Mystery Monday (1)

Posted: September 26, 2011 in Mystery Mondays
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One recurring argument I have heard as I improve my diet is that processed food is not the best food for you.  This may be a no-brainer to some, but to others it is not.  I was one of the people that blindly decided to eat whatever I wanted without reading the label.  When I finally got around to reading the labels on the products I ate, I came across some interesting worlds.  Words like butylated hydroxytoluene, diacetyl, potassium bromate, and gel cellulose gum were all words that I was reading on the ingredient lists.  I decided to look into what cellulose was, because I was reading it on some of the products I believed to be organic- such as the Organic Valley Shredded Cheddar Cheese I was using.

Cellulose is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a polysaccharide (C6H10O5)x of glucose units that constitutes the chief part of the cell walls of plants, occurs naturally in such fibrous products as cotton and kapok, and is the raw material of many manufactured goods (as paper, rayon, and cellophane).

Deeeee-lish!

Cellulose products, gums and fibers allow food manufactures to offer white bread with high dietary fiber content, low-fat ice cream that still feels creamy on the tongue, and allow cooks to sprinkle cheese over their dinner without taking time to shred.  The rising cost of raw materials like flour, sugar and oil is helping boost the popularity of these additives.  Food-product makers use it to thicken or stabilize foods, replace fat and boost fiber content.

Cellulose comes in various forms, each with a specific use.  Beyond powdered cellulose, two other modified forms are common in food.  Microcrystalline cellulose is either listed as such on labels, as MCC, or in some cases as cellulose gel.  Carboxymethyl cellulose or cellulose gum, another modified version, is listed as such on labels.  Each gives foods a slightly different texture—from gelatinous to more liquid-like—because they trap varying amounts of air or water.

Powdered cellulose is made by cooking raw plant fiber—usually wood—in various chemicals to separate the cellulose, and then purified.  Modified versions go through extra processing, such as exposing them to acid to further break down the fiber.

The Food and Drug Administration sets limits on the amount of cellulose in certain foods like cheese spreads and jams.  The USDA also limits the amount of cellulose in meat products to about 1% to 4%, depending on the type, in order to meet the agency’s standards for protein content.

There are a ton of companies trading in on traditional ingredients in order to cut costs.  Aunt Jemima’s pancake syrup?  Cellulose.  Pillsbury Pastry Puffs?  Cellulose.  Kraft Bagel-Fuls?  Fast-food cheese?  Sara Lee’s breakfast bowls?  Cellulose, cellulose, and morecellulose.

But the worst thing about cellulose is not that it’s everywhere.  The worst thing is that it is not food at all.  Cellulose is, unlike the actual, normal food items you think you’re paying for, completely indigestible by human beings, and it has no nutritional value to speak of.

Here is a video from KMBCTV detailing companies that use cellulose as an ingredient.

Keep this in mind the next time you reach for that “30% more fiber” improved product.

C25K – Week 1

Posted: September 25, 2011 in C25K, Health, Projects
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The Couch to 5K program revolves around timed portions of running and walking over the course of 9 weeks to best prepare you for a 5K race.  The focus is an increasing challenge of physical activity in order to train you with a lower risk of injury.  There are typically 3 workouts a week over the course of 20 to 30 min each and include a 5 minute warmup and a 5 minute cool down.

I just finished Week 1′s training for the upcoming Manchester Road Race.  I am moving from a 5 day a week to a 3 day a week workout routine.  This first week felt like I wasn’t pushing myself as far as I had in the past.  However, I realized that the day off in between sessions was very beneficial.  The routines became much easier by the end of the week.  This Week’s training was intervals of 60 second runs with 90 second walks.  In my opinion it was a very achievable goal.  The only thing that I disliked was that I had to run indoors, but more on that later.  Here are my notes for the week.

  • Day 1:  Didn’t even make all the running portions of the workout.  Only made it 1.23 miles.  Ridiculous, not to mention that the muscles on the outside of my calves feel like they are on fire.  Need to get some rest.
  • Day 2:  Showing improvement on the running sections.  I ran 1.53 miles in the same amount of time.   I find myself anticipating the changeover from running to walking and slowing down the treadmill early.  Also have an incredible amount of fatigue in my right ankle.  Need to remember to bring the ankle brace next time.
  • Day 3:  Finally hitting a rhythm with this.  Hit all my running spots, increased my distance to 1.89 miles in the same amount of time.  Legs still feel like they are on fire after a workout, stretching post workout helps.

Treadmills are not my favorite machine in the gym.  I am still in the 350+lbs position, and with each step that I take it usually creates a loud thud.  Not to mention figuring out the best way to regulate my breathing without sounding like Fatty McGee from that old Adam Sandler album.  Social anxieties aside, I find that being surrounded by nature is much more soothing.  The breeze, the fresh air, and the changing terrain tend to add to the experience.

Now I am on track for Week 2.  The routines will move on to 90 seconds of running followed by 120 seconds of walking.  I am very much looking forward to running outdoors, weather permitting.  In closing, I was sent a fantastic video that shows me that I’m not missing so much by avoiding a party hard lifestyle.  Enjoy!

lol, I would have totally been able to break that beer bottle on my head

Setting a New Goal

Posted: September 21, 2011 in C25K
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Wow, how time does fly!  I have spent the last few weeks putting a lot of work into securing myself a lot of work with a new career.  During that time I am sad to report that I haven’t been as active at the gym as I have in the past.  My travel during this quest has also led me to compromise some of the standards that I have been so adamant about keeping.  I quickly found myself reaching out to fast food restaurants to supply my dinners when time was a limited resource.

Fortunately for me I have shown improvement in my decision making.  The first thing I noticed was a dramatic change in the total price of the food I was buying.  A small side and a water is more than enough for a combo meal.  I didn’t feel the need to overeat, and in all honesty- I found myself throwing out uneaten food.  I have not gained or lost weight, and have kept myself within my daily calorie goals.  I even survived the Big E without knocking myself out of contention.  I felt things becoming stale, I needed some new activity, I needed to set myself a new goal!

Have you ever heard of the Manchester Road Race?  It is a 4.75 mile race that is held in Manchester, Connecticut on Thanksgiving Day for just about the past 75 years.  I have worked with people in the past that have trained for it, I have family members that run it, and you know what?  It is about time that I join them.  My self-challenge is what it will be like to run it.

Here is a breakdown of the resources I will be using while training:

  • Couch to 5K- This is a widely accessible 9-week program found through various websites and apps.  You can find it here if you would like to check it out.
  • Thrive by Brendan Brazier-  The thrive diet is a long-term eating plan to help all athletes (professional or not) develop a lean body, sharp mind, and everlasting energy.
  • Nike+ – I have had success using this website and app in the past, it shows some of the best training methods gathered from a huge user database.

I will keep you posted as I go along, I think I’m going to call them 7.6K Friday’s… maybe.  I welcome any advice and information you can give me while I start training!  If you would like to know more about the Manchester Road Race, please click this link.  Maybe I will see some of you readers at it in 9 weeks!

Things I learned from the Zagat Fast Food Survey

Posted: September 7, 2011 in Health, Musings
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During a recent visit to the Doctor, I happened to be watching The Today Show while in the waiting room.  I caught an interview between anchor Matt Lauer and Tim Zagat, founder of the Zagat Surveys.  The topic of his most recent survey was “Fast Food”.  A category that I could have reviewed across the board.  As I listened to the interview I discovered some interesting bits of information.

1.  The average American Family eats Fast Food about 10 times a month

I am surprised that this number is not higher.  I did not partake in the survey, but I assume the questions were directed toward family meals at full service or fast food restaurants.  In my experience I had been eating out fast food almost daily while working.  Time was the one ingredient in a work day that I could not produce more of, so I often found myself cutting corners where I could.  I skipped breaks or took shorter lunches, often resulting in grabbing a quick meal at a McDonald’s or Wendy’s.  I would say that I ate fast food an average of 3 times a week on my own and 3 times a week as a family.  I was looking at about 24 times a month I was eating out simply because I did not invest the time in my health.

2.  69% of the surveyors are in favor of government mandated calorie reporting

I never ever ever reviewed the calorie counts for the amount of food that I was eating.  For example:  My favorite food at Wendy’s was two plain Spicy Chicken Sandwiches and a large Coke.  This calculates at an astonishing 1190 calories, almost half of a traditional 2000 calorie diet.   Let’s say that I was working a 4am to 5pm shift and had that meal for lunch.  I would get a call from my wife asking what was for dinner, seeing as I didn’t take the time for groceries we would decide on more fast food.  There is a Five Guys right up the street from us, and with the convenience of online ordering all I had to do was click what I wanted, pay for it via credit card, and then “walk to the front of the line” to pick up.  Great marketing and delicious product, but let’s look at the calorie count of my favorite meal.  A cheeseburger (with ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce), a bacon cheeseburger (with grilled onions, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce), and a large Coke.  This meal weighs in at an unbelievable 2,165 calories for one meal.  It was a good thing I don’t like french fries or I could look at tacking on an additional  310 calories for 1/2 of a regular order of fries.

I could sit here and say that the information wasn’t readily available for me, but that would be bullshit.  The information was there, I just never took the time to review it.  The places I chose to eat at are at the first and foremost a business.  They are going to do what they can to get you in the door.  A lot of places offer the nutritional information if you ask for it.  I agree with the 69% of people surveyed that there needs to be calorie reporting.  I also feel that there needs to be a greater awareness about the information available to the consumer.  Milk made me strong as a kid, I knew this because of the commercials for it showing the little kid growing up into a muscle-bound dude that is completely OK with the girl of his dreams only wanting him for his bod.

3.  The Healthy Options survey

The top five came down as Subway, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and KFC.  I certainly can understand Subway because they have been promoting their low-calorie and low-fat products ever since Jared put on a size of 32″ waist jeans.  The other companies that are now “recognized” for promoting healthy options came as a surprise to me.  I do know that Wendy’s and McDonald’s offer salads.  I don’t know of any healthy options at Taco Bell or KFC, so decided to look it up.

Taco Bell offers options called the “fresco menu”.  In fact they have a dedicated website for it called the “Drive-Thru Diet®”.  I have to say that I am impressed in how they are marketing it.  They are promoting the menu as not a weight loss program, but rather how to make healthier choices.  Taco Bell shows how to reduce the calorie count in their products by up to 100 calories.  Reading through the site showed me that Taco Bell fully recognizes that their products are not “low-calorie food”, but promote ways to reduce your caloric intake by opting for different things at their restaurants.  This is a great tool for those who look into their dietary intake.

I always associate KFC under their previous moniker of “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.  When I think of what to eat at KFC it usually is fried chicken, biscuits, and mashed potatoes w/gravy.  This isn’t a stretch since I grew up in Texas where chicken fried steak is a source of State Pride. (Texas has a way of being proud about weird things sometimes).

There is a Capital of Fried Food in Texas

I was surprised to see that they too are making an effort to promote some of their healthier choices.  They offer a free 30 day membership to eFit4Me, and even some health coaching by John Calipari.  KFC also points out the benefits of choosing grilled over fried, vegetables over biscuits, etc.  The info is there, but not without some effort in locating it.

Even though there are companies with healthier options, I would have never considered them without first looking into what is available.  Although they discuss lower calorie food and making better choices there is one glaring consistency across the nutritional charts at every restaurant.  The amount of sodium in each product.  Sodium is a key preservative, and I can see why it is so important for nationwide ingredient distribution.  However, high sodium intake can lead to higher blood pressure complications.  I could choose a salad at fast-food restaurant without realizing there was over 1300mg of sodium in it.  One regular cheeseburger at Five Guys contains 1350mg of sodium prior to adding any toppings or condiments.  Whew!

4.  The Survey Outtakes are hilarious

With comments like “Rule #1: don’t look inside the burrito.” and “How can a salad have 1,700 calories?” all I can do is laugh.  It seems that the surveyed members knew what they were getting into and gave honest opinions.  If you have a chance, check it out over at Zagat.  Zagat’s interview is also up on YouTube, you can click here if you would like to see it.

*Note: I had a blast digging up some of the info, if you are interested in where I looked or how I found it, please comment below!

Irene Aftermath

Posted: August 31, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Last weekend was a very challenging weekend for the family.  Living in the North East presents its share of weather events.  In my opinion, the season to avoid is winter; subzero temperatures, invisible ice, snowstorms, and spring flooding are a few of the hazards I have encountered.  It always seems that I find myself shoveling snow, reminding myself that I only have to deal with this for about half a year.  The season that I always welcome is Summer.  I can skip the leaf change and the snow, give me 80˚ weather and sun.  This summer has been a bit different.  I haven’t enjoyed the season as much as I have in the past.  I have had to deal with flooding a couple of times and more recently I encountered Hurricane Irene.

The family and I have spent a few nights this Winter and even more this Spring without power.  Considering that we seem to lose power whenever a crow farts, I anticipated that we would lose power at the first wind gust of Irene.  Soon I found myself preparing just like every other family.  I had a backup plan as to where to go if we lost power.  I purchased plenty of batteries and kept candles readily available.  The bathtub was filled with water in case we needed it.  I purchased non-perishable goods to wait out the weather.  I figured out a backup plan to keep my iPhone charged so I could have an open way to communicate should I need it.  Dallas and I brought in all the outdoor plants and sealed up the house.  We called the grandparents to check in and make sure that everybody was all set for the incoming storm.

The evening of Irene’s arrival saw Dallas and I running around the house unplugging electronics and appliances.  The house was “going dark”, aside from the porch light that I left on for Kelly.  While completing my checklist at home, I felt terrible knowing that Kelly was going to be at work when the storm hit.  I was watching the news as I saw businesses all around her announce that they were closing early.  We decided to call her up to see if she was going to be coming home early, only to find out the opposite.  Kelly was going to be required to stay later.  It is not the best feeling in the world when a loved one is “required” to stay out during a storm that the state was shutting down in.  How was she going to get home when the major roads were being closed?  We went over the plan and said our good-nights.

I woke up to the sound of my screen door slamming against the house.  I looked next to me and sighed with relief when I saw Kelly sleeping.  Just past her I saw the outline of some frog pajamas and realized that Dallas had sneaked in after I had fallen asleep.  I disconnected my respirator and went downstairs to try to fix the door.  I opened up my front door to what looked like a scene from the movie “Poltergeist”.  The trees were whipping with the wind, rain was coming down sideways, and there were things flying around the air that shouldn’t be airborne: like a sandbox.  I secured the door, went back to the bedroom, and started checking updates through my phone.  The storm was on us and causing destruction across the state.

After a few hours the family woke up.  We headed downstairs and discovered that we were one of the fortunate households that still had power.  We checked in with friends and family and hunkered down to wait out the storm.  Since news is über-boring to a two-year old, it was not long before Dallas had us running around the house.  We played “Zombie on the Stairs” (whomever is “bitten” turns into a Zombie and chases the others to “bite” them, aka tag but with awesome zombies instead), colored on the floor, we read stories together, and even gave each other “tattoos”.

Even though we had encountered such a powerful storm, we made it through as a family.  We entertained ourselves by reading books and making up silly games.  Kelly and I worked hard to project a calm and collected house to Dallas.  We worked hard to inspire her imagination.  To Dallas the couch became a castle, the hallway became a dungeon, and she had two playmates that made the day go by so much faster.  It made me appreciate the things that my parents did when I was a kid to combat “cabin fever”.  In hindsight I am glad that I was prepared, I would much rather be ready for something and not have to use it.  It makes me wonder if these were the same concerns that my parents had when I was a child.  Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to remind you about what is important in your life and put things in perspective.

Wishful Thinking

Posted: August 24, 2011 in Musings, Projects
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Sometimes the best ideas come from casual conversations.  I was having a conversation with my friend as we drove back from the Beer and Chili extravaganza at Rentschler Field.  We talked about what it was like when we met up for Sunday Dinner.  He talked about how his grandmother would wake up early on Sunday, attend Mass for 6am, get home by 7am, cook until 3pm, and then serve desserts and light snacks around 7pm.  He had a full Sunday to spend with his family, and he misses it.

I thought back to my Sunday dinner experiences with my grandmother (who I called Mémère, which is French for grandmother).  Pépère had passed when my father was 10 years old, and I never had a chance to meet him.  Mémère had raised five children on her own.  My memories of her begin with her living in a tiny apartment having my family over for Sunday dinner.  Sunday dinner with Mémère didn’t always happen once a week, and as a child I did not always want to attend them.  I didn’t want to hang out in a tiny apartment with a tiny yard with my super annoying tiny brother.  I was constantly upset that I would be stuck in my church clothes for an entire afternoon.  I knew that I would inevitably do something to cause my little brother to cry, earn a grounding, and hear the “disappointed” speech from my parents.  Even though I felt that way as a kid, it isn’t how I feel as an adult.  I remember sitting down and talking with Mémère about school and what was going on in my life.  I remember how she genuinely took interest in my brother’s and my lives.  I remember how she used to laugh at even the dumbest of my jokes.  Mémère served us the best roast beef, mashed potatoes, and galettes I’ve ever had in my life.  All together I remember how much I miss those experiences.

Before I knew it Sunday dinners became more like going out to eat with Mémère after church.  We would pick her up after 11am Mass and head out to a Chili’s or Ruby Tuesday to sit and have a meal.  Mémère would argue with my Dad when the bill came, telling me that “You can’t put a price on memories.”  Sometimes Mémère would come home with us and hang out while my brother and I watched football.  Sometimes we wouldn’t go out at all, but drive down to my Aunt’s house for a family party.  Sometimes we would just drop her off after lunch and move on with our chores or whatever else was planned for the day.  All this happened before my young mind could grasp just what it was really missing out on.  I look back on these memories and wish that I could have known then what I know now.  Mémère had a way of teaching me things without me realizing it.  She taught the importance of good conversation with good company, and that you can find the most interesting points of view if you broaden your horizons.

I lost my Mémère shortly before my daughter was born.  She had met my fiancée before departing for Chicago to stay with my Aunt, but never got the chance to meet Dallas.  I received a picture from my Aunt the day Dallas was born showing a beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan.  I have always thought it was Mémère’s way of telling me that life goes on.  I still get upset knowing that Dallas will never have the opportunity to meet her and know how loving she was.  I know that Dallas deserves to know the things that Mémère taught me.

I am going to make an attempt at having a Sunday dinner at least once a month.  It is going to be an open invite, and anyone is welcome.  If my Mémère could make dinner work in her tiny apartment with no parking space, I owe her my best shot to make it work in my tiny condo with no parking space.  I am hoping that it will give Dallas some structure as to what family is all about.  I hope it gives Kelly and I a chance to relax and enjoy the company we keep.  I really hope that it becomes as fond a memory for my daughter as Mémère’s Sunday dinner memories have become for me.

Sunday’s Results

Posted: August 23, 2011 in Health
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I was hoping to carry on the momentum I had from the previous day.  I had a big task ahead of me in the form of the annual “Beer and Chili Challenge“.  I was attending the event as a VIP, which meant that I was invited in for a special food and beer pairing event.  I was facing down some of the best food and drink in the state of Connecticut.

I started the day with a moderate breakfast that was well under my meal average, coming in at a meager 300 calories.  I felt satisfied that I had begun my day well within reason, and thought that I could navigate through the event without compromising my goals.  My friend and I arrived at noon for the event.  We found ourselves rushed in the VIP entrance and brought up to our beer pairing event.

He had to have a laminate to make things "official"

Shawn posing in the skybox above the field

The VIP event is where I lost focus of my long-term goal.  I was served a variety of great beers in 2oz cups paired up with some of the best food in the Hartford area.  I had eaten 6 beef kabobs, 5 chicken wings, 1 stuffed mushroom, 1/4lb of sausage and red cabbage, and two whoopi pies (one carrot cake and one chocolate).  I had also drank about 10 of the beer samples we were given, all prior to making it to the actual chili event.  It was a lot of fun talking about the different beers and trying the different foods.  I was talking with all sorts of different people and quickly lost track of how much I had already eaten and drank.

We left the group and decided to head down to the chili event.  There was all sorts of different samples throughout the event.  I ran into people who I hadn’t seen in years.  We had some conversations about which beers to try, and who’s chili was the best.  It wasn’t long before I lost count of the beer I was “sampling”.  I tried white Belgian ales, dark chocolate barleywines, and all sorts of different beers.  I had housed chili samples from all over Connecticut in 2oz cups.  Where I had exhibited self-control at a birthday party prior, I had tossed it all to the wind in a few hours.

In the midst of this rampant caloric melt down I ran into a former colleague.  He immediately recognized me and enthusiastically called me over to his booth.  We talked for a while about how the family was doing and what he was up to.  He mentioned that I was looking a lot happier and healthier than the last time we had met up.  His kind comment snapped me out of the state of mind I was in.  I felt a surge of remorse for what I had already put myself through.  I immediately struck the idea of checking out The Brewer’s Cow‘s beer ice cream from my mind.  I didn’t have a way of correcting my previous actions, but I had to find a way to deal with it and move on.  I asked Shawn if he wanted to take a few more laps around the stadium and then head out.  He was cool with it so we walked around for a while, turned in our voter’s cards, and decided to leave.

Dawley Brew

He was working his startup brewery. He makes a killer Jalapeño Ale.  Email him at dawleybrew@gmail.com for info.

We finished the entire event within a couple of hours.  I had exceeded my goal by over 700 calories without a way to go burn them off.  I was not thrilled with my decision.  Shawn and I exited the stadium the complete opposite of where we entered the stadium.  We had a conversation about the event as we walked back to the car.  We talked about which chilis were our favorites, how awesome Dawley Brewing Co.’s Jalapeño Ale was, and how much fun we had.  I noticed that I could carry on the entire conversation without losing my breath.  I had fleeting memories of trucking my chubby butt around the salesfloor in my previous career, having trouble carrying conversations with my employees.  I remembered that the shirt I was currently wearing would only be worn under a vest at work to cover up how tight it was on me.  Yet here I was sporting the same shirt (now loose), climbing stairs, conquering inclines, and just plain moving around without missing a beat in the conversation.  In the eye of a defeat, I had a small glimmer of victory.

I finished the day strong.  I got home in the afternoon and helped clean the house up.  I had a 260 calorie dinner that consisted of roasted chicken and succotash.  Hint:  succotash is very filling, probably why it was a popular dish during the Great Depression.  Sunday had been such a vast difference from the previous day where I was surrounded by friends and family.  It seemed that when I was on my own I failed miserably.  I feel that I had lost some of my footing in one day, but now know how to better position myself to avoid similair results in the future.

Jalapeño Beer

Next time, I would pace myself to drink more Luchadores and have some beer ice cream

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