Why Are So Many Vegetarians Still Fat?

Vegetarian and vegan diets are becoming more popular these days. Some people may choose these lifestyles due to personal taste, others due to consciousness of the treatment of animals at farms, others to join social bandwagons and feel "holier-than-thou", and others due to necessity. However, many people choose vegetarian or vegan diets in order to lose weight and slim down. If you fall into this latter category, then this article is just for you.

Aside from aging and genetic factors, there are few reasons why a person on a vegetarian diet should remain fat (or in some cases, get fatter). The problem is other lifestyle choices which make it hard to shed the pounds. Cutting meat alone will not guarantee weight-loss success, and in some cases (if you are not a conscientious objector to including meat in your diet), eating a portion of meat would be healthier than some of the choices that vegetarians make. Here are some lifestyle choices that you might want to reconsider if you are a vegetarian that is having a hard time slimming down:

Watch What You Drink

So you have cut meat out of your diet. Good for you, but are you sitting in coffee shops with the holier-than-thou hipster crowd? Are you sipping on fattening lattes? Sure, there isn't any meat in a latte, but they might still be loaded with empty calories (particularly with all of the extras). You may want to cut back on lattes, as well as soda, store-bought smoothies, and other sugar-filled drinks. Having one once in a while probably won't hurt too much, but if you make it an everyday habit, you probably won't be losing fat anytime soon.

There are 150 or more calories to make you fat in these.

Taste Makes Waste

Everyone likes food that tastes good, but some of our methods to make food taste good are not conducive to reaching our fitness goals. Broccoli smothered in cheese sauce, or carrots dipped in blackened ranch are 100% meat-free, but but those extra toppings add a tremendous amount of calories. Instead of adding all of the extras, try to find a way to mix vegetables together to make them suitable for your palate. If you cannot go without the extras, then try to find low-fat alternatives, or experiment with recipes of your own so you will know exactly what you will be consuming.

Lack of Protein

It is important to make sure that you are getting the right amount of protein, especially if you are trying to build muscle. Protein increases your metabolism since your body has to burn more calories digesting it. This includes non-meat sources of protein such as nuts or beans. Protein is also important in building and maintaining muscle, and as you may know, muscle mass increases one's metabolic rate, even when at rest. Finally, protein can help to reduce the feeling of hunger more effectively than carbohydrates, which can reduce the desire to overeat.

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!

If you want to lose weight, you are going to have to get on a caloric deficit. This means that you must burn more calories than you take in. If you cannot do this with diet alone, then you will have to exercise to burn off those excess calories. Exercise can also help you to build muscle, which makes it easier to keep the fat off due to the increase in metabolism that muscle provides, as previously stated.

Whether you are a meat-eater or not, basic lifestyle changes will be necessary if you are serious about losing weight. Eating vegetables just to brag to your friends and feel smug is the same as going to the gym without getting on a treadmill or picking up a single weight, and will not get you the results that you desire.

Can Taking a Good Dump Alter Your Mind and Body?

When I was but a wee lad, I went to a petting zoo at the county fair. I recall that the goats, pigs, calves, (I don't quite remember all of the animals that they had, maybe seals or something) all came up to me, eager to be petted. There was only one animal in the bunch that did not seem to want to be bothered: a mallard duck.

Every time I tried to approach the duck, it would angrily quack and run away from me. This behavior continued until it released a huge pile of feces. The duck then ran up to me, wanting to be petted along with the rest of its cohorts. Of course, I didn't want to pet the duck anymore after it dropped a deuce, but this episode shows that having a clear digestive tract can alter mood (either that or the duck was trained well enough not to poo on customers).

Personally, I feel much better after voiding my bowels. Having lots of festering food stuck in my intestines causes me to feel sluggish, and in many cases, aggravated. After releasing, I am ready to take on the world once more with increased jubilation. This is why it is important to drink plenty of water and increase fiber intake to cleanse our colons. Not only will we improve our outlook and energy level, but we also decrease the risk of digestive disorders such as cancer or Crohn's disease.

10 Days a (Pseudo) Vegan in Taiwan

As you know if you have been following my other blog (that's right, all two of you), then you know that I have recently returned from a trip to China and Taiwan. By the time that I got to Taiwan, I had lost a lot of weight, and I was not in prime health. This is probably due to the air, the lack of exercise, and of course, the food. As delicious as the food tasted, it did not agree with my digestive tract all of the time.

After bidding farewell to Mainland, I spent about a week and a half with a good friend of mine in Taiwan. Since I wasn't in a position to complain, I adhered to a semi-vegan diet, given that my friend lives a vegan lifestyle. At first, I was skeptical that I would get enough macros to maintain an adequate level of energy, but I was surprised that I felt much more energetic eating little to no meat versus eating huge plates of beef or chicken. I felt much cleaner, and I bounced back from my sickness much quicker than I would with a meat-heavy diet.

Now, I did not do much physical exercise in Taiwan other than swimming, so I can't say that I would be able to lift on the diet that I enjoyed in Taiwan, but overall, I felt much healthier. Now that I am back in the States, meat is back on my plates, but I have been eating less of it and more fruits and vegetables. I probably won't bulk back up as quickly, but overall I feel more energetic, healthier, and cleaner, so it works out for the better. If I don't have the energy to hit the gym because I have a half-digested steak festering in my colon, then that protein doesn't go to making gainz (not muscular, at least), thus, it is a good trade-off.

I might go vegan for a week every two months to detoxify my digestive tract. Maybe I'll incorporate the vegan diet into my bulking and cutting cycles. I'll have to do more research on protein sources and recipes, but in reality, eating vegan (at least the way my friend does) can even be cost and time-effective too since one can just eat raw foods.

If I proceed with this dietary plan, I'll be sure to keep an account here.

So They're Closing Fresh & Easy

According to a news article that I read the other day, Fresh & Easy stores are not doing so well in the United States and may be closing down. This is a surprise as the local Fresh & Easy market that I frequent is almost always packed, and the chain seems to have a sizable "fanbase" on Twitter and Facebook.

Despite these facts, the store seems to be tanking. From a consumer point of view (or at least my point of view), Fresh & Easy is grocery heaven. there are always weekly deals, the coupons are quite generous, and the rewards system is probably the most efficient and well, rewarding, that I've ever used. From a business point of view, however, I can see how these policies may put the firm in the red.

Well, it's been swell. Fresh & Easy has helped me to make some gainz over this past year without draining my wallet. It's going to be tough going back to lower-quality products with higher prices at other supermarkets. If anybody knows of a petition to help keep Fresh & Easy in business, please let me know.

Unintentional Intermittent Fasting

If you follow the Hodge Twins, then you know that they do intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is an eating plan where a period of the day is set aside with no caloric intake or low caloric intake. The same number of calories as usual is eaten, but they are eaten in a more condensed period of time. Typically, the period of fasting is in the morning, and the fast is broken at lunchtime or in the early afternoon.

Personally, I prefer to have at least a small breakfast and maybe a pre-workout before hitting the gym, since I find hunger pains distracting. Today was a bit different for me, however. I woke up with a terribly stomachache and found myself unable to eat. I still wanted to get my shoulder and arms workout in, however, so I hit the gym despite not eating much.

My workout went surprisingly well, and I was able to increase my weight and reps just as I had planned. About fifteen minutes into my workout, my hunger pains subsided, and I was in my zone with an even greater amount of energy. How could this be?

Some say that digesting food takes energy, so it is actually better to work out on an empty stomach than it is to work out when full. I don't really know about this theory, but it could have some truth to it. My personal theory is that I was just determined to go and that my body is used to working out in the early afternoon, so it wasn't a big deal that I was a bit hungry. At any rate, I am satisfied with today's routine.

In conclusion, I probably won't be switching to intermittent fasting anytime soon. I may start eating lighter breakfasts, however, and eating more for my post-workout meal or dinner.

Thanksgiving Day Report

I hope that everyone is having a great Thanksgiving, whether you're celebrating alone, with friends, or with family. If you are one of the heathens that does not celebrate the holiday, then I hope that you're enjoying your day nonetheless (just kidding about the "heathen" remark too).

I started out my day by hitting the gym. I hit my shoulders and triceps today, along with twenty minutes of cardio on the treadmill. I wasn't able to get as much done today as I'd have liked since the gym closed early, but at least I was able to do something, prove to myself that I have made strength gains in my shoulders, and help to alleviate the guilt of pigging out this evening.

Thanksgiving dinner starts in an hour for me. I "betrayed the law" so to speak by having a preliminary slice of apple pie.

I'm also cooking up some macaroni and cheese (well, it's actually penne with Omega 3, but I'm using it as macaroni).

 
Yup, I'm going to be making all kinds of gains this evening, all kinds.

Happy Thanksgiving again to you and yours, and please don't get trampled during the Black Friday madness tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving in Advance

I'm making this post a bit early because I'm probably going to be too busy stuffing my gullet tomorrow. I'd like to wish everyone a happy, safe, and fun Thanksgiving. You have the Grand Admiral's permission to pig out for the holiday; you have to treat yourself once in a while, after all.

For me, tomorrow is going to be an "alpha strike" of food. There's going to be ham, greens, corn, other veggies, macaroni, and various breads of all types. I might even make some nachos, just because I can. I'm also going to be looking forward to some peach cobbler at the end of the feast. I'm still going to be avoiding soda though; I'd rather wash it all down with water. I'm going to be making all kinds of gainz, all kinds.

Hopefully I'll be able to hit the gym before Thanksgiving dinner to alleviate some of the guilt (and more importantly make some gainz) since they'll be open for a half day.

Cheers everyone, and have yourself a great Thanksgiving!

Why Buy Expensive, Sugary Smoothies; Make Your Own!

Back when I was a university student, I'd often drink sugary smoothies marketed towards the "healthy lifestyle crowd". This is nothing more than marketing; having one of these smoothies everyday is not healthy for your body or for your finances either. Each 20 oz. drink at the smoothie shop on campus (I won't name names since I'm not trying to get sued here) cost about $5, had a whopping 500 calories, and contained loads of sugar!

Instead of taking in all of the sugar and draining my wallet, I decided to buy a blender and start making my own smoothies. At first, this may seem more expensive due to the costs of buying a blender and ingredients, but in the long run, you will save money and cut back on the calories and sugar. How much you save depends on what you like to put in your smoothies, but personally, I save at least $100 monthly, intake less than half of the calories with each homemade smoothie and under one fourth of the sugar!

If you love smoothies as much as I do, look into making them for yourself; you won't regret it! In the future, I may post some smoothie recipes that you might want to try for yourself.

A Healthy Digestive Tract is Important for Overall Health

In my last post, I talked a bit about how proper nutrition was important to fuel and to repair the body. Well, all the fuel in the world won't help if your body cannot properly digest it. This is part of why it is paramount to keep your digestive tract in working order.

The common American diet is very unhealthy on the digestive tract. Excess junk food, processed meats, and other unhealthy items coupled with a lack of insoluble fiber can lead to constipation, chronic bloating, and even more serious conditions such as colon cancer. People that want to live a healthy lifestyle should try to minimize these unhealthy foods and introduce more insoluble fiber in their diets.

Insoluble fiber absorbs water, creating bulk and making it easier to pass stool. If you are taking in lots of protein (especially whey protein supplements), I advise you to take in some fiber and water to help prevent cramping and make it easier to exit your system. You may have to gradually increase your fiber intake rather than taking it in all at once so that your body can comfortably adjust to your new diet.

It is really easy to increase your fiber intake without sacrificing (healthy) foods that you love. For example, you can add some flax seeds to your oatmeal, cereal, smoothies, or salads. Granola or nuts in Greek yogurt is another way to get fiber along with protein. Fruits and veggies are great sources of fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals. Eating a slice of wheat bread with meals may also help, but if you are allergic to gluten or trying to cut carbs, this may not be the best choice.

Aside from an increased fiber intake, physical activity can help the digestive system. Going for a run or for a jog can get things moving. Exercises targeting the abdominal region, such as situps, may also be helpful. If you work at a job that requires you to be seated all day, try to get up and stretch or pace around the office if you can. Sitting up straight in your chair and retaining good posture, as small as these things may seem, will also help your digestive tract to work more efficiently.

Five Reasons Not to Drink Soda

Soda is probably the biggest reason why many Americans find it difficult to shed off that excess weight. Speaking from personal experience, I was able to lose fat and become noticeably slimmer by cutting soda out of my diet; even though I didn't cut out fast food and other unhealthy items from my diet!

Here are five reasons why you shouldn't touch the bubbly poison:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup

   High fructose corn syrup is the prime agent in soda that increases body fat and raises cholesterol. HFCS can also leave you feeling hungrier, which can lead to overeating.

2. Phosphoric Acid

   Phosphoric acid can weaken your bones and damage your teeth. Coupled with the high sugar content of soda, you're looking at a high dental bill!

3. Artificial Sweeteners

   So you drink diet soda thinking that they are better for your health? Think again. Sure, you might not ingest as much sugar, but artificial sweeteners can be just as dangerous. For instance, aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde, a carcinogen, when it is digested.

4. Artificial Coloring

   The artificial coloring chemicals in soda do not add to the flavor, but they do add to the health risks. These coloring agents may contain carcinogens, and can also impair brain function. Darker sodas, such as root beers and colas, are more dangerous than lighter colored ones.

5. Finances

   That's right, it's cheaper to drink water! Drink water with your meals instead of soda, and your body and wallet will thank you! You'll be able to save some cash while shaving off the fat! You'll probably spend less long-term on medical bills too! 

I can't say that my current diet would be the pride of health gurus, but after cutting soda, I've improved my health tremendously. I won't suggest you to quit soda cold turkey, but try to limit your intake to the weekends. I guarantee that your health will improve if you reduce or remove soda from your diet!