Freshmen 15, Beer Belly, Slut Gut.

Okay copyright right now on 'Slut Gut'. That shit is genius and it just came to me. I feel like I just gave birth to a brilliant new term and I'm so excited. Anyways! Today I wanna talk about alcohol. I feel like there is no better time to discuss this since it would appear that my New Years resolution was to drink more...spoiler alert: It wasn't.

It is a society accepted fact that alcohol makes you fat. Hence the terms freshman 15, beer belly, and now, (you're welcome), slut gut. But why? How does it actually make you fat? This was a mystery to me until literally 7 hours ago when I decided to figure it out.

Your liver, as you probably know, it the organ responsible for metabolizing alcohol. But what you may not know, it that alcohol is metabolized as a fat. Your body views alcohol as a poison. A toxin. Something it wants to get out of there as soon as possible. Once alcohol is in your system, your body makes metabolizing it the top priority. That means that it will stop metabolizing anything else in order to first get the alcohol metabolized. The reason for this is because unlike protein, carbohydrates, and actual fats, there is nowhere for alcohol to be stored in our body so it has be metabolized first. (Could I have used the work 'metabolized' one more time there? Yep. Metabolized.)

So how does this make you fat? It doesn't. In fact, most alcoholics that drink the majority of their calories are pretty thin. Granted their insides are a mess but generally, they aren't fat. (Obviously there are exceptions). The thing that makes you fat is this:

It's 10:00 PM on a Friday night. You've eaten all your meals for the day. You're at a comfortable 2,000 calories. Now your friends want to go clubbin'. So you go. You have ONE Long Island Iced Tea because you're being *good*. (1.5 oz vodka, 1.5 oz gin, 1.5 oz rum, 1.5 oz triple sec, 1 teaspoon tequila, 2 teaspoons orange juice, 2 oz. cola) You get back home at 2 AM and are starving because you haven't eaten since 9 PM. You have 2 slices of cold pizza and go to bed.

Let me break this down for you: 2,000 calories + 1 Long Island iced tea (507 calories) + 2 slices of cheese pizza (270 x 2= 540) = 3,047 calories for the day.

Aaaaaaaand that is why we gain weight from drinking.

But, again, alcohol is metabolized FIRST. So let's say it's 4 PM, you're going out to happy hour with your girlfriends. Adorable. You're feeling good because you've eaten well all day. You've eaten breakfast, snack, lunch, snack. You've eaten about 1,400 calories so far. You go out, and have 3 glasses of sangria at 150 calories per glass, and you guys get some pizza. The alcohol is absorbed and broken down first. Always no matter what. No question. Even if you are eating/drinking at the same time.

When you drink alcohol, it’s broken down into acetate (basically vinegar), which the body will burn before any other calorie you’ve consumed or stored, including fat or even sugar. So if you drink and consume more calories than you need, you’re more likely to store the fat from the pizza you ate because your body is getting all its energy from the acetate in the sangria you sucked down. This is where the term 'empty calories' comes from. Because you are most definitely absorbing all the calories from the alcohol, but nutrition wise, it's doing absolutely nothing for you. Just giving you calories and carbs and storing anything else you put in your body as fat for the time being. Further, studies show that alcohol temporarily inhibits “lipid oxidation”— in other words, when alcohol is in your system, it’s harder for your body to burn fat that’s already there.

Now, having said all of that, over eating/drinking is OKAY once in a while! (Like once a week for me...sorry mom). Your body can handle it. It's not going to ruin your metabolism or wreak total chaos on your body. Here are some 'healthy' suggestions I try and follow though if I know I'm going to be drinking :)

• Make the 'right' wrong choice. Vodka is the best choice at around 95 calories per 1.5 oz. (Vodka+Soda water+Lime...mmm)

• For me, I love tequila (Again, sorry Mom.) Me, being the cliche girl that I am, am OBSESSED with Bethenny Frankel's "Skinny Girl Margaritas". It comes bottled and only has 100 calories/serving. 400 calories/bottle! And at most bars, if you order a Skinny Girl Margarita, they know what you want. And still around 100 calories. (recipe below!)

Here's the bar version!

• EAT FIRST!!!!! Can't stress that one enough. If you go out on an empty stomach, you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. But you are a tool. This will not only lead to getting sick, but overeating also. Like not eating in general, this will backfire.

• Drunk Munchies...we all get them. So munch smartly! If you're at a party, bring a veggie platter or some baked chips and hummus. If everyone is going to Denny's at 2 AM, compromise. Maybe don't get the 'Grand Slam', just go with the pancakes!

Because at the end of the day, you can't sacrifice life and fun and friends and being social for being 'healthy'. As long as you're not drinking and eating like a maniac every night of the week, you're good. You will not gain weight from one or two days of over eating. Most importantly, don't punish yourself the next day. Just resume your routine. Please drink responsibly. Now....who's thirsty? :0)

Ps I SO badly want to make this for when I come home from a drunken night out...YUM. Anyone down? x

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Let's Talk About Cleansing, mmk?

A friend said to me yesterday, "I heard about this cleanse, like a juice fast, where you lose like 10 lbs. in a week or something. I'm totes gonna do it.". *FACE PALM*. And so it was written, or would be written, that this is my topic this week. 

I live in Los Angeles. I live 30 minutes away from Hollywood. It is literally IMPOSSIBLE not to hear about celebrity diet fads, cleanses, fasts, diets etc. We Californians are a funny breed of people. We think (myself formerly included) that if a celebrity says something, it's obviously true, I mean come on, why would they lie to us? So yes, Jessica Simpson is TOTALLY "sexual napalm" in the bedroom, thanks John Mayer for clearing that one up. Anyways, cleansing. I once read that Beyonce lost something around 30 pounds for her role in "Dream Girls". She did this by doing the...drum roll please...*MASTER CLEANSE*

Now for those of you who have never heard of or attempted the Master Cleanse, let me give you a brief summary. You, for at *least* 10 days, (Beyonce did something like 4 weeks), eat nothing. Absolutely nothing. And instead, drinking this concoction of-

-Water

-Lemon juice

-Cayenne pepper

-Grade B maple syrup

If you think that it sounds disgusting, you have no idea. It is the worst thing ever. Yes, I have attempted the Master Cleanse twice before in the past. Key word being attempted. The first time I was 17 and lasted 4 hours and the second time I was 19 and lasted 11 hours. I figured it didn't work because I didn't do it for long enough, and dropped the notion that I could live off of such a disgusting "lemonade". 

A few months ago, my lovely mother made me watch a documentary called, "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead". Reader's Digest Version: It's about an obese Australian man who goes on a juice fast for 60 days. He lost a TON of weight, his health issues were resolved, and he lived happily ever after. My mother now thought SHE should do a juice fast too. 

"Mom, you are not obese and don't have health issues." Most people are baffled when they hear about how much weight another person has lost on a cleanse/fast. How are you baffled? Calories in Vs. Calories out. So obviously if you're not putting anything in, your body is going to flip out. Having said that, I DO think that juicing is awesome and if you can, you should incorporate it INTO your diet, not make it your diet. Now, let me tell you something else, one of my FAVORITE recovery mantras:

"Easy off, easy on"

Ahhhh so simple, no? So true! When you fast, your metabolic rate slows after about 50 hours. So like two days. Once your metabolic rate slows, anything you put into your body will be stored as fat. Even if it's healthy. Sucks. So not worth it. Now, if you're like I was and fast while working out, I am sorry to inform you that you are working out for absolutely nothing. Any muscle you are trying to build is being eaten by your body for protein.You need to consume protein for your body’s needs. If you don’t eat protein, your body starts to break down your muscle (which is protein) in order to get the necessary amino acids (the building blocks of protein). The result? A nice skinny/fat. Soft and skinny. 

Mmmm sexy. 

There is NO scientific evidence that fasting detoxes the body. Our bodies are already pretty self-sufficient. The liver is the body’s natural detox center. Other organs, including the lungs, the kidneys, and the skin, also remove impurities and toxins from the body. If we were meant to fast, we would. Our bodies are amazing. A fast may give the perception of “cleaning out” your body’s impurities, but that’s not what happens. While some people reportedly feel great after fasting, others feel sluggish, tired, achy, and unfocused. That’s because they’re often not getting sufficient calories. 

"But Claudia, 'so and so' got SO skinny on this fast!". 

Well duh. Again, going back to my post about carbs, lack of carbs=lack of water. Lack of water=loss of weight. Also, if you're only drinking and not eating, you will frequently be on the toilet urinating, losing even more water.  But again, this won’t help you lose weight. You’re only depleting your body of fluids, which may make it seem like you’re actually losing weight. Of course, if you eat few calories, you will lose weight quickly, but that doesn’t mean you will keep it off. Again, as the saying goes: easy off; easy on. It's worth saying again. 

If you REALLY feel like your body needs to be *cleansed*, eat REAL food. Oatmeal, fruit, eggs, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, whole wheat bread, plain milk, water water water, etc. Nothing processed. No caffeine, no alcohol, no soda, no juice. Eating clean for a few days will do WONDERS for you, and it'll last. Your metabolism won't die, you won't have low blood sugar, and you can sustain on this clean eating plan forever with the occasional treat (I have one every day because I just gotta). Now for some food porn, how could you want to fast when you could get BETTER results eating this yummy stuff?

Bottom Line: If you consume fewer calories, you will lose weight. But fasting to lose weight quickly can put metabolic stress on your body. After fasting for a few days, you risk damaging your body. Losing muscle mass is very unhealthy. Plus, any weight you lose quickly, you will put back on just as easily.

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Unconditional Love

(n)  Definition:  affection with no limits or conditions; complete love.

I'm back from Texas ya'll!

Maiya and me in our room!

I had a very interesting trip. It was really fun but vacations are tricky for me. Being in recovery is hardest when I'm out of my comfort zone. Like, being away from my Greek yogurt, Whole Foods salad bar, Zone bars? CRINGE. I try really hard to let myself go, because it's usually only for a week, but sweet Jesus it's the hardest part of my recovery right now. My day here on the home front usually goes something like this:
-Breakfast
-Starbucks
-Gym
-Snack
etc. etc. etc.

My week in Texas looked something like this:
-Food
-Food
-Food
-Alcohol
-Food
-Alcohol
-Food
-Alcohol
-Alcohol

Welcome to Hangover City! Population: 1

Needless to say, when I got home, I flipped out a little bit. I am still IN recovery, not RECOVERED, so I am allowed to freak out. I'm only a human after all. Immediately, the eating disorder thoughts come a-rushin' back. Convinced I have gained at least 20 pounds, (can't be sure because I was ordered to throw out my scale), I sit and bawl like a child who just got crapped on in the ball pit at McDonalds.

The next morning, I rub my eyes, and see my tattoo. Now, I've had that tattoo for almost two years now, I look at it every day. But this particular morning, I looked at it and remembered why I got it.

The symbols mean 'Unconditional Love for yourself" in Hebrew. I got it two years ago when I tried (unsuccessfully) to recover...again. To remind myself that I deserve love, no matter what. No matter my weight, if my face is broken out, if I made a mistake, if I lied, if I pigged out, SO WHAT. This is the only body I have. That morning I knew I was at a pivotal moment in my recovery journey. I was either going to push through all the discomfort, all the awful thoughts, and be healthy, OR I was going to starve myself that day and probably the rest of the week, only drinking lemon water.

As of today (three days later), I have opted to push through and continue to recover. There are just so many things that I want to do that I can't with my eating disorder. I am proud of myself.

This isn't very much of an advisory post, I know. But my best friend in the entire world left today for Spain for 6 months and I am emotionally distraught and really should probably be writing about emotional eating. ANYWAYS I will touch a little more on the scale/weighing yourself thing. It always was astounding to me (and I know EVERYONE can relate to this) how I could wake up, look in the  mirror, and think I look so skinny so I decide to weigh myself, step on the scale, and it reads higher than normal. WHAT. All of a sudden, I step off the scale, look in the mirror, and suddenly, I am fat. BOOM. I gained weight in 2.7 seconds. Astounding. I should be in the Guinness Book of World Records. And now, my whole day is obviously ruined.

 One of the most important, beautiful, freeing, days of my life so far is the day I decided I will no longer weigh myself. This was a process. As my therapist loves to say, I was "married" to my scale. And it was a messy, slow, emotional, divorce. You know what thought? I have never EVER been happier. Sure, I get weird looks when I go to the doctor and ask to please be weighed backwards (and for the love of God please do not announce my weight), but so what? When you think about it, letting a stupid number dictate your life is absurd! After all, you are probably the ONLY person who is ever going to see it.

The scale will NOT tell you the following:
-What a great person you are
-How much your family and friends love you
-That you can make a stranger melt with your beautiful smile
-You are special

Words of wisdom from my therapist: "When you go to weigh yourself, you're really never going to be happy. If it's higher than you think, you will let it ruin your day. If it's the same as normal, you will be upset it's not lower, and you will let it ruin your day. If it's lower than normal, you will want it to be even lower, and you will let it ruin your day."

Have a good day, don't weigh yourself. Love yourself. Love your body. Wether you like it or not, it's the only one you will ever have.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. 
-Buddha 

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Fat

Let me paint you a picture--

It's 2:00 AM. I can't sleep. I am on my third consecutive hour of watching reruns of "The Office". Suddenly, I am downstairs, balls deep in a jar of Skippy Peanut Butter.

How in God's good name did this happen....again. Here are the thoughts running through my head right about now:

-Good lord you are repulsive
-You have no self control
-What the hell is wrong with you?
-You are so fat.
-Do you know how much you're going to have to work out tomorrow to burn this off?
-Fatfatfatfatfatfatfatfatfat

So all of this was going on only about 7 short months ago before I decided to try and get my shit together. And for the LIFE OF ME I could not figure out why I had no self control and would just get into this trance-like state and binge after being so "good" and starving myself all day. Why, of all things, would I reach for the peanut butter? & now I know...

FAT.

We (myself included) are PETRIFIED of fat. There are more fat-free, non-fat, low-fat, half-fat, reduced-fat, 2% fat, etc. products on the market than ever. And, ironically (or is it?), there are more people in the obese weight range than ever before. So what's up? Let me tell you a secret, a well kept secret at that:

FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT.

I was eating excess amounts of peanut butter because my body was CRAVING fat. Our bodies are actually amazing how they know what they need. So, what actually IS fat? Fats are a concentrated form of energy which help maintain body temperature, and protect body tissues and organs. Fat also plays an essential role in carrying the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. (So if you're not eating any fat, those vitamins shan't be absorbed which sucks).

Basically the moral of the story is if you think you're being "good" by eating a low-fat or fat-free diet, you are setting yourself up for an epic binge. Your biological need for fats will overcome your willpower. Binging is not a lack of willpower, it's your body literally taking over. You have an innate will to live, your body doesn't care that you want to be rail thin, it just wants to keep you alive. Let me repeat that, because it's worth repeating:

BINGING IS NOT A LACK OF WILLPOWER. IT IS YOUR BODY TAKING OVER.

Your body actually knows EXACTLY what it needs. So if you're craving peanut butter, nuts, junk food, fried food, etc., it could really be because you haven't eaten enough fat. Yes, there are "good" fats and "bad" fats. I don't like labeling food "good" or "bad" though. It's just food. And how is a cupcake "bad"? It's the cutest food ever. ANYWAYS, this post can be an exception to avoid confusion.

There are 4 types of fat- Saturated fat, trans fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat.

1. Saturated Fat- This is found mostly in meat and dairy products, as well as some vegetable oils, such as coconut and palm oils (tropical oils). Most saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature, like butter.

2. Trans Fat- created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.  Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils." These are the worst kinds. This fat is manmade and added to things like fast food because they're easy to use, cheap, and last a long time. Also, they give foods a desirable taste and texture.  Many restaurants and fast-food outlets use trans fats to deep-fry foods because oils with trans fats can be used many times in commercial fryers. Ick.

3. Polyunsaturated Fat- Found mostly in plant sources. (safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed) and tends to lower blood cholesterol levels.

4. Monounsaturated Fat- Is found in both plant and animal products, such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in some plant foods such as avocado. It also tends to lower LDL cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol.

So how much fat should you be eating per day to avoid eating it all at once at a super sonic pace? Well 30% of your daily calories should be from fat. Each gram of fat is 9 calories. So on an 1,800 calorie diet-

1,800 calories x .30 (30% from fat) / 9 calories = 60 grams of fat per day. Amazeballs.

If you eat some saturated fat or trans fat, don't trip. The general rule I try and follow is 80% good, 20% bad. Not just for fats, for all foods really. You NEED to be eating a fat at every meal. (Along with a carb and protein). So using myself for example, in the morning I put peanut butter on my toast. For lunch, I put avocado or cheese on my sandwich or salad, or use full fat salad dressing. For dinner I'll put butter on my sweet potato or avocado with my fish or chicken. Want to hear a perfect snack? 1/4 cup of nuts and an apple. NOM. Whatever, you get it. Do it. Eat fat. Your brain will thank you. Seriously, 2/3 of your brain is fat.

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What "Calories in vs Calories out" Actually Means

...Because what you think it means is most likely wrong. Which is cool because I was wrong once and it was terrible. So let's talk about BMR. BMR= Basal Metabolic Rate. Basically what that means is that your body burns a certain amount of calories all by itself. Your body burns calories throughout the day in order to preform necessary bodily functions. Everything from standing up, breathing, to your heart pumping blood through your body, burns calories. Your BMR tells you the number of calories you burn to live through the day. This number can help you figure out your total net calories and know how much you should be eating to lose/maintain/gain weight.

To be honest, this is what I thought: I thought if I went to the gym and burned 600 calories on the elliptical, then I had to eat 600 calories to maintain my weight, and under than to lose. Long story short: That was wrong and I seriously messed up my metabolism. The amount of calories I should have been eating was my BMR + the 600 calories I burned to maintain, or my BMR + the 600 I burned - like 100 to lose weight.

So how do you figure out your BMR? Well, there's an online calculator but I am not super fond of that one because it doesn't take your activity level into account. Also, I like doing things like this myself, it makes me feel mega-smart and uber-cool

The formula is: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

So here's mine (because it helps me to see so maybe it'll help you, if not, ignore this):

655 + (4.35 x 125lbs) + (4.7 x 63 inches) - (4.7 x 21 years)
655 + (543.75) + (296.1) - (98.7)
BMR= 1,396.15 calories

I even showed my work. My high school math teacher would be proud.

Now let's factor in activity level. Multiply your BMR by:
1.2 = sedentary
1.375 = lightly active
1.55 = moderately active
1.725 = very active
1.9 = extremely active

So my true BMR is 1,396.15 x 1.55 (moderately active) = 2,164 calories.

So in order to maintain  my weight (which you all know now is 125 lbs. So many secrets I'm sharing. If you're reading this we're basically BFF now since you know that), I need to eat around 2,000 calories a day. To lose weight, you need to eat 300 to 500 calories less than your BMR.

Yes Kitty, you CAN haz cheezburger.


NO MORE THAN 500 CALORIES UNDER. Why you ask? I will tell you. (Look Mom, me having an 'answer for everything' actually IS getting me ahead in life!)

If you eat more than 500 calories under your BMR, your body will actually do the opposite of losing fat. Meaning it will gain fat. Will you lose weight? Probably. But as you learned in my previous post, losing weight and losing fat are two different things. Eating more than 500 calories under your BMR causes your body to go into starvation mode. Your body needs calories, and if you don't give them to it, it's going to get them from somewhere else. It's going to get them from the most potent energy source in your body, which is your muscle, not your fat. Bummer. So if your body is in starvation mode, you will lose muscle and gain body fat. Even if you're lifting weights. You are lifting weights, gaining muscle, and losing it right away because your body needs it. You may not look fat, but believe you me, your body fat percentage has gone up. Ever hear of a girl being "skinny fat"? This is why.

Not to mention, being in starvation mode causes:
-bad breath
-hair loss
-feeling weak
-depression
-mood swings
-low immune system
-and basically just being a total raving bitch (trust me, my family knows that one first hand)

So, this holiday season, eat anything you want and don't beat yourself up over it. You deserve it. You need it. Your body deserves it. Your body needs it. Strong is sexy. Happy Holidays everyone! x

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