, and I didn't want to load my body up with too much protein in one sitting.  But honestly, I had no real way of knowing this traffic was going to happen. 

This is why I come to you today to ask you, What do you do when you're starving?   If you're human, you'll find the quickest and easiest place to buy some grub, and scarf it down.  Usually at that point, you're probably just wanting carbs.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states "the greater the consumption of foods containing large amounts of added sugars, the more difficult it is to consume enough nutrients without gaining weight. Consumption of added sugars provides calories while providing little, if any, of the essential nutrients."  (http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter7.htm)  If you have time, read up on this.

But basically, not all carbs are bad.  Generally, the carbs you get from vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and prepared foods with little added sugars are the key recommendations of the USDA.  But they say a person on a 2,000 calorie diet should only consume about 300 of those calories as carbs.  Since there are 4 calories in every carb gram, that's about 1200 calories.  So out of your 2,000 calorie diet, only 1200 calories can consist of carbs.  Did you get that?

Lets look at a menu that I was able to eat when I was 21 years old, and burning calories like a mad dude when I was in the Marines:

Breakfast
1 Banana - 15 carb grams
2 Tbsps of peanut butter - 28 carb grams
3 Whole eggs - 3 carb grams
1 Cup of milk - 13 carb grams

Lunch
McDonald's Big N Tasty - 38 carb grams
Large Soda 32oz - 86 carb grams (Damn that's a lot - You see that???  86!!!)

Dinner
2 slices of pepperoni pizza - 58 carb grams
Large Soda 32oz - 86 car grams

Total carb grams = 327 or 1308 Calories of Carbs

Guess what happens to carbs you don't use as energy?  How much energy does it take to sit in your car and drive?  How much energy does it take to sit on the couch and watch T.V.?  How much energy are you using to burn off excess carbs?  Or are you burning them off?

The simple solution to the problem is watch your carb source and participate in physical activity, which will cause you to use (burn) energy.  We want you to burn all that extra stuff your body doesn't use.

Here's something extra for you.  So you know that when your body gets enough of whatever you are putting in it, the other stuff gets stored as fat.  Okay...so let's say you're not eating right; you don't eat breakfast, you only eat twice a day (that's a whole new topic) and you're not getting enough calories and/or nutrients.  Because your body needs energy to function, it will burn what ever it can, including that precious muscle.  Guess what...precious muscle is what makes you look lean, mean..and super hot (yes..you too ladies).  You don't want to do that!  I'll cover this more in detail in another blog.

So here are my tips:
1.  Only store and buy quality good food with low amounts of carbs.  If you keep low carb food around, then you'll have no reason to over indulge in carbs.
2.  Take a bag of apples, oranges, grapes, or whatever else you can think of to the office.  Keep them there throughout the week if you can.  You can grab them when you have hunger pains.  Instead of going to the snack bar, grab an apple.
3.  If you are out and about and you're starving, for heaven's sake, don't buy soda or that candy bar.  Before you leave your house or job, take some apples or other low carb items with you.  You can grab and eat them for the energy you need to tie you over until you can get to your healthy meals.

Watch these clips!  I was in traffic, starving, and had nothing to eat.  I thought I was going to have to eat my hand for a minute there.

Nutrition Tip #1

Did you just wake up from the comma you call a good nights sleep? Have you eaten yet? Well....HAVE YOU? How long after you woke up did you eat? Oh wait, it's been two hours and you haven't eaten anything? BIG OLE MISTAKE! What basically happens when you decide to not eat breakfast is your body goes into starvation mode. It thinks you won't be feeding it the rest of the day, so the next time you eat, your food gets stored as fat. Yes, I know....wonderful! This is definitely an incentive to eat breakfast every morning.

My friends Ian King and Lou Schuler, wrote in their book, "The Book of Muscle" that "The benefits of eating the right food diminish if you don't get the frequency and timing right. Eat your first meal as soon as you can after getting up in the morning - you want your fire to start burning as quickly as possible."

Try this meal for breakfast - One whole egg and three egg whites, 1/2 cup diced mushrooms and peppers, and one ounce of reduced-fat cheese. (This is your omelete) Add to this two slices of wheat bread, six ounces of orange juice, and around 24 ounces of water. This is your fuel for the morning and to get your body jump started to be a lean, mean, burning machine. Sometimes, I just do a nice protein shake for breakfast; it's quick and easy (actually I do this most of the time).

Nutrition Tip #1...Eat right after you wake up in the morning. Don't delay!

Quick...go back to bed and start all over again! After you wake back up...go take your butt to your kitchen and put some fuel in that body. THAT'S AN ORDER SOLDIER!!

Fitness Tip #1

Many people make so many excuses about their size, shape, and weight. What many folks fail to realize is there's only one person responsible for all that. In case you're wondering...it aint me!! Go look in the mirror! Now that's the bad news. The good news is, you can do something about it!! But only you can do something about it. That's right YOU!

The same person who helped change your size, shape, and weight, is going to be the same person that will SHAPEDATBODY!! Motivation comes from within. Find it in yourself to want to change your size, shape, weight, and ultimately your health. Once you make this dedication to yourself, you're ready for the next step.

So Fitness Tip #1, change comes from within. You are the only one that can motivate yourself to do what is needed to make change happen.

Be the change you seek. (B. Obama)

I'm in your corner, but are you in your corner??

My first fitness blog

This is going to be a wonderful start to a new journey in my life. Through the blogs I write, I hope to inspire you to build your best body. I welcome all comments and can't wait to get you guys something good to read. Stay tuned...because I'm just getting started!!