Give me some sugar!

I used to be obsessed with avoiding fat in my food consumption. To cure my sweet tooth while sticking to a non-fat diet, I licked lollipops, ate licorice, or chewed gummy anything (e.g., bears, fish). I also sucked on Sour Patch Kids at the movie theater. These candies do not have fat, but they are all loaded with sugar, which I chose to ignore. This bizarre approach to "dieting" continued throughout my adolescence and adulthood. What I failed to realize is that we all need a certain amount of fat in our diets and that sugar—of any kind—can prevent you from losing weight.

The tricky thing about eliminating sugar from your diet is that it has many pseudonyms: sucrose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, and lactose, or common table sugar, corn sugar, fruit sugar, malt sugar, and milk sugar respectively. Pretty much any ingredient with "OSE" as its last syllable is bad news. Don't forget the "TOLs"; maltitol, mannitol, and sorbitol are all sugar alcohols. And of course, corn syrup is sugar, too. Trying to not eat sugar in our society is nearly impossible, but it can be done.

My point of view regarding sugar changed five years ago when I experienced food allergies. I had to limit my diet in order to figure out which foods were causing me serious digestive problems. During the process, I discovered how much sugar I consumed and how it affected my health. I also acknowledged that my favorite non-fat drink—Diet Coke—contained aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar. The combination of the ingredients and the carbonation in the soda was causing constant bloating, occasional pain, and continuous sugar cravings. So I began to change not only what I ate, but how much.

For example, quitting Diet Coke cold turkey was simply not going to happen so I slowly weaned myself off it. Instead of buying two-liter jugs, I purchased cans so I could monitor my intake better. Initially, I limited myself to two cans per day. After about six months, I managed to get down to one can per day. Then one can three times per week. Now I no longer buy Diet Coke for home consumption; it is my treat at the movie theater. I still love that bitter aftertaste, but I no longer need it every day.

I love sugar, but I don't want the problems that come with consuming too much of it. When I examine ingredients now, I look for less than nine grams (preferably five) of sugar per serving. I make exceptions occasionally, but the less sugar I eat the better I look and feel!

AWW – XoXo

P.S. I recently stopped putting any sweetener in my coffee in an effort to further reduce my intake of "fake" sugar. (I sure miss those yellow packets of Splenda!) The next step is eliminating Diet Snapple and to drink only unsweetened tea at all times.

Give me some sugar!

Red Wine: No sugar, no fat, no problem

Although I am not "dieting" during my EMAO experiment, I am slowly changing some of my eating habits. As I explained in my Goodbye Girl Scout Cookies post, I threw away the sugary junk foods in our house. Since I used to refrain from drinking all alcohol four weeks prior to marathons (when I participated in them), I figured that I would have to do the same thing in order to gain the best possible EMAO results. I don't drink heavily, but I enjoy red wine and wine tasting at Vendome Wine and Spirits is one of my favorite activities to do with my husband and our friends. In fact, Costco is having a terrific sale right now on St. Francis RED, a consistent, solid, medium-bodied red blend, but I digress.

Of course I have read the research that states that red wine is good for you in moderation, but I still thought that it was "bad for me." Even though I know red wine contains less sugar than white wine, I assumed that the sugar content was much higher than it actually is. According to the USDA, a 3.5-ounce glass of red table wine contains:

USDA Red Table Wine Ingredients (partial list)

Wine Intro explains that the carbohydrates are probably another form of alcohol since the USDA cites "carbohydrate, by difference" meaning that the total carbs were calculated by subtracting all other ingredients.

Does this enlightening news mean I will drink a glass of wine every day? Of course not. But I am thrilled that red wine has zero fat, minimal sugar, and as for the calories, well an excellent glass of vino is worth 87 grams of energy!

AWW – XoXo

P.S. For more information about wine, Wikipedia Wine is a good place to start; be sure to check out the numerous resources at the bottom of the page.

Red Wine: No sugar, no fat, no problem

Numbers You Need to Know

When you are embarking on an exercise and diet program, there are many numbers that you need to know in order to track your results. Yes, your weight matters, but it is not always an ideal record of your progress. For example, you should measure your bust, waist, hips, thighs, and arms before you begin because often you will lose inches before you lose pounds. Buy a tape measure and have a tailor show you how to measure yourself properly (most people don't know how).
Other numbers to know include:

• Body Fat
• Fat Burning Zone
• Body Mass Index
• Daily Caloric Intake
• Your "Real Age"

Body Fat
Body fat can be measured a number of ways; the most accurate is by immersing yourself in a hydrostatic weighing tank, but most of us don't have one of those giant machines in our home. I tried this method once in college as part of an Exercise Science lab class. Many gyms use skinfold calipers to measure body fat, but this technique can be very inaccurate (as much as +/- five percent). If you have loose skin, the caliper can result in a higher body fat reading. The most convenient and more accurate method to use at home is bioelectrical impedance technology. Using a low electrical signal, a scale measures body fat when you place your bare feet on the sensors. The signal travels faster through lean muscle and slower through fatty tissue. I own the Tanita Body Fat Monitor scale.

Fat Burning Zone
There are two ways to figure out your fat burning zone (i.e., target heart rate needed to burn fat): the hard way and the easy way. If you like math, I recommend doing it yourself and using the standard Karvonen Formula. You will need to know your resting heart rate so take your pulse before getting out of bed in the morning. (Your heartbeat increases the minute you begin engaging in activity.) If you cannot multiply without help, then you should try this Target Heart Rate calculator. I am not a fan of the latter version because I plugged in my numbers, and I know from computing the actual formula that the simplified version is slightly inaccurate.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
Your BMI is a measure of body fat based on your weight and your height. This BMI calculator does the work for you, and the explanation on the left shows if you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. Check out the BMI tables for more detailed information.

Daily Caloric Intake
I don't like counting calories, but it is important to know how many you should ingest when you are trying to lose weight. You may be surprised to discover that you need more calories if your exercise routine is vigorous. Here is a great Calorie Calculator that takes into account your gender, age, exercise level, and goal. I found another fantastic Daily Calorie Intake Calculator that breaks down what percentage of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats you should have in your diet based on your goal. I also recommend this daily calorie chart for men and this daily calorie chart for women.

Your Real Age
The "What's Your Real Age?" test compares your biological age to your real age, which means elements such as your health, habits, relationships, diet, and fitness are included to compute how old you really are. Then the test shows you how to improve your score or lower your age. Even though it takes about ten minutes, the test is worth taking. It turns out that my real age is my biological age: 37.7 years old. Some of the many things I can do to become younger include increase my good cholesterol score, avoid drug interactions, ease my headaches, and stop using my cell phone while driving.

I hope these numbers help you as you plan your workout regimen. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. While I do call people on my cell phone when I'm driving, I always put them on speakerphone. I should earn (or lose) some points for that choice.

Numbers You Need to Know

My apologies to #2

When I was in high school, I decided to enter the science fair by conducting a nutrition experiment with two white mice. I named them #1 and #2 after my favorite characters from my favorite Dr. Seuss book Cat in the Hat. The experiment was simple: #1 consumed a healthy diet of nuts, seeds, fruit, peanut butter, and water while #2 ate Doritos and Hershey's chocolate and drank Coca-Cola. The mice lived in separate cages.

Initially, there was no change in their behavior so I thought my hypothesis—junk food can kill you—was wrong. However, after about four days, #2 started acting hyper. He suffered from insomnia. He squeaked constantly, which made my mother ask every day when the experiment was supposed to end. I suspected the caffeine from the soda and candy had build up in his system. He continued his frenetic behavior for two weeks until suddenly he crashed. Around day 20, he became lethargic. He stopped eating. His eyes glossed over. His skin appeared blotchy as pieces of his hair fell out. He only drank when absolutely necessary.


Even though the experiment was supposed to go for 28 days, I stopped on day 24. I didn't want to kill #2, and he was clearly dying. I am happy to report that he made a full recovery on the outside (who knows what damage there was to his internal organs) after resuming a normal, healthy diet for two weeks. I was not allowed to keep the mice, but I made sure that #1 and #2 went to happy homes (i.e., fellow classmates who adored rodents).

The scary thing is ... how many people in this country consume that kind of diet every day? Soda, candy, chips. Like most Americans, I grew up eating that crap. If you read my Girl Scout Cookie post, you already know how much I love candy, and I like chips, too. I was able to wean myself off Diet Coke a few years ago after drinking two cans a day for years. I still allow myself to have one occasionally even though carbonation doesn't agree with me. Unlike #2, my diet has never consisted of 100% junk, but I think the next time I crave Diet Coke (I always want one at the movies with my popcorn), I will remember that distant look of despair in #2's eyes. I might even pass on candy, too. As for chips, well, I'm working on it.

I'm sorry I tortured you #2; I hope you lived a long and happy life.

AWW – XoXo

My apologies to #2