I just watched the Biggest Loser and they had Dave from Mens Fitness on. In a challenge tonight it was a better food choice type challenge The contestants were supposed to be choosing one food over the other.

Multigrain bagel with light cream cheese vs a McDonald’s style have and Egg McMuffin

OK, I like the Egg McMuffin lots. Thesy are yummy and greasy and not good for you and neither is the bagel. The Egg McMuffin was deemed to be better but man that is a lot fo calories

Burritos vs 18 light beers

We all know that burritos are not really good for you and they were apparently a better choice than 18 light beers but come on. The kicker was that 17 light beers would have been better. Would either of these be a healthy choice? Beer will slow you metabolism, the Burritos have protein but are really fatty.

Calories are not the only thing that matters for healthy eating. Watch the carbs, watch the fat!

Then to make things worse the trainers tip from Bob Harper was to eat Dark Chocolate. Again I love chocolate but isn’t it a bit irresponsible to be touting the wonders of dark chocolate a couple of days before Halloween?

I am still watching the show on the PVR right now but just had to comment on that.

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Tags: bob harper, food choice type challenge, food choices, Halloween, kicker, mcdonalds

I have only had a McDonalds Big Mac once, when I was a kid I never had one because I did not know that you could order without special sauce. I would eat Quarter Pounders instead.

Never eat fast food with your eyes closed, you will realize that those burgers are truly terrible tasting.

Anyway There is a guy name Don Gorske, from Wisconsin and he claims to have eaten 23,000 Big Macs since 1972 having at least 2 every day.

Don said he eats this many Big Macs, and eats them everyday, becasue his obsessive-compulsive disorder fueled his love for only Big Macs. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: big mac, Don Gorske, food chain, Mac, mcdonalds, obsessive compulsive disorder, quarter pounders

Why do fat people stay fat? Sure we all know that there are a lot of people that lose weight and there are surely a lot of people that take diets seriously. Heck we even know that behind every get skinny for a buck plan there is someone that really does know how to stop people from getting fat by helping people lose weight in a healthy way.
So why are people still fat and getting fatter all the time?

Well there are several reasons that people have so much trouble keeping a healthy weight and I think that there are five key reasons why and how people can lose weight successfully and for good.

1. Fast food – We have been happy to eat fast food for many years now. People still talk with pride of the first Canadian McDonalds going up down the road where I grew up in Richmond BC. The trouble with fast food is everywhere. Serving sizes are way too big, the fat level is too high, there are far too many bready carbs. And the real problem with fast food? It is getting bigger and the hold that the big fast food companies have on kids with free toys means that even parents don’t have as much say as they should have. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: apple_a_day, carbs, cheapest food, energy, food, food_companies, getting_fatter, HDTV, healthy_weight, lose_weight, mcdonalds, north America, serving_sizes

I was wondering how long it would take for something shocking to happen besides the images of childhood obesity. The Boston Globe is running a story about a $250,000 billboard campaign designed at getting parents to start acting in their kids interest in fighting the fat.

The campaign also will include television spots and print advertisements. In addition to the campaign, the foundation has handed out more than $1 million in grants to schools, community centers, and social service groups for fitness, nutrition, and health education programs aimed at reducing obesity.

The campaign is directed at parents, not children, for a reason, Martin D. Cohen , president of the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation says.

“In targeting children, we [would be] competing with every other advertiser — all the cereals, the McDonald’s, the Pepsi, Coke, and so forth,” Cohen said. “But the issues surrounding food are largely controlled by parents. They buy the groceries. They cook the food. They are deciding what’s in the refrigerator.”

Childhood obesity has been a big issue for a number of years and has been highlighted on almost every talkshow as well as shows like “The Biggest Loser” and the movie “Supersize Me”. There have been a few changes in recent years but nothing outside of schools banning pop and lots of people talking.

I hope that this billboard campaign can start getting a dialog started and maybe even get programs outside of schools like fully integrated sports, meal and snack info targeting kids that is not based on high fat foods the way things are now and lastly a real push from government giving a national awareness program on eating and exercise that is aimed at kids and parents and not just advertising that is cute and artistic instead of loud and effective.

Tags: Boston Globe, food, integrated sports, issues surrounding food, Martin D. Cohen, mcdonalds, MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, obesity, Pepsi, president, Supersize Me, The Boston Globe, the Biggest Loser, USD

I am a bit of a fan of Wendy’s restaurants, and yes I am aware of how fatty and devoid of nutrients a Wendys hamburger and fries are. I just saw a story last week with Consumer Reports doing a fallow up of Wendys claim that they would be eliminating trans fats from their deep frying process by switching oils. It seems that all of the stores have not switched to the new kids of oil as there still seems to be a bit of trans fats in the system.

Be very aware that there is no safe amount of trans fats that you should consume. All of the research that I have done into trans fats over the last couple of years have convinced my that this type of fat is poison and just stays in your body.

Consumer reports said the following:

Despite Wendy’s claim that a large serving of fries contains a half a gram of trans fat, our analysis revealed that a large serving contains two and a half grams of trans fats.

Wendy’s announced it was switching to a new kind of cooking oil that would virtually eliminate trans fat by August. But Consumer Reports testing found Wendy’s still serves two and a half grams of trans fat, far more than the half gram it claims. However, it is less than McDonald’s and Burger King fries, which contain more than six grams in their large size fries. Wendy’s, meantime, says it has thoroughly tested and checked the fat content of its fries, and disagrees with Consumer Reports.

Another story that is moving around is that in New York city the city council is going to be voting in December on a bill that would ban trans fats from being used in the citys restaurants. I have never heard of a city wide ban of trans fats but this can only be a good move and I hope the idea catches as much as I know we will hear a lot of moaning from the restaurant industry.

Also you may remember the story from a couple of weeks ago where I mentioned that Kentucky Fried Chicken is going to be dropping trans fats from their cooking process

So again, how do we avoid trans fats? I have looked around and found the following recommendations:
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Burger King, Consumer Reports, corn oil, dairy products, food, food manufacturers, Healthy fast food, heart disease, mcdonalds, New York, oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil

I just found an article over at Ediets of seven foods never to eat.

1. Doughnuts It’s hard to resist the smell of a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which is why I never step foot in the store. Doughnuts are fried chock-full of sugar and white flour and loads of trans fat.

According to the Krispy Kreme website, an average 3.5 ounce sugar doughnut weighs in with about 400 calories and contains few other nutrients besides fat. These sugary treats may satisfy your craving but it won’t satisfy your hunger as most of the calories come from fat.

“Eating a lot of refined sugar contributes to blood sugar swings or extreme fluctuations, eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke said.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: average fast-food cheeseburger, cancer, canned soup products, Center for Science, eDiets Chief Nutritionist, food, food chain, guard, hawaii, healthy food, heart attacks, hydrogenated oil, mcdonalds, obesity, oil containing unhealthy trans fats, Oscar, Oscar Mayer, potent cancer-causing chemicals, strokes, Susan Burke, the Public Interest, University of Hawaii

Ok I am sure there will be people excited about this giant of a buger but is there really a need?

FAST food chain McDonald’s is launching a giant burger for the World Cup – flying in the face of its healthier food policy.

The burger will be 40 per cent bigger than a Big Mac and new president Steve Easterbrook admitted: “The emphasis has changed.

To celebrate the World Cup, that huge sporting event everyone in the world but the United States cares about, McDonald’s will be offering a special World Cup burger that will be forty percent larger than the normal Big Mac patty. At first I was impressed, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s actually not that big of a deal. I’m going to assume that the Big Mac is roughly the same size in other countries as it is in the United States, which is to say, it’s not that big. I mean, the sandwich itself is big, once all the ingredients are stacked on, but the patty itself is rather small and flimsy.

“We are a burger business. Our traditional menu – hamburger, cheeseburger, Big Mac and chicken sandwich – is front and centre of our plans.

“Everybody loves a burger and there is nothing wrong with that.

“It’s time to be proud, to say ‘We’re a good burger company’.”

Three years ago McDonald’s adopted a healthier menu, including salads and fresh fruit, after bowing to pressure to encourage healthy eating, especially among youngsters. But only a small number of customers bought the products.McDonald has seen its revenue grow by 30 per cent in the US while sales in Britain have been flat since 2002 when the healthier menu was brought in.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has blasted McDonald’s and wants burgers to carry the same health warnings as cigarettes.

He said: “We have got to start conveying a serious message about exactly how bad these foods are.”

I am personally a bit split about this subject. If people really want to eat this much burger that is there own fault. The trouble is that people love to try to sue companies for making them fat. On the other hand, society as a whole suffers because of people making very bad health decisions and eating these very bad foods.

Tags: Britain, Celebrity chef, chef, food chain, Gordon Ramsay, healthier food policy, mcdonalds, president, Steve Easterbrook, United States, World Cup

I found this on the MSN site. A link from a Weight Watcher.com article

Skimming Off the Top
Here’s 7 simple get-that-excess-weight-off ideas:

• A spoonful of sugar can add up over the course of a year. Add one less teaspoon sugar (15 calories) to your cup of morning and afternoon coffee each day and you’ll save about 10,000 calories — the equivalent of about 3 pounds per year.
• Slim down that bowl of cereal: Switch from 1 cup regular whole milk to 1% milk (about 50 calories less per cup) every day. Once your taste buds adjust, you’ll be thrilled! That’s a tad more than 5 pounds lost by this same time next year.
• Take the scenic route. Park your car as far as possible from the entrance to your office, the shopping mall or a restaurant and get those legs pumping. Ten minutes of daily moderate paced walking (five minutes each way burns about 20 calories) can take off four-plus pounds a year*.
• Get your vitamin C boost with a whole orange (60 calories) instead of a cup of juice (110 calories) each day. Ka-ching, ka-ching! Your 12-month savings: 5 1/4 pounds.
• Go calorie-free by switching from regular to diet pop (150 versus 0 calories per can). If you drink one can per day, that’s nearly 16 pounds lost in a year.
• Flavour-up your sandwiches with very low-cal condiments like mustard or vinegar instead of calorie-packed butter. Leave off 1 tablespoon (100 calories) every day and you’re looking at close to 10 1/2 pounds a year.
• Down-size, don’t super-size, fast food meals. Opt for a small McDonald’s French fries (210 calories) instead of a large order (450 calories) at your weekly fast-food meal. You’ll enjoy the same great taste all year long but with an added bonus: 3 1/2 pounds lost.

Tags: food meals, mcdonalds, weekly fast-food meal

People try to lose weight at McDonald’s – Boston.com.

Here is an article that is a great example of how it does not matter where you eat but what you eat. In the opposite spirit of Super Size Me the documentary where the filmaker ate nothing but McDonalds food for 30 days here are some people that ate and lost weight by choosing the right foods from McDonalds.

Here is the Nutritional Values of McDonalds food menu

Tags: food, food menu, mcdonalds