"The Dirty Dozen" #1

The dirty Dozen by Jordan Ruibin, with commentary by me.

"No matter what time of year, you will be strealing from your future and robbing you health if you eat any of these foods that I call the "Dirty Dozen."

I wouldnt be suprised if some of thse are among your favorite goods to eat. Nor would I be suprised if you find my list of foods to be controverisal. When you elminate these foodsfrom your shopping list and/or toss out what's left in your cupboards and fridges, however, you will take a major step toward excellent health and reaching your perfect weight.

The following "Dirty Dozen" items should never find a way onto your plate or into your hands (and here is why):

1. All Pork Products:

Did you just sit up in your chair? I'm sure I got your attention because America loves pork! Fast food establishments have watched their earnings sizzle by topping every hamburger and chicken sandwich in sight with strips of salty bacon; they go by names like Bacon Mushroom Melt, Big Bacon Classic, Cravin Bacon Cheeseburger, Mesquite Bacon Cheeseburger, and Arch Deluxe with Bacon. America's favorite toppings are pepperoni and Hawaiian (pineapple and Canadian Bacon). Only the Chinese, who have 4 times our population, consume more pork meat than us.

Ive met people who have told me they have an emotional attachment to bacon for breakfast and pork chops with mashed taters and gravy for dinner. That was how they were raised, and maybe you feel the same way. Marketed brilliantly as "the other white meat," pork chops and pork ribs are usually the most inexpensive meats on display at the supermarket. Many folks eat pork 3 times a day: ham and eggs in the morning; a BLT or a bacon topped burgerr for lunch; and pork bbq or pork tenderloin for a hearty supper. Others love snacking on pork rinds-the cooked skin of pigs...ewww...

So whats my beef with pork?? My aversion to swobelly is partly based on a pigs physiology. A pigs fast acting physiology make up and instinct allow them to eat any
swill thrown at their muddy feet. Well, maybe swill isnt the right word. Actually, Im thinking about the old saying: Happy as a pig in slop.

Yes, pigs will chomp on pails of you know what and not be bothered in the least. They derive nutrition from human excrement (waste) dredged from a latrine pit, eliminating a sanitary problem for their rural masters. Even their own waste tastes frin to them. Although its anecedotal, I heard the story about the pig farmer who stacked ten pigs one on top of the otehr. All the farmer had to do was feed the pig on the top and let trickle down economics prove itself. As I am fond of saying (and I Meagan is fond of saying...) in my seminars, "Remember, if you eat the meat of animals, you are not just what you eat; you are what THEY ate/eat!"

As Im for their physiology, pigs have a simple stomach arrangement. Whatever a pig eats goes straight into a simple stomach, wheres its rudimentarily digested and pushed out the back end in the matter of 4 hours.

Now compare the pigs digestive tract to animals that are OK to eat, such as cows, goats, sheep, oxen, deer, buffalo, and so forth. These animals put their vegetarian diet-they usually chomp on grasses, alfalfa, and hay-through a "wash and rinse cycle," thanks to a stomach and a secondary cud receptacle available for the task. Instead of speedy four hours to digest and eliminate their waste, these animalstake a more leisurely 24 hours.

Another reason I dont eat pork is my Jewish background. In Leviticus and Deuteronomy, two of the first 5 books of the Torah or the Bible's Old Testament, God forbade the Hebrew people to eat swine: "You shall not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roe deer, wild goat, mountain goat, antelop, mountain sheep. And you may eat every animal with cloven hooves, having the hoof split into tow parts, and that chews the cud, among the animals. Never the less, of those that chew the cud or have cloven hooves, you shall not eat, such as these: the camel, the hare, and the rock hyrax; for they chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves; they are unclean for you. Also, swine is unclean for you, because it has cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud; you shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses." (Deut 14-3-8)

The Scriptures used Hebrew words that can be translated as fould, polluted, and putrid, to describe these unclean meats that were to be banished from their diets. What were God's reasons for doing so?

It wanst because the Israelites didnt have refrigerated trucks following them from Eqypt to the Promised Land to keep ham, bacon, or baby back ribs in a cool environment "safe" for consupmtion. No, God scratched pork from their meal plan because He knew all about the physiology, and He created them to be nature's garbage cleaners.

If you decide to strike pork from your diet, I am predicting that you wont miss sausage, bologna, salami, bacon, and butchered cuts from the hog at all. I promisse there are great alternatives (Turkey bacon!)

Some of you will feel that swearing off pork completely is too drastic--too radical given your attachment to Easter ham and carnitas burritos. If thats the case, remember that every time you choose beef, chicken or fish--especially from organic sources--you are taking a fantastic leap forward in your health, but each time you take a bite of crisp bacon, grilled sausage, and shredded pork, you are falling further behind.

New Blog!

Hey all,
I have created another blog under my profile. NU-U In Christ....check it out!

www.nuuinchrist.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Globesity

From a book, that my friend read and passed along the info…very astonishing!

Obesity is a public health crisis. Do something about it! Change your lifestyle! Life is better when it is enjoyed, and you can raise and play with your children. When the cost of medical expenses drop because you are in a healthy state of mind! Don’t just do if for yourself, do it for others!
If Atlas were holding up the earth today, he’d better trust his loins to lift all the overweight people inhabiting the planet. For what surely must be the first of recorded history, demographers have determined that there are more overweight people living among us than those who are undernourished. One Billion adults are overweight, which 300 million are obese.

For thousands of years, our forebears lived out an existence that depended upon the sweat of their brow and whether or not nature provided bountiful crops at harvest time. Hunger was their constant companion, their frequent worry. I couldn’t imagine what went through the minds of desperate parents who held their starving children in their arms wondering what they were going to be able to feed them the next day.

The miracle of modernization has taken card of much of that problem. Too many people fall asleep each nigh with gnawing hunger and growling stomachs. One-Sixth of the global population has a different dilemma. They’re too big from gorging themselves with greasy, high-fat, low-nutrient, chemical-laced, mass produced foods. The global growth of industry and technology has led to an abundance of cheap, high calorie meals, unhealthy sugary snacks, and a steep decrease in physical activity, resulting in one of the most blatantly visible, yet most neglected, public health problem in the history of man kid.

Global obesity is becoming an epidemic. If things don’t change globesity could become as devastation just as malnutrition, especially to the economies of the poorest countries. In other words, the global Obesity epidemic could become more harmful to the world community than starvation.

What an astonishing turn of events. I can remember when My mother was reminding me to clean my plate because of the "Starving children in china," but she would have to amend her example if she were raising me today. Ten percent of city-dwelling Chinese children suffer from obesity….A number that’s increasing by a shocking eight percent a per year. In Japan, obesity in nine year olds has tripled. Twenty percent of the Australian Europe has tripled in the past two decades; half of all adults and 20 percent of all children are over weight!

The tentacles of globesity reach into every continent and grip every major city in the world. We’re seeing hundreds and hundreds of million consume western-like convenience foods, shift away from physically demanding jobs in agriculture, and devote their growing leisure time to watching TV and surfing the internet. They’re adopting this new lifestyle rather rapidly, unaware that they are putting themselves at risk for chronic diseases that could shave years off of their life’s. Fast food is everywhere in Belize, were eating "well "means eating like the American’s or the British…the greasy fried foods they see advertised on television.

Another telling example comes from the Japanese, who, after centuries of staying slim on a diet of fish, vegetables, seaweed, fermented soy, and rice, have developed a new millennium sweet tooth for the Krispy Cream doughnuts and cold stone creamery. When the Japanese McDonald’s introduced the Mega Mac, and four patty burger, they sold 1.7 million in four days.

The Japanese still have a long way to go before they catch up with us, though. Not only are we the fattest nation on earth, but we’re also ballooning to extremely obese proportions at an alarming rate. While most people have heard that two-thirds of American adults aged twenty years and older are overweight, the number of those who are extremely obese, has quadrupled since the 1980’s. Twenty years ago, one in two hundred adults were candidates to purchase two seats when traveling on southwest Airlines. Today that number is one in fifty.

If People keep gaining weight at the current pace in the U.S, 75 percent of U.S adults will be overweight and 41 percent obese by 2015, which is right around the corner.

Why People don’t lose their Fat!

1. Menu is too high in calories from calorie dense foods like snack foods, pizza, desserts, pasta, bread, and dairy products.

2. Activity and exercise levels are too low, or non-existent.

3. Slow Thyroid. About one in two Americans has an under active thyroid, mainly becuase of the foods they consume.

4. Fewer than 20 grams of protein are consumed for breakfast. Protein regulates insulin levels.

5. Too much fat is consumed. Butter, salad dressing, fried foods.

6. Too much sugar is consumed.

7. The heaviest meal is eaten at night rather than at breakfast.

8. Alcohol slows down the metabolism and is processed like sugar by the body.

9. Too few meals or calories are eaten per day.

10. To many in between snacks are consumed.

Most Important:

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Weekly Food Diary for 8-30-08

Hey all,
I am not competing anymore but I am going to do a photo shoot so I am still on the diet but we increased the carbs a tad but then increased cardio as well. Take a look and if you have any questions please let me know!!

Meal 1:

Protein Powder 1 1/2 scp
Oatmeal 1/2 cup
Fruit 2 oz
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 2:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 3:

Post Work out-
Chicken 4 oz
White Rice 1 oz

or

Pro Powder 1 1/2 scp
Rice Cakes 1 1/2

Non Work Out-

Chicken 4 oz
Br. Rice 1 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 4:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Fish Oil 1 tsp

Meal 5:

Lean Beef or Chicken 5 oz
Greens Veggies


Cardio: 12 sessions of 55 minutes (I use the bike or elliptical and keep my heart rate between 130-140 bpm)

Calories: 1222
Protein: 163 grams
Carbs: 84 grams
Fats: 26 grams

Work out log 8-29-2008 Biceps and shoulders

SHOULDERS:

Dumbbell Shoulder press: 4 sets, 20lbs x12 reps, 25lbs x 10 reps, 30lbs x 6 reps, 25lbs 10 reps.

Upright Rows: 3 sets 40lbs x 10 reps each with hold and negative at the end.

Barbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets, 75 lbs x 5 reps, 75lbs x 5 reps, 50lbs x 10 reps, 50lbs x 10 reps.

Cable soulder press: 2 sets, 35lbs each side x 12 reps, 30lbs each side x 12 reps

BICEPS:

Modified Barbell bicep curl: 3 sets 20lbs 15 reps.

dumbbell modified hammer curl: 3 sets 10lbs x 12 reps

Regular barbell curl: 2 sets 20lbs, 12 reps.

Work out log 8-28-08 Back and Tri's

After throwing out my lower back I finally got back into the gym to work out! Woohoo!

BACK:

Free Motion Machine (FMM) lat pull downs: On bent knees I faced away from the machine and did 2 sets of lat pull downs with 70lbs on each side 12 reps on each.

High Row on FMM: 2 sets, till failure, 100lbs on each side.

Wide grip lat pull downs: 3 drop sets, each till failure, 70lbs, 60lbs, 40lbs.

TRICEPS:

FMM Tricep extentions: 2 sets, 50lbs on each side till failure with static hold at the end.

Rope tricep extentions: 2 sets 100lbs until failure with static hold at the end.

Nutrition Labels

I will not buy any food—even if I’m shopping at Whole Foods—without looking at the “Nutritional Facts” on the packaging. For instance, one of my favorite snacks is dried papaya. But at some health food stores, the only one dried papaya on the shelves has sulfites, which is a preservative to prevent discoloration. Sulfites can provoke adverse reactions, especially for those with asthma. So why would I want to introduce an unneeded preservative into my body? That’s why I choose dried fruit without sulfites, even if its costs a little more.

Reading a list of the ingredients as well as the nutritional labels is second nature to me, as well as a professional hobby. I just love the fast ones that food manufacturers and beverage makers try to pull. The U.S. government began requiring the listing of trans fats in foods in 2006, which meant that any products with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats (the source of bad trans fats) had to be listed on the packaging.

Well, makers of snack foods rejiggered their commercial recipes so they could splash their packages with phrases like “Trans Fat Free” or “Zero Trans Fats.” That’s great, except for one thing: manufacturers can still put dangerous trans fats in your food, as long as they ensure there’s less than 500 milligrams of trans fat per serving. The problem is that when you multiply 500 milligrams by the amount of servings you consume, then eat many different foods that play the same tricks with their labels, you’re consuming trans fats when you thought you were being “good” and staying away from these menacing compounds.

Then there’s the amount of the serving, which is another “gotcha.” You might look at a 20-ounce bottle of sweetened ice tea and see that it has 100 calories and 15 grams of sugar. But the “serving size” is 8 ounces, which means there are 2.5 servings in that 20-ounce bottle, so when you gulp all 20 ounces on a hot day, you’ve just consumed 250 calories and 37.5 grams of sugar! The size of the serving on the beverage or food package influences all the nutrient amounts listed on the label. Oreo cookies say that a “serving size” is two cookies. Yeah, right!

As for the “Nutrition Facts” listed on the packaging, pay attention to calories (especially as it relates to serving size), the amount of cholesterol, total fat, and sodium. I also pay attention to the “Total Carbohydrates,” which includes the listing of healthy carbs (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) and refined carbs (sugar). Obviously, minimize the sugar—actually, you shouldn’t be eating anything with refined sugar anyway—and load up on the fiber.
Better yet, buy and eat as many foods as you can that don’t have ingredient and nutritional labels, and that would be meat, fruits, and vegetables.

Copyright ©2008 Jordan Rubin

The Five Stages and Interesting some notes!

From Jordan Rubin's Desk:

I haven’t met a heavyset person who wouldn’t want to lose weight, but from my vantage point, many obese individuals harbor attitudes similar to the classic “five stages of grief,” as articulated by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her seminal book, On Death and Dying (Scribner, 1997).

The five stages are:
1. denial
2. anger
3. bargaining
4. depression
5. acceptance

I’m willing to wager that if you’re battling your weight, you could place yourself among one of those five descriptions. You could be denying that you’re really overweight, that all you have to do is set your mind one day to taking off those “extra” pounds on your waist and hips. You could be angry about your lackluster physical condition and appearance, harboring resentment that you’ve always been heavy or were born into a family that fed you crummy foods growing up. You could be at the bargaining stage where you’d do anything to lose weight—like undergo expensive gastric bypass surgery or take a pharmaceutical with dangerous and embarrassing side effects. You could be depressed and feel like you have no future . . . and no hope of reaching your perfect weight. Or you could be at the final and most dangerous stage—acceptance, a feeling that you’ll always be obese and there’s nothing you can do about it.

I’m seeing more evidence that being overweight is a societal norm among the cultural elite. Weight and body image issues are squeezing into college course catalogs as “fat studies” emerges into a growing interdisciplinary field in universities around the country. At Harvard, students can sign up for “Body Sculpting in America,” which examines the social and political consequences of being overweight. The University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee offers a course called “The Social Construction of Obesity,” which is taught by Margaret Carlisle Duncan, a human movement sciences professor who challenges the alarmist message about the obesity epidemic in America.

Elsewhere, students on a dozen campuses are organizing groups that focus on promoting “fat acceptance.” One of those, Sheana Director, a San Diego State University graduate student, co-founded Size Matters to fight the prevailing attitude that being fat is a moral failing rather than the result of complicated factors. Ms. Director wants the freedom to say “I’m fat” with a sense of defiance and pride. I’m all for feeling good about yourself, but I’ve met far too many people who tell me they don’t feel much vitality when they’re so heavy that they can’t see their shoelaces. They are eating their way to an early grave in more ways than they realize.

For many with waistlines in the beer belly range, a sizable weight-loss industry has stepped into the vacuum, thanks to the insatiable appetite of more than 70 million Americans claiming to be on a diet at any one time. The U.S. weight-loss and diet control market tops $50 billion annually, according to Marketdata, a market research firm that has tracked diet products and programs since 1989. That works out to $136 million a day spent on the following:

• calorie-free soft drinks like Coke Zero allow dieters to continue sipping their favorite fizzy drinks without guilt. (I’ll have a lot to say about how unhealthy diet soft drinks are in Chapter 4, “Drink for Your Perfect Weight.”)

• books promising the “newest” approach to weight loss, plus a handful of perennial bestsellers: Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, The South Beach Diet, and Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Solution: The Seven Keys to Weight Loss Freedom. Harvard Law School researcher Ethan Zuckerman, using sales rank data found on Amazon.com, estimates that nearly 11,000 books on dieting—with a value of $150,967.19—are purchased just on Amazon.com every day.

• medications like rimonabant (also known by its brand name Accomplia), which works on a newly discovered system in the brain that is involved in the motivation and control of the appetite. Other “fat-blocking” drugs for long-term obesity therapy—Xenical (orlistat) and Meridia (sibutramine)—inhibit the absorption of about 25 percent of fat that is consumed. A non-prescription version of Xenical called Alli hit the market in the summer of 2007, setting off a feeding frenzy in Southern California pharmacies, where it flew off the shelves in spite of a price tag of around $60 for a bottle of ninety capsules. You’re not going to like Alli’s notorious side effects, which include fecal urgency, loose stools, and gas with an oily discharge. Alli’s official website carries this ominous warning: “It’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.”

• gastric bypass surgery, in which surgeons staple or bind the stomach with an adjustable band. This creates a small pouch able to hold only a few ounces of food. Celebrities such as singer Carnie Wilson, Today Show weatherman Al Roker, reality show star Sharon Osbourne, talk show host Star Jones Reynolds have sung the praises of this potentially dangerous surgery after shedding hundreds of pounds. “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, who has advised less-than-svelte contestants that they might want to lose some weight, underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2003.

• commercial chains such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and NutriSystem, where dieters commit to “customized” diet plans. More than 7 million have signed up for these structured programs, which include “phone meetings” with a trained consultant as well as the consumption of diet meals purchased directly from the company.

• over-the-counter diet pills such as Xenadrine EFA, CortiSlim, One-A-Day WeightSmart, and TrimSpa, which are heavily advertised on television and radio and alluring ads in supermarket tabloids. They target the lose-weight-quick crowd with breathtaking copy describing how their “miracle ingredients” and “breakthrough formulas” are “clinically proven” and “guaranteed to work.” Anna Nicole Smith, before her untimely death, was a TrimSpa endorser who claimed that she was “hotter than ever” after “just twelve weeks” of taking the diet pill.

• diet food home delivery, where affluent dieters pay as much as $1,200 a month (per person!) for healthy meals to be delivered daily to their doorstep. A handful of companies such as ZoneChefs, Seed Live Cuisine, and Jenny Direct (part of Jenny Craig) are cashing in on this booming market.

• weight-loss summer camps for heavy teens, which are a predictable outgrowth of the childhood obesity problem in this country. These types of camps didn’t exist in my parents’ time because the demand wasn’t there. Today plump teens seek to turn their lives around at places like Camp La Jolla and Camp Shane.

Adults don’t have summer camps, although there are a number of discreet but expensive “fitness spas” (a description that sure sounds better than “fat farm”) that you can check yourself into if you have the time and the dinaro. In the world of weight loss, anything is possible if you have the money and the time.

Copyright ©2008 Jordan Rubin

Sweet Tea Sabotaging your Weight Goal!

From Jordan Rubin's Desk: I couldnt have said it better!

The same goes for slurping specialty coffees, sports drinks, fruit punch, and sodas. You can cut back on doughnuts and sweets in the break room, but if you’re sipping sweetened ice tea throughout the day, you’re moving further away from your perfect weight.

Let’s say you drink a 20-ounce serving of sweet tea, which is the summer beverage of choice in the Southeast where I live. Bingo, you’ve just consumed 240 calories—the same as cola. Some people drink sweet tea by the gallon, unaware that they’re ingesting nearly 1,500 calories a day that way!

Then there are the sugar-and-salt cocktails like Gatorade, which commands 80 to 90 percent of the sports drink market in America. As someone who attended Florida State University, I’ll be upfront about this: My feelings about Gatorade aren’t derived from the fact that this sports drink was invented at my rival school, the University of Florida, and was named after the Gator football team. I’d be saying the same thing if this stuff was called “Seminolade.”

My gripe with Gatorade is that it’s a combination of non-purified water, sucrose, glucose, fructose (which are nothing more than sugars), and artificial colors with some potassium and sodium (the “electrolytes”) thrown into the mix. In other words, Gatorade is artificially colored and flavored sugar water with a salty aftertaste. Contrary to their claims, I believe Gatorade and other power drinks do more harm than good. It would be better during workouts to consume natural mineral or spring water.

I’m also not a big fan of “fitness waters” like Propel, which, interestingly, was created by the makers of Gatorade. Propel is your basic H20 with four B vitamins and two antioxidants (vitamins C and E) added in various flavors: lemon, orange, and berry.

In case you’re wondering how a manufacturer can pour additives into water and still call it “water,” the International Bottled Water Association (yes, there is one) decided that if the additives don’t add up to more than 1 percent by weight of the final product, then it can still be sold as “water.” I’m still shaking my head how a product with four grams of sugar in each bottle gets to stand on the same shelf as bottled water, but that’s America for you. When it comes to something as basic as water, you should accept no imitations. I hate to see such a wonderfully healthy resource perverted, so to speak, to satisfy our taste buds.

Water is an overlooked resource by those seeking to lose weight. Many times dieters, I’ve found, confuse hunger and thirst. They think they’re hungry when actually they’re dehydrated. Drinking fluids will not only hydrate the body for all the good reasons I’ve just described, but it will put a damper on those hunger pains coming from the pit of the stomach.

A good rule of thumb is to drink a half-ounce of water daily for every pound you weigh. In other words, if you weigh 200 pounds, then try to drink 100 ounces of water throughout the day, which is around 12 glasses.

If you’re trying to reach your perfect weight and get hungry, drink an eight-ounce glass of water. You also find that drinking a glass a half hour before lunch or dinner will act like a governor on an engine, taking the edge off your hunger pangs and preventing you from raiding the fridge or pillaging the pantry.

Copyright ©2008 Jordan Rubin

Weekly Food Diary for 8-23-08

Meal 1:
Protein powder 1 1/2 scp
Oatmeal 1/2 cup
Fruit 2 oz
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 2:
Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 3:
Post Work out:
Pro powder 1 1/2 scp
Rice Cakes 1 1/2

Non-Work out:
Chicken 4 oz
Br. Rice 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 4:
Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 oz
Green Veggies
Fish Oil 1 tsp

Meal 5:
Lean Beef or Chicken 5 oz
Greens Veggies

Calories: 1263 grams
Protein: 163 grams
Carbs: 83 grams
Fats: 31 grams
Cardio: 12 sessions of 50 minutes each during the week.

Project Measure Up!

Good morning all!
Well today is the day that I go to a training class called Project Measure Up with The Health Collaborative of San Antonio. It is for the Fitgram pilot program that I am working on and for volunteer services! I am not sure what is going to go on, so we will see! I will be there from 9 till 2 pm! I am excited to meet new people and to see who else out there is ready to help change the lives of these kids and young adults!

I hope everyone has a blessed and great day!

Work out log 8-20-2008 shoulders and abs

Well we switched it up a bit now since we are 71 days or almost 10 weeks out! We worked on shoulders and abs today instead of shoulders and bi's. Tomorrow we will touch up on Bi's, but mainly focus on back and tri's.

SHOULDERS:

Dumbbell lateral raise: 1 set, 20lbs, 3 reps.
2 set, 25lbs, 3 reps
3 set, 20lbs, 4 reps
4 set, 15lbs, 10 reps
5 and 6 set, 10 lbs, till failure

Sitting shoulder press on Free Motion Machine: 1 set, 80lbs on each side, 12 reps

Incline bench prone shoulder press on FMM: 2 sets, 40lbs on each side, till failure.

Bent over delt raises: 2 sets, 15lbs, 12-10 reps.

ABS:

Sitting Upright Reverse Crunches: 2 sets, 15lbs, till failure

Incline Bench Reverse Crunchs: 2 sets, 25reps with a hold at the end.

Ab bench resistance band crunches: 2 sets till failure.

Go Girl Go Speech Update!

For those that dont know I spoke at a curriculum school meeting here in San Antonio last Thursday and Friday about eating disorders and how important it is to have early prevention.

It went well and I was so excited to actually be able to share my story because I learned that talking about eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia is very touchy! I mean we can walk about talking about how obese this nation is with no problem, but people scatter and go hush hush when someone mentions someone throwing up after they eat… I can understand why, but there needs to be more people out here that will speak up about it!

In the end there were some that came up to me afterwards and spoke privately about issues that they were having or family members etc… I was so glad that I could reach out and be that resource for those that needed it and were at their whits end and didnt know where to turn, to them I was a blessing at just the right time. I thank God for placing me there and that I could be of some assistance! It was a great experience and I cant wait to get out there and do it again!

To those that need a little encouragement!

One of my best friends sent this to me today and it really touched my heart to know that she thinks about me and is routing for me in my competitions! Thnk you Adaia!

Isaiah 40:31"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew {their} strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; {and} they shall walk, and not faint."

Keep you heads and hearts turned towards the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart and the strength and energy to achieve them.
God Bless!

Work out Log 8-18-2008 Legs

Hey Everyone!
So my trainer was sick all weekend long, bless his heart...he never gets sick and he found out that he is allergic to mold the hard way! Well today was leg day and he was too sick to work out so I decided it was time to see how far I could push myself on my own...hehehehe needless to say I nearly made myself sick, but it was so much fun...lol.

I ended up working out at UIW Wellness Center because I felt like having others around me pumping iron would motivate me, and it did.

Here is what I did, I concentrated on quads today.

Warm up: 2 sets of 15 reps of jump squats.

Leg Extension: 4 sets. First set at 100lbs for 12 reps, 2, 3 and 4 at 120lbs 10 reps.

Close legged Leg press: 4 sets. First set at 200lbs at 12 reps, Second Set at 290lbs at 10 reps, Third set at 380lbs 10 reps, Fourth at 430lbs at 10 reps.

Stationary Lunges: 3 sets at 80lbs, 12 on each leg.

Dumbell Leg Extensions: 4 sets at 10lbs, 12 reps.

Front Squats: 3 sets , 45lbs at 12 reps.

Work out log 8-15-2008 Back an triceps

BACK:

Close grip barbell row: 3 sets 70lbs 12 reps

Close grip lat pull downs: 4 sets 12-10 reps, 1 and 3 set at 70lbs, 2 and 4 set at 50lbs.

Standing cable row: 2 sets at 60lbs, 12 reps

TRICEPS:

Free Motion Machine cross cable extentions: 2 sets, 12 reps 50lbs.

FMM tricep ext: 2 sets till failure at 40lbs.

Weekly Food Diary for 8-17-08

Meal 1:

Protein powder 1 1/2 scp
Oatmeal 1/2 cup
Fruit 2 oz
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 2:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 3:

Post Work out:
Pro powder 1 1/2 scp
Rice Cakes 1 1/2

Non-Work out:

Chicken 4 oz
Br. Rice 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 4:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 oz
Green Veggies
Fish Oil 1 tsp

Meal 5:

Lean Beef or Chicken 5 oz
Greens Veggies

Calories: 1263 grams
Protein: 163 grams
Carbs: 83 grams
Fats: 31 grams

Cardio: 11 sessions of 50 minutes each during the week.

Reasons Why....

Well, LOL here I am...a very busy person but bound and determined to get back up on stage. I have even flipped my handle bars on my stationary bike to fit my laptop so I can work on projects, speeches, and homework while I do my 100 minutes of cardio a day! I felt like I was
wasting time...so I fixed it!

Lately, there has been some things that stick out in my brain one of them is selfishness. I know that there needs to be some selfishness in us, its a preservation mechanism, but to completely loose yourself in it, is a different story. Unfortunately in the competition realm, it is a selfish sport and there is a fine line. But, can't anyone earn a little bit and stay true to themselves and practice what they preach and stay true to why they originally started competing and trying to make a difference in the first place?? For some yes, and some no. I sit here and wish that everyone could be a little less selfish because it would definately make this world a nicer place to live in.

My goal for competing has changed somewhat, I want to stay focused and make sure I am true to myself and those around me and keep my original plans in motion because people look up to me and I wouldnt want to disappoint them and everything that I promised....because my head got to big to fit in the same room with them.

Yes, I compete for myself, this has been a 6 year long drive that has been instilled in me, only God knows why!...but never the less it has helped me grow in knowledge about health and wellness and teach me how much people DONT know! I strive to educate and to build the fire back up about keeping the body healthy. Look at it this way, if you dont have your health, you dont have anything! God gave us this one body, and if we distroy it we only have ourselves to blame. The lack of knowledge can kill you!

I want to be accessible to people, not too high and mighty (or atleast act that way) so that people dont even want to come near me or talk to me! I do not want to be fake or go back on my word, or twist my words around to suit me at any given time. It all boils down to being selfless, and giving and putting what talent God gave me into practice to help others, not hinder and boast in my own glory....because like my grandfather used to say about that "a hundred years from now, no one will know the difference."

I want to make a difference and if I can reach or touch one person with my selflessness they may pass it on and do that for someone else! I will not lose myself and if I start too my husband is sure to put me back into place in a loving and kind way but he also keeps me grounded and I thank the good Lord for that because I know how easy it is to fall into that category of selfishness that is over the top....lol...

I will first and formost say that it was not all me that got me there because if it wasnt for the great team of people, family and friends...but mainly God up above, I wouldnt be where I am today!

So thank you all for helping me and lets all do each other a favor and check ourselves, is your heart in the right place or is it all just a selfish act to get attention. Because, honestly attention makes you feel good for 2 seconds and then you want more... where does that leave you? Making someones day by reaching out to them will leave a lasting impression on that person as well as yourself and give you a sense of lasting joy that can only be received from an act such as that!

Good Morning!!!! lol...have a great day and be safe!

Work out log 8-14-2008 Biceps and shoulders

SHOULDERS:

Seated barbell over head press: 4 sets at 12 reps, each set increase the weight decrease repsby 2 and the last set do a drop set till failure.

Seated free motion machine over head press: 4 sets at 12 reps on the first 60lbs on each side. 2nd set at 10 reps with 50lbs with a static hold at the end, same for third set. 4th set drop the weight to 30lbs and rep out those shoulder presses till failure and then a static hold at the end.

BICEPS:

Olympic bar curl: (bought ripped my biceps outta my arms! it was awesome!) 3 sets 45lbs, 1st set was until failure, 2nd and 3rd were 6 regular curls 4 negatives! Since the bar is so long you have to stabalize more! This was a great exercise to get the blood pumping!

Free motion machin side hammer curls: 2 sets at 50lbs till failure both times.

Go Girl Go!

Hey Everyone,
Well, tomorrow is my debut so to speak for the Women's Sports Foundation! I will be speaking as a spokes person (WNSO Natural Athlete) for Go Girl Go! at the Harlendale School Districts Cirriculum meeting tomorrow and the following day! I will be speaking on the importance of helping girls with their body image and how media and school life affects that, as well as on the eating disorders of obesity, bulimia and anorexia in San Antonio and how to help prevent it even before it surfaces!

Please keep me in your prayers that I may be a helpful influence to these individuals!

Thank you!

Work out log 8-11-2008 Legs

Glutes and hammies: (My quads are very developed so we are working on catching up the glutes and hammies)

Glute Extension: 2 sets, 20lbs, 10 reps. You lie face down on a flat bench with your hips at the end, knees on the ground, you lift you legs into a "super man" position while pointing toes, add the weight in between feet and bring legs back into starting position, repeat.

Stiff Legged deadlifts: 3 sets, 40lbs, 12 reps.

Hamstring curls: 2 sets, 25lbs, 12 reps.

Kickbacks: 2 sets, 60lbs (1st set) 40lbs (2nd set), 12 reps

Weekly Food Diary for 8-10-08

Meal 1:

Protein powder 1 1/2 scp
Oatmeal 1/2 cup
Fruit 3 oz
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 2:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 3:

Post Work Out
Protein powder 1 1/2 scp
Rice Cakes 1 1/2

Non-Work Out day
Chicken 4 oz
Br. Rice 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 4:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 oz
Green Veggies
Fish Oil 1tsp

Meal 5:

Lean Beef or Chicken 5 oz
Greens Veggies

Calories: 1249
Protein: 135 grams
Carbs: 112grams
Fats: 29 grams

Alternatives and food tips.

Hey there all!
I kinda wanna hit on diet tips for normal everyday people, because I always talk about competition diets. Before I started to diet for competing I lost a lot of inches by making little changes or replacing things with alternatives. Here are some of them and a look at my normal day of eating.

Ezekiel/spelt Bread: found in the frozen foods section. Instead of using whole wheat bread or multigrain bread I swtiched to ezekiel bread. I used it for sandwhiches, pb and j's etc...

Ezekiel Noodles/spelt: I used this for speghetti. (easy recipe: ground beef cooked up with garlic, onion, salt and pepper, ezekeil noodles, tomato sauce....greeeeat speghetti!)

Natural sandwich meat: I used natural, organic turkey meat for my sandwhiches.

Fat free cheese: I used fat free cheeses in my sandwhiches.

Chips: If I ate chips I ate baked lays or veggie chips.

Tofu: I used tofu in my second meal shake for a "fluffiness" to keep my stomach full for 3 hours.

Almonds: I put a hand full of almonds into my second meal shake for good fats and a nutty flavor.

Fiber: I added about 10 grams more fiber into my diet. (Enzymatics strawberry fiber)

Green Vibrance: I added a green super food called Green Vibrance to my diet. I mixed it with my fiber in mid-day and at my last meal.

Parasite Cleanse: I did a parasite cleanse and actually removed alot of toxins in my body and it helped me digest and absorb everything so much better! I even lost a couple of pounds!

Now what my daily eating habits were from Oct. 2007-Jan. 2008 where I lost 3 inches off my waist:

Meal 1: Protein shake with 1/2 cup of oatmeal or 1 egg 2 egg whites with 4 slices of turkey bacon and 1/2 cup of oatmeal.

Meal 2: Protein shake with 1 scoop of protein, 4 rice cakes, some tofu a hand full of almonds

Meal 3: Turkey sandwhich with 4 slices of turkey, fat free cheese, spicy brown mustard in between two toasted piece of ezekiel bread. A hand full of veggie chips are optional. (greens and fiber)

Meal 4: Same as meal 3. Unless I was training and then it was a protein shake with an apple after my work out.

Meal 5: Turkey chili with a piece of toast, or ground beef on top of a baked potato with fat free cheese, organic butter and a bit of salt. (greens and fiber)

This diet was done while I was in school full time, working 20 + hours a week, and training for muscle gains.

Exercise Do's and Don'ts

Do's and Dont's of Cardio and exercise!

-Don't run or try to embrace another form of low impact cardio. Believe me, your muscle mass and your joints will thank me! Fitness models and other professionals lean towards the "no running" principle because it's known to "eat away" at the muscle you work so hard to gain.

-Don't work against yourself and defeat your progress by running. It takes a lot of energy with no real gains, except for cardiovascular. You can receive cardiovascular benefits from other low impact versions such as using the Elliptical, Nordic Track, Air Stepper, and the Stair Master.
Don't do less than 25 minutes, or more than 45 minutes (unless you are prepping to compete). This "magic zone" between 25 to 45 burns fat as well as keeping your heart rate between 130-140 bpm. If you do more than that your body "hits a plateau" and your body "hits a wall" and you slow/stop your progress.

-Don't focus soley (added in for clarification 8-29-08) on cardio! In order to have that strong, sleek and sexy, muscle tone, you need to focus more on weight training to build it up. Don't do excessive cardio which will "eat away" at your muscle mass.

-Don't overtrain! If you overtrain, your appetite will increase and you will start eating like a 250 pound football player and not a fitness model. Rather do just enough to blast fat, and not to hit a plateau. Again if you overtrain, your body will "lock up" and not allow you to burn the fat off that you need too, because it will reach a state of "shock", thus holding onto the fat.

-Do understand that fitness is a journey to be enjoyed, not a one time event. Like the old adage goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Your body too is a masterpiece in progress. Take it one day at a time, and enjoy the process.

(source)

Chicken Marinade, Chocolate, and stuffsss....

Well, I have found a marinade that I love! And in 12 weeks havent gotten tired of it !

-KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki! Marinade over night and bar-b-que or bake.

What tides me over till cheat day when that chocolate urge hits:

-Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding

Easy brown rice:

-MINUTE Ready to Serve Brown Rice
(Easy Recipe: Combine the brown rice and Starkist Herb and Garlic tuna, heat and eat!)

My Goal for those that want to compete!

Hey everyone!

Well I do have a goal with my blogs, like this one here and the one on blogger (www.nu-ufitness.blogspot.com) but...before that a story...
When I first started getting into fitness and wanting to lose weight, tone up , see my abs etc... I had no clue where to start. I did a fitness model search and came across some profiles on here, on the web in general, and on myspace. I emailed most of them to get feed back and either never heard anything in response or go some advice but they would neeeever really tell me what they did for their work outs and what they ate, how they ate it etc... So with little to no knowledge I went into dieting and exercising...thinking and going off of what those people told me. To me exercise was running and doing crunches, and good/ healthy food was quesadillas and raisin bran! With that I never really saw results and I wanted it so bad that I went into a tail spin for the worse and ended up becoming bulimic.

The point of this story is to say that I want to be a person that has no fear or insecurity about telling people how I got the body I have, because in all honesty the people that I tell actually have to apply the information from my blog to see the results they want. I want others to see what goes into a competitor/models daily regime, workouts, and diet so they dont end up like me and then fiiiinally after 2 1/2 years figuring out that they were going about it the completely wrong way!

I hope that my blogs bring insight and knowledge to those that are just starting out, or others that want to compete. That is my goal... to help and inspire! Not lead on and flaunt what I have for nothing.

God Bless and take care of those bodies and stay natural! Be smart and there really isn't an "easy" button when it comes to competing!

Meagan

Work out log 8-8-2008 Back and Triceps

BACK:

Bent over bar bell row: 2 sets at 40lbs, 10 reps slow and controlled movements

Close Grip Lat Pull Down: 2 sets, 1 set at 80lbs, 2 set at 60lbs. 10 reps slow and controlled with a hold at the end.

High Row on one knee on Free Motion Machine: 3 sets, first set at 80lbs on each side 10 reps, second is the same as the first, third is at 50lbs faster paced till failure.

TRICEPS:

Free Motion Machine (FMM) cable cross tricep ext: 2 sets at 60lbs on each side.

Over head rope extension: 2 sets 60lbs on first, 50 lbs on second 12 reps.

Skull Crusher: 1 set 30lbs till failure.

Work out log 8-6-08 Shoulders and Biceps

SHOULDERS:

Upright row: 3 sets at 40lbs with 8 reps, dropped down to 20lbs and did 6 reps all together.

Delt raises super setted with bent over rows (with pronation): 2 sets 10lbs on delt raises for 12 reps and then bent over rows with 10lbs for 8 reps.

Lat shoulder raises on the free motion machine with 45 degree angle: 2 sets with 30lbs on each side.

BICEPS:

Alternating standing bicep curls: 3 sets, 1st with 20lbs and 12 reps, 2nd with 15lbs 10 reps, 3rd with 10lbs and 8 reps.

Lying down cable bicep curls: (this exercise is amazing because it triggers all of the parts of the bicep!) 3 sets at 20lbs 12 reps

Work out log 8-4-2008 Legs

Hello All! I am so excited about today! I have not barbell squatted since sept of last year and I was only able to do 95lbs for about 4 reps. Well today I have broken that record and am excited to say that I squatted 185lbs 6 times after doing 4 sets of squats with lower weight!!! Here is what I did today:

Warm Up:
10 jump squats

Squats with legs shoulder width apart: 70lbs 12 reps, 1 set

Squats same as above: 95lbs 10 reps, 1 set

Squats same as above: 135lbs 6 reps, 1 set

Squats same as above: 185 6 reps, 1 set!!!!

One legged lunges: 40lbs in each arm (total of 80lbs extra weight) 10 on each leg 1 set.

Plyometric jump squats onto bench: 1-5 jumps with 1 squat at top, 5-10 jumps with increasing squats at the top until 10 reps are completed.

Leg Press: 1 set of 12 reps with 620lbs.

Thank goodness for more carbs this week! It woulda been hard gettin through that work out in 30 minutes without them!

Weekly Food Diary for 8-3-08

Hey Bloggers!
My nutritionist decided to bump my calories up since we have an extra 2 weeks for the North American Championships!! SOOO for one week I will be less sleepy and be able to hit it up harder in the gym! He added fruit and some extra carbs. Proteins and fats stay the same as last week. As well as cardio.


Meal 1:

Protein powder 1 1/2 scp
Oatmeal 1/2 cup
Fruit 3 oz (I choose kiwi because they are really good!)
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 2:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 3:

Post work out
Protein powder1 1/2 scp
Rice Cakes 2

Non Workout Day
Chicken 4 oz
Br. Rice 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Flax Oil 1 tsp

Meal 4:

Chicken 5 oz
Sweet Potato 1 1/2 oz
Green Veggies
Fish Oil 1 tsp

Meal 5:

Lean Beef or Chicken 5 oz
Greens Veggies


1242 calories
163 grams of protein
89 grams of carbs
26 grams of fat

10 sessions of cardio at 50 minutes each.

New Tid Bits I Have Learned Today!

While I was doing cardio this morning I was reading a great fitness magazine.... andI learned all kinds of stuff! Like....

Real Champions:
- Are the ones who made the best series of choices during their off season and contest prep.
-They choose to stay natural, not purchase cheap off-brand products in the off-season, and not gain 40 lbs of fat in the off season.
-They choose to outwork their opponents, and not overindulge in foods that are counterproductive to reacing their objectives.
-They choose to be humble, learn from others, and enjoy the process of getting ready to compete, instead of complaining about the diet.
-And most of all, they choose to do everything within their control to prepare for their contest, and not to worry about variables outside their control.

On Metabolic Rate (better explained that I could do it):
-"Bottom line is that a purely calorie restricted diet lowers your metabolic rate, eats muscle like a kid in a candy store, and causes you to lose your mind!!"
---The solution:
- First, quit worrying about your weight and focus on your diet.
- Second, feed your body the right kind of macronutrients (proteins, carbs, fats) so that it
responds the way you want it to. Every time you eat you stimulate you metabolism, so
eat often.
- Third, supplement the diet with a good vitamin/mineral supplement.

Work out log 8-1-2008 Shoulders and Biceps

Hey guys,

Here is my crazy work out for shoulders and bicpes!

SHOULDERS:

Sitting shoulder press on the free motion machine: first set, warm up presses until failure 50lbs on each side. Second set was 15 reps 70lbs on each side, holding half way down on the last rep for 5 looooong seconds...lol....

Standing shoulder press on the free motion machine while leaning forward: pressing over head with the cables off the arms 2 sets for 12 reps at 70 and then 80lbs on each side. Holding on the last rep for 5 seconds.

Shoulder Press Lying Prone on an exercise ball: Cables off of arms, 2 sets 12-15 reps at 70 lbs on each side, with a hold at the end.

Delt raises lying prone on the exercise ball: 12 lbs in each arm, arms straight out to the side and lifting with the delts, 10 reps with a 10 second hold at the end.

BICEPS:

Close grip bicep preacher curls lying prone on the ball: 15 lbs in each arm rep till failure for 2 sets.

Standing Side hammer curls super setted with regular curls: 2 sets till failure 12lbs in each arm.

I dont do much for biceps because mine are very developed.