Calories, Calories, Everywhere!

The FDA is requiring all restaurant chains, convient stores and movie theaters to display the calorie content of their menu items beginning in November 2015. Some restuarants already do this, so it is not a new concept. However, my question is, is this a good idea? Will it promote healthier habits among Americans?

This article shows that in the past, calorie content has had no effect on consumers' decisions.

http://www.livescience.com/9306-nutrition-labels-menus-dont-alter-habits.html

In my opinion, posting solely calories on menus is not beneficial. As seen in the article above, it has had no effect on ordering habits in the past, and if it did change someone's mind about what to order, it is based only on calories! There is more to food that calorie content. What about the amount of protein? Omega 3 fatty acids? If calories are the deciding factor for a meal, then someone may order the iceburg lettuce salad-but gain absoletulty no nutrients! Avocado is higher in calories than lite mayo, but that doesn't make it healthier!

I believe people need to be more educated about nutrition and portion sizes, as well as listening to your body! If you go to a restuarant and order what your body truly wants, stopping when you are full, the numbers on the menu are not important.

Holiday "Tips"- No Thank You

If I see one more article about how to "survive" holiday eating, I might go insane. I am talking about the articles in "health" magazines that give tips on how to get through Thanksgiving without gaining weight. These tips include (but are not limited to) exercising before and after your Thanksgiving meal, only eating one bite of dessert, wearing tight fitting clothing ("you will be too busy holding in your stomach to overeat"), only putting two things on your plate at a time, steering clear of additions such as butter and whipped cream, and weighing yourself daily.

Not only are these "tips" unhealthy (weighing yourself daily is never a good idea-fluctuations are normal, my friends) they are ruining these special holiday meals! Wearing tight fitting clothes to make sure you hold in your tummy and do not overeat? Is that what you want your mind to be focused on during the entirety of your holiday meal? Making sure you only eat one bite of pumpkin pie without any whipped cream (even though pumpkin pie isn't even good without whipped cream) and getting in that workout after the big meal? If you follow these tips you probably can survive a holiday without gaining a single ounce. You can also guarantee that you will be preoccupied with what you cannot eat, and unable to be present, engaged, unable to experience the life going on around you.

The holidays are special. A special time for food, family, friends, memories and experiences. Listen to your body. If you want more than one bite of pumpkin pie-have it. Have it with whipped cream. Enjoy the holiday meal, don't settle for simply surviving it.

Soul Food

I found this quote by Jeanne Ray, the author of Eat Cake, and I love everything about it:

“Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. No, really, I couldn’t she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, That person is better than I am. That person has discipline. But that isn’t a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what’s served on the happiest days of your life. This is a story of how my life was saved by cake, so, of course, if sides are to be taken, I will always take the side of cake.”
― Jeanne Ray

Society tells us eating dessert is a bad, sinful, and weak behavior. Refusing a gooey, warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven is seen as will-power, such an admirable quality. However, I wonder why such a delightful part of life has been given such a negative connotation? Perhaps it is because the concept of moderation (that cheesy, cliché word again) is foreign to most people. I will be the first to admit that I am not great with moderation. I am a very black and white thinker. The one at the table to refuse the cake, and to honestly think I might be more disciplined than those around me. I have discovered that this is completely false, as Jeanne Ray says, "But that isn't a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy." 

I had a recent encounter with a slice of cake after lunch one day. 
My stomach was content; I did not feel physically hungry for more food. However, cake was this particular restaurant's specialty, and I was out with a friend who was in town from another state. We each ordered a piece, and it was absolutely divine. I felt guilty though. My stomach was not rumbling, so I did not feel justified in eating dessert. I needed to be reminded that cake is not something you eat to truly satisfy an appetite. It is something you eat for pleasure, for memory-making, for fun (and it is food, so it does give the body necessary energy!).Yes, I was full after eating the cake, but that is ok. I did not eat the whole cake, and I do not eat cake everyday. I ate it to celebrate life with my friend. 

I am fed up with being the guest who watches the thick, chocolate slices covered in rose-shaped buttercream frosting be savored and enjoyed by my friends. I am also tired of being the guest who eats the cake, but all the while longingly admires the guest who did not. I want to be the guest who eats the cake, enjoys the cake, and continues on with life. 

The One with the Fries

Last night I ate French fries with my dinner. And they were yummy. It has taken me a long time to be able to do something like this. A few years ago, I would not even look at a French fry, too scared of what consuming it would do to me. The mere thought of the amount of calories, fat, and sodium those little fried potatoes contained was enough to make me cry-literally. I went through a period of time where I could not understand why I needed to eat something as "unhealthy" as fries. If I can live without them, why should I put myself, my body, through such destruction? Yes, I could survive without touching a fry, and many people would probably give me a pat on the back and a "I wish I had your self-discipline!" But I have learned that restricting food does not make me have self-discipline, quite the opposite actually, it allows that food to have power over me. A French fry should not hold that much power in my life!

 I am not saying that today I am completely free of those thoughts, I was anxious about eating the fries, but the difference is that today I can challenge myself. I can eat the fries and realize that I will not gain weight, that I am ok, and that I do not need to workout execssively to make up for it. Does that mean that now I am going to eat an order of large fries everyday? Of course not! That would NOT be moderation, and no one would enjoy eating large quantities of fries everyday, if he or she is listening to one's body. I am however, going to let myself enjoy a serving of fries when I feel like it.

 The cliché motto that my entire blog is based on is "everything in moderation." I used to think this motto was cheesy and too good to be true, but actually putting it into practice has not led me astray (don't worry, I will be the first to let you know if it does).

Everything in Moderation? I disagree...

I came across this blog post and could not resist giving my opinion on it. 

http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/does-all-things-in-moderation-work/

To begin with, the first sentence really irks me: "Does “all things in moderation” work? I haven’t seen it work yet." 

I disagree. From all that I have learned from various professionals, I believe all things in moderation does work (even though I still have a hard time practicing it myself). However, I think the author is comparing apples and oranges when she brings up smoking and other "bad" habits and eating. I believe all food in moderation is the correct/most healthy way to go about eating. Smoking, on the other hand, is not the same as eating a few Cheetos at a birthday party. Smoking one cigarette will not kill you either, but the difference is that smoking contains Nicotine, which is an addictive drug. 

Food is vital to life. No, Cheetos and candy are not necessarily vital, but they are forms of energy, nonetheless. Smoking, in my opinion, is not in the same category as any type of food. 

I agree with the author in the sense that you should not eat salads all week to go have a Big Mac on Friday. But that is not practicing moderation. Moderation would not involve denying yourself all week or "saving up" for one meal. Healthy eating is important, but eating treats and an occasional burger is healthy! If you had not restricted all week and went to get that Big Mac, you might not even want the whole thing. 

The author claims that once we "get it" we will no longer think moderation is acceptable, but want to make decisions that honour our bodies and families. I do not see how eliminating certain foods is honoring one's body or family? If the chemical-laden Doritos are delicious, then eat an appropriate portion of them in moderation. They may not be great for you, but the Doritos are not going away. The Doritos will be at parties, at the grocery store, served as a snack at Bible Study. Choosing not to eat them will most likely leave you feeling deprived, as well as spending WAY too much time thinking about Doritos.

 Foods filled with toxic chemicals are all around us. I am not saying "dig in and forget about it!" It is something we should be aware of, however, I am saying that these types of foods are apart of our lives and are unavoidable. Even in the case of toxic chemicals, I still believe moderation holds true. 

Tell me your thoughts!

Workout Check..Am I Sore?

Growing up, I played on a competitive club soccer team. We traveled most weekends to compete in tournaments, where we would play two or three games a day. That is a lot of soccer. My favorite part of the weekend though, was the Monday morning after, barely able to get out of bed because my muscles ached from soreness. I enjoyed every second of walking to and from my classes at school, feeling the soreness in every step. My teammates loved it too. We would brag to each other how sore we were, trying to prove how hard we had worked. I clung to that feeling. I longed for that soreness. It made me feel accomplished. I knew I had really given it my all, and that I was a legitimate athlete if I was unable to walk properly the next day.

That mentality has stuck with me. I no longer have tournaments that force me to play three soccer games in one day, but when I work out, I want to be sore. If not, I think "I did not work hard enough. I didn't accomplish anything. I need to really increase my workout next time." FALSE. I am learning that soreness is not something to be coveted. It means I pushed my body out of its comfort zone, which is not always a bad thing, but expecting that to happen after every workout is unhealthy and crazy!

The article below explains the myth behind soreness=progress. I do not agree with the paragraph which encourages us to get into a body composition monitor, (just don't do that..not a good idea for anyone) but I like how the article explains how scientifically a lack of soreness in muscles does not mean your body did not reap benefits from the workout.

The cliche takeaway that I am still trying to convince myself of....Listen to your body! (whatever the heck that means)

http://thechalkboardmag.com/fit-or-fiction-the-truth-about-no-pain-no-gain

Textbook Outrage

This semester I am in a class all about health and fitness. Believe me, this was not my choice. It is a required course, and being a senior, I could not put it off any longer. I dreaded taking this course not because I dislike learning about health and fitness but quite the opposite. I have been so obsessed with this subject for so long that I am currently trying not to focus my efforts on it. But having to take this class for graduation, I thought it would not be that bad. I was sure it would discuss a healthy balance of food and exercise-probably explain the importance of carbs and protein, maybe tell a story of a young girl Karen who joined the soccer team just to have fun, but little did she know she was doing her body a favor with exercise. That would have been nice. Instead I found myself reading this:

"Janice is going on vacation for a week. Unfortunately, this means she will be unable to  engage in her usual exercise program. She should..

	-accept that her exercise program will be off track and start anew in a few months.
	-enjoy her break from exercising and pick it up again the following week.
	-attempt to find a convenient way to exercise while gone, but not make it a priority.
	-bring her resistance bands and go on runs if her hotel does not have an  exercise room.

If you are in a bad mood or do not feel like exercising, you should

	-exercise anyway.
	-exercise when you feel better.
	-exercise even harder than normal to show yourself you can do it.
	give yourself permission to take a break from any type of exercise. The bold sentences are the "correct" answers. I was appalled. This textbook is telling me that  it is wrong to go on a ONE WEEK vacation and not exercise? Excuse me? After years of  speaking with dietitians, I know this is not true. If you feel you need to "bring resistance bands  and go on runs" while on vacation, then you have a problem. I am not saying exercising on  vacation is a bad thing at all. It is the motive behind it, which brings me to my next point of  frustration.... The second question bothered me even more. This book is now telling me I should force  myself to exercise no matter what. I have spent too much of my life forcing myself to workout. If you do not feel like exercising, then you do not have to! That is something I have been taught, and am in the process of learning now. Your body does not always need exercise. If  you do not feel like it, there might be a reason- you might be lacking sleep and a nap would be better for your body, or you might just need to rest! Contrary to everything society tells us, it is ok to give your body rest! It needs it! Constantly exercising is not healthy.  This textbook is an outrage. The "correct" answers to these questions are clearly disordered,  and I cannot believe it is considered a trusted source for health and fitness education.

A Common Misconception: Moderation

Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. That is all I keep hearing from health magazines, yet why is this so contradicting to everything else these magazines publish? One article tells us to eat dessert to prevent a binge later, while the front page gives us the nutritional breakdown of said dessert in an attempt to convince us otherwise.

Today I came across an aggravating ad, not to mention an oxymoron. The article's description to draw readers in was, "it is fine to indulge once in a while but these offenders are just not worth it." The "offenders" included frosting, bagels, bacon, soy sauce, maraschino cherries, and jarred tomato sauce. A peculiar combination of foods that can never be consumed. The reasons for banning these horrific edibles included everything from calories, fat and sugar content, sodium and artificial flavors. Why were these specific foods singled out? If it comes down to grams of sugar, doesn't a cookie have more sugar than jarred tomato sauce? What about funnel cake? We can eat funnel cake but not maraschino cherries? 

There is no specific list of foods to avoid. The point of moderation is MODERATION for EVERYTHING. No foods are excluded in this statement. As one who has been in the recovery process for awhile now, it angers me greatly to see "health" magazines try to promote a balanced lifestyle, while publishing articles such as the one mentioned above. 

Introduction

Welcome to my blog!

Just a bit about what my blog will entail- I have struggled with taking things to extreme measures with both eating and exercise for many years. However, I do not want to go into detail about my struggles or focus on my past because that is not helpful to me, and I believe it is triggering for others. I want this blog to be about my current journey; my journey to living a truly balanced life- without food or exercise controlling me, as well as an educational and (hopefully) encouraging tool for others struggling with the concept of moderation.