Hi all!
I'm enjoying this health challenge thing. Michelle, Bryce, Patrick, Marquie, Justin and I have been having some fun chats about some of the interesting byproducts of "the rules."
Like...
Bryce waiting until midnight to eat dinner when he gets home from work at 11pm.
Michelle and I overeating sugar on our "treat day" and making ourselves sick.
Marquie and Patrick shoveling in the vegetables after 9pm because veggies are worth more points than not eating after 9pm.
Justin and I eating more salad than we ever have before and therefore buying cool stuff to put on them like bacon bits from Costco.
Me thinking of lots of "non-treat-treats" like bananas dipped in pb&j.
Etc.
Would love to hear some of your funny byproducts!
Just wanted to let you all weigh in on some of the things we've been debating. I'd love some feedback on the following, mostly for amusement sake.
Is a potato a vegetable?
Are beans vegetables? (I think no, but Bryce is a stickler about this one)
Is stretching exercise?
Does drinking milk count toward water intake? (again, I say no, but Patrick insisted)
What constitutes a "treat" or "sweet"? Cinnamon rolls? Muffins? Banana bread? Frozen berries blended with cream into an "ice cream"? Things made with honey? Bread with honey on it? Soda? Juice?
These are all things we've talked about here in Utah amongst ourselves.
I think we ultimately decided that everyone kind of makes up their own minds about these things and follows their own rules, but I thought it might be fun to hear from all of you who don't live in Utah about these rules and what it's been like.
Also, there's been considerable debate about whether the challenge is for 8 weeks or goes until the reunion. Some say yes, of course it goes until the reunion, because that would be awesome for everyone. Others say no, they signed up for 8 weeks and the money part of the contest ends then.
(P.S. why haven't we turned in any money?)
What say ye?
10 comments:
I think a potato should be a vegie...and definitely beans. I think fruit and cream is not a sugary treat.
I love the after 9 thing as it keeps me from eating Dad's sugary treats!
I think we should do this until the reunion.
There is my two cents worth!
To me potatoes and beans aren't vegetables but I don't care if others count them. I just want to make sure I am getting more green vegetables personally.
I don't think of stretching as exercise but again I think that is personal. Though, you probably shouldn't stretch for half an hour.
Milk ≠ Water in my book. The calories aren't the same, the benefits aren't the same. But I also don't drink milk, so who am I to say.
The whole sweet treat for me comes down to a gut check. Do I feel like I am eating a sweet treat? Cinnamon roll - Yes, I would feel like it is a treat. A fruit smoothie made with any form of dairy not so much. I would even add a little sugar but not feel like it is a treat as I feel like I'm eating mostly fruit. But that is where the gut check comes in and I think it is different for everyone.
I'm all for going until the reunion as it gives me a chance to lose at least a little weight and give me motivation after the baby is born.
I don't think that anyone wants to pay to do it again which is why I vote for going to the reunion, but I am also obviously not in a position to win anything, so I can see that others don't want to go further. As for money - I assumed that was up to Michelle but I haven't heard anything. I don't mind collecting and redistributing, but having someone in Utah might be easier as several of you live there.
Even though I'm not a diehard the not eating late thing has helped me learn that I sleep better if I stop eating early. I no longer eat after 7:30 and have been sleeping tons better! Keep up the good work everyone!
This is so fun! Hmmmm . . .
Potatoes aren't veggies. You know why I think that? I would never say french fries give you veggies, but I would totally count fried zucchini, broccoli, asparagus or mushrooms. They're fried, but they would still be a serving of vegetable. Not so for potato. My logic is astounding.
Beans? I generally say no because they are high in calories and are nutritionally different than most veggies. That said, in a pinch, pinto beans=veggies for me, because who wants to serve broccoli with their burritos? Gross.
Stretching = exercise? I'll admit that I count my stretching time after a workout, but that's only 3-5 minutes worth. If I were doing YOGA level stretching, then I would absolutely count it, but, let's face it, I'm not. Stretching for 45 miuntes? Yeah . . . no.
Ah, fake sweets. My approach is added sugar. For example, Liz adds a miniscule amount of sugar to her smoothies (seriously tiny here, folks) and she says that's not a sweet treat. I disagree whole heartedly. Things are crafted with added sugar to be sweet=sweet treats. So, I have nixed cinnamon rolls, sweet breads, muffins, juices, etc. A home made juice would be an exception to me. Face it people, a muffin or sweet bread is just a freaking cake in a different package. Putting it in a bread pan doesn't make it bread. A muffin is just a GIANT cupcake you eat for breakfast. If you ate a rice crispie treat or a brownie for breakfast would it stop being a sweet treat? No, it would be AWESOME and also a sweet treat.
I am so wise and opinionated. :)
All that said, I am enjoying this very much, even if I am using crazy strict rules. I need them.
We count potatoes as a veggie on occasion, but still try to eat the greens. Beans so don't count. I agree with the others about the whole health benefits of greens thing.
Milk is so not water. You should be drinking way more water than is required anyway.
I agree with Liz on the treats. However, I think James may be on the right track for really good results. I think I may jump on that band wagon for the next few weeks and see how I feel. I felt really good the first 3 weeks and now not so much. I think it may be because of those borderline sweets. I also totally binge on my treat day. Decided last night I have to set a limit.
Stretching only counts as exercise at the end, as James said.
I was under the understanding this went until the reunion and money would be brought together then. Can't really make a lifestyle change in 8 weeks.
I think my favorite part is April having to eat all those vegetables! Awesome.
I also think we should have a discussion board every week. I like knowing what everyone struggles with and what they have learned.
I know this isn't what was asked, but I just have to say that the exercise has been really good for me even if I can only walk for 2o minutes. I seem to be experiencing what is called restless legs and walking at night makes it so I can sleep. So, thanks for the challenge which got me on my feet and walking each night!
Let me lay down the horticultural sound rules for you about fruit and veggies. If it is a vegetative part of a plant it is considered a vegetable, ie. leaves(lettuce), flower(broccoli), stems(celery), roots(potatos), ovary(strawberry), etc. Yes...a strawberry is more vegetable than fruit. What we think are seeds on the fruit are actually the fruit of the strawberry. The red fleshy part is the engorged vegetative ovary of the flower. Any veggie deep fried is still a veggie. ;) Beans are a fruit as they are borne of flowers. That is what classifies as a fruit, to be borne of a flower.
Cool tidbit of knowledge. Starwberries and baby corn are the only fruit and vegetables that we consume simultaneously.
My favorite veggie pie is strawberry rhubarb. Yum!
Just thought I'd add my two cents on the issues.
Potato isn't a vegetable in my book - if you ask a agriculturist, they'd say yes, but if you asked a dietician they'd say no. Interesting, right? I supposed I'd count them if I was in a bind, too, Heather.
Beans just aren't. They're legumes. Not that they're not TOTALLY awesome for you. And we should all eat them.
Stretching isn't exercise (unless it's part of your cool down) and milk is not water.
To me, treats are things with added sugar, like James said. If you're adding sugar to it, it counts in my book. Although, it seems there is a little gray area there and the "gut check" resonates with me, too, Liz.
Okay, so I'm the one who is chicken about doing this for more than 8 weeks. Not that it hasn't been awesome for me. It has. Maybe I can do it?
Also, I've been wondering. Does squash count as a vegetable? It's just that a lot of my freezer meals are squash/pumpkin soups.
Keep up the hard work!
Here is the most important knowledge on the subject. All of you have most of the right answers about what is a vegetable and fruit, although there are some slight errors. Allow me to clarify. A vegetable is any part of the plant that is vegetative. For example, leaves(spinach), stems(celery), flowers(broccoli), roots(potatoes),ovary(strawberry), etc. I can hear it now..."Joe has no idea what he is talking about!!!" Allow the teaching to begin. A strawberry is in the vegetable family. The red swollen part you eat in an engorged ovary, a vegetative part of the plant. What we think of as strawberry seeds are in fact the fruit of the strawberry. Each one of those fruit can contain up to 5 individual seeds. Also a common misconception is that squash is a vegetable. That is incorrect. They are born from a flower thus a fruit, in fact, we eat squash when they are not quite "ripe". As fruit ripen/rot, they get sweeter. Veggies get bitter. Squash are meant to be consumed before fully "ripe" to reduce the amount of sweet taste in them. Cucumbers are the same way. The reason we don't eat them when fully ripe is because of the amount of decay found in them. On a side note, there are only two foods that we consume that classify as a vegetable and a fruit at the same time. The first is the magnificent strawberry, for reasons that we previously discussed. The second is baby corn. You eat the fruit and the vegetative cob/ovary of the plant at the same time.
Also my favorite vegetable pie is strawberry rhubarb. Yum. Oh and all legumes are fruit.
Here is the crutch. Dieticians and the government classify foods based off of these categories and not horticultural rules. They are; sweet, starch, protein, fiber. They are fuddiduddies. That's all I have to say on the matter......for now, at least.
I'm sorry Joe, but I'll never be counting strawberries as a vegetable, personally.
I just found this site:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables.html
I say we all win! Potatoes, legumes, and squash all "count."
Beans will always be a protein to me, never a vegetable.
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