This is How Your Hot Dogs are Made [Video]

Colonoscopy completed and the results are in!

I received a clean bill of health! Don't have to get another one until 10 years from now.

Prep for Colonoscopy

I'm typing as I seat! Just started the prep for my first Colonoscopy. Looking forward to getting it done. The plan afterwards is to try to eat as clean as possible.

A New Year!

A new year but still struggling! But I'm not giving up! 2014 is the year!

Another year past!

Here we are 3 years later and still looking for the ABS! I'm still working hard and not giving up, they will appear in time!

 

 

 



How heart disease may led to James Gandolfni's death.

James Gandolfini, the larger-than-life Emmy award-winning actor who played mob boss Tony Soprano, has met his end in Rome, due to an apparent heart attack. At age 51, his passing was entirely premature.
As Tony Soprano, Gandolfini insinuated himself into popular culture as the big, menacing, complex and implacable mobster who ruled his criminal empire with old-school, strong-arm tactics. But every tough guy knows that there’s someone – or something – tougher out there. For Tony Soprano, the hit man was likely heart disease.
The much-beloved Gandolfini was by all accounts a marvelous friend and deeply respected by his peers. He had a charismatic personality and a great sense of humor. He was also very overweight, a cigar smoker and a man known to remain at the dinner table until the last strands of pasta and crumbs of tiramisu had been taken care of. As Tony Soprano, he could menace just about anybody. But as actor Gandolfini, his lifestyle vulnerabilities made him an easy target for a highly efficient silent killer.

As famous as he was, Gandolfini’s death added only a tiny notch in the belt of the ultimate assassin: heart disease. Gandolfini was just one of the more than 600,000 people to fall victim to fatal heart disease in the U.S. each year. The difference between Gandolfini and all other victims of cardiovascular disease is that he was globally famous.


What we can learn from a meteoric life - lived large and ended too soon - is that no matter who you are, no matter how famous, rich, awarded and popular you become, heart disease can get you.

Obesity is associated with increased rates of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and arterial disease. Tobacco smoking is also a major cardiovascular risk factor. Consistently large eating habits can lead to a large coronary event. Gandolfini did it all: lived too heavy, enjoyed his fine cigars and packed in the food. Like a recipe for a perfect marinara, Gandolfini’s life was a perfect formula for a heart attack.


At this point in time, the rules of cardiovascular health are fairly well understood. Eating foods low in fat, exercising daily, eradicating any and all smoking from your life and reducing stress are all factors in maintaining a healthy heart and living longer.


Omega-3 fatty acids from fish appear to be significantly protective to the heart and eating lots of soluble and insoluble fiber helps to regulate metabolism, eliminate waste, control blood sugar and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Herbs like hawthorn and green tea and supplements like OPC’s and Coenzyme Q 10 can help you to keep your heart healthier, longer. But lifestyle still matters most.


We become attached to celebrities in our imagination. We watch them perform, relate in various ways to the characters they portray, celebrate their on-stage victories and feel for them in their scripted defeats. According to those who knew him, Gandolfini was nothing like Tony Soprano. He was instead a softer, more thoughtful man and a highly driven actor who put his all into his performances and enjoyed a wide range of friends. And that makes his death even sadder.

Nobody here gets out alive. How long we get to stick around depends to a great extent upon how we live. Violate the fundamental code of healthy living and you’ll be taken out. Don’t let television characters, however tough they are portrayed, mislead you into thinking that anybody can sidestep the basics. We are all responsible to live out our days with care for our bodies. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating clean food and avoiding major health risks like smoking are all smart strategies.

James Gandolfini will be missed. The accolades will pour in. His family and friends will weep. The funeral will get international coverage. Talk shows will discuss him for weeks. Re-runs of “The Sopranos” will get a new life. But for the big mob boss whose giant personality dominated television for years, it’s closing time. Bye, Tony. We’ll miss you.

Juicing in 2013

Received a NutriBullet for Christmas. I have been having so much fun with it. Juicing everything from  kale, spinach and various different fruits.  Weight should really drop now!

Tucking shirt in!

I hate this look for me. If you do it that's your business, but I feel sloppy. When I wasn't able to tuck my shirts in, I always wore pullover type shirts for work. 

This is the look I like! So much cleaner look. I'm happy I can do this again! Keep Planking!

THE FATTIEST FOODS IN AMERICA

6. FAT OFFENDER #6: A BURGER : Ruby Tuesday Triple Prime Bacon Cheddar Burger

1,333 calories, 101 g fat, 1,892 mg sodium

New rule: The more syllables in a menu item's name, the more fat there's likely to be in the dish. Less than 3 percent of the beef produced in this country earns the USDA's "prime" rating, and that's not a bad thing. Prime beef, as it turns out, is the fattiest beef you can sink your teeth into. If you really want a burger, you're better off heading elsewhere. Not one of Ruby's has fewer than 700 calories. Go with the Plain Grilled Top Sirloin and earn all the beefy protein without the superfluous calories.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Plain Grilled Top Sirloin

290 calories, 12 g fat, 420 mg sodium

5. FAT OFFENDER #5: A STEAK: Chili’s Flame-Grilled Ribeye with broccoli and mashed potatoes

1,460 calories, 106 g fat (44 g saturated), 3,700 mg sodium

For a healthy diet, the USDA recommends you cap your daily saturated fat intake at 20 grams. This meal more than doubles that, and it's only 12 ounces of meat. Sure, ribeye is a notoriously fatty cut, but it's primarily the bath of butter that pushes this steak's fat count to such unhealthy heights. Switch to the Guiltless Grill Classic Sirloin and save an astounding 1,090 calories.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Guiltless Grill Classic Sirloin with steamed veggies

370 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated), 3,680 mg sodium

4. FAT OFFENDER #4: MEXICAN FOOD: Chili’s Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesadilla

1,650 calories, 107 g fat (39 g saturated), 3,450 mg sodium

Traditional Mexican food is big on seasoning and light on cheese, but with this quesadilla, Chili's takes a different approach. Trying to appease palates primed for indulgence, the restaurant layers on the fat in four ways: cheese, ranch, bacon, and sour cream. Go with the Margarita Grilled Chicken and you'll cut the overall fat content by more than 80 percent.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Margarita Grilled Chicken

550 calories, 14 g fat (4 g saturated), 1,870 mg sodium

3. FAT OFFENDER #3: A 'HEALTHY' SALAD: IHOP Chicken and Spinach Salad

1,600 calories, 118 g fat (32 g saturated), 2,340 mg sodium

Chicken? Good. Spinach? Good. IHOP’s Chicken and Spinach Salad—downright deplorable. You'll need to i-hop for four hours to burn it off. This salad is exactly what makes restaurant food so questionable and potentially unhealthy. The name makes it sound like a paragon of nutritious eating, yet the numbers reveal it to be just the opposite. The chicken here is actually fried chicken, and the spinach is little more than a small bed for bacon and cheddar cheese. You could snarf down six pancake short stacks and still take in less fat. Save yourself the waistline damage and opt for the Simple & Fit Simply Chicken Sandwich instead.

Click here for all of today's nutrition, health, and fitness news!

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Simply Chicken Sandwich with fresh fruit, side salad, and reduced-fat Italian dressing

565 calories, 12.5 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 1,085 mg sodium

2. FAT OFFENDER #2: 'HEALTHY' FISH: Applebee’s New England Fish & Chips

1,930 calories, 138 g fat (24 g saturated), 3,180 mg sodium

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week. By doing so, you lower your risk of such chronic diseases as heart disease and cancer. But if you prepare fish by deep frying it in a tub of bubbling fat—like Applebee's does with this artery-clogging monstrosity—you reverse all those benefits. Opt for Applebee's Garlic Herb Salmon instead. It offers 109 fewer grams of fat, nearly two-thirds fewer calories, and a heap of flavor that will still leave you satiated.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!

Applebee’s Garlic Herb Salmon

690 calories, 29 g fat (8 g saturated), 1,460 mg sodium

1. FAT OFFENDER #1: PASTA: Cheesecake Factory Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken

2,300 calories, 103 g saturated fat, 1,517 mg sodium

Cheesecake Factory prefers to keep its nutritional stats hidden, but a law in California forced it to reveal saturated fat. Total fat is still a mystery, but this meal breaks through the 100-gram ceiling on saturated fat alone! The culprits here are the oversized portion and the thick, fat-riddled alfredo sauce. The typical restaurant recipe for this sauce relies on some combination of cream, butter, oil, and cheese, and there's no reason to believe that Cheesecake's version strays from the norm. Unfortunately, the chain offers no single pasta dish with fewer than 1,100 calories, so keep yourself safe by sticking to the new Skinnylicious menu.

The Truth About Soda!? (Selling Diabetes In A Bottle)

WHY ARE BANANAS GOOD FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

If there was a food that was low in calories and low in fat while high in fiber and vitamins and could help you lose weight, chances are you would eat it. The truth is, this nutritious food can be eaten with breakfast or as a snack, or can complement a nice dessert. Bananas are one of the most nutritious and natural foods that help promote weight loss, and can make a convenient addition to your daily diet.

Calories

Bananas are best known for containing large amounts of potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6 and are surprisingly low in calories. The average large ripe banana, which ranges from 7 to 8 inches long, contains only 105 calories, the Discovery Health website and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database agree. Based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, eating several bananas a day can provide numerous nutrients and account for only a fraction of your daily caloric intake.

Fat

Like most fruits, bananas do not have much protein, but they are very low in fat. The USDA database reports that a large, ripe banana has less than half a gram of fat. Considering there are 9 calories per gram of fat, you can eat several bananas a day and not take in any bad fat that could lead to weight gain.

Fiber

Bananas are high in dietary fiber, which makes you feel fuller longer so you won't overeat at your next meal or reach for an unhealthy snack before it. A large banana contains 4 grams of dietary fiber per serving, which can help you reach the recommended daily allowance of at least 25 grams.

Glycemic Index

Aside from its many nutrients and convenient packaging, bananas also have a low glycemic index, which can help you with weight loss. The glycemic index is a ranking of how quickly carbohydrates from food are released into the body. Foods that have low glycemic index scores release carbs slowly into the body. This prevents drops and spikes in your blood sugar levels as fluctuations signal your body to eat more than you should. The Glycemic Index Foundation's website lists ripe yellow bananas with a glycemic index of 51 --- a low value on a scale where anything above 70 is considered high and anything under 55 is low.

Misconceptions

Eating bananas is only part of an overall lifestyle change--- including a healthy diet, cardiovascular exercise and strength training --- that can result in effective weight loss. Eating bananas should not be the sum of your weight-loss plan, but rather one small part of it.

TRAIN HARD!

I started at Train Studios on June 4th and today I'm down 13.7 ibs. Check them out.

June totals & lost 18 ibs!

Kiss Your Fat Goodbye: Get Fit Now

What's the Difference Between Simple and Complex Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are divided into two types, simple and complex. The classification is based on the chemical structure and reflects how quickly sugar is digested and absorbed. Simple carbohydrates are also called simple sugars and are chemically made of one or two sugars. A simple sugar can be just what the name implies, the sugar in your sugar bowl. Things like candy, syrups, and soda pop are also straightforward examples of simple carbs. They are absorbed quickly -- just think how fast sugar-based candy melts in your mouth. Simple carbs also include foods such as fruit and milk. These are better sources of simple carbs because they contain vitamins and fiber, and also important nutrients that your body needs, like calcium. Complex carbohydrates are also known as starches and are made of three or more linked sugars. Grains such as bread, pasta, oatmeal and rice are complex carbs, as well as some vegetables like broccoli, corn legumes such as kidney beans and chick peas. They take the longest to digest.

Training harder!

Today turning another new leaf. I've reached a plateau with my weight. So I need to turn up the steam! Friend of mine has been going to a new gym and lost over 40 ibs in about 4 months. I ran into the owner last night and mentioned I had did 36 miles biking the day before. He told me that is not going to help me with weight loss. My body needs constant change. So today I'm going to do a free session at Train Studios. Monday, June 4th I will officially enroll.

Follow me as I continue to reach my goal weight.

Richard Carmona - America's Obesity Epidemic

Burger King Veggie Burger

In case you didn't know Burger King has a Veggie burger and it's great! It's called the BK Veggie and it's made by MorningStar.

70-Year-Old Woman Finds The Fountain Of Youth! (This Is How)

Heart Attack Grill customer suffers heart Attack!