Giving MFP a Rest

Looking at my calorie tally for yesterday, and how it's shaping up today, I'm thinking about taking a break from MFP (myfitnesspal.com) for the rest of the week.  Hear me out...

After having finished P90X, I found myself with the body I thought I'd never have--169# and as fit as I was when I graduated from Marine Corps boot camp.  (Confirmed!  I did 12 pull-ups during the post-fit test, which was as much as I ever did in the Marines).  P90X, in conjunction with MFP, proved to be a winning combination.

So I know P90X works, and I know MFP works, but here's the deal: I'm going through a one week down time between P90X and Insanity, and I'm on vacation.  That vacation piece is the more significant factor.  During my down week I'll be in San Francisco, where I am actively planning to indulge in gastronomic delights.  I'm planning to gnash on Kara's Cupcakes, savor a sourdough bowl of clam chowder at Boudin's Bakery, put Krispy Kreme to the Pepsi Challange against Dynamo Donut, and find out what a real burrito tastes like by choosing a recommended spot from burritoeater.com (probably Gordo's).


And that's just in San Francisco!  When I'm in Palo Alto, I'm planning on having lunch at In & Out (not that there's anything special about the In & Outs in Palo Alto, it will just happen to work out that way).  Dinner will be at Kelley Brother's Brewery, where I absolutely must have a pint of Fossil Fuel Brewery's ancient ale (real Jurassic Park stuff here--they make their beer with yeast that was fossilized in amber millions of years ago)!


I suppose I could obtain nutritional info where available to input into MFP, but it's not going to change my plans.  I could estimate where nutrition info is not available, or even email restaurants directly for the nutrition facts if need be.  But (not) surprisingly, Kara doesn't post the nutrition facts of her cupcakes online.  I can't help but feel that there is something twisted about feeling compelled to account for the calorie cost of a cupcake while on vacation.  By doing so, aren't I missing the point?


No, I'm going to give MPF a rest this week.  After successfully completing 3 months of P90X, doubles at that, I think I've earned this week of not caring.  Besides, with Insanity looming on the horizon, I might need all of the calorie reserves I can get!

The best Omega-3 money can buy...from krill?

That's right, krill--the tiny crustacean that whales eat by the ton.  Apparently it really is as good for you as the marketing hype, but read on, because it's not without it's fair share of concerns.

A friend of mine had questions about the glucosamine post regarding MSM (methylsulfonylmethane, an inflammation reducer often found in glucosamine/chondroitin supplements).  He was wondering how MSM combined with Omega-3, which got us on the topic of Omega-3 supplements.  I had mentioned that I've been getting my Omega-3 from krill oil, but during the course of our discussion, I realized that I really don't know all that much about krill oil.  I decided to change that.

I bought krill oil from GNC when I ran out of my fish oil supplements.  I saw it on the same shelf with the resto of the Omega-3 products, and it looked interesting.  While I prefer to research something using the internet, I often find that I educate myself on the spot (spoken "impulse buying")--not my best quality.  Anyway, I was surprised to read that a published study showed that krill oil caused a significant decrease (increase?) in C-Reactive Protein (CRP), which is a marker for general inflammation in the body.  I learned earlier this year that inflammation is perhaps the most damaging of bodily responses over time, so I decided to go with the krill.

So is there any truth to the claim that krill oil reduces CRP, and is it really a good source of Omega-3?  I called on Dr. Weil for advice.  From his Q&A Library (published 7/3/2007):

A study involving 120 people at McGill University in Canada found that one to three grams of krill oil per day reduced LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 34 percent and boosted HDL ("good") cholesterol by 43.5 percent compared to placebo. In contrast, here is the effect of fish oil seen in this study: a 4.6 percent reduction of LDL and an HDL increase of 4.2 percent compared to placebo.

As for the claim about inflammation, he had this to say in the same article:

A study published in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that a daily dose of 300 mg of krill oil inhibited inflammation and reduced the symptoms of arthritis within seven to 14 days among the 90 patients participating.

Seems that krill oil is the perfect Omega-3 supplement, but it is not without it's opponents.  Krill oil is not nearly as well researched as fish oil, so it's a little more difficult to find reliable information about it.  Wikipedia cautions that toxic residues have been found in krill oil, citing an article published in 1987 regarding the contamination of penguine food with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).  Now I have no idea what these things are, but I'm not a fan of consuming contaminated ANYTHING.  Unfortunately, fish oil is not without the same concern, as wikipedia also cites a study (in the krill oil article) published in 2007 that found anthropogenic and naturally occurring organobrominated compounds in fish oil supplements.  Ugh!!!

Of the few resources out there that discuss krill independent of marketing, healthyomega3.com seems to offer some good insight.  They appear to be a not-for-profit, informational website about Omega-3.  They make a strong (if not thorougly supported) argument for supplementing with fish oil.  They claim that, while both krill oil and fish oil have the potential for contamination, only fish oil undergoes a decontamination process.  While this is not true of ALL fish oil supplements, they recommend that you look for the certificate of analysis when considering any fish oil supplement, which should be posted on the company's website.

Another argument that healthyomega3.com makes is that krill oil supplements are typically low on DHA, which they claim is the more important aspect of Omega-3 supplementation (over EPA, which fish oil tends to be high in).  I don't know enough about this claim to weigh in yet, so stand by...

WebMD actually has some good info about krill oil.  While krill oil seems fairly safe, they recommend you avoid it if you're pregnant or breast feeding, as not enough is known about krill oil to make any conclusions.  Since krill oil obviously is derrived from a crustacean, you should not supplement with it if you are alergic to shellfish.  And apparently all Omega-3 supplemets have blood-thinning properties, you should discontinue use 2 weeks prior to surgery and consult your doctor if you are on any sort of blood thinning medication or are on an aspirin regimin.  Also, WebMD states that krill oil "seems to be safe for most adults when used appropriately for a short amount of time (up to three months)."  It's the only site that I've seen so far that recommends a term of use for krill oil.

So what's the bottom line?  I think I'll continue to use the krill oil that I have while looking for a better Omega-3 supplement.  Krill oil really does seem to offer significant benefits over traditional fish oil, but being a nitche product--the majority of the attention and money going to fish oil supplements--I'm concerned that the supplement is underfunded in general.  This could result in a lower quality product, regardless of what the companies claim.  I'm not uber-concerned about the contamination right now, but that's probably because I'm only on my second month of the supplement.  And if I find something that I like better before I finish my second month, you can bet I'll be switching to that.  Stay tuned...

Glucosamine

I decided Sunday to start taking a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement.  Since the Insanity program is plyo-heavy, I feel that I can use all the support I can get, which means great shoes for jumping up and down, and great supplements for joint health.

Naturally the idea of supplementing with glucosamine raised some questions.  Do I really need glucosamine at my age?  Is glucosamine suitable as a long-term supplement?  Is there any harm in supplemting with it?

I started by going to a number of my "go-to" sites.  From wikipedia I learned that a study performed in 2009 showed that glucosamine, or a glucosamine/chondroitin combination, fared no better than a placebo in easing joint pain.  However, Dr. Weil addressed this study specifically, going into more depth and helping to clarify the study's results.  In his conclusion he recommends supplementing with a glucosamine/chondroitin combination.

The doctors of Realage.com, Drs. Oz and Roizen, wrote extensively about glucosamine/chondroitin in their book, You: The Owner's Manual.  They liken glucosamine to either rain or wiper fluid for your windshield wipers--to prevent your wiper blades from burning up, they need some sort of lubrication.  While there is no age recommendation for supplementing with glucosamine, the impression I get from reading their book is that supplementing with it is generally a good idea.

As far as side effects go, glucosamine appears to be relatively safe.  About.com's alternative medicine lists a number of low-grade side effects, all of which can be aleviated by discontinuing use.  More significantly, in rare cases, glucosamine causes high blood pressure and/or heart palpatations.  Of course, you wouldn't notice the high blood pressure unless you monitor regularly, and if you get heart palpatations, then you probably should stop taking it.  About.com also says that glucosamine can theoretically cause increased risk of bleeding, so if you're on any kind of blood thinning medication or are supplementing with something that can already cause increased risk of bleeding, proceed with caution.  I've been supplementing with garlic, one of the supplements that supposedly increases the risk of bleeding, so I'll have to re-evaluate that aspect of my supplement plan.

I also learned that standard glucosamine supplements are made using the shells of shellfish.  The use of glucosamine is actually debatable if you have a shellfish alergy; one side argues that the alergy is triggered by the meat of the shellfish, in which case glucosamine derrived from the shells shoudl be fine.  The other side argues that you should just avoid glucosamine altogether if you have a shellfish alergy, as there are non-shellfish derivatives on the market.

Finally, there used to be a concern that glucosamine, being a amine sugar (glucosamine = glucose + amine), could contribute to insulin resistance/diabetes.  Several studies have since concluded that glucosamine does not cause insulin resistance/diabetes, and the concern currently appears to be a non-issue.

I came across a message board where a 23 year old, who was experiencing no joint pain, was taking glucosamine as a preventative measure and was wondering if he should continue supplementing with it.  The response he received was very helpful.  A man in his 60s, who had a family history of joint issues, started supplementing with glucosamine/chondroitin in his 50s as a preventative measure.  After suffering a minor knee injury 10 years later, his orthopedic surgeon reported that his joint cartilidge was in good shape and that he would probably never have to undergo the same joint replacements that his parents did.

So call me an old fart, but I think I'm going to continue supplementing with glucosamine/chondroitin as a daily preventative measure.  After doing some quick math, the cost of this routine supplement would run me about $5k over the next 30 years.  I don't know how much a hip or knee replacement costs, but can you really put a price on never needing a joint replaced?

Back to the Drawing Board

People who know me know that I love to make bread.  Like anything homemade, it's reassuring to know exactly what's going into the things you eat.  Plus, home cooking allows you to choose the quality of the ingredients rather than pre-made or restaurant meals, which at the very least usually means a LOT less sodium.

My bread maker had been virtually untouched for the entire three years that I was stationed in Hawaii.  Something about 100+ hour work weeks doesn't lend itself to a lot of home cooking.  Anyway, I finally broke out the bread maker, now that I have time to use it, and I realized that I've hardly made ANY of the recipes in the cookbook that came with the bread machine!  What better time to change that than the present?

So this was my attempt at "Mulit-Grain Cereal Wheat Bread," and it was a miserable fail.  The recipe called for 2 cups of 7-grain cereal, which is a lot of cereal for a 1.5 pound loaf.  I knew it as I was dumping in the cereal, but I figured that I'd trust the recipe, having never made it.  I also used less water than was required.  Here I was trying to outsmart the math first thing in the morning, so when it called for "3/4 cup and 3 tbsp lukewarm water," I tried to measure it all in the same measuring cup and added 3/4 cup + another 1/8 cup.  Wrong!  Note to self--don't try to outsmart the recipe first thing in the morning!

It would have been completely unrecoverable had I not cleaned out the residual cereal and reshaped the bread before the final rise cycle.  I'll probably chunk it and bring it into work tomorrow with a bottle of honey.

Fortunately I started my first attempt in the morning and had plenty of ingredients to make another.  This time I made sure to add the right amount of water and used 1 cup of cereal.  Let's see how this one comes out...

Flagship Post

Here it is, the title photo!

So I'm 2 weeks from finishing P90X (one resistance week and one recovery week), and man has it been a journey!  My journey has been characterized by the successes, setbacks, and minor injuries that are probably common to the experiences of anyone who has tackled any serious workout regemin, and you know what?  Like all those who came before me, I'm better off for it.

My journey has not been some monochromatic experience of work out and repeat.  Thanks to the Team Beachbody message boards, I have been challenged to re-evaluate my assumptions of health and fitness, resulting in an enhanced and much more well-rounded understanding of fitness than when I began.  I am truly grateful to the TBB community for helping me along in my journey.

To that end, my hope is to convey all that I've learned, and everything I continue to learn, to anyone who is interested through this medium.  I will share with you my discoveries, my analysis of health and fitness trends based on what is currently being published (both in print and online), my successes, and my failures.  Maybe even more importantly, I will share with you the new things I try and the new adventures I embark on, because as far as I'm concerned, what good is it to have great health and not do anything with it?  Cliches abound about the journey being more important than the destination; they're cliche's because there's truth to them.

It has been a fantastic ride so far, and completing P90X represents another milestone.  I hope you'll join me in this wonderful, wild ride!