Day 100

Although I've been working out for 100 days straight, I don't have anything outward to show. My weight has pretty much remained the same since the beginning of the year--I've been up and down the same five pounds on the scale. No great losses, no dress sizes smaller, no inches lost. Nothing really. But that's okay.


It's been a rough year. It seems like everyone is going through something, and for me, it's dealing with unemployment. My husband lost his job just about a year ago and it's been hard getting used to a schedule where he's home all the time and to live on a fraction of his old income. It's been disheartening to see him post resume after resume only to end up with nothing. No interviews. No interest. Nada. He has his MBA, a ton of experience, and it's still not enough to get a job during this economy.

I'm a stay at home mom who homeschools our kids. I have to admit, the thought has crossed my mind to enroll the kids in school and find a job. But would the gain of a job make up for the loss of what I currently have? Considering I haven't been in the work force for over 12 years, and none of my children have ever stepped into a school except for my oldest when he was enrolled in Kindergarten, I'm going to have to say, NO. The benefits of working are not greater for the things I would lose.

I'm an emotional eater. I admit, I have NOT been eating as well as I should. I know better, my degree is in Nutrition, but I traditionally deal with the difficult things in life through food. I'm so much better than I used to be, but I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be. I am thrilled to say that although I haven't been eating as well as I should, I haven't binged like I have in the past. Considering my personal stress levels, I could have easily packed on 50 pounds the past 12 months--trust me--but I haven't, and I contribute this to the fact that I have a goal that has nothing to do with eating, or the scale, or what size jeans I wear.

Being successful with a goal that has nothing to do with eating gives me validation. It reminds me that even though I may not have complete control over what I'm eating, I can still feel like I'm accomplishing something with my workouts. For me this is huge, it's helping me maintain during a time I could easily be out of control.

I'm hoping that during the next 100 days I will be able to make better choices in my eating so I can maximize the benefits of the exercise I do each day. :)

US Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fat Consumption over the Last Century

Omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) are essential nutrients that play many important roles in the body. They are highly bioactive, and so any deviation from ancestral intake norms should probably be viewed with suspicion. I've expressed my opinion many times on this blog that omega-6 consumption is currently too high due to our high intake of refined seed oils (corn, soybean, sunflower, etc.) in industrial nations. Although it's clear that the quantity of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fat have changed over the last century, no one had ever published a paper that attempted to systematically quantify it until last month (1).

Drs. Chris Ramsden and Joseph Hibbeln worked on this paper (the first author was Dr. Tanya Blasbalg and the senior author was Dr. Robert Rawlings)-- they were the first and second authors of a different review article I reviewed recently (2). Their new paper is a great reference that I'm sure I'll cite many times. I'm going to briefly review it and highlight a few key points.

1. The intake of omega-6 linoleic acid has increased quite a bit since 1909. It would have been roughly 2.3% of calories in 1909, while in 1999 it was 7.2%. That represents an increase of 213%. Linoleic acid is the form of omega-6 that predominates in seed oils.

2. The intake of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid has also increased, for reasons that I'll explain below. It changed from 0.35% of calories to 0.72%, an increase of 109%.

3. The intake of long-chain omega-6 and omega-3 fats have decreased. These are the highly bioactive fats for which linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are precursors. Arachidonic acid, DHA, DPA and EPA intakes have declined. This mostly has to do with changing husbandry practices and the replacement of animal fats with seed oils in the diet.

4. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats has increased. There is still quite a bit of debate over whether the ratios matter, or simply the absolute amount of each. I maintain that there is enough evidence from highly controlled animal studies and the basic biochemistry of PUFAs to tentatively conclude that the ratio is important. At a minimum, we know that excess linoleic acid inhibits omega-3 metabolism (3, 4, 5, 6). The omega-6:3 ratio increased from 5.4:1 to 9.6:1 between 1909 and 2009, a 78% increase.

5. The biggest factor in both linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid intake changes was the astonishing rise in soybean oil consumption. Soybean oil consumption increased from virtually nothing to 7.4% of total calories, eclipsing all sources of calories besides sugar, dairy and grains! That's because processed food is stuffed with it. It's essentially a byproduct of defatted soybean meal-- the second most important animal feed after corn. Check out this graph from the paper:

I think this paper is an important piece of the puzzle as we try to figure out what happened to nutrition and health in the US over the last century.

Chicken Gorgonzola with Orzo

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs. (about 0.68 kg.) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  
  


• 1 large onion, chopped
  
  


• 1 can (14½ oz) chicken broth
  
  


• 1-½ cups uncooked orzo pasta
  
  


• ¾ tsp Italian seasoning
  
  


• ½ tsp lemon pepper
  
  


• ⅓ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  
  

Preparation:

• Remove fat from chicken and cut chicken into ½-inch strips.
  
  


• Spray cooking spray in a 10-inch skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
  
  


• Cook chicken in skillet about 2 minutes until browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
  
  


• Spray skillet with cooking spray and cook onion over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or until tender, stirring often
  
  


• Stir in broth, chicken, pasta lemon pepper and seasoning
  
  


• Heat to boiling then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for about 11 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is just tender. Remove from heat.
  
  


• Stir in Gorgonzola cheese and serve.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (238 g)): 264 Calories, 32 g Protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 71 mg cholesterol, 398 mg sodium

Pasta with Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Please enjoy this recipe from the LivingAfterWLS Newsletter Archives:

I think we are all familiar with classic macaroni, pasta or potato salads that are heavy on starch and light on vegetables or complex carbohydrates. While no doubt these are enjoyable to eat they leave us feeling heavy, sleepy, and bloated. In many cases they lead to discomfort and possibly dumping in gastric surgery

Chicken Creole

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, cooked, and cut into 1” cubes
  
  


• 1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
  
  


• 1 cup chili sauce
  
  


• 1½ cups green pepper, chopped
  
  


• ½ cup celery, chopped
  
  


• ½ onion, chopped
  
  


• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  


• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  
  


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  
  


• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  
  


• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
  

Preparation:

• Sauté onion and garlic in vegetable oil in a deep skillet for about 5 minutes.
  
  


• Add remaining ingredients to skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered about 10 minutes.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (311 g)): 217 Calories, 16 g Protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 34 mg cholesterol, 1037 mg sodium

Quick Cassoulet

(makes 5 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion cut into wedges
  
  


• 6 oz. lean, boneless pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
  
  


• 1 large onion cut into wedges
  
  


• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  
  


• ½ tsp dried basil, crushed
  
  


• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
  


• ½ cup, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  
  


• ¼ cup dry white wine or reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can Great Northern or Navy beans, drained
  
  


• 3 tomatoes, diced
  
  


• 6 oz. fully cooked, low-fat smoked turkey sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
  
  


• 1 tbsp snipped fresh parsley
  
  


• Nonstick, low-fat cooking spray
  
  

Preparation:

• Lightly coat a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high.
  
  


• Add pork and cook until lightly browned (about 3 minutes).
  
  


• Add carrots, onion, garlic, ½ cup broth and basil. Bring to boiling then reduce heat and simmer until pork and vegetables are tender (about 7 to 8 minutes).
  
  


• Add beans, wine or broth and tomatoes.
  
  


• Mash beans slightly, add sausage. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes before serving.
  
  


• Sprinkle parsley over the top, and serve.
  
  

Make 5 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/5 of recipe (318 g)): 281 Calories, 2 g Protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 6 g Dietary Fiber, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 746 mg sodium

Kindness Matters

Original photo by Kaye Bailey Copyright 2011