Avoidable Tragedy

Our local Fire Chief always says, “If we can anticipate it, we can prevent it.”  That rings so true with me.  If we know something is likely to be a problem, we can overcome it with a little foresight and follow through.  Can we manage wildlands around residential areas so that when a wildfire starts it does not devastate homes?  Of course we can, but it takes a lot of will and personal commitment by home owners. 
What does all this have to do with Fantasy Healthball?  I believe the same principle holds true when it comes to your health.  You can anticipate the wildfire of health problems related to weight and obesity.  They come by names such as “heart disease,” “type 2 diabetes,” “cancer,” “reduced life expectancy,” “stroke,” “depression,” “high blood pressure,” “osteoarthritis” and the like.  Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.  Can you believe that?  We are not talking bubonic plague, we are talking body weight.  Genetics play a role here, but diet (poor) and exercise (lack thereof) are the real killers here.  So can we protect the residential areas (our bodies) so that when a wildfire starts (poor diet, sedentary lifestyle), it does not devastate us?  Of course we can, but it takes a lot of will and personal commitment by you. 

That is what Fantasy Healthball is all about.  A community of like-minded (read:  football fans) individuals committed to helping ourselves and helping others live healthy lifestyles so that we can live long, full lives and never have to deal with personal tragedies like those listed above. 
So maybe this isn’t a problem for you, but do you know someone you can help?  Is there anyone in your life that is overweight/obese that could use your support?  You can help them by planning healthy activities with them, go for hikes, bike riding, swimming, plan healthy meals, turn them on to Fantasy Healthball or other great health programs.  Since 2/3rds of Americans are overweight or obese, we all have loved ones that we can help with a new attitude of health.  If we can anticipate it, we can prevent it.  Do something TODAY to help yourself or another person live a healthier life.  – Jim Ballard

Healthy Lunch vs. Unhealthy Lunch

So you followed our advice on breakfast, so what’s next?  Lunch, of course.  Let’s see how the Fantasy Healthball Food Formation works for lunch. 

If you can plan out your lunch ahead of time and have it with you, you can make sure it is healthy. That may be your best bet for encouraging routine and consistency.  If you are more of a forager at lunchtime, there are plenty of healthy choices. When Americans think lunch, we often think sandwiches. Sandwiches can be very healthy allowing you to hit the “meats” and the “milks (cheese)” and the grains.  Go for the whole wheat or whole rye bread or leave the bread out entirely. Watch that mayo, depending on what kind it is it can be 100-200 calories an ounce. Salads and soups are also popular lunch items. We think having a salad drenched in dressing and bacon bits is a lot like ordering the hot fudge ice cream sundae with low-cal whipped cream. It is easy to turn innocent foods into hardened criminals, or should we say hardened arteries?

 

There is no perfect formula of what to eat for lunch versus breakfast or dinner. Just keep in mind the general proportions of the Fantasy Healthball Food Formation and the variety and nutritional value of the food. A good time to think about such things is when you are driving by, instead of driving through, the multitude of fast food restaurants.   The LAST thing you want to be doing is driving around hungry without a particular destination in mind.  You may be amazed how creative you mind can be talking you into fat and greaseland.  Avoid it by by bringing your healthy lunch with you or having a particular healthy destination before getting in the car or walking to the place. 

Consider our post on calories and the Food Formation and then think about: Big Mac, large fries, and a chocolate shake – about 1,500 calories. That is getting in the ballpark of a DAILY allowance of calories! Numbers like that are pretty hard to swallow!  — Jim Ballard

Diet Strategy – Plan Ahead

Let’s admit it.  You are hungry, probably tired, maybe a little stressed, you stare into the vending machine and it is filled with things that make your mouth water – chips, candy bars, in fact, the healthiest thing in there are an old tired looking bag of trail mix that looks like it has some cobwebs on it.  So you go for the Snickers and move on.  Here at Fantasy Healthball, we think the spur of the moment choice is most often going to be a bad choice.  The trick is to not put yourself in that position to begin with.  This isn’t something to read and think “yeah, that would be a good idea,” we mean you should do this NOW, start planning ahead for what you will put in your body today and at work next week. 

The answer is planning.  Planning is the secret.  You have to think about food ahead of time.  Getting your daily fruit servings is easy if you eat a banana in the morning and take an apple or two with you to work.  If you have a bag of oranges at work, it is easy to reach for one of them rather than quarters for the vending machine.   Make sure your home refrigerator/pantry has the healthy foods that you can take with you when you are away from home.  Here is how we plan ahead for our veggies. 

If you are going out to eat, know the healthy options near you for restaurants or at least the healthy items at the restaurant.  Don’t wait until you are starving to go out to eat.  Sprinkle in healthy snacks (yogurt, granola, fruit) so that you aren’t starving at the lunch counter or dinner table later. 

Bring healthy foods with you because if you leave it to chance, it may not happen.  Plan low sodium.  Plan low fat.  Plan healthy.  If you want to know what to eat, click here and stay tuned to our next posts.  — Jim Ballard

Portion sizes, calories, and sprouting new life

Okay, so we’ve been talking a lot about counting calories.  If counting calories (or some people, such as diabetics, prefer to count carbs) sounds too complicated or time-consuming for you, you may want to just think about reducing the calories you are taking in by 10-20% per day which should allow you to lose weight.  You can use an on-line calculator to figure out how many calories you need per day and then you can cut that back by 10-20%.  Maybe the most simple way to do that is to reduce your portion size at each meal or change your snacks to fruit and veggies from doritos and cookies. 

As we’ve said, if you are trying to lose weight, you want to reduce your calories taken in while increasing what you are burning off.  Your body is set up to not let you overdo this too radically.  If you try to starve yourself you will be hungry all the time and your body plays with your metabolism to try to keep you alive. 

Being over-hungry is no fun.  My body starts telling me right away when I put off a meal too long.  First, my mind gets fuzzy.  Then I start feeling a little nauseous and lightheaded.  Then I get hot and cranky.  Then I get a headache.  I bark at my wife or at my co-workers.  I’m a royal pain in the neck to be around when I am over-hungry.

It is important to pay attention to the warning signs and get something to eat before you reach DEFCON 1 and start pulling out your hair or someone else’s.  It will help you around the office and maybe even with your spouse!  There is a little relationship advice for you, no extra charge!

So if all this calorie counting stuff is not for you, spend a week focusing on portion sizes and getting your body used to the idea of a little less at each meal.  That is the “calorie in” part of the equation.  Or, you can focus on the “calorie out” side and start sweating.  Across our country, the weather is starting to get nicer.  Trees are budding.   New life is sprouting everywhere.  It is the time of the year that is most inspiring to sprout a new life.  — Jim Ballard

Calories made easy

In our post “Calorie Counting Made Easy,” we talked about how to count calories and how to find out how many calories your body needs. 

Now that you know what you “need” and what you are eating each day, you can see how those relate and affect your weight.  Need 2,500 and eat 2,500?  No change to body weight.  Remember, a pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories, so it takes a cut of 500 calories a day (3,500 divided by 7)  to lose a pound per week.  Need 2,500 per day and eat 2,000 each day?  You would be losing a pound that week. 

At Fantasy Healthball, we always stress the need for exercise in addition to a healthy diet.  So, if you wanted to lose a pound a week as in the above example, we’d suggest you cut maybe 250 calories a day and exercise for the other 250.  Or lose weight over a longer period of time.  For some, simply improving food choices throughout the day can reduce calorie intake significantly. 

Calorie counting can change the way you look at food.  The act of writing down what you put in your mouth, although a little burdensome for some people, can open your eyes to a healthier way of thinking.  Once you know the number of calories you need, and how many you average, it may make you look at food differently.  You may look at a candy bar, for example, and think “wow, that is 280 calories, is that really worth 280 calories, or maybe I should have an orange (also very sweet, but only 60 calories) instead.”  Jelly (raspberry filled) doughnut, 350 calories.  Piece of coconut crème pie, 450 calories. 

Sometimes people “sneak” a snack.  They eat a candy bar or some other candies quickly as if to minimize the act.  But when you are calorie counting, the fact you know you will have to write it down and add it up may change your mind about eating it in the first place!  At a restaurant staring down at your giant serving of spaghetti and sausage?  Put half in the “to go” container to eat the next day and you’ve just cut your calories in half for that serving.  Skip or reduce the parmesan cheese and you saved yourself some more.  Drop us a comment or email to tell us how this is working for you!  — Jim Ballard