Here’s one case in point.  I love Pillsbury’s Toaster Strudel, especially the ones with the cinnamon filling.  To me, there’s nothing better than starting off my day with a breakfast of 2 pieces of toaster strudel and a glass of cold milk.  After all, I just did an intense hour of a P90X workout (I usually exercise in the morning before breakfast).  Having something besides my usual protein shake can’t hurt, right?

Well, here’s the problem. My usual protein shake is only about 200 calories – and that includes the banana and strawberries I throw in. However, a quick look at the label on the strudel package rocked me back on my socks.  The first thing to notice is that the “Serving Size” for the nutritional information on the label is based on 1 pastry.  ONE pastry?  Who eats just ONE pastry?  So I knew I was trouble from the very start.

I normally have 2 pastries at a time.  At 190 calories EACH, that’s 2 X 190 or 380 calories.  Add in the calories from the glass of milk (2% milk) and you’ve got a grand total of 380 + 120 = 500 calories.  500 calories!  Yikes!

Although the high number of calories is bad enough, a second major problem is the TYPE of calories.  Notice in the label that 60 of the 190 calories – about 31% – come from FAT.  Ugh!  So out of the 500 total calories I had for breakfast, 120 of them are pure fat that I’m sure went straight to my midsection.

A third problem (this just keeps getting better and better) is the type of fat.  Again looking at the label, we see that more than half of the Total Fat is the WORST type of fat:  Saturated Fat and Trans Fat.  There are a total of 4 grams of saturated and trans fat.  Since there are 9 calories per gram of fat, that’s 9 x 4 or 36 calories of “bad” fat in EACH pastry.

And if you haven’t already sworn off Toaster Strudels, there’s more.  Last but not least, each pastry contains 5 mg of Cholesterol.  Although cholesterol is a natural part of many foods, a strudel is probably not the best source of it.

That’s why it’s so hard to lose weight.  The stuff you love to eat usually contains an abundance of extra calories that are very easy to lose track of.  However, it all eventually shows up around your midsection!

So what are my takeaways from this (besides “ditch the strudel”)?  Here are a couple:

1. Read the label FIRST. Always evaluate what you are ABOUT TO EAT, not what you just ate.
2. Be Aware of the Serving Size. Manufacturers will always try to down play the amount of calories in their products by reducing the serving size.  Don’t get fooled by this.  Do the math and then decide how much (or how little) you’ll have.
3. All Calories Count. If you’re trying to lose a couple of pounds, calories – ALL calories – count.  Make sure you don’t let extra calories sneak in just because you take a “pinch of this” or a “spoonful of that.”  There’s no such thing as “just one.”  It all adds up and it all counts.
4. Know the Content of Your Calories. It’s critical that you not only know the amount of calories you’re about to consume, but also the type of calories.  Are most of the calories made up of Protein?  Carbohydrates?  Fats?  If it’s listed first on the label, then that’s what makes up the majority of calories.
5. Be Aware of the Type of Fats and Carbs. You should also evaluate the type of fats and carbs you’re eating.  I shouldn’t have to tell you (or tell myself!) that saturated and trans fats should be at the absolute bottom of your list, not at the top.  Refined carbohydrates and sugar should low on your list as well.

The bottom line is that this breakfast “food” bombs out in all nutritional categories.  Little wonder that even after killing myself at the gym, when I step on the scale, my weight still hasn’t changed.

Losing weight is like playing detective.  You have to ferret out all the places that extra calories are sneaking into your diet and plug the holes.  You have to scrutinize every single calories to see what type it is and you have to decide whether eating it will support your goal or not.

It’s not as difficult as it sound but it does take awareness and effort.  As for me, the box of Toaster Strudel is now sitting at the bottom of my kitchen waste basket (small tear at the corner of my eye) and I’m back to my low-fat protein shakes in the morning.  I’m more determined than ever to control my weight.  How about you?

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Well, I’ve got a problem with that — I actually like the stuff!  I especially love the chocolate almonds from World’s Finest and always buy several boxes.  To me, these things are like potato chips – you can’t just have just one.  Unfortunately, having more than one is exactly what I end up doing.

I usually pop a chocolate-covered almond in my mouth as I’m working on the computer and before I know it, the box is empty.  How did that happen?  I start looking around to make sure none of them accidentally rolled out of the box when I wasn’t looking.  It’s only after shuffling papers around for a while and not finding any that I have to admit to myself that I must have eaten them all.

So the next time I opened a fresh box, I counted them.  There were 14 in the box I had.  I would venture to guess that if you opened several boxed and counted, you’d probably find this same amount, plus or minus 1 or 2 due, I guess, to the differences in the sizes of almonds.

In my opinion, 14 is not nearly enough.  With only 14 in a box, they’re gone before you know it.  With only 14 in a box, you’re only teasing the “chocolate monster” that lives within us all.

It was while I was counting my little chocolate “gems” that I took a good look at the back of the box and started reading the nutritional label.  Oh, my, God!  I had to read it twice to make sure it wasn’t some cruel joke.  It was then I realized that chocolate, especially in the form of chocolate-covered almonds, was the devil!

Get the “chocolate haze” out of your eyes for a minute and take a look at what indulging in these babies is costing you nutritionally.  I’ve added red highlights to the areas that immediately hit me right between the eyes.

When reading any nutritional label, you first have to make sure you understand the serving size.  Most food manufacturers want the number of calories on the label to look “reasonable,” which usually means in the 100 to 250 calorie range.  They’ll hit this range by adjusting the number of “servings” printed on the box.

Looking at our label at the right, there are 220 calories per serving.  Now, you would think that since the box is kind of small, the entire box would constitute one complete serving.  But that’s not the case.  At the top of the label, you see that there are “about 2″ Servings Per Container.  So “one serving” is actually only 7 almonds, not all 14.

That means that if my internal “chocolate monster” demands that I eat all 14 almonds, I’m not eating 220 calories, I’m eating 220 calories per serving TIMES 2 servings per container or 440 calories.  Ouch!

Do you realize how much cardio-kickboxing I have to do in order to burn off 440 calories?  A bunch!

But wait, there’s more bad news.  Notice that out of the 220 calories per serving, 130 of them are “calories from fat.”  So using a little basic math, that means that 130/220 = 59% of the calories come from fat.  59%!!!  That’s FIFTY-NINE-PERCENT!!!

Does this mean you should throw out all your boxes of chocolate?  Does this mean you should slam the door on the cute neighbor’s kid that came over to ask if you wanted to support their fundraiser?  Not at all.  But you do need to use some common sense.  Otherwise, you might as well run down to Wal-Mart and buy a bigger belt.

Here are a couple of tips that will help you keep your chocolate, and other snacks, under control:

1.  Read the label first. Find out the nutritional cost (or benefit) BEFORE you eat an item, not after.  Obviously, looking up the number of calories or fat content after you’ve eaten something only brings on the guilt trip.  Check the label before you eat.  Then make your choice.

2.  Determine the  “Serving Sizes.” Changing the serving size is a “game” food manufacturers play in order to keep the calories per serving in a reasonable range.  You’d probably stop and think if a bag of chips was labeled 500 calories.  That’s a third of your daily intake if you’re trying to stay around 1500 calories per day.  However, if it’s labeled 200 calories per serving, it doesn’t sound so bad.  It’s only if you look close that you realize that there are 2.5 servings in the bag.

3.  Pre-measure your servings. Do not eat right out of the bag (or box) because you’ll hit bottom without even realizing how much you’ve eaten.  If they’re individual items, like my chocolate-covered almonds, count out the exact number that make up a serving.  If it’s a bag (like chips), get yourself a kitchen scale and measure out the appropriate number of ounces into a baggie or resealable container.

4.  Keep snacks in their place. Contrary to what some people may think, snacks are not a food group.  There are way too many people in this country having chips for dinner.  Keep snacks in their place as something you eat very little of and only occasionally.

5.  Balance the bad with some good. Let’s be realistic.  None of us are going to give up eating chocolate.  The “chocolate monster” must be appeased!  Same applies to ice cream, chips, or any other snack or “comfort food.” Therefore, make sure you balance out the high fat content food with something really healthy.  Eat a couple of chocolate-covered almonds for a morning snack, for example, and then have a healthy salad for lunch.

You shouldn’t beat yourself up over eating chocolate or other snacks but you do have to be smart about eating them.  Going too far can fill your body with a lot of the wrong type of calories.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: chocolate covered almonds, snacks, chips, fat, serving size, nutrition. calories, fat content, nutritional label

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This is an example of a subconscious “anchor,” an action or a piece of information that gets set by others, but that significantly influences the decisions we make.

Anchors are everywhere and can take a number of forms.  The food companies are experts at making their food products look (color), sound (sizzle), smell (aroma) and feel (texture) soooo good that your mouth instantly starts watering.  An anchor gets set that makes you suddenly stop in front of that specific food the next time you’re in the grocery store.

Now, a study to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that the eating habits of the people we eat with can have a significant influence on our own food intake.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking, “Of course.  Eating with big people who eat massive quantities of food will make me want to eat massive quantities of food as well.”  However, it turns out that it’s not the “big people” you need to watch out for.  It’s the skinny ones with big appetites that you need to avoid.

All of us tend to mirror the actions of those around us, especially of the people we want to be like or who exhibit some characteristic (like being thin) that we want to have as well.  If you see a thin person grab a double helping of mashed potatoes in a buffet line, you’re subconsciously going to think, “hey, that person is thin, I want to be thin, they’re eating mashed potatoes, so I’ll have some too.”  It’s called the “I’ll-have-what-she’s-having” syndrome and it’s a perfect example of the power of anchoring.  Unfortunately, the next thing you know your jeans are fitting a little too tight.

Of course, there are plenty of positive examples of anchoring as well.  In my Cardio Class for example, there’s a 17 year old guy that’s in fantastic shape.  Whenever, we run sprints together, I can’t help but try to out run the guy.  In fact, according to my heart rate monitor, I frequently push my heart rate well above my theoretical maximum just trying to keep up with him.  Of course he always beats me, but considering that there’s a 40 year difference between our ages, I don’t feel too bad about my performance!  Although I know I’m getting sucked into a competition I can’t win, I still get some positive benefits from it.

So how do you prevent the way your own mind works from totally destroying your diet?  Here are some tips:

1.  Be aware of the anchors that are constantly trying to influence your behavior. In everything from shoes to toothpaste, “Madison Avenue” is constantly trying to get you to associate their product or service with a “gotta-have-it-now” state of mind.  See it for the sales pitch it is and then you choose how you will respond.

2.  Keep food in its proper place. The main purpose of food is to fuel your body, period.  Food is not for pleasure, or a form of escape, or something to help you cope with an unpleasant experience.  Work on any false beliefs or misconceptions you might have about food, or that involves food, because until you do, overeating will always be a part of your life.  Yes, this will be hard, especially if you belong to a culture where food is an integral part of every social event.

3.  Don’t let the group dictate your diet. Realize that your mother was right – be careful who you associate with because your friends will shape you, including your eating habits and portion sizes.  Decide on what a normal meal is for you and then stick to it, no matter who you’re with or where you go.  If you don’t normally eat dessert, don’t order one just because everybody else is getting one.

Finally, keep a close watch on your skinny friends – especially the ones with bad eating habits!

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

[tags]fitness, health, diet, eating, skinny, fat, food, anchor, behavior, overeating, weight[tags]

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One of the biggest advantages of the iPhone is the thousands of applications, or “apps” that are available for it.  You can find everything from quite serious educational and scientific apps to apps that are just plain silly.  Some of the apps that immediately caught my eye when I first got my iPhone were the fitness and nutritional apps.

The quality of most of these applications are phenomenal.  Most not only contain a list of fitness routines and exercises, they also include videos on how to properly perform them.  And once you’ve completed your routine, the application logs it and charts your progress.  It’s like having a personal fitness trainer with you at all times.

Pictured to the right are the 4 apps that I currently have loaded on my iPhone and use on a more-or-less regular basis (iFitness, Inflict Training, Daily Burn, and THI Personal Trainer).  Although there are hundreds of others available, let me give you my opinion of what to look for in a good fitness application.

Are Fitness Apps for You?

Absolutely!  There’s a tremendous amount of fitness and nutritional information packed into these apps and the iPhone interface makes them so incredibly easy to use.  On top of that, the cost of most of these applications runs anywhere from free to  2 or 3 bucks.  You simply can’t beat the value.

Secondly, these apps add variety to your workouts.  The hardest thing to deal with in a fitness routine is the repetition.  “Lift the weight, lower the weight.  Lift the weight, lower the weight.  OK, now the other side.  Lift the weight, lower the weight….” You know what I mean.

These apps provide an entire database of exercises for each muscle group for you to chose from.  Most apps include exercises both with, as well as without, weights in addition to exercises for the gym (using machines) as well as at home (using bodyweight).  With such a long list of different exercises to choose from, you’ll never get bored with your routine again.

A World of Fitness Information

The amount of fitness information that’s crammed into these applications could be used to create a graduate level college course!  Most apps not only supply a list of exercises, they also provide videos on how to properly perform the exercise including tips and suggestions of what to watch for.  It’s like having a personal trainer showing you the proper technique before you begin a new exercise.  These videos are always available so you can replay them anytime you want.

Some of these applications even provide a diagram of the primary and supporting muscles each exercise works so you know exactly what the exercise is targeting.  This allows you to custom-design a routine for your exact needs.

Don’t want to spend time custom-designing a routine?  Then choose from the many preloaded routines included in the apps.  You’ll find routines that range from beginner to advanced levels, cardio as well as strength training, and of course, routines that focus on weight loss.

Although none of the apps I looked at incorporated any kind of feedback monitor like a heart rate monitor or an activity sensor (except the Nike program), most apps did provide the number of calories each exercise, or routine, could be expected to burn.

There’s More to Fitness than Exercise

Yes, there’s more to fitness than just exercising all day long.  You can’t leave nutrition out of the fitness equation.  Here’s where the apps start separating themselves into two distinct groups:  Exercise only apps (like iFitness, Inflict Training, and THI Personal Training, among many others) and Nutrition only apps (like Calorie Tracker, Weightbot, Restaurant Nutrition, and many, many others).

The nutrition apps were loaded with lots of worthwhile information including vast databases of nutritional data on just about any kind of food that’s readily available.  They all allow you to track the exact (or pretty close to exact) amount of calories you eat breaking it down into the total number of fat, protein, and carbohydrate grams.  All of the nutrition apps also create graphs and charts showing your percentage of each.

Let me tell you, when you call up the nutritional data and see how many grams of fat are in that Chicken Cordon Blue you’re about to order, it really makes you stop and think – which is the whole point!  That brings up the next topic.

The Key to Success are Logs, Logs, Logs

ALL the applications, both exercise as well as nutrition apps, contained some sort of log enabling you to track your progress.  This is KEY, KEY, KEY to any fitness program.  Whether you’re tracking the number of minutes on the treadmill, number of chest presses, or total number of calories, you’ve got to keep a log.

Here’s what keeping a log does – it forces you to think about the decisions you’ve made (or about to make).  There’s no hiding.  A fitness log keeps you accountable.  If you’ve gained a pound this week instead of losing a pound, all you have to do is to check your log to see where you might have made some better food choices.  If your muscles aren’t getting as toned as you’d like, the answer is in your log.

Keeping a nutrition log forces you to think about what you’re eating.  After a while, you really hesitate eating that junk food because you know how bad it’s going to look on your log.  Keeping an exercise log makes you want to exercise just so you can fill in those huge gaps of time that have opened up in you log since the last time you exercised.  Keeping a log is the real key to success for any fitness program.

All of these applications made keeping a log easy but even if you use paper and pencil, it’s critical that you keep one.

My Overall Choice

I was a little disappointed that the nutrition apps completely ignored the importance of exercise and the exercise apps didn’t mention nutrition at all.  What I was looking for was an app that balanced both.  I found one called the Daily Burn and it’s become my favorite fitness app and is the one I use on pretty much a daily basis.

Like the other apps, this one has built-in workout routines as well as provisions for adding your own.  Adding the amount of repetitions and sets is a snap.  It then calculates how many pounds you’ve lifted as well as the number of calories you’ve (theoretically) burned.  I have found that the calorie count seems to be a little low when I compare it to my heart rate monitor but that’s minor in my opinion.  Besides, it’s doing the exercise that’s important – not how accurate the calorie count is.

What really “sold” me on this app was the nutritional section.  You can easily find and log the foods that you’ve eaten in addition to looking up the nutritional value of anything you’re considering eating.  Adding a new food to the database is also easily done.

The Daily Burn app is really designed to work with their website at www.dailyburn.com and I found that signing up for a free basic account there was well worth the effort.  Once you’ve got an online account, the iPhone app syncs your information so that you can enter your daily exercise and/or nutritional information on either.

Here’s the best part:  the Daily Burn iPhone app as well as the basic account on the website are both free.  That’s right, you can get both at no charge.  Now, there is a “Pro” account that you pay for but I’ve found that the free basic account gives me just about everything I was looking for.

Conclusion

Looking through all the fitness apps, I didn’t want something so complicated that I’d spend all my workout time playing with the software instead of exercising.  On the other hand, I also wanted something that would keep track of my nutrition goals as well.  For me, the Daily Burn seemed to fit the bill.  Of course, the Daily Burn iPhone app is not the only fitness application available so play around with several until you find one that fits your needs and once you do, use it consistently.  You’ll be fit in no time!

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: iphone, apps, fitness, exercise, nutrition, application, program, weight loss, fat, protein, carbohydrate, database

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A 2007 study performed at Louisiana State University and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that there was essentially no difference in the amount of weight loss between two groups of subjects, one group that had dieted only, and one that had both dieted and exercised. Both groups lost about the same amount of weight at the end of the study. So what’s the bottom line? According to lead author Dr. Eric Ravussin, “It’s all about the calories.”

The Nitty-Gritty Details

The first group reduced their caloric intake through dieting alone, cutting their food intake by 25%. This should be pretty straightforward. If you reduce the amount of food you eat by 25%, the total number of calories your body has available also falls by 25%. At the end of the 6-month study, the members of this group lost about 10% of their starting body weight.

The second group cut their caloric intake through a combination of dieting and exercise. First, they reduced the amount of food they ate by 12.5%. At the same time, they increased the amount of calories they normally burn by 12.5% through exercise. When you add the effects of the diet (12.5% reduction in food) and exercise (12.5% increase in metabolism), you end up with the same 25% reduction in total calories as the first group. The members of this group also lost about 10% of their starting body weight.

Since the amount of total calories for both groups was reduced by the same amount, they lost the same amount of weight. Big shock, right? Well, here are some of the less-than-obvious points that you can use in your fitness plan.

What This Means

What this study shows is that there is only one way to loose weight: you have to reduce the total number of calories that your body needs to maintain it’s current state, creating what Dr. Ravussin calls an “energy deficit.” There are two ways to do this:

1. You can reduce the amount of caloric intake. In other words, dieting. Reduce the amount of food and drink calories that you take into your body.
2. You can increase the amount of calories expended. You do this by raising your metabolism. Although there are several ways to do this, exercise is typically the best since it provides other benefits, such as aerobic fitness, at the same time.

The study also found that both groups lost weight in the same areas. According to Dr. Ravussin, “So long as the energy deficit is the same, body weight, fat weight, and abdominal fat will all decrease the same way.” This tends to debunk the idea that you can “spot reduce” abdominal fat.

Since the distribution of the weight loss was the same for both groups, the study also put a big hole in the idea that dieting alone causes you to lose muscle mass. The researchers found no evidence of this.

Why Not Do Both?

Why didn’t Group 2 reduce their food intake by 25% like Group 1 did, AND then exercise? Well, they obviously wouldn’t have been able to compare the two groups if they did that. But there’s another factor you have to take into consideration: your appetite increases when you exercise. This makes it all the more difficult to stick to your diet.

However, doing both is a very effective way to lose weight as long as you balance the two.

The Balanced Way

So how can you use this information in a healthy and balanced way? Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re designing your weight-loss program:

1. If you choose to diet, you’ll be eating less so make sure that your food choices are nutritional.
2. If you choose to exercise, be aware that the more you exercise, the more your appetite will increase. It’s your body’s way of trying to compensate for the increased expenditure of calories. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just because you’re working out, you can eat whatever you want. It’s way too easy to burn 100 calories through exercise and then gain it all back and then some by eating a 200 calorie hamburger. Remember, it’s all about total calories.
3. For my money, I’d recommend a plan that incorporates both diet and exercise. However, keep in mind that what you eat has the largest impact on total calories. It takes a lot of effort to burn 100 calories during a workout session but you can reduce your caloric intake by 100 calories (or more) by simply drinking water at lunch instead of your usual Big Gulp.
4. Stay away from diet pills, teas, supplements and other items that contain ephedra, including such natural remedies as Chinese ma huang or “Mormon tea.” All of these claim to raise your metabolism so you can “loose weight while you sleep” or something similar. There are documented health risks with these so don’t use them.
5. Don’t fall victim to diet or fitness plans that claim to “spot reduce” areas. You’ll lose weight the way your body is genetically programed to do so.
6. Don’t try to lose a lot of weight too quickly. The participants in this study lost 10% of their body weight over a 6 month period. If you lose weight too quickly, you’ll simply gain it all back with a couple of extra pounds thrown in.

Remember, in order to lose weight, reduce total calories. Keep this basic fact in mind when you’re designing your weight-loss plan.

Hiram

The Balance Health Guy

Technorati Tags: diet, nutrition, weight loss, exercise, muscle, fat, balanced health, calories, metabolism

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