1550

Huge news!

2008-08-31T17:26:00.002-04:00

I've been working hard on this for a while, and it's finally ready: 1550 is moving to it's own site! 1550 version 2 has a whole new look, along with added sections and features. I'll be keeping this site up for a while, but there will be no new posting after this. All of my posts, old and new can be found at the new site.

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Weekend Hike: Akron Falls Park

2008-08-31T11:47:00.003-04:00

Akron Falls Park is located in the small town of Akron, NY, about 20 miles northeast of Buffalo. The park itself is surrounds the falls and continues downstream until it bumps against residential development. The trail head descends into the gorge and follows along the stream for roughly a mile. The trail its varied, ranging from stone steps to deteriorated asphalt, gravel, dirt, or jutting rock.

The trail was nice enough. It wasn't too difficult or strenuous and the scenery was lovely. The only faults I found with the trail is that it ran linear, and we had to double back twice since out entrance was near the center, and it was too short. Even with short pauses to admire the surroundings, we finished in 45 minutes. If I lived closer to the park, I would probably go there again.

You can see more pictures here.

The pant saga comes to an end...for now.

2008-08-30T14:07:00.006-04:00

You can read parts one and two here.

Having previously failed in my efforts, I expanded my search to Walmart. Oh Walmart, there is nothing that I can say that hasn't been said a million times already. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I'm a woman on a mission. Let's talk about pants!

There isn't a Walmart near me so before I made the trek across town, I figured I check online first to see if it was worth a trip. I think that I'm a reasonable, easy going person that let's very little get to me. Functionality of online markets can very easily get me into a snit. Listen code monkeys or whoever is in charge of these things; if you're going to develop a virtual store, DON'T HALF ASS THINGS! It annoys people and makes you look like you don't really care about selling merchandise. If you don't care about getting me to your store, then I won't even bother going. Surprisingly, Walmart pulled through on this, and I spotted this suitable pair for $19. So off I went. I easily found the pants, and grabbed a couple sizes to try on. The size 22 fit snugly but not uncomfortably tight, so I went with those. Ironically, I also noticed this sticker on some stretch jeans.

Who needs diets or weight loss when you have the illusion of being slightly thinner than you are!

So I purchased the pants. And they're okay in that they suit my purpose. They do have two problematic areas however. The first is the fabric and stitching is typical Walmart construction, which I really can't complain about given that LOW LOW PRICE! The other is more a design flaw, in which they are advertised as being convertible pants. Meaning, you can raise or lower the length at will. Well, either they never intended for the pants to be at full sail so to speak, or they thought only tall fat girls would wear them.

I have pants!

News From the Miscellania

2008-08-28T21:17:00.002-04:00

I've stopped using the elevator at work, and only use the stairs now. I mostly go up or down by one floor a few times a day, which is closer to two floors due to building design. Not much, but every little bit helps. I get slightly out of breath when I reach the top, but I've decided that it's still better than waiting for THE SLOWEST FREAKING ELEVATOR ON THE PLANET.

Most days I walk to the employee parking lot, located about three blocks from the building, rather than take the shuttle. However, due to a parking shortage, employee parking is being moved to a location a little over a mile away, forcing me to take the shuttle. The positive is that the monthly fee will be cheaper. I'm still bummed.

Dinner was some kind of spicy sushi. I couldn't tell if it was crab or shrimp.

I'm working on something pretty exciting for 1550, details aren't too far away.

Happy Birthday to Me.

2008-08-27T23:15:00.003-04:00

No, it's not my birthday, but it is coming up and that has me thinking. About food to be precise (what else is new?). When I think of my birthday, my first thought is of what I want to eat on that day. What treats I can have and what variety of foods I want eat to celebrate the day. My second thought is, why do I immediately turn to food as a reward for a special occasion? Granted it is a special day to me, and I will have some sort of cake, but do I really need to go overboard and throw the whole LRP out the window for a day? This line of thinking reminds me of that annoying proverb "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips." I'm already trying to work off a lifetime of birthday moments, dinner moments, sad moments, just because it's Wednesday moments. As tasty as a special birthday meal sounds, I really don't want to make things harder than they already are.

Which leads me to my second dilemma. I recognize that I have an addiction to food that I'm trying to break. I don't want to pick up another in the process. To put it another way, I'm afraid that by trying to get rid of my food addiction, I will inadvertently fall into another, potentially just as dangerous, habit. Say, by spending too much money.

How do I reward myself responsibly? As I type this, I realize it appears to be a pretty simplistic and stupid question. It stumps me nonetheless. Am I making too big a deal of things? It's only one day, a measly 24 hrs, and I can hop on the horse again the day after. Blarg.

Free Lunch: Olive Garden

2008-08-26T20:54:00.003-04:00

Wow. Olive Garden twice in one week. What are the odds considering that before this week, the last time I had eaten there was oh...at least four years ago? Anyway, here it is. Yeesh, that's a bad photo. Eh, camera phone quality for you.

I went with the half plate of salad, which seems to work well. I was pretty hungry today, and got both a piece of ravioli and chicken. Normally I would have only taken one, and skipped the breadstick. Near the fork were a few roasted potatoes and peppers.

Like I said, I was feeling hungry today, and I've been feeling hungrier than usual lately. Mostly I think this is due to the fact that I've been consuming calories on the low end of the scale and it just caught up with me. That plate looked so good and appetizing, but once I started eating I became disgusted. Aside from the salad and the ravioli, the rest just tasted awful. It's not important what what wrong with it, but it was reminded of my pre-LRP relationship with food.

Even if I was just the slightest bit hungry, I would obsess over food like I was on the brink of starvation. It consumed my thoughts until I consumed something, anything. The craving would go away, but not the feeling I had, deep down. I still get that craving from time to time, but it's not as bad as what it used to be. What that feeling I'm trying to fix with food is, I still don't know.

I'm still feeling a bit discouraged about the lack of visual results of my weight loss. And I've been slipping a bit. I'm not gorging on doughnuts or chocolate or anything bad, but I've thought about it. I've been snacking on crackers instead of fruit or veggies, and my meal portions have been bigger. Afterwards, my stomach has that full, bloated feeling. And I don't like it.

I recently read the writing of an interesting person who said marriage is a series of peaks and valleys. Why stop there? Live itself is a journey of ups and downs, and this is just part of it. Just because I feel a little down about what's going on isn't an excuse to give up. I've made a commitment to improving my life. It's time to stop screwing around and get my shit together.

Weekend Hike: Walkathon

2008-08-25T07:54:00.004-04:00

Ok, it wasn't a hike per se, just lots and lots of walking as part of entertaining the out of town guest.

The first place we walked was the Buffalo Zoo. I've had not been there before and was pleasantly surprised. While the zoo IS small, it's clean and the layout is good. Also, I went on a Saturday afternoon and it was not crowded at all. I hate crowds. The food court is a little iffy, cheap food marked up double what it should, but most tourist places are like that. The one thing I really enjoyed there, and the biggest surprise was this:

An anteater! I've been to many zoos big and small, but this was the first time I had ever seen an anteater. They're a lot bigger than I thought, and pretty weird looking to boot. Overall, the zoo was a good experience and would go again, though not for exercise purposes.

The second place we visited was Goat Island. I've mentioned this place before, so I won't go too into detail. The last time I was here, the line for the Cave of the Winds tour was almost non-existent, so I was slightly amazed to see a line easily 100 deep. It may have been due to the multiple tour groups I noticed walking about. The other attraction of interest, albeit slightly nerdy, was the stone archway. I had noticed it the first time (really how can you not?) but was never close to it. On this occasion, as we passed under the arch on the way to the car, I saw this plaque:

Pretty cool, eh? You can find it near the statue of Nicola Tesla.

Now that the guest is gone and the weekend is over, I can set about getting back on track.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Fasten Your Seatbelts.

2008-08-23T09:18:00.003-04:00

It's going to be a bumpy ride. I have an out of town visitor staying with me. This means no exercising, and having less control over what I eat (leave it to me to go for the least healthy "healthy"meal..). I think that since starting the LRP, my self-control has gotten much stronger. I can ignore the gobs of sweets brought in to work. I can drive past the coffee shop twice a day without a second though. But when doughnuts are brought INTO MY HOME, I can't resist the temptation.

Losing weight is hard, I know this. I don't plan to quit the LRP as I've already told myself this is going to be a lifetime commitment, but I still feel discouraged. I've been doing this for almost three months now, and have yet to see any great changes. I feel a little stronger, and pants are a little looser, but I'm still wearing the same size 22. Even to be able to fit into a size 20 would be a nice reward. I feel like maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Link Roundup: Watermelon-Flavored

2008-08-22T06:42:00.002-04:00

Watermelon salsa (justfruitrecipes.com)
Watermelon salad (eatingoutloud.com)
Watermelon yogurt ice (eatingoutloud.com)
Watermelon bbq sauce (justfruitrecipes.com)

The pant saga continues...

2008-08-21T19:09:00.002-04:00

I received the pants in the mail today. They don't fit. AT ALL. My guess is that they'll fit my fat butt once it's slimmed down to a size 16 or so. I'll keep them around, it will save me having to buy pants later. This only goes to show, don't believe numbers. THEY LIE LIKE A FILTHY DOG. Trust how something fits. Which I know was kind of impossible to do since I got them online.

My next course of action is to go to Walmart and hope to find something there. Cross your fingers.

Stories from a fat girl.

2008-08-20T19:45:00.002-04:00

The earliest memory I have of being consciously aware that I was larger than other people came when I was in the sixth grade. I was starting at a new school, having left my previous one because I was miserable from being teased and made to feel I didn't belong there. I suppose amidst the teasing my weight would have come up, but I honestly don't recall any specific comments of feelings.

So there I was, the new kid in a new school. In my own shy and socially awkward way I set about being social and making friends. One day, not too far into the school year, I was making conversation with a small group of girls, I don't remember how many there were exactly. They were asking me what school I came from and where I lived. Then one girl then commented that I reminded her of Jane*, a girl in the fifth grade. The other girls laughed a bit and agreed. Being new and not knowing Jane, I did my best to play along and I think I took the comment positively, or graciously at least. Not too long after that I saw Jane; She was my size, extra large. And the work and progress I thought I had made in making friends and fitting in came crashing down. I did my best to be nice and social, and they could only point out that I was bigger than them. Fucking bitches.

Bloggy happenings

2008-08-19T21:44:00.003-04:00

If you're observant and not high on pixie sticks you'll notice I've added a couple links to my "Of Interest" section, most notably Half of Me. Jennette's blog is engaging and humorous, and her weight loss is amazing. It only goes to show that ANYONE can lose weight if they set their mind to it and don't give up.

And having previously lived in Indianapolis, where Jennette currently lives, I can say I'm completely jealous of her. She spends time on one of the best urban trails I've seen, can get a freaking delicious milkshake anytime day or night, and not to mention the chance to eat some of the best Cajun food EVER.

Sigh, I could kill a man for a plate of Yat's.

Charts and graphs

2008-08-19T18:34:00.005-04:00

Ever since I started the LRP I have been very diligent, almost anal, about keeping track of what I eat with sparkpeople. Which is kinda funny, because I'm really not anal about anything. I'll save you the tales to prove this, suffice to say I have inadvertently grown mold. I'm not a gross person though, honest!

Anywaaaaay, one of the nifty parts of using Sparkpeople to record what I eat is their reporting feature. With just a couple clicks I can see a graph of my weight loss, nutrition, or other goals over almost any period of time. I haven't looked at my nutritional habits in a while, so when I took a gander today, I was a bit dismayed to see this.

That, my friends, is the past month of my eating life. See all those red dots? Those are days where I didn't eat enough protein. A lot, right?!?

Protein is good for weight loss. Whole protein sources, like red meats, chicken, fish, and beans take longer to process in the stomach (why the hell am I always hungry a hour after eating Chinese then?!?!). Longer processing time means you feel fuller, longer, and your body uses more energy to digest. Additionally, the protein smooths out your blood sugar, decreasing rapid spikes or drops.

As tasty as it sounds, I'm not going to run out and start eating steak for dinner every night, and neither should you. I need to work on incorporating healthy, protein-rich options such as eating more chicken. Eating fish fillets and switching my normal cucumber sushi roll for shrimp or tuna sashimi. Good non-meat sources of protein include chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, tofu, broccoli, and black beans. Now, I love beans, and I would eat them more if someone would just improve current bean-cooking technology. I mean, they have 5-minute rice, why not 5-minute beans? If you don't know what I'm talking about, then clearly you have never bought a bag of dry beans with the idea of "whipping up a quick meal." You can stop laughing at me now.

Oh, and here is a nifty site that graphs the nutrition of a food item. Yay shrimp!

The skin you're in.

2008-08-18T14:30:00.002-04:00

While reading other diet and weight loss blogs, it's come to my attention that I will more than likely have some excess skin 'round the gut, and other areas. Some people choose to correct this problem surgically and some let things hang where they will so to speak. It will be interesting, and pretty exciting when I've lost the weight to get to that point. Check out a couple people that have.

Someone that had surgery.
Someone that didn't.

You're dying to know what happens during a tummy tuck, right? No? Too bad! Warning: possibly not safe for work or for those that just ate.

Being your own cheerleader.

2008-08-18T09:40:00.000-04:00

I've talked a bit in the past about my motivations for wanting to lose weight, and I wanted to delve into it a bit more.

Now that I've really thought about it, I've only tried to diet three times in my life; current effort not included as it's not a diet, it's a LIFESTYLE READJUSTMENT PROJECT. See the difference? Good! Two of those attempts were using Weight Watchers. The first being when I was 10-12 years old. I remember I was older, but not in high school yet. I joined with my mom, I guess to help motivate her. I certainly don't remember asking to go. If I did, it's a repressed memory. As I was completely dependent on her to adhere to the program, when she gave up a month or two later, so did I. The next attempt with Weight Watchers came when I was around 25. Some girlfriends had joined and I had followed along as a show of solidarity. The problem with that was I lived 100 miles away, and without the support from them, I quickly lost interest. Sometime in between those, I tried an Atkins type diet. Again, this was also short lived. I really don't recall how much I lost with any of these, but I know that it was never very much, not enough to even warrant buying smaller sized clothes.

My forays into fitness and exercise have been longer lasting though still sporadic. This is due to the attitude that I had; I was exercising for the fun of it, not to lose weight. An example of this is when I lived in Indianapolis, prior to moving to Buffalo. Indianapolis has many very nice trails and I had always enjoyed riding my bike as a kid. So I bought a bike and started riding. It was hard at first, but also completely enjoyable. One mile became two, and I worked up to being able to ride 10 miles three times a week, and 20 miles on a weekend. I'm sure that the pounds would have flow off had I actually watched what I was eating.

I've never seriously thought about weight and losing some of it until now. Sure, I was aware that I was larger than most women, but I accepted it as just one of those things that was. I didn't dwell on it, nor did I wonder what other people thought of me for looking like I did. I just went about my own life doing what I enjoyed. And here I am, trying to change the way I look. Why? I started getting fatter in places I didn't like, and started getting out of breath doing things I shouldn't get out of breath doing. I looked at my fat, in as much an unbiased way as I could, and decided to change it.

Many women, and some men as well, tie their emotions into how much they weigh and how fit their body is. I get why this happens, there is WAY TOO MUCH media influence, but it doesn't make it any less right. Imagine being completely self-conscious, beating and berating yourself every day about how your hair looks, or the color of your eyes, or the size of your feet. Sounds silly right? It saddens me to imagine how many people do this exact thing every day about the size of their waist. It saddens me even more to see them put all of their hopes and happiness into this one aspect of themselves. I pity the fantastic parts of them that get pushed aside, and know that even if they do get to be the size they want, they'll still be the sad, self-critical person on the inside.

I have confidence in myself, this is nothing new. I am a strong person, and have done lesser and greater things through my sheer desire and will to accomplish a goal. I know that in time I will meet my end result. I try not to think about it too much though, long goals by their nature are far away. I focus on the positives that are happening in my life now. Each day I weigh a little less than the day before, and each day I grow a little stronger.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Not even yourself.

Weekend Hike: Nature View Park

2008-08-16T19:39:00.000-04:00

Today's destination was chose solely by chance. Meaning, the map showed a large expanse of green under city jurisdiction. Sounds good, right? You're already laughing at me, aren't you?

Nature View Park is a park in the loosest and most general sense possible. The parking lot consists of a small gravel area designated by a sign you would only see if you happened to be looking for it. An even smaller grass area bordered the lot with what appeared to be some sort of trail off to the edge leading into the dense brush.

Let me digress a moment. Prior to leaving, a search for information on the park and it's amenities yielded no information. To clarify, I'm not saying I didn't find good information. Rather, I found no information AT ALL aside from a shoddy map on the town's website. I should have taken this as a warning an gone somewhere else.

For whatever reason, this park does not appear to be maintained aside from someone driving an ATV through the path every few months. The majority of the trail was just flattened grasses and plants that would have come to my knee had they been upright. The brush was dense on either side with more than just a few leaning into the path. This included the ever fun thorny variety.
After a while, there was a bit of a clearing before the path led into some woods. Unfortunately this is where we lost the where the trail went. Can't imagine why, as the VERY sparse trail markers (essentially construction survey ribbon) should have been more than enough.

Should you want to check this place out for yourself: YOU WERE WARNED. Also, wear long pants and bring a case of bug repellent. You can see some pictures with additional commentary of the ~~disaster~~ adventure here.

Free Lunch: Mexican

2008-08-15T19:01:00.000-04:00

I had to work earlier than usual today, depriving me of a normal healthy breakfast. Note to readers: one apple does not a breakfast make. Rather than die of starvation, I tided myself over with a tasty breakfast burrito, half portion. Lunch was followed by the delicious ensemble at right, and dinner was chicken taco stew. I think I've satisfied any possible Mexican cravings for a long time.

Lunch today was a perfect example of reality. No matter how much I try to eat healthy, I will occasionally have stumbles. My options today were limited; a bland salad of iceberg lettuce and tomato, and rice were really only the good options. I filled half the plate with salad, and paired it with one chicken enchilada and a empanada for dessert. It's not great, but it's better then it could have been. Notice there is no additional cheese, no sour cream, and no tortilla chips. Prior to the LRP, this plate would have been chock full of those, and possibly another cherry empanada as well.

So I ate somewhat badly today. I don't feel bad and I'm not going to beat myself up about it. And that's okay, because I eat well the majority of the time. A little slip up now and then isn't going to make me fail or lose sight my goal.

Link Roundup: Foodie Friday

2008-08-15T07:25:00.000-04:00

In honor of the free food I'll be consuming later, here are some things to get your mouth watering.

Losing weight is great, doing it this way...not so much. (eurekster.com)
Portions have grown with our waist size. (divinecaroline.com)
Fast food options, WW points-style (ronisweigh.com, weightwatchers.com)
Another meal to make you reach for that salad (mjgradziel.com)
Eat well no matter what's on the plate (sparkpeople.com)
Say it with me: huevos rancheros! (smittenkitchen.com)

The problem with pants.

2008-08-14T18:38:00.000-04:00

As previously mentioned, I avoid shopping for clothes as much as possible. Being of the...larger variety (ok, I'm a fatty), greatly limits the number of stores that even carry items that I can comfortably fit into. Eliminating the stores that only carry cheap, cheaply constructed items only further diminishes the shopping pool. Add personal tastes into the mix, and shopping most often feels like a scavenger hunt punctuated with crowds of people and screaming kids. Lane Bryant has been my store of choice for some time now, but they don't carry everything I need.

Last weekend I discovered my outdoor pants (pictured here) had developed a large and unrepairable hole in the crotch. The outdoor pants are now the trashed pants and I'm on the hunt for new pants. Let the hunt begin.

I already know that the major outdoor chain stores Dick's and Gander Mtn. don't carry sizes higher than 18. Scouring the Internet have yielded me two attractive and affordable options.

Option #1: REI Sahale Pants. I really like the look of these. The customer reviews are all positive as well. The downside is that by the looks of the sizing chart, the pants seems to run a little small. Bad for big girls.

Option#2: Vintage Paratrooper Pants, Amazon.com

As you can see, these are less styled, but are more ruggedly constructed. The longer something lasts, and keeps me from having to shop, the better. The sizing chart seems better suited towards larger proportions as well.

It shouldn't be a surprise pant #2 wins today's round, and I've ordered them. I'll let you know how they work out.

I'll take a #100 to go.

2008-08-12T19:09:00.000-04:00

For Scott's birthday this year I bought him a subscription to National Geographic. I've enjoyed the subscription as well; the articles are always well done, and the photography is amazing. This month's issue focuses on where food begins and sustainable agriculture. It's a good read, but what really caught my I was this little tidbit.

Starting in September, three major grocery chains, as yet unannounced, will display a food's rank on the shelf tag. Created by the Yale Griffin Prevention Center, the ranking takes into account a food's nutritional content as well as it's effect on Health. It is hoped that the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI) will spread to all grocery stores as well as restaurants. Nifty! You can read more about the project here or the full article from National Geographic here (Hint: click magnify to read at full view).

Examples of rankings:

Broccoli-100
Instant oatmeal-61
Bagel-23
Hot Dog-5
Soda Pop-1

Free Lunch: soup, salad, and sandwiches.

2008-08-12T18:21:00.001-04:00

Lunch today came from an unknown location. The selection consisted of garden salad, black bean chili, and assorted sandwiches. As with the last free lunch, I loaded up on salad with a bit of mystery dressing, a cup of soup and the healthiest sandwich I could find; turkey sage. I passed over the HUGE tray of cookies. Surprisingly I found the salad and soup alone to be quite filling and never even touched the sandwich, hurray!

My habits towards free lunches has changed with the LRP. The old me loved free lunch days (ok, I still do) treating the food offerings like a buffet. I would fill my plate up with whatever looked the best. If food was left over after everyone had eaten, I would go for seconds. Not so bad on salad days like today but you can see where I would get into trouble should there be Chinese or pizza and wings on the menu. Sometimes I do have a twinge of craving for the bad stuff, but a reminder that a lighter weigh day is the better option in the term helps to overcome that.

By the way, the was so much salad left over I took it home, where I'll have enough for meals for the next couple days. The cookies were long gone.

Milestones: 20 pounds lost

2008-08-11T22:30:00.000-04:00

I weigh 20 pounds less than I did 10 weeks ago. It seems like a long time to drop such a small amount, but it's only two and a half months. In a few weeks, it will be time to post another picture. For the most part, I've adjusted well to my new eating habits and smaller portions. While my former self would have made a meal out of tortilla chips, and quickly consume a bag in the process, I look with pride at the opened bag on my counter. It's been in a semi-eaten state for a few weeks now. It may even be stale. Sweets still tempt me on occasion, especially when I'm having a stressful day and they're at the ready, but the urges I feel to eat them have dwindled to just a twinge. I need to work on replacing the idea that a bad food is reasonable reward for positive actions, ie "I've been good today, so I can have a cookie." I really don't do this all that often, but the mindset is there, ready to make me stumble in a moment of weakness. Rediscovering my love of vegetables has been fun, and I continue to try and expand my tastes to keep from getting burned out.

My pants are definitely looser now. The scrub tops I wear to work, while loose fitting to begin with, are even more so now. I can grabs the sides and easily cinch them in a few inches before the fabric fits snugly against me. My first reaction is to say I shouldn't buy clothes since I am losing weight, but sense and realism prevail, knowing that I'll look quite silly to be wearing the same size clothes 40, 50, 80 pounds from now. The rate is slow enough that a pair of tight fitting pants will last for months before they become uncomfortably large. Shopping is a necessary annoyance.

I still don't get enough exercise. It seems silly to say I forget to do my strength training during the week, but some nights I'm so busy with various tasks, time just gets away from me, and before I know it bedtime has come. I don't beat myself up for it though, nor when I have a bad day and eat something I shouldn't have. I just think about what led me astray and resolve to avoid it next time. Now I have some working out to do.

More than you ever possibly wanted to know about bananas.

2008-08-10T11:24:00.000-04:00

Barring any extenuating issues like allergies or just a plain old dislike, If you're trying to lose weight and/or eat heathier and bananas are not part of your diet, you're shooting yourself in the foot. Methaphorically speaking of course. You of course would realize if you really shot yourself in the foot, the pain would be excruciating. Wouldn't if be weird if everyone went around shooting their feet when they realized their mistakes? ANYWAY......

Nutritionally speaking, bananas are fantastic. One 9-inch banana contains: 602mg of potassium, 2g protein, 6g fiber, 36g of carbs, 2g sodium, 123 iu vitamin A, and lesser amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. All wrapped up in 140 calorie container. Bananas are also excellent in treating or alleviating the following medical conditions: anemia, high blood pressure, constipation, depression, heartburn, mosquito bites (haven't personally tried this one yet), PMS, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), smoking cessation, stress, stroke, and ulcers.

For the budget minded, bananas are a staple. Consistently cheap, you can buy at least one with the change you find in your couch. A week's worth can be had for around a dollar. As I've mentioned in twitters before, a banana and milk smoothie for breakfast is delicious and incredibly filling.

Have you ever really thought about bananas before? I know I haven't until recently. They come to your local market from thousands of miles away, transported in cooled containers, and they go bad within days. How can they possibly be so cheap. How?!?!

Dan Koeppel, author of Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World has the explanation:

Americans eat as many bananas as apples and oranges combined, which is especially amazing when you consider that not so long ago, bananas were virtually unknown here. They became a staple only after the men who in the late 19th century founded the United Fruit Company (today’s Chiquita) figured out how to get bananas to American tables quickly — by clearing rainforest in Latin America, building railroads and communication networks and inventing refrigeration techniques to control ripening. The banana barons also marketed their product in ways that had never occurred to farmers or grocers before, by offering discount coupons, writing jingles and placing bananas in schoolbooks and on picture postcards. They even hired doctors to convince mothers that bananas were good for children.

Once bananas had become widely popular, the companies kept costs low by exercising iron-fisted control over the Latin American countries where the fruit was grown. Workers could not be allowed such basic rights as health care, decent wages or the right to congregate. (In 1929, Colombian troops shot down banana workers and their families who were gathered in a town square after church.) Governments could not be anything but utterly pliable. Over and over, banana companies, aided by the American military, intervened whenever there was a chance that any “banana republic” might end its cooperation. (In 1954, United Fruit helped arrange the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Guatemala.) Labor is still cheap in these countries, and growers still resort to heavy-handed tactics.

The final piece of the banana pricing equation is genetics. Unlike apple and orange growers, banana importers sell only a single variety of their fruit, the Cavendish. There are more than 1,000 varieties of bananas — most of them in Africa and Asia — but except for an occasional exotic, the Cavendish is the only banana we see in our markets. It is the only kind that is shipped and eaten everywhere from Beijing to Berlin, Moscow to Minneapolis.

By sticking to this single variety, the banana industry ensures that all the bananas in a shipment ripen at the same rate, creating huge economies of scale. The Cavendish is the fruit equivalent of a fast-food hamburger: efficient to produce, uniform in quality and universally affordable.

But there’s a difference between a banana and a Big Mac: The banana is a living organism. It can get sick, and since bananas all come from the same gene pool, a virulent enough malady could wipe out the world’s commercial banana crop in a matter of years.

This has happened before. Our great-grandparents grew up eating not the Cavendish but the Gros Michel banana, a variety that everyone agreed was tastier. But starting in the early 1900s, banana plantations were invaded by a fungus called Panama disease and vanished one by one. Forest would be cleared for new banana fields, and healthy fruit would grow there for a while, but eventually succumb.

By 1960, the Gros Michel was essentially extinct and the banana industry nearly bankrupt. It was saved at the last minute by the Cavendish, a Chinese variety that had been considered something close to junk: inferior in taste, easy to bruise (and therefore hard to ship) and too small to appeal to consumers. But it did resist the blight.

Over the past decade, however, a new, more virulent strain of Panama disease has begun to spread across the world, and this time the Cavendish is not immune. The fungus is expected to reach Latin America in 5 to 10 years, maybe 20. The big banana companies have been slow to finance efforts to find either a cure for the fungus or a banana that resists it. Nor has enough been done to aid efforts to diversify the world’s banana crop by preserving little-known varieties of the fruit that grow in Africa and Asia.

Enjoy the banana while it lasts. Is your brain stuffed with banana knowledge now? Try the banana quiz. You can also read more about Dan's book on his website.

Healthy Eating: Tim Hortons

2008-08-08T19:13:00.000-04:00

While the heathiest food is made and eaten at home, doing so is not always possible. This guide aims to provide direction in a clear and simple format. Items chosen are the best the menu has to offer with caloric content of 400 or less and/or fat content of 15g or less.

Sandwiches Calories/Fat
Chicken Salad 380/9
Egg Salad 390/13
Deli Trio 390/9

Soups Calories/Fat
Hearty Vegetable 70/0
Vegetable Beef Barley 110/1.5
Minestrone 120/3
Chicken Noodle 120/2
Turkey Rice 150/2.5
Split Pea w/ Ham 150/2.5
Creamy Field Mushroom 150/3
Beef Stew 236/8

Baked Goods Calories/Fat
Chocolate Dip 210/9
Maple Dip 210/8
Honey Dip 210/8
Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookie 220/8
Chocolate Chunk Cookie 230/9
Strawberry Filled 230/8
Blueberry Filled 230/8
Boston Cream 250/9
Canadian Maple Filled 260/9
Low Fat Blueberry Muffin 290/2.5
Low Fate Cranberry Muffin 290/2.5

Bagels Calories/Fat
Onion 260/1.5
Blueberry 270/1
Cinnamon Raisin 270/1
Everything 280/2

Yogurt Calories/Fat
Stawberry w/ Berries 150/2.5
Vanilla w/ Berries 160/2.5

Other Calories/Fat
Hash Brown 100/5
Small Ice Capp w/ Milk 180/1.5

Happy Friday

2008-08-08T08:23:00.001-04:00

I admit that I like a grilled hotdog now and then. Looking at these however, gives me an urge to, for lack of a better phrase, THROW UP IN MY MOUTH A LITTLE.

Update: Looking through the blog I came across another vomit-worthy monstrosity:

The Homewrecker is a 3.5-lb. weapon of cardiovascular mass destruction. They start with a deep-fried 15", 1-pound dog and top it with peppers, onions, nacho cheese, chili sauce, jalapenos, mustard, ketchup, coleslaw, tomatoes, lettuce, and shredded cheese. Assured intestinal wreckage will run you $14.99. Finish it in under 12 minutes and you get a free burial t-shirt. Do it in under 4 minutes and your family will have an extra $14.99 for the funeral.

Anyone else feeling queasy?