Eat

Information on food: prep tips, cycling, recipes and more.

Glug, Glug, Glug…

Ehem… not to sound like a broken record, but are you drinking your gallon of water today?

Just wanted to check in. I told you I’d keep reminding you. Isn’t building habits fun!

Bottoms Up,
Aaron

Think Positively About Wellness

“Is it possible to crave wellness?”

That was the headline of an ad in Sunday’s paper. It’s no wonder people have trouble losing weight. They’re looking for a fast weight lose diet instead of learning the value of eating healthy, nutritious foods to lose weight safely. Granted, sometimes your body craves what it needs most at the moment – like a sweet treat late in the afternoon when you feel like you need extra energy. Or when your body is trying to make up for a lack of vitamins or minerals. But even those cravings can be overcome with a balanced weight loss diet plan.

Don’t crave wellness! Instead, think of natural, healthy foods as the foundation of your daily diet.At Reshape the Nation, we combine healthy carbs and proteins, plenty of fiber, and the naturally sweet taste of fresh fruits to help rev up your metabolism, burn belly fat and lose pounds safely.  That defines wellness, doesn’t it? And as if the headline of the ad wasn’t bad enough, the tag line at the end was, “Wholesome choices you’ll actually crave.”  Do we really need to be tricked into eating healthy foods? Processed foods, with added fillers to make them taste good are not half as healthy as the same food in it’s unprocessed form. Just add your own natural ingredients for a tasty, healthier way to lose weight.

Stop tying to trick yourself into healthier habits. Together, we can learn that healthier eating can still be enjoyable eating!

Are You Drinking Your Water Yet?

I’m going to warn you up front… the topic of this post might get annoying. But Chris told me to do it, so you can blame him, OK? He wants me to remind everyone reading the Reshape the Nation fitness and weight loss blog to drink your gallon of water. If it’s morning and you’re reading this, have a glass of water before heading off to work. If it’s the work day and you’re reading this post, keep a glass of water or a full water bottle sitting on your desk, and keep drinking and refilling it throughout the day. If it’s the evening and you’re reading this blog on the couch while watching TV, make sure you put a nice, full glass of ice cold water on your coffee table so you can keep drinking while you surf.

Why are we spending so much time reminding you to drink your water? Because building new habits takes repetition… and maybe a bit of guilt. Prepare yourselves, folks… it’s personal anecdote time!

When I first started working with Chris, I never drank enough water. It wasn’t because drinking water was hard. By then, I’d actually stopped drinking sodas and juices, and drank mostly water at meals anyway. But I didn’t drink enough. At the same time, by working with Chris, and always seeing him carrying around his gallon jug of water, I got a daily reminder to drink water. Maybe the right word isn’t “reminder.” Maybe the right word is “guilt.” By seeing Chris with his water every day, I felt guilty. Why wasn’t I drinking enough water? It’s not hard. I like water. Drinking water doesn’t take any sort of time commitment. Drinking water doesn’t change my schedule or cost me more money. It’s just a matter of remembering to drink it.

Luckily, the simple act of having a daily reminder to drink water (in the form of Chris doing it) helped me remember, “Oh yeah… where’s my water?” And now, every day at work, I drink an extra half gallon or so of water by always keeping a full glass on my desk. It’s that easy. It’s now a habit… and a great one.  I noticeably lost about three pounds over the course of a month, and the only change I made was drinking water at my desk all day. Sure, some of that weight loss may have been “water weight,” but three pounds is three pounds… and it’s motivational. If one little thing that takes absolutely no effort can help me lose three pounds in a month, what other simple lifestyle habits can I change to help me lose weight?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, we’re going to focus on one minor lifestyle change at a time, and that change is drinking at least a gallon of water a day. So consider this post your daily reminder. Fill up a glass of water and start drinking!

Thirsty yet?
Aaron

Water, Water, Everywhere… the Easiest Way to Lose Weight Starting Right Now

A quick weight loss solution is kind of like the Fountain of Youth. People have been searching for it for generations even though we’re all pretty sure we’re never going to find it. But still, the payoff would be so incredible that we’re all willing to keep looking. Chris Powell’s Reshape the Nation program is not a quick weight loss solution. But please don’t misunderstand that statement. You can lose weight fast with Reshape the Nation, but that’s not our ultimate goal. Chris likes to consider himself a “transformation specialist,” and at Reshape the Nation, that’s what we try to accomplish. Our goal,as a result, is not to simply provide quick weight loss… we want to improve people’s lives.

It just so happens that one of the ways in which Reshape the Nation can improve people’s lives is by helping them lose weight. Losing weight helps people enjoy their lives more, take part in more activities, live in less pain, and live longer. So yes, a primary component of Reshape the Nation is creating a weight loss program, but the goal of Reshape the Nation isn’t necessarily quick weight loss. Does that make sense?

We also understand that changing people’s lifestyle habits isn’t an easy thing to do. And while we know it’s easy to say “do this workout” or “eat these foods instead of those foods,” we also know actually making those kinds of lifestyle changes isn’t so easy. As a result, one of the things we want to provide on the Reshape the Nation blog are helpful lifestyle altering solutions that are easy to follow. These are going to be quick, simple changes you can easily incorporate into your daily routines without overhauling any major habits. Sure, these little changes might not help you drop 50 pounds in a month, but you’ll start to notice a change in your body. And hopefully, those first little changes in your body resulting from little changes to your lifestyle will energize you to take bigger steps and make those bigger changes needed to completely reshape your life.

That was a lot of build up for a piece of advice that’s going to be quick and simple. Ready? Here it is: drink lots of water.

Yup… today’s piece of weight loss advice is drink as much water as you (healthily) can. Drink water while you’re sitting at your desk. Drink water while you’re watching TV. Drink water while you’re eating dinner. Drink water while you’re watching your kid’s band concert. Drink water. Drink water. And drink more water. Drinking a gallon of water a day is one of the easiest ways to lose weight. And think about it for a second… drinking water doesn’t really require you to change anything. If you’re sitting at your desk with a glass of water in front of you, is that really a hard lifestyle change to make? If you’re watching TV with a glass of water on the coffee table, is that really a hard lifestyle change to make? I didn’t say you should spend an hour at the gym. I didn’t say you should not eat that candy bar. All I suggested—for right now—is that you drink more water during your daily activities and it’ll help you lose weight. How does that sound for easy weight loss?

So if you’re sitting at the office, go to the water cooler and fill up a cup and bring it back to your desk. If you’re watching TV while surfing the net and reading this blog, go to kitchen and grab a glass of water. If you’re on a bus reading this blog post from your cell phone, well… I wouldn’t recommend taking a gulp out of the water bottle of the person sitting next to you, but make sure you get a glass of water the next time you can. Make this one simple lifestyle change, and you’ll start to see a positive difference in not only how much you weigh, but also how you feel.

Still reading this? Stop! Go get some ice cold water right now, and enjoy!

Keep drinking that water,
Aaron

A Kid-Friendly Diet?

Okay… let’s see… For breakfast a sugar-laden toaster pastry… yum!  For lunch, school cafeteria pizza, chips and a soda… oh yeah.  Some cookies and a sugary fruit drink after school to tide them over until dinner.  And for dinner, take-out fried chicken, French fries, a biscuit and butter and … wait for it… yes, another soda.

Are you really shocked? Come on… ask your kids what they would say if someone asked them to describe a kid-friendly diet.

In a recent issue of USA Today, a nutritionist suggested parents, “…sneak in modifications, and children won’t even realize they’re practicing more healthful eating habits.”  Here are some of her simple suggestions to get kids to eat better:

1. To get them to drink more water, buy fun water bottles.
2. Buy low-fat versions of the cheeses they eat, and use lower-fat ground turkey instead of ground beef in meals. They’ll never know the difference.
3. Leave vegetables out to snack on instead of having cookies and chips on hand.

In theory, these are good suggestions.  But really, if you offered your kids a big bowl of vegetables as a snack, would they help themselves to a healthy handful or would they whine and complain about not having any chips or cookies in the house? And why try to deceive your kids? How are they going to learn that low fat foods can be tasty as well as nutritious if they don’t know what they’re eating?

Yes, it would be great if you could stock your pantry with healthy foods and snacks and that’s all your kids ate. But just because they snack on carrots at home doesn’t mean they’re going to pass up cookies at someone else’s house. Take time to teach your children the basics of a healthy, balanced diet so they can make wise eating choices. Not that they should say “no” to a cookie, but that one or two cookies is enough. And be the best role model you can for your children. It’s true; your children are definitely influenced by your eating habits. You know that eating a balanced diet and making time for regular exercise is the best thing you can do for your health. Help your children understand, too.

Just A Spoon Full of Sugar…

Can sugar suppress your immune system? That was a question studied by researchers at Loma Linda University back in the 1970’s. Half the volunteers in the study were given 100 grams of sugar (approximately the amount in a liter of regular soda), and the other half fasted or had a snack without sugar. Then researchers drew blood from all the volunteers and mixed in some bacteria. The results: white blood cells from the blood samples of those volunteers who ingested the large dose of sugar destroyed less bacteria than the other subjects in the test group.

Though many doctors have heard this claim, most believe there’s just not enough research available to prove that any one food substance can make a person more vulnerable to infections. Today, with the widespread fear of the swine flu virus, many people are looking for ways to protect themselves and their families. This old study has resurfaced and people are suddenly asking, “Can large doses of sugar really weaken my immune system?”

Although doctors and nutritionists can’t agree on the answer to that question, they do agree on one thing: Eating a balanced diet of protein, carbs, fruits and vegetables is the key to good health… and the foundation of the Chris Powell Reshape the Nation program.

Make It and Take It!

Reports abound proving that obesity is on the rise in the US. Does that surprise you? I would hardly think so. After all, you’d have to be living in a cave – instead of going to malls, restaurants, airports, etc. – not to notice that many people seem to be eating more calories than their body needs or consumes.

To be fair, obesity is not always the outcome of overeating. Obesity can also be caused by different physiological factors, such as genetic and hormonal imbalances that control metabolism. But it’s no surprise that lifestyle and dietary habits are the biggest contributing factor to the documented rise in obesity. Living in the fast lane often means eating fast food. The meals are cheap and quick, and they are tasty, but that’s often due to the saturated fats, refined carbs, sodium and sugar they contain. In fact, sometimes they contain almost enough fat and calories to fill your quota for the whole day! I guess if you walked to your local fast food restaurant, it might offset some of the damage, but that’s not usually the case, huh?

That’s why we recommend the Stax System for Chris Powell’s Reshape the Nation program. With just a few hours of food prep a week, you’ll have everything you need on hand to make quick and tasty meals without the extra fat and calories. You get containers for a full day of meals, including snacks. It’s easy… fill the containers to the appropriate level for your weight and you’ve got the correct proportions of carbs, veggies, proteins and fats on hand to enjoy a healthy, balanced diet throughout your busy day.

Peppermint… It’s Not Just a Holiday Treat Anymore

Scientists have long known peppermint is a natural appetite suppressant that can help you control your appetite by increasing your sense of fullness and creating a feeling of satisfaction after eating.  One study concluded that people who used peppermint – either eating it or smelling it – on a regular basis, actually ate about 2,800 fewer calories per week than those who didn’t. It seems smelling or eating peppermint increases brain activity in the area that controls alertness. So by avoiding a crash in attention and focus, you can actually curb the cravings triggered by the feeling you need energy to get through the rest of the day. Makes sense. Less snacking… fewer calories consumed.
Not only can peppermint help with overall weight loss, it can also be used to stimulate digestion, ease nausea and heartburn, and reduce the production of bacteria in the stomach. Studies indicate that organic peppermint works best. Grow your own or look for peppermint in different forms at your local health food store.

So, next time you get the urge for a chocolate bar, try a whiff of peppermint oil instead and see what happens. Or try this trick… when you get a craving, brush your teeth. See if the refreshing taste of peppermint in your toothpaste relieves that urge to snack. What do you have to lose… besides pounds! If nothing else, at least your teeth will be whiter!

Nutritional values: Are they valuable or valueless?

In July of 2008, a labeling law went into effect requiring restaurants to provide nutritional information about their meals. Recently, a study was conducted tracking customers at four fast-food chains to see if posting calorie counts actually influenced them to make healthier food choices.  In the end, research showed that although people said they noticed the information and claimed they made healthier choices, that wasn’t the case.

Why? Was it because they already knew what they wanted to eat so the calorie counts didn’t deter them? Or by knowing exactly how many calories – or fat, or carbs, or sugar – each meal had, did they simply rationalize their choices by saying, “What the heck… I might as well super size my meal. It’s only another 100 calories”? Or in the end, did they base their meal decisions on dollar-for-dollar value? In other words, even though they knew they were going to consume more calories, they ordered the double burger over a single burger because it was a better value for only 50¢ more.

Who knows… the study really had too many variables to tell. But those nutritional postings can – and should – be put to good use. When you’re out to eat, use the information to help you make wise choices. Look the menu over carefully. You might be surprised to find that a sirloin steak and some steamed vegetables weigh in better than a turkey burger that’s topped with cheese and served on an oversized bun. The numbers can also help you decide where to make substitutions in your meal to get the best nutritional value… and may even leave you a little room left over for some dessert!

Food Cravings, Part Two

You know food cravings can be triggered by habit, emotions, a chemical imbalance or even the time of day. But would it surprise you to learn that processed foods actually have additives in them put there to create cravings? Your body reacts to these cravings as it would to any addiction by demanding more of the same.

It’s true. If natural foods like fruit, vegetables, beans and oats seem bland, it’s likely your diet may include too many additives, like sugar or salt. High doses of sugar, salt, and trans fat are cheap fillers in many processed, convenience foods. These additives, along with others, such as MSG and caffeine, can create an imbalance in your system. The more processed foods you eat, the more you crave them, creating a vicious cycle… and a boon for the food industry.

How can you counteract the damaging effects of preservatives and additives? Well, unless you grow or raise all your own food you can hardly expect to totally eliminate all additives from your diet. But try to minimize them whenever possible. You can start by not adding extra sugar or salt to the food on your plate.  Research shows that eating healthy, natural foods with a low glycemic index can help keep your sugar levels from spiking and your cravings at bay. So will eating at regular intervals. And that’s why those principles are the foundation of the Reshape The Nation program.

Rules We Eat By

We all have our own set of rules we eat by. Some make sense: Always eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. And some don’t: It’s noon, it’s time for lunch.

Most of the rules we eat by, the rules that affect our diet and our health, we learned growing up and just became habit. Some are comforting habits. Think about it… when you fell down and hurt yourself, did your mom offer you a cookie to “make it all better”? Some habits are ingrained through culture. Did your mom always offer food to visitors and hardly gave them a chance to say no or leave without eating something – whether they were hungry or not? And some habits you continue to follow because they were a routine at home. Was dinner served promptly at 6pm at your house because that’s when your Dad came home from work?

To ensure success on a weight loss program, look at your eating habits and find their root causes. Only then can you change them. If you still take comfort in a cookie to make you feel better when you’re sad or tired or stressed, then find something else that works. Yes, I know you’ve probably heard this argument many times before, and yes, I know it’s not easy to change old habits, but you will appreciate the results. Honest… you will.

“Force Feeding” to start your metabolic clock

I’m going to throw another curveball at you.  Believe it or not, the biggest complaint most people have when it comes to losing weight is the AMOUNT of food that they have to eat in order to lose weight.  Yes, you read that correctly – you have to eat a LOT of food to lose weight.  To lose weight, we must first set our metabolic clock.

So how do we set our metabolic clock?  We need to get your body feeding five times a day – approximately every three hours.  Keep in mind, that this is a challenge. If your body is not accustomed to this kind of feeding, it will resist the change.  That is why I strongly suggest you attack the first few days like a warrior, and literally force feed yourself!  You will feel extremely full for the first couple of days, but don’t worry – this will soon pass in 3-4 days, and you’ll actually find yourself hungry every three hours. 

Pretty cool huh?  Force feed your body every three hours for three days, and by day four you will actually be hungry every three hours.  When we FEEL this happening, you will know that your metabolic clock will be set, and you’ll be ready to rock some serious weight loss!

State of the Nation - Monday October 19

Today David and I talk about the weekend, and I go into detail why we should be eating our veggies, how they are nature’s multivitamin, and how we use them to manipulate our body to maximize weight loss.

State of the Nation - Tuesday October 13

On Tuesday I talked about drinking alcohol, what it does in the body and the main trick of the trade for drinking and not suffering the consequences afterward!

State of the Nation - Thursday October 8

A super early edition State of the Nation today!  I go into details about protein shakes and what ingredients to look for.  Also my take on a recent article that suggests that exercising doesn’t help with weight loss (it’s what happens after that makes the difference!)