Over Consumption

Feed a lot, too.

Over consumption is not a part of the problem. It's the WHOLE problem: obesity is merely a side-effect, and increasing consumption is what makes our economic system function. I sometimes marvel at the fact that all discussions of the obesity epidemic don't revolve around money and economics. Things are set up to make us fat because it is profitable to do so.

You can argue that it is not profitable: the human cost in terms of health is great, and the financial cost in terms of health care wipe out any profit, but that ignores the question of who profits and who pays. Private industry profits and taxpayers pay. Or if you accept Big Food & Big Gov's reasoning that acts of individual responsibility will solve the obesity epidemic, then more accurately it is: Large corporations profit and individuals pay.

That's not to say that the need created to stop obesity isn't profitable, either (hello, never ending diet-industry!) The New York Times recently threw a spotlight on a restaurant trend: charge the same money for less food!

Hank Cardello, director of the obesity solutions initiative at the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization, has been studying the impact that lower-calorie menu options have on restaurants’ business. “Lower-calorie menu items were driving restaurant growth over the last several years, no doubt about it,” Mr. Cardello said.
The results of his research were published Thursday in a report financed in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Obama administration’s health care act, which was passed in 2010, included a provision requiring restaurants and food establishments with 20 or more locations to post the calorie counts of standard items on their menus. The final regulations are expected soon, with compliance likely to be required by 2014.
Some restaurant chains have already begun posting calorie counts.

Gubbermint tyranny!

It's nice to see Big Government doing exactly what it's supposed to: effect change for good through public policy, regulation and common sense limits on things that effect the public health. Unless, of course, those regulations have no teeth, like if they were to depend on the industry to label their own products, with out any system of oversight in place...

I'm a calorie-counter five days a week. I depend mostly on this database for the values of the food a prepare at home, but when I do eat prepared and restaurant food, most the time I depend on the labeling to tell me the calories of what I'm eating. 

• The Bad News: Though the law requires calorie information in chain restaurants in NYC (and soon federally), there is no mechanism to actually check the accuracy of the numbers. It's all self-reported. Unsurprisingly, a spot check of 5 foods sold in NYC revealed four of the five to have enough unreported calories to equal two Snickers bars. 
• The Good News: The only food that actually had less calories than advertised is a Subway sandwich, the only thing on the list that I eat even occasionally. OK, maybe that's good news for me.

So even when there is an attempt to inform the public of exactly what they are eating, private industry can really not be depended on to err on the side of avoiding over consumption. Because it's that extra is where the profit lies. I imagine there are many graduate school theses out there which expound on the relationship of capitalism and obesity a lot more elegantly than this little blog-post, but hey, as I struggle from week to week to measure and limit my consumption, certain things just seem more and more obvious.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2329

Another week decent week. Went over here and there, but got small bike ride in and kept up on the vegetable consumption, both raw, cooked & juiced.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2240
Worked out this morning, the soreness in my pull-up muscles only really faded after almost 4 days, and could feel a weird weakness while doing my altered routine. However, when I got to bench presses, I could barely get the dumbbells over my head, which has never been a problem before -- I guess what I'm doing to get to one damn pull up is wreaking havoc on my upper torso. And that's a good thing, I hope.

Thought I could come under budget today due to excess eating over the weekend, but started to get crazy-hungry as the night went on, and it wasn't sugar-cravings, either. I guess every day is a new day, only minimally effected if you came under or over calorie budget the day before.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 375 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, chicken sausage, madras lentils, steamed string beans, 7oz diet coke, 510 cal

AFTERNOON SNACK: 5:45pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger juice, 140 cal cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, shrimp and mushrooms with shirataki noodles in sesame oil and soy, poppa salad with homemade dressing, 7oz diet sprite, 605 cal
Found real shirataki noodles at my local supermarket -- not tofu shirataki, but 100% yam starch, with 0 calories. I actually liked the texture more, a little chewier, reminds me very closely of glass noodles. I don't know if it's related, but my digestive system fully "released" a few hours later. Hmmm.

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, Frito's, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 11:45pm, cheezits, 210 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2260
(BIKE CREDIT: - 600)
Woke up very sore in the upper torso, particularly the backs of my upper arms. Though uncomfortable, looking forward to this soreness getting less and less, and hopefully will result in....one....damn....pull up! Had kid-free time in the afternoon and the weather pushed into the 40s, so I rode out to Coney Island slowly on the commuter bike, and took the train back from there. According the Bicycle Magazine's calorie calculator, I burned about 950 calories, but I know when I compared that calculator to my calorie-tracking cyclometer on my road bike, the website over-estimates by about 1/3, so a 600 cal credit feels about right....because even with the extra snacks, I still went to sleep moderately hungry.

AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, almonds and vanilla, 415cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, momma salad, 7oz diet coke, 630 cal

BIKE SNACK: 4:15pm, beef jerky, 60 cal

BIKE SNACK: 5:30pm, cheezits, 210 cal

DINNER PT 1: 6:45pm, poppa salad, butternut squash soup, 250 cal

DINNER PT 2: 8:15pm, hake loins, quinoa, roasted broccoli, pickle, 7oz diet sprite, 585 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:45pm, Frito's, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, Stouffer's French bread pizza, 430 cal
I was craving sugar but it wasn't too hard to suppress. However, it did occur to me that no healthy snack really appealed to me in this moment. Apples were still sugar, almonds or peanuts could have done it but needed chocolate chips to pair with, already vegetable'd-out from earlier in the day.
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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2165
Took B out for a nice meal at a resto in the early evening, as she already had plans tomorrow night and V-day at a good resto is always high pressured, overpriced and underwhelming. Was able to still eat a relatively healthful meal, though the +/- 8oz steak had so few (deliciously prepared) string beans, that the presentation even riffed on it -- the plate comes and all you see is a steak with a ring of butternut squash cream, and tucked underneath the meat is a small thin bed of greens.

Had slight sugar cravings in the evening, and was slightly hungry, but not enough to push me into a snack -- a small can of diet soda was enough business for my hands/mouth/stomach to be satisfied.

AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 375 cal

AM SNACK: 11:45am, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat toast, health salad, 7oz diet coke,  620 cal
Made health salad a few days ago, from the 2nd Ave Deli recipe. As with the name, it's probably the healthiest thing on the menu. It's shredded raw cabbage marinated in white vinegar, a bit of olive oil, some white sugar and a little salt and white pepper. It's a bit caloric for a "salad", but hey, if your going to get raw cabbage down, a little sugar goes a long way.

PM SNACK: 4pm, apple/carrot/kale/beet/ginger/celery juice, 170 cal

DINNER: 7:15pm, marinated skirt steak with a few string beans, one small potato croquette, small portion of deep-fried lightly breaded cauliflower, bite of fennel & goat cheese flat bread, sip of wine, small taste of berry crumble, +/- 900 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, 7oz diet sprite, 0 cal
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THURSDAY COUNT: 2425
I intended to do a grain with dinner, but when doing the math, realized I would not have budget for an evening snack, and it was the smallest, most calorie-dense thing on the plate so it was easy to cut. However, after my evening snack, I felt a different kind of craving, somewhere between sugar lust and a normal hunger. Could I be just craving carbs, any carbs? I busted the budget with a half-serving of Frito's, which hit the spot, and still went to sleep a little hungry, so I don't feel bad about slightly going over.

AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, fruit smoothie, 375 cal
Funny, I did a count on this smoothie for the first time in a while, as it's a new fruit mix, a new juice, variable banana etc, and it almost came out at 375 on the nose.

PM SNACK: 12:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, chicken meatballs, brussel sprouts, jodpur lentils, 7oz diet coke, 665 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, poppa salad, 150 cal

DINNER: 7pm, grilled boneless pork chops, roasted asparagus, health salad,  675 cal
Picked up some thin cut chops from the local market. I cooked them hot and fast on a grill pan like I do chicken, and they came out a little tough, momma-style. Next time will cook them a little less. I know, it is unAmerican to not incinerate pork, I'm freaky like that.

EVENING SNACK: 9:15pm, cheesy poofs, 7oz diet sprite, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, Frito's, 160 cal
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FRIDAY COUNT: 2555
Woke up sore again from the previous day's work out, particularly in my pecs -- after doing the slow pull-up drops, I did chest-flys which were harder than usual but still accomplished my reps. Not as sore as previously....could one damn pull up be in my future?

Went to a yoga class with T and her posse. Had a nice vegan dinner afterwards, which was right on portion but oddly heavy on bread and light on veg. We went to get some dairy-free ice cream afterwards to celebrate the warm weather and broke my 5-day sugar ban, but it felt right -- with good friends, a shared pleasure. But I think I'll start Saturday off a little low key to make up for it!

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, almonds and vanilla, 415cal

PM SNACK: noon, poppa salad, 150 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork chops, health salad, whole wheat cous cous, pickle, 7oz diet coke 740 cal
Marinated the chops in oil and wine, with a little sage and salt. Cut grilling time to 3.5 minutes, came off medium-well instead of the slightly dry well done yesterday. Will do 2.5 minutes next week to get a nice medium, with a slight hint of pink in the middle. Nice to work with a cut my mom fed me, but a zillion times tastier. I can feed this to my kids, and instead of being horrified, they'll enjoy it...

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger juice, 150 cal

SNICKLEDINNER: 7:45pm, falafel with tahini, hummus, lentil bulgar salad, pita, water, vegan chocolate ice cream, +/- 1100 cal