Those things are quintessentially American. If you talk about any of them around the world (except football), they will mean America.
Unfortunately, there is something else that is recognized as American around the world:
Our growing waistlines.
America is easily the fattest country in the world, and that is just so sad. What can we do about it? Well, we can all change our diets, exercise more, and change our lives for the better.
Want an extra 10 years on your life? Me too.
I am on a personal quest for greater health. Since February 8th (when I started on a juice fast), I have been following Dr. Joel Fuhrman's eating plan from his book Eat to Live, and I have had wonderful results.
I've lost 72 pounds in four months.
Cholesterol is down 17%
Blood Pressure is perfect (117 over 72, versus 140/95 previously)
Enough of me harping about health. I've linked the resources, so if you would like to learn more, it's up to you!
Apple Pie that's Good for You?
You probably have no problems eating delicious Apple Pie, but it's not the best thing in the world for you.
I made this recently, and I am in love with this dessert. My Mom even made this for me for my Birthday earlier this week!
This pie really will not stick around for long
It has everything - wonderful crust, massive mound of moist apples, sweet taste, cinnamon goodness, and a secret ingredient!!!
Here's the recipe from Carrie. My comments are in brackets.
Make it. Enjoy it. Don't feel guilty about it.
All-American, Guilt-Free Apple Pie Recipe
For the Filling
6 Fuji Apples (or other sweet, red apple) [Paul: I had MASSIVE apples]
1 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice [Paul: Use store bought if you'd like]
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast [Paul: If you can't get it, still make this pie]
For the Crust
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups medjool dates, pitted
Instructions
Core the apples and cut them into bite-sized pieces. [Paul: I quartered mine and cut out the core. I then sliced them on a mandoline to get bite-sized pieces.]
Combine the apples, orange juice, raisins, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until apples are softened. Stir in nutritional yeast and set aside to cool off.
Place almonds, walnuts, and oats into a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the remaining cinnamon and vanilla. Turn the food processor on, and add the dates through the feeding tube one at a time. Process until mixture is well combined. [Paul: Read below for those without full size food processors]
Pour the contents of the food processor into the pie dish and use your hands to spread evenly into the dish. Place the crust in the refrigerator to chill for at least an our.
When you are ready to assemble teh pie, pour the apple mixture into the pie crust and serve cold or at room temperature.
That's it. There's your All-American-without-the-American-waistline Pie!!!
For those with small food processors.
I do not have a full sized food processor. I have a mini-prep, however.
Here's how I handled this.
I processed the almonds into a powder. I dumped them into a large bowl.
I processed the walnuts and oats. I dumped them into a large bowl.
I processed 3/4c. of dates with some of the powder from my large bowl. I dumped them into the large bowl.
I repeated with the last of the dates.
I added cinnamon and vanilla to the large bowl.
I mixed by hand.
This takes longer. The result works.
So there you go, not having a food processor isn't an excuse (a blender should work, but will take more work on your part to make it work.)
Seriously, this is one dish that you will be excited to serve to company!
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This is a wonderfully ubiquitous phrase. So many people offer it up as diet advice - "You just have to eat to live, not live to eat"...that's akin to telling a kid "do better at math".
It's a nice sound bite, and when you understand the foundations of nutrition and the psychology behind eating, it's a nice phrase to give you a boost when you need it. To continue our analogy, it's like telling someone who understands complex differential equations that they've gotten lazy and need to do better next time - the phrase is more helpful in that context.
So why am I spewing out these wildly entertaining analogies? Because I have begun eating to live. For the longest time, I lived to eat. I was a cook - often I say I am a chef, but technically that would be incorrect - since the age of 13. Many would say I was destined to be a chef, though.
I was accepted to culinary school with a scholarship
I cooked for all of my parents special occasions
I mastered truly difficult concepts and cuisines with little more than the food network to guide me (we're talking chocolate truffles, smoked barbecue, homemade pastas, homemade breads/pizzas, Mexican Indian Italian, French, English, German, pastries. I nailed it all!)
To say that my life revolved around food would be an understatement. When I was in college (not for culinary school), I used to cook my own food in the cafeteria with the crude instruments they made available for us instead of eating the pre-made stuff, and I even had friends asking me to make their food as well, because what I made was so much tastier.
Eating to Live - Enter the Nutritarian
I kind of understand what it means to Eat to Live now, though I'm not going to spoil it for you - you'll all have epiphany's at some point and realize what it really means to Eat to Live (hint: first, you must understand what it really means to live)
I have begun a new way of eating in the past couple of weeks. I've been trying to keep my enthusiasm tempered, but it is difficult to do so. I have more energy than I have had in a long time. I'm able to focus as well as I could in High School - I was one of the kids who could actually focus in high school. In 13 days since I started eating this way, I have lost 29 pounds of weight. It just seems to melt off.
I have been doing this by following a nutritarian style of eating.
What does that mean? It means that I choose the foods I eat based on their nutrient density. I have not limited myself, and I am not following portion controls - those two guidelines are the tenets of *diets* which fail all the time.
You can read all about this lifestyle in a couple of books from Joel Fuhrman:
Fair Disclosure: I get a cut if you click on one of these links and buy something, though it won't cost you any extra.
Now, I'm not a Doctor, but Dr. Fuhrman is. He's been a family physician for 20 years. He has guided thousands of patients on this journey, and he has reviewed over 20,000 medical and nutritional papers while developing this program. He knows his stuff.
Eat for Health? I Just Want to Lose Weight
Don't worry, you will absolutely lose weight. But consider that if you are old enough to read this blog, you are old enough to have the early stages of Atherosclerosis, which basically means you have heart disease, and will probably die younger than you need to. We're seeing this medical issue in 8 year olds now, and nearly everyone develops it as they get older (if you're 30, and are not a true health freak...I promise you have developed Atherosclerosis)
The good news is, you can reverse this disease. You can reverse heart disease, you can prevent cancer, you can reverse Type II Diabetes, you can fix your Rheumatoid Arthritis. These aren't crackpot claims, they are researched, and have been proven to be part of the results of a nutritarian eating plan.
Let's take a quick poll:
If you could choose only one, which would it be?
Start getting sick in your 50's, with major medical issues in your 60's. Die in your 70's...maybe 80's if you are lucky, and don't die of heart disease or cancer first
Feel vibrant at 50, strong at 60, healthy at 70, still strong at 80, and be able to do your own yard work and work on your house in your 90's
Easy decision, right? Well guess what, the two scenarios above are based on the two diets below
Scenario 1 (painful, early death) is tied to the Standard American Diet (SAD) and even the diet of many Mediteranean countries now
Scenario 2 is related to a diet that is focused on whole, nutrient dense plant foods.
Healthy Food Tastes Like Cardboard Though!
It's true. If you eat the "diet" foods out there, the stuff that is labeled as "healthy", then it usually tastes like crap (but, ironically, is nearly as bad for you as the unhealthy stuff it is replacing)
The key is that you don't buy food that has to tell you it's healthy. You buy the actual healthy foods. I'm talking mostly fruits and vegetables. Some nuts and seeds. Legumes (that's a fancy word for beans).
Then, you put them together in delicious ways, and voila! You have a method for eating healthy, and putting food in your body that you body will thrive on.
But won't you get hungry? You're not eating anything substantial, right?
Wrong. You'll actually feel more full than you ever have, because you'll be properly nourished. You'll lose your toxic hunger, eventually, and you'll only feel true hunger. Let me be clear that eating what one co-worker deemed "rabbit food" has made me feel more satisfied than I ever have felt before.
Let me repeat that. Eating whole, nutrient-dense foods has made me feel more full, and more satisfied, than ever before.
Please ignore the gimmicky, Ron Popeil style. The information is good
How can YOU Eat to Live?
Well, I don't want to rush you into things. If you rush in without understanding the underlying basis behind these recommendations, then you'll likely starve yourself, and end up with another failed "diet" on your hands.
I highly recommend you read one or both of the books above. They give a fantastic background on nutrition (even if you think you know nutrition, you will learn something, I promise) and Eat to Live is only like $6.
If you want the recommendations right now, then I'll give them to you, but I'm telling you - read the book. You will be glad that you have the nutritional background. At the very least, start reading the book at the same time as you start the eating plan.
The Nutritarian lifestyle (aka the Eat to Live plan by Dr. Joel Fuhrman)
There are 3 categories of food that we look at. The foods that are Unlimited, those which are limited, and those that are off limits. After 6 weeks, you can start to introduce some of the off limits food (though everyone I have talked to who has done this has said the same thing: "I didn't even like the foods I used to eat when I tried them again")
UNLIMITED
All raw vegetables, with an emphasis on greens (goal: 1 lb. daily)
Cooked green vegetables and non-green nutrient dense vegetables (goal: 1 lb. daily)
The non-green nutrient vegetables are: Eggplant, Mushroom, Peppers, Onions, Tomato, and other non-starchy vegetables
Fresh Fruit (at least 4 daily)
Beans, Legumes, Bean Sprouts (minimum 1 cup daily total)
LIMITED
Cooked starchy vegetables OR whole grains - (MAX: 1 cup daily)
This includes: butternut or acorn squash, corn, sweet potato, brown rice, cooked carrots, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals (avoid the bread and cereals as much as possible)
Raw nuts and seeds (1 oz daily) or 2 ounces avocado
Ground Flaxseed (1 tablespoon daily - you should strive for this)
Soymilk, low-sugar preferred (MAX: 1 cup daily)
I try not to eat or drink anything soy, because I feel the jury is still out on the safety of soy in large doses
OFF LIMITS (That means NONE)
Dairy Products
Animal Products
Between Meal Snacks
Fruit Juice, dried fruits
Salt, Sugar
Oils
It sounds intense, doesn't it? It sounds extreme, doesn't it? Well then read the book - every single suggestion here is backed up by incredible amounts of medical research. I will not list it all here - that would be superfluous.
If you want to dive in, again, read the book as you go, or, ideally, read the book first.
I will keep you posted along the way, will continue to give tips, and would love to hear from all of you on how you are doing!
I thought Fruit was Bad - It has Sugar
It's true that fruit has sugar. It's also true that Fruit has antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and likely hundreds of other compounds we have not even discovered yet which will protect you from cancer and other diseases. Fruit is an important part of your diet, so don't let one macro nutrient keep you from eating the hundreds of other compounds that you body desperately needs.
While we're at it, Olive Oil is not good for you either. All oil is detrimental to health. The study (notice the singular form, one single study) that showed olive oil reduced cholesterol was misguided. In follow-up studies, those with a diet high in Olive Oil did reduce cholesterol. The problem is that Cholesterol doesn't cause Heart Disease - it's a marker for heart disease, a measurement for heart disease. Those who ate the olive oil had reduced Cholesterol, but had the exact same risk of heart disease as those who ate the diet rich in saturated fat.
This is Dr. Caldwell Eccleston - one of the world leaders in preventing and reversing Heart Disease
He is in his 70's. Wouldn't you like to look that good in your 70's?
100 Calories of Broccoli has more Protein than 100 Calories of Steak
I have heard so many people tell me "You won't get enough Protein!"
Excuse my french, but bullshit. There have been countless studies that have shown that not only is a vegan diet rich in protein, but that animal protein in the quantities most people consume it is actually detrimental to your health in a big way.
And don't feed me the "but our ancestors ate meat" argument. You know what our ancestors ate? They ate mostly greens, fruits, and other vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds. Sometimes, they would get lucky and get some meat. They ate what they needed to survive, and our bodies are adapted to be adaptable, but they are not designed to be meat processing machines.
100 calories of Broccoli has more protein than 100 calories of steak.
The largest animals on the planet are vegetarian (Whales, horses, rhinoceroses, elephants, giraffes, cows...all vegetarian.)
I don't think I can do it
Yeah, you can. Trust me. When you are properly nourished, you lose your cravings and addictions to the bad food. Your body was likely living in a state of malnourishment for many years. This eating plan will enable your body to heal itself, and will enable you to live!
When I was home for the weekend, I cooked a few meals based on this lifestyle. My parents ate it, and loved it. Here's what my dad told me the next week.
"You know, I ate the vegetable heavy foods you made last weekend, and I felt really great. It's not like I even stopped eating the other stuff, but I felt so different - in a good way. I wasn't hungry after eating that veggie lasagna until the next day at lunch!
A couple of days later, after eating the junk again, I could feel it slowing me down"
I'm hoping my parents will join me on this food journey - I'd certainly like to see them live vibrantly into their 90's. So join us on this journey. Read the book - at the very least, you'll learn something, and in the best case, you'll change your life forever.
So why not give it a shot. What do you have to lose? 29 pounds in 12 days sounds pretty sweet, right?
Often times, the reward set for weight loss is something small, like "I'll go to the spa", or "I'll feel better", or "The Weight loss is its own reward". That's phooey, I want something big. If I get to 200 pounds (which I haven't been at since I was like 11) I want something that means it was worth it. I will likely set up rewards along the way as well (I'm thinking a flight to New York to see Book of Mormon at, say, 300 pounds) and I may even set up some anti-rewards, ala Tim Ferriss, but this is my final, major goal, and reward.
This is a fantastic, powerful reward...most would say.
This is also going to be a bit painful. You see, if I don't hit my goal, then I will constantly see $11,000 sitting in this account, earning minimal interest. That is painful to someone who invests his money. This is a constant reminder of what I am saving, and why I am saving. The excitement of what is waiting at the end of the road is great, but when I need the motivation, I'll have the pain of seeing so much cash sitting uninvested.
Choose a Good Reward - You Deserve It
This works for any goal setting - weight loss, weight gain, starting a business, learning a language (a great reward for learning a language is a trip to that country!), etc.
I am focusing on Weight loss in this post, because it is a universal goal.
If you need help setting a realistic weight loss goal, click here first.
Okay, have you set a goal? Great. Now it's time to set a reward.
Here are your guidelines:
Your Reward must be tangible
Your Reward must be allowed only when your goal is met
Your Reward must be big and expensive*
Your Reward must be something you can brag about
Your Reward must be something that excites you
* Expensive is a relative term. If you make $40k/year, then a $2,000 reward might be expensive. If you make $500,000 a year, then $25,000 might be expensive. $11,000 is a lot of money to me, so I chose that, but I know that is way too much for many people as well - I had to do something really big for myself to be a kick in the a**.
Some suggestions for rewards:
A trip - Anything from a trip to a local amusement park, to a year long trip around the world
A car - For those who are making $500k/year
A new TV or other tech gadget (Phone, Game system, computer, etc.)
A 2 day spa retreat
A new pet (dog, cat, fish, mouse, snake, hamster, gerbil, alligator)
A really delicious meal at a fancy restaurant (best for non-weight loss goals)
How to Track a Reward
My preferred method for tracking a reward (not a goal) is a four pronged approach.
Create a savings account just for your reward (this assumes your bank can support this, otherwise, use a spreadsheet, or a simple piece of paper)
Set up the Goal in Mint to track how well you are moving toward your goal.
Calculate how much your reward will cost, and when you are targeting to finish your goal (Mint can help with this)
Set up an automatic draft into your reward account each month
The equation to use is: Cost of reward/# of months until goal attainment = Monthly amount to save
Example:
I set up a new account in ING Direct (Capital One 360) called "Around the World" and funded it with $1,000
I set up the goal in Mint for $11,000, with the goal of achieving it by April, 2015
Mint told me I need to save $385 per month to reach my goal
I set up an automatic transfer into this account of $192.50, twice per month (when I get paid)
I created a third account in ING Direct
I then created the goal in Mint
This method forces you to commit to your goal. You are automatically putting money toward this reward, and by doing so, you are taking out one of the barriers that could trip you up: Your own psyche. Computers don't tell little lies to themselves "well, it wasn't the right reward", "I could use this money elsewhere", "I don't need this, I have strong will power" - all a bunch of fear based BS. The computer will, every month, automatically transfer the cash.
This provides automatic incentive, and many, if not all of us, can absolutely use some automatic incentive.
As I set additional rewards for my journey, I will be using exactly this approach.
Final Step: Take Action Now
Isn't this a great idea?
Yes, it is, so take 10 minutes right now to define a goal and a reward. I then will grant you 48 hours to refine or change your goal/reward.
But starting right now, take 10 minutes and define your goal and reward, a starting point at least.
I bet you already have a goal - perhaps one you've been talking about for the past 2 years or so, saying "I'm going to do it". I bet it has been part of at least one broken New Years Resolution. Goals can be refined along the way, but pick an ultimate goal, and pick a reward...NOW.
When you are enjoying your trip, or car, or video game, or dinner, or whatever your reward is, I think you'll be pretty happy that you took these ten minutes to set a goal, set your reward, and commit to changing your life for the better.
Your new life begins in 10 minutes, so get to it.
Bonus!
Here's some more motivation. Visualize the goal. You have money sitting in front of you, but if you are just not motivated by money enough, then really visualize what the reward will be like!
For example: During my 'round the world trip, I will be finding this place, and staying there:
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Of the 3 facets of taking control of your life, Health, Wealth, and Love, my main focus right now is on Health.
I have a lot of goals, a lot of interests, and a lot of hobbies. However, one of the most persistent goals throughout my life has been to be a normal weight.
There's Something about Paul
When I was a newborn baby, I was an underweight child - I was lactose intolerant but my parents didn't know it right away. I threw up every night (can you imagine how awful it must have felt to have a child who was sick constantly? I love my parents - that had to be awful). Then, when they figured out that I was intolerant of lactose, I was able to keep food down (lactaid to the rescue!). I got to a normal weight, and then I just kept going, and going and going. You see, except for a few brief months as a newborn, I've been overweight all my life.
I was on weight watchers by age 10 (maybe 8? It's hard to remember), worked with a nutritionist, and was even featured on Food Network's Cooking Thin. The host, Kathleen Daelemans worked with overweight individuals to show them they could be successful at losing weight - because she had been in the same shoes.
For a very long time, now, I have weighed over 300 pounds - when I was 16, I was nearly down below 300, and then my Birthday happened. I know it sounds crazy to let one event throw off years of work, but it happens. It's a perfect storm of cravings, low will power, and one event to push you over the edge. The bad habits come flooding back in. This often occurs with the following promises "well, it's okay to cheat for one day", "Once I get back home, then it's back to the diet", "I worked hard, I deserve a little break, then back to it!" Eventually, the promises stop, and the weight comes back.
I had a few bouts of weight loss in college, and another one earlier this year (lost like 20-30 pounds), but the weight came back. Now, I'm back to where I started - realizing I need to change.
Now, this post is not about the psychological challenges I'll face - I'm sure I'll post about those in the future. This is about the goal I am setting for myself, and the associated reward.
My Goal: To reduce my weight to 200 pounds
My Reward: A trip around the world
Now, let me walk you through the reasoning. I've recently gotten into travel hacking as a mild hobby. It's a fun one. Travel hacking is essentially finding a way to travel more than the average person, for much less than it would cost the average person, usually by acquiring frequent flier miles and hotel points, and by using those strategically to book travel for a very low cost - sometimes an international trip for hundreds of dollars.
Why Wait to Travel?
For domestic travel, I'm fine - airplanes and hotels are built for fat Americans now, so it's not that big of an issue.
However, when looking at International travel, a lot of compromises must be made. Smaller planes, middle seats, small hotel rooms, these all favor someone of a smaller stature.
Additionally, enjoying a lot of these countries requires one to be in semi-decent shape. I have bad knees, and am developing a bad back - I don't want to get to Thailand and not be able to walk around to see the country!
Furthermore, one thing almost no one thinks of - clothes. Taking clothes for someone my size takes up a lot of space - One of my shirts takes up the space of like 3 shirts someone at a normal weight would - this makes it even more difficult to travel!
So what's a guy to do? Easy, I'm putting off my trip around the world until I reach my goal weight. To make sure I work toward this, I have set up a separate account in ING Direct with $1,000 (now Capital One 360) for my 'round the world Trip. I have defined the goal in Mint, and am putting away $385 per month to reach this goal. This means that in 2 years or so, I'll have $11,000 saved up to take this around the world trip. I don't know if I'll need the whole 11 grand (I hope not!) but this will allow me to live in some luxury along the way. I am currently planning on 21 days, though that will obviously be subject to change when I start booking my travel in 2 years - I'd love to go for 2 or more months!
This is my story: in the coming days, I will provide you with the guidelines to set your own goal and reward. 2013 is the year for goals, and what goes great with Goals? Rewards!!!
