Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I know I should eat more fish because it’s protein that’s low in calories and has some cool fat in it (omega-3) that’s supposed to be super healthy. I KNOW this, but I haven’t really ever made it a habit in my life. I can’t even say that I eat fish more than once a month.

Part of the reason is that fish is difficult. Sure, canned tuna is easy, but after a summer of eating it almost every day, I have a hard time eating it more often than once a month. Frozen fish is so variable. Sometimes it tastes delicious, other times it tastes like fish long gone bad.

Fresh fish is even more difficult. Seeing heads and fins and eyes pretty much grosses me out. Oh yeah, and there are BONES. I found this video teaching me how to eat fish with bones in it, but the head of the fish just made me queasy.

Dining Etiquette: How To Eat Fish On The Bone

So, what am I to do? How do I get past all of these excuses? They are just excuses, I realize and I need to just get over them, so here’s my plan for eating fish at least once a week.

• Flavored Tuna: Lately, I’ve been enjoying the Starkist Hickory Smoked Tuna. Starkist makes lots of flavors including Lemon Pepper and Sweet & Spicy. These different flavors make it easier for me to eat tuna regularly.

• Frozen Cod Fillets: I haven’t been able to find these consistently at the grocery store, but when I do, I stock up. I have never had a frozen cod fillet that tastes really fishy. I can’t say the same for salmon or halibut. I love the buttery flavor of cod and if I defrost the fillet in the microwave for a minute and then put it on my George Foreman Grill, it turns out absolutely delicious without having to add any fat or butter.

• Salmon Burgers: I have found salmon burgers at Whole Foods and they are super delicious. I talked about them before: Starling Fitness » Health Food Stores Have Tasty Meat

I’m sick of letting excuses come between me and healthy eating, so I have made a plan to add fish to my diet at least once a week. If you have any other ideas on what I can do to make it work, please leave me a comment.

Here is an interesting video from a college student about the Freshman Fifteen:

He takes you on a video tour of the student cafeteria at his school. The video pans over all the food and he says, “This is why I’m fat.”

I don’t like concepts like The Freshman Fifteen. It makes it seem like an inevitable outcome. Naming it like that makes it feel like it’s a natural part of growing up. I didn’t gain fifteen pounds when I started college. It took me three years to gain about twenty pounds, but I didn’t leave home to go to school. I was still living with my parents at the time. It wasn’t until I got married that my weight ballooned. Do I blame Mike for gaining that weight? No. Should students blame the cafeteria when they gain weight? Again, NO.

It’s not the food’s fault if I gain weight.

It’s possible to eat healthy and go to college. It’s possible to eat healthy and leave home for the first time. It’s possible to eat healthy and be a newlywed. Just like with every other aspect of my life, I need to be CONSCIOUS of what I’m eating, whether it’s in an attempt to avoid the Freshman Fifteen or the Middle Age Spread.

Last February, my good friend, Braidwood, took me to the Slow Food Mixer at the Wine Vault in San Diego. I had been religiously following the Weight Watchers program, so I was a little nervous going to an event that focused so heavily on food.

I shouldn’t have worried. Instead of a binge-fest, it was a pleasant gathering of interesting people. Every bite of food was a intriguing delight of goodness.

They fed us tiny amounts of food. Each item was no more than one or two bites. I didn’t get to taste everything, but I did get a photo of every thing. What I loved so much was being able to have so many different flavors without eating a lot of food.

The focus of the event was choosing organic and locally grown food. They showcased the best that southern California had to offer.

Of course, locally grown food is a lot easier to come by in a place that has a growing season like California does. Back home in Utah, we’re stuck with apples and potatoes all winter if we only eat local.

The thing that surprised me the most is how filling everything was. Each item was only a bite or two, but I felt full after an evening of talking and eating. I ate tiny amounts of really good food and I felt much more satisfied than I would have if I had eaten a huge meal at McDonalds.

The next time you’re hungry, cook yourself up some glamorous appetizers in tiny serving sizes and have one of each. You may find that you get fulfilled on far fewer calories than you would have if you had made a single entree.

To see all the photos:

• Slow Food Mixer at Wine Vault & Bistro – a set on Flickr

A couple of years ago, I talked about the Mormons (The Church of Latter Day Saints) and the Word of Wisdom. I said it could be used to keep the members of the church healthy.

• Starling Fitness » A Utah Non-Mormon Talks About The BYU Study

It looks like someone has written a book about just that subject. It’s called The Mormon Diet. Here are the key points of the Word of Wisdom that have to do with health:

• Avoid Alcohol and Strong Drink (such as Coca-Cola or other caffeinated or carbonated beverages): “That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good.”

• Avoid Tobacco: “Tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man.”

• Avoid Hot Drinks (such as coffee and tea): “Hot drinks are not for the body or belly.”

• Eat Your Vegetables: “Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.”

• Eat Meat Sparingly: “Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.”

• Eat More Whole Grains and Feed Your Animals Grains: “All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth.”

• You’ll Be Healthy If You Eat This Way: “And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.”

You can read the full Word of Wisdom here:

• The LDS Word of Wisdom – Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants

Growing your own vegetables and herbs is the best way to ensure that your food is healthy. My friend, Roland K. Smith makes Raised Garden Beds that make gardening in small areas or on your deck or patio easy.

He is going to sell them this year at the Farmer’s Market in Pocatello, Idaho, but the weather just wasn’t cooperating the last week of April:

• Roland K. Smith’s Weblog » A Rainy, Cold, Short Beginning For the Farmers Market

The plan was to sell the raised garden beds at the market (actually, to take orders for them). The forecast was for rain and about the time the market opened at 9 am so did the skies. By 10:30 most of the vendors had packed it in and so did we. By that time we were both pretty dang cold. I’m sure in a few weeks we won’t remember how cold this morning was and will be wishing for cooler weather.

Even the cold states like Idaho and Utah are starting their Farmer’s Markets up in late April. The time for fresh and locally grown vegetables and fruits is at hand. Find the Farmer’s Market in your area and get some yummy veggies for yourself. Or take it even further and buy a raised garden bed to grow your own!

I was so excited when I heard about My Weight Loss Coach for the Nintendo DS.

• Starling Fitness » Ubisoft Announces My Weight Loss Coach

I pre-ordered it, so when it arrived, I was excited to finally get a chance to try it out. Unfortunately, it left me bothered and unhappy with it. The pedometer was cool and it worked seamlessly with the DS, but the software and user interface was clumsy and limited. You can see a video walk-through here:

Download this video for your iPod

It might look cute and fun to do, but there is ONE problem with this that made me stop using it. You can see the issue at the 2:21 mark. It asks you if you want to “Wrap The Day.” If you misread this as finishing putting in food for now and accidentally choose “Yes,” then you cannot add any more food that day. It’s completely closed off for you. I did that a couple of times because instinctively, it seemed like I should answer “Yes” at that screen because I was done adding my breakfast. After the second time, I went back to keeping track of my food on paper.

I liked how they kept track of energy units, which were worth approximately 50 calories. That is really close to the calculation for WW Points, so it worked well with the way I kept track of food. Unfortunately, the software was so limited that there are some foods that are just NOT on the list and no way to enter your own food unless you just enter something else with the same amount of energy units. It was an irritating experience to enter my food.

Exercise was just as irritating. I know they were trying to make it easy, but swinging the clock hand around and around to say how many minutes of exercise I did was just ludicrous. Keeping track of things should be EASIER than writing them down when I have to use my DS to keep track of food. Sure, it was cute, but I need efficient as well.

Ubisoft are the creators of my beloved Rayman Raving Rabbids and they licensed Yourself! Fitness, so I have come to expect good things from them. Unfortunately, My Weight Loss Coach didn’t live up to the Ubisoft name. Save your money and don’t bother with this one.

I watch House M.D. EVERY week and I absolutely LOVE it. Dr. House says the things that I think parents should hear. I cheered and clapped when House bitched out the hippie parents of a child with asthma when they refused to buy him inhalers.

I prepared myself for the worst when House started lecturing this mother about childhood obesity. Here is what he said:

Download this video for your iPod

The audio is kind of choppy, so here’s a transcript:

House: Well, good news, the lab says it’s not strep, so we’re done.
Mother: Wait a second…
House: No! REALLY! Not strep. The boys in the lab sure are hard drinkers, but they’re pros. Plus, your kid has none of the symptoms for strep. I just figured it was quicker running the test than arguing with you. My point is, GO!
Mother: I just wanted to ask your opinion, Doctor. She’s having a birthday party next week and she’s upset that I’m getting a sugar-less cake.
Child: The other kids HATE it!
House: THIS is why you’re here…
Mother: Sugar is the leading cause of obesity in America.
House: You want a doctor to scare her about the dangers of sugar… [House closes the door to talk privately.]
Mother: She needs to get her weight under control.
House: [to the daugher] Well, you know… I feel sorry for those other kids, Wendy, who don’t have a mom like yours. A mom that knows that sugar causes heart disease, appendicitis, and athlete’s foot.
Mother: Well, that’s not fair…
House: [to the mother] Oh yes, it is. No, I get it. You want her to slim down a little so she can wear pretty clothes, like yours. I LOVE the bracelets. HEY! What about matching outfits?! You could be twins! Oh! She CAN’T be your daughter! It’s impossible! You look WAY too young! [to the daughter] Happy Birthday! [to the mother] Get the kid a damned ice cream cake!

House is exactly right. It’s almost as if parents care more about childhood obesity because of the way it reflects on THEM instead of for valid reasons. They are so ashamed of having an overweight child that they are willing to starve their growing children or give them dangerous diet pills in order to make their kids perfect.

Last week, Angela commented on my The Weight Loss Testimonial entry:

There was a madtv scetch once about “eat less and move more.” And this whiny person saying that was too complicated and couldn’t they just take a pill or have surgery? And the guy responds, “you’d rather have dangerous, invasive surgery than just eat less and move more???” That one always sticks with me as I’m trying to do this on my own.

I had never seen or heard of that sketch before, so I looked it up:

Angela is RIGHT! This is such a powerful lesson to me. Every time I get tempted by some diet pill that promises a miracle, I’m going to remember this lady.

Lady: Isn’t there a pill I could take?
Announcer: Haven’t you taken you taken pills for dieting?
Lady: I sure have…
Announcer: And how’d that work out?
Lady: I’m fatter now than I’ve ever been!
Announcer: You want to lose weight, right?
Lady: Absolutely!
Announcer: Then all you have to do is eat less and move more.

I have heard the phrase, “Eat Less Move More” so many times that I’m pretty sick of it, but it’s true. That’s the only thing I need to do to get to my goal weight. It’s the DOING it that’s hard.

A few months ago, Weight Watchers ran these commercials with the Hungry Monster:

Ever since I talked about that commercial, people have been emailing me asking where they could buy one. For example:

CAN WE PURCHASE THE LITTLE STUFFED CREATURE IN YOUR COMMERCIALD?

I was wondering if you would be marketing the little orange Hunger character in your commercials as a stuffed animal or something? I just think the commercials are really motivating and eye-catching and I would LOVE to have a little Hunger stuffed animal of my own..

Thank you,
Donnina

This week at Weight Watchers, I noticed that they are actually selling the little Hungry Monsters.

Seeing hunger personified reminds me that it’s just a little beast inside of me controlling what I eat. I need to retrain it to eat healthy food.

Update 02-03-10: The hungry monster used to be sold at Weight Watchers locations, but it has since been pulled from the market. Sorry, but you can’t buy them at present.

I love this old ad from 1943:

It reads:

War-Winning Nourishment
Appetite-Winning Flavor
Uncle Sam says: “Eat a green or yellow vegetable each day.” And Stokley’s Finest Honey Pod Peas fill the bill more ways than one. Peas supply minerals, protein, vitamins A, B1, C and G. And these Honey Pods have a flavor all their own – sweet as honey, garden-fresh. Mixed sizes – just as they come from their crisp green pods. Tested recipes for delicious, thrifty dishes on the back of every label of Stokely’s Finest Honey Pod Peas.

Whether it was Uncle Sam who recommended that you eat green or yellow vegetables every day or just the marketing director, he was right. Including five servings of vegetables and fruit in your diet every day is essential to keeping you feeling full and giving you the nutrients you need.

Next time you are thinking of a snack to eat when you’re hungry, remember your Uncle Sam…

Ad via: Found in Mom’s Basement: 1943 ad for Stokely’s canned peas with WW II message