Ramadan Reflections

My intention was to keep an updated blog about my experience with Ramadan.  My only excuse for failing to do so was…dehydration?  Low blood sugar?  Sleep deprivation?  Inability to think clearly and operate heavy machinery?

I imagine it was probably a mild combination of all of the above.  For a full month, I did not get more than 5 hours of sleep in a stretch.  On mornings that I could, I’d go back to sleep after breakfast and grab another hour or two before I had to get going.  If I couldn’t do that, I might sneak in 30 minutes to an hour nap during the day.  I suppose that somewhat helped, but it was really nice to finally get 8 hours of sleep at a time once Ramadan had ended.

Dehydration wasn’t really a huge factor for me, since I made sure to drink at least 30 ounces of water before sunrise and another 40 after sunset.  The only problem with this is that I discovered I have really efficient kidneys.  Much of the water I drank would probably be out of my system within 3 hours.  On the early mornings we would go rowing, I would go to the bathroom 3 times at the boathouse before we even got on the water.  The one time I only went twice, the actual technique of rowing was hard to execute as my bladder became more full.

One thing I did notice was depending on the time of day, my brain function would just slow down.  Sometimes words became hard to find or I’d lose track of my thought process entirely.  This was irritating to me.

Working out was a challenge.  The couple times I would hop on the treadmill during the middle of the day really left my mouth dry, so I opted not to do that a whole lot during Ramadan.  My workouts basically consisted of rowing, karate, and my own workout once a week at home.

It was an interesting experience overall, from a health perspective.  I dropped about 2 pounds during the course of the month, which is a good amount for me since I wasn’t looking to really lose weight at all.  On the mornings where I didn’t get in as much protein as I should have, I became hungrier earlier and my energy levels were all over the place.  If I didn’t get that right mix of carbs and proteins, I could really feel it.

I was thrilled for the end of it to come about and happy when I could sleep through the night and wake up after the sun had risen.  It did take me about 2 or 3 days after it was over to get used to the idea of eating or drinking during the day.  It is a great exercise in discipline and self control, and I’m glad I was able to finish it.

Random Rowing, Part 2

Remember how I said I was a reluctant rower?  Then I became a reluctant coxswain, now I’m a reluctant racer.  This has clearly spiraled out of my control.

Since the end of July when I officially became a seasoned coxswain (I use those words very loosely), we’ve been training for other regattas.  There was one just this past weekend in Toledo in which I was part of the crew for not one…but two races.

In our first race, I was in an Open Womens Novice 4 category.  That is a lot of words, and to be honest, I’m not sure I put them in the right order.  Basically it means that there were 4 women in the boat who had started rowing this season who were a variety of age.  The age range in our boat was 15 to 68 years old and we figured we would be racing against high school girls.  We figured right.  I will just cut to the chase and say that we beat down these high school girls by a full minute.  They even asked one of the race marshals before the race how old we were.  They thought they could beat us just because they were younger.  Uh…No.

In the second race, I was the coxswain.  Now…this one did not go as well.  The category for this race was  a Mixed Masters 8, which meant there were 8 people, 4 guys, 4 girls…who were older than 25.  I managed to keep us on a straight course.  So straight in fact, that I didn’t stay to the right of one of the buoys.  I decided to make our path shorter by going straight.  Sure, it added a 15 second penalty to our time, but I was going straight.  No zigzag slalom course for me.  Well, our end result was dead last, but I think we made a strong effort.

All in all, it was a long day, and the constant running around of rigging and de-rigging boats was not all that much fun, but I know it’s a necessary evil and every person is important and needed to get the job done.

And hey, at least I kept the cox box safe!

Ramadan Dreamin’

This weekend was quite a busy one for me.  On Saturday, I got up around 5:45 am to eat breakfast and then we were off to rowing.  Unlike during the week, I obviously couldn’t return to bed right after eating breakfast.  I slept for only about 5 hours Friday night, and after rowing, I was definitely dragging my feet a bit.

We ran our errands, did the grocery shopping, and I decided that while my husband was eating lunch, I’d go take a nap to recover from my lack of sleep the night before.  This plan worked out perfectly.  I’m also doing some volunteer work which occupied my time in the early evening so by the time I was done doing that, the sun had set and it was time to eat.

This morning, I tried a little experiment with my breakfast.  Friday and Saturday, I made sure to eat a good amount of protein and veggies to make sure my stomach would have something to digest for a bit and help make me feel full.  This morning, I basically took the protein out of the equation to see what would happen.  I definitely started to get hungry sooner in the day.  I made it until about 6:30 pm or so before I got hungry, whereas the previous two days, I made it unil 7:30 pm.  Today was also the first day that I had a slight headache from mild dehydration, but I’ll keep tabs on that.

Yesterday during my afternoon nap, I had my first Ramadan dream.  These are the dreams that are really more like nightmares.  Knowing you can’t eat or drink, you’re faced with big tables of delicious food that is just tempting you.  My specific dream yesterday was that I ate some huge chocolate bar or candy and I didn’t even realize that it was still daylight.  Realizing that I had broken my fast, I started to panic.  These dreams usually don’t surface this early on for me during Ramadan, and I can only suspect I’ll have more.

Let the fun times continue!

Beginning Ramadan

I’ve decided to blog about my trials, tribulations, and thirst associated with Ramadan.

This year, Ramadan falls in late August.  Depending on the part of the world, many Muslims are starting the fasting today and the rest (for the most part) tomorrow.  I haven’t fasted since 2002 when Ramadan was during October and November and the daylight was a lot shorter.  I’m looking at roughly 14 hours without food and water.

You might say, if you’re not Muslim, that we’re crazy for such an undertaking.  I’m Muslim and I’d agree with that statement.  My main concern isn’t with the lack of food for 14 hours, but the lack of water.  Hydration is usually a problem, but I think if you prepare yourself, you can avoid dehydration (to an extent as there will be some mild dehydration occurring).

I’m fairly active with the rowing and martial arts and other workouts that I do.  I know over the course of the next four weeks, I’ll have to pace myself.  As I’ve said before, I’m not a morning person.  The idea of waking up before 8am is horrendous to me.  To actually have to wake up at 5:45 and fix breakfast is even more terrifying.  I managed to do it today…cooked myself up a small omelet and some chicken sausage with a side of celery and pineapple.  I was done eating before my husband even woke up for work.  I did also fix him breakfast after I ate, and he was very confused as to why I was making a second breakfast for myself.  He didn’t get that the food was for him until the plate was in front of him.  I think he was just stunned I was up at all (and I don’t blame him, really).

I managed to drink about 32 oz of water this morning, and that was a small victory for me.  I managed to make it through the day without a headache or feeling too terribly thirtsy.  As I said, the challenge of working out will make this tougher.  I didn’t  workout today as I do need to get my rest where I can.  My workouts will be plenty active as it is.

Must get some sleep for now!

Random Rowing

My husband and I have taken up rowing this summer.  How?  Well, I can’t say I ever envisioned doing this, but my husband knew from the moment he used a rowing machine at the gym 2 years ago that this was to be his destiny.  In June, there was a National Learn to Row Day, and quite a few rowing clubs in the area were doing a mini introduction just to get people on the water for a few minutes to see if they’d want to take classes.  I decided to go along with him to play the role of the supportive wife.  This was my first mistake.

So we get to the club, they show us around a little, and then we wait for our chance to get in a boat and try it out.  They were putting 5 newbies and 3 experienced rowers in with us.  We were on the water for about 15 minutes or so, and I was intrigued enough to maybe start doing some classes with him.

Flash ahead about 2 months.  We already started the second session of Learn to Row classes, and I’ve already competed in my first regatta.  Okay, what?  I was the reluctant rower turned coxswain for a race this past Saturday.  About a week ago, I volunteered to be a coxswain for a group of 4 women that were going to be racing.  This was my second mistake.  Then I volunteered myself to wake up at 5am twice last week to be at their 5:45 am practices.  And here was my third.  Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a morning person.  I think…no, I know that my husband was stunned when I agreed to this.  I’m still wondering if maybe there is something toxic in our drinking water that caused me to say things I didn’t mean.

So we arrive at the Regatta at about 6am after a 45 minute drive.  Yeah, I woke up at 4:45 am for this.  It starts raining at about 6:30 or 6:45 right as we’re done rigging the boat.  I really woke up at 4:45 in the morning to get rained on.  Willingly.  I really need to get our water source checked out.  Anyway, I go to the coxswain meeting where they go over the course with us, and two of the women from our team go with me so we can all pretend I know what’s going on and so they know for sure what’s happening.

About 8:30, we get the first call for our event, and it is still raining at this point.  We go ahead, get the boat, and get down to the dock and put the boat down in the water relatively smoothly.  I say relatively because normally when boats are put in the water, the entire length of it is supposed to be on water.  The bow of the boat almost went on the dock.  This generally does not make for a smooth take off.  There’s too much friction and whatnot.  We finally get in the water and row down about 500 meters to the start of the race and hang out while the heats before us go.

So, we wait to be called to head to the starting line.  Meanwhile, it’s still raining, I’m very cold and wet.  My hands are shaking because I’m so cold and my control of the rudder isn’t the smoothest.  Anyway, we dock at the starting line.  The way we’d been practicing starts is to do two half slides, a full slide, then go into a power 20 (where you use 100% power for 20 strokes).  On our first or maybe second full power stroke, we run into a little mishap.  Let me say first that this was not our boat; we were borrowing it.  Anyway, on the drive (pushing back with the legs), the person sitting at the stern of the boat (person closest to me) goes flying back into the lap of the person behind her.  Her feet came out of the shoes completely, and she fell off the seat.  Now, I tell the others to keep on rowing, but I figure we’re kinda done for.  Amazingly though, she manages to get back on the seat after about 8 strokes, and I tell the women to do a power 10 so we can regain a little of our momentum.  She asks if I can help to strap her feet in the shoes while she’s rowing.  I start to move forward slightly, and I quickly realize that I could get smashed in the face by the oar handle which would undoubtedly throw me overboard.  So, I give up figuring that I’m better off staying in the boat.  The rest of the race was uneventful, except for the safety launch creating nice wakes for us, so much so that we took on water.  Yay for safety launches.

All in all, it was an interesting experience, especially for my fourth time ever being a coxswain.  Just to make sure I did things right, I was looking up the definition of a coxswain, and I got this from wikipedia:

Most familiarly, the coxswain is the member of a crew who sits in the stern (except in bowloaders) facing the bow (okay, I did this right), steers the boat (we didn’t crash, so that’s a plus), motivates the rowers, and coordinates the power and rhythm of the rowers. During a competitive rowing/crew racing the coxswain is responsible not only for the steering, motivation, and coordination of the rowers, but for notifying the rowers about the position throughout the race (I don’t think saying we were dead last was a good motivator). They also are required to keep the straightest, most direct course to ensure fastest speed and accuracy is utilized (straightest and direct? not quite there, but if we ever raced in a slalom type course, we’d rock it).  The coxswain usually communicates with the crew through a microphone, the most common form being the Nielsen-Kellerman, or coxmate Cox Box, although coxswains may occasionally use megaphones if they don’t have a Cox Box. (I was informed that keeping the cox box, not the crew, safe was my most important job).

At least I can dock us safely!

Nutritioning vs Calories

Earlier, I’ve said that I generally agree with the whole idea of calories in vs. calories out.  However…I want to elaborate on that.

If someone has a goal to lose weight and merely thinks that by modifying calorie intake will do it will lead them to better health, let me just say that I feel this assumption is entirely wrong.  Yes, that person will most likely lose weight over time.  Will it lead them to health?  No.

If we’re talking about a woman that has a caloric requirement of say…1400 calories a day and eats only 1100-1200 each day, over the course of a few months, there will probably be some weight loss.  If, however, the bulk of those calories are still sugars and fats…then maybe not.  When I lived in California, I knew of quite a few people that would grab a smoothie from Jamba Juice and that would be their lunch for the day.  Yeah, I don’t think that’s a wise choice, even if they got a small size and consumed 500 calories (and many of their smoothies are well over that).  For one, it’s pure sugar that goes right to the blood stream.  When we eat the real fruit, there is the skin of the fruit or other fibrous material that helps to slow the absorption of the sugar into the bloodstream so we don’t get a huge insulin spike.  When you replace a meal for something like Jamba Juice (or a protein bar, shake, or other type of ‘meal replacement’), you’re really depriving the body of important fuels to get through the day.  This plan doesn’t really sound healthy.

So when thinking of this whole concept of nutritioning and calorie counting, it’s really important to get the most out of the calories you consume.  Some yogurt, fruit, and a piece of whole grain toast is way better than a chocolate donut, even though calories might be equivalent.  Your body will do better with the healthier options in the long run and will help on the road to weight loss.  The healthier food is the more efficient fuel and the body knows what to do with it much better than a donut.

Also, when we eat healthier foods, the digestive system sends signals to the brain saying that we are full.  So, when we eat fresh veggies…we feel full sooner.  However, reaching for the twinkies or donuts usually makes us want more of those things.  How many people really eat just one donut?  I know I could eat a couple.  How many green peppers could I eat in a sitting though?  One full green pepper is my max, if I even could eat a whole one!  This is because the high fat and sugar content of the donut isn’t satisfying what our body really needs.  Why is our brain getting signals saying it’s not as full?  Because the body hasn’t received the proper nutrition yet…the body is still searching for proper nutrients, in a way.  At least, that is how I like to simplify things.  Also, when we eat sugars and fats, there is quite a bit of dopamine and serotonin released (the pleasure chemicals of the brain), and they are basically greedy.  These are the neurotransmitters that also drive addiction and why the consumption of sugar may, at times, seem like an addiction for a lot of people.

At any rate, the quality of calories is really important.  Nutrition is about whole health, dieting is merely about weight loss.  Dieting, in large part, throws health out the window with the goal just to reach a number on a scale.

More to follow!

Nutritioning

Welcome to a new era in health!  Okay, that may be a bit grandiose, but I’m determined to be like Stephen Colbert and start making up my own words.

Nutritioning is my answer to ‘dieting.’  I’d love to throw this whole concept of dieting out the window, because it ultimately doesn’t work and can lead to feelings of disappointment and frustration.  When I think of dieting, I see myself starving, looking longingly at foods I know I can’t and shouldn’t eat.  There is a constant struggle with the scale trying to land on the magic number.  Clothes that still don’t fit right sit gathering dust in the closet.  Sigh.

When I think of nutritioning, I see a more holistic approach to eating and meal planning.  Fresh fruits, vegetables.  Healthy and well-balanced eating.  Food is not meant as something to gulp down, but something to make us feel good; something to make the body and mind function efficiently.  Food is fuel.  Doesn’t this sound a little more relaxed?  It does to me anyway.

I think thinking of food as fuel is a really good way to think about it.  For example, high end luxury or sports cars usually say you need to put high grade gasoline in them.  Why?  This makes the engine run more efficiently and does other mechanically beneficial things for the car that I couldn’t tell you about.  Or, another one…if you forgot to change the oil in your car and kept on driving on it, what happens?  The oil gets low, sluggish, and doesn’t help the engine run well and then your engine blows up.  Or something like that.

Our body is the same way.  We are finely honed machines.  When we eat food, our body has to break it down into its ‘parts’ and then processes it from there.  Basically all the ‘parts’ to our food goes through the liver and kidneys.  Now, these organs are highly efficient at doing what they’re supposed to do.  It’s quite amazing, really.  However, problems arise when the byproducts of ‘food’ are toxic to the body, like methanol and formaldehyde (byproducts of aspartame).  No amount of processing by the liver makes these chemicals safe.  So what happens when you get too much gunk in your body?  Obesity, diabetes, heart disease…in a nutshell – an unhealthy body and mind.

Now, let me clarify about what is food and what isn’t.  A twinkie is not food.  It is edible, yes.  It is not food.  Twinkies have no nutritional value and they’ll survive a nuclear bombing.   I think of food as something that is grown from the Earth, lives off the Earth (animals), and things made from a combination of the two.  A twinkie contains…none of those things.

If it has more man-made ingredients and things you can’t pronounce on the label, it probably isn’t food at that point anymore.  If something has to be artificially injected with vitamins, minerals, or whatever people think is healthy for them today, then it probably isn’t food either.

I’m not saying don’t indulge once in a while, because I certainly can’t live without my chocolate.  I think indulging is all a part of nutritioning also.  Being well balanced in the foods you eat is important and learning to savor really good flavors shouldn’t be sacrificed because of a need to weigh a certain number.

When we eat the proper foods, our body can operate the way it was designed to.  If we gunk it up…not only do we end up unhealthy physically, but our mind suffers as well.  Overall, it’s not really a good plan.  I’ll elaborate more on this further!  Stay tuned!

Calories In vs Calories Out

There are all kinds of recommendations for how to lose weight or get healthy.  So many, in fact, we usually can’t sort them out.  Eat this, don’t eat that, cabbage soup diets, Atkins diet, South Beach diet, all protein diet, all carb diet, raw diet, detox diet, etc.  Most of us could probably name quite a few diets.

I really dislike diets.  They don’t get us healthy.  They may help us lose weight in the short term, but they do not make us healthy.  And let’s make no mistake about this: just because someone might be thin does not mean they are healthy.  Usually when we diet, whatever the diet may be, we’re depriving the body of something else that it really needs.

The Atkins diet, for example, was really all about cutting carbs out or severely limiting them.  This diet is horrible on many levels.  For one, our brains need glucose for energy.  You take away carbs, you’re really impairing brain function.  Because the brain is the executive center of…our life, we really need to be kind to it.  The brain, unlike our muscles, uses glucose pretty much exclusively for fuel.  That’s why when our blood sugar drops, we can get cranky, fatigued, and may even feel faint.  Our brain cannot store glucose anywhere either, so we have to have  relatively steady blood sugar levels.  When we work out and talk about fatiguing the muscles and burning the sugar there, the muscles store sugar and can use fat for energy as a backup, which is a very good energy supply.  The brain doesn’t have fat to use as a backup though.

Anyway, the simple concept of ‘calories in/calories out’ is one that I largely agree with when trying to lose weight.  Activity levels, though, will really determine how many calories you need to maintain those activity levels.  On the Biggest Loser, for instance, the contestants fall into this trap of thinking they can get away with eating less and working out more.  Yes, this does make sense and seems to follow the general guidelines of calories in/calories out.  However…when you are exercising (whatever the activity levels may be), the body still needs fuel.  If you deprive the body of this fuel (glucose), it will enter starvation mode and turn everything you eat into fat.  Humans were designed to do this.  Our ancestors didn’t eat everyday necessarily and sometimes they’d have to walk miles just to get food.  They adapted perfectly to their environment in this way, and we retain that same ability.   No food, no problem.  We just turn everything we eat into fat when meals are scarce.

Instead of using the word ‘diet,’ because that conjures up so many frightening images of stepping onto a scale, reading hard to understand labels, food restriction to the point of starvation…I’m going to use ‘nutrition.’  Nutrition is a much better word and encompasses so much more than the previously mentioned evil word.  When I think of nutrition, it means that the body is getting the fuel it needs to function properly and getting things in the right amounts.  It’s a much more holistic vision than ‘dieting.’  Dieting means we need to fit into a bikini; proper nutrition means we need to be healthy.

Nutrition also means we’re putting good fuel into our body; it means more than just calorie restriction.  For example, if we workout for 4 hours a day every day but go home and eat McDonald’s and Burger King, we’re really not doing anything good for our body.  Somehow, though, the body can turn even a Twinkie into some sort of usable energy (how, I have no idea).  Even still, making it easier for the body to do this without building up toxins is ideal.  I’ve heard this argument before which really irritates me: “I can eat aspartame.  I’m an athlete.  My body will burn it.”  No.  Aspartame breaks down into methanol and formaldehyde.  Poisons.  The body cannot ‘burn’ it.  It does cause cell damage on its way out of our body.  At any rate, proper nutrition also means eliminating some of these unhealthy foods.  Even foods that are marketed as being ‘healthy’ may not be quite as healthy as we think.

In terms of also maximizing or making your workouts more efficient, it’s important to have a well rounded routine.  Any workout routine should include cardio, weight lifting, stretching, and some type of resistance training.  Most women fall into the trap, however, of just hopping onto the treadmill or the elliptical and that’s it.  Often I see books propped up on the treadmill (or elliptical).  This isn’t a good strategy towards a healthy body and mind.

Barring injuries or some medical issue, when doing a cardio portion of a workout, it is best to hit 60-70% of your maximum heart rate and sustain it for 20-30 minutes to really see benefits.  At this intensity, there are so many benefits to the body, I can hardly list them all.  The main thing is, our feel good neurotransmitters are released (dopamine, serotonin,  and endorphins) and this can really ease anxiety, panic, depression, addiction, and other psychiatric disorders.  Also at this level, the metabolism is being cranked up and the heart is getting a really good workout.

Now, why add the strength or resistance training in?  Well, if we have more muscle mass, the body has greater caloric demands and burns more.  So, if you want your metabolism to jump up, increase your muscle mass.  Your resting metabolic rate goes up automatically.  Also, after a workout that includes weight lifting, the body burns more calories for a longer time after the workout.  Doing solely cardio does not have these same benefits after the workout is done.  Strength training is important for both men and women.  My mother, for whatever reason, doesn’t think women should have muscles.  But whenever she has the image of a woman with muscles, it’s always those Miss Universe girls.  Okay, most women do not have the capacity to do that.  Most women when lifting weights will accomplish a nice even tone and definition.  It’s truly hard for us to build bulk.

It’s important to get a baseline for what your individual caloric needs are, then you can modify your exercise and nutrition from there.  I hope some of these broad concepts/guidelines can help.  And since I do not know the medical histories of my readers, please consult with the proper people before engaging in any nutrition plan or exercise.

Might Want to Reconsider that Lunch…

because California has a new menu labeling law that requires chain restaurants to put calories (along with carb, fat, and sodium content) next to the food on the menu.

The hope is that consumers will become more aware of exactly what they are eating.  A lot of times, I’ve gone into Panera Bread or some deli thinking I was ordering a healthy-ish sandwich.  Later on, I find out how many calories was in what I ate, and it doesn’t sound so good.  I think we’d all be a little surprised to know how many calories are in the foods we’re eating.  Many of us have grown up now in the era of supersizing.  We no longer know what a ‘normal’ portion size is really supposed to look like.

Compare the average meal size in a Chili’s, Applebees, or some such restaurant.  Now, think of a restaurant that might be a little pricier, a little better food.  How much food are they giving you compared to those chain restaurants?  Usually a lot less.  Now, one could easily make the argument that they’re overcharging for a smaller amount of food.  Well, I’ll refute this by saying that for one, the food is probably prepared healthier and fresher ingredients are used…and for two, that’s probably closer to the correct portion size we should be eating.

Since I love quizzes, here’s a few questions for you to look over.  The answers are listed at the bottom, so jot down your answers so you can remember them!  And just to give you an idea, 65g of fat is about our total recommended intake based on a 2000 calorie diet.

- So you walk into Baja Fresh (Fresh-Mex type of place), and you really want a burrito.  Instead of the steak burrito, you go with the Baja Chicken Burrito which has charbroiled chicken, guacamole, pico de gallo, and monterey jack cheese.  How many calories and fat does this have?

1. 820 calories and 35 grams of fat
2. 700 calories and 20 grams of fat
3. 450 calories and 15 grams of fat
4. 350 calories and 10 grams of fat

- Having had Mexican food the day before, you’re now craving a nice light sandwich.  You find a nearby Panera Bread (similar to Atlanta Bread Company or St. Louis Bread, etc).  You glance over the menu and really want to try a Chicken Salad Sandwich on Whole Grain, opting for the whole grain because it’s healthier.  How many calories and fat are in this sandwich?

1. 730 calories and 40 grams of fat
2. 620 calories and 25 grams of fat
3. 550 calories and 20 grams of fat
4. 450 calories and 15 grams of fat

- Still touring culinary diversity, you spot a Panda Express between errands and you’re starving.  You go in and opt for the 2-entree plate with rice.  You get the steamed rice, eggplant and tofu entree, and the broccoli chicken.  What is the total caloric value of your meal?

1. 1120 calories
2. 910 calories
3. 800 calories
4. 650 calories

- Craving some more American fare for dinner, you head to Chili’s.  Opting for a salad, you choose the Mesquite Chicken Salad which has mesquite chicken, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, corn relish, cilantro, and tortilla strips.  How many calories will this set you back?

1. 1400 calories and 55 grams of fat
2. 1240 calories and 75 grams of fat
3. 960 calories and 60 grams of fat
4. 800 calories and 72 grams of fat

- Now you’re wanting to finish off the week with a nice sweet treat.  You walk to the Dairy Queen close to your house.  The Snickers Blizzard is catching your eye.  Yum.  How many calories in a small size?

1. 930 calories and 50 grams of fat
2. 840 calories and 40 grams of fat
3. 750 calories and 35 grams of fat
4. 670 calories and 25 grams of fat

Okay, I’ll admit that this was pretty tough.  Looking up some of the nutritional values also made me very disheartened.  I didn’t realize how many calories were in some of the sandwiches I’d eat at Panera Bread, or that Chili’s has some appetizers that contain over 1100 calories.  Appetizers, mind you.

What does this teach us?  Well, it may be better to prepare your own meals at home or just control how much you eat.  A lot of times when we go out to eat now, I’ll usually bring half of it home to save for the next day’s lunch.

Will this help Americans lose weight?  I sure hope so, but based on the success of the same labels used on all our foods and our inability to really decipher what it all means, I’m a bit cynical.  For one, most people don’t even know how many calories they should be eating.  We see right on the labels ‘based on a 2000 calorie diet.’  Well, the labels assume most people fall into that category, and thus the consumers think they fall into that category too.  So maybe if someone added up all the calories they ate in a day and it came to 1900 calories they may come to think to themselves, “Well, I ate less than 2000, but how come I’m not losing weight?  How come I’m gaining weight?’  Not everybody fits into that 2000 calorie box.  Most women, in fact, don’t.

Calorie consumption really depends on many factors.  The most easily measured ones are activity levels, age,  weight, and whether you’re male or female.  I’ll just tell you right now, women have it tougher!  This is in large part due to the amount of muscle mass women have compared to men.  The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn.  On average, men have more muscle than women.  Base metabolic rate is also a huge factor, but this requires a little more testing by a trained physician.  Let’s say that John Smith’s activity level consists of not much at all, no exercise in his schedule to be found at all.  He’s 35 years old and weighs 230 pounds at 6′ tall.  His caloric requirements (assuming he wants to lose weight) will be different than his neighbor, Steve, 35 years old, who has a moderate activity level (some cardio and light weight training 3 to 4 days a week), and weighs 175 pounds at 6′ tall.

A great site to get a good idea of what your caloric needs might be is The Daily Plate.  This site is free for their basic services and can point you in the right direction for your weight loss goals.

Of course, let me mention that certain medical conditions will alter your metabolism and affect how much you lose in a given time.  It’s generally a good idea to consult with a physician who is knowledgeable in this area or a nutritionist.

Well the correct answers to the above questions for those curious minds are 1, 2, 2, 3, 4.

Exploring Medical Ideology

The standard medical care during a heart attack is to give a beta blocker.  Beta blockers essentially act on smooth muscle (the involuntary muscles) and cardiac muscle.  In the heart, the effect is to decrease heart rate and dilate blood vessels.  So, in theory, this makes great sense to give someone having a heart attack so it can hopefully restore a normal rhythm and get some much needed oxygen to the muscle.

Wrong.

What?  Yes, you read me right.  Apparently, some studies have shown that beta blockers do nothing to decrease mortality rates and may, in fact, increase heart failure.

The thrust of the article I’ve linked to basically asserts that even though this makes sense but doesn’t work in practice, medical doctors still continue to use this form of treatment to someone having a heart attack, even though it may do more harm then good.  ‘Ideology trumps evidence,’ the author, Dr. David Newman, MD, says.  Basically, your doctor may be stubborn.

And I’m just going to copy these points he makes because it’s just right up my alley.

• Recent press reports detailing the dangers of cough syrup for children have noted that cough syrup doesn’t work. True: No cough remedies have ever been proven better than a placebo, either for adults or children. Yet their use is common.
• Patients with ear infections are more likely to be harmed by antibiotics than helped. While the pills may cause a small decrease in symptoms (for which ear drops work better), the infections typically recede within days regardless of treatment. The same is true for bronchitis, sinusitis, and sore throats. Unnecessary antibiotics are still given to more than one in seven Americans each year for these conditions alone, at a cost of more than $2 billion and tens of thousands of serious adverse medication effects requiring treatment.
• Back surgeries to relieve pain are, in the majority of cases, no better than nonsurgical treatment. Yet doctors perform 600,000 of these surgeries each year, at a cost of over $20 billion.
• More than a half million Americans per year undergo arthroscopic surgery to correct osteoarthritis of the knee, at a cost of $3 billion. Despite this, studies show the surgery to be no better than sham knee surgery, in which surgeons “pretend” to do surgery while the patient is under light anesthesia. It is also no better than much cheaper, and much less invasive, physical therapy.

This shows that with some minor illnesses, time and rest may be the thing needed to heal and let our immune system do its job.  We are perfect, if you think about it.  Our body is a very smart, finely honed machine.  It is smarter than any drug we could ever put in our body.  And this isn’t to say some people don’t need certain types of medication to manage some illnesses, because some certainly do.  I just find that we give up to easy and rely on the magenta pill of the week to make us feel better.

Yes, aspirin can take your pain away.  Well, it masks it.  The cause, however, is still there.  I have to explain this to patients all the time.  If the oil light goes on in your car, do you take it to your dealership to get your oil changed or do you spray paint over the light and drive the engine to the ground?  Most people take their car to the dealership.

I digress.  The point is even your medical doctor may be clinging to a treatment that doesn’t work (or may actually make things worse).  Therefore, it’s always a good idea to question the procedures your doctor (whatever type they may be) is doing.  Yes, you may come across as a pain (I know I do), but in the end, it’s your body, not theirs.