Marathon Monday - got me to thinking.....

Pasta, Carbs, Bread, Whole Grains....  confusing huh?  What about Dairy, Lean Protein and Oils??

This week's meeting room "Weekly" Magazine has a statement that - paraphrasing here - "52% of Americans report that they find it easier to figure out their Annual Tax Return than to figure out how to eat healthfully" - that has to be a "YIKES"!  I hope there aren't many WW members in that 52% group.

With Marathon Monday upon us in Boston and also the annual pre-marathon dinner for runners being dedicated to carb loading, on the menu: pasta and pasta and pasta, it got me to thinking about all the mis-information out there about how one should manage eating when exercising.

I sometimes hear members offering each other advice about how to eat before and after workouts - "You MUST eat carbs before you work out".  "Eat a banana".  I'm no expert in this area, but there is plenty of information online.  This is from an article from the website of the Mayo Clinic:

"Purpose

Any physical activity you do requires carbohydrates to provide you with fuel. For most recreational activity, your body uses its existing energy stores for fuel. [Nina's Italics] But when you engage in long, intense athletic events, your body needs extra energy to keep going. The purpose of carbohydrate loading is to give you the energy to complete an endurance event with less fatigue, improving your athletic performance.

Carbohydrate loading is most beneficial if you're an endurance athlete — such as a marathon runner, swimmer or cyclist — preparing for an event that will last 90 minutes or more.."

I do understand that being sensible and not working out on an empty stomach is a good thing.  It makes a lot of sense to get into a routine around how and when you eat before going to the gym or engaging in another type of workout.  By doing this you'll get to know your body's reaction to the workout and be able to sustain and even enjoy your exercise.   It stands to reason that unless you are engaging in intensive endurance activity, utilizing the body's stored energy (your excess fatty deposits) for fuel makes the most sense.  After all, why most of us work out?  To burn extra calories in the form of fat stored in the body!  

This question came up in Sunday's meeting, so I was excited to find that it was also answered on the Mayo Clinic's website ...

Question

Eggs: Are they good or bad for my cholesterol?

Are chicken eggs good or bad for my cholesterol?

Answer

from Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D., Ph.D.

Chicken eggs are high in cholesterol, and a diet high in cholesterol can contribute to high blood cholesterol levels. However, how much the cholesterol in your diet can increase your blood cholesterol varies from person to person. Although eating too many eggs can increase your cholesterol, eating four egg yolks or fewer on a weekly basis hasn't been found to increase your risk of heart disease.

When deciding whether to include eggs in your diet, consider the recommended daily limits on cholesterol in your food:

• If you are healthy, it's recommended that you limit your dietary cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams (mg) a day.
• If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or a high low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") blood cholesterol level, you should limit your dietary cholesterol to less than 200 mg a day.

One large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol — all of which is found in the yolk. Therefore, if you eat an egg on a given day, it's important to limit other sources of cholesterol for the rest of that day. Consider substituting servings of vegetables for servings of meat, or avoid high-fat dairy products for that day.

If you like eggs but don't want the extra cholesterol, use only the egg whites. Egg whites contain no cholesterol. You may also use cholesterol-free egg substitutes, which are made with egg whites.

I guess that answers that!

As for the other nutritional information about how and when to eat what; come to meetings to talk about it.  We're Weight Watchers - we love to talk about food - right??

The poster gives us 8 GOOD reasons to lose the weight and keep it off.  I know that meeting attendance fosters cognitive behavior change, creates habits and motivates members to keep being healthy and "good to ourselves".  See you at your meeting???  

Oh, and if you bring a friend to the meeting, as from 4/21 for a few weeks, I have a gift for you and one for your friend too!!

If you ever want to comment on anything I write here - please do.  I encourage participation in my meetings, on my facebook page and here on the blog.