WTF?? (Fat..what the fat?)

Warning...this blog entry is actually a bit educational in nature.  It is based on my own research as well as discussions with people I know and trust..namely, my doctor, my friend and ex coach Suzanne Atkinson, M.D., the drive thru guy at Dunkin Donuts and  others too numerous to mention.  I am not posting this blog as advice to anyone..it is merely my opinion after doing my own research...and unfortuantley the conclusion I come to is not what I wanted.

So after my doctor advised me to become a vegetarian and forgo meat and cheese I started to do a little research regarding what exactly constitutes healthy eating.  I especially wanted to know what is "heart healthy" eating.  You would think that this would be an easy question to find an answer for..but it isn't.

My doctor had indicated that cutting out saturated fats and cholesterol was the answer to stopping my arteries from becoming as clogged as I-70 on Sunday nights during ski season.  This made sense since I had been hearing about low-fat diets for the last 20 years and how a heart healthy diet was one that limited fats in the diet.

However, do a google search for saturated fat and heart disease and the first 50 items will have articles about how saturated fat is not the enemy and there is no proof showing a correlation between saturated fat and heart disease.  Some of these articles are from physicians but a good number of the articles are by authors pushing a Paleo diet agenda..crossfit..or some similar diet or philosophy.  In fact, many of these authors have no issue with eating as much cheese and bacon as you want.   Well I know for a fact that the saturated fat is not your enemy theory is wrong.  The mere fact that I want it to be correct automatically makes the theory false.  So what is the answer?

Well there are a few things that everyone agrees on.   The first  is to avoid Trans fats.  Trans fats are most likely found in  products made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, like stick margarine, many commercially prepared baked goods, and deep-fried foods. Trans fats elevate harmful LDL cholesterol, depress beneficial HDL, and increase inflammation.  So..Trans fats should be avoided..good bye fried foods.

The second thing is to lose weight if you are carrying anything over and above what you should be.  A healthy BMI (Body Mass Index)  is 18.5 to 24.9.  Overweight is 25 to 29.9 and Obese is anything over 30.  At my current weight and height 6'1" 235 my BMI is 31.  Yes the Obese category..however the calculation does not take into account the extraordinary amount of muscle I carry as well the weight of my thick skull.  However, I know that to be healthy I need to start getting taller.  You can calculate your BMI here..BMI Calculator.

The third thing that most of my research indicates is that the low fat diet should be thrown out.  It seems to be agreed that we should take in more polyunsaturated (Foods high in polyunsaturated fat include a number of vegetable oils, including soybean oil, corn oil and safflower oil, as well as fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout.  Other sources include some nuts and seeds such as walnuts and sunflower seeds) and monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados and peanut butter).  The debate is still whether saturated fats should be minimized or not.

So what about saturated fat.  I went through numerous articles, blogs, studies etc..and I found this article to be the most helpful in trying to sort everything out.  Fats and Cholesterol - Harvard Health  Click on the link and take a read...it is well worth your while. In fact the Harvard Health Publications Website was filled with interesting and very well written and researched articles.

The article actually reviews the new claims that saturated fat is not bad for your heart health and comes with this conclusion.:

...some of the media and blog coverage of these studies would have you believe that scientists had given a green light to eating bacon, butter, and cheese. But that’s an oversimplified and erroneous interpretation. Read the study and subsequent studies more closely, and the message is more nuanced: Cutting back on saturated fat can be good for health if people replace saturated fat with good fats, especially, polyunsaturated fats. (16,25)  Eating good fats in place of saturated fat lowers the “bad” LDL cholesterol, and it improves the ratio of total cholesterol to “good” HDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease. Eating good fats in place of saturated fat can also help prevent insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. (26) Cutting back on saturated fat will likely have no benefit, however, if people replace saturated fat with refined carbohydrates—white bread, white rice, mashed potatoes, sugary drinks, and the like. Eating refined carbs in place of saturated fat does lower “bad” LDL cholesterol—but it also lowers the “good” HDL cholesterol and increases triglycerides. The net effect is as bad for the heart as eating too much saturated fat—and perhaps even worse for people who have insulin resistance because they are overweight or inactive.

In short, according to the article saturated is bad and should be cut out of the diet..but it needs to be replaced with good fats or carbs.  Replacing it with "bad" carbs might be worse than the saturated fat itself. I was actually amazed that eating simple carbs seem to have just a bad an affect on the heart as saturated fats.  I knew that simple carbs were bad for your health..but honestly thought the heart was one thing that was not affected.  According to the same article.

One problem with a generic lower fat diet is that it prompts most people to stop eating fats that are good for the heart along with those that are bad for it. Another problem is that when people cut back on fat, they often switch to foods full of easily digested carbohydrates—white bread, white rice, potatoes, sugary drinks, and the like—or to fat-free products that replace healthful fats with sugar and refined carbohydrates. The body digests these carbohydrates very quickly, causing blood sugar and insulin levels to spike. Over time, eating lots of “fast carbs” can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes as much as—or more than—eating too much saturated fat. (16-18) That’s why it’s important to replace foods high in bad fats with foods high in good fats—not with refined carbohydrates.

In my opinion some of the people who are starting to believe that saturated fat is ok for you may be looking at individual cases where people have gone on a paleo type diet where the person is eating more saturated fat but has basically gotten rid of all the "fast carbs" thus showing a possible health benefit as far as cholesterol and heart health are concerned.  If the person was to also cut out the saturated fat they may show even better gains in health. 

So..what does this mean to me?  I will be cutting back on the saturated fats as well as the "fast carbs".  Why wouldn't I?  Much like Pascal's wager wouldn't it be better to cut out the saturated fats as well as the carbs instead of risking that the saturated fats may be ok?  (Yes I put a link in for the uneducated lot of you..lol).

Also..for those of you who still argue that eating bacon and pastrami in large doses is ok...here is another article condemning processed meats. New study links L-carnitien in red meat to heart disease    "In the bigger picture, we do have pretty damning evidence about the harms of eating a particular type of meat. “Processed red meats—bacon, sausage, salami, deli meats—are associated with much higher risk of heart disease,” Dr. Mozaffarian says."

Lastly..I can only look to my friend Cliff and his experiment with veganism to show that cutting both the simple carbs and unsaturated fats help with controlling heart disease. He also cut out the "fast carbs".  Cliff is much like me..same height..weight..from Wisconsin..although he definitely is not as good looking. Here is his experiment in his own words:

"Personal story with personal information that is worth sharing. I have been doing the reverse of the Morgan Sperlock documentary - "Super Size Me".
I started with a cardiac risk of 8.01 with 3 being high risk. My triglycerides were over 600 even being on the strongest dose of trilipix for 3 years. Taking a beta blocker to slow my heart rate to prevent PVCs while getting exercise mainly from volleyball once a week and maybe work around the house. My resting heart rate was 83 and my BP was 134/89 (even on a beta blocker). Blood sugar was 20% high and my cholesterol was not a number that could be calculated. I was pre diabetic and seriously felt awful.
5 weeks on an almost exclusive vegan diet and here are the results:
Lost 12 pounds without starving - actually ate rather good. Found out there are a lot of foods I wouldn't try before that I actually like. Triglycerides are below 100, blood sugar normal, heart rate is at 56 and BP is at 108/64. Work out 3 times a week and still play volleyball once a week and my cardiac risk is at 1.9 or average.  You say you would rather die than give up your steak and beer? I say you just might if you don't. Don't care? Ask your friends and family if they do."

Now I don't think I can ever become a vegan or even a vegetarian but it is becoming more and more clear to me that to be healthy I have to eat more fruits and vegetables..cut out the saturated fats..add in some good fats..get plenty of protein and most importantly cut out all of the quick processed carbs we have become accustomed to...and which I love.   Hopefully this post gets some people doing their own research and finding out what works for them.  Honestly I wish the best diet was a chili cheese dog on a pretzel bun with tots and a large coke..but apparently that is about the worst thing I could have.

Happy New Year!!

Yes..I have decided to start the New Year as of today.  Why not?  I can't wait to get rid of 2013 so might as well do it a few months early.  And what better day then my birthday!!  Another year older but none the wiser.  And all you federal employees can thank me now for the government giving you the day off to help me celebrate. We will just refer to anything after October 1 as 2014 FB.

The last straw for ending 2013 early was when I went to pay for lunch last week and the bill showed a senior discount for me.  Ok..I know I look older when I wear my glasses and let my hair grow..but seriously?  So one of my resolutions is to not let my hair grow out more than three days without shaving it. And you know you are getting old when you can no longer play video games...not because I don't understand them..but I am physically unable to play.  For some reason I decided to play HALO this weekend. I haven't played in over a year.  First of all I had to change out of my contacts into my glasses so I could see.  Then my wrist and thumb started to hurt.  I finally had to quit when I got violently ill from the movement in the game..yep..after ten minutes I was in the bathroom with my head in the toilet.  Which brings me to my second resolution for the year...Spend less time on the bathroom floor.  I was also concerned the other night when I got out of bed to get a drink of water and saw a picture of my grandfather hanging on the wall..I was wondering where my wife even found it when I realized it was a mirror...WTH!  Resolution 3..get rid of the mirrors in the house.  OK..I'm just kidding about this..I still have a great looking butt..I'd never get rid of the mirrors.  Maybe I will just lower them a bit.

So as of today everything starts fresh and anew.  Ms. Jen Small has sent me my first off-season training plan. Talk about baby steps.  Day 1..Try to find some shorts and a tri top that still fit you and put them on.  (This was actually harder than I thought)..but I suppose I better get going if I want to complete Ironman Boulder in August of 2014.  (Apparently Ms. Small does not believe in cramming for races...she wants me training more than 3 months beforehand...hell cramming got me through college and law school).  Yesterday was my first run in a long time...the pic below pretty much sums it up.

I took more time finding my running shoes and figuring out which shorts I looked best in (Obviously I still need mirrors) than my entire run took. But hey..one day of training in the books. So I came home and decided to write down all of the aches and pains I had from the strenuous workout..let's see..both feet hurt..possibly gout or dehydration related..knee hurt a bit..probably because I have lost all of the muscle mass in my bad quad by not lifting weights. (I'm pretty sure the knee issue has no connection at all to the amount of weight they are supporting).  I also had a dent on the top of my head...I finally figured out I had rested my sunglasses on the top of my head and the nose piece had made an indentation in my forehead.  If you have a fat forehead..you might be a little overweight.  I did some calculations and based on the aches, pains, memory loss, clogged arteries, grey hair, my weight, and newly established habit of wagging my finger and yelling..You Damn kids!! at 30 year olds... I figured I'm probably closer to 60 than my chronological age of 46,  I was pretty depressed..until I realized that I forgot to factor in the multiplier for my family genetics...46 in chronological years is like 70 in my family years..so I am doing pretty good at actually looking and feeling like I am 60.  Woo hoo!

So in honor of my birthday and starting the New Year on October 1,  Kompetitive Edge has rolled out it's Athlete applications for next year.  They are doing some new programs with a couple of tiers of sponsorship.  I would recommend that if you have any interest at all to fill out the simple application and send it in.  Here is the link:   Kompetitive Edge Application  .  KE actually made a position just for me next year. I was going to be the official taste tester of all of the new nutrition products. However, when they found out that I hate anything even related to coffee I was told I couldn't have the job. Apparently triathletes in general love mocha this and coffee that I and I just couldn't relate.

Next post will be my 2014 race schedule, complete list of resolutions and my starting point for the year 2014 FB. Oh..I can't wait.  Happy Trails!

Dehydration + Sugar = not a fun evening.

WARNING! This is a graphic post.  You may want to just read something of some real value instead.  If you saw the movie Bridesmaids and were offended or disgusted by the bride maid's fitting scene you should turn back now.  You have been warned.

It has been said that for some people to change..really change...they have to hit rock bottom.  For some that is the first floor..others the basement..and still others haven't reached bottom until they have dug a hole so deep that they hit a granite slab.

This is the story of a journey to the bottom..the names have been changed or omitted to protect what little integrity the main character has left.

It was 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night. Instead of being home in bed he was laying on a bathroom floor at Denver Public Hospital.  His face was on the tile trying to extract any coolness to help him with the sweats that had overcome him and drenched his shirt and head.  Unfortunately he had been laying like this for five minutes and there was no amount of comfort to be found.   He lay staring under the locked door...trying not to think about the manner of virus and bacteria that was lurking on the floor.  There was nothing exceptional to stare at but every so often a bit of cool air would waft in.  He tried not to move at all..not even blink or breathe for fear that the slightest movement would again set his body into involuntary convulsions which would require him to try and sit up and simultaneously put his head in the trash receptacle.  Something he had done numerous times this evening already..with mixed success. Trying to sit and put your head into a three and a half foot tall container was..well impossible...your aim was going to be off in one direction or the other.   The incessant pounding on the door by the security guard was getting tiresome...and when that went away there was his wife on speaker phone..the phone was on the floor out of his reach..everything is out of your reach when you are afraid to move.  She was  threatening to leave him...and when that subsided there was the moaning of the stabbing victim in the hall outside the door.  The day had started out well..now he was just hoping for a swift end..and cursing the man who created 1 ply toilet paper. 

Like many addicts he had started the day saying he was in control. And like many addicts he had an excuse for getting off the wagon, ignoring the consequences.  His reason was logical enough.  He had been told earlier that month he had to give up a number of things he loved with all his life..most notably meat and cheese.  If he was forced to give those "vices" up..then there was no reason why he could not replace them with another.  Some people call it Coke.  Others pop or soda. No, he wasn't addicted to alcohol or drugs or cigarettes..but sugar.  Something a person should be able to stop no problem.  In the past sugar had caused him problems.  Big problems.  He had found out years earlier that coupled with his ability to become dehydrated at any temperature over 55 degrees, the Sugar..especially the high fructose variety, would cause him unbelievable abdominal pain, cramping...and you guessed it.. the trots.  To the point where during volleyball tournaments he would dehydrate and try to replenish himself with Gatorade..basically liquid High Fructose corn syrup, and end up sick on the bathroom floor or porta potty for hours.  In short, in some people, when the body becomes so dehydrated that the blood starts to thicken, the body's defense mechanism kicks in.  The body begins to make sure the blood is circulated in the most vital areas such as the heart...and begins to shut down unessential services..such as the intestines.  Simple carbohydrates such as sugar then just flow through the GI tract.  Thus, instead of helping to hydrate the body, the sugary drinks such as Gatorade can make the situation much much worse.  So much so, he had ended up in the hospital a few times with saline bags attached to him.  But that was years ago. He had learned to control the situation and to even change the brands of electrolyte replacement to those which contained Sucrose or Dextrose.  They were sugars but they did not screw up his GI system like the High Fructose variety. Heck, he even could race half and full ironman distances..dehydrate and still not have GI issues when he used the electrolyte replacement drinks with the correct types of sugar.

But Saturday was not a day filled with tournaments or training. Sure he was feeling a little dehydrated and had been hitting the hard stuff for a couple of days and completely neglected drinking water.  Friday night he had gone to see a movie and got the Big Coke..not the diet..but the real thing.  Saturday, was hot outside and instead of replenishing with water there was Coke...hey..he couldn't eat cheeseburgers or fries..so the calories from the sugar were actually much less..and they didn't clog arteries.  Then came Saturday afternoon and the Badger's game. Again..Coke with all it's glorious taste.  And then Saturday night and dinner with friends.  In an effort to look more grown up he ordered some alcoholic drinks..but ordered them.."Fruity"  which is code for sugar.  Not to mention the sugar in the alcohol itself.  By 10:45 Saturday night he had ingested two fruity drinks and a Whiskey Sour.  (He got the  whiskey sour when he just gave up and ordered an old man's drink.  He had been watching twelve year old girls getting into the bars all evening and couldn't believe it.  At one point he actually looked at the ID of one girl  that the bouncer had to see the girl's age.  The fact the 12 year old was 25 was devastating.)  There is no better combination then being dehydrated, and then drinking caffeine and alcohol. 

Of course the way to end a fun evening was with one more Coke.  By 10:55 the night had taken a dubious turn.  Somehow his pants had shrunk three sizes and the pressure on his waist was immense.  Time to take the immodium.  He looked at the package and knew it was not a good sign..It was generic...Everyone knows generic immodium does not work!!  He silently damned his inlaws for instilling in his wife the belief that generics worked as well as name brand..(and that expiration dates on food were just " suggestions"  Seriously..2004 on French Dressing is not ok).  He walked into the bar bathroom and found the one stall to be occupied..by some passed out guy. Well. not quite passed out..but not quite completely with it. WTH?  Ok..it was not that big of a deal..it was only a 25 minute drive home.  Of course 2 minutes after getting into the truck it became an emergency situation and of course at 11 p.m. there was nothing open.  When thoughts start going through your mind like..I could double park and there is a tree...things are not good.  At that point the only beacon of any hope was the sign for Denver Public Hospital.  He drove in and his wife said she would take care of the car..more irritated then concerned.  There were 8 cops at the ambulance only doors as well as a victim laying  in the hall way. As he ran up to the door..ok not really running..you know that situation where you have not decided to go "all in" and make that last dash but are moving at as quick a pace as you dare (You runners know what I mean) and was stopped by a security guard who insisted that he could not go in and use the bathroom.  Being doubled over and insisting the bathroom would be used either outside or inside..the guard started to waiver..at that point he made his last ditch run. Seeing the international symbol for relief just inside the doors he scooted past the guard and locked himself in the bathroom.  Thirty minutes later he was laying on the floor promising anyone who would listen that he would drink a gallon of water everyday and never drink soda or fruity drinks again if the pain would stop and he even had a shred a self respect when he left. (Which he did not).

The security guard..who was pounding on the door..finally went away..  He probably thought better of the situation and wanted no part of it...probably thinking it was just some derelict drunk locked in the bathroom.  His wife finally stopped threatening to leave and have him take a cab home if he could drag his butt outside within the next 10 minutes.  He said he would try..but told her that he couldn't promise anything considering the security and the state he was leaving the facilities.  He was able to finally straighten up (put his clothes half way on and stand 3/4 of the way up)  and assess the situation with the only possible positive outcome to be able to get out of the hospital without security stopping him...which he did.  Again partly because they saw him and wanted no part of the train wreck or to go anywhere near him.  On the way home he just laid on the floor of the truck counting breaths until finally in the garage..crawled into the house and showered..threw out his clothes and fell asleep..kind of. 

It will be interesting to see if this really was "rock bottom" for this guy as far as the hydration and sugar is concerned.  I'm guessing it was.  But I have been wrong before.  I mean seriously..how many times can a person do the same stupidity before changing?

Happy trails everyone...and be sure to always buy named brand immodium!!  Your socks could depend on it.  Just sayin.

Could 2013 get any better??

Well yes it can!  Obviously the one thing we all hope for when we check voicemail is a message from our doctor to make an appointment to come see him.  And that is exactly the message I got.  So I immediately made an appointment the next day.  I had not seen my doctor in about three months so I figured he was just jonesing to see me..I me who wouldn't be?

When I called to make the appointment the receptionist knew the sound of my voice and said..Scott what are we seeing you for..did you crash your bike again?  I told her that I had a message and I had no idea why I was coming in. 

So I get to the doctor's office, go to the exam room and the nurse says I'm looking much better than the last time I saw her..and tells me that the doctor wants to see me about my heart exam I had three months ago.  Cool, we had gone over it and the echo had shown my heart was strong like bull.  Well apparently I also had tests done on my arteries.  She gave me the print out to review before the doctor came in.. I read it and it actually looked pretty good..I am 60 with the arteries of a 45 year old.  Sweet..Until it dawned on me that I am actually 45 with the arteries of a 60 year old.  Wth!!

When the doc came in I did not ask him why it took three months to tell me about the results. (This is the same doctor who had me go in for an MRI to make sure I didn't have an aneurism...and a year later at my physical took out the report and said..oh..they found something..well..apparently it must have been from an old car accident or something..I mean you are still here after a year.  I had to admit it was sound reasoning)

Even though my cholesterol is the best it has been in years the plaque is building. My bad cholesterol was the only thing that was a tiny bit above where it should be. Apparently I have two things to thank..my diet and my wonderful genetics. Yes not only do I have the wonderful hairline and child bearing hips..I also have blood that is as thick as molasses.  I was pretty bummed but nothing could prepare me for what the doctor said next.  "Have you ever considered becoming a vegetarian?"  Really did I just hear this?  And not only a vegetarian but one who does not eat cheese.  Well yes doc..I consider becoming a vegetarian a lot..about as much as I consider giving Roseanne Barr a sponge bath.

So in continuation of my last blog's theme of "change"  I now have to seriously change up my diet.  The genetics just cannot be toyed with any longer.  Yes, I will no longer be going through 5 pounds of cheese in a week..nor stopping at Sonic for the 50 cent happy hour corn dogs.  And apparently sunnyside up eggs are now out of the picture since there will be no yolks in my future.  Yes basically I can eat fruits, vegetables, chicken (but not the good fried kind) and fish.  Doctor wants red meat and pork out of the picture for a while.

Well I have made it through the first week and am none the worse for the wear..although I am running out of things to eat.  Sunday I will actually put together a menu for the week.

And for those of you wondering.  I did make it through the first week without T.V.  I watched the Badgers on my ipad and hooked the ipad to the T.V.  The Packers were on Fox. Further, I have found that the shows on regular television are so mind numbingly terrible that I am not watching T.V. at all. Seriously..last night there was a game show where a guy guessed that there were 22 ounces in a pound. I guess I am supposed to know who the host of the show was but I have no idea and could care less.  This show was followed by a show where celebrities play pictionary and drink..Who the hell watches this crap?? (Ok I know you do Keely) The only show I was every remotely interested in with celebrities was celebrity death match..and unfortunately that was fictitious.

Oh,  and you know how everyone was praying for rain during the wild fires?? Well apparently God must have comcast for funneling those prayers since much like my emails there was a delay in receiving them and he answered them all at once.  In a state that averages 16 inches of rain a year there were a number of areas that received 10 to 13 inches in two days.  Since the sewage infrastructure in Colorado consists of digging ditches to large holes and no such thing as actual sewers this posed quite the problem when all of the ditches and holes overfilled.  And of course my basement..that I just redid two months ago..also flooded. Although I  don't think there is any damage which we will need to replace.   Oh and since nothing in this state knows how to deal with moisture..the three days of 100% humidity caused all of the rubber on my steering wheel to start coming off on my hands and falling into my lap.  I would get to work and my hands would be completely black and the front of my khakis would be covered in rubber.  Today was the first day the sun has been out in a week..it dried up and now the surface of the steering wheel is as solid as it was.  (I know there is some scientific explanation for this..but I have no idea what it is.

There was some exciting news.  I got  a new bike.  A Gary Fisher HiFi Pro full suspension 29er. not only did I get the bike but I got it for under $1,000.00.  Sweet. I love craigslist and desperate sellers. 

I also want to say congrats to my friend Jen who completed her first 140.6 in just over 12 hours..Way to go Jen!!  You can read about her exploits here.  Jen's blog

That's enough for now.  Oh I also signed up for Ironman Boulder.  So I have until the beginning of next August to get back in Ironman shape.   

Get your bets in early.  Some of the most active bets are the over/under on porta potty stops at 5.  Over/under on finishing time at 16:59:58 and what will take me out of the race  Bike crash 40 to 1; dehydration 5 to 2; and forgetting my running shoes at 6 to 1.

Happy Trails everyone.