When it comes to weight loss, everyone knows the Occam's Razor instruction: Eat right and work out. Seems fairly simple, right? Not always. The thousands of diet books attest to the fact that choosing one food over another can be a difficult task ("Eat This, Not That!" anyone?). Not everything comes with a label, and even when it does, it's confusing to determine what really counts.

Thankfully, there are numerous websites available for free to help you decipher what is best for you to eat. Each has its own pros and cons, and can be used as a standalone option or in conjunction with a pre-designed diet to help you track your progress. Since I've been focusing on weight loss, I decided to take another look at each site. What I discovered is that I have existing profiles with many of them, but haven't stuck to using any of them for an extended period of time. Hopefully the following will help you to do a better job of staying committed than I have!

NutritionData.com:

This site is my newest discovery, which I found while searching in Google for the nutritional information of a particular food. What I found, I immediately liked. ND allows you to see a visual "map" of each food's Fullness Factor (a higher rating means you may not reach for the Cheetoes right away), Caloric Ratio (what is the breakdown of carbs, fat and protein?), a rating of how well it well help with your goals of weight loss, optimum health and weight gain. For instance, cheddar cheese only scored 1.5 stars out of 5 for weight loss, is 72% fat on the Caloric Ratio, and gets a 2.2 out of 5 for fullness. It also puts into plain English the Good-- cheese is high in protein and phosphorus, as well as the Bad--cheese is very high in saturated fat. For those concerned with Glycemic Index, it gives a daily total as well as a per-food rating.

Overall, ND gives the most comprehensive, easy to access food ratings. I was immediately attracted to the colorful graphs, but when I signed up to create a profile the disappointment set in.

The best feature of this site may be the option to see which foods would be better choices for your particular goal. For instance, if you want to gain weight, and you just ate a cucumber, you can click on "Weight Gain" next to the selected food, and about 999 better food choices to gain weight will present themselves in alphabetical order, sortable by category.

However, ND does not allow you to "Track" your daily progress like a traditional nutritional website does. Each day, you add the foods and amounts that you eat, but at the start of each new day, you have to delete the previous day's evaluation and start new. If you want to compare over a week, you'll have to keep track on your own by posting your information into a spreadsheet or other personal tracking device, which in my opinion makes enough work to render the site useless.

If you're looking for quick accessible information on a particular food, ND is wonderful. But until they add an actual tracking option, I'll be moving on.

FitDay.com

Fit Day has been around for several years, and has a very streamlined approach to tracking calories. The site has basic colors, tabbing at the top and none of the graphs to breakdown nutritional food values of ND. Entering in custom foods is simple, and FD seems to do a better job of matching your search with the correct food than ND. In addition, it has options to track your weight, fitness activities, goals, moods, body shape and even journal about your weight loss. If you take the time to enter these, you will have the option of graphing your progress, or even seeing a pie chart of your mood breakdown.

There are some text ads at the top of some pages which tend to blend very well with the layout and style of the page, so they can get in the way. However, FD does offer a PC version for a price, which will eliminate the ads, so you can always upgrade.

For the serious fitness guru who doesn't want a lot of fluff, FitDay will do everything you need it to.

TheDailyPlate.com

If you want the gold version of fitness trackers, this is for you. As part of the Livestrong.com sites, TDP allows you to do more than I have the room or patience to type about. What I love about the site is that if you're obsessed with weight loss like I am, there is no end to the articles you can read, the inspirational "dares" you can take or the recipes you can try. There's a symptom checker much like WebMD, only if you have, for instance, asthma, you can add it to your profile for easy access to articles concerning your condition. If you have diabetes, there is a special food tracker which will also help you make healthy decisions for your unique needs. For those of us who love rewards, the site gives you "Badges" when you've reached a new goal or even just posted your daily food intake 5 days in a row. It appeals to a younger crowd and the group dependent by offering social networking capabilities and the option to track your friends' (or a total stranger's) progress. Of course, if you want to keep your profile private, you can do so with the click of a button.

My only gripe with the site would be that there is *too* much to do. That may seem strange, but Tony called me out on my obsession with my weight today (again), and the site is enabling me. If I want to read articles about weight loss all day, it is quite possible that I would never get any work done at all.

Happy tracking!

The Great Coffee Debate

It's an ongoing argument in my house-- Tony says coffee is terrible for you and will end up being the death of me, I argue that coffee has many health benefits that far outweigh any negative impact. After our most recent discussion on the topic, I decided that I needed some published facts and research to back up my position, not only so I can present my side more effectively, but so I can know for sure that I am making an informed decision when it comes to my morning pick-me-up.




Since I drink an average of two tall tumblers (5-6 cups) a day of drip coffee, I am by no means an impartial judge. However, in the interest of discovering the facts, I will do the best I can to fairly and accurately portray both sides of what I find.




The first article on the subject was actually laying on my desk. Self magazine had published an article in their August issue on the benefits of coffee. Peppy fitness magazines aren't always the best source of information, but it appears that the author did more research than just scraping the surface. The article touches on the antioxidant properties of the coffee berry: Shade-grown beans may be more eco-friendly, but have less antioxidants, the roasting process both breaks down and creates antioxidants the longer they roast, meaning that a medium roast may be the best choice.




Long term benefits include a resistance to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases-- two of the scariest diseases that can come with old age in my opinion. Premenopausal women who drink 4 cups per day have a 38 percent reduction in their breast cancer risk (according to The Journal of Nutrition) and coffee's phytoestrogens and flavonids may prevent tumor growth. Gallstone sufferers take note: the Xanthine in caffeine may reduce the mucus and deposits that form gallstones. Finally, those who drink 3-4 cups a day are 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes by preventing insulin resistance. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of liver damage.




But that's not all! The antibacterial and antiadhesive powers may keep the bacteria in your saliva from eating away at the enamel on your teeth. Also, a cup a day may cut your oral cancer risk in half. Finally, caffeine ramps up your metabolism, so Self included a handy coffee clock to help you schedule your java breaks to maximize your metabolic rate.




Coffee has also been linked to increased dopamine levels. No wonder I feel amazing after that first sip in the morning. Don't bother with Zanax, just head to your local Starbucks.



If you read the fine print, however, you'll notice that a few points mention some not-so-reassuring aspects of coffee. One bullet point encourages readers to purchase Starbucks' Espresso Pods because the paper filters, "catch the heart-harming compounds." Wait, what? Which compounds? Another mention of the polyphenols in coffee says that they block absorption of iron from fortified grains and lowers your calcium uptake.




So what am I supposed to do when I'm 85, cancer free, but can't raise my arms for fear that my bones will crumble? Clearly the Self article left some questions unanswered.





According to an article from Harvard, one of the major risks is dependence on what they call "a mild addictive stimulant," which leads to excessive drinking. Excessive coffee intake can cause, "palpitations, insomnia, tremors, diarrhea and increased urination." I know I've got to pee quite a bit when I'm drinking it, but my guess is that if you reach the point of having tremors, you've got more than a coffee problem.



The same article also mentions that coffee drinkers tend to be smokers. I don't know how true that is, and there doesn't seem to be much behind that statement other than an opinion. Seeing as there is a coffee shop on just about every corner, that would mean that there are far more smokers than I'm used to seeing.



Each person should make their own informed decision, and of course talk to their doctor regarding the potential benefits and risks associated with coffee consumption, but after my research, I feel confident that coffee can continue to be something I look forward to in the morning. Now I just have to stop adding so much sugar to it...

"In this economy..."

"In this economy..."



What a phrase. It's said more times on television news shows in a day than I can count, and it has become a part of our culture as an excuse for just about everything from being cheap at Christmas to denying bonuses and home loans (unless, of course, you are a bank or auto exec.). Mostly though, it's an advertising slogan for businesses trying to convince customers that their product has more value and therefore no one in their right mind would go without it. Its this last usage that has me the most irritated.



Lets call the kettle black. Advertising is manipulation. It is the act of convincing individuals and society that a product is better than another or is so essential to your being that everyone absolutely must purchase it. To be clear, when I reference advertising, I am not including public service announcements or announcements from non profit organizations. Political ads, while manipulative, are also not considered for this post because of the myriad of other issues that would arise if I included them.



No, my first issue lies with companies using mass media to perpetuate the idea that "in this economy," X must be purchased for two reasons. First, because the idea that anything aside from essentials "must" be purchased in a recession is absurd. As people attempt to adjust to the difficulties associated with living with a decrease in pay or no income at all, the media consistently sends a message of guilt as each commercial attempts to separate every American from their hard earned money. As anyone who has been on a diet knows, it's easier to resist when you're not faced with temptation at every turn. The same is true for willpower associated with saving money. In my opinion, most Americans have difficulty resisting the urge to spend money, especially since shopping has become a recreational activity. As it is almost impossible to avoid TV, radio, internet and print advertisements in a typical day, it is likewise incredibly difficult to resist the urge to spend.



Second, I take issue with the very meaning of, "in this economy." What economy is that? Over 10 percent of people are out of a job, but what does that mean? It means that there's a lack of spending power, certainly, but it also means that the rest of us need to work extra hard in a positive direction. The more the media perpetuates the idea that we're in rough times, the more fear associated with keeping your job, spending money and taking time off of work. Of course, spending money doesn't mean putting yourself in debt: one of the many reasons we're suffering right now, but it also doesn't mean that you should shop at Wal-Mart and purchase the lowest-grade imported crap you can find just to save yourself $.10. Buying local goes a long way to create and maintain jobs in your local area, but no one wants to take the time to shop anywhere but a one-stop box mart store.



Furthermore, one in ten people has a lot of time on their hands right now, and since the job market is slim, that creates a lot of opportunity for volunteering or working on your own education so when the economy does get better, you'll be ready to go. In previous rough times, we were told not to look for what our country could do for us, now everyone wants a handout to go back to school, pay for their cell phone, get a great new job, bail out our banks, bail out our auto dealers, and anything else we deem necessary.



We (the people) got ourselves into this mess, but unlike previous hard times, we aren't willing to do anything for ourselves to get out of it. We want someone else to fix things, and we want it to happen yesterday. There's no accountability, just more grant money being allocated to government programs. Even Henry Morgenthau, Jr., FDR's Secretary of the Treasury, has admitted that government spending can not create new jobs:



"We have tried spending money. We are spending more money than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just none interest, and if I am wrong . . . somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job, I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. . . . I say after eight years of this administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started . . . . And an enormous debt to boot!"



I don't have a solution for our job crisis by any means. If I were that intelligent I wouldn't be working where I am. But I do think that a bit of accountability and a return to reliance on local vendors and suppliers would go a long way in restoring order and creating jobs. So this Christmas, resist the urge to purchase the imported cheap-o version if you're going to purchase anything at all. Better yet, try making something, spending time with family or just sending a card. Your investment in a worthwhile gift or time spent together will do more than delight the recipient who opens the box.

Reestablishment

The name of this blog is "Constant Stream of Consciousness." When I created it about a year ago, my idea was to have a name that was vague enough to allow me to write about anything. Then I got on a workout kick, and narrowed my focus to only workout-related items. Problem is, I don't know enough about working out outside of my personal experiences; and those only provide so much to talk about. So today's post is to redefine my scope.

I've had a few ideas over the last week or so of things I'd like to talk about. Interests, strange people I see and just random occurrences in my life that deserve a few moments to sit down and reflect upon. I've started quite a few of these posts over the last few months, and I've never finished a single one.

Much of my hesitation stems from a deep shame associated with my writing. I feel like I failed in my career as a writer, so why should anyone want to read what I have to say? In addition, let's face it-- I complain quite a bit. Much of my writing consists of irritating occurrences throughout my day. There's only so much bitching that people want to read.

So in the future, I will make a strong attempt to write about interesting things without listing a series of complaints. I will continue to write about my workouts to keep myself in line. In addition, I won't hold back when I feel like I have something important to write about.

To begin, I am currently exploring options for continuing my education. Some possible areas are psychology, English, communications and law. Obviously, I will pick one. Like many people in their mid-20s, I feel like I should have accomplished more by now. While I'm not doing terribly, it has been brought to my attention that my death phobia may in part come from a lack of purpose in life. I have more to contribute and only one life to do it in, so better now to take on the challenge of furthering myself than to later regret not having done so.

I spent part of an evening last week speaking with Tony's mother about her experiences in her master's program at UWM, and I was finally able to admit aloud what has been stopping me from attempting to pursue a degree in psych-- I'm terrified that I will get halfway through the program and discover that it's not right for me. With journalism, a part of me always knew that I would not find lucrative work in the field, but I pursued it anyway because it was something I knew I was good at. While psychology is a growing field with more opportunities for a higher salary, there are parts of the job that terrify me. As Tony so tactfully pointed out, "What happens when your first patient commits suicide?" As if the mere thought wouldn't give me nightmares.

Currently I am narrowing down my options in the field and entertaining the idea of working with patients or focusing on research. While helping people directly is very rewarding, many times I like to work alone and lose myself in my work. Research would also give me the opportunity to write and publish my findings. However, as a history professor once pointed out to me, no one but your colleagues will read it, and then only to find your errors.

Life doesn't come with a pre-defined path like so many would have you believe. So many people I talk to daily are exploring new career options-- I never expected to list myself among them. I always had lofty dreams that some day I would be "found" as a writer and offered a high-paying, high-visibility job writing columns and drinking coffee all day long. I am no longer under the power of such delusions.

No, life will not happen if I do not make it happen. While my outlook remains realistic and cautious, I have felt better in the past few days. I am not as burdened by my own pessimistic outlook as I have been. I have a bit of hope that somehow this will all turn out alright.

Are You Smarter Than a Zombie?

If the world were to suddenly be taken over by zombies, a la "Zombieland", I'm afraid I wouldn't last a minute. Not because I'm deathly afraid of zombies like my friend Katy, but because I'm afraid that some days, I am just a moron.

I hesitate to admit this-- there are those who would love to tease me endlessly about my bouts of stupidity, but I thought of writing this very post this morning while making coffee... right after I burnt myself on the coffee machine and decided that if I needed to fend for myself, I would be in dire trouble.

You see, it wouldn't just be in a zombie apocalypse that I would perish early in what would undoubtedly be a disgusting display. I'm pretty sure that even if there was a sudden loss of electricity for an extended period of time, I'd be one of the first to go. I read an article recently about a journalist who evaluated the usefulness of his skills in an economy that focused only on necessities (people who can build things, sew up wounds and make food would be valued, those who wrote articles about daily events would not), and determined that he was in fact without many marketable skills. I failed at being a journalist, so I'm pretty sure that makes me fodder.

Don't get me wrong, this is not meant as a rally for a pity party. I'm perfectly happy with my role in life, I'm just being realistic... or as realistic as I can be while imagining what would happen to me in the event that something akin to a 2012 disaster should occur.

Even though I go to the gym five days a week, there's no way I could work in a field all day harvesting food should I need to provide for myself. I couldn't outrun a horde of angry people or defend my home and my food supply (wait, amassing food would require planning ahead--another skill I lack). Hell, even when playing Halo last night, I determined I probably couldn't fire a gun at a target two feet from my face.

Let's back up for a moment and consider my morning-- the very event that caused me to ponder this highly unlikely scenario. Mornings are foggy for me. Some mornings I get to my desk at work, sit down, stare at the screen and wonder how I drove here while still asleep. This morning I made myself coffee. I put the filter in the top, filled it with coffee, then turned it on and walked away. After about 10 minutes of listening to it gurgle, I realized the coffeemaker had no water in it. I reached for it, resting my hand on the burner and fried the side of my right thumb. I now have a blister, and my thumb is throbbing. This is not the tale of a woman who can fend for herself.

Even if the world doesn't end suddenly in just over two years, there may be a time that I need to provide for myself and complete chores around the house that I currently depend on Tony for. Things like plowing the driveway, climbing up on the roof and cleaning the gutters and making sure that the rain is directed away from the house all seem like incredibly daunting tasks that I wouldn't want to have to do.

I don't have a witty ending to this story, nor do I have a solution. It's more a statement of fact. I suppose I could say that I'm going to try to change my habits, plan ahead and work out until I look like Dana Torres, but that's just not going to happen. For now I'll just hope that when the zombies do come someone will protect me.