February-March 2002 Newsletter

Here we are again, on the door step to the summer. At least for some of us.   I know that some of you are still shoveling the snow from the drive way, and here in Venice beach all flowers and trees are in bloom. It's time to refocus and start thinking about the summer and light closing. It's time to get rid of all the sins of the winter and holidays and over eating with yummy foods.

I refocused on the New Year. I finally made up my head and I'll be competing again this year. My contests are May 11 in Contra Costa (Northern California) and May 25 "The Cal" (Los Angeles). I am playing with an idea though to go to compete to Hawaii May 25-27 for the big "Aloha Muscle and Fitness Festival". They have a leg and butt contest too, so that sounds appealing to me... I'll see when it comes closer where I decided to step on the stage. I started my diet slowly for the first three weeks, cleaned it up and started to do my cardio. January 1st, my weight was 197.5 lbs. Gee, it scared me because before the Christmas I was under 190 lbs. I don't know what I was doing during the holidays, but apparently, I did not have my mouth shut.    Nuts, nuts, nuts... So from the January, I stopped eating these little fatty suckers and I am doing fine. After three weeks of dieting and training, I stepped up my cardio even more, twice a day, 7 days a week. I am surprised how well my body is taking it. And I do my weight training 5-6 days a week. I proudly dipped under 180 lbs now, and I am already in the shape that I used to be on stage before. And I have another 10 weeks to go for the contest. It makes me all motivated and excited and I just cannot wait to walk the Gauntlet again (Gauntlet are these "rolling" stairs, never ending stairs).

Other news here are that my domain www.sixftlion.com got stolen, by an accident. So I had to find a new "home". It's actually better, because I am a female Lion, right? My new home is www.sixftlioness.com It created a few problems because many of my visitors got lost and I still didn't find all of them to let them know the change.

Last weekend in February, I visited Columbus, OH. And gee, I saw the snow for the first time since I moved to Venice Beach in 1996. That was interesting! Look who's talking, the ex competitive skier, all excited about the snow! Anyway, I was at the Arnold's Classic. I worked at the booth for Planet Muscle magazine and Jeff Everson (yes, that Everson, Cory Everson's ex husband). We had lot of fun there. I was signing the newest issue of the magazine, where I was featured as Planet Babe. Autographing, taking pictures with fans and stuffing myself with the protein bars. At the end of the weekend, I couldn't even see a bar. If you haven't seen Planet Magazine before, you should check it out. It's one of the best magazines, because they present the truth. No supplement company owns the magazine, so they don't need to write what they are asked for. And also you find there a lot of nice booties, if you are so inclined. Go and visit www.planetmuscle.com for further information.

Also, every other Saturday (March 2nd, March 16th and so on), on E! TV, at 6:30 AM Pacific time, there's a fitness program by Jeff Everson. In one of the programs, I was invited as a guest, "showing off" my booty and deadlifts and some other exercises.

Sometimes in the middle or late April, I will be shooting with Bill Dobbins, so you can look forward to some nice photos. He's one of the best photographers in the fitness industry, and if you haven't seen his work before, visit him at www.billdobbins.com

Have you heard of the Egg Woman before? That's me, know a an egg lover at the local Costco store. I go there every week or so and load myself with 12 boxes of eggs. Hm, 212 eggs... they always wonder what I do with them. And about 6 lbs of spinach, 6 lbs of broccoli, and 10 lbs chicken breasts and stuff... Try Costco if you want to get your foods really cheap and still very fresh and precut and all.

I sound like a big commercial in the last few paragraphs. I think it's time to talk a serious business and go to some articles. Stay focused on your summer physique, don't forget to use your mind and visualize how you want to look. It will help to achieve your goal.

Talking about the video, I and my 6 foot girlfriend are planning to make some fun stuff together. She's really strong and really big, so we are going to have fun with it. And my video "The Lioness" is available to purchase. Check it out if you haven't yet.
 

My favorite meals these diet days

Egg white Peanut Butter Mish Mash

12 XL egg whites
1 oz (dry) oats/barley flakes
Stevia (for the sweetness if you wish so, I do!) or other sweetener
1 oz Peanut butter

Put the grains and peanut butter in the bowl and add some water. How much? It just depends how wet or dry you want to have your meal, experiment. Cook it in microwave oven for 2-3 minutes. Add Stevia and egg whites, mix it, cook another 3 mintues. Mix again, cook another 2 minutes, mix again, and cook maybe 1 more minute or until hard. Yum, yum, it has  a lot of volume, so it's really filling.

Calories: 490
Protein: 55 g
Carbs:  30 g
Fat: 18 g

Weight training for fat loss

The summer is here and we start thinking about getting in shape - to loose some fat and get nice and lean and sexy for the hot summer. Many of us jump on that treadmill and do cardio besides their proper nutrition. That‚s excellent, but don‚t forget that weight training will help you tremendously. The effects of resistance training on fat loss are summarized here:

In 1996, a team of Canadian researchers compared the effects of aerobic exercise, diet and resistance training on weight loss (Ross, et al., 1996). All three groups participating in the study followed a restricted calorie diet. One group followed a resistance training program three days per week, while a second group performed aerobic exercise for an average of 37 minutes, five days per week at around 75 percent of their maximum heart rate. The third group did no exercise, and only restricted their caloric intake. After the four month training program, the group that followed the diet only program had lost 25lbs of body weight. Those who exercised aerobically (treadmill walking, cycling and stair stepping) had lost 25.5lbs, while the group that resistance trained lost 29lbs.

Researchers at Tufts University showed that a basic strength-training program promotes significant changes in body composition (Campbell, et al., 1994). After 12 weeks, subjects increased lean body mass by 3lbs while also losing 4lbs of fat weight. Resting metabolic rate also increased by almost 7%.A 1994 study also found that resistance trained subjects had a higher resting metabolic rate than their untrained counterparts. Scientists calculated that the higher metabolic rate meant that resistance trained subjects burned an extra 354 calories per day (Bosselaers, et al., 1994).A 16-week strength-training program resulted in a significant increase in the amount of fat oxidized over a 24-hour period. Results showed that daily fat oxidation almost doubled since the start of the program (Treuth, et al., 1995).It appears that trainees with greater levels of muscle tissue also experience greater excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). An Australian study at the Center for Human Movement Studies compared the EPOC of men and women. They found that male EPOC was significantly higher (Smith & McNaughton, 1993). The researchers speculated that this was due to the fact that men have higher levels of lean mass. This theory was confirmed when the data in the study was adjusted to compensate for differences in body mass.

A study at Colorado State University compared a bout of resistance exercise with 100 minutes of stationary cycling. Both sessions resulted in similar levels of caloric expenditure. EPOC was measured for five hours following each session. The research team found that resistance exercise created a far higher EPOC. In fact, the amount of calories expended were almost twice that of the aerobic exercise. Fifteen hours later, fat oxidation was around 16% higher following resistance exercise than in subjects who did no exercise (Gillette, et al., 1994).

REFERENCES:
1. Ross, R., Rissanen, J., Pedwell, H., Clifford, J., & Shragge, P. (1996). Influence of diet and exercise on skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissue in men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 81, 2445-2455
2. Wallace, M.B., Mills, B.D., & Browning, C.L. (1997). Effects of cross training on markers of insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 29, 1170-1175
3. Campbell, W., Crim, M., Young, V., & Evans, W. (1994). Increased energy requirements and changes in body composition with resistance training in older adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60, 167-175
4. Bosselaers, I., Buemann, B., Victor, O.J., & Astrup, A. (1994). Twenty-four hour energy expenditure and substrate utilisation in bodybuilders. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59, 10-12
5. Treuth, M.S., Hunter, G.R., Weinsier, R., & Kell, S. (1995). Energy expenditure and substrate utilisation in older women after strength training: 24 hour calorimeter results. Journal of Applied Physiology, 78, 2140-2146
6. Smith, J., & McNaughton, L. (1993). The effects of intensity of exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and energy expenditure in moderately trained men and women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 67, 420-4257. Gillette, C.A., Bullough, R.C., & Melby, C.L. (1994). Postexercise energy expenditure in response to acute aerobic or resistive exercise. International Journal of Sports Nutrition, 4, 347-360Christian Finn Northampton, England
 
 
 

Fast Food

Some of us love it, some of us don‚t care for it and some of us cannot escape it at some point. You might be really hungry, it‚s late at night and there‚s nothing healthier to eat around. The typical fast food meal doesn‚t fit well into a healthy eating plan, regardless of caloric content. There is simply too much fat, sodium, sugar, and not enough fiber, vegetables, and fruit! However, the fast food menus have expanded their choices in recent years, and really, there are quite a few menu items that you can choose and still stay within healthy eating guidelines. Of course I am not recommending eating at these places every day, but if you have an emergency and you really have to, you can make some careful choices. And for you guys, who love fast food, think again. A nice burger with some fries, and a shake or a coke, can easily deliver 1500 calories or more!  THAT is scary. It‚s almost your daily allowance in one meal. Nice and loaded with fat and simple carbs. Oh la la, no wonder that the American population is overweight.

So you want to eat healthy at the fast food place? It can be a little bit confusing; so don‚t go by the rules of choosing vegetables, salads, fish, or chicken. The fish is almost always deep-fried, making it a poor choice, and some chicken meals are deep-fried as well. Surprisingly, some vegetable entrees, like vegetable pitas, no-meat burritos, and some salads are higher in fat than a hamburger. Lastly, some of the menu items are low in fat because they are simply small in serving size, making the calories relatively low as well. This is fine, but it means that you may want to order side dishes as well, so you need to make sure the side dishes are healthy low-fat choices as well. If there are no healthy side dishes, be prepared to bring your own - a piece of fruit, some salad with low fat dressing, some raw vegetables to complete the meal.

Bellow follows a list of some of the most popular fast food restaurants, with the best choices you could find. Not every chain carries the same menu items, so you may not find all of these locally. Basically,  look for entrees that contain close to 10 grams of fat or less, and are relatively low in saturated fat. Unfortunately, most of the meals in fast food restaurants are hideously high in sodium, and you can‚t remove it. The best you can do with this dilemma is to avoid salt the rest of the day as much as possible. I hope this helps you to eat healthfully and happily in your favorite fast food place. Nutrition information, such as that listed below, is available from most national chains, but you may have to dig for it. While McDonald's tends to post their nutrition information on the wall, it is hit and miss as far as whether you'll be able to get a nutrition information brochure at many places.

WENDY‚s - lots of lower fat choices due to salad bar options and a fairly extensive menu
Avoid the broccoli/cheese baked potato unless you asked for less cheese sauce than they put on. Also, the garden pita sandwiches sound like a healthy choice, but they are actually quite high in fat, 17-20 grams per serving, so avoid these as well.
Junior Hamburger - 270 Calories, 10 grams fat, 610 mg sodium
Chili - 310 Calories, 10 grams fat, 1190 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Salad w/o dressing - 200 Calories, 8 grams fat, 650 mg sodium
Caesar Side Salad - 110 Calories, 5 grams fat, 650 mg sodium
Deluxe Garden Salad - 110 Calories, 6 grams fat, 350 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 310 Calories, 8 grams fat, 790 mg sodium
Italian dressing, reduce fat - 1 ounce - 40 Calories, 3 grams fat, 340 mg sodium
Ranch dressing, reduced fat - 1 ounce - 60 Calories, 5 grams fat, 240 mg sodium
French dressing, fat-free - 1 ounce - 35 Calories, 0 grams fat

TACO BELL - Again, lots of decent choices because there are many chicken choices, and the entrees contain beans as well as meat. Avoid the Taco Salad - 850 Calories, 52 grams fat!!! Another fact, the 7-Layer Burrito is meatless, but contains quite a bit of fat, 22 grams!
Bean Burrito - 370 Calories, 12 grams fat, 1080 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Burrito - 390 Calories, 13 grams fat, 1380 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Taco - 200 Calories, 7 grams fat, 520 mg sodium
Soft Taco - 210 Calories, 10 grams fat, 570 mg sodium
Taco - 170 Calories, 10 grams fat, 340 mg sodium - these are small!
Tostada - 250 Calories, 12 grams fat, 640 mg sodium
Chicken Gordita Supreme - 300 Calories, 13 grams fat, 530 mg sodium

BURGER KING - nothing low enough in fat to mention in this popular establishment. If you must go here, avoid the fish sandwich, with 43 grams of fat because it is deep-fried - not a good way to eat fish. The chicken sandwich also has 43 grams of fat, not good. Get the smallest hamburger available, that‚s about it.

CARL‚S JR. - A broader menu with salads provides some low fat, healthier choices.
Junior Hamburger - 330 Calories, 13 grams fat
Charbroiled Chicken Salad-To-Go - 200 Calories, 7 grams fat, 440 mg sodium
Garden Salad-To-Go - 50 Calories, 2.5 grams fat, 60 mg sodium, use low-fat dressing
Baked Potato w/o margarine - 300 Calories, 0 grams fat, but 70 grams carbohydrate, which is about 4 ½ servings of Grains/Bread. If you're watching the carbohydrate, eat half of it!
Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich - 280 Calories, 3 grams fat, 830 mg sodium

SUBWAY - Famous for its Jared Diet and the low fat sandwiches, this place does have many sandwich choices under 10 grams of fat. (Every day could get a little tedious though!) The nutritional information is based on sandwiches without mayonnaise, so if you add this, you‚re adding fat, and most of the sandwiches are still quite high in sodium.
Ham on deli roll - 224 Calories, 3 grams fat, 827 mg sodium
Roast Beef on deli roll - 236 Calories, 4 grams fat, 678 mg sodium
Chicken Breast, hot - 342 Calories, 6 grams fat, 966 mg sodium
Sub Club, cold - 304 Calories, 5 grams fat, 1239 mg sodium
Seafood & Crab, cold - 338 Calories, 9 grams fat, 1034 mg sodium
Tuna w/light mayonnaise on deli roll - 267 Calories, 8 grams fat, 627 mg sodium
Veggie Delight - 232 Calories, 3 grams fat, 582 mg sodium
Turkey Breast on deli roll - 227 Calories, 4 grams fat, 678 mg sodium
PS - they have fat-free potato chips, too.

JACK IN THE BOX
Garden Chicken Salad - 200 Calories, 9 grams fat, 420 mg sodium
Chicken Fajita Pita - 280 Calories, 9 grams fat, 840 mg sodium
Taco - 170 Calories, 10 grams fat, 460 mg sodium

MCDONALD‚S - It‚s everywhere, but it does not have the most low fat, healthy choices on their menu because they continue to have a somewhat limited menu. Still, there are some things you can order.
Hamburger - 270 Calories, 9 grams fat, 600 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/o mayonnaise - 300 Calories, 5 grams fat, 930 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Salad Deluxe w/o dressing - 120 Calories, 1.5 grams fat - use low fat dressing

KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN - Stick with the sandwiches instead of their fried chicken to avoid their high fat menu items. They do have some side dishes you can choose.
Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich with sauce - 310 Calories, 6 grams fat, 560 mg sodium
Tender Roast Chicken Sandwich w/o sauce - 270 Calories, 5 grams fat, 690 mg sodium
w/sauce - 350 Calories, 15 grams fat, 880 mg sodium
Corn on the Cob - 160 Calories, 0 fat - this would be 2 Grains/Breads servings
Baked Beans - 190 Calories, 3 grams fat
Macaroni & Cheese - 180 Calories, 8 grams fat, 760 mg sodium - not bad for a main dish, a little high for a side dish!
Tender Roast Breast w/skin - 251 Calories, 11 grams fat - remove the skin and save some fat

When you choose convenience, the trade-off will typically be a high sodium, high fat, low fiber meal. What you eat the rest of the day can help balance this out if you choose freshly prepared foods (avoid canned or packaged foods - too high in salt), eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and avoid other sources of saturated fat. If you're in a hurry, or just don't like to cook, you may find more lower sodium, lower fat choices in your grocery store - look at the frozen/prepared meals available. And, you'll have more freedom to add your own side dishes at home to balance your quick meal.
 

Paradox on  gaining muscle and losing fat 
By Dr. Mel Siff
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/

Methods of body mass gain or loss based predominantly on calorie counting may be misleading and simplistic. Virtually every program aimed at anyone who wishes to gain or lose body mass, whether it be fat or lean body tissue, is based on the law of conservation of   energy (i.e. Energy in = Energy out - in a closed system). Thus, one will not lose weight if one ingests more calories than one expends. Conversely, one   will not gain weight if one burns more food than one ingests. One remains in   balance if one burns exactly the same number of calories that one ingests.  So, if you are overweight, then all that you have to do is cut down on the   number of calories you eat and if you are underweight, then all you have to   do is eat more. Adding some exercise will assist in helping you burn   calories, so for losing weight (or, rather, excess body fat), a combination of   restricted calorie intake and regular exercise (usually presumed to be   'aerobic' endurance activity) is even more strongly recommended. 

While this principle seems to be perfectly logical and seems to be successful   in many cases, we all know that there appears to be something not quite   correct about it, simply because we all know of people for whom it does not   work.   Some really unfortunate obese people become desperate because they have tried   cutting their calorific intake drastically, they have followed demanding   exercise programs, they have seen psychologists, and yet any minor losses   that they may have experienced are regained in no time at all. Nobody seems   to believe that they haven't been cheating on their weight reduction   programs, so off they go to have liposuction, but two years later, poor souls   are right back where they started.  They are informed that their problem is genetic, even though they were not particularly overweight as children or teenagers. Maybe they hear the   monotonous tale that it is impossible to gain weight on less than 1000   calories or less a day and they must be 'cheating'. Or maybe their metabolic   rate is too low and they need something to 'speed it up'. Or they were   'deprived children' and subconsciously their bodies have been making up for   it by gaining weight.

Maybe their metabolic rate is very low, but is it not possible that their   absorption of food is far more efficient than those who are much thinner.   Maybe their metabolic systems tend to convert more of anything they eat to   adipose tissue, while those of their thinner cousins tend to be far less   capable of storing excess food as fat, because they genetically happen to be   less capable of storing fat for survival in times of food shortage.   Thus, is this propensity to store even the slightest excess of food in the   form of energy-concentrating fat a vestige of the evolutionary survival   history of humankind, in which food was not nearly as available as it is   today. In a similar vein, survival of humankind has to do with the fertility   of women and considerable research has indicated that when a woman's body at   level drops below a certain percentage of body ass, she becomes amenorrheic   and infertile. So, is the tendency to store excess food in the form of fat a   genetic memory of a once-necessary survival mechanism or is it something more   sinister? 

At the opposite end of the scale, there are some unfortunate folk who   struggle to gain weight, no matter how much they eat of anything. Their   calorific intake far exceeds their energy expenditure, yet they never gain   weight in the form of adipose tissue or anything else. Certainly we need to   rule out the possibility of intestinal worms or other chronic disease, since   pathology may be the cause rather than mere physiology. 

There is also another interesting category of people who exhibit 'normal' bodyweight, have low body at and always look excellent - they can eat anything in any quantities, yet they never gain weight, nor do they do much   exercise. Does the answer to the riddle lie with this group?

All of this suggests that we re-examine the application of the Law of   Conservation of Energy to body ass equilibrium. Years of scientific research has shown that this Law is correct, so there must be something incorrect in   the way in which it is being applied.  It is quite simple to deduce at least one flaw, namely that food is not metabolized with 100% efficiency, so that some food will always go to waste.   Thus, excess food does not necessarily end up as adipose tissue; it might simple end up in the sewers. In other words, we need to rewrite that energy   equation a little more thoroughly:  Energy in = (Energy for basal metabolism) + (Energy out as work) + (Energy   stored as fat) + (Energy lost as waste matter and heat). This means that we need to focus on several other factors other than food   intake and exercise. We also need to comment on how well nutrients are   absorbed from the gut, how metabolic rate alters in response to exercise or   nutrition, and how all calories are not treated equally in the body. Are   members of the public being done a grave disservice when their weight   problems are discussed with them on the basis of the highly simplistic from   of the Conservation of Energy law?  
 

Shaping the Breasts?

The topic of breast shape and size has kept the bank balances of many cosmetic surgeons large and in great shape. Almost daily, new medical procedures, drugs, supplements, exercise devices and creams appear on the market to satisfy the modern clamoring for the "perfect" breasts (whatever these may be). Those who eschew the use of invasive, chemical or other 'unnatural' means to address the perceived problem of inadequate breasts are left with three options: diet (for those whose obesity causes the sagging), mental regimes (such as hypnosis, which some research showed to enhance breast size) and exercise.

Firs, before we talk about the exercise part, here is some information on the hypnosis topic. The "Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry and Medicine" (Vol 6, 1969) and the "Journal of Sex Research" (Sept 1976) both reported excellent results in using hypnosis to increase breast size. A lot of women have successfully used visualization suggestion techniques to increase bust size. The doctors concerned required their patients to regularly visualize recommencement of the pubescent process of breast growth and within three months the average increase in bust measurement was about 5 cm. This was reported many years ago, but it appears as if the findings have been ignored in favor of silicone implantation.

The rest of the article focuses on the last mentioned approach exercise. While all of us on this list undoubtedly extol the benefits of strength exercises to improve chest shape, let us objectively try to re-examine beliefs that chest exercises improve breast appearance. How helpful really are chest exercises in enhancing bust shape and size, for both those who are "under-endowed" and "over-endowed"? Besides increasing the size of the pectoral muscles and other muscles of the shoulders, how effective are all those exercises in addressing the problems of sagging, size and disposition? Are some exercises for the chest more effective than others? Knowing now that research indicates that regional or local muscle development can take place; does this suggest that some exercises may enhance overall chest topology, whereas others might not?

You can get firmer, perkier breasts by investing just a couple of minutes a day. Forget invasive lifts or implants. Whether your breasts are big or small, they can sag. Aging, genetics, leaning out for a contest* For most women, the only workable solution appears to be implants or perhaps breasts lift. But getting nipped and tucked can be costly as well as risky. Yet that doesn't stop most women. According to the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation, an estimated 44,861 breast lifts were performed in 1999, up 126 percent from two years earlier. The procedure can cost around $3894 and that's a pretty hefty price* Not talking about the possible risks. You can help your breasts a little bit. If you build the chest muscle under your breasts, they will appear firmer, bigger and higher. The fat tissue is still not there, but you have a nice muscle in the cleavage and it looks good no matter what size your breasts are.

The Jamba Juice Phenomenon
By: Chris Fernandez

I wonder if Arnold drinks the Jamba Juice??? The Jamba Juice chain is one that we can all relate to. They sell those excellent smoothies that taste unbelievably good, and are what most people would consider "healthy". I am not trying to single out this one chain, but since it is located in 25 states, most people will be familiar with it. Basically, if you have ever purchased a "smoothie" or similar type drink that contains fruits, and other "natural" elements in the hopes that you are getting a healthy meal, you have been fooled, or in some cases, have been fooling yourself!
I once also thought that these quick and easy „shakes‰ were healthy, especially when you read the menu and find such wonderful things as protein boosts where you can pay .50 more and get an additional 7 gm of protein. But once I actually read the nutritional information, as well as watched them make it, there was no doubt that these things were the farthest thing from healthy that you can get. Take a look at this link to see the complete nutritional info for all their shakes.
As an example, I will use the KIWI BERRY BURNER for the purpose of this discussion. On their website they say: „An extraordinary health experience unlike any you've ever tasted. Jamba serves up delicious, nutritious, convenient meals filled with enticing fruit and vegetable flavors, vital nutrients and total convenience: everything you need to live an active, healthy life. Best of all, Jamba can go anywhere you do!‰
This is a little misleading once you analyze the nutritional content of these shakes. For instance, in the KIWI BERRY BURNER, it contains a total of 470 Calories. This breaks down to 0 gm of fat (woohoo! It‚s fat free!), 4 gm of protein, and then, you guessed it, 112 gm of carbohydrates. Now what is interesting here, is that on the website they don‚t actually tell you how many grams of sugar are in that mix. They do say there is 7 gm of fiber which leaves 105 gm of total carbs unaccounted for. But when you visit an actual store location, you can flip through their nutritional info manual and you can be shocked to find that most of the calories in most of the smoothies are derived from simple sugars! In fact for this particular drink, out of the remaining 105 gm of carbs, almost 80 gm are sugar! That is the equivalent to putting 16 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee! I don‚t know anyone that likes that much sugar.
Aside from the fact that there is absolutely no nutritional value to these drinks (they are actually on par with soft drinks, Snapples, etc.), the amount of sugar in them is way more than you should get in a day, especially if you are training hard and trying to shed some bodyfat. Yes, most of these drinks are fat free or almost fat free, but as we all know, high sugar items are just as bad as high fat items. A Jamba Juice a day would surely keep the 6 pack away! Now I am not trying to pick on Jamba Juice. What I am trying to do is squash the notion that fruit smoothies are healthy. They are not. They contain almost no protein, and more sugar than you should eat in a whole day! They are what bodybuilders and health freaks affectionately call "empty calories". Sugar, namely simple carbohydrates, are the archenemy of anyone that is trying to get leaner, and more toned. Sugar elevates blood sugar levels, which in turn signals the body to release insulin. The insulin‚s job is to store the sugar in muscle tissue in the form of glycogen, and in the liver. There is one problem. There is only a finite amount of room that is available in these tissues in the body, and when they are overloaded and full, the sugar must be stored somewhere else. I will give you one guess as to what the body then does with the remaining sugar molecules. That‚s right, it converts it to fat, and boom! Not only are you not losing weight and getting leaner, but you might actually start gaining fat!
This is part of the reason that fat free diets do not work, and why anyone that is serious about their health and physique stays away from sweets, and anything that is fat free but sugar filled.On the journey towards a better physique there are many pitfalls and false steps that one can take. Always remember that knowledge is power, and the more you know about eating healthy and what physical changes happen when you eat something, the less likely you are to eat that item and ruin all your hard work. Always be cognizant of the world around you, and the many turns and twists in the road. Once you start understanding how it all ties in to your goals and desire for a better body, you will make the right choices and they will go from being sacrifices, to being satisfying, and informed choices that will lead you straight to your goals.
 

FOR MEN TIRED OF RECEIVING MALE-BASHING JOKES

How many men does it take to open a beer?
None. It should be opened by the time she brings it.

Why is a Laundromat a really bad place to pick up a woman? Because a woman who can't even afford a washing machine will probably never be able to support you.

Why do women have smaller feet than men?
It's one of those "evolutionary things" that allows them to stand closer to the kitchen sink.

How do you fix a woman's watch?
You don't. There is a clock on the oven.

Why do men break wind more than women?
Because women can't stop talking long enough to build up the required pressure.

If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first?
The dog, of course. He'll stop once you let him in.

I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was Always.

I haven't spoken to my wife for 18 months: I don't like to interrupt her.

Scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman's sex drive by 90%. It's called a Wedding Cake.

Marriage is a 3-ring circus: Engagement Ring, Wedding Ring, Suffering..

Our last fight was my fault: My wife asked me "What's on the TV?"
I said, "Dust!"

In the beginning, God created the earth and rested. He then created Man, and again he rested. Finally, God created Woman.
Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.

Why do men die before their wives? They want to.

A beggar walked up to a well-dressed woman shopping on Rodeo Drive and said, "I haven't eaten anything for days."
She looked at him and said, "God, I wish I had your willpower."

Young Son: "Is it true, Dad, I heard that in some parts of Africa a man doesn't know his wife until he marries her?"
Dad: That happens in every country, son.

A man inserted an advertisement in the classified:
Wife Wanted." The next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once.

Who Understands Women?

1. The women with nasty bodies have pretty faces..
2. The women with gorgeous bodies have nasty faces.
3. The women with beautiful faces and gorgeous bodies are a lot of trouble.
4. The women with beautiful faces, gorgeous bodies and who are sweet are married.
5. The women who are beautiful and single spend all our money.
6 The women who we do approach with the intent of marriage think we are only after sex with them.
7. The women we only want sex from are always pressuring us to marry them.
8. The woman who had healthy attractiveness before she was married lets her self go after she is married.
9. The women who are gorgeous, sweet and don't spend all our money are psycho.
10. Women say they want us to express how we feel and/or think about them but when we do they are often so much trouble we wish we had never expressed anything.
11. The women who make the first move approach us approach us before we are interested in them ( if we are interested in them at all ) or after we are interested in another woman.
12. For all the complaints women have about men, guys like each other and are genuinely friendly to one another, even other women do not like other women.

NOW ... WHO IN THE HELL UNDERSTANDS WOMEN?