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

Cheryl Koch, R.D. talks about the things that her mother used to tell her when she was little. Does all that advice hold any water in this day and age?

• Yahoo! Health Expert Blogs Eat Right, Stay Fit – Things My Mother Used to Tell Me

These are the sayings that she analyzes:

• Eat your carrots so you’ll be able to see in the dark. Verdict: True

• Eating spinach will make you big and strong. Verdict: True

• Eating chocolate will give you pimples. Verdict: False

• An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Verdict: True

• If you don’t finish your dinner you cannot have any dessert. Verdict: True

• You are what you eat. Verdict: True

See her article for the full story behind these things that your mother told you.

A study at BYU found that Utah Mormons weigh 4.6 pounds more than Utah Non-Mormons. Ironically, this is great news, because ten years ago, Utah Mormons used to weigh 5.7 pounds more than Utah Non-Mormons.

• BYU study finds Mormons weigh more – MSNBC.com

So much of my experience with growing up was blaming things on the Mormons. We have huge ice cream parlors here dedicated to decadent treats. I used to blame this on Mormons until I heard about Ben and Jerry’s. I don’t think there are enough Mormons in Vermont to have started that craze.

I remember seeing a editorial cartoon in the Salt Lake Tribune where a fat Mormon woman with a huge ice cream sundae was scolding a thin woman who was smoking. She said, “You’re just praying for a heart attack.” I remember laughing at that cartoon blaming the Mormons for their judgemental behavior when I was doing just as much judging myself.

The problem that I have with this study is that they are comparing the weights of Mormons to Non-Mormons. We’re all human. We all have the same access to the same restaurants in the state. Why are they comparing us? If the study had turned out the other way, I wonder what headlines would be announced on the local news. “Word of Wisdom Protects The Faithful” is what comes to my mind.

Ironically, the Word of Wisdom SHOULD protect the faithful. In 1833, before science truly knew what was healthy and what wasn’t, Joseph Smith released the Word of Wisdom with recommendations for a healthy life:

• 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.”

All of these recommendations came before the Food Pyramid and the research about tobacco related deaths. Whether you believe these recommendations came because of divine inspiration or because it’s more economical to feed the minions on grain than it is on beef is a discussion for the Theology wing, but the truth of the matter is, the Word of Wisdom SHOULD be making the members of the LDS church thinner than their Non-Mormon counterparts. Why aren’t they?

You can read the full Word of Wisdom here:

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

Via: food museum blog: Utah Mormons Weigh More, But Less Than Before

You need to go to the closest store right now and pick up the March issue of Self Magazine. Right at the top of the magazine, they have the story, “Wow! Shrink a Size Naturally” advertised. It’s on page 156 and I nearly missed it. Hidden after the makeup and the clothing, I almost ignored this article. My attention span for women’s magazines is less than a full magazine, so I am so glad I didn’t pass this one by.

Self Magazine convinced six women to give up their favorite over-the-counter diet pills and try exercise and healthy eating. The called their article, “Squeezing Out Diet Pills” and the results these women saw were phenomenal.

They threw away their Zantrex-3, Total Lean-Control, Trimspa, Suvaril, Metabolife, Metabolife Ultra Caffeine Free, and Cortislim in favor of eating and exercising according to the Self Challenge. One of the six women gained 1 pound of muscle, but the rest lost between 8 and 20 pounds where their diet pills had done nothing before.

Next time you think about throwing your money away on these diet pills, remember that simple eating and exercise can give you far better results.

I found this comic from The Boondocks funny last Sunday.

It reminds me of my entry about Cookie Monster on Sesame Street telling kids that cookies are only a sometimes food.

• Starling Fitness » Cookie Monster Confronts His Bingeing

I guess that was like David Crosby on those “Say No To Drugs” commercials.

This question came up on the comments section of my entry:

Starling Fitness » What You Need To Know About Weight Watchers

This is a great help. Is there a maximum of exercise points you can reduce your total by in a day? I exercise for 45 minutes everyday and get my heartrate up to 144 bpm which qualifies me for the heavy category, but 9 extra points sounds like it’s too many for me to get just for an intense 45 minute workout. I know there is a 4 point bank cap, but is there a cap if you eat the points that day? Thank you for your response.

Andy Marris
West Allis, WI, USA

Andrew,

There are some mixed answers on this question. If you ask some Weight Watcher leaders, they will say that you should not exercise more than four Points a day. The logic behind that is they want to avoid exercise bulimia. Other leaders will say you should eat all your exercise Points so that your body doesn’t go into shock and stop losing weight.

The real answer here is that you should listen to your body. Each one of us is different and some people can exercise a lot, eat a lot and still lose weight. Others need to exercise a lot and keep their eating level low so that they will lose weight. Since we’re all different, the best advice is to experiment and see how your body reacts. If you eat all your Points and still lose weight, then you’ve found your answer. If not, then you may have to cut back on eating those extra exercise Points.

Good Luck,
Laura Moncur

This article is the perfect condensation of a long, boring article on WebMD.

• Diet Blog – How to Eat Less Candy

Simple tricks like keeping a candy dish further away from you and the candy less visible can really affect the outcome of how much candy you eat. This is a definitive read!

Long Boring Article: Diet Trick May Outsmart Candy Binge

Sonya Thomas recently won the World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship by eating 26 grilled cheese sandwiches in ten minutes. I am always amazed at eating competitions and wonder why they exist at all. Her website says she is a #1 ranked eater with 27 competition titles.

• Sonya Thomas: Competitive Eating Champion

How can such a thin little woman be a #1 ranked eater? It makes no sense to me, but obviously she gets these questions a lot because she has answered them on her website:

• HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR CONTESTS? I often do not train at all, but if I am totally unfamiliar with the kind of food I will be eating, I will sometimes practice my speed for 1 or 2 minutes–no more. (It’s not healthy to consistently eat large amounts of food in a very small amount of time.) Once I set a pace, I can usually keep it up for however long the contest is; the stomach capacity is always there.

• IS EXERCISE A PART OF YOUR TRAINING REGIMEN? I do aerobic exercise up to 2 hours a day, 5 days per week. I’m also very physically active on my job–little sitting down or standing around–which helps keep my metabolism “revved up.”

• HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOUR BODY TO RECOVER AFTER A CONTEST? I guess I’m fortunate in that my body will have digested what I eat within 8 to 12 hours. By the next day–or late that same day–I’m usually “good to go.”

• WHAT DOES YOUR DAILY DIET CONSIST OF? I eat lots of healthy foods–lots of fruits, vegetables, rice, seafood, and chicken–not too much fried food. I sometimes enjoy sweets, but only in moderation.

• HOW CAN YOU STAY SO THIN? YOU EAT SO MUCH FOOD IN COMPETITION. These competitions and eating events occur but once or twice a month. They are the exception–not the rule.

• DO YOU ADVOCATE A SPECIFIC DIET LIKE ATKINS OR SOUTH BEACH? Not really. Each person is different and it is important to find out what works for you. But remember, if you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight–it’s that simple.

Just like everything else, eating healthy is a daily routine. Even competitive eaters eat healthy every day. Those orgies of gorging are rare exceptions to their normal routine. Next time you see a competitive eating event flash by on ESPN2, remind yourself that those competitors don’t eat like that every day. It’s a rare event for them.

Via: Woman downs 26 grilled cheese sandwiches – By Associated Press

Kellogg cereal company has been in business for 100 years.

• Happy News – Kellogg marks 100th year in business – by Associated Press

The Kellogg brothers were trying to find a healthier bread for their patients at the Sanatorium, but instead created a multi-billion dollar cereal industry. Some of the cereals they create are so full of sugar that it’s hard to recognize the health aspects of grains, but the discerning customer can find healthy cereals even today.

All-Bran is one of their best cereals for healthy eating because it includes 40% of the recommended daily fiber and is very low in sugar. I also enjoy Frosted Mini-Wheats, even though it’s not quite as healthy with 25% of the daily fiber and substantially more sugar. Of course, I love Raisin Bran.

I grew up eating Kellogg’s cereals and I used to wish that Tony the Tiger would show up in my life and make the mean kids stop making fun of me. Tony never showed up, no matter how many bowls of Frosted Flakes I ate. Out of all the cartoon cereal mascots on television, it was only Tony the Tiger that I wished would show up in my life. I’m still waiting for Tony the Tiger, even though I’ve learned how to deal with the mean kids all by myself.

If you are so lucky that you have someone who loves you enough to go to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, then show that person that you love them by taking care of yourself tonight. They don’t want you to overeat just to prove you’re having fun. They want you to be feeling great so that when you go home, you’re not doubled over with a stuffed stomach.

Here’s how I eat healthy when we go to restaurants:

• Order whatever you want: Seriously. Quit trying to tell yourself that you can only have salad or chicken breasts. If you want a steak, order it. If you are dying for some pasta, stop denying yourself.

• Ask for a box with your entree: I try to make it a joke, “If you don’t bring me a box, I’ll eat the WHOLE thing, so I need the box when my food comes.” Valentine’s Day is a busy night, so they might not remember the box. Ask the water person or the guy bussing tables to bring you a box. Don’t get testy at the waiter, but DO get what you need.

• Do your best to estimate the calories: This is the hard part, because you don’t really know what they put into your food that makes it taste so good. I usually calculate the total calories for the ingredients and add 50-100 calories for whatever it is that is making the food so yummy.

• Divide out what you have the calories for: If that’s half of the entree, cut it in half. There have been times when I’ve only eaten a third of my entree because that’s all I had left in my day. It’s okay. Once the rest of the food is hidden in the take home box, it doesn’t matter. It will feel like you have a whole plate of food.

• Don’t take home the box: It’s Valentine’s Day. You don’t need to worry about leftovers on Valentine’s Day. Just “forget” your take home box at your table. They never taste as good reheated as they did that night anyway.

One further note of advice. Avoid garlic, onions or any other strong flavors that might impede the flow of the evening. This night is all about AFTER the Valentine’s dinner. Make sure that’s the special part.

I have been trying to think of what to write for Valentine’s Day and I can’t say it any better than I did last year.

• Starling Fitness » Have a Healthy Valentine’s Day

You deserve a healthy and happy Valentine’s Day. Go ahead and have it and don’t believe those lies you tell yourself.