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

This postcard from PostSecret was in last Sunday’s collection.

It reads:

Sometimes I think the reason I can’t lose weight is because
I’m Scared.
If I become thin and discover guys still aren’t attracted to me, then I will have nothing to hide behind.

I think the reason that ALL of us have troubles losing weight is because we are scared. Each of us are scared of different things, but fear seems to be the largest obstacle in our way.

I’m scared that my family won’t like me as much when I’m thin. A lot of what we do together is eat. If I have to watch my food all the time, will be still be able to enjoy each other?

What is it about getting to your ideal weight that makes you scared? How can you get over that fear so that you can get to your goal?

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

• ran 1.4 mi on 8/12/2009 at 9:15 PM with a pace of 22’49″/mi http://bit.ly/MDlSj #
• ran 3.1 mi on 8/13/2009 at 11:34 AM with a pace of 20’10″/mi http://bit.ly/6GVX6 #

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While we were out at yard sales last weekend, we found this great can that used to have MSG (or monosodium Glutamate) in it. It was actually from the famous Ajinomoto Corporation of Japan, who patented MSG in 1909. MSG is a flavor enhancer, so it can make boring food taste really good. Sounds like a dieter’s dream, right? If you’re eating bland food, it can taste wonderful if you sprinkle on some magical MSG.

Unfortunately, many people have reported that MSG is bad for them. Is it something you should avoid?

• Monosodium glutamate – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MSG as a food ingredient has been the subject of health studies. A report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) compiled in 1995 on behalf of the FDA concluded that MSG was safe for most people when “eaten at customary levels.” However, it also said that, based on anecdotal reports, some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes “MSG symptom complex” — commonly referred to as Chinese restaurant syndrome — and/or a worsening of asthmatic symptoms.

Subsequent research found that while large doses of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react adversely to MSG, the frequency of the responses was low and the responses reported were inconsistent, not reproducible, and were not observed when MSG was given with food. Review of Alleged Reaction to Monosodium Glutamate and Outcome of a Multicenter Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study — Journal of Nutrition

While many people believe that MSG is the cause of these symptoms, a statistical association has not been demonstrated under controlled conditions, even in studies with people who were convinced that they were sensitive to it. Adequately controlling for experimental bias includes a placebo-controlled double-blinded experimental design and the application in capsules because of the strong and unique after-taste of glutamates. ScienceDirect – Food and Chemical Toxicology : Monosodium L-glutamate: A double-blind study and review

So, for most people, MSG isn’t a problem. If that’s the case, why can’t you just buy it in any grocery store? Well, you CAN. MSG is an ingredient in MANY spices on the market today. It is hidden under different names because so many people have been scared of MSG for no scientific reason. You can find MSG hiding under the following names:

• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
• Malt extract
• Bouillon
• Broth
• Stock
• Flavoring
• Natural Flavoring
• Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring
• Seasoning
• Spices
• Carrageenan
• Enzymes
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• Whey Protein Concentrate

If you would like to make your food taste a little better and you know that you have no sensitivity to MSG, you can buy it in the grocery store or at Amazon.com:

• MSG FRESHLY PACKED IN LARGE JARS at Amazon.com

• ran 2.39 mi on 8/11/2009 at 5:31 AM with a pace of 24’48″/mi http://bit.ly/156hDq #

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My new favorite find from the farmer’s market this weekend are Armenian Cucumbers.

Never bitter, you don’t have to peel these cucumbers. All you have to do is wash them thoroughly and slice them for beautiful cucumber chips with naturally scalloped edges.

I’ve been eating them in wraps with Flat Out flatbread and Laughing Cow cheese (both in the Light versions).

First, I lightly toast the Flat Out in my toaster oven. While it’s still warm, I spread one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. I really like the garlic flavor.

Then, I put about a half a cup of cucumber slices on the flatbread. I want at least one serving of vegetables. You don’t have to use cucumbers, either. You can used any vegetables, either grilled or fresh.

After I put in the veggies, I wrap it up. The flatbread is usually a little stiff from being toasted. If you prefer your flatbread softer, then skip toasting it.

I count this whole wrap as only two points (0 points for the veggies, 1.2 points for the flatbread and .8 points for the cheese), so you can have a REALLY filling meal for only a couple of points.

ENJOY!

Summer and Fall are the seasons for farmer’s markets. They are the perfect places to buy fresh veggies and fruit at lower prices. Mike and I went to the South Jordan Farmer’s Market last weekend and found a bunch of goodies. You can see them all here:

I’ve talked about farmer’s markets before. You can get some great tips here:

• Starling Fitness » Farmer’s Market Season

Find a farmer’s market in your area:

• AMS at USDA – Farmers Markets Query Page

• created a challenge “08-10-09 Challenge” http://bit.ly/tRSRB #
• created a challenge “Starling Fitness Level 6 (08-10-09)” http://bit.ly/2RL5wN #
• created a challenge “Starling Fitness Level 4 (08-10-09)” http://bit.ly/4SHOw #
• created a challenge “Starling Fitness Level 2 (08-10-09)” http://bit.ly/2PSW5L #
• created a challenge “Starling Fitness Level 1 (08-10-09)” http://bit.ly/1GSaN #
• ran 2.72 mi on 8/10/2009 at 9:01 AM with a pace of 20’38″/mi http://bit.ly/8qgCI #
• created a challenge “50 Miles Before Halloween” http://bit.ly/xfFvj #
• RT @motivation: “Enthusiasm is the great hill-climber.” – Elbert Hubbard http://tqpage.com/31135 #

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This old advertisement made my blood boil a little.

It reads:

Figures show the modern taste is for light refreshment

One look at this modern hostess’s sillhouette and you can just about guess the kind of thing she keeps in that refrigerator.

You’d know it must be stocked with the lighter, less filling foods that make up the diet of the world’s most attractive people today.

That’s how they keep those slender waistlines. How they stay so young-looking year after year. Why they feel so good, so fit for all the activities, all the fun modern living has to offer.

And it is to suit their modern taste that today’s Pepsi-Cola is reduced in calories. Never heavy, never too sweet, it refreshes without filling.

Have a Pepsi, the modern, the light refreshment.

This old ad suggests that Pepsi is the reason the woman pictured is so thin and “young-looking.” After years of realizing that sugar-filled soda is making people FATTER, this advertisement seems crazy.

Whenever I see ads today saying that their products make you lose weight or appear slimmer, I look at them with my 1940’s eyes. New commercials are lying to me just like they have been lying for years. Don’t believe the products that are advertised to help you lose weight. They are just as bogus as this old Pepsi ad.

Advert via: Carabaas — Pepsi for Light Refreshment

In October of 1907, that was the headline for the New York Tribune:

Overflowing harvests bless the land, yet food prices steadily mount.

The same could be said now. The U.S. produces more food now than we did one hundred years ago, but the cost for fresh food is still skyrocketing.

Why?

Shouldn’t fresh food be cheaper than processed food because it doesn’t have to be processed? Apparently not:

• A High Price for Healthy Food – Well Blog – NYTimes.com

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

Junk food can sit on a shelf for months before it has to be pulled, but that’s not the case for fresh fruit and veggies.

If you want to eat fresh food, but are strapped for cash, this is the time of the year to go to your local farmer’s market. You should be able to buy fresh fruit and veggies for a lot less than what you would pay in a grocery store. Some cities have farmer’s markets all year long, but for the rest of us, we have to enjoy the fresh food while the summer sun shines.

• ran 1.82 mi on 8/8/2009 at 9:22 AM with a pace of 33’41″/mi http://bit.ly/ILK83 #

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