Anatomy of a Food Craving

Cupcakes or Carrots?

Twinkies or Tomatoes?

Ever wonder what leads you to choose bad food instead of good? We at Cranky Fitness, in our ceaseless quest for a good twinkie defense world enlightenment, offer this diagram as a possible explanation of how the decision is made. (If the text is too small, click on the diagram to enlarge it.)




To present the information in a more pseudoscientific formal manner, here's a chart:

For a more philosophical take on this same subject, check out Patty's blog, Fit by my 50th. Me, I love using diagrams and charts to explain things, because I want the blog to look Importantly Scientific I tend to dither when I put things into words. But I think Patty did a good job. Also, Mizfit wrote a great post about how listening to her body helped her become thin and fit. Since she's in kick-ass shape, I think she just possibly might be on the right track with this approach.

What do you think?

Do you let your food decisions get made by your taste buds? Or do you listen to the rest of your body?

Coping with the downturn: a quiz

Guess what? The experts have decided that it's official: we're in a recession.

Gee whiz, really?

Being an economic forecaster is something like being a weatherman reporting on yesterday's news. It's much more interesting to be a blogger, especially on a blog like this one.

How's your economic attitude?

Rather than writing a serious, perceptive, and intellectually challenging post about the economy, it seems like a much better idea to present you with a pop quiz. You've read all about the economy -- if you haven't experienced a layoff, you've probably felt the chill breeze of one pass nearby. Are you prepared, attitudinally, for this economic climate?


The Quiz

A) Your boss calls you into her office and says that you're being downsized.
Your response is to:

1 - Go home, curl up in a dark room, and whimper.

2 - Go out and eat a dozen brownies. (Sugar is good for shock, yeah, that's the ticket.)

3 - Ask her, "Does 'downsize' mean I'll fit into my skinny jeans?"

4 - Put on your running shoes and do a long run... as far from work as possible.


B) The company has decided to enforce time off during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks. In other words, you're taking the time off whether you have vacation time saved up or not. You decide to:

1 - Buy a bunch of stuff at the mall to cheer yourself up.

2 - Eat your way steadily through all the Thanksgiving leftovers, chocolate Advent calendars, and even aunt Agnes' deadly annual fruitcake. It's wasteful to throw away food, plus there's less clutter that way.

3 - Decide to use the time to finish your Great American Novel (or Great Canadian Novel, Great Peruvian Novel, you get the idea). That way, when the company actually does go under, you'll have a book ready to be published.

4 - Spend the time off working out three or four hours a day. Hey, it worked for Madonna.

C) Because of the relatively low cost of gas, your grandmother, mother-in-law, and your aunt Fanny each expect you to drive to their house for a holiday dinner ... on the same day. Do you:

1 - Forge a doctor's note and try to convince the relatives that you're suffering from lethargy, lumbago, and leprosy.

2 - Drive from one house to the next and eat three full dinners.

3 - Delegate the blame decision and let your significant other decide.

4 - Annoy all three by deciding to do what you want to do instead.


*******************
Add up the numbers to determine how prepared you are, attitude-wise, for the recession.

3 points. You have a sensitive soul, which in this economy means you're probably going to be toast. Need to try the emotional equivalent of boot camp to toughen up -- or else marry a billionaire until the recession is over.

4 - 6 points. Using food as an emotional band-aid is a bad idea when you're supposed to be tightening your belt. Can you try another approach for dealing with turmoil? (And if so, could you let me know what it is?)

7 - 9 points. You have a nice combination of optimism and sneakiness. If you can find a way to throw in some ruthless cunning and guile, you might make it through this downturn relatively unscathed.

10 - 12 points. Given the fact that people who are obese encounter more job discrimination than people who are fit, you're probably in pretty good shape in both senses of the phrase. Of course, you're going to feel pretty silly about all that exercising when the sensitive soul goes out and marries a billionaire, but that's life.

Well, how did you do? Should I do a post on the number of single billionaires in the world today, or do you think you'll get through this okay?

Graphic: Azrainman

Running away from Thanksgiving

Ah, the holidays. A time of shopping and tinsel, when being a big guy in a red outfit giving away goodies to children will probably not get you arrested.

A time to get together with family and indulge in the usual family occupations: food, watching The Game, and revisiting old memories -- like the time cousin Joe got into a fight with aunt Susan over who really was supposed to have inherited Grandma Mary's lamborghini.

Sorry -- a bit of Christmas fantasy crept into that last paragraph. I'll try to stick to the basics.

Adding insult to insulin...

The truth is, love 'em or loathe 'em, family can be hard to take. Lots of hugs, laughter, and old times revisited. Also usually some snippy remarks, poisonous as mistletoe and just as traditional. And to add insult to insulin, just at a time when you're emotionally wound up, there's humoungous spread of comfort food spread out in front of you.

Running away from my problems

I've taken to developing new traditions.

Running away from my problems is one of them. Literally. On Thanksgiving morning, I've signed up for a Turkey Trot at the Zoo. Apparently you don't need to be an actual turkey to participate. Not the kind with wings, anyway.

I like the idea of working off all the calories before the feast. And even if you're stuck in the kitchen hoping that dang bird cooks, why not let the non-cooks tackle the dishes, while you take aunt Margaret for a walk? Work off that gravy by pounding the pavement rather than ending up face down in the pecan pie.

Are there any Canadians who have helpful tips they could share about their T-Day experiences in the trencherman trenches?

Does anyone have clever exercise plans for T-day? Or are you going to try to go low cal on this traditional day of gustatory excesses? Or are you going to simply chalk it up as a high-calorie day and work off the calories by fighting the crowds on Black Friday?

A couple of blogs had some helpful suggestions:
Journeying to lose 200 pounds: Top 10 Healthy Thanksgiving Strategies.
Almost Vegetarian: Finds to make Thanksgiving Easier.

Photos courtesy of jblyberg.

Meatloaf Musings

[By Crabby]

Shall I serve peas with that?
...Nah, screw the peas, I hate peas.

(Photo courtesy of Plan59)

So last night we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad for dinner. (I do actually cook sometimes, despite all my whining about it).

And I loved every bite! Meatloaf and mashed potatoes: the epitome of comfort foods, right? (That is, if an epitome can be two things--any English majors out there?)

It's just the sort of dinner I would have enjoyed as a kid. Well, except that back then we'd have been rushing through the meal and our usual wholesome family bickering in order to watch the "Room 222" or "the Carol Burnett show." (Whereas now we plop down with tv trays in front of our big-ass tv and spend a leisurely meal watching wholesome family drug-dealing on "Weeds," or wholesome family wife-swapping on "Swingtown." Gosh it's great to be a grown up!)

But even though the pleasure I take in it is the same, the meal itself has gradually transformed since I was in elementary school. I probably would have turned my nose up at it, many decades ago, had nose-upturning been allowed at our dinner table.

Over time, here's how my meatloaf, mashed potatoes and salad have changed:

Last Night's Loaf:

• The meat was ground turkey, not ground beef;
• The bread crumbs came from whole wheat bread, not white;
• There were about twice as much chopped onion and red bell pepper as in the original;
• The vegetables were sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, not butter;
• The egg contained Omega-3's (though some say it's not worth bothering with these);
• There was a fair amount of cayenne and thyme and other good-for-you spices;
• (But the ketchup on top was pretty much the same. Gotta have ketchup--and the sugar-free kind tastes pretty much like rust as far as I'm concerned.)

Last Night's Spuds:

• The potatoes came from the produce aisle, and did not come dehydrated in a box;
• The potato skins were left on;
• The potatoes would have been blue had we not just run out of that kind. (Let's pretend they were blue, though, because that's what I use when they're around and it's more dramatic that way);
• Half of the potatoes were not even potatoes! They were cauliflower, 'cause cruciferous veggies are SO good for you;
• The milk was nonfat;
• The butter was "light" and had canola oil in it too; and
  
• There was no gravy.

Last Night's Salad:

• The lettuce was romaine, not iceberg.
• The lettuce was organic;
• The dressing was not mayonnaise-based or bottled; it was freshly made with extra-virgin olive oil;
• There were vegetables in there other than tomatoes; and
  
• The salad was piled high and covered two thirds of the plate, rather than a couple meager tablespoons.

Now we all have different definitions of "healthy," and some of you make take issue with the specifics of these alterations. But they were made with the idea of making the meal "better" for us. And many of these changes took some getting used to. (Remember your first glass of nonfat milk? Ewwww.)

But now? Yum. To me, it's meatloaf and mashed potatoes again.

I wonder though: as new research comes along, will the meatloaf and mashed potato dinner continue to evolve at the Crab and Lobster household? Will the turkey that used to be beef someday be ostrich? Will the onions be replaced by some new unpronouncable superfood? Will the scientists decide potatoes cause autoimmune disorders and premature hair loss and urge us all to replace them with rutabagas? Who knows?

How about you all--do you try to modify old favorites, or do you just enjoy them less often in their more traditional versions? What kind of dietary changes have you made since you were in third grade? (And does anyone else admit to watching tv during dinner despite all the Experts telling you Not To?)