The Uphill Battle: Nutrition

Okay, so it's been a while ...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:10:38 GMT

Why am I blogging now? So I can rant and rave about something.

Already, so here's the deal: Losing weight is not a priority for me. I'm actually about two or three pounds lower (today, anyway) than I'd like to be. That probably means I'm shy on muscle mass at the moment. BUT, I know weight loss is a huge priority for a lot of people out there, so I just wanted to throw out my opinion on the subject:

First off, I think people place WAY too much emphasis on weight. Look, weight is ONE measurement for health. BMI is another. Neither of those gives you anything more than a narrow perspective of health, however. You can be low-weight and still be incredibly unhealthy. Trust me; I've seen it. So step one here is to quit worrying about the bathroom scale so much—if you're like me, your weight will vacillate by two pounds every night anyway.

Next, I keep reading these web sites that promote low-carb lifestyles. They seem to think the cause of obesity is carbohydrate. Well, I'm sorry, but the human race has been eating carbs for THOUSANDS OF YEARS, and the obesity/overweight epidemic is maybe 30 years old. "But Caloi," you say, "our ancestors were also more physically active than we are." Well, there's your solution then: Don't cut the carbs, increase the activity.

For some reason, I feel like this advice falls on some deaf ears sometimes. People seem to want to know what the minimums are when it comes to exercise—what's the minimum amount of exercise I can put in and still gain the health benefits? I'm sorry if you're someone who's asking this question, but my answer is that if you're going for the minimum, you may as well forget about it. For you to really, truly benefit from exercise, you need to enjoy what you're doing and you need to do it often. If you don't enjoy it, you won't do it often enough. If you hate treadmills, forget it. You need something you can stand to do for HOURS before you get sick of it. Those skinny cyclists and runners you know aren't putting in the minimum. They're putting in hours of exercise. They're so compelled to do it, they'll keep doing it even after they break bones and get told not to do it by their doctors. They sincerely enjoy doing it.

What kind of exercise should you do? That's partly up to you, but it's also partly up to your body. Bear in mind that the amount of muscle fiber you have will change how well you react to certain types of exercise. If you're packed more with Type II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers, you're going to run yourself into the ground trying to run marathons. Fast-twitchers are more prone to inflammation. On the other hand, if you're a Type I (slow-twitch) kinda guy (or girl), you probably won't ever see the results from lifting weights. Most of us are somewhere in between, so most of us should be doing a little of both—endurance/cardio and strength/power. You'll reach your optimal shape with a combination of both.

If you want to look at improving your eating habits, look for something that is younger than carbohydrate. In my opinion, there are really two or three ingredients you ought to watch out for in foods. These are:

Trans Fat otherwise known as hydrogenated oils. If you see hydrogenated anything oil on the label, put the food down and back away slowly. Don't buy it so you won't eat it.

High-fructose corn syrup or HFCS if you prefer. It's kinda freaky that high-fructose corn syrup was discovered at about the same time as the beginning of the obesity epidemic, and it's a bit wacky that even the experts know that the body doesn't process HFCS the same as it does other sugars.

Truth is, I'm also not a fan of caffeine or aspartame, and I avoid them like the plague. It's my opinion, but your body knows what to do with sucrose and even fructose—it doesn't know what to do with aspartame. Caffeine will just mess up your sleep cycle and force an unnecessary high on your body. I've also read it can lead to heart problems.

So that's my little treatise on health. I hope you'll take it for what it's worth, go eat some bread, stop dieting, and ignore that Atkins-funded moronic study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Annual Health Exam

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:37:26 GMT

Just like the past two Novembers, I had my insurance health exam just yesterday. I was disappointed with some results and pleased with others, but all in all, there weren't really any dramatic changes—and that was a bit of a let down.

Perhaps most interesting, my blood pressure 'worsened.' See, I have a thing with needles—they freak me out. I can even sit there and let someone put it in, but I get really tense when it happens. I sorta freak out on the inside. Go figure, immediately after being poked with a needle, I was shuffled into the blood pressure line. I asked the nurse to check it twice for my convenience. The first check showed 140/90—right on the line to be considered hypertensive. But the second check (administered immediately after the first check) was already down to 134/84. Usually, in any other doctor's office, my blood pressure is more like 112/72-ish (even when I got my wisdom teeth removed earlier this year), so I'm going to chalk that one up to test or needle anxiety.

I was a bit weirded out when they decided to do a bodyfat analysis. Just two weeks ago, I checked on the hand-held bodyfat analyzer at the gym, and it gave me about 7 percent. For my insurance exam, I registered 13 percent. Just today, I checked at the gym again and it was more like 10 percent.

The part that really surprised me was my cholesterol. I'd been eating 'healthy' for the entire year just hoping to bring this number down from last year. Last November I registered a 126 for LDL, a 49 for HDL, and a 193 for total cholesterol, so I was hoping to beat these numbers. This year, my LDL was 123—pretty much the same—my HDL was an incredible 61 (I have yet to talk to another male whose HDL was higher than 50), but my total cholesterol was 201 (!). My blood sugar, which changes from day to day anyway, was up to 91, while my triglycerides, which weren't checked last year, were a mere 87.

So when you get done with your tests, they steer you into a room with a consultant to tell you how to 'improve.' Our nurse started by asking about the bodyfat numbers, which evidently didn't get recorded, so I told her about my conundrum with the differences from one week to the next. Her reply, "Oh, well, usually only athletes have bodyfat percentages as low as 7 or 8—marathon runners and that sort of thing." I was pretty disgusted with the system by this point, so I just sort of rolled my eyes while my wife tried to explain to the woman that I work out WAY more than I need to. I suppose I need to run marathons to get my normal bodyfat numbers back.

Next, she tried to instruct me about lowering my total cholesterol. "That's usually accomplished with dietary changes ..." I cut her off to save time, "I've already tried that. It doesn't look like it worked." I suppose I was a bit rude, but I was feeling pretty impatient with it at this point.

Two thoughts:

1. It's possible that I messed up my bod by eating a bunch of unhealthy foods the night before. We were invited over to a Sunday night pre-Thanksgiving feast with a few other couples, and I had plenty of chicken, potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, etc. Still, I would that that would only affect my blood sugar and perhaps my triglycerides (again, my blood sugar was high, but the triglycerides were very very low).

2. I've read a few things in recent months suggesting that extremely carb-filled diets (probably including my own) tend to promote internal inflammation while diets higher in veggie content tend to reduce it. I'm not talking about vegetarian diets, by the way—this has nothing to do with meats. But here's my thought process: cholesterol is basically just your body's resurfacing agent for your vascular system. It exists to fill in the cracks when your blood vessels are damaged. Damage is probably related to inflammation. Perhaps my LDLs are higher because I'm eating a diet that's promoting inflammation in my blood vessels. Perhaps if I ate more veggies, I'd fix that problem.

Trouble is, I've never really been a huge veggie fan. I suppose I'll have to think this over and perhaps do some experimenting. Hmmmm.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

Health Blogging?

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:28:21 GMT

I've been a bit of a health nut in recent months. Truth is, I've been reading a lot about certain health subjects for the sake of my job as I've been asked to write about certain health subjects lately. It's been pretty interesting. My wife thinks I should've majored in health science in college since I've become so consumed with the subject.

So I got thinking maybe I ought to write about that on the blog once in a while. Usually, I shy away from it because, hey, I'm no health professional—I only earned a B+ in my last biology class, and that was all the way back in 2002—and people don't always find this stuff as fascinating as I do.

That said, I'll probably still go off on the subject from time to time because, hey, sometimes a blogger needs material, right?

Figured I'd make that public.

P.S. Boz, thanks for the cycling stuff. I watched most of it last night—of course I had to rewind and watch the time trials a few times.

Hydration History

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 04:33:34 GMT

Here, instead of a new subject, is a boring and yet detailed history of my hydration before riding Teton Pass in 41:19 on Saturday. You may wonder why I have these details still so fresh in my recollection--the answer is that I was warned by my coworkers in advance that Saturday would bring record heat, so I ought to be really careful about riding my bike.

Thus Friday, I started by drinking a bunch of Hammer Heed as well as normal juices and drinks. I did suck down two very large mugs of root beer at dinner, partially to choke down my aforementioned Navajo taco (the regular costs $8.99 at Frontier Pies--there I did my dutiful advertisement today), and also partially because root beer just tastes so darn good. Each mug was at least 32 ounces (yes, I'm aware that's a large mug) or close to a liter.

The next morning, I arose and immediately weighed myself: 147, three pounds heavier than my current normal weight--understandable when you take into account my egregiously excessive meal the night before. I then went to the kitchen for a meal of waffles, with syrup, and a 16 oz bottle of Hammer Heed. Mmmm, nothing like waffles and a half-liter (give or take) of Heed. I then mixed another 16 oz bottle of Heed and filled a 12 oz bottle of water for the ride (as discussed in the previous entry). We then drove the hour and a half to Wilson, Wyo., where the ride would start, stopping once to visit the restroom in Victor, just across the Pass from Wilson. Do we have someone keeping tabs on my fluids? If I'm not mistaken, I'm up to about 32 oz ingested or about one liter, no?

At Wilson, we stopped where we always stop--the one and only Wilson gas station. While there, I used the men's room and noticed that my urine was as clear or moreso than the water in the toilet. I'm sure you wanted to know that detail. Being that I'm an amateur and not a professional biologist or medical doctor, I took the clarity of my urine as an indication that my body was, for the most part, pretty hydrated. That fact was reaffirmed to me moments later when I started pedaling and again felt like I needed to use the restroom. But I shrugged it off with the idea that I would need the extra fluid and that the weight of my bladder would soon cease to bother me.

Despite my water-logged feeling, I still sucked water from my bottle believing that I would soon be really dried up. Sure enough, I hadn't gone more than a mile and a half when I had to start spraying down my head and face and whiping the stinging sweat from my eyes.

Fast forward to the end of the ride. I didn't see spots or start puking, but I did feel a little queasy at 8,300 feet. Nonetheless, I had a still-cold 3/4-full cold Gatorade waiting for me in the car. I felt no headache. I was a little thirsty, but not the point where I'd kill a camel for his humps or anything. I didn't finish my Gatorade for at least 45 more minutes--halfway home.

When we arrived at home, I again weighed myself--same scale, same clothing conditions as that morning--and I came out at 141--three pounds below my normal weight. I then grabbed yet another Gatorade. What can I say? I like Gatorade. I'm suddenly tempted to hop in my car and go to the grocery store to buy more ... Anyway, I didn't immediately eat lunch because, well, I wasn't hungry, and I had stuff I needed to do. Nonetheless, I got around to it eventually, and by the end of the day I weighed in again--same conditions--at about 145. That's one pound more than my normal weight, if you haven't been keeping track.

Okay, so how concerned do you think I was about a dehydration problem? Not at all. I didn't feel any of the typical dehydration symptoms. On the contrary, I felt pretty darn good. I drove home without weaving in or out of the lane, but yes, I enjoyed the air conditioning a whole lot.

Okay, last point: this is my blog. If you want to disagree with me, go for it. But don't yammer on and on and lecture me about a subject about which you only know limited details--my hydration or my health. If your ego absolutely needs it, go find someone else's blog. And by the way, thanks for reading.

Now's the time ...

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 06:02:33 GMT

Okay, so here's the moment I need you lurkers to un-lurk and spill your guts. You may be aware that I'll be participating in my first endurance mtb race (or my 2nd mtb race at all) on Saturday. Yes, I've done a few races before, but nothing that lasts that long.

So here's my deal, I'm curious about what y'all suggest for endurance race day nutrition. I don't just want to know what you'd recommend, but also why you'd recommend it. No biochemistry necessary in the answer, I just want to know. I haven't thought up a nifty prize or anything, but you never know ...

The Clif Bar Obsession

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 17:03:05 GMT

When I was a weightlifting, wrestling, defensive back teenager, I was also a connoisseur of protein bars. I knew all the varieties, how many grams of protein they offered, how much they cost, etc. When I moved to Colorado in 1998, that connoisseur-ism continued. And generally, I found that each gram of protein cost 10 cents, the best bars often had the consistency of grout or dry-mix concrete, and most had about as much sugar as they did protein. Hey, face the facts, my generation grew up munching Snickers bars because they “really satisfy.” If it’s not a bar, your mom probably made you eat it for dinner once along with brussel sprouts and water chestnuts (shudder).

Flash forward to a couple of months ago when Botched warns me against my adenosine-inhibiting double-fudge bars (brand name not disclosed). Rats, well there goes my ride energy source. They had been these conveniently small-portion bars that were supposed to supply me with OH so much energy. Or whatever. So it was time to look for a new energy source to fill the tank on my bike.

Conveniently, my local grocery store had a sale on almost all of their energy bars. I could go back to the slightly expensive Snickers Marathon bar, but when you have a weak jaw (like I do), a stiff Marathon Energy bar can wear your mouth muscles out pretty quickly, despite the fact that they're flippin' delicious. I could head for the funny-tasting Detour bar, but again this is a whey protein candy bar disguised as being healthy, and just no good for rides. I could try out Luna bars, but aren’t they for women? The last thing I need is some extra-feminine soy combined with folic acid and estrogen (nothing personal against those who possess large quantities of said hormone).

Then suddenly, there was the answer: Clif Bars were down to 60 cents a bar for the special. These famed Clif Bars that I had read all the buzz about over at Fatty's. The yuppie bars that only rich people could afford. That would give me an opportunity to try out each and every flavor in its cliffy goodness. So I grabbed a variety (“one of these, one of these, one of these, and, oh, two or three of these” just picture a kid in a candy store with Bill Gates’ checkbook) and immediately got to sampling the different recipes: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Crunch, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Almond Fudge, Crunchy Peanut Butter, and finally, the ultimate: Chocolate Brownie (No, I didn’t try the raisin ones, what do you take me for? A sicko? Raisins are nasty). I am a little curious as to why they had to distinguish it as Chocolate Brownie. Have you ever really had a brownie that wasn’t made of chocolate? What flavor was it? What did it actually taste like? Just curious.

So I’d found my miracle bar. Phew! Close one. I stocked up a week’s supply—10 bars or so—and then found myself eating them at every juncture. Skipped breakfast? Eat a Clif Bar in the car on the way to work. No time for lunch? No problem; I have a Clif Bar in my bag. Need something to reward yourself with after climbing a steep hill? Yep, Clif Bar. Haven’t eaten in six hours and won’t be eating for two more because your wife is going to teach a water aerobics class with a bunch of other pregnant ladies? Relax, have a Clif Bar.

This was all well and good, but then something happened that ruined my bliss … the sale ended. Suddenly these Clif Bars were all costing … $1.49 each. What the heck? Who pays a buck-fitty for an athletic bar? Well, I had for a 15-grams-of-protein bar in the past, but this isn’t a musclehead bar, this is an oatmeal bar. I mean, really, these people are trying to compete with the Quakers, or at least their oats, they’ve got to be pricing more economically than that. So I bought two bars, and I started stewing. Until I had a brilliant idea … WalMart. Oh yes, they will be mine.

So I marched proudly into WalMart, ready to receive my expensive product for a lower cost. I probably looked like all of the other weirdos in WalMart until I got to the Clif Bar shelf and discovered that my favorite flavor isn’t available at the cheaper price. Then I looked even weirder. And in the end, I settled. I went for Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, and I even found it in the six-bar pack for $5.50 (that means I’m down to 90 cents a bar—not too bad). And yes, I’m back to eating them four times a day. I just hope I have some leftover for my next ride.