Back on track + Talkin' about fats.

<- So there's my good news this morning, back on track and have tossed the extra weight I gained as a special bonus for last week's minor cheating adventures.  Excuse me while I engage in some minor self-congratulation:

"Self, good work."
"Oh! Why, Thank me!"
"I'm welcome! Keep it up."
"I've got a deal."

Now that that is out of my system - literally - I'm pushing on towards my next mini-goal of 260 pounds. I would like to see that happen by the end of November so I have some work to do.  I found a pretty killer new weapon in my battle of Mark vs. Mark this week though, namely Fat Free cheeses.  I didn't realize how much I was missing cheese in my flavors while cooking, and it is strangely difficult to FIND fat-free cheese at the store.

Most places have fat free cream cheese, but I had to go to Safeway to find fat-free shredded cheddar cheese, and Albertson's to find fat-free mozzarella cheese.  Is it really that rare for people to want to buy it? I guess it must be.  Most store have 'light' versions of products - but that is a treacherous food label.  A lot of times a 'light' version of a food product replaces what they had to remove with something else - and often, the replacement is no better for you.

You can't eat a 100% fat-free diet anyway, long term.  It's actually quite bad for you - fats are a natural part of our diet.  The trick is actually WHICH fats you eat.  I've read up about this in all sorts of places, and having a little basic knowledge helps me pick healthier things to eat now with just a quick glance at any product's nutrition label.

Dietary knowledge changes frequently - we're still trying to figure it all out, after all.  I'm also not a qualified nutritionist but I think these basic facts are generally agreed upon by people who are:

Trans Fats: Avoid these completely, if you can. 

Saturated Fats: Eat in moderation. It's not good for you, but in small amounts, normal.

Unsaturated Fats: You need these as part of a nutrition balance. They can help with cholesterol, etc. You'll see these as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Mono is slightly better for you.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Basically, the fat you get from fish.  These are very good for you. They help with cholesterol, heart disease risk, and are an anti-inflammatory. That's why some doctors want you to take fish-oil pills when your joints ache, etc.

I've read from several places that about 25% to 33% of your foods should contain 'good' fats. So, trimming the bad stuff is important.. but getting the good stuff is too.  It helps with your 'bad' cholesterol, your skin, and all sort of other useful things.

Next time you peek at something you love to buy - peek next to it and see if there's a version which is better for you. Odds are, it costs slightly more - tastes slightly different - but you'd get used to both in no time if you went that way.

Also of you were like I was before starting to change my ways, you might not know the proper way to interpret food labels.  Go anywhere on the internet and you'll see a million versions of the following. I think it is a pretty good basic guide.

The serving size is pretty important - don't overlook that.  A lot of products, people will buy and eat the whole package/container of something thinking it is healthy without noticing that the nutrient label says there are '2.5 servings' per container.  If that's the case.. you have to multiply the whole nutrition label 2.5 times.

Here is an excellent link with information about food labels from the FDA.  The chart at the bottom is particularly interesting, it can help you interpret what a 'light' or 'reduced sodium' label on a package means, etc.

If this seems like a lot to know - it is. But, once you are armed with some basic food knowledge, you can make better choices.

I'll also share this from personal experience - don't agonize over this all day when you shop either. Just be smart and consider making a few small changes to start out.

That said, here's a comparison I made of Kraft Shredded cheeses.. the mild made with 2% milk versus the fat-free stuff.  Remember... 5% or less is 'low' and 20% or more is 'high' when reading these.

Oh hai, BMI. What are you?

Screw you, BMI. I have headphones.

You hear a lot of talk these days about BMI. All the kids are going on about it - the collectible character add-on packs, the robodinosaur mounts, the DLC..

Oh, yeah, sorry. That's just me making shit up again.

BMI is your Body Mass Index - a measure based on your weight and height that tells you whether you are within a healthy range of weight.  It's just another tool - like your scale is a tool.  It's an interesting one though.

It works something like this:

For adults over 20 years old, BMI falls into one of these categories: Below 18.5 (underweight), 18.5-24.9 (normal), 25.0-29.9 (Overweight) and 30.0 and above (obese).

To calculate yours, you take your... well, you get the point. If you want to educate yourself, check this out.

It's also much easier to let the internet do the calculating for you, too. Here is a BMI calculator.

I'm 6'1" tall.  When I started, my BMI was 42.3.  Yikes!  They call that "Obese Class III" - literally the top of the scale.  My 321 pounds had me classified in the worst category possible.

Right now, hanging out at 280 or so pounds, I am at a BMI rating of 36.5.  That's a good change, but still considered "Obese Class II".  I feel like I should have a little rank badge. OB2, bitches.

To get down into the 'normal' range - I'd have to be about 185 pounds, roughly.  I guess that's POSSIBLE, but I somehow find it seriously unlikely I am ever going to be that guy.  My goal is to chop 100 pounds off or so, dropping to 220.  That'd drop me to a cool 29 BMI, in the high end of the "Overweight" category.

What's your BMI? Do you care? You probably should.

In other news..

I had chili lime marinated chicken and some grilled zucchini for dinner last night, it was fantastic. I had spicy teriyaki chicken with a simple side salad Tuesday.  I guess technically, teriyaki is 'cheating' but I don't get rice, and I don't put tons of sauce on like I did in the past. So it's pretty OK. :)

I'm finding good stuff to eat and really.. I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" any more. I have almost zero urge to snack, I have done a reliable job of keeping my fingers out of the candy bowls around the office as Halloween approaches, and I even turned down some bread the other night - almost didn't - so, I think I can get down to the mystical 220 at some piont. Most likely, it ain't gonna happen until well into 2012.

Someday getting down to 185? Well. We'll see. That seems insane to me, but I am looking at it from 280 and it is a tall hill still.  Once upon a time thinking I'd be under 300 was impossible, too.

Never say never.  Unless you are saying, "Never shoot me in the face, please."

And now, a picture: 



Oh, hello. Here I am, all giant and full of sugar and fat. Hey! Where are you going?