New Year\'s Resolution - I am here to help

[Bigdennis52]

Hello All,

I see many of you have a new year\'s resolution of weight loss / get in shape. I am here to help out in whatever way I can. I am a certified personal trainer, and a registered dietician. I have been working in the fitness industry since I was 16 years old, I have been a gym manager, dietician/trainer to amateur bodybuilders throughout New York state as well as Montreal and Toronto Canada. I have worked with over 400 individuals throughout my time in the industry. I love what I do, and love helping people reach their goals.

Please feel free to ask any questions or post comments on what you are looking for.


P.S. Sorry this isn\'t mini related but I hope I can help out people in our community

 

[airhead]

What are your feelings on the South Beach Diet?

Personally, I like eating at South Beach, but I find the prices a bit inflated.

 

[Bigdennis52]

Hi Airhead,

The south beach diet coined by Dr. Agatston essentially came from a clinical low fat diet prescribed by doctors for patients in hospitals with heart disease or other ailments where the reduction in overall cholesterol take may help them.

The diet really is mainly about making healthier food choices, the concepts that the entire diet is based upon are things individuals should be doing on a daily basis anyway. The concept of good carbohydrates vs bad carbohydrates. I bet any person can tell you that a cup of brown rice is better for you than a cup of fruity pebbles cereal. Also in his work he mentions good cholesterol vs bad cholesterol. This goes back to the clinical diet. The main part here is to know what fat sources are good for your body vs what ones are not. If it comes from an animal then it will have saturated fat and usually a high amount of LDL (Bad) cholesterol in it. If it comes from a plant or the sea usually it has a good amount of HDL for you and the essential fatty acids your body needs.

Overall I think the diet is ok, but it is more about a lifestyle change. Not following some overpriced diet package. Even the foods contained within the south beach diet products really are not as healthy for you as one thinks.

Many of the products use very poor grade refined carbohydrates which essentially break down into sugar within minutes of being eaten. Also the ratio of protein:carbohydrates:fat is not very beneficial to the body. The last part that I do not get (of any of these store bought diets) is their products have gone through so much processing that many of the raw minerals and nutrients are stripped away from the base product that essentially you are better off not eating the meal.

 

[Bigdennis52]

Hello All,

Here are some concepts to think about when you are looking to clean up your diet.

1.) The more packaging something has, the more unhealthy it is for you. (example: microwave meals, meals in a box) These items go through so much processing that many of the raw minerals and nutrients are gone

2.) Buy frozen fruits / vegetables rather than canned. Again, in the canning process food items are subjected to high pressures and temperature to sterilize the food items from harmful bacteria and microbes. The by product of this is many of the main nutrients / minerals are degraded and useless to the human body. Frozen fruits / vegetables are a little more expensive (20cents or so on a pound for most items) however these items are flash frozen and maintain almost all of their nutrient content

3.) know what foods contain. Read the nutrition facts panel. To maintain a healthy lifestyle you should be looking to have essentially a low fat diet (<30% of your overall caloric intake) A moderate carbohydrate intake (55-65% of overall caloric intake) and moderate protein intake (25-35% of overall caloric intake)

1 gram of fat contains 9 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories
1 gram of protein contains 4 calories

1 pound of bodyfat is estimated to be 3500 calories

So just by looking at that, you can tell if you eat a lot of fats in your diet, you will gain weight.

4.) Clean up your diet.
Ways to clean up your diet:
- Get rid of the junk foods (cookies, cakes, crackers, pies, chips, ice cream)
- buy \"low-fat or fat-free\" dairy products.
- fat free cottage cheese, skim milk, reduced fat cheeses, non-fat yogurts. Just by changing your dairy pruducts to low fat is estimated for an average american to reduce their overall daily caloric intake by 600 calories.
- Eat lean cuts of meat (this may be a bit more pricy), try eating white meats, chicken breast (boneless/skinless) turkey, lean beef (93% ground meat), fish
- bake / grill as a cooking method vs pan fry or deepfrying.
- eat complex carbohydrates vs simple sugars. Carbohydrates such as brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potato, yams, whole wheat breads, whole wheat pastas.

I lost my train of thought because I had to let the dog outside... sorry I will get back to this when I think of it
:cussing::cussing:

 

[alextheartist]

If you are going to use fats, make sure they are non hydrogenated fats, eg olive oil, sunflower oil rather than things like butter or lard (lard is 100% fat)

Alex

 

[Bigdennis52]

Fats:

1 gram of fat = 9 calories, over twice as calorie dense as a gram of carbohydrate or gram of protein

good healthy fat sources:
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)
Almond butter
Olive Oil
Palm oil
Canola oil


As a general rule try to avoid foods high in fat content in general however when looking at the nutrition facts panel you will always be able to see how much saturated fat there are in a food item. If it is high in saturated fat, most likely the food item is not good for you at all

Here is some general advice on Lipids (fats)
There are three different types
Saturated fats, Monounsaturated fats, Polyunsaturated fats. If you are consuming lipids you should try to take mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat sources (mentioned above) From there we go into two main families of fats that we need for all of our physiological and cellular functions. Many of you may have heard of these... the omega 3 and omega 6 families. These are polyunsaturated fatty acid chains that benefit the body and from which the body can metabolize all other fat chains that we need. In theory, you can supplement your diet with omega 3 and omega 6 capsules and will never have to take in any dietary fat.


I think what alextheartist was trying to indicate was something I failed to mention: When taking in fats, a good rule of thumb is to avoid things that are hard at room temperature because these items are high in saturated fat. (eg. Butter, animal fat, lard, bacon grease) Try to take in items that are liquid at normal room temperature, (think of general cooking oil, olive oil)

However there is a process that kind of screws this rule of thumb up. It is called Hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation is a unique process. This is where hydrogen is incorporated into a polyunsaturated fatty acid chain and essentially mutates the fatty acid chain into a saturated fat. In this process sometimes trans-fats are created which act similarly to a saturated fat in the body (actually research has been conducted stating that trans-fats are potentially more harmful to the bodies vital organs than saturated fat is)

Some items that are hydrogenated are margarine, peanut butter, whipped toppings.

Again lost my thought, let me grab a bite to eat then I can throw up some more information for all.

 

[ScottRadom]

Diets are great and all but I\'ve found that the greatest lifestyle change is exercise of any sort. Something that is enjoyable. For my wife I got her an iPod and a bunch of books on tape so now she likes to go for 1/2hr walks or so. She loves it, she gets away from me and the kids and she feels so much better.

If you can find something that is good for you and you enjoy it everything will turn out fine.

If you can get exercise and eat better then... NICE. For me I found my most enjoyable exercise to be pwning newb\'s on the internet.

 

[Amazon warrior]

Originally posted by Bigdennis52
good healthy fat sources:
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)
Almond butter
Olive Oil
Palm oil
Canola oil

I seem to recall from \'A\' level biology that palm oil was about the worst vegetable fat that you can eat. It\'s better off as Palmolive soap!

Also, surely you want, \"Eat lots and lots of fresh fruit and veg\" at the top of the \"clean up your diet\" section?

One reason I hate, hate, hate diets is how contrived they are. And how silly. They\'re usually impossible to maintain for a reasonable length of time (without potentially damaging your health, anyway), then people stop doing them, go back to eating crap and pile on even more weight than they managed to lose, and somehow this is a surprise. Bah! Eat sensible, tasty, home-cooked food, making sure you\'ve got all the major food groups represented, and there shouldn\'t be a problem. Teh end.

 

[Bigdennis52]

Palm oil has it\'s health benefits when used sparingly. It is probabily the healthiest source of saturated fats you can find, as they do play a role metabolically.

I would not go using it on everything, actually I do not use any oil at all. I bake or grill everything I eat.

Also. fruits and veges are good but most fruits have a high amount of simple sugars (fructose) and actually are high in calories.

Average banana - 100 calories, 25 grams carbohydrates
Average orange - 85 calories, 22 gram carbs
Average apple - 115 calories, 30 gram carbs

For the same calorie exchange you can go with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or 1/2 cup oatmeal and receive complex carbs, these items have a greater satiety factor as well as a lower glycemic index.

 

[Amazon warrior]

Mmmk. *doubtful* What about vitamins, then?

Btw, I\'m not actually a great fruit eater personally, but I am quite enthusiastic about veggies. I just wish people would remember the adage \"everything in moderation, nothing to excess\", then I\'m sure there\'d be far fewer problems.

Edit: Another thought also occurs. I\'m not going to dispute your fact-and-figures breakdown, but I will say that looking at food from a purely numerical standpoint leaves out many reasons why we eat what we do. Sure, the brown rice/oatmeal is probably better from a numerical PoV, but when you\'re on the go during the day, what\'s going to come to hand first? Probably a banana or apple. Also, a piece of fruit has different (not necessarily better) taste and mental satisfaction \"values\" (I\'m struggling with terminology here). In addition, I\'m sure if someone was to eat 50 bananas, they\'d regret it, but I\'m equally sure that eating two kilos of porridge would also be bad.

 

[Springbok]

If you can back me up here....... my 19 year old brother has started to use creatine, so that he can \" Buff up\" ( his words not mine ), am I wrong in thinking that it is very unhealthy for him to use stuff like that before his body is fully developed?
And, do you have any tips on strength and fitness training, with the aim on passing the firefighter fitness test?:beer:

 

[Amazon warrior]

First of all, put that beer down! lol

 

[Springbok]

NEVER!!!

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Originally posted by Springbok
If you can back me up here....... my 19 year old brother has started to use creatine, so that he can \" Buff up\" ( his words not mine ), am I wrong in thinking that it is very unhealthy for him to use stuff like that before his body is fully developed?
And, do you have any tips on strength and fitness training, with the aim on passing the firefighter fitness test?:beer:

Note first: I am nothing resembling an expert. But I\'d be inclined to think that Creatine, or any of those products would be absolutely horrible for a body that isn\'t fully developed, yet.

 

[Farin]

Dennis, thanks for the offer

first, i know that stuff you said about junk food and fatty acids and try to avoid them as much as i can , but is cheese really that bad for you ? i hate low fat cheese, cause the kind they´re selling here generally tastes like nothing ...or whorse.

Also i read that eating too much \"sweet\" fruits like grapes and apples can lead to a fructosis intolernce, that´s why i switched to bananas and grapefruits.. what fruits would would you recommend

 

[alextheartist]

The body stops growing at about 19-21 in males, but he really doesnt need it, with all the chemicals going around the body at that age, any muscle bulk wanted to be gained can be easily.. you just need to DO the exercise..

Also, people get this crazy idea that you need huge amounts of extra protein products. You can get all you need with a small amount of a low fat meat like skinless chicken (a normal chicken with the skin off belive it or not!).

Basically don\'t waste your money on crap that isn\'t necesarry.


@ Springbok,

Fire service fitness test.

Now this is a bit tricky to tell, because each place has a slightly differnt test, but most have

A bleep test (cardiovascular endurance)
A push/pull test (dynamic strength)
And some other bits, mostly lifting weights and stuff (ask someone who is fireman)

Basically what you want to work on is your lower body cardiovasular endurance, so you can run loads. I think the fire service bleep test requirement is to get to level 8, which can be quite tricky if you are unfit. (i got 11.8 because i\'m awsome cool). So lots aerobic exercise, such as cycling or swimming. Try to avoid running on hard surfaces (try not to jog, it ruins the knees). If you are weight training, do lots of repetitions of low weights.

For the rest of the test you need dynamic streght, so high weight low repetition resistance work.


Hope that helped a little..

If you have any questions about fire or police fitness reqs give me a pm, its what i study at college lol


Alex


@farin

All fruits are good for you in moderation, so just dont eat too many of the same fruit. Same goes for cheese, a little is fine, just dont go over the top.

You have to remember to keep it balenced. Even though you might not think it, the body needs fat as much as anything else, so a little bit is fine, just keep it in moderation.

 

[Bigdennis52]

Originally posted by Farin
Dennis, thanks for the offer

first, i know that stuff you said about junk food and fatty acids and try to avoid them as much as i can , but is cheese really that bad for you ? i hate low fat cheese, cause the kind they´re selling here generally tastes like nothing ...or whorse.

Also i read that eating too much \"sweet\" fruits like grapes and apples can lead to a fructosis intolernce, that´s why i switched to bananas and grapefruits.. what fruits would would you recommend

Well cheeses in moderation are healthy. The health issues lie mostly with the processing. Cheese is a dairy product and most of the time has a high level of fat content, also with that since it is from an animal product most of the fat content is saturated fats, and also has high cholesterol. Another component in the production of cheese is sodium. So if you are otherwise healthy it is fine in moderation however if you have hypertension, any cardiac issues or obese then I would avoid it or try to have it with items high in fiber (triscuit / cheese)

One other thing I want to bring up with cheeses is, the more processed they are the more unhealthy they are for you. A way to think of it is, the cheeper it is the worse it is. Example, kraft singles are not as good as something like a gourmet cheese you find in the bread/deli parts.

 

[Bigdennis52]

Originally posted by Amazon warrior
Mmmk. *doubtful* What about vitamins, then?

Btw, I\'m not actually a great fruit eater personally, but I am quite enthusiastic about veggies. I just wish people would remember the adage \"everything in moderation, nothing to excess\", then I\'m sure there\'d be far fewer problems.

Edit: Another thought also occurs. I\'m not going to dispute your fact-and-figures breakdown, but I will say that looking at food from a purely numerical standpoint leaves out many reasons why we eat what we do. Sure, the brown rice/oatmeal is probably better from a numerical PoV, but when you\'re on the go during the day, what\'s going to come to hand first? Probably a banana or apple. Also, a piece of fruit has different (not necessarily better) taste and mental satisfaction \"values\" (I\'m struggling with terminology here). In addition, I\'m sure if someone was to eat 50 bananas, they\'d regret it, but I\'m equally sure that eating two kilos of porridge would also be bad.

vitamins? what about pesticides? take a daily multivitamin and you get everything you need. 2 kilo\'s of porridge would definitely give you some constipation whereas 50 bananas might make you hyperkalemic (that would suck)

people just need to eat in moderation

 

[alextheartist]

My dad eats cheese with mince pies, but i think its nasty..

so

cheese strings = bad

farmhouse chedder = good


Cheese strings are just rubber anyways


One thing to remember is sodium is not the same measurement as salt, so if you have 25g of sodium , its not 25g of salt (i cant remember which way round, but i think one is half of the other.. or at least something close.


Finally , if you dont eat veg or fruit because you cant be bothered or you dont like the way the look a blender is your friend. Just mix them up with a cup of fruit juice and you have a tasty smoothy. This is great if you like fruit but not veg, becayse you can hide the veg with fruit you like. And the best thing is you can get it down in seconds and thats your 5 a day out of the way.

Alex
Alex

 

[Bigdennis52]

Originally posted by Springbok
If you can back me up here....... my 19 year old brother has started to use creatine, so that he can \" Buff up\" ( his words not mine ), am I wrong in thinking that it is very unhealthy for him to use stuff like that before his body is fully developed?
And, do you have any tips on strength and fitness training, with the aim on passing the firefighter fitness test?:beer:

Well creatine is a naturally occuring compound in the body. It has a major roll with ATP production and energy levels. At 17 years old I was a collegiate powerlifter. If you train correctly and stay hydrated. And follow the directions on the given creatine product, it is essentially harmless. If he trains regularly 4-5 times per week for good sessions he should see benefits from it. Tell him to cycle off the creatine every 12-16 weeks for 2-3 weeks to allow the body to adjust.

Training tips for firefighter fitness test
1.) Ask them firehouse what they have to do for the test
2.) Break down the tasks into small managable goals. Lets say you have to run 3 miles in under 24 minutes and right now you only can run one 10 minute mile. Well train yourself until you can reach that goal.
3.) Exercise 3-4 times a week. Try generic exercises you can do at home to start off with, push ups, sit ups, chin ups. those are the sorts of movements any institutional physical exam include.