My info-packed post for the week

First of all, shout out to my girl, Amanda, for the virtual slap the other day. I needed that. She wasn't mean or anything, she just gave me the encouraging words I needed to hear. A hands on the shoulders shake that sort of says "pull yourself together"! I stress out over this stuff far more than I should. It should be enjoyable. I should like the ride. But I'm an impatient person and when I don't get the results I think I deserve RIGHT NOW, I get a little whiny.

Anyway, I thought I'd share my "at this moment" ritual - or things I often do lately.

First of all, as far as training goes, I've been in the cardio zone for...oh, I don't know, a few months now. Mostly higher intensity circuits and plyometrics. I want to have more power, strength and stamina for the building months to come. If my legs are stronger, I will lift better. I was running in the evenings pretty religiously but I haven't done any running at all this week. Probably due to my "why do more when it's not getting me anywhere" attitude. I'll go out if I feel like it - for the mental benefit - not because I think it's going to change my body.

Second, I've been trying to keep my calorie intake below maintenance. If I hit between 1200 and 1500 net calories per day (which means after calorie burn from working out), I'm satisfied. If you've read Tom Venuto's book at all, you know that he promotes eating more and working out more. The two are supposed to complement each other. And while I have the highest respect for Tom and love his book, it seems a little like defeating the purpose (if fat loss is your goal) when the law of physics says fat loss is simply a matter of calories in vs. calories out. But whatev....

My favorite meals lately are as follows:

1) egg & turkey bacon English muffin (and if you read my other blog www.thearffadventure.blogspot.com) you know how much I like them.
2) scrambled egg wrap (using a low carb wrap - only 50 calories, with egg, onions and peppers)
3) kashi go lean cereal (high protein, low sugar) or fiber one cereal or shredded wheat & bran cereal with unsweetened almond milk
4) boneless skinless canned sardines - but only if I like eating alone because no one else except Lizzy can stand the smell
5) Ezekiel sprouted grain bread with Parker's natural peanut butter and Polaner all fruit jelly
6) plain nonfat greek yogurt mixed with apple chunks and walnuts
7) progresso light soups (especially beef pot roast)
8) turkey chili with beans
-although I would typically stay away from canned foods like these due to sodium levels, once every couple days is ok in my book
9) plain rolled oats
10) prograde post workout recovery drink
11) I try to get a tablespoon of coconut oil in every day but if my calorie content is already hovering around the max range by dinner time, I skip it. I hate to skip it for the calories though because it is SO beneficial for your body in so many ways.

And I guess that's about it. I cycle through the same stuff a lot. I haven't had a spinach and protein powder smoothie in a coon's age. But that's because I'm opting for the recovery drink post workout. I'll probably switch back once I start lifting.

I had a donut last night. I went to the store, bought the donuts with the intention of eating one, and ate it without feeling the least bit bad about it. It was tasty, I enjoyed it, end of story.

I also had a bowl of soy ice cream a couple nights ago, just to try it. Why soy? Andreas (of all people) wanted to try it. You're probably thinking....what? Andreas? I know, right? I don't believe it either. But it was his brother's influence. And I'm pretty sure if his brother started to tell him about the benefits of weightlifting, he'd do that too. You can see where I rate in this equation ;)

I'm on the fence about soy. At least consuming it daily. "Soybeans and certain other plant foods (such as whole grains, seeds, fruits) are rich in isoflavones, a plant chemical in the class known as phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are natural chemicals that can mimic some of the effects of estrogen in the body."

*Let me cut in here - have you read about estrogen dominance at all? Did you know that if you are estrogen dominant, you can gain fat on the belly and hips despite dieting and exercise? And did you also know you can correct this by eating properly? Bing it sometime...

Continuing on...
"a small number of studies have suggested that susceptible women who consume high levels of purified soy protein and/or foods containing high amounts of isoflavones may have an increased risk of breast cancer."

Info taken from healthsearches.org

Like Andreas says, he takes these findings and newer studies with a grain of salt. Just like the way he feels about eggs. For so long we were told of how bad eggs were for us. Now more recent studies show they do more good than harm. I'm a VERY big pusher of eating eggs. I eat eggs daily and have the best HDL levels of anyone I know. I don't have high cholesterol either. Of course other factors come into play here, like the fact that I exercise daily and eat right most of the time. That being said, a person who does not exercise and has already high cholesterol levels will probably still be told to not eat too many eggs so as not to aggravate their condition.

And as far as soy goes...Asians have been consuming soy for centuries. But what if we begin eating far higher amounts than is normally found in the Asian diet? In a 1999 press release, the Canadian Health Coalition stated that consumption of soy formulas could lead to a host of health problems, including thyroid dysfunction. There has also been concern over whether or not soy consumption can have an impact on thyroid function in adults. But like many MANY other debatable topics, there just aren't enough studies that significantly prove one way over another. I just won't eat tofu and drink soy milk every day - which is why I stick to whey protein shakes instead of soy based powders ;)