Full Strength LIFE

5 Things That Strangely Don't Require Refrigeration

I was talking with a friend the other day and he sheepishly mentioned he'd tried that Nutri-System for Men weight-loss food program. Honestly, I was a little shocked that he'd not just asked me about it first, but that's testament to good marketing.

When I asked him about why he didn't just try Full Strength, take the 14-day "Feel Great" Challenge, he said that at 40 lbs. overweight he thought it was "above me."

"I'm just a dude needing to lose this gut and you've fueled the greatest athletes in the world. Why would Full Strength be for me?," he pondered aloud.

Trust me, I was taking notes. I get that his perception is real, although not accurate. As I created Full Strength to be daily nutrition for the "man in the middle" of life. Sure, it's nutrition for better performance but in this case, more performance in life than on the field.

More on that later... 

Weird Food

When I asked him about his experience he said the weirdest, most unsettling part of the Nutrisystem food was that it would be sitting on his porch all day when he got home, and that it didn't require any refrigeration.

In an effort to make him feel better about this odd (and unsettling) fact, I started listing other things in life that, strangely, don't require refrigeration.

Here are a few that popped for me. Please share your additions to this list below:

5 Things That Strangely Don't Require Refrigeration:

1. Soy Milk - No, soy milk does not require the fridge. Placing it in the fridge section of stores is just brilliant marketing. Feel free to stick the soy milk where the light don't shine.

2. Bud - in contrast to Coors, which is not pasteurized and thus cold along every step, from bottling to shipment, to delivery (hopefully) I've always been somewhat aghast at the fact that Bud is as good with room temp as Nutrisystem. Not that either or a favorite beverage for me. :-) (yes, I am native to Golden, CO)

3. Road Kill - that is unless you've dressed it properly and salvaged the remaining good meat.

4. NutriSystem boxed meals - This is a mystery I don't really want the answer to. I'm not sure I could handle this truth. I know that beef jerky, and some cured meats, don't require refrigeration so maybe they're selling jerky burgers and such. 

5. Baseballs - unless of course you're on a Major League team where they're maintained in a giant chilled, humidor like fridge.

That's five. Runner-ups for the list included Twinkies (but we know these aren't food because bugs won't eat them), my PC (long story), Ted Williams head (that's on ice, thank goodness), non-dairy creamer...

What can you think of that doesn't belong in your fridge?

Harnessing The Weight Loss Power of a 3-Ring Circus

Failed your last diet attempt?
 
Tired of trying to lose those last 10 pounds?
 
Frustrated by your lack of discipline and motivation?
 
Can’t get the appetite under control? Feel like you’re in a constant struggle with yourself, like there’s two of you—one who wants to be lean and fit and the other who wants to eat deep fried cake for breakfast?
 
You’re struggles are over.
 
Now you can get the sort of rock solid, unshakable discipline that dieting will never provide, that only the most skilled experts in behavior modification can create.
 
Step up to the big time for real and lasting Transformation…
 
Hire your own personal Lion Tamer!
 
If you’re serious about making a change, a professional lion tamer will take you from struggling to freedom in a few short months.

Think about it.

Is there anyone in the world more skilled at behavior modification on a more critical stage? Failure for their profession is deadly so the shear fact that your trainer will be alive is nearly a guarantee you’ll achieve your desired results.

Sure, they’re not cheap but then there’s no price tag on your life, is there? Of course, you’ll deal with nominal public ridicule when your friends find out but hey, in a few months you’ll be the lean, fit one who can poke fun at their fat asses. 

And after they get a look at your amazing results you can bet they’re going to find a lion tamer of their own.

You’ll know when the time is right for you to give it a shot. I wouldn’t use the word desperation that’s just me—you can feel free to use it. And hey, if that doesn’t work you can always try the path to Nutritional Freedom.

Nutritional Freedom may not be as risky and exciting as having a live-in lion trainer but it's every bit as effective in helping you gain your freedom to eat the foods that are best for you the most.

If the Lion Tamer is too costly and perahps a little extreme, step up to the Full Strength 2-Week Challenge, and feel the energy and freedom, fast. Guaranteed. 

The Gaping Hole in Cheerios Cholesterol Health Claim

Boldly emblazoned on the front panel of a Cheerios box you will see the claim: “Clinically Proven to Reduce Your Cholesterol”

Next time you’re walking (or running) down the cereal isle of your grocery store get a good look at a box of Cheerios for it’ll be the last time you see any such aggressive words across the front—for this health claim is about to change.

General Mills, the maker of the breakfast classic, Cheerios (and the 8 other candy-coated varieties) just received a letter from the FDA demanding they remove all product claims regarding cholesterol reduction for these are statements which positions Cheerios as a drug.

“Failure to correct the products marketing may result in injunction or product seizure.” The letter goes on to add.

    The label includes the statements:

• "you can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks"

• "Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is ... clinically proven to lower cholesterol…”

While as you can imagine, this is no joking matter if you’re General Mills, I find myself a wee bit gleeful for I’ve been wondering when someone was going to drop the hammer on Cheerios for this obviously aggressive marketing stance.

After two decades in the nutrition industry I know the difference between scientifically substantiated structure function statements and desperate marketing that makes drug like claims—and this is the latter; a drug claim.

Now, I’m all for health promoting nutrition and would prefer the government have a minimalist role in regulation—as little as is reasonable—but this sort of wordsmithing is careless and cavalier. This is dangerous territory they’re treading in here making such bold claims.

“It’s Not Your Fault!” The Joy and The Horror of These Powerful 4 Words

Dating back to before your earliest memories, these may well be the most soothing four words ever put in row.

“It’s not your fault”

Since you first felt them, they have been music to your soul.

Feel their power.  Repeat “It’s not your fault,” to yourself 3 times and feel the stress begin flow from your body.

Perhaps no four words in history of man have been the cause of more relief and more grief.

For there are certainly times in every life when we needed to hear these words and they were, without question, appropriate.

That time when you closed the car door and your baby sister was trying to get her hand out. Not your fault. No malice there.

The power in these words is magical and it’s just that magic that make them so damned insidious as we grow up. For regardless of whether you were hit from behind while waiting at a red light, or you got drunk and ran over a neighbor mail box, you still long to hear the magic words, “It’s not your fault.”

The child inside us wants desperately to be relieved of guilt and responsibility.

The good news is if you did run over the mailbox, drunk, it’s going to be pretty difficult to find the bigger idiot who will tell you that its not your fault. So, for the most part we’re safe.

But wait!

Along comes a clever marketing genius who recognizes this needy child inside each of us and “Shazaam!!,” the era of “It’s not your fault” marketing is born.

You’re bankrupt, and it’s not your fault.

“Your fat like a circus elephant, but hey, it’s not your fault.”

To which the inner child, goes, “Phew… thank goodness! I was starting to suspect I might be involved.”

I imagine there is actually relief when some nice looking spokeswomen assures you that the only reason you accidentally became 187 lbs overweight is you didn’t know not to eat 38 dozen Twinkies and drink a 12 pack of Pepsi a day.

Seems the science came in and no one told you! Oh! Those bad, mean people.

Actually, they’d tell you something more like it's the air mixing with protons in your vegetables skin that's causing fat cells to accumulate. Or that it’s all cortisol causing it (which isn’t true by the way).

But wait, the fact that people use and abuse these magic words to entice you to buy things—while less than noble in my book—is not the most serious problem.

The Real Serious Problem with “Not Your Fault” Thinking

When you, I or anyone wants to desperately to be relieved of guilt that we buy into “It’s not your fault” when it—even partially—is, there’s something much more devastating happening here than the loss of a few bucks.

Think back to a time when these words were used appropriately in your life. To a time when the event, the slip, the slide the crash, really wasn’t your fault.

What was the real message being told to you?

“It’s not your fault.” = You had no control in the matter.

In fact, you couldn’t and shouldn’t have even done anything about it. It’s was not and is not within your power.

See it? Do you see the frightening message your not just hearing but your buying into when you accept this death sentence of your personal power?

Let me see if I can make it any more crystal…

When you buy into the belief, concept, excuse that “It’s not your fault” that you’re out of shape, broke or whatever it is, you’re not just releasing guilt your releasing all your power.

You’re accepting the ultimate victim role and have effectively neutered any power, control or influence you may have had going forward in the situation.

If it’s not your fault your 20 pounds overweight, and you believe that. How can you do anything about it.

Now get that I’m not talking about what your mind—as you know it—for your thinking mind may want to argue this.

I’m talking about what the message, the directive that your subconscious—the core that drives you—is following.

It takes but a few minutes of study on the power of suggestion, the strength of your subconscious mind and belief system to know that it’s far more powerful than all the willpower and discipline you could muster for a ten minute sprint.

My advice to you: Next time someone tries to lull you to sleep with these four magic words, you stand up and yell at the TV man or woman: 

“Your wrong! You are wrong!”

“I am at this precise point in my life because of the choices I’ve made so far. My successes and my failures are of my own doing. And I know—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that I have the power to create my life exactly the way I want it to be.”

So there!

Take that Mr. marketing wiz!

Is the “G” boosting your “P” or just making you “F”?

Have you seen the hot, new super-performance energy drink called simple “G”?

What? It's not new at all!

Just the same ol’ "C"alorie packing, "S"ugar loaded, "Sa"lt lick of a drink formerly known as Gatorade!

That's right... The same tub of colored sugar water that many people pretend is a performance enhancing, energy drink when their performance is walking from their desk to the elevator.

The same Gatorade the millions of people rely on the neutralize their half hearted exercise attempts, as they consume more liquid calories in 10 seconds then they burned off in an hour.

Yep, it’s the same ol’ “G” pretending to give you “P” when it’s really just making you “F”[at].

GO Ahead, Drink One...

I know... "G" is such a powerhouse brand it's almost sacriligious to suggest it's not the sauce of the peak performer. Hence, in an attempt to mitigate any heavy backlash, I'll give you the same advice I offered readers in my latest book, Strength for Life. 

Go ahead, enjoy a Gatorade at half time of the Superbowl... that you're playing in. Fact is you can get away with ingesting these sort of calories when you're athlete active and 20-30 something... but for the typical fitness enthusiast or person trying to get in better shape, this brightly colored sauce is just the right size to ensure you stay the same size or larger.

About Eating Raw Eggs

Son, Where You Going With Those Eggs In Your Hand?

Early in my post, Energy and The Big Fat Egg-xaggeration..., I noted that I used to eat raw eggs.

I want to make that more accurate: The eggs were not actually quite raw.

In my youthful days of hyper-intense training, before there existed anything like a reasonable protein supplement, let alone a strength-food like Full Strength, I consumed A LOT of eggs. And I do mean "consumed" for I didn’t cook them but rather simply heated them in very hot water to kill anything that might kill me and then blended the whites, usually a dozen at a time, with a couple yokes and some OJ. And drank them!

This was my primary source of quality protein for a good ten years. I don’t think the nice lady at the local Safeway ever quite got used to me rolling through the check-out with 8-10 dozen eggs. The dialogue was all to familiar. The check out lady (it was 90% of time a lady in those days) would look at the eggs, glance back at me, back at the eggs and I could see the wheels turning. Then, as she was ringing them up, without ever looking up, she'd casually say, “Baking, are you?”

To which I’d say, “Baking?” as if I didn’t know what the f%&$ she was talking about.

“The eggs?” She’d say, “What you doing with all the eggs?” To which I'd crisply say, “Eat them.”

That was the end of that interaction. I’m certain most the time they would assume me to making some sort of weird joke or just being an ass. And maybe that’s where I found the humor in that I gave them a straight, honest answer and it wasn’t my issue if it didn’t fit in their paradigm and hence they were left to struggle with it.

Fortunately, I don't do that any more... have to eat all those eggs or be a smartass... although I'm not above either.

Energy and The Big Fat Egg-xaggeration...

I love eggs. I love ‘em soft, over, up, scrambled, hard boiled and even *raw.

I’m a fan of eggs the way some people are a fan of U2. Hence, it’s hard for me to rough them up like this but they’ve got this one coming... 

I just watched a new advertising campaign for the Egg about eggs being “Energy for Body and Mind” and I think it’s rotten.

Seems the Egg Council —who came up with the winning, “the incredible edible egg”—is hitching their white wagons to two the mega-trend of Energy. It’s all about energy these days. Doesn’t matter if your selling energy drinks, pills or laundry detergent—everyone would have you believe their product is going boost your energy.  

Eggs are a brilliant source of protein. Dang right. They’re packed with vital nutrients, and healthy fats (Omega 3’s and 6’s) and are a great food, even with the yolk.

Got it. But energy? Yeah and beer has protein.

Come on folks.

In marketing, “energy” is the sexy word used in place of CARBS, CARBS… carbs for sale. And while carbs do provide cellular energy, at the rate most bring them in they turn you into a fat storage tank.

Eating more carbs doesn’t give you more energy any more than
adding 5 gallons of water to a 1 gallon bucket will give it more water.

While an egg does have a fraction of a carb (~ 0.3 - 0.5 gm) they’re no more a source of energy than a piece of salmon. And even if they’ve opted to leverage the relatively high fat content of the whole egg as the energy source, we both know it’s a major stretch.

I appreciated when the egg council made protein a case—for I knew that they too were supporting the awareness of protein as a part of a diet. But “energy?” It’s bad enough that every sugar peddling mega-company is pushing energy down American’s throats to the point that we have the largest reserve of excess energy on the planet around our waistlines.

What’s wrong with some nice version of the truth? Something like, “Eggs are a wonderful source of protein and when consumed as a part of balanced meal, they help you sustain your energy longer, and keep you going stronger.”

There I go again expecting the high-road when it’s all about trends and reacting to gain market share at all costs. Perhaps I’m disappointed that one of my nutritional hero’s is for sale—that the egg has stooped to the lowest form of nutritional prostitution. It says we’ll do anything to move one.

Coming Clean on Egg Whites

While I’m on the egg rant, I’ve got a confession to make. I made an error in my book, Strength for Life. In the nutrition section, Chapter 11, I list foods that are “approved” or good foods and in this list it notes “egg whites.” This statement seems to support the myth that it’s only the whites that are good for you.

That is wrong and I know it. I’ve mentioned this error before but it’s worth noting that it’s an oversight. I let one slip. In the vast depth of wisdom in this book, it’s not much of a slip but I’ve been reminded of it a few times and want to keep on correcting it.

Eggs, the Right Way

When I eat eggs, which is no where near what it used to be, I usually go for 3 whole eggs and 3 whites—a 50-50 blend whites and whole yolkful eggs.

The Opposite of DIET = TI < EDHow to eat more and weigh less

Dieting sucks! And yet, at this moment nearly half of the US population is engaged in an ongoing struggle with food.

You can flip dieting around and stop focusing on deprivation, on less and embrace the freedom to eat more and still weigh less.

For most, a diet is a period of suffering, deprivation and a moment to moment battle between willpower and desire. Certainly not a long term success strategy for life. As I share in my book, Strength for Life, you can free yourself from this battle with the “10-steps to Dieting Freedom” in chapter 11 but today I want to go farther and expose the major flaws of the dieting mindset.

You see, dieting as a strategy for losing weight is at best half the equation. It’s focus is on limiting your total intake (TI). It’s got nothing to do with the other half of the equation: the energy you use through exercise, movement or your metabolism (Energy Depletion ED).

Trying to get thinner with nutritional limbo—eating less and less—is like trying to budget your way to wealth. Controlling your expenses does not wealth create. Want more wealth, create more value, offer more, generate more. Just the same, want to enjoy eating more freely? Take real action and use more energy in your life.

Dieting works on the simple (and relatively if not entirely accurate) concept that losing weight has simply to do with consuming fewer calories than your body utilizes each day. Thus, if you eat less than you “burn” you will utilize energy reserves which is in some part body fat.

Like I say, this is a relative truth for not only are all calories NOT created equal but when using ONLY calories in (Total Intake in this equation) to regulate fat loss, it’s a slippery slope. Try a little too hard to encourage fat loss, drop the calories just a wee-bit too low and the body will freak out and start holding more fat.

The opposite of dieting—and the more sound, sensible and complete solution for weight loss is to emphasize Energy Depletion (ED). It’s simple, rather than simply trying to eat less than you burn each day, focus on burning more calories than you eat. For when you’re (TI) Total energy Intake is less than your (ED) Energy Depletion you’ll lose weight. And as bonus you will be gaining a leave of fitness, a stronger more energized body.

This may seem rather obvious as I point it out but be honest… how often have you been told and or wanted to believe that it’s ALL about the diet, it’s about intake? It’s not. Effective, sustainable fat loss requires that you manage both with some level of clarity and mastery.

When Good Companies Do Bad Bars

Nutrition bar. These two words together get me thinking of old joke about Military Intelligence being an oxymoron.

I don't eat nutrition bars, I don't make them and I don't suggest others consume them either. I can hardly begin to count the number of people whom I've talked to who have told me "I can't seem to loose this excess weight..." who I later discovered were replacing meals with nutrition or energy bars.

The problem is it's hard to balance the need people have for these bars to taste like a candy bar with any reasonable level of nutrition quality. And then, of course, you throw on the profit issue and it's like tossing gas on the fire.

Here's another great example of why they're are for the most part a bad choice: WIRED magazines look at the PowerBar Protein Plus bar.

If you have to have a bar--and believe me there are times when they are convenient--here are a few guidelines:

1. Make sure it's really a serious need not just a reaction to be too lazy to invest 2 minutes blending a rich, nutrition shake, like Full Strength. I'm talking some travel situations and more often long biking or hiking sessions, etc.

2. Choose a better bar which means your likely not going to get one as a primary protein source--accept that they are likely and best used for carbs. This is why I prefer something in the CLIF line or a natural version with Larabar... which is much smaller but can work at times.

3. Don't make a habit out of these things... use them like you'd use a crescent wrench, now and then when it's the right tool for the job.

Here's to your strength and freedom.

Shawn

Smart Girl, Dumb Cookie

A cookie with vitamins? Seriously...

Have you seen Hungry-Girl? Like me, she has a new book out so it's hard to ignore her. She's done an amazing job of creating a large audience of hungry-girls to whom she offers recipes and various tips and tricks on how to eat. It's not really nutritional advice just "opinion" on eating.

Well, today I get an email from Hungry Girl (I have to admit I don't know "her" name) and on it is boldly featured a cookie called a Vitatop. Evidentially, these are cookies with vitamins on or in the chips.

Seriously... no joke.

Now, I love food as I make clear in Chapter 10 of my new book. I support a healthy relationship with all foods--a sort of Nutritional Freedom, the freedom to eat great food and enjoy a high energy, vibrant life. It's quite literally the antidote to dieting (see the 10 Steps to a Lifetime of Nutritional Freedom in my book). I'm not into dieting.

But this sort of "good and bad" strategy really gets me riled up.

If you want a cookie you should be free to eat a cookie--a real, well done, hopefully organic cookie and even two at the right times. If you do already take vitamins, great. You know when to take those. But this "vitamin cookie" disrespects three parties:

First, it takes you for a fool... so dim that you'll fall for eating more of a "bad" food because the vitamin chip "dressing" relieves your guilt. Now, clearly, you've got to be operating slightly below the "full steam" from the neck up to fall for that one.

Second, it disrespects the vitamin... like so many foods and even supplements, this falls into the "pixy dust" approach at best. It's not an effective or quality delivery of any serious vitamins--that's not even it's purpose. It's the equivalent of low calorie water. Nonsensical.

And finally, it totally disrespects the cookie. You have to know that anyone doing this is not fully and deeply committed to making the best cookie. It's a cookie fraud... and vitamins can not possibly enhance the taste.

My advice, from this Fully-Satiated-Guy, don't fall for this trap... eat a real, delicious, home made (or nearly) cookie when it's in your plans and enjoy it from a place of freedom. And take your vitamins at another time.

P.S. Upon further review I came to discover these "cookies" were really "muffin tops" which is essentially the same thing. Right? I just hope someone is paying proper royalties to Seinfeld for this for it was Elaine and her boss Littman who came up with the muffin top concept.