Category: The Adventures of JB

While healthy foods are a huge part of my fitness plan, the most important is a collection of Rubbermaid containers near the fridge.

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about the importance of eating healthy snacks (in my opinion this is the one thing that can truly keep the weight off) closely related to this is having healthy snacks nearby

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out if those raw veggies aren’t there when hunger strikes then you will be forced to visit the grocery store (or go hungry).  And trust me it’s very difficult to choose a healthier (and possibly more expensive) snack as opposed to a cheap unhealthy one in that moment

I learned this lesson the hard way while tutoring english students three times a week at a YMCA less than five minutes from Wal-Mart. At the end of almost every class around 10:30 my customary snack run to Wal-Mart took place.

I rationalized this by point out the snacks cost less than $2, but the physical toll they took on me was much worse [1].

In the past my response would be to just eliminate the mid-morning snack altogether. However this isn’t good because that leads to eating way too much for lunch, and it’s believed that six small meals a day (eating every two to three hours) is best at keeping the weight off.

So now a stack of Rubbermaid containers filled with healthy snacks (mostly fruits and veggies) goes with me everywhere.

This way after tutoring children at 10:00 I can snack on pieces of carrot or celery from a container that’s riding shotgun in the truck. And at the 3:00 there’s a container of nuts or sliced apples beside the desk.

the interesting thing is this container system not only crushed my cravings but it also revealed eating healthy can be cheaper than eating junk food

Allow me to explain;

A small bag of carrots will usually cost about $2.50 (a package of celery or large bag of radishes will cost the same). My normal post class snack of two Wal-Mart donuts will cost $1.20.

Heres the thing…A bag of carrots kept in an air-tight container will last about ten days. Those two donuts will last a half-hour if I’m lucky 🙂

Add to this the fact that eating raw vegetables will make you feel full faster and longer [2] than empty carbs. So five to eight carrots will fuel me a lot better than those creme filled donuts.

So let’s break it down shall we?

One bag of carrots gives lets say five snacks

Two donuts give one snack

Total price for carrot snack=50 cents
Total price for donut snack=$1.40

None of this will matter though without a system of healthy snacks in place. There weren’t too many containers in my fridge this morning, but usually on Mondays it has five ready to be grabbed as I run out the door.

My point is it isn’t enough to just realize the importance of healthy snacks. It’s necessary for us to set up a system so they are readily accessible in a moment of hunger. Doing this is a pain sometimes, but it saves us money as well as guilt 🙂

One strange part of our fitness issues is most of us eat healthy meals every day, but still seem to gain weight.

This can be confusing and frustrating, but it doesn’t take long to figure our where those extra pounds come from.

Fitness (whether or not we will keep weight off) is decided by the snacks we eat.

Described another way, what you eat at 3:00 in the afternoon will decide if your going to lose weight or not.

I believe most people know the importance of snacks, but unfortunately aren’t sure what food the should be snacking on. With that in mind this morning I’m going to share some of my favorite healthy snacks.

For clarity I’ve organized them by beginner (just starting to eat right) intermediate (already started losing weight) and advanced (trying to keep weight off) categories.

Beginner Snacks:

1. One cup of Dry cereal that is low in sugar, and preferably gluten-free (chex or cheerios is a good choice).
2. A small cup of Greek yogurt with fruit (high fat content but this will be helpful at the beginning)
3. Fresh Fruit (I suggest apples, oranges, or bananas)
4. Carrots or celery dipped in ranch (preferably low-fat ranch)
5. Smoothies that focus on tasting good (frozen pineapple, banana, apple juice, and protein powder make a smoothie that tastes sweeter than any candy bar)
6. String cheese, or a piece of block cheese (cheddar)

Intermediate Snacks:

1. Vegetables in ranch (brocoli, cauliflower, radishes, green pepper) Used here because they are harder to eat than carrots or celery
2. Fruit juice (make sure that you get a drink that says 100% fruit juice on the bottle, most fruit drinks have around 10%)
3. Small cup of low-fat yogurt (add some grape nuts into it if you want to
4. Handful of frozen fruit defrosted in the microwave (strawberries work really well)
5. Smoothie that emphasizes vitamins or nutrients from fruit more than a sweet taste (two whole apples sliced into the blender with juice and a protein shake)
6. Protein shake made with milk in blender (don’t use low-fat or non-fat milk)

Advanced Snacks:

1. Plain vegetables with no ranch
2. Non-fat flavored yogurt
3. Vegetable Juice (V8 or 100% tomato juice)
4. Protein shake made with cold water
5. Smoothie that uses vegetables as it’s base (carrots, spinach, ect)
6. Handful of almonds or walnuts

There are many other snack ideas, but hopefully this explains there are many options other than potato chips, or jelly donut.

A few weeks ago I met some good friends for coffee, and was absolutely amazed at how much weight they had lost (he was about forty pounds lighter). After asking how in the world they did this she told me they ate six small meals a day.

In recent years this idea of eating something every two to three hours has gained popularity because it actually works, and proves you don’t have to starve yourself in order to lose weight.

Sadly most of us when pursuing fitness don’t take this six small meal philosophy. The biggest reason is we are looking for dramatic weight loss that happens very quickly.

The majority of diets begin with a two-week physical detox process with big eating changes, and of course massive weight loss. Eating six small meals a day will help us lose pounds, but at a much slower rate [1].

So why should we take the slow road to weight loss by eating more? Because the two-week crash dieting isn’t an eating plan that can be continued.

1. You will lack the energy to accomplish daily tasks
2. There will be less self-control of anger or frustration since such a huge eating change had taken place overnight
3. The weight loss in crash diets comes from eating far too few calories, which means all the weight will be gained back when you start eating normally
4. They are far too restrictive (no carbs, no sugar)

A focus on weight-loss instead of fitness (having the energy to be productive all day) can result in another poor eating style that I’ve actually struggled with all of my life.

It’s eating less during the day to lose weight

This may sound like the two-week crash diet at first but there are some differences:

• It isn’t as restrictive with what you can eat
• It’s focused on not eating till your body “tells you that your hungry”
• Meals are put off till later so your eating every five to six hours instead of every two to three

I used to embrace this idea of putting off eating for as long as possible since in my mind it helped my body burn extra calories [2]

The truth is our body needs calories and nutrients during the day for “fuel” and if we aren’t giving the proper amount of healthy food then it will start giving off warning signs.

Unfortunately since our lives are so busy we don’t notice the warning signs our body gives to us till the moment a red light starts going off [3]. So we respond by eating a huge amount of food.

The strange thing is even with the large meals our body still craves more nutrients (we are meant to eat every two to three hours) so we become incredibly hungry after slowing down or relaxing.

This is why less than two-hours after eating dinner my body will be demanding ice-cream, popcorn, cake, and other kinds of snacks…it’s trying to make up for the food that it didn’t get during the day

It used to be when thinking about eating I would ask myself “am I hungry?” but that was a very bad question since lots of times I wouldn’t actually feel hungry when the body needed fuel [4]. By the time I felt hungry it would be too late.

Instead my question today is “how long has it been since I’ve eaten?” or “do I need to eat?.” For me the time-period between healthy snacks is about three-hours, so if it’s been that long I make myself eat something healthy.

The idea of eating more to lose weight is strange I know. But as someone who used to put off eating in order to lose weight let me assure you that it doesn’t work.

As a child I was always the overweight kid who wore “husky jeans” [1] so fitness is very important to me. However for most of my life it’s been impossible to be healthy for more than a few months at a time.

There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one is a lack of understanding about what fitness actually means.

Like many of you I take good things that are part of true fitness, and make them my primary goal.

1. The yearly motivation to get in shape
2. Weight-Loss
3. Exercise 
4. And strengthening my will-power

The problem is these good things BY THEMSELVES won’t lead to true fitness

1. My motivation will eventually become weak
2. Most diets aren’t eating plans that can be continued for the rest of your life (or are too difficult to continue), so they set you up for future weight gain
3. Exercise makes us believe that we can indulge in junk food more because of the calories burned, but that isn’t true
4. And it’s impossible to reach fitness alone (you will eventually start eating the wrong thing again)

This is why in most cases the first step towards fitness is creating a definition that includes all four of these aspects (along with some others) instead of isolating only one.

For everyone that consolidated fitness definition will look different, but here’s mine.

Fitness is a lifestyle that provides the energy and motivation necessary to be productive.

In other words, “I will have the energy to accomplish all my goals in a focused way, and still have some left over.”

This definition came from the realization most days I simply wasn’t being productive (focused on my work) because I either didn’t have the energy to do it, or lacked motivation.

Oh I didn’t come out and just refuse to work, instead my lack of productivity showed itself in smaller ways

1. Ten minute Facebook breaks (that usually took longer)
2. Putting off reading that book till tomorrow [2]
3. Not planning out my day with a to-do list so my mind forgets important tasks
4. The dreaded 3:00 energy crash (which can result in a ten-minute nap)
5. The inability to do any productive work after 6:00 pm (it’s seriously as if my brain shuts down)

Actually for me productivity isn’t so much about getting stuff done for as much a living a purposeful life, or being an individual who displays discipline.

The Apostle Paul nearing death was able to say these words

II Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

To me that’s a picture of productivity.

On my deathbed I want to be able to say that with the Lord’s help I completed (finished) the purpose (race) He had for my life.

It’s my belief that God is looking for people who will be insanely focused on the plan that He has for our lives. Individuals who will give sacrificially of their time, energy, and commitment for His Glory.

It’s impossible to live that way when I need a nap after lunch.

A big problem with fitness is our goals are too small…we must allow our hearts to become consumed with something bigger than “I want to lose weight.”  For that larger purpose will call us towards a life filled with healthy-eating, exercise, self-control, and productivity.

Almost every summer I find myself around ten pounds overweight after starting the year very well [1] so June usually finds me asking myself “how did this happen again?”

The weird thing is most years I can look back at one moment or act that started the downward spiral or bad eating habits.

A few years ago I was part of a volunteer group that picked up donations for a food bank. Of course this also gave me permission to eat a donation every once in a while 🙂

One morning a store donated individual pieces of carrot cake (a personal favorite of mine). One of the volunteers noticed me struggling with the idea of whether to eat the cake, and said, “hey go ahead and eat that man, your really skinny!”

Encouraged by his noticing my weight loss I ate the cake…and it was amazing.

About a month later while loading boxes into a van that same volunteer lovingly pointed out that I had put on five or six pounds.

I don’t blame him for this because I had put on some extra weight (that’s what happens when you have access to free junk food). However it’s amazing that all the trouble started with one piece of cake.

My point is it’s impossible to eat healthy all of the time. Eventually you will eat the piece of cake, and be reminded of just how awesome it is. Of course this will lead to (you guessed it) more pieces of cake.

And this is why fitness cannot be about your determination, or will-power

There is a sense were these things help (especially with exercise) but there will be a moment when all the strength in the world won’t keep you from devouring that piece of carrot cake. And before you know it, the same person who was complimenting your looks is making jokes about your weight.

Okay so if fitness isn’t about will-power what is it about?

Community

We will get into this in a few days, but a true lifestyle of fitness [2] cannot be accomplished on our own since we all have moments of weakness.

So instead there should be training partners who walk along the fitness journey with us.

People who when we are asking “should I eat this cake?” will respond with;

Hey you can eat that cake if you want, but it may not be a good idea, remember what happened last time? [3]

Or make clear if you do eat it then exercise will be necessary

Or offer you a healthy alternative

Yes there will still be moments when you eat the carrot cake (and that’s okay) but after remembering how awesome it tastes, we need training partners who point out what that cake does to us definitely isn’t awesome.