Post Superbowl blues

POST SUPERBOWL BLUES

"Beeeetch .................... i thought you were bringin' the hot wings !  "

------"Not me Fool !  I brought the Mountain Dew Code Red !"

Well, the big game is over --- the Super Bowl , more than any other game in the US, is the big time party day for a lot of people --- rivalling a New Years Eve celebration for many , -- food, drinks, snacks 

But the prevailing type of food and snacks are probably not the best 

Many may wake up Monday morning and think to themselves --- "Glad thats over with -- now i can start eating better and hitting the 'ol treadmill for a couple months"

And what does eating better mean?

              SLIM FAST !

The tag lines are great! -- "Give us a week, we'll take off the weight ",   or,  "Just replace one or two meals a day with a healthy, delicious shake !"

                     With guys like Tommy Lasorda on the payroll (didnt he do ads for Nutri-System, too? -- maybe that was Don Shula -- or both ) how can you go wrong?

This is going to be an easy, quick and simple way of explaining how Slim Fast (and the myriad of other similar products) work , -- and why they are not the best thing to include in a serious nutrition program for most people

                            It all starts with an ingredient list

Calories are broken down mixed with water vs 8 oz of milk.

I wouldnt even entertain mixing this stuff with water from a nutritional perspective

Fat?  Not bad -- it gets about 30% of its calories from fat with water, and 20% with skim milk

Carbs? -- Here is where things get shaky , because we are messing around with the 40-30-30 mix of macronutrients that i believe is closer to ideal  for a person who is training moderately

120 calories of carbs vs 40 of protein and 40 from fat when mixed with milk --- the percentages are worse mixed with water

     ---- its not a lot of calories to start with, but it still provides 3x more carbs than protein, -- and  this stuff will hit your system almost as fast as a can of Coke, ---- leading to an energy dump after a couple of hours, -- and not very much from a real nutrition building block standpoint

The way this works is its putting you in a moderate starvation mode by limiting your calories , so you'll lose a bit of weight at first --- but after some time has elapsed, your body adjusts to the lesser amount of calories you are taking in and your losses will stall out ----- now you've successfully turned down your body's thermostat to  run on 1200 calories a day instead of a normal amount 

 ---- congratulations ---   that sucks and your setting yourself up for failure

So -------- what would be abetter choice if your looking for a meal replacement drink?  ---  

This is a house brand meal replacement powder from Nutrition Express ---- note that on the front of the jug, it accurately states that its a "meal supplement" and not a true meal replacement --- which you dont really get from a jug of powder

        ------ There's tons of different brands and flavors of this stuff out there, and its impossible in the context of this article to break 'em all down ,   

A serving of this gives you 280 calories,   160 of which are from protein, 92 from carbs and 30 from fat 

---mix it with a big serving of almond milk and you are adding about 50 more fat calories , but then it becomes a much more balanced supplement ,  and at 330-350 calories, -- it has enough substance to give you a good start,  and enough building blocks (protein) to fill you up and keep you from experiencing a hard crash when your carb buzz wears off

     I also like the fact that the company is not irresponsible enough to call this a meal replacement, but considers it a supplement to an otherwise sound nutrition program

Slim Fast? -- probably be just as well off to grind up a snickers bar and some graham crackers and mix it with milk --- a serving does appear to give you a whole complement of vitamins and minerals, but its easy enough to pop a multi-vitamin for this too

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And now --- we'll take a quick trip to Pigeon Forge ,  to see whats going on at Dollywood !

Dolly PArton has long been a weight loss guru , as evidenced by this ad from what i would guess is late 70's/early 80's  advocating an all new  Fried Chicken Diet   

But lets face facts guys and gals --- Dolly has a chef who takes care of her nutrition needs ---  she's probably not seriously put much thought into this ---  

   It does look like she could have been an early inspiration for Paula Deen though !

  

I'm not picking on Dolly ,  she's an entrepeneur --- and takes advantages of opportunities that come her way

 --- but when one of my well intentioned readers asks me about the Dolly Parton diet --- i thought i would shed some light on it

The current variation of the Dolly plan is basically a cabbage soup diet  ------  this idea likely generated from the same brilliant minds that brought you the Grapefruit Diet,  and the honey/cayenne pepper cleanse 

Ingredients include chicken broth and cabbage, plus whatever other vegetables you care to throw in evidently   ---- one recipe i found called for adding onions, peppers, celery, carrots and mushrooms

Per Caloriecount.com -- a serving of this is about 73 calories -- and you can eat all you want -- all day long

But letssay you are following a 5 or even 6 meal a day program -- even 8 !   -- 8 servings would add up to a whopping 584 calories -- with no protein, -- almost all carbs  -- admittedly the carbs  here have a decent glycemic index profile -- and its a slow burn,  but this is not a true meal --

This diet plan is a starvation diet plan at its simplest ---- theres nothing wrong with the soup , although i personally dislike cabbage, this does seem like a good base for a hearty soup if you added a healthy amount of chicken breast chunks, then garnish with a touch of fresh shredded parmesan and basil leaves (mmmmmmm,  -- making me hungry - except for the cabbage of course) 

The funny thing is, Dolly did an interview with People magazine in 1984 , shortly after her cinematic triumph with the movie Rhinestone,  -- where she advised that she had some health problems and actually tried "her" diet , that she coincidentally found in an Enquirer type magazine , --- it was a counterfeit and Dolly had nothing to do with it, --- and she admitted her own diet did not work for her ----   LOL

I didnt delve deep enough into the article to be able to tell whether this variation that Dolly tried herself in a fit of desperation, was the cabbage soup plan, or the fried chicken plan --- but she tried it - 

         

Dolly , despite all her augmentation, is only 5' tall -- that means any extra ounce is going to show, and i have to say, for 67 years old, she is holding up well --- anybody who spends as much money on cosmetic surgery as she does is not going to leave her health and nutrition up to "The Dolly Diet" 

I would be far more interested in what type of diet her Rhinestone co-star , Sylvester Stallone, is on --- also 67 or 68, but he is still maintaining quite well 

So cabbage soup? - not bad for a low calorie meal occasionally, -- or an appetizer or side dish,  --- but the Dolly Diet is idiotic ---

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IN CLOSING

I'm as tired of Slim Fast and the Dolly Diet now as you will be if you fall for this junk  and take it seriously 

I'm going to close by talking about your ability to make a comeback - so to speak

Just like when the Bronco's had the PAtriots down 24-3 at halftime earlier in the year  --- instead of the Pat's moping around in the locker room thinking about an almost insurmountable points deficit,

 -- they smiled and said --- "OK -- We have 'em just where we want 'em now!" 

 --- then Tom Brady and 10 fat guys came back and won the game !  

 admittedly the locker room exchange may not have happened EXACTLY like that

Human beings scan make comebacks too --- i firmly believe it , -- ITs a rare soul who is so far gone that they can't salvage the season, so to speak 

A verse from the bible that pertains to this is from  Galatians 6:9

 So lets not get tired of doing what is good.   At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we dont give up 

Look at a setback as an opportunity to set up your own 95 yard scoring drive

--  Doug

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disclaimer:    The information contained here is not intended to replace the medical advice of your physician and is not intended as medical advice.  This newsletter/blog is a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of the staff of Fitclaimspro.com and professional colleagues unless otherwise noted