Hi friends, I started a New Challenge on Fatsecret! This challenge is called “Beachbody for Life”. Its all about making small changes that will benefit our future for the long term. For any of you that know me, I’m not about ‘diets’. To me, diets are things that most people go on to lose weight; but as soon as they lose the weight they go off the diet. When they go off the diet, they go back to bad habits and gain the weight again. Next thing you know, there back on a diet again. Thus begins a never ending cycle. I know this from experience as a young teen when I would constantly battle my weight. Now as an adult, I know that if I want to be healthy, I need to be consistent in my health, nutrition, and exercise. This is what this challenge is about, helping people get consistent.

For those of you who have never heard of fatsecret, here is a short blurb about what the website is about:

“FatSecret is a new online diet, nutrition and weight loss community that harnesses the collective contributions of our members to generate practical and motivating information so that you can make better decisions to achieve your goals.”

For more details on Fatsecret, follow this link

Finally finished putting together a hybrid schedule that includes P90X, Insanity, Asylum, and running. This hybrid is set for training for half marathons. Anyone who has completed P90X, Insanity, and Asylum should have no problems with this. After all, if you can get through Game day + Overtime, a measly 5 mile run is cake

For those of who have been through these programs and want a plan that goes for longer or shorter distances, let me know. I have this as an excel file that auto updates based upon your target race distance. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know. Enjoy!

Image from wltx.com

Recently a study was released by a research group at Tufts University (click here for link). Thanks Tom, for posting this on facebook!!!

If you are like me, then you monitor your calorie intake wherever you go. This is absolutely necessary if you are serious about losing weight. I’m the kind of guy that my friends poke fun of when they see me going through a menu and ordering my meal based upon the calories in the various meals and sides. At first it bothered me; but once I started seeing some major improvement, I started to care less. Now at my current state (~7% body fat) it is second nature and never forget to check. Its all about getting into good habits I say.

However, things get difficult once you realize that what restaurants post are wrong. In fact, some meals at restaurants were found to have 25% more calories than what was listed. Now that can ruin your diet for a day!!!! So bottom line is, be careful when you eat out and make good choices.

When I initially attempted to lose weight nearly a decade ago, my first line of action was to switch from regular soda to diet soda. For years I believed that diet sodas were much better for us just based on the fact that diet sodas have fewer calories. Sadly, I learned through my biochemistry courses that this may not be true. A recent study, which spans nearly a decade, now supports the fact that in the long term diet soda leads to weight gain. For more details, click on either the image above, or the link below:

Diet Soda Leads to Weight Gain?

It is clear that America’s obesity rate is on the rise. The above figure shows the obesity rates listed for each state in 1990, 1999, and 2009. In 1990 The worst was only 10-14% for the rates of obesity; but in 2009 more than half of the United Sates is above 25%. Results like these make me afraid to look at the results for 2009. For a more detailed report, check the CDC’s website on obesity. Many people blame fast food chains, too much time watching TV, and too little time exercising.

But when it comes down to it its all about the choices we make. I understand both sides of the equation because I was obese for most of my life. I am blessed that I had a change of heart my senior year of high school and gained a true desire to live a healthy lifestyle. From then on I have sought ways to improve my own health, fitness, and lifestyle. To me that included changing what I eat, how much I sleep, how much I exercise, and how I treat my body. For years I have focused this inward on myself; but I realized that if I am really passionate about this, I need to turn this outward. Anyone who has a relationship with Jesus knows that his greatest commandment is to love others. So I have decided to try to help others end the trend of obesity. To do that I have signed up to be a coach for an awesome company called Beachbody. Beachbody is committed to ending the trend of obesity in America by promoting better nutrition and adapting to an active lifestyle.

To anyone out there, who is reading this and struggles with obesity: First of all, I know how you feel. I’ve been there and I along with my team want to help you. First of all, if you are trying to change your lifestyle for the better, DON’T GIVE UP! Keep moving forward. If you need help, please contact me, its one of the reasons I’ve set up this blog.

For those of you who have or are in the process of conquering your struggle with obesity, now its time to help others. If this is what you want to do, then join my team by clicking the link below. Or feel free to contact me.

Join Team Beachbody

Brandon Henderson, PhD
Division of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University
440 Riffe Building, 496 W 12th ave, Columbus, OH 43210

Hey all, its summer time and that means picnics, BBQs, and more. The problem is, typical summer time food is killer on the diet. Follow some advice from an expert, Joe Wilkes:

1. Fried chicken. It’s not the K or the C in KFC^® that’s the problem; it’s the F, which stands for fried. And if you have any desire to stay slim this summer, it’s time to tell the Colonel you’re “kicking the bucket.” One extra-crispy KFC breast will run you 510 calories and 33 grams of fat, 7 of them saturated. That’s nearly three times the calories of a home-grilled skinless chicken breast, and almost 15 times as much fat—more than nine times the saturated fat alone. So you’re clearly better off cooking the chicken yourself. But if you’re grabbing something on the run, KFC does have a grilled chicken breast option, or you might want to visit the rotisserie case at your local supermarket—if you go there, try picking a chicken that’s not slathered in sugary barbecue sauce. Either way, make sure you remove the skin—that’s where you’ll find a lot of the fat and calories.
2. Sandwiches. A picnic without sandwiches is like a picnic without ants. It just wouldn’t be the same. But of course the sandwich is only as good as its ingredients. If you’re using white bread, you’re just eating empty carbohydrates. Make sure you buy whole-grain bread, and that it has the word “whole” in the ingredient list. Wheat bread is essentially the same as white bread, only with a little molasses added for brown coloring. It’s nutritionally the same, if not worse. Whole wheat bread, on the other hand, contains the fiber and the vitamins you’re looking for. For lunch meat, try avoiding processed meats like bologna and salami. They’re packed with extra fat and sodium. And when buying unprocessed meats like turkey or roast beef, make sure they really are unprocessed. The makers of some brands of turkey grind up the skin and dark meat and then press it into lunch meat form, so you’re really getting as much fat and sodium as you’d get from bologna. Watch out for flavored turkey as well. Most of the time the secret ingredient is salt. If you want to be really healthy, buy a whole turkey breast from your market’s poultry section and roast it yourself, so you can control the amount of salt you add.
3. Brats and burgers. It’s always great to fire up the grill and start cooking up a mess of meat. And the good news is that grilling is one of the healthiest ways to cook food. It adds tons of flavor without adding fat. Of course, the best thing to grill would be skinless chicken or fish, or vegetables. But if you’re craving a juicy burger or brat and a portobello burger just won’t do, there are still some decisions you can make to keep things on the lean side.

   For burgers, consider a leaner option than beef, like ground turkey or buffalo. But as always, check the label. Some ground turkey has as much fat as fatty ground beef. Ground turkey breast is usually much leaner than ground turkey that’s either dark meat or mixed dark and white meat. If you’ve decided to go ahead and make beef burgers, try to find some that has the lowest fat content available, less than 5 percent if possible. Ground sirloin is usually pretty close. If you can’t find a grind that’s low enough in fat, ask your butcher to grind a lean piece of chuck roast or top sirloin for you. In addition to being leaner, this will also reduce your chances of picking up food-borne illnesses like E. coli, since only one cow is involved in producing a steak, as opposed to potentially hundreds in ground beef. In fact, if you’re someone who likes to eat your burger rare, having the butcher grind a piece of meat for you is a must.

   Bratwurst is another delicious summer fave, but watch the fat and sodium content in these as well. The chicken, turkey, and even veggie versions of sausage sound like they’d be lighter, but they’re often just as fatty as the pork versions.

4. Potato or macaroni salad. The culprit in these two picnic staples? Mayonnaise. At 5 grams of fat and more than 50 calories per tablespoon, mayonnaise is the element of these side dishes that’ll sidetrack your diet. But you can mitigate the damage somewhat by replacing the mayonnaise with nonfat yogurt, or you could try whirling some nonfat cottage cheese or nonfat ricotta cheese in a food processor to give it a creamier texture. You’ll get fewer calories and less fat—plus by going eggless, you’ll lessen your risk of salmonella. Another way to make potato salad healthier is to leave the skin on, as they contain the spud’s fiber and most of its vitamins. For macaroni salad, you can boost fiber by using whole-grain pasta. Make either salad tastier and better for you with heart-healthy olive oil, vinegar, and lots of veggies.
5. Baked beans. Beans, beans, the musical fruit . . . well, you know the rest. Full of fiber and low in fat, beans are a great side dish that’ll help you feel full. What you want to watch out for is the sugar that’s added to most baked beans—sometimes a tablespoon or more in a cup. Try plain pinto beans, or my favorite, beans canned with jalapeños. Replace high-calorie sweet with low-calorie fire and you won’t even miss the sugar. Three-bean salad is another flavorful way to consume your legumes without a lot of added fat or sugar.
6. Trail mix. Summer’s a great time for checking out nature, and it’s always great to bring along a healthy snack like trail mix. But check the ingredients. Some trail mixes, especially those that contain granola, can be loaded with fat and super-unhealthy hydrogenated oils. There are trail mixes on the market that have more fat than a large order of fast-food fries, so it’s definitely a “buyer beware” situation. Also check out how much sugar is in the trail mix or granola bars you take backpacking. Some bars aren’t much healthier than a Snickers^®. If the ingredients in your trail mix include chocolate chips and marshmallows, you may not have made the healthiest choice. Try making your own trail mix with healthy unsweetened oats, nuts, and dried fruit. Or take along a couple of P90X^® Peak Performance Protein Bars.
7. Ice cream. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. And we’ll really be screaming when we try to stuff ourselves into our swimsuits after eating everyone’s favorite fatty, frosty indulgence. It’s hard to resist a cool ice cream cone on a hot summer day, and the tinkling of the ice cream truck bell can still make me want to bolt into the street. But depending on scoop size (which can average from 1/2 cup to a full cup or more), that scoop of vanilla can have upwards of 400 calories and as much as 25 grams of fat, up to 15 of them saturated. If you’re culinarily gifted, you might consider making your own sorbet. If not, check out some of the ones available on the market. Sorbets are usually low-fat or nonfat, although they can still have tons of sugar. Try to find some that are mostly fruit. Speaking of fruit, for a healthy frozen treat, how about sticking some fruit in the freezer? Most fruits, especially berries, grapes, and bananas, freeze quite well. They’ll last longer and popping a few frozen grapes in your mouth can cool you off on a hot day and you’ll still get all the vitamins, fiber, and health benefits that a Creamsicle^® just can’t provide.

When you want to create a lean, firm body, the best way to accomplish it is with an effective workout program and a healthy eating plan. But that’s not the end of it . . . . No matter how much you’re putting into your exercise sessions, practicing a range of healthy habits the rest of the time can give you more bang for your buck!!!!!

Here is a day’s worth of metabolism boosting activities. Individually they may be minor; but together they can be a metabolism boosting machine. Add these tips to your weight loss arsenal, and you’ll start seeing results almost immediately.

Morning

1.Get some sun (By this I don’t mean get a tan). Go outside. A little outdoor time in the morning can help you slim down in three ways. First, bright light helps regulate your body clock (think circadian rhythms), so you’ll be more energetic during the day and sleep better at night. Second, during the winter months, sunshine helps ward off SAD (seasonal affective disorder[Also known as SDD, seasonal deppression disorder]), a condition that can lead to uncontrolled food cravings. Third, sunlight on your skin increases your levels of vitamin D, which are associated with a higher metabolism and a lower risk of obesity. (While sunscreen cuts down on your natural vitamin D production, experts warn that you shouldn’t spend much time outside without it. You can also get more D by taking multivitamins, drinking fortified milk, and eating fatty fish.)

2.Eat a good breakfast. Research has shown that a filling breakfast that includes both lean protein and complex carbohydrates helps you burn fat all day (and keeps you satisfied longer, too). In a study presented to the Endocrine Society, those who ate a hearty breakfasts stuck to their food plans and ended up losing more weight than those who didn’t, despite the fact that their daily caloric intake was actually slightly higher.

3.Have a hot beverage. As you’ve surely heard by now, regular consumption of green or oolong tea can raise your metabolism by ~5%. But plain coffee and expresso gives your fat-burning ability a boost too (Try not to ruin this effect by loading your morning coffee with tons of cream and sugar). Green coffee beans have been found to boost your metabolism through the combination of caffeine and something called chlorogenic acid. While roasting lowers the amount of this chemical, according to the Coffee Science Information Centre, a light roast retains more than a dark roast.

Midday

1.Take the stairs. Your daily workout will do more than anything else to burn fat and build lean muscle. But that doesn’t mean you should be a slug the rest of the time. A highly publicized British study found that kids who were very active during physical education classes were that much less active throughout the day, which suggests that you may need to make a conscious effort to move your body when you’re not working out, including taking such simple steps as walking everywhere you can and using stairs rather than elevators. Even relatively brief periods of exercise will help keep your metabolism revving at a higher level.

2.Learn to love nuts. All nuts are fairly high in calories, but they’re also full of nutrients, especially protein and healthful fats. In a study at Purdue University, when people added 500 calories of peanuts to their daily diets, they ate less during meals and increased their resting metabolic rates by 11 percent. You don’t need to eat so many, though. Just an ounce at a time will go a long way toward boosting your metabolism and keeping you satisfied.

3.Avoid Boxed Food. Many boxed dinners or boxed foods are overprocessed and lack the nutrients that your body needs. Therefore your body will continue to crave nutrients and this will lead to an increase in your appetite. At the grocery store stock up on fresh vegetables, fruits, grain and meats. This will increase the nutrients delivered to your body and will help fight hunger pains.

4.RELAX. Stress can take a toll on your metabolism and cardiovascular health. When scientists at Georgetown University fed two groups of mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet, the ones under stress gained more than twice as much weight as the low-stress group. If your job (or any other part of your life) leaves you feeling like a ball of anxiety and stress, try to find ways of gaining some peace. At some point during the day, take a break for meditation, yoga, or just sitting in a peaceful place and thinking about something pleasant.

Nighttime

1.Don’t make dinner your biggest meal. As the day passes, our metabolism slows down. Therefore your food intake should match the level of your metabolism. Don’t pig out, because all your excess calories from dinner will be stored as fat as your metabolism slows down in the evening.

2. Limit your alchohol intake. Your body loves alcohol—so much so, in fact, that it’ll burn its byproducts as fuel before anything else. That means that while you’re processing alcohol, you’re not burning fat. Of course, alcoholic beverages also have calories, virtually none of which are good for anything other than helping you gain weight.

3.Get plenty of sleep. While you’re asleep, your body is hard at work producing hormones responsible for weight loss, muscle gain, and glucose metabolism. Studies have found that consistently getting less than the optimal 7-8 hours per night leads to a lower metabolism and a higher body mass. If you find yourself getting sleepy during the day, going to bed just an hour earlier could make a significant difference in your waistline.

“Big business tells us what to eat and on the other side, watchdog groups tell us we’re being poisoned. From the wings, the media screams about the battle at the top of its lungs. In the middle stands our poor diet, constantly scrutinized. Sooner or later, everything we eat is either branded the next superfood fad or the devil incarnate. Every now and then, a food comes along that gets to be both.”

-Denis Faye

Are you a soy fan? Well, you need to check out an article by Denis Faye discussing all sides of the coin. Click on the image below for the link to this great article: