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Numbers. They don’t lie. But man if they don’t just absolutely drive me crazy. We have a love-hate relationship you see.

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed. Then I looked at the time and saw it was 4:08 am. Doh! But my mind was reeling. As I tossed and turned and tried to get those last couple hours of sleep in, I was thinking about my clients. This is a downside to having your own business… it’s always there, 24/7. I decided that I would take a new approach when working with them. “To hell with the numbers,” I thought. “Numbers get confusing.” Here’s what I mean:

I don’t think that I have ever had someone come up to me (or probably anyone else for that matter) and tell me that they have the problem of eating too much spinach. Nor have I ever been asked how many oranges one should have at a meal. Portion control all of a sudden, miraculously, doesn’t seem to be an issue when talking about beans and celery. And I almost certainly have not had anyone say “I can’t believe I ate the whole tub of green beans!”

Why don’t we ditch the whole how many grams of carbs, proteins, and fats we should have?

Sound crazy?

I don’t really think it is. In fact, as a dietitian, I’m often asked the question “What do you eat?” or “How many calories do you eat in a day?” To the latter, my response is: “I have no idea.”

I simply eat the right foods and let my body tell me when it wants them and in what amount. Period.

Now the hard part is getting my clients to buy into the idea.

Gyms are full of equipment. Lots of it. So much so that as an employee at, oh…let’s call it Take-Most-Of-Alec’s-Paycheck Fitness, we were instructed to look out for newcomers. They are easy to spot because they walk around in circles with a completely overwhelmed and lost look on their faces. They were our target because that is usually a pretty easy sell (but that’s beside the point). The point is that there was more equipment than they (or we really) knew what to do with. And truthfully, you just don’t need it. Or at least most of it. So below is a bulleted list of equipment and/or exercises that you see going on at gyms all the time. And on them may even be that super ripped guy or that girl with the great legs. This may lead you to believe you can get the same results because they must know what they’re doing, right?

* The preacher curl machine: Want to work your biceps? Try a bent over row, pullup, chinup, cable row, or standing e-z bar curl. The preacher curl puts you in a position where everything is braced. The only muscles doing work are two orange-sized lumps. All of the others I mentioned require core-stability and involve other muscle groups as well. The result? Bigger biceps, a stronger core, and increased calorie burn.
Rule of thumb: If you can perform an exercise while standing instead of sitting, go for it.

*Leg extension / Leg curl machines: I don’t know about you, but in my 27+ years of being on this earth I have never been in a position where I needed to lift an object with my feet towards my knees or butt. Aside from the movement being dumb, its also dangerous because it puts an enormous amount of stress on the knee joint. What to do instead: Squats (of all kinds like sumo, front, goblet, etc), lunges, deadlifts, step-ups, or box jumps. These moves again engage many muscle groups and are functional. For example, have you ever picked anything up off the floor? Thought so.

*Leg press machine: Plain and simple it puts a ton of sheering stress on your knees. It also, again, takes your bodies natural movement out of the equation. As with the leg extension and leg curl machines, try the other exercises I mentioned there in place of the leg press machine.
VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT squat using a Smith machine. This indicates that you know absolutely nothing about what you are doing. Sorry to sound harsh, but just dont do it.

*The tricep pushdown machine: How worthless is this thing? Completely. Hit the dip station instead or try some skull crushers or rope pushdowns or triangle pushups. I personally think dips are best with the triangle pushup coming in at a close second (and man are they hard).

*The treadmill: Not hating on it and there’s really nothing wrong with it. In fact, if you are rehabing from an injury the cushioned belt is great. I just cant stand the things. I run outside. Always. In Indiana the weather is rarely bad enough to prevent me from running outside. I actually especially running on snow because its softer, quieter, and I get to slow down a bit and really enjoy myself. And in the rare occasion the weather is too harsh (think single digits), I just go to the pool and swim or take a spin class instead. Problem solved.

*The seated ab crunch machine: Come to think of it, I hardly do crunches or situps at all anymore. My focus is on my core, not my abs. So my “ab” workouts come in the form of squats, pullups, pushups, cycling (your power comes from your core), swimming, planks of all kinds of variations (my favorites), pallof presses (Google it), and hanging leg raises (these help with the ‘V’ by the way…  that and nutrition of course!). Side planks and pallof presses are super for your obliques. Do these in place of those side bends with a weight in your hand. The spine wasnt built to move like that.

I’m sure I’m missing some. And you guys might not agree with me on these and that’s cool. But through my education and years of training, I’ve picked up on a few things and I think the above list is pretty good.

So to my trainer friends and followers who work out, what do you think? Am I right? Did I miss some? Am I a total moron? Let me know!

I ended my last post with why I don’t think a vegetarian diet should be followed for an extended period of time. I think I said to give it a try for a week, but not for longer. Hmmm, for some reason I hear feathers being ruffled. Ok, fair enough. Let me explain. Goes a little something like this….

“In west Philadelphia, born and raised…” Oops, wrong post.

I’ve learned quite a bit doing this trial period of vegetarianism.

Pros:

1. Ate more fruits and vegetables than I had been before (I ate a bunch before, fyi)
2. Also ate more beans and legumes than I had been before
3. Upped my dairy intake (especially with my Greek yogurt…. #slightlyaddicted)
4. Ate a wider variety of foods and tried many new foods. And lots of soy.

Cons:

1. Ate a bunch of “meat-free” substitutes. These usually came from the frozen section. Pre-packaged and processed. Not good.
2. Have completely turned myself off from tofu for a long time… just cant do it anymore. And ounce for ounce, tofu has significantly more fat than boneless, skinless chicken breast or turkey breast or tilapia.
3. I lost 2 pounds. Wait, isnt losing 2 lbs a good thing?! Let me elaborate below:

                                December 30th                                          January 24th

-Weight:                       166.2 lbs                                                 164.2 lbs
– Fat %:                        12.6                                                         15.1     AAAHHHHH!!!
– Fat mass:                    21.0 lbs                                                   24.8
– Muscle mass:             138.0 lbs                                                 132.4 lbs

Get my drift?

These numbers aren’t entirely accurate as A LOT of it has to do with my hydration status. Although I tried to keep everything as close to the same as possible. Either way, I went in the wrong direction.

So to really sum it all up, I think that a vegetarian lifestyle, done right, is extrememly healthy. But I didn’t really do it right. I did it as I imagined the average American would do it. We are so hardwired into this whole “easy way out” mentality that I did this diet with that in mind. I took the easy way out. Bought up a bunch of “meatless chicken” and “tofurkey” slices. My argument is that baking tilapia, boneless, skinless chicken breast, and ordering fresh sliced lean turkey from the deli counter is just flat out healthier than the fake pre-packaged stuff. Now, my assumption of Americans eating the way I did may not be completely accurate. And I understand that. But I think it’s an interesting perspective to take. Don’t you?

Wow. It’s really been quite an experience so far. No meat, not even so much as a fish stick since Jan 1st. I started this post with “wow” because I have learned much more than I thought I would have. To be honest with you, I figured I would kind of go through the motions and that would be that. I mean, how hard could obstaining from meat for a few weeks be right?

Wrong. I challenge everyone who reads this to try going vegetarian for a week.I’m serious, do it. Longer than that? Nope. And why would an RD say “Nope”. I’ll tell you why.

Check in soon…..

Tomorrow is the official halfway point of my 30 days of going vegetarian. It’s really not so bad. Dinners are by far the most difficult part, but Whole Foods has been a huge help due to them having all kinds of vegetarian alternatives. I picked up some Boca Burgers too. I’ve had them before and they’re “ok”, but thats about it. I dont think I can choke down any more tofu, so I’ve uped my bean intake.

Good news! I turned a corner yesterday and all of a sudden a switch was flicked. The back pain went from constant pain to intermittent sharp shooting pain. But now, it’s all but gone (unless I bend in a few certain ways). Friday I was at about a 60%. I’d say now I’m 90%. So I went swimming today and got in 2,000 pain free yards. I’ll be back on the bike tomorrow and hope to be running by mid-late week.

Tonight for dinner I’m experimenting with another fake chicken thingy from the same brand that I had before. We’ll see. Oh, also, veggie chili is really good. Plenty of beans and tomatoes and of course, cheese and hot sauce.

Still looking forward to getting back to my turkey sandwiches for lunch and chicken/fish dinners though. One more thing before I go… while at Whole Foods, I saw that they have “meatless meatballs”. Am I the only one who thinks that’s just wrong? Didn’t think so.

I’m now on day 11. Temptation has certainly not been absent. Still want my turkey sandwiches and fish/chicken at night. But I’ve found a way of avoiding it and coming up with alternatives. Take for example tonight. I’m doing some Mexican wraps. Starting with Flatout wraps, then adding refried black beans as the base, topping with pico de gallo, hot sauce, 2% reduced fat Mexican cheese, and pre-chopped bell peppers. I baked them and they were great.

But, there has been a bit of a setback in terms of exercise. Unfortunately, I threw out my back and have been essentially immobile for the past week. And for someone who exercises as much as I do, its a bit of a bummer. So the weight and body composition at the end of 30 days may not be as accurate, or as “complete” as I had hoped. Nonetheless, I’m still getting a good perspective into the world of vegetarianism.

I’ll keep you updated as I try different foods.

Ok, so technically this Sunday would be a full week, but I dont want to blog on the weekend. Honestly there isnt a whole lot to report. When I tell people what I’m doing they usually say something like “why” or “sucks to be you”. And yeah, it’s a bit off I guess, but I’m gonna make 30 days.

I think more than anything, I have been craving my turkey sandwiches at lunch and tilapia at night. The snacking really hasnt changed much. I usually have things like fruit, Greek yogurt, nuts, bell peppers and hummus, cheese and crackers. So that’s been fine. Breakfasts are ok too. I usually whip up a couple of eggs and have either oatmeal or whole wheat toast and fruit of some sort. So lunch and dinner are the biggest hangups.

I had a lunch meeting yesterday and had to check the restaurant’s website before going to see what I could get. The result? 2… I had 2 options. Seriously. 2 options. I hardly eat out, so I didnt realize itd be so difficult. If you were to poll vegetarians on their eating habits, I’m willing to bet that they eat at home or make their own meals much more than omnivores.

I also went to Whole Foods to pick up some new stuff. Amy’s veggie burgers? Terrible. Fake buffalo chicken wings? Actually pretty good. They’re all preservative free if you’re wondering. But they are packaged and processed foods, so I wonder how many vegetarians eat this stuff regularly. If so, maybe their diet isnt so great afterall.

One last thing. I’m getting really tired of tofu.

Ok, it’s time for update #1. As the title of the post reads, I’m on day number three of my 30 day vegetarian lifestyle. What have I learned so far? Check below.

1. More Color. I thought that I did a pretty good job before of getting in lots of different fruits and veggies, but now I’m getting even more it seems. Some folks go vegetarian to lose weight, but often falter because they exchange meats for breads, rice, pasta, etc. The calories are often the same, if not more. But I’m a bit different. I like bread, rice, pasta, etc well enough, but I like other foods more. So I’m getting more fiber, fluid, and nutrients from a wide array of fruits and veggies.

2. I dont miss the meat…. yet. I thought this would be hard. I love chicken and fish, but now I’m eating more beans, tofu, seeds, nuts, quinoa, and am definately going maybe a bit overboard with my Greek yogurt obsession. But I’m getting plenty of  protein and feel great.

3. I suspect I will come out of this leaner. It’s simple math really. Eat more nutrient dense, high fiber, water-filled foods and you fill up faster. You just dont take in as much, but feel great. Hmmm….

4. Vegan would be tough. Cheese is a deal breaker for me.

I’ll check back in at the end of a week or so and let you know what else I’m learning.

Look, I’m not a New Year’s Resolution guy. I’m a RIGHT NOW guy. I’m too impatient to wait for January 1st. But this year I’m doing something a little bit different. This is something I’m willing to put off until January 1st for.

Beginning January 1st, I will go lacto-ovo-vegetarian. This means that I will still consume dairy and eggs. This is a very common form of vegetarianism. I will do this for 1 month… 30 days. And I will be updating frequently about my journey. I will start with analyzing my body using my ultra cool professional grade scale and determine my body weight, muscle mass, fat mass, and body fat % at the start, and then again at the the end of 30 days. My exercise regimen and all other factors will remain consistent with what I have been doing. And hey, since it’s December 29th, that’s close enough and I’m already at my scale, so let’s see what we have to start with! Hold on a sec, I’ll brb.

Ok, I’m back. Results are as follows:

Weight:                166.2 lbs
Fat %:                  12.6
Fat mass:              21.01 lbs
Muscle mass:       138.0 lbs

Well, we are just finishing the holiday season, so I guess that’s about right. Oh well, let’s see how this vegetarian thing goes. I’ll keep you all updated on the foods I’m having and how they taste, etc.

Cheer me on! I’m going to miss my chicken and fish and bacon. Ok, just kidding about the bacon.

I originally planned on doing some solid research prior to this post. Really, I did. But running a business all by yourself takes up a pretty good chunk of your time. So, sorry for not having the usual backing of solid scientific research behind this. You’re just going to have to trust me on what I say.

So, processed foods. What are they? How prevalent are they? Are they really that bad for our health?

These are all pretty good questions, huh? Well, I have 2 standpoints on the issue to be honest with you. One side of me says eliminate them! Get rid of ’em! Go back to nature and eat foods the way they were intented to be eaten.

Then there’s this other side of me saying, “Yeah, it’d be great if we could all eat non-processed foods. We’d certainly decrease the prevalence of chronic disease. Health care wouldn’t be such an issue. We’d live longer and healthier lives.”

And I completely belive that. 100%

But it’s not reality. It’s not a truly feasible option at this point. I’m a realist. We just plain old flat out don’t eat like that. So how can we make this work!?

That’s where you come in. I’m calling on you to tell me how YOU eat. I need to be able to identify where we are going wrong. So, I’m recommending each and every one of you to keep a food journal for 1 full week. Yep, even during the holiday season. Write down each and every thing that goes in your mouth. Send it to asmith@fgnutrition.com and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Sam, sorry I didnt get to fully answer your request, but its coming.