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Fergus Falls "Fat-Shaming" columnist get fired and a taste of what it feels like to be the one judged and alientated

Below is a section from the New York Post - Found here 

Columnist gets canned for fat-shaming airline passenger

By Joshua Rhett Miller

February 21, 2017

"A newspaper in Minnesota has parted ways with a fat-shaming columnist who detailed his recent experience flying next to an overweight passenger — saying airlines should consider selling “tickets by the pound.”

Alan Linda, an unpaid columnist for the Fargus Falls Daily Journal, has sounded off on a wide range of topics during his 30 years writing for the newspaper — politics, his children, telephone companies and appliances, to name a few — but his cringe-worthy Feb. 10 column, on sitting next to a 300-pound Georgia man during a flight, will be his last."

You may have heard of the Trojan Horse 

but have you ever seen a "Trojan Jack-Ass"?

I read the column and I felt it was very mean spirited and also quite cowardly. Making fun of someone because of the way they look is pathetic, but if you’re going to do it, at least have the guts to do it to their face. It’s worse thinking that this “300-plus guy” had no idea of how mean Alan Linda was and probably even thought he was a nice guy. Maybe even a new buddy. Then he finds out his “new buddy” was only nice to him so he could make fun of him in his column.
I’ve experienced several levels of cruel in this world but when someone is laughing inside at someone while being “fake-nice” is one of the lowest of the low. I call people like him a “Trojan Jack-Ass”. When you first meet them you think, “Hey a friend! This is a nice surprise” But once you let your guard down the “ass-door” opens, painfully revealing their true and nasty intentions. I kind of feel bad for Alan Linda for losing his column. It’s harsh to lose something after one mistake, but perhaps this wasn’t a one-time issue. Besides losing his column, he is also taking a lot of heat from the press and social media. He’s being ridiculed, mocked, alienated and judged. With a bit of poetic justice, Alan Linda is getting a taste of what it feels like to be 300 lbs. Well, at least they didn’t “Trojan Jack-Ass” him.


Here's the article if you' like to read it;

Taking notice of the size of people in today’s world

By Alan Linda

Have you noticed the size of people lately? Of course, none of us from the post World War II era can help but notice that kids are a lot taller these days. But people in general are bigger. Wider. Thicker. Got huge belts. No holes left in them. Okay, I give up. I’m trying real hard here not to use the F word.

Fat! Not that other F word. Although this one’s bad enough.

I was on an airplane not too long ago, seated on one of three seats. Guess who my seat partners were? The one on my left was so big, I couldn’t get the arm rest down. If he didn’t weigh 300-plus pounds, then I don’t weigh 165 pounds.

I tried. The arm rest. Tried to get it down. He looked at me, kind of grimaced. And when a 300-plus guy has you effectively pinned in and you can’t even run for it, when they grimace at you, your first thought is: “Oh, man. He looks hungry.”

Not too long ago, I learned that my local theater still had all the old 30s-era seats, which were removed sometime in the late 50s. I installed a couple of short rows of them in the basement. Then I took them out again. There’s a problem — hardly any of my company fit into them. Which was why the movie theater took them out. Hard to sell popcorn dripping with butter to people who already can’t squeeze their big, fat — ummmmm — self into the seat.

Mostly I haven’t had to depend on speed to handle big guys who grimace at me. The Lord gave me a mouth, and that’s usually enough to get me out of jams that my mouth got me into in the first place. So I decided I’d better talk to this guy. (Find out if he’s hungry, at least.)

It turns out he was from Georgia, and couldn’t wait to get back home to find out if the tornado that tore up that part of Georgia got his home. He did seem mostly upset about the local Walmart store getting destroyed. “Thet torndo rapped the saling raght offen the play-us.”

Huh? I’m getting deaf in my old age — or as the old folks in Iowa used to say it — “deef,” — so it was impossible with the din of the airplane in the background to know for sure what it was he just said.

So I smiled and nodded. Then I shook my head side to side, just to make sure I had the proper reaction included. He seemed to think I was sympathetic, and I seemed to think maybe he wouldn’t steal my airline peanuts if and when they ever brought any.

He then said: “Mebb’et’s true thet ol’ roooov’re go-on. I jest hop’n my tars din’t git hurt.”

Okay, I had to think on this one a while. I decided to throw out a feeler and replied: “Might they-of?” (See how quick I pick up a foreign language?)

So he proceeded to describe his pick-up truck, upon which he had just spent an undisclosed amount of money in new tars. (Tires.) He went on to muse that maybe they were almost big enough to float, should the tornado have dropped that much rain.

About then the stewardess delivered peanuts. I offered him mine, but he was so upset with his tars that he couldn’t hardly have et his own.

He got out his cell phone and showed me a picture of his tars; then he showed me a picture of his store. True enough, the ceiling was indeed gone, gone, gone.

He had to get up once to go to the bathroom. You know the size of the bathroom at the back of the plane? And the door into it ain’t hardly a foot wide. I kind of wanted to foller him back air, watch if that worked, him getting hisself in there. (You gotta love that language.)

In the meantime, I ate my peanuts afore he were back.

If airlines need to make more money, they should sell tickets by the pound.

Don't Make Losing Weight your Resolution for 2017

With New Year’s quickly approaching I am reminded of my annual “lose weight” resolutions during my obese lifetime.

I want to persuade you to NOT make losing weight your resolution for 2017.

In those B.S. years, Before Spiking, I used to struggle with dieting and my weight to the brink of insanity but each New Year provided me a fresh shot of hope. I’d say, “this will be the year I lose weight and become the new me”.  

Well, you may say, “isn’t hope a good thing?”

Yeah no, well at least not when it comes to dieting. What you need is enduring faith.

Unfortunately, my new hope would only last a few months. Then predictably, I’d gain all the weight back and more. Even worse was the damage done to my self-image of yet another failed diet.

 

I’m not alone, each year, about half of us are coerced into making an Annual Resolution of Failure. ARF for short. I don’t want to be a “downer” or crush your hopes but this is for your own good. According to Forbes, only 8% succeed in their resolution and one out of three will make losing weight their ARF for 2017.

Please, do not be one of them!  

Diets don’t work! The POWER of a New Year’s Resolution can't change that fact.

To be clear, I’m not saying it’s bad to have personal goals nor am I saying that it’s impossible to lose weight. Heck, I’m not even saying, don’t have a resolution. I actually have one to share with you at the end of my rambling.

I am saying that, in order to succeed in those lifelong struggles like, obesity. We need to be inspired from within. That is the foundation for any life altering transformation. Goals influenced from the outside like a New Year’s Resolution will not have the firm foundation necessary to hold us steadfast when our old world and new world collide.  

The truth is, “all things are possible” including a life altering physical transformation. I am living proof of that. When I went from a lifelong struggle with obesity to not just losing over 100lbs and not just maintaining that weight loss but actually losing another 30lbs over the past 12 years.

By the year 1 B.S. I had resigned myself to a life of obesity. I was tired of fighting and decided to just accept my fate. The following year two events impacted my self-image like nothing ever had before. My first son was born and I also accepted Christ as my savior. I realized that both Jesus and my baby boy loved me no matter how much I weighed and I allowed myself to be loved. It sounds simple but before this, I don’t think I felt worthy of being loved. Joy, however, can only last so long. The shame and guilt started coming back with the realization that due to my genetics my son could very well struggle with his weight just like me. Also, I was well on my way to being 400lbs and I was already pre-diabetic with high blood pressure at 26 years-old. So how could I then be the father I wanted to be for him and how long would I be on this Earth for him?  At that moment I decreed to “lose weight or bust”. I actually wrote that on the cover of my food journal.

Well as they say, “old habits die hard” and “old diets suck hard”.

So, of course, I began dieting like I had many times before, it should be simple right? “Eat less and exercise more”, yeah not so much.  I eventually plateaued just like every diet I had ever been on. Even after a few long weeks of struggling with my nemesis, I refused to quit. However, I was beginning to lose hope along with my mind. Then God came to the rescue. After not finding help or answers from diet books and personal trainers I asked God to give me wisdom and guidance. Then while digging into my Bible,  a verse jumped out at me.

 

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Maybe it was because I was losing my mind or because I was at the end of my rope, but I felt that verse stoke the fire of my inspiration. I believed it with every part of my soul.

All things are possible with God!

Then I heard God tell me to “Give in”. I knew immediately he was referring to my food cravings and the “junk food” I thought I surrendered forever. He gave me permission to splurge! Which to a dieter is kind of a big deal, because that's kind of like bingeing and the opposite of what I thought I needed to do.

I decided that the next day, which was a Saturday would be my Sabbath from dieting and exercise. I’d “give in” and eat anything and everything I wanted and had been craving. It was my first weekly Spike Day and it was legendary.

Dieting and not losing weight is what I call “Diet Hell” and the wisdom to "give in" freed me!

The point I want you to take away from this is not just that Spike Day’s are awesome but, no matter how you choose to lose weight it has to be a doable long-term lifestyle and not a diet.

My inspiration came from within, I wanted this more than anything. I refused to quit which meant I could NOT fail. You will have adversity but you won’t fail unless you quit.

A transformation has to happen on the inside before it does on the outside. So make your 2017 Resolution about loving and accepting who you are and knowing that you are and have always been worthy of unconditional love and respect.

Then, if losing weight is something you desire, you will have the patience and faith to build and unshakeable foundation.

"It's always going to be about the weight"

In the NBC show “This is Us” Kate, who has struggled with obesity her entire life, makes a very true and depressing statement to her friend who's attempting to get her to focus on something other than dieting and she says to him, ”It’s always going to be about the weight”.

Those who are obese know this feeling all too well.  For when you are obese you feel constantly judged by everyone, even those who love you. Obese man/woman then becomes how we define ourselves and that identity warps the world around us.
We perceive kindness as pity or a cruel joke. We hear laughter from the "cool" group and assume it's another fat joke. We are also afraid to eat anything except salad in public, and walking into a gym filled with "fitness people" is like wearing Clinton t-shirt at a Donald Trump rally.  No matter where we go we can’t escape the feeling of being judged.

It’s like walking around with a huge zit on your nose, you can’t hide it! We believe the only thing anyone will notice about us is our weight and no one will ever see the person we are on the inside through all of this fat.

But it's not true.
I know now that those perceptions are false and that most people are just kind and they can laugh for many reasons, and only having a salad at a steakhouse is far more embarrassing than just enjoying a real meal. Also "fitness people" can actually be okay sometimes.

But even knowing the truth it doesn’t change the fact that society, the media, and a few bullies helped us in creating this world of shame, embarrassment, and guilt.

To escape to a new more accepting world, you need to not make this all about the weight but instead, it needs to be about how you honestly see yourself.

My friends, the transformation on the inside precedes the transformation on the outside. You have to first love and accept who you are before the world will. After all, no one judges you harsher than you judge yourself, right?

The key is what you choose to focus on.

When your goal revolves around the scale you leave victory up to chance and your identity is still tied to your weight.  However, when you focus on changing your lifestyle because you love yourself and feel you deserve the best life possible, you can't lose!

It's a Jedi Mind Trick, to yourself you do!

No longer will you say, "I want to lose weight because I'm fat and disgusting and no one likes me" (words I've used many times in the past to describe myself) but "I'm going to lose weight because I love myself and I deserve to live the greatest life possible."

That's the main point and yes this is far too simple because we have years of baggage, both in our minds and on our bodies, but this is a start.
Shifting your mindset is the beginning of creating a better world for you.

Love Russ

Please Don't Look at Me

Yesterday at a convenience store I had one of those eerie surreal moments. A guy walked past me and bumped into me, just slightly. He meekly mumbled "I'm sorry", I turned to say "no worries". We made eye contact for a spit second before he dropped his head and mumbled again" really sorry about that". I said, "it's really OK my friend".  The guy wouldn't look at me, but he nodded and moved on. As he walked away it hit me, this guy was me from 11 years ago. He kind of looked like me, he was obese, and wearing baggy sweats, and like me, didn't want anyone to notice him, for fear of judgment or even disgust. I got goose bumps and my heart felt his pain. I wanted to talk to him but what would I say? I got in line next to him and I was trying to not totally "stare" but just hoping for eye contact so I could say something. He wouldn't look at me, he would look at the cashier. Then I was thinking Russ, you idiot. He probably thinks you are staring at him, judging, and ready to make a rude joke about the food he was buying. Because 11 years ago, that’s what I would have thought. But, I just wanted to tell him that there's hope, I lost 130lbs over 10 years ago and man if I can do it, I know you can too. I wanted to tell him that he deserved happiness and if he wasn't happy that I will help you. We only have this one life, it saddens me to think that I at one time had given up hope. That I was willing to accept my fate and simply survive life versus living it. I thought, what if he has given up too. Then before I said something I had fear that maybe I would hurt his feelings or he didn't want my help. Or just acknowledging the fact that he was overweight would be terrible awkward. So I just let him go, I failed this man, I failed my heart. I didn't talk to him I didn't help him.  Now I keep thinking about him. I do wonder though if I am over-stepping bounds or judging, doing more harm than good. I don't know, I guess if someone had talked to me like that 11 years ago, I would have at first been embarrassed and probably just shrugged him off but later the idea of hope would have made me excited to at least try again. To me it does matter that I was once 330lbs, I hated getting advice from the people who have always been fit, and they don't get it. When this isn't your struggle you have no idea of how difficult, confusing, and frustrating losing weight can be. It's not simply a matter of laziness, I was never lazy. It wasn't because I always ate junk food, in fact I many times I just didn't eat. The struggle is a mind-game. It's about confidence, knowledge, and hope. If you have those 3 things you can do anything. 

I'm wondering what you think? Should I approach the people I feel in my heart I should or would I be doing more harm than good? I feel the need to help people and like the guy at the convenience store.

95% of Americans don't get enough Whole Grains, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?

This is not the breakfast for me

That's right people, according to General Mills, we don't eat enough of their food.

Let me start by saying you could live a long and healthy life without eating a single whole grain. We don't need whole grains for health. So how can a company say that 95% of us don't eat enough? I think they may have left out the back-end of the statement, 95% of American's don't eat enough whole grains, for us to make our profit margins. Maybe? Maybe not?

You see protein is essential to our health, and dietary fats are too.  Whole grains, not so much.

Now I am not a "no-carb" dieter, trying to push another form of the "Atkins Diet" in fact I love carbohydrates, but they have their time and their place.

Personally I believe cereal first thing in the morning, is just about the worst thing you could have for breakfast when you are trying to lose weight. Want a better-for-you breakfast?  Try egg beaters, with center cut bacon. Or if you're in a hurry, grab a Ready-To-Drink protein shake. They will give you the energy, and metabolism boost you need without spiking your insulin levels.

Anyway back to the subject, I saw a commercial promoting cereal with this tagline so I wanted to find out who says that we don't get enough whole grains? Well it's a Doctor of Health and Nutrition, who works for General Mills, how convenient. The best part of her quote "As part of a healthy diet, whole grain can help with diabetes and weight management"

Really Doctor?  What she's not telling you is carbohydrates have zero benefits to weight-loss, and diabetes? Did you know that the GI of Corn Flakes is 84? compare that to regular table sugar that is a 64 on the GI scale.
 So whole grain Corn Flakes will affect your blood sugar and spike your insulin levels more than eating plain sugar! So how do whole grains help prevent diabetes?

This ad is so misleading that it needed clarification, especially to those who are trying to lose weight. Carbohydrates, and whole grains are great for immediate energy but they are not necessary for our health. A diet high in lean-meats, fruits, and vegetables is far better, than a diet high in whole grains.

I am very proud to say that I am one of the 95% of Americans that don't eat enough whole grains, and you should be too.

Bacon, Bacon, and Bacon

I love bacon, I always have. Bacon has the rap of being a very unhealhy food, and that it should be avoided when you are trying to lose weight. Sure it's not great for you, but I eat bacon almost every single day!

It is true that regular bacon is very high in fat, but now we have much better options. While you don't want to go crazy eating a plate full of bacon, it's also won't hurt your diet to have it in moderation.
I always add 2-3 slices to my daily sandwich or burger, in my opinion bacon just makes everything taste better.

Here's a question for you, which is lower in fat; Turkey Bacon, Veggie bacon, or Center Cut Pork Bacon???

The answer is not turkey

It's also not Veggie Bacon.

Would you believe that center cut pork bacon is the lowest in fat? Not only that it's by far the best tasting.

Morning Star Bacon has: 
2 slices and 16g serving

60 calories
4.5 grams of fat
2 grams of carbs
2 grams of protein
68% of the calories are from fat.

Louis Rich Turkey Bacon has:
14 gram servings
35 calories
2.8 grams of fat
zero carbs
2 grams of protein
72% of the calories are from fat!

Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon has: 
15 gram servings
70 Calories
4.5 grams of fat
zero carbs
7 grams of protein
Only 57% of the calories are from fat






So if you love bacon like I do, make the right choice and go with the center cut, this way you get some extra protein, less fat, and all of the great bacon taste!

Tomorrow I will share my favorite bacon recipe! I have it as a nightly snack 4-5 days a week.

This is what I DIDN'T do to lose 125lbs

I've told everyone how I've been able to lose all this weight and keep it off but I want to emphasize how I didn't lose 125lbs because I feel like there are many desperate people doing the wrong things because they believe that the only way to lose weight.

1. I did NOT do P90X or the Insanity workout to lose 125lbs.

• These are extremely intense workouts that even in the shape I am in today I don't know if I could complete them.
• P90X for example is an hour a day 6 days a week. My workouts are approximately 30 minutes and 3-4 times a week. Diet is far more important to losing weight than exercise. 
• So the idea that you need to nearly kill yourself working to lose weight is FALSE. Yes we should all workout, but remember even a little bit helps. You should start with less and progressively add more intensity to your workouts. 
• If you are not already in great shape then you need to avoid P90X or Insanity style workouts.  

2.  I did NOT starve myself to lose 125lbs.

• With my Spike Days every week, I never felt deprived, and I honestly feel like I eat more now than I did when I was obese. 
• On non-Spike Day's I eat high protein and high fiber foods to help me feel full and keep my metabolism burning.  Drinking water between meals also helps to avoid feeling hungry.
• Diets that require to eat less than 1,200 calories a day, or even worse 500 calories a day like HCG are not safe and will cause your metabolism to slow and your body to slip into "starvation mode"

3. I did NOT eliminate carbohydrates from my diet to lose 125lbs.

I'm definitely a "carb-guy".

• Through my research I now know why low-carb dieters lose more weight at the beginning of their diet than people simply following calorie restriction. The reason is glycogen. Atkins and South Beach are so popular because while most regular diets you may lose 1-3 pounds the first week, low-carb dieters may lose 3-5 pounds the first week. It's NOT because Atkins is more effective at fat-burning, they are just losing more water weight. When we cut out carbs or body is forced to burn up even more glycogen which has a large connection to water weight. (see my post about glycogen) This water weight will come back as soon as carbs are returned to your diet, and while it looks great on the scale, water weight is not fat and does not really effect your appearance. In fact most of the water weight is in your muscles, when we are dehydrated our muscles can look flat and weak.
• Did you know? That Atkins and other low-carb diets bring on ketosis, in fact Atkins dieters long for ketosis. Ketosis refers to elevated levels of ketone bodies in your blood. When glycogen is completely depleted our liver will turn fat into ketone bodies to be burned instead of glycogen. it sounds great "burning fat" but it messes with our entire bodily process, our brain which requires 100 grams of glucose a day drops that requirement to about 30 grams a day.  So people in "ketosis" are only giving their brain 30% of what it needs..
• I tell people all the time if you want to lose weight with a low-carb diet then you need to plan on going low-carb the rest of your life otherwise as soon as you bring the carbs back, the weight will come back too.
• Instead I eat a balanced diet of 40% of my calories from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. That way my body gets everything it needs.

4. I did NOT take unnecessary diet drugs to lose 125lbs. 

• I was prescribed weight-loss from my a doctor a few times before along with anti-depressants, neither medication did anything for my weight problem.
• I had to change my lifestyle and there is NOT and will never be a magic pill. 
• With a pill you rely to much on that pill to make you lose weight when all we don't go through the necessary journey of weight-loss.  Where we learn about ourselves and gain valuable knowledge that will help keep the weight off for good. “give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” 

5. I did NOT have risky surgery to lose 125lbs.

• No matter what they say, every surgery has risks.
• I know many people who regret having weight-loss surgery done; whether because they can't keep food down, or they've had to have multiple post-surgery operations, or they feel like their loose skin is worse than the fat. 
• Many people including myself have lost 100+ pounds without surgery, I would exhaust ALL options before going this route and personally I would never recommend having weight-loss surgery done.

In 2003 when I weighed 330lbs

From September 10th at 205lbs

If I can do it without the above you can too.  You just need patience, knowledge, and consistency. Find out your real reasons you want to lose weight and remind yourself daily to stay motivated. 

Going out to eat?

My new favorite diet friendly dinner is at TGIFriday's.

I believe going out for dinner is one of the most stressful situations that we go through when we are dieting and trying to lose weight.   The food at restaurants, while delicious, is extremely high in the wrong kinds of calories. The Spike Diet gives us a solution to this problem by giving us one day a week where we can chose whatever we want on the menu. But what about the other 6 days when we need to restrict our calories in order to create a deficit so our body will be forced to burn fat for energy? What do you do when you are going to a restaurant and it's not your Spike Day?
The answer is not to give up or just give in. Many restaurants today are offering us lower calorie, lower fat options, we just need to look for them.  They usually post a little heart or a "low fat" tag next to the item on the menu.  Also, if you know where you are going to eat at , look up their menu online and check the calories so you know what you can order before you even get there.  This may help the impulse choice of barbecue ribs and french fries.

But what if they don't mark their menu with their healthier options and you have not had time to check out their nutritional menu?
My back-up plan is always grilled chicken, and I check their side dish menu for veggies and fruit.

Today my family and I went to TGIFriday's and, while getting a bacon cheeseburger and fries was very tempting, it just was not my Spike Day. Today I have a calorie limit and that one meal would have ruined my daily goal. They had one low fat option on their menu but it sounded too spicy so I went with the Jack Daniel's Grilled Chicken  and from the sides I chose the broccoli and mashed potatoes.  I checked out the calories on my fatsecret app on my phone and I was thrilled to see that it fit perfectly into my daily plan. Only 500 calories, with the mashed potatoes, and only 10 grams of fat. Overall  42% of the calories were from protein, 40% were from carbohyrdates and 18% were from fat. On the Spike Diet my goal is 40-40-20...PERFECT FIT!

Jack Daniels Grilled Chicken Dinner

The taste was awesome! I love grilled chicken and this was one of my all-time favorite chicken meals. The broccoli was great, the potatoes were great, and I didn't feel like I was missing my cheeseburger and fries.  It's nice having a "safe meal" at a restaurant that I know I both love and fits with my eating goals.

PROTEIN! PROTEIN! PROTEIN!

When I was younger and first started working out I busted my butt 4-5 days a week and while I was getting stronger, I seamed to plateau often, and it took several months to get any good results.

Now I workout about 30 minutes, 2-3 times a week and I progress weekly.

So what's the difference? PROTEIN!

Yes my overall diet is much better but my main missing ingredient was recovery. Without adequate protein our gains in strength and lean muscle will be minimal. The day I bought the Arnold Schwarzenegger Guide to Modern Day Bodybuilding my whole mentality on fitness changed.  No longer was a eating salad after salad, or drinking V8, I began eating more lean meat and I was introduced to the world of protein shakes.  Which I must say  protein shakes have come a long way in the past 15 years. The first drinks I had were comparable to mixing clumps of chalk with water, but I drank them anyway.  Today there are several protein mixes that are not only full of the best amino acids available but they also taste great.

The three most important types of protein are:

1. Whey Protein- It's the fasting absorbing protein making it perfect post workout and when you wake up.
2. Casein Protein- Both Whey and Casein come from milk but Casein is slower digesting and naturally time released making it a great meal replacement and pre-bed snack.
3. Egg Albumin- Before Whey Protein was introduced Eggs were the benchmark for all proteins.  It had the best bio-availability meaning it had the best rate for absorption so it was given a score of 100 on the BV scale.  In comparison Whey Protein is anywhere from a 102-150 on the BV Scale depending on if it's isolate the best, or a concentrate. Albumin is also great as a meal replacement.   

The Most Important times to have protein are:

1. Post Workout, there is a window where your muscles are craving amino acids, so I choose to have 40 grams of Whey Isolate as soon as I finish lifting.
2. Before Bed, You are about to be fasting for several hours so it's good to have a blend or time released protein like a glass of milk so your body will not turn catabolic(literally your body eats muscles for their amino acids).
3. As soon as you wake-up, Same as above, break your fasting state with some quick absorbing amino acids.  It kicks starts your metabolism and feeds your muscles.

As far as how much protein you need, check out these calculators from bodybuilding.com. The amount we need definitely varies by our body types and activities.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-much-protein-is-it-safe-for-me-to-take.htm

I am a protein drink connoisseur and I have tried just about everything out there. My favorites not only provide top notch nutrition but they are delicious.

You can purchase these from bodybuilding.com ,or nutrition stores like Vitamin Shoppe or GNC.

My Favorites:

1. Myofusion from Gaspari, both the Strawberry and their Milk Chocolate-Blended protein
2. Syntrax Matrix Cookies and Cream-Blended Protein, good for meal replacements.
3. Syntrax Nectar-Fruit Flavored Whey Isolate,  mixes and tastes great with water. This is the perfect protein post workout and in the morning.

Great blog post from Jim Stoppani at Muscle and Fitness Rebutting Consumer Reports and Protein Drinks

I have read the Consumer Reports article on un-safe metals and contaminants. I admit when I first read it I was a bit worried and upset, but I just had a feeling this was not the full story. Enter Jim Stoppani who actually dug and did some real research on this report. True, Muscle and Fitness is not un-biased, most of their money comes from ad sales from these companies but he did find some real truths. Also Consumer Reports had a lot to gain by creating this story with sales and recognition, it's pure sensationalism


Right now there is a modern day witch hunt going on from the government and supplement companies. Yes I would like some regulation, for example companies should not be allowed to lie about the ingredients in FOOD and supplements, but what these law makers who know absolutely nothing about protein and supplements are trying to do is destroy the industry as we know it. A few bad apples are spoiling the bunch. and instead of going after the whole industry they should punish the companies who are unethical.  There are many companies who are creating products that improve our lifestyles and "supplement" our diets and exercise. USP Labs for example has created a few amazing new products, one called Pink Magic that if you haven't heard about it yet you will. The great thing about Pink Magic is it uses all natural ingredients. I personally have not tried or used it but I have some friends that I trust who swear by it, and tell me they had zero side effects from it. I have used other USP Labs products like the pre-workout supplement Jack3d, and in my opinion this is a company that is trying to create new and innovated products that do help a good diet and exercise program. 

I recommend you read both the Consumer Reports article and Jim Stoppani's and draw your own conclusions.  Personally I will not change my use of protein supplements.

Jim's blog
http://blogs.muscleandfitness.com/jim_stoppani/2010/06/protein-drinks-are-dangerous-yeah-right.html

Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/july/food/protein-drinks/whats-in-your-protein-drink/index.htm

Article on the witch hunt
http://www.npainfo.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Alert&category=Policy

Low Carb Protein Shake with Egg Beaters, yes Egg Beaters

Try it it's delicious.
Egg Beater Protein Shake

 I know what you are thinking, but it really is good. I got the idea from an uncle who used to add raw eggs(not good) to his shakes to give them more of a malt flavor.  For my chocolate shakes I use:

• 1 Scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder(Myofusion is my favorite)
• 1/4 Cup of Skim Milk
• 3/4 Cup of Egg Beaters they are safe raw.
• 1 serving of pure and natural fiber powder
• 1 cup of  ice.
• Blend them in a blender until smooth.
• Then enjoy a high protein, low carb, and high fiber treat.

My shakes do taste more malt like, and the egg beaters are thicker than milk so they are also creamier with ice. In fact it almost tastes like I added ice cream.

The Nutritional breakdown:

285 Calories

    3 grams of fat

  16 grams of carbs

    6 grams of fiber

  45 grams of protein

Goal reached!

In the spirit of the World Cup, all I have to say is GOAL!!!


On Friday I reached my 215lb weight goal.  All in all I have now lost 115lbs and I have done it without depriving myself of donuts, pizza, ice cream, cheese cake, or really anything that I wanted. I could not be happier with my diet or the results. 


My next goal is not a weight goal, although I would like to weight around 205-210lbs someday.  I want to continue my body re-composition and build muscle, burn fat, and live the Spike Lifestyle.


I am focusing now on the most efficient way exercise, everything helps and everything works but just like my diet there is way to get great results without killing ourselves in a gym 7 days a week.  


I am a long way removed from my 330lb, morbidly obese self. I feel like it was a different person or that it wasn't really me. I see old pictures of myself and I can hardly believe it or remember what it was like to live that way. I know I will never go back to my old habits, and why would I? The Spike Lifestyle lets me it what I really want every weekend and I know I don't need it everyday.

Also exercising, not food is my new emotional crutch/addiction.

How Exercise CAN Make You Thin.

How Exercise CAN Make You Thin. 

By Russell Branjord




When I first read the Time Magazine article called “Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin” ,by John Cloud, I was surprised that a mainstream magazine would go against the grain with an article that spoke a lot of truths but would also upset the fitness community.

The truth is, no matter how much we exercise, if we don’t eat right we will not lose weight.

This is a fact and the author is right that many people use exercise as a way to justify their unhealthy “treat”. The amount of calories we burn exercising pales in comparison to the amount of calories in most foods. For example, to burn off the calories in a typical “healthy” sub sandwich you would need to do aerobics for an hour. To burn off the calories in a typical fast food salad you would need to walk for a couple of hours, and to burn off the calories in a medium sized ice cream treat...get ready to run stairs for an hour! These are facts; the calories in food are far greater than the calories burned exercising. No one can argue against that but I think he is missing a few important thoughts.

I want to go against-against the grain as I believe exercise CAN make you thin.

Just remember-we do not have to reward ourselves with a treat for exercising. 

In my long history of dieting I was 100% more likely to follow my diet when exercise was a regular habit.


Why?

I did not want to waste my time, money, and effort working out with poor food choices. Every time my exercising stopped my diet would inevitably fail later.

Exercise has many weight loss benefits:

1. Exercise can help us build and maintain lean muscle tissue which is the driving force for our basal metabolic rate or, simply put, our metabolism. 
2.  Exercise enhances our mood by releasing good hormones and lowering our stress hormones. 
3.  Exercise does burn calories! It may not be body fat calories but it burns what we eat therefore increasing the deficit gap. While we are resting we will then need to use even more body fat to make up the difference. For example; if you were to jog for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and eat the same amount of calories, that would be a difference of 22 pounds a year! 
4. Exercise increases our blood oxygen level, which increases our energy level and our body needs oxygen to process fat into fuel. 

If we attempt to lose weight dieting without exercise we will lose muscle along with fat, and this will send our metabolism in a downward spiral- to the point where we need to eat less and less to even maintain a weight.


Exercise is not the only cause for us being hungrier; it’s just as simple to say dieting causes us to be hungry. BIG SHOCKER THERE! The truth is it’s all about energy balance. Our brain does not like us using body fat for energy for long periods of time.

When we have a negative calorie balance through diet or exercise for an extended period of time our metabolism will slow down and our CRAVINGS will increase in an attempt to get us to eat more.


Body fat is our “battery back-up” when it comes to calories/energy, and it’s our brain’s job to get the most life out of it in the name of survival.


Starvation Mode is a very real thing. If we had a food shortage it would help prolong our lives, but if we are trying to lose weight it is downright mean and nasty.

We should not eat more because of exercise, and it is a bad idea to try and calculate your daily calorie needs based on exercise and activities, because the numbers may be off. Remember a calorie deficit equals weight loss.

If you want to lose weight now and keep it off forever I recommend a lifestyle of having a daily calorie goal based off your basal metabolic rate. That way exercise is a “bonus” to your healthy eating.


My magic formula I followed in losing 100 pounds plus pounds and keeping it off:

1.  Diet: Daily calorie goals based on basic metabolism. 6 days a week. 
2.  Indulge: One day a week eat a surplus to keep Starvation Mode away, and satisfy all cravings. This way you won’t feel like you are depriving yourself, and it’s a fun, guilt free day of indulgent eating.
3.  Exercise: 3-4 days a week. You don’t need to go extreme; you can get results with 30 minutes of lifting weights and 15-30 minutes of cardio. 
4.  Be active, get up and move around. Take the stairs and go for walks. Every little bit counts and the calories you burn add up. 

A well planned diet along with exercise is the perfect match for true fitness. 

So don’t quit your gym membership just yet, exercise CAN help you be thin.

Russell Branjord, Certified Personal Trainer, Loser of 115lbs, and author of the Spike Diet.

The Spike Diet is available now on Amazon, but its official worldwide release will be November 4th, 2010.