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Hey Rabbi Bendelstein, Thin Mints Still SUCK!

I don't really care if someone forgot to stick the "kosher symbol" on Thin Mints but they really are kosher. Because just like Hebrew National Hot Dogs, which really are kosher but also really suck, Thin Mints really really suck. In a land of increasing obesity and diabetes, it simply sickens me to see schoolgirls used as pawns to sell complete junk food. I bitched about this awhile ago but after seeing this New York Times article I'm angry all over again. And here's why: there's nothing "trans-fat free" about partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil. This is dis-ingenuine labeling at best. Think I'm a scrooge? Fine. Go enjoy your nutritrionally void and artificial ingredient-laden hunk of 43.75% fat.

It's The New 'Gold Standard' for Obesity

Shame on McDonald's for this commercial. And shame to the athletes who took the money to appear in it. This new allegedly hot, "I'm eatin' chicken for breakfast" phenom comes in the form of a fried chicken with biscuit sandwich that packs insane amounts of fat, saturated fat, and chemicals, including partially hydrogenated fats, albeit in trace enough amounts that McDonald's can claim its food is trans fat free. You too can be like these super athletes. Simply eat a fried chicken wafer and drown it with a huge coffee laden with cream and eight sugars. Or....repeat after me, "Piece of fruit, Builder's Bar." Got it? Get it? Good.

A Big Shame

So what did I miss while I was on vacation last week? Well, I stepped into a grocery store and saw Kirstie Alley on the front cover of the National Enquirer looking heavier than ever. Yes, I considered the source and didn't buy the magazine, but this has been on my mind ever since. And since the Enquirer doesn't see fit to include any print articles on its Web site, here is a blog post regarding this story, followed up by several hilarious comments, including some imaginative poster names such as "Curly Fry."

But I'm not laughing, and I'm not going to diss on Kirstie. Even though I'm not a fan, she is a human being and must be going through some enormous pain (no pun intended!), whether she is aware of it or not. I just think it's a huge shame. Kirstie is clearly a role model for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people around the world. So she takes goodness knows how much money from Jenny Craig, revitalizes her career, and then what...sends out a message that losing weight is impossible? I would assert the following:

• Yes, being thin is difficult, but...
• Being really obese or even morbidly obese is difficult as well
• It's mostly a head game (i.e., if you don't change your thought processes, you will remain overweight)
• It's mostly (i.e., 70%) about what you eat, and not about working out (and I love to work out)
• Americans are painfully ignorant about nutrition, and this ignorance permeates all economic and social classes
• Sure, it may be cheaper to eat crappy food like McDonald's, which could explain why lower income people are more disproportionately obese, but I think this is a cop-out as well.
• Why is it a cop out? Most of the major grocery chains offer private label frozen entrees that are reasonably good for you, and are dirt cheap. Safeway, for example, has its "Eating Right" line of frozen entrees. For Safeway card holders, these meals, which average around 300-350 calories each, are perpetually on sale for $2 each. Want to create your own Jenny Craig diet? Easy. Eat three of these entrees per day, plus a salad with tomatoes (yes, tomatoes!), a big fat apple, and a Balance Bar. Total calorie intake? Somewhere around 1500 calories per day. Most people will lose weight with this regimen. And they'll be incredibly bored. Tough shit. Oh, and total cost per day? Ten to eleven bucks per day. Oh, and don't forget the eight glasses of water. That would be good old fashioned tap water.
• Americans fill themselves with myths like having a slow versus a fast metabolism, having bad genes, etc. This isn't the case for most of us. What do I base this on? I'm old and have a lot of wisdom. Also, I read a great book a few years ago that I highly recommend, "The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan," by Barbara Rollins. Basic premise: a calorie is a calorie, and a calorie not burned is a calorie gained. Figure out your burn (Rollins offers a rough guide for doing so), and figure out your diet, preferably with bulky foods that increase satiety.
• I'm not sitting in the cheap seats here. I lost 40 pounds several years ago. So how did I become so heavy in the first place? Easy. My first job working in a company versus a PR firm, with its own cafeteria, had me eating bacon cheeseburgers and fries every day. My weight crept up to nearly 220 pounds, my waistline expanded to 38", and my blood pressure got too high.
• This issue is costing me and it's costing you. Every day and in every way. Your health insurance. Your taxes. Read the papers. Read the recent Time cover story regarding childhood obesity. 
• This is serious serious stuff. And I'm as serious as a heart attack regarding this post. I truly find this epidemic disturbing. Even in health conscious and affluent Incline Village, Nevada, I saw a noticeable increase in overweight people on the beach and in grocery stores compared to just a few years ago.
• And no, I'm not tired of reading about this stuff. How about you?

Do You Care If You Eat Antibiotics?

Even before the latest beef recall, I've become increasingly concerned about levels of antibiotics in our food supply. And yet, I'm a notorious cheapskate when it comes to buying meats and poultry. A favorite ritual is going through the weekly circulars and stocking up the freezer with good quality meats. But my previous definition of good quality encompassed USDA Choice or Angus. It didn't necessarily need to mean antibiotic free or organic. But in light of increasing numbers of articles discussing increased immunity to antibiotics combined with the lack of investment by pharmaceutical companies in developing new antibiotics (it makes less business sense to spend on R&D in this area than on the next super drug to fight heart disease, for example), I wonder if, similar to purchasing compact fluorescent light bulbs, we shouldn't do our part by purchasing and eating more "clean" meats.

The problem? Doing so can cost a lot of money. Hey, I like Whole Foods Market, and one can find some reasonably priced food there. Also, Whole Foods takes extreme measures to ensure its produce and meats are the very highest quality. One doesn't NEED to buy organic meats at Whole Foods...unless she or he wants to do so. Why? All meats sold at Whole Foods are antibiotic free -- period. At conventional supermarkets, such is not the case.  But the meats at Whole Foods can be astronomically priced. Case in point: pork tenderloin at $11/pound. Crazy! This is why I believe in good old fashioned competition. And yes, it's why I peruse the circulars like a crazed loony.

So when Mollie Stone's Market features Eel River grass fed organic ground beef for $4/pound, I'm there. When Nob HIll now features a new line of organic foods, called "Full Circle," and puts an organic Full Circle branded organic strip steak on sale at $10.99/pound. I'm there. Heck, in a moment of weakness I'll even pay $7/pound for organic ground bison at Mollie Stone's. But, the next time Foster Farms whole chickens go on sale for 69 cents/pound....well, I MAY not be there (for me, that price point is hard to resist). However, I did buy some Rocky Jr. (antibiotic free, but not organic) boneless/skinless breasts last night.

Want to get scared....err...I mean, read more on this topic? Click here.

The Anti-Gym--No "Chubbies" Allowed

So...where do you stand on this? The reason I ask: When I first heard about The Anti-Gym, with two facilities located in the Denver area, I thought it was funny. A trainer at our local gym told us about this gym catering to what he thought was a very small cadre of fanatics. In order to get in, you have to fill out a fairly extensive form and...I think...be interviewed. You are initially weighed in. If you deviate too significantly from your weight, you can face haranguing from a group of peers, which might include having donuts thrown at you. 50 minutes of group exercise 3x/week is the main drill. They say you can't do any more. And if you really deviate from your target weight, they can kick you out of the club. Sounds very interesting. But...but:
1) I think this TV spot is horrendous. Sure I'm a bit of a size-ist, but come on...this is brutal.
2) Go to the AntiGym site. Do we really need all the misogynistic photos?
3) Why are these folks in the business of selling food, helping concoct cocktails, advocating that hey, it's OK if you smoke a bit of pot. What??!

And by the way, are they really catering to a small cadre of fanatics? Apparently they regularly run TV ads on the local Denver stations. And the club owner has been featured on national TV numerous times. I'm all for political incorrectness, but IMHO, this is a bit over the top.

Quote of the Day

...As loudly delivered by Pacific Athletic Club spin instructor "John J." during a particular intense moment in his 6 a.m. class this morning:

"Hey, if you feel like crap, don't let anyone else know. Just cover it up. And remember...it doesn't matter how you feel, it's how you look...And you look marvelous!"

Lose weight now, ask me how!

I'm always in search of new weight loss methods....actually weight maintenance would be a more apt term. Losing weight is much easier than maintaining it. With warmer temperatures coming, thoughts naturally turn to cheeseburgers and booze. How does one slay this two-headed devil? Easy! Simply click here!