1687The Simple Reason We're Fat! Lazy?

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Oct. 8, 2003

 

 

The Simple Reason We're Fat!

by John McGran
eDiets Editor-in-Chief


Yes, yes... I know FAT is a button-pushing word. However, please keep
in mind: fat is by no measure a 4-letter word. So let's stop
empowering the word and allowing it to make us feel uncomfortable,
angry and ashamed.

It's a sad fact that 6 out of every 10 Americans are overweight or
obese. Despite losing 25 pounds over the past three months with the
Atkins Nutritional Approach, I remain fat. Sure, I am a lot better
off than I was when I started my low-carb lifestyle -- and I do
intend to drop the other 15-20 pounds weighing me down mentally and
physically -- but at 5"7" and 199 pounds, I remain pleasantly
plump... big-boned... "healthy"... or whatever phrase you may want to
use to replace the word fat.

OK, before I go any further, I feel the need to stress: it's not my
intent to preach, lecture or belittle. I simply want you and I to
accept our situation so we can react and slim down to a healthier
weight.

So what is the real reason we're fat? In plain words: it's because we
eat too much and we're lazy. Ouch... hurts I know. But think about
it. Mr. Bad Food had discussed supersized portions time and again.
And I know firsthand, it's far too easy to blow off a workout than it
is to actually find time for one!

If I had stuck to my workout program -- 3 days of treadmill, 3 days
of Soloflex "weight" training -- I would probably be at or near my
goal weight. It pains me to admit this, but I have been OFF the
program more than ON during my three months of dieting.

I'm sure many of you can relate. Get me down the basement stairs and
there's a darn good chance I'll finish my workout. However, offer me
the slightest excuse -- out of town on business... at the Fair... on
vacation... I'm too tired!... -- and it's bye-bye sweat and fitness,
hello couch and TV.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of chewing the fat with Stewart
Smith. You probably don't know Stew from Adam, so I'm gonna tell you
a little about this man whose life revolves around fitness... top-
notch fitness... the kind of fitness that can mean life or death.

The personal trainer/author is a former Navy SEAL. He's also a guy
who likes an occasional beer. And he's here today to tell you how you
can have your beer (mixed drink or glass of wine, too) and keep a 6-
pack gut!

Stew bills himself as "the personal trainer to the heroes of
tomorrow." He blames the mushrooming plague of obesity on our overall
laziness.

"We're not adding exercise... and our food portions are way out of
whack," he notes.

"It's a simple equation: you don't exercise you're gonna gain weight."

What inspired Mr. Bad Food to give Stew a call, then a listen? It was
an eye-catching PR piece that proclaimed, "Keep Your Six-Pack... And
Drink It Too!"

I like my beer. I usually save it for Thursday night bowling or a
weekend sporting event, but there's rarely a week without beer for
Mr. Bad Food. After speaking to Stew, I no longer have a fear of
developing an unsightly beer belly (and no, it's not because I
already have one... ha ha).

Stew says, "I drink beer and you can see six of my abdominal muscles.
What most people call 'beer bellies' are actually 'inactivity
bellies.'"

So how can you have your beer and a toned belly too? Don't allow
yourself the treat until you've burned off the calories you intend to
consume.

For me, 30 minutes on the treadmill equals about 240 calories... and
240 calories just happens to equal a couple of regular beers. Opt for
the lighter choices and you can enjoy an extra can, bottle or draught!

"You don't have the honor of drinking a beer at the end of your day
unless you've exercised," Stew advises.

Stew has found a great outlet for his love of beer and exercise. He
was recently named national fitness director of the United States
Beer Drinking Team. OK, I hear you laughing. But the USBDT is an
honest-to-goodness organization. You can check it out at
www.usbdt.org. For more on Stew and his expert approach to great
fitness, go to StewSmith.com. Here you'll find a lot of inspirational
messaging and the secret to Stew's Beer & Barbells Workout. But be
warned: Stew's workouts are aimed more for the Serious Stans than
they are for the Couch Potato Petes among us.

Stew, who says he sports a 32-inch "beer belly," promises to serve up
a challenging workout that requires no pricey gym membership. Of
course that's exactly what we offer here at eDiets too. For a few
extra dollars a month, eDieters can add on our fitness program. And
let me tell you, eDiets chief fitness pro Raphael Calzadilla (a
former Mr. Connecticut who recently finished second in his class at a
New York drug-free bodybuilding championship) can personalize a
workout program that'll get you off the couch and on the road to
muscles in no time.

If you are already an eDiets member, click here to see what we have
to offer. Not an eDieter but interested in shaping up while you slim
down? Start today with a free diet profile.

The bottom line: YES, you can reward yourself with the occasional
beer or good treat, but NO, you cannot slim down and tone up if you
take in more calories than you work off.

Hey... Mr. Bad Food suddenly realized something. I've written this
column to psych myself into returning to a regular workout program
(devised by none other than Raphael himself) to kick-start my idling
weight loss program. Hopefully, I've helped you too find the
motivation you need to get back on track to the shape you want!

Thanks Stew... and thank you, the readers, for inspiring me to fight
the good fight! I'll never be a Navy SEAL, but I did get to watch the
trained seals at Sea World this past weekend. :o)

NUTTY NEWS!

Headline: Caffeinated sausage to keep beer drinkers awake!

Meat of the story: Visitors to Germany's famous October Beer Festival
will be kept awake this year with the help of a power sausage --
called the Breaker -- stuffed with caffeine.

"The Breaker sausage picks you up like an espresso," says butcher
Johann Drexel, inventor of the juiced-up sausage that contains 10
percent fat, vitamins B1 and B6 as well as caffeine and taurine. The
article notes that caffeine stimulates circulation, while taurine
allows to body to absorb it faster.

Man, if that isn't just what the world needs more of: wide-awake
drunks who can gobble a few sausages then stick around to suck up a
couple more cold ones before heading for home!

READER FEEDBACK

In response to a recent column -- Comfort & Joy: My Top 10 Diet
Foods!, Sue A. Cox writes: I make up 12 small (half-cup) servings of
sugar-free JELL-O in different flavors in reusable plastic containers
each week. I pack these with our low-calorie lunches as my "sweet
treat." Satisfies my need for something tasty, smooth and creamy and
sweet. The cost is low and only takes 15 minutes to do enough for the
week for hubby and me.

I loved your article Comfort & Joy: My Top 10 Diet Foods! I started
my Atkins way of life about 5 weeks ago and have already lost 21
pounds. Another 30-35 and I too will start the maintenance program.
Just wanted to throw a food your way though that I think is just
about the most perfect Atkins food there is... I don't know how
people go without pork rinds. LOL! Anyway there's the obvious: eating
pork rinds straight out of the bag. But there are so many other
things to do. Pork rinds topped with a little hot sauce is a great
snack, and another is pork rinds topped with melted butter, cinnamon
and Splenda. I know that sounds gross but you HAVE to try it before
making that assumption. I also powder pork rinds and use it as a
breading for anything: chicken, pork, fish and even deep-fried
veggies (like mushrooms and zucchini). It's even better breading if
you mix it with grated Parmesan cheese first. If you haven't tried
these things then your Atkins diet is really going to improve once
you do.
Scott R.

The Comfort & Joy: My Top 10 Diet Foods article was a lifesaver to
me! Diet A&W root beer with a little heavy cream stops my craving for
ice cream and for something sweet! It tastes great! I will try Diet
Slice next to mimic a Creamsicle. Russell Stover's low-carb pecan
patties are so good. When I am eating them I savor the flavor and
can't believe they taste as good as a real "turtle" but without the
guilt. I love to crunch and another one of my FAVORITES is the "fried
cheese" from Michelle. I have made and served these at parties and
they are a hit! This article has inspired me to create a cheesecake
that would be allowed on the Atkins diet. I'm on way to the grocery
store to pick up the ingredients right now! Thanks for the
inspiration, ideas and support. I look forward to your articles.
Since July I have lost 18.5 lbs.
Jane

Just an observation: I just returned from 2 weeks in a Central Asian
country. Many people walked where they were going. Food was plentiful
but no fast food at all. I saw exactly one fat person the entire time
I was there. That's no exaggeration. When I got off the plane in the
U.S. airport, it was full of fat people. Ummmm... I wonder what THAT
means?
Susan B.

I read your Weak Stomach? Don't Read This! article today and I
noticed an entry by someone named Stew C. who mentioned several
Chicago food items. Here's an excerpt: "The Original Chicago-style
Hot Dog: Take a good old Vienna beef dog and load it with a variety
of garden delights like tomatoes, relish, peppers, onions, ketchup
and mustard." I've lived in Chicago for 20+ years. There is no way
this Stew guy is from Chicago. I believe there is a law in the City
of Chicago that forbids ketchup on a real Chicago hot dog. There's a
place called SuperDawg that's been in Chicago for 50 years. According
to their website, a standard Chicago hot dog has: kosher pickle,
celery salt, mustard, onion and relish. And here is an excerpt from
the SuperDawg site: "A note about Chicago hot dogs: order ketchup and
prepare to be mocked by anyone present, including the folks taking
your money. When forced by traumatic circumstance to order a dog with
ketchup, most Chicagoans will loudly explain to anyone
listening 'sorry, they don't know any better.' On this point,
SuperDawg will cave in to the pressures of market capitalism by
offering ketchup packets (when pressed) but refusing to apply ketchup
to their product in any way." Sorry, I just had to set the record
straight!
Peg M.

Peg, you weren't the only one...

I have a problem with your article. A person wrote about Chicago-
style hot dogs and said that you put CATSUP on a CHICAGO-STYLE hot
dog!!! That is TOTALLY FORBIDDEN on ANY Chicago hot dog I have eaten,
and I LIVE in Chicago. Most places will LAUGH at you if you even ask
for catsup, even if you say you want it on your fries! The scientific
explanation for the no catsup thing is that the sweet taste of the
catsup cancels out the tart of the hot dog, so if you put catsup on
your hot dog you will taste nothing. I just thought you would like to
know.
Lisa B.

For a long while now I have been on a weight loss plan and have lost
about 130 pounds. One of my favorite things to eat is crunchy/salty
things, and sometimes that old air-popped corn just doesn't do it. So
here is my substitute: take about 4 regular-sized corn tortillas and
place them on a microwave-safe dinner plate and spray them with a
spritz of cooking spray. I like the garlic kind. Turn on the
microwave to high for one minute, rotate the plate a half turn, cook
one minute again, repeat. After two repeats, flip them and begin
again until the tortillas begin to turn brown. When they are still
warm, break the tortillas into chunks and dip into salsa. If you
desire, salt them while damp from the spray. This snack has saved me
from the high-fat 7-Eleven midnight runs a few times!
Tammy

Well, until next week, the fridge door is closed. But if you have any
questions and/or comments -- even a tasteful joke or story, a Hall of
Shame nominee, or a great recipe to share -- feel free to write me,
eDiets editor-in-chief John McGran, at john@ediets.com.

Are you ready to sink your teeth into a healthy new lifestyle... one
that will help you drop weight and improve your health? eDiets offers
a choice of 15 different diets, including the Atkins Nutritional
Approach, ZonePerfect and the Shape Up! Plan inspired by Dr. Phil
McGraw. To give us a try simply click here and fill out a free
profile.