Scale

Do you own a scale? This is the only scale I have, and it is for weighing food, not people.  I weigh my starches (carbs) and my protein.  If you are serious about maintaining your weight, or attempting to lose weight you must have a scale.

It is so easy to over estimate the foods you are selecting, it just isn't a wise idea to try to maintain your diet without a scale. You work hard at the gym, you are eating the correct foods, but if you don't eat the correct portion, you are working against yourself.

They are not expensive, and you can get as fancy or plain as you like. The most important features are the ability to zero it out, so that you can place any plate or bowl on it and reset it to zero so only the food added gets weighed. The other criteria should be one that can easily be read when a large bowl is on it.

Some have their own clear bowl that comes with it, and that is fine too. I suggest getting one that is small enough  that you can easily leave it on the counter all the time, so you are sure to use it.

I even know a couple friends who carry portable scales in their purses! I don't do that, although I will bring my own pre-weighed bag of chicken breast to add to my ramen when I go out with my family!

I detest appliances on the counter, in fact I have my microwave and toaster oven behind a closed cabinet door.  But my wonderful little stainless steel scale is right there, in plain view at all times.

Salad Lyonnaise

One of my favorite salads, Salad Lyonnaise. It can be rather fattening if you order it at a restaurant, but if you make it yourself, it can be quite delicious and good for you at the same time.

Salad Lyonnaise is made with frisee, with a mustard vinaigrette, croutons, lardoons and a poached egg on top. Most people automatically assume a salad is healthy and a great diet choice. Not so, in fact, most restaurant salads are as calorie laden as a cheese burger and just as fattening.

To start with, the salad dressing is always a killer. It is laden with fat and they put way too much on, the greens are almost always swimming in oil.

Croutons are also covered in oil, they are fried!

Lardoons? Those are just long, thick slices of bacon.....

So how do you make this at home so it tastes good and you aren't ruining your diet?

Make your own dressing, but make a white wine mustard vinaigrette:

1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 Tbsp Flax oil
pepper
1 packet splenda

Then, don't fry croutons, but cut some whole grain or ezekiel bread into large squares, bake it in a 400 degree oven, turning occasionally until crisp, 10 minutes. Or toast it and cut it into cubes.

Cut turkey bacon into thick slices, then fry or microwave and drain well.

Toss the frisee with some of the vinaigrette, croutons and lardoons, then top with a poached egg. The egg should still have a warm, runny yolk so that when you cut into it, the warm yolk mixes with the salad greens. Sprinkle on some chopped chives and a couple grindings of pepper.

Delicious!

Lifting Straps

I love these straps! I don't wear gloves when I lift weights, although I used to. When I started training with SC, it was in a college athletic facility, so it was pretty much a testosterone filled room. Lot's of sweat, loud rap music, dirty socks on the ground, paper cups all over, bowls of chalk....yes chalk. No one wore gloves and I was not about to either.

When I would do heavy dead lifts, or RDL's my hands got slippery, so I was told to go stick em in the chalk. I used to hate the feeling of chalk, it's like fingernails on a blackboard. But I like it now. I used to like to plunge my hands in it, smack them together to see the white cloud then get chalk all over my quads.

When the deadlifts got really heavy, say in the 225 range, plain chalk just didn't do the trick, that bar was heavy and my hands just couldn't maintain the grip very long.

That's where these beauties come in! My gym has "lifting straps" but they are no good compared to these. Lifting straps are not sneered at like gloves are. "Real men" don't wear gloves I was told, but they can use straps. The problem with regular straps is they have a loop that you put your wrist through, and they tend to tighten up and cut off circulation, or they have a long hanging piece that just gets in the way.

These are from Ironmind and they are called "sew easy" lifting straps. They are cut and sewed together to provide the exact amount of fabric needed to just wind around the Olympic bar and stop you from loosing your grip.

I keep them in my gym backpack and take them with me everyday. I have loaned them to a couple guys and one of them has now bought his own!

If you are a serious, heavy lifter, I highly recommend these straps. Visit Ironmind and order some today!

Good Carbs Bad Carbs

What exactly are carbohydrates? There are many kinds, but when I say "carbs" I am referring to starchy carbs, things such as:

Beans, oats, brown rice, barley, black eyed peas, corn, corn tortillas, cream of wheat/rye/rice, kashi, lentils, peas, potatoes, yams, quinoa, rice cakes.

These are all good for you and they are the "carbs" that need to be weighed or measured. You should have one serving of these at every meal (except your last meal if you eat just before bed). Although when I am intentionally eating to gain weight, I will eat carbs at my last meal. In fact, I will increase all of my starchy carbs at each meal by 2 ounces and that does the trick! So you can see why you do not want to over eat carbs if you are trying to loose weight.

Vegetables and fruits are also "carbs" but they are not starchy carbs, they are packed with nutrients and fiber and have very little calories. You can eat these with abandon, eat as much as you like. So nutritionists do not generally refer to fruits and vegetables as "carbs", they will refer to them as "fruits" and "vegetables".

Two caveats:

Fruit is high in sugar, so if you are attempting to really lower body fat, these should be limited to a couple servings a day, and pre-competition, eliminated all together.

Some vegetables are classified as "starchy" carbs, you may have noticed them in the list above. Peas and corn. If you are eating these two, they count as your starch, not your vegetable so weigh or measure them.

All of the above complex carbohydrates (good carbs) are high fiber foods, which improve your digestion, they help stabilize the blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level, and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal.

A mistake I see occur quite frequently is someone thinks they are eating healthy, so they load up their plate with a big plain baked potato and an ear of corn...no, no, no! You can only choose one of those as they are both "carbs", you need a vegetable in place of one.

Now we have the simple (bad) carbohydrates, the ones that you need to limit or avoid all together. Which you chose depends on your goals. If you are competing, you won't eat anything on the list below for a few months before your competition. If you are not, then some of this is OK, in moderation.

Pasta, refined breads , crackers, cereals, chips, candy, anything made with flour, flour tortillas, fruit juice, sugar, corn syrup, any packaged food. Sugar and other simple carbohydrates can alter your mood, lead to cravings and compulsive eating, cause wide swings in your blood-sugar levels, and cause weight gain in most people. These foods also tend to be very high in calories.

I eat 6 times a day. My first meal is a shake (with 20 grams of carbs) and my last meal is egg whites and spinach, so "technically" it has no carbs.

The other 4 meals all contain one of the above starchy carbs. I eat a great deal of brown rice, quinoa, yams and beans at lunches and dinner. Breakfast usually contains oats or cream of rice.

I eat bread on occasion, but it is usually one of those dense, really dark, heavy rye or spelt breads and I toast it and put low sugar jam and/or peanut butter on it.

Remember the good carbs are the "fuel" that keeps you going, keeps your brain functioning, your muscles round and full looking. These are also the really tasty ones, like the big baked potato, so it is easy to over eat- hence the need to weigh them.

Remember, packaged food is the enemy! The more that a food has been altered from its natural state, the less nutrients it has and just becomes a lot of useless calories.

Carbs

So just what is the deal with carbs anyway? Everyone always talks about carbs, "carbs are bad for you" "don't eat too many carbs" "never eat carbs 3 hours before bed", the list is endless.

I realize I have done the same thing yet neglect to really explain why I limit my carbs, so I will attempt to explain it now.

You will find just as many people who completely disagree with me as those who agree with me, so I suggest you consider all the facts, look at the person who is providing you with the information and make up your own mind as to which "camp" you choose to be with.

Me? I am a 49 year old woman, I have given birth to a child, I hold a full time job, I am surgery and drug free. In other words, I work my butt off and haven't had liposuction or breast implants and don't take growth hormone or steroids. I do not believe in fad diets or quick fixes. It takes a great deal of hard work and determination to get where I am. I also compete in Figure, which means I stand on stage, posing in a small "bikini" with women who are anywhere from 18 to 60 years of age. In every competition I have entered (other than my very first one), in the open division, I have placed in the top five. In every masters division, I have placed in the top four.

I have a physique that is better looking than most women half my age. You will be hard pressed to find another woman my age walking around  with a physique that looks as good as mine, unless of course, she has seen her plastic surgeon, or she is on drugs and then, well, I cannot compare myself against someone who has been surgically altered or is taking androgenic/ ergogenic drugs. We will have vastly different looks, almost as if we are from different planets.

So, I feel that I am fairly knowledgeable about this topic.

First of all, every successful diet is based on a set number of calories. It doesn't really matter what you eat, if you eat more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. If you eat less calories than you expend you will lose weight.

Now exactly WHAT you eat will determine your body composition. You can have two women who are the same height and the same weight, yet one of them is 26% body fat and one is 19%, that is determined by what they eat, not necessarily how much they eat.

Once you determine what your caloric intake should be, there is a percentage of that caloric amount allowed for each macro nutrient (protein, carbohydrate, fat). This can also vary depending on the school of thought. You may follow a balanced diet where the macro nutrients are somewhat equally divided; or you may follow a bodybuilders diet of a ratio of say, 30% carbs, 40% protein, 30% fat; there are many of them to choose from.

The ratios you follow are based on your needs physically, your goals, and what you respond best to. I would suggest a balanced approach for those starting out, then it can be manipulated later.

My year round diet was established working with a professional nutritionist. I was already very fit, with low body fat percentage but wanted to look like a Figure competitor. I had no desire to compete, I just wanted to look like I did.

It was so successful I did start competing, and haven't stopped.

So my diet calls for one serving (or 3/4 cup) of most starches at four of my meals (this is usually 4 ounces, so I prefer to weigh it all to be precise). My last two meals are less, dinner has 3 ounces and prior to bed, it is negligible.

Carbohydrates are utilized by the body as a source of energy for your muscles and brain function. On nutrition labels in the United States you will see "carbohydrates" listed; however, many other counties list the same ingredient as "energy" not "carbohydrates". The body uses what it needs for immediate use, and then has some "storage space" in the muscles. Once that storage space is full, it over flows and is then stored as fat. Numerous studies have been done on this and just about everyone agrees with the fact that excess carbs are stored as fat.

Not only does the amount of carbohydrate matter, but the type does too. Complex carbohydrates are best, simple ones should be relegated to your post training meal only. More on this later.

So to give you an example: You want to take your red Ferrari for a little spin. You need to fill up the tank with the BEST gasoline you can so the car will go long, fast and smooth. Once that tank is full of premium, if you keep pumping in gas, it will spill over the outside of the fuel opening, run down the side of the car and ruin that beautiful lacquer paint job! (too many carbs)

After your Ferrari is filled with gas, you drive it around as fast as you can and notice the car seems to be barely chugging along, why, the gas tank is almost empty! Time to add more gas! (need more carbs)

The more you drive the more gas you use. (the more active you are, the more carbs you need)

Now when it's winter time and you don't want to get the Ferrari wet, you don't drive it, so you leave it covered all nice and snug in the garage. You don't need to fill up the gas tank because it isn't going anywhere. It doesn't need any gas. (you aren't exercising or it is close to bed time, you don't need as many carbs)

carbs), just like that Ferrari ran out of gas, you need to fill up your muscles with carbs, this is the biggest carb meal of the day. It should be about double what you normally eat, to make sure your muscles are filled up with energy to allow you to continue with your daily activities.

Throughout the day, as you continue to be active, you need to keep filling up your storage tank. When you get closer to bed time, say your evening meal (dinner), you don't need as much carbohydrate, so it can and should be reduced a bit.

A lot of people take this completely wrong and say "well, I just wont eat ANY carbs!", but this is a bad decision. Your brain functions on carbs, and it is the best, most efficient fuel choice for your body. The carbs are fuel, the protein is there to build new, lean muscle. If you do not eat enough carbs, you body turns to the lean muscle mass you have worked so hard to build and it uses that for energy, it does not use fat.

Most people who drastically limit carbs start to look lean, but they look "skinny" and gaunt and their muscles are not full and round, with a nice healthy look to them. They look more like prisoners of war.

This is why some bodybuilders will "carb cycle" , they will limit carbs a couple days then overload a couple. It is not something an average fitness buff needs to do, nor do I recommend it. You get tired, grouchy, angry and unless you actually have a specific date and goal of an event that is prompting you to do this, you will end up binging.

The "carb slam" above? It is actually waxy maize starch, a plant source of carbohydrate that is supposed to be absorbed extremely fast, it bypasses the stomach and is absorbed through the intestines. The perfect bodybuilders post workout carb drink!

You can buy all sorts of expensive post workout drinks that have this ingredient, or you can buy the big tub like this, with nothing in it but some yam root, and save a lot of money by mixing it up with some protein powder and water.

Tomorrow, Good Carbs, Bad Carbs!

Peace

Peace, what makes you feel at peace? I have found that I am a creature of habit, oh this is not a new revelation, but it becomes more and more evident every day. I thrive on structure, on routine, on set ways of doing things.

Don't get me wrong, I love surprise and I enjoy being spontaneous, but I am at my best when everything goes along as planned and when I am in control.

I have realized that I cannot always be in control, and that is OK, I need to learn to accept that. A long time ago I stopped worrying about things that I couldn't control, that only causes frustration and stress. If you cannot control or change it, is there any point in worrying about it? NO.

This really hit home when I was sick. As I write this, it has been 29 days since I became ill. I am definitely getting better, I think I shall be right as rain in only a few more days. I have actually gone the last three days with only a slight headache when I wake up, and once in the evening. They have been extremely mild and I am still on medication, so it will be a thing of the past soon.

During my illness I would get many people asking what was wrong? Why don't they have a definitive answer? This is crazy, it's going on so long. They were all very concerned, and I love them all for caring, but I just wasn't that worried. I mean, I was sick, and seeing two doctors, what good would it do me to worry about it? So I didn't.

But I found myself worrying about not being able to lift weights, this walking stuff is for the birds! I tried to tell myself that I shouldn't worry as it was out of my control, what good would it to for my health to add additional stress? So I grew to enjoy my "short" 5 mile walks, it was actually very peaceful and relaxing. Especially early in the morning when no one is awake yet. I would listen to pod casts from the "Natural Bodybuilding Radio" channel, and got lots of great tips and ideas.

Now, I am back to my regular schedule. I am up at 4, off to the gym, then to work, I love all of it. This weekend I prepared a huge batch of vegetables for lunches and spent 2 1/2 hours in the gym on Saturday morning, my favorite thing to do, and that didn't even include a steam or shower! I am lifting, and lifting heavy. I feel good, I feel at peace again.

Alcohol

I read an article recently on Bodybuilding.com by David Robson. I found it quite interesting and have an excerpt of it here. I do drink alcohol; however, I do not drink on a regular basis and sometimes I will go several months without one drink. I feel better when I don't drink, I have more energy, I am more alert and I can eat more food instead of drinking empty calories. I also find it difficult to get up at 4:00 am to lift weights when I have had a couple drinks the evening before. This definitely makes you think long and hard about having a cocktail!


Alcohol use - as a well-established part of human culture - is something that has become almost as acceptable as eating and breathing. As a social facilitator and feel good drug of choice for many, alcohol is very popular indeed, with consumption at mass levels.

However, alcohols well-documented deleterious effects - diminished performance, mental impairment, possible addiction, diabetes and liver disease to varying degrees in certain individuals - could be seen as a good reason to steer clear of it.

This being said, many people enjoy its sedating influence and it does play a vital role in many of society's traditions and practices. One effect alcohol has, which is not widely discussed, is its impact on body composition. In its purest form, ethyl alcohol, which supplies seven calories per gram, alcohol provides energy, bumping up ones total energy balance whenever it is consumed.

Unlike macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, alcohol supplies what nutritionists often refer to as empty calories: calories without nutrition. To make matters worse, it is the first fuel to be used when combined with carbohydrates, fats and proteins, postponing the fat-burning process and contributing to greater fat storage. Here is what diet guru Robert C Atkins says regarding alcohols affect on fat storage:

"Here's the problem with all alcoholic beverages, and the reason I recommend refraining from alcohol consumption on the diet. Alcohol, whenever taken in, is the first fuel to burn. While that's going on, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop the weight loss, it simply postpones it, since the alcohol does not store as glycogen, and you immediately go back into ketosis/lipolysis after the alcohol is used up. If you must drink alcohol, wine is an acceptable addition to levels beyond the Induction diet. If wine does not suit your taste, straight liquor such as scotch, rye, vodka, and gin would be appropriate, as long as the mixer is sugarless; this means no juice, tonic water; or non-diet soda. Seltzer and diet soda are appropriate."

Although Mr. Atkins suggestions are valid ones, especially as he is advocating the elimination of additional sugars along with the higher calorie beers, any form of alcohol can pose problems for those wanting to shed unwanted fat to look their best.

Main concerns are as follows:

1. Alcohol Supplies Almost Twice As Many
Calories As Protein & Carbohydrates.

At seven calories per gram, alcohol supplies almost twice as many as protein and carbohydrates. In fact, alcohol has only two fewer calories than fat, which has nine per gram. It must also be remembered that the calories in alcohol lack the nutrients beneficial for a healthy metabolism and will therefore hasten fat storage.

The calories found in the average alcoholic drink are quite concentrated compared to many foods, and this actually causes one to inadvertently take in many more calories than would otherwise be consumed. Alcohol is quite deceptive in that it passes through the system rapidly, often before the drinker is aware of the number of drinks they have had.

Alcoholic drinks also contain calories from other sources, which add to overall caloric intake. Certain cocktails, for example, contain fats. Wine and beer both have high carbohydrate content. Although the affects these various calorie types have on the body are different - carbohydrates release insulin, which can hasten fat storage, while fats will be stored directly in the fat cells - the overall result is added body fat.

An example of how many calories can be easily consumed can be seen with a small glass of wine: a 5-ounce glass of wine will typically contain 110 calories, 91 of which come from the alcohol itself (13 grams), with the remaining five grams coming from carbohydrates.

Beer contains more carbohydrates (although many of the "Lite" beers have a carb content similar to a glass of wine) and less alcohol than wine, but is seen as being more fattening, due to its higher energy content.

2. Alcohol Loosens The Inhibitions.

While drinking, people usually will not stop to consider the impact alcohol is having on their bodies; such is alcohol's affect on loosening the inhibitions. The result of this relaxed thinking could mean more calories consumed and extra body fat gains. Those drinking might also eat more of the wrong kinds of food, without thinking of the consequences.

Alcohol tends to have an appetite stimulating effect as it provides little in the way of nutrition, leaving a craving for other foods at the time of consumption. Add this to the fact that fatty and salty foods tend to accompany most occasions featuring alcohol (as well as alcohol actually stimulating ones appetite for these kinds of foods), and the general loosening of resolve that goes with an inebriated mind set, and you have a recipe for excess fat gain. Alcohol has also been shown to affect motivation, making a healthy diet harder to stay on while it is being used.

3. Alcohol (When Used To Excess) Can
Damage The Stomach, Kidneys, And Liver.
Given alcohol is a by-product of yeast digestion; it can have an irritating effect on the lining of the stomach and gradually weaken the kidneys and liver, leading to serious health problems - even death in certain instances. Any weakening of the stomach will lessen the rate and efficiency at which food is digested, which ultimately interferes with a healthy metabolism and the weight loss process.

The liver - which processes toxins and breaks down fats for fuel - is crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy body composition. Alcohol is at its most destructive during the livers detoxification process.

4. Alcohol Lowers Testosterone.

Testosterone, which has a powerful fat loss effect, is reduced whenever alcohol is consumed, thus halting its full potential as a fat burner. Also, testosterone as an anabolic hormone, contributes to gains in lean muscle mass. Lowered testosterone means fewer muscle gains, and less muscle means a lowered metabolic rate.

A lower metabolic rate will make the job of losing fat all the more harder, as this is what governs the way we use energy. Those with a higher metabolic rate will burn more calories at rest. By interfering with testosterone production, alcohol indirectly causes the body to lower its metabolic rate (and thus the rate at which it uses energy) and directly prohibits testosterone from exerting its powerful fat burning effects.

5. Alcohol Increases Appetite.

Touched on briefly in point two, alcohol can increase appetite, making the combination of alcohol and a fattening meal all the more worse. A Canadian study showed that alcohol consumed before a meal increased caloric intake to a far greater extent than did a carbohydrate drink. Also, researchers from Denmark's Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University showed that if a group of men were given a meal and allowed to eat as much as they wanted, alcohol, rather than a soft drink, would increase the amount of food consumed.

How Is Alcohol Processed In The Body?
To gain an understanding of why alcohol affects us the way it does, it is important to known how it is processed in the body.

After consuming the first alcoholic drink, 25% of this alcohol is absorbed straight from the stomach into the bloodstream, with the remainder taken in through the small bowel. Alcohol is generally absorbed fairly rapidly, but its absorption can be quickened depending on several factors:

   1. The amount of food in the stomach (a fuller stomach slows the rate of absorption).
   2. Whether the drink is carbonated (champagne is absorbed more quickly than non-sparkling drinks).
   3. Alcohol concentration of the drink (higher alcohol drinks are absorbed faster).

Around 98% of alcohol that is consumed is processed in the liver, with the other two to ten percent being expelled through urine, breathing, or sweat. The amount of alcohol in a standard drink will take around 10 hours for the average person to process, which means the more that is consumed at any one point, the greater the rise in blood alcohol content. When the liver processes alcohol, it does so in one of two ways.

For the most part, alcohol is broken down by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, which is contained in the liver cells). ADH then metabolizes the alcohol into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is broken down into acetate by another enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase. In the final stage, the acetate is further metabolized to where it eventually exits the body as waste products carbon dioxide and water.

The other way alcohol can be processed is a less common alternative, which uses a different set of liver enzymes. This alternative pathway, called the microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system, is used when the blood has very high levels of alcohol.

Conclusion:
Can One Drink & Lose Weight?

So what is one to do? Given alcohol plays a large role in celebration and social cohesion, can one completely refrain from its use? It really depends on the goals a person has. Most could probably consume moderate levels of alcohol (two or three standard drinks three to four times per week) without any problem.

Larger amounts (over seven drinks at any one time), often described as binge drinking, can cause major problems and probably should not be advocated. Maintaining reasonable levels of health, while enjoying a few drinks - using moderation as the key - should be no problem. However, athletes - who definitely are not your average population - wanting to improve performance, and those wanting to lose weight are a different issue entirely.

Alcohol, as shown, will negate any efforts to lose body fat and will alter performance for the worst. The best advice would be to totally abstain until performance and weight loss goals are obtained.

Ray Audette, author of the NeanderThin Diet, provides sound advice for anyone wanting to lose weight while drinking alcohol. Remember, to be at your best physically you can't have it both ways and Mr Audette provides a good rational as to why.

"Don't Drink Alcohol[.] It is best not to consume alcohol in any amount from any source. Alcohol is a by-product of yeast digestion (the yeast equivalent of urine) and is known to damage the stomach, kidneys, and liver. Alcohol adds fat principally by producing cravings for both it and other carbohydrates (see snack trays at any bar) and even other addictive substances (ask any former smoker.) It is almost impossible to drink alcohol and follow the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. If you must drink, do so only on special occasions (once or twice a year) and stick to alcohols derived from fruit (wine and champagne.)"
References:

1. Buemann, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2002). The effect of wine or beer versus a carbonated soft drink, served at a meal, on ad libitum energy intake. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1367-1372.

2. Borushek, A. (2006). CalorieKing alcohol information. [Online]

3. Shape Fit. (2006). How alcohol effects your weight loss - alcohol calories and fat. [Online]

4. Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 479-482.