COOKIE PUSHERS



Cookies & Cocaine... same thing.

COOKIE PUSHERSI am quite certain I gained a couple pounds over the last couple of weeks.  There was food laying around everywhere... most of it delicious, but complete crap, with respect to healthy calories.  This got me thinking... why do the holidays have to be like this?  Everyone seems to complain about gaining weight over the holidays, yet no one seems to be doing anything about it.

Well, I do know that I am not the one sweating away over a hot stove making holiday goodies... I certainly didn't go to any parties armed with loads of store bought desserts either... so what is the deal?  Hence, my Cookie Conspiracy Theory... It seems to me that some people just love to cook, but then don't have to worry about over-eating it because they don't abuse the crap that they make... sort of like drug pushers... they get a rush out of seeing their friend's/family member's eyes light up as they dig into one of their confections, yet have no plans of actually eating any of the 'white death' (aka sugar/simple carbs) that they are enabling others to binge on. 

To quote one of these cookie pushers, "I make it, but then don't eat it, rather get it out of  my house as fast as possible".  I am quite sure she didn't realize how frustrating this statement was to someone like me who has a low-level eating disorder. My mom is guilty of this.   She made a large pan of brownies, which I ate about 1/3 of (oops).  No one else seemed that interested in them, so she had most of the pan left as I was leaving... Understandably, she tried to send me home with the left-overs, not wanting to succumb to the temptations of having this dessert left at her home.  Yet, why can't it just be thrown out?  It is basically garbage at that point.  It served its purpose, now set it free.

Are you one of these cookie pushers?  Stop!  You are part of the problem.  Find another way to get your fix.   The holidays don't have to be about gluttonous consumption of loads of crap.  Alas, I am very hungry, and I will eat anything you put out in front of me... I am asking for your help... just because you don't have an eating disorder doesn't give you the right to harass others with your dope... you can stop this insanity... have some compassion... the holidays don't have to be so unhealthy.

THE THREE C'S

Tom Boonen was busted for Cocaine awhile back.
Maybe he can relate to my tribulations...
Maybe we should add Cocaine as the 4th 'C'.

So, the "Three C's" are part of my New Year's Resolution... Cookies, Candy, and Cake.  I am going to resolve not to eat these three things.  I tried limiting sugar once, and almost had to check myself into a psych ward for suicidal inclinations... not going to try that again... but maybe if I just focus on these three items, I will achieve a nice balance to my daily regimen of caloric intake.   Is a brownie a part of the 'three c's'?  Not sure, so to be on the safe side, I will resolve to eat any brownie offered to me.  What a about a donut?  Ok, that is cake... dang. 

Final word to you cookie pushers... enough is enough... you are not innocent.... as enablers you are just as guilty of facilitating winter weight gain as those who can't stop eating the crap you make.   Stop making it, find another way to feel good about yourself... if possible, maybe find a hobby that  doesn't contribute to shortened life expectancy, tooth decay, disease, low self-esteem, emotional eating,  etc.  I am tired of crying myself to sleep over a plate of left-over cheese cake that no one else had the courage to eat a second serving of during the party.  If you insist on making it, then you should at the very least commit to eating it a good-sized portion of it so that there isn't so much left for me...

2012 American Equity Racing pb/Velosport Iowa Team Roster

I was recently elected to the Velosport Iowa board of officers as Vice President of Public Relations/Media.  I will be officially announcing the roster, team race calendar, sponsors, our new Road Race on July 14th, and more early in 2012 via a brand new website,  but in the meantime I can't resist releasing a sneak peak of our  2012 American Equity Racing pb/Velosport Iowa Team Roster...

"AE8... GIVE ME SOME CHOCOLATE CAKE"...

American Equity Racing Elite Cat 1,2 Squad

1. Jeff Bradley
2. Lou Waugaman
3. Paul Deninger
4. Chad Bishop
5. JJ Bailey
6. Lucas Guyton
7. Louis DeWild
8. Kevin Severs

 

So... an 8 Member Super Sweet Chocolate Cake Dream Team...
We are sure to have a delicious season.
The 'Icing on the cake' is that win or lose, we will enjoy the ride...

We are fortunate to be building on last year by retaining our core group of guys and adding three new members:

The three new editions(candles?) to the Cat 1,2 squad are

Lucas Guyton - Only in his second year of road cycling, Lucas is a newly minted Category 2 cyclist.  He has a background racing BMX which may attribute to his success as a sprinter.  His favorite discipline is criteriums, and his role model is none other than the infamous Mark Cavendish.

Louis De Wild  - Louis has been racing for some time, mostly as a triathlete through his affiliation with the ZOOM Performance Athlete Training program.  He will be yet another strong addition to our team, having proven in 2011 that he knows how to train his body to peak performance. 

Kevin Severs - This is an exciting addition to our team. Kevin has only been racing for 1.5 years and he is already a Cat 1!  Hmm, that sounds a lot like the way many of today's domestic pros started their journey.  It will be great to watch him grow even further under the AE Racing umbrella.

Our "AE8" Super Sweet Chocolate Cake Cat 1,2 Racing Team (what?) will also enjoy occassional support from returning team members Vince DeJong (former Canadian National Track Champion)   and TJ Tollakson . TJ has agreed to wave the AE/Velo flag again this year by racing a handful of events with us, as he continues to enjoy a successful full-time career as a pro-triathlete. It is an honor and a priviledge to spend time with such an accomplished and dedicated athlete.

We also added Josh Wandrey to our ranks as a Cat 3.  This is the same guy that beat me out at the Morgan Cross race this year in Cedar Rapids.  I was thrilled to have gotten so close to almost winning  an Open Category cyclocross race... little did I know at the time, that the guy who dominated the event would soon be joining forces with AE/Velo.  Matt Zimmer is also on board again this year racing strong as Cat 3, in addition to his many athletic endeavors.

The Velosport Iowa USAC  Cycling Club is not just about the Cat 1/2 team and Cat 3's.  There is a great group of riders who are affiliated with the team, racing occasionally in cycling events and/or triathlons.  Actually, racing isn't even a requirement to be apart of the club, rather just a commitment to intergrating the cycling lifestyle into your health and wellness initiatives. Some of these members include Jeffrey Cozad, Michael Thomsen, Kevin Wohlford, Gary Johnson, Ken Hoffman, Jason Rettler, Nicole Fiala, Jeff Lorenzen, Deb Wood, & Wendy Waugaman.

This is an open club, the only requirement is that you purchase a Super Sweet team kit, and that you like to drink wine (or at least chocolate cake with milk).  So, please don't hesitate to come aboard for 2012. If you are from the Muscatine area, I would also recommend the Melon City Bike Club.

We had a fulfilling season in 2011, but we left room for some DESSERT... that space on our racing plate has been filled in nicely with our newest additions.  I am grateful to be apart of this team again in 2012 as a sponsored Cat 1,2 cyclist.  Velosport Iowa is an open club, but inclusion on the AE Elite Cat 1,2 Racing Team is a selective process.  I am thankful that my contributions were appreciated and that I can help make this a great experience for all those involved again next year...

AE8/2012... Dinner is over now it is time for DESSERT!
If you would like to receive FaceBook updates from the team, then please 'like' the American Equity - Velosport Iowa Facebook Page.

Losing body fat the easy way...

It worked!  I lost 5.2% of my body fat in only one week.  The solution was to buy a new scale... I didn't even have to burn any calories going to the store to buy it, I just did some research and ordered one online... and presto!  I am now within the athletic guidlines for body compositions. In fact, my new scales suggests that 12.8% is actually LOW (below NORMAL)... so I am "abnormal"...what a nice thing to say... I really like my new scale.

The trick was that this scale has an "athletic" setting. By this scale's definition, an 'athlete' is anyone who exercises at least 3 times per week for 2 hours at a time. Ok, that is about right.

Apparently, athletes have different hydration and bone density levels that can make the BF readings higher than the reality. This setting compensates for this, providing a reading that is closer to the actual situation.  Of course, I understand that this isn't as accurate as a test done at a medical facilty, but at least I have a baseline measurement that isn't as insulting.

 

Ok, here is a guide to estimating body fat VISUALLY... in case you just want to use the mirror...

Lowest body fat and possible comparison to skeletal muscle.

You can start to see loss of definition as levels increase.

After 30%, there is truly no need to attempt visual estimations

Yeah,that 14% guy seems about right... he's a little too muscular to be any good at bike racing, but definately seems to represent a reasonable and attainable body composition. Does everyone look alike at the same body fat percentage?  No, not at all. Body fat percentage isn’t an indicator of your amount of lean body mass. The amount of muscle your body has is going to make a significant difference in your overall look.

 

The guy on the left has 15 pounds more muscle than the guy on the right. However, the guy on the right could ride his bike up a hill with 75 watts less power and still reach the summit at the same time... Crap, I guess I do aspire to look like the guy on the right.

Hmm, I can't resist posting a visual guide for the ladies...

Well, if I had to rate these pictures on attractiveness the 11% and 15% gals would be at the bottom of the scale, simply not 'feminine'.  It is noteworthy how major the gender differences are concerning healthy body fat guidelines and attractiveness... the 20% gal is easily the most "attractive", in my opinion... but even the 30% gal seems somewhat acceptable...  but please, ladies, whatever you do, don't let your bodyfat fall below 11%...not a pretty situation...

Gals with 8% body fat are scary for a lot of reasons.

References: http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

FAT Chance!

 Today I would like to talk about fat.  Excessive fat is the enemy of the aspiring competitive cyclist.  In fact, for every extra pound of body weight a cyclist carries, they need to use an extra 5 watts to climb a hill.  So, if you are 10 pounds over your race weight, you will be sacrificing 50 watts on a climb... that can add up.  The picture on the right is not me... thankfully.  I am specifically concerned with how big that guy's belly button is.  It seems expansive.  I have to wonder about the process of removing the umbilical cord... is there any room for a doctor to botch this up?   Maybe they dug in too deep.  Does the belly button grow as your waistline does?  If so, can belly button volume be used to measure health?

Ok, back to my post.  So, I did weigh myself in on 'D-DAY' and decided that I am going to focus on body fat this season instead of my weight.  My new scale seems much less flattering than my old one (more fattering?).  It has me at 18% body fat.  Hmm?  My old scale never let me get that fat.  This left me with no choice but to obsess about what this number meant...  Please enjoy the following chart:

Classification:     Men (% fat)
Essential Fat       2-4%
Athletes             6-13%
Fitness               14-17%
Acceptable        18-25%
Obese               25% and up.

Ok, so I guess 18% is "acceptable" but far from "athletic".  I don't know whether or not to believe this scale, as I seem to be pretty skinny.  Most comments I get are sort of insulting and imply that I need to gain some weight... what to do? 

Being 'acceptable' is not acceptable if I want to be competitive in Cat 1,2 races next year.

An article from USA Cycling Certified Coach Jeff Vicario, suggested that the off-season is the best time to lose weight:



"Timing is critical because high-level training while trying to lose weight is not conducive to high performance. Losing weight is just one more stress on your body while it's already dealing with the stress of quality training. It's best to try and drop weight early, while the training is general and not race-specific. If you wait until after the New Year, the hole you'll need to climb out of will undoubtedly be deeper, with the race date circled on the calendar just that much closer. This is when workouts are becoming more "race like" as well. Once you enter this phase of training, it's best to accept your weight and focus on quality training. Trying to manage both will increase the likelihood of injury and illness."



Ok, makes sense to me.  I actually got excited reading this... I want to start working toward some sort of goal, but don't want to start race specific training too early.

GIVING 13 PERCENT
I will attack FAT!  I will obsess about fat.  For example did you know that fat has 9 calories per gram?  I never would have cared about that until now.  I am going to play this new scale's game... It is trying to convince me that my body composition is merely "Acceptable"... I find this hard to believe but I have no other choice, aside from buying another scale.  Well, game on buddy... game on! Somehow, someway I will make that scale tell me that I am "Athletic" in terms of my body fat percentage.