Ok, I'll admit it. I love Captain Lafayette "Fate" Rhys. In fact, I love him so much that I have decided to start writing a serial following the exploits and hi-jinks in which he and his crew often find themselves. Right now, I am working my way through a standard writing plan and am creating character profiles for each of the crew members. This part is so much fun! I feel like I am meeting new people through this exercise. I have a basic crew roster, and I have to fill it with characters that are interesting, engaging, and yet at the same time realistic. Their conflicts are going to be both physical and psychological. They will all be a part of me, part of people I may know, and part of people I would like to know. I want to tell you more in-depth information about each one, but that will have to wait for a later step. Right now, I can tell you this: the head biologist is guilt-ridden, driven, and also the ship's volunteer yoga instructor. She is innovative when it comes to getting the most out of the ship's gardens and life support systems, but spends most of her time researching an elusive cure to a puzzling disease. The ship's chef is the descendant of influential colony designers, but has established himself on his own merits, as one of the best and most innovative chefs in the Fleet. He is also the author of many trashy, tragic romance novels that he writes under a pen name, much to the chagrin of his family.
I have discovered that these two characters will work closely together, since they are both responsible in part for the crew's food supply. How closely is yet to be determined, but here's another little tidbit for you. The chef is the second best yogi on board.
Looking at the parts
Holism (from ὅλος holos, a Greek word meaning all, whole, entire, total) is the idea that all the properties of a given system (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone. Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts behave.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
A Mother's Sacrifice
My latest writing exercise is one that I have been struggling with for a few days. Here are the instructions:
Make a character desire something, and make the desire his or her driving force. Write a scene or a summary that creates reasons why s/he can never have what s/he wants. (‘Three hours between planes’ is a good example of this.)
I was going to use my previous character, but at the last minute, decided to go another direction. Be forewarned, this one is sad.
A Mother's Sacrifice
Make a character desire something, and make the desire his or her driving force. Write a scene or a summary that creates reasons why s/he can never have what s/he wants. (‘Three hours between planes’ is a good example of this.)
I was going to use my previous character, but at the last minute, decided to go another direction. Be forewarned, this one is sad.
A Mother's Sacrifice
Monday, May 28, 2012
Meet Capt. Rhys
*This is the first of several exercises that will use this character.*
**I have noticed from my blog stats that I seem to have readers in Russia. I would love to hear from you! Feel free to email me and let me know who you are and how you came across my blog. :)**
Activity 8
Imagine a new character and build a strong sense of the
person by using the checklist shown previously. Here it is again:
Physical/biological:
Age: 35
Height: 6’3”
size: broad shoulders, narrower waist, but not slim,
state of health: pale, scarred body, but strong and healthy
assets: physical strength, endurance, quiet but commanding
presence. Handsome but not “pretty” by any means.
Flaws: scar across throat from a rope, covers it with a
bandana
Sexuality: Raw power is attractive, but usually seems
uninterested in “services”
Gait: Long legs take long steps, deliberate, a little
bow-legged.
Voice: Rough, gravelly, commanding
Psychological:
Intelligence: A jack-of-all-trades, knows much of trading,
ships, travel, reading people; a little doctoring, farming,
Temperament: No-nonsense, “negotiates” with presence more
than words. Defender of defenseless, high expectations of those in any position
of power
Happiness/unhappiness: Doesn’t seem given to dramatic
emotional swings. Basically even. Seems mildly gruff most of the time.
Attitudes: Generally calm and focused on the situation at
hand. Relentlessly vengeful if he sees injustice
Self-knowledge: totally comfortable in his skin, confident,
knows skill set and abilities
Unconscious aspects: When considering a difficult situation,
his jaw shifts a bit. Oblivious to any lack of understanding, sees all
situations in stark black and white terms.
Interpersonal/cultural:
Family: A wife a little girl, both murdered
Friends: Crew that is loyal, some business partners
Colleagues: Generally respected or feared by other captains,
some are bitter towards him because of his hard line in business
Birthplace: Earth
Education: Earth college, then Fleet training. Avid reader
of many subjects that are practical to his needs. Attempts to apply his new
knowledge and is thus often tinkering with new projects in the long time spent
in space.
Hobbies: Invents and tinkers with gadgets and gizmos that he
thinks up in the deep dark
Beliefs: Natural law, including cause and effect. Often says
this is the reason for his often swift personal justice meted out in the
vastness
Values: honesty, goodness, a love of life, valor, directness
Lifestyle: Spartan, mostly spent aboard his ship the Feistres. When on-planet, he searches
for new knowledge and technology, new reading materials. When on ship, he talks
little, reads much, exercises enough to stave off boredom and softness, puts
his old and new knowledge to use bettering his ship and the lives of his crew.
Personal history:
major events in the life, including the best and the most
traumatic:
Defining life event was while serving on his second ship, a
Fleet cruiser outfitted for families selected for a new Fleet colony on Malsaies
III. The ship had stopped on a Fleet planet to refuel and pick up supplies, but
had inadvertently arrived during a particularly violent uprising. Although
promised safety in the capital city, he, his wife and young daughter had been
captured by the renegades and hung in a public square as a warning to other
Fleet families and crew. The militants had tied his noose incorrectly and he
survived, although unconscious when he was taken down and thrown in a mass
grave. Awakening a few hours later, he mourned his dead family and swore
vengeance on those who wronged him.
Now present your new
character in the four different ways outlined in Activity 7. Here they are
again:
Make a summary of what the character is like.
Captain Lafayette “Fate” Rhys was impressive, and not just
physically. True, his towering presence often calmed tense situations, but it
was the man’s demeanor which stayed with a person after he had exited the room.
His tough, no-nonsense attitudes concerning integrity in trade dealings and
crew conflicts had earned him the reputation both on and off his ship of being
one of the most fair, and also most just captains in the Fleet. It also ruffled
some feathers. Some of the other Fleet captains were not as honest as he, some
were for all intents and purposes, pirates. This did not sit well with Captain
Rhys, as he felt their misconduct reflected poorly upon him. When he happened
upon these captains in the Fleet Oases or base planets, it was not uncommon for
base security to be called, usually after the offending Captain had been
quickly incapacitated. There was little room in his world for lawlessness,
chaos, or rebellion, as these things had cost him that which was most precious –
his family.
Show him or her through appearance.
Fate was a tall man with broad shoulders. When on planet, he
wore an outfit straight out of an Earth western: black boots, worn looking
jeans, a button-up shirt under an old, faded duster that was once black but had
faded to a charcoal color. He always wears a bandana or neckerchief to hide the
scar on his neck. His dark eyes peer out from under a black hat that he had
brought with him from Earth, to keep the foreign suns out of his eyes.
Show him or her through a habitual or repeated action.
His daily ritual on-ship was maintained no matter where they
were traveling or what their purpose. Routine kept both him and his crew sane
in the expansive blackness that surrounded them the majority of the time. His personal routine consisted of rising
early (6 am, ship time) and going for a run around the perimeter of the ship
via the narrow maintenance scaffoldings. This allowed him to keep an eye out
for possible maintenance problems, work off some of his energy, stay in shape,
and plan his day, all at the same time. Plus, it was better than having to
endure the ship’s physician and his well-meaning but often ill-timed questions
after his welfare. If he came up clear on body scans, the doctor had little
reason to question him personally. After his run, he would shower, then
breakfast with the crew going on to first shift. On his ship, he had done away
with the age-old tradition of separation of officers and crew. Everyone had
access to the Captain. When he was done, he would take the helm, which was
usually a rather dull prospect. He would go over maintenance logs and assign
work, check the logs from the night before, then turn to his reading. He
allowed music on deck, and encouraged the crew to study Fleet course materials
in order that they may increase in rank. If they did not choose to study for
that purpose, he encouraged them to pursue their personal interests, and every
book that he bought to read himself, he added to the ship’s library when he was
finished. His theory was that the more knowledge a person had on as many
subjects as possible, the more capable that person would be to handle crises
and emergencies onboard or in their civilian lives.
After the day shift was over, he would head back to the mess
hall for dinner, then was off to his onboard lab. This was where he tinkered
and tried out new ideas for bettering his ship. The Fleet was run like some of
the old Earth colony-era privateers. Merchant vessels were given Fleet
authority, but were completely responsible for their own ships, crews, and
manifests. They could trade as much as they liked while cruising back and forth
through various star systems under Fleet command. Since the ship was his, he
could and did alter it as much as he could to get the most speed, have the best
sensors and protections, and the best weapons he could devise. Several of the
engineers on board often worked alongside him when they were not on duty. Their
collective efforts had produced some amazing results.
Finally, show him or her through a speech in a scene.
The new Second Engineer Rogers, whom the captain had
required spend all day going over the ship’s maintenance and engineering logs,
now reported to Captain Rhys’ lab.
“Captain, I have just completed going over the logs you required
me to read, and I must admit I am thankful I was given the chance to be brought
up to speed before I began working on any of the systems.” Engineer Rogers
seemed out of breath and a little nervous. He stood at attention before the
captain’s workbench, clutching his tablet like a security blanket. He seemed to
be staring through the bulkhead at something in the next room.
Captain Rhys glanced up at the engineer, then back down to
the parts he was disassembling. Behind him, First Engineer Mayes was preparing
to weld two pieces of unrecognizable metal parts together.
“Engineer, what is your professional assessment of our
changes?” asked Captain Rhys.
“These changes are highly irregular, but the results are
fascinating. How have you come up with such profound improvements?” Rogers
asked. For a second, his excitement had gotten the best of him and he had
almost broken his stance.
Captain Rhys continued making adjustments with his wrench
while Engineer Mayes fired up his torch and began to join the two parts into
one.
“Rogers, I read your transcripts and recommendations from
both Fleet and your previous station. All indicate that while you are an
excellent engineer, you lack a certain discipline. Your superiors state that
you are overconfident, that you are unconventional, and that you liked to stir
up trouble in the engineering department. You have been noted as insubordinate
to men more experienced and older than you.” At this he stopped and removed his
safety glasses and laid them on the workbench. He looked Rogers up and down,
and noticed that his expression had seemed to fade a bit. “To be honest,
Rogers, this is why I accepted your application for Second Engineer.”
At this Rogers started. “Sir?” he questioned.
“Did you happen to note what was going on around you today
while you were on duty?” asked Rhys, leaning back on his stool and folding his
arms across his chest.
“Sir, everyone seemed incredibly busy, but from the work logs,
it does not seem that the Feistres requires
that much upkeep,” Rogers replied hesitantly.
At this, Rhys smiled at Rogers for the first time that day. “Rogers,
there are some things you should know about this crew and what I expect from
you. First, you need to relax. You are technically off duty, so act like it.
Grab that stool over there and let me tell you about the Feistres.” This completely baffled and flustered Rogers, but he did
as he was told and pulled the stool up to the workbench across from the
captain. Mayes had completed the welding
job, and was putting the tools he had used away. Rhys waved him over, and he
also pulled up a stool, but sat next to the captain instead of across from him.
“Ok, the first thing you need to know is that this lab is
for off-duty work only. You have your own workbench and everything you need in
the engineering department. Since this space is for off duty work, after this
meeting, being here is completely optional. You may spend as little or as much
time here as you would like. Since this is technically a community recreation space,
the formalities observed on the bridge are not necessary here. Each crew member
will tell you how they prefer to be addressed. For now, you can call me ‘Captain.’”
Rhys grinned and clapped Mayes on the shoulder.
Mayes took this as a sign to give his preferred name, and
said, “You can call me Al, but only here.”
Rogers was looking back and forth between the two with
puzzlement. This level of familiarity was almost unheard of in the Fleet,
except on the family operated ships.
Rhys continued, “Rogers, I encourage study and innovation on
this ship. If a person does not find something to occupy their time, they will
go crazy or cause trouble. The reason everyone seemed so busy today, even
though the logs did not show much required ship work is that this is the last
week to prepare for the next round of Fleet testing. Many of the members of the
crew are attempting to move up in rank. Even though we may not have higher
positions open onboard this ship, vessels at the next place we dock may. Even
if they choose to stay on at their current rank, the Feistres pays her crew at the highest rank they are qualified for
even if that is not the position they currently hold. So you see, it pays to
study while you have downtime during your duty shifts. As for this lab and the
changes you have noted, those are the practical results of studying, both the
Fleet training materials and civilian documents on the advancement of
technology. This brings me back to your qualifications and why I selected you
when other captains may have thought twice. I am always on the lookout for crew
members who can think unconventionally. If, in your studies, you discover a way
to better life on this ship or to increase her speed or productivity, please
share the idea. If we can make the changes safely and without causing ourselves
delay, you will receive a bonus worthy of the modification. Any new technology
you develop will also be yours to patent and sell to other ships. Several of
our design modifications can be seen on other ships, to the great pleasure of
the crew members who hold the patents. This arrangement benefits all who live
aboard this ship. If there is anything that Al and I can do to help you, please
do not hesitate to ask. Our one final rule is that you put tools back where you
find them. With multiple people using this lab, it is the only way to maintain
order.”
Rogers gaped at him. He knew that Captain Fate Rhys was reputed
to be flexible and fair, but this was far beyond his wildest expectations.
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Astronaut Is A Farmer
Instructions:
Imagine
a character very like you but give him or her a dramatic external alteration.
You might make the character the opposite sex, for example, or make them
significantly older or younger. You choose.
Now
write a brief character sketch in which you reveal the character's appearance,
their feelings about it, and their current circumstances. Use a third-person
narrator (‘he’ or ‘she’).
She looked out of
the window, across fields windswept with thin snow. The harvest had been in the
barn for over a month now, and everyone was indoors, playing board games or
reading books to pass the time. Although her son had build a substantial fire,
and the indoor thermometer showed a temperature above 80 degrees, she could not
seem to shake the chill that rattled her bones. She tightened her grasp on the
blanket that was draped around her shoulders while the gathering dusk crept in
from the forest. As the darkness grew deeper outside, her reflection became
more obvious. She looked at her white hair and thought of all of the women that
had gone before her. Everyone in her family had hair the color of the snow on
the ground outside. Unlike them, she chose to wear hers long. It fell to the
middle of her back, as it had her entire adult life. Her granddaughter French braided it for her
every morning so that it would not hamper her activities. The elderly woman spent most of her days
tending the plants kept alive in the greenhouse. While her contributions to the
family's food stores certainly did not decide life or death for the group at
large, the group knew that it may have meant life or death for her, and
encouraged her to stay active. She puttered around the large glass-encased
paradise, checking the moisture level of the soil. She put the fruit and
vegetable scraps into a blender, then poured the contents into the worm bins.
The choice pieces went to the chickens. Nothing was wasted; everything had to
be recycled and reused. She snipped dead flowers off of the stalks and dried
herbs on racks in the warmest corner. Sometimes she napped on a bench in the
weak winter sun, warmed by the insulating glass panes and the radiant-heat
flooring. The family dogs always stood guard for her. If the children were busy
with schoolwork, the dogs assumed their role of grandma watcher. She had very
little real privacy, but she did not mind so much. What did she have to keep
private? There were no secrets worth having anymore, since her family
had taken up residence on this desolate little farm on a small planet, far from
the warm blue world she had called home.
She sighed and
looked away from the old woman in the window, and took in the room. It was a
scene much like what her grandparents would have recalled from their
childhood, with a few technological differences. A fire was blazing in a stove
that radiated heat both from its sides and into pipes that heated the floors,
inside and out in the greenhouse. Children were huddled with games or books
around small areas of concentrated light, almost like candles. These were not
candles though. These were solar-powered lights that sat in the windows during
the day, gathering strength against the long darkness. This was another of her
daily duties, collecting the torches and replacing them in their
"chargers" in the morning. The children were quietly going about
their activities, their parents reading or doing small, simple tasks like
mending clothes or tools. The dogs were asleep next to the heater, the warmest
place in the house. Everything was peaceful.
She closed her eyes, and drifted off into sweet dreams of Earth summer.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Old Knights and Little Girls
Instructions: Read the section called "Round and flat characters." Showing the contradictions in characters is one way of making them "round." Take a stereotype mentioned (in the reading) or use one of your own. Write a brief scene in which you portray that character in a complex way, going against the usual expectations.
The little old man
looked tough as piece of old jerky, dried in the sun and hardened by his life
outdoors. His voice was gruff and edged with bitterness. His clothes were clean
and well-maintained, but gave the impression of secondhand wear and showed their
age. The eyes that peered out from underneath his bushy eyebrows were hawkish
and glared reprovingly at all of the young children that bounded past him with
all of their youthful vigor. He sat outside of the general store every day, in
an old rocking chair that looked to be of a similar age and disposition of the
old man who occupied its seat. He always carried a thin wooden cane that he
used to threaten kids that he deemed too rambunctious when they dared to cross
the store's porch. Everyday he sat and rocked, eating sunflower seeds and
spitting the empty husks into a Styrofoam cup. Occasionally, when some of the
quiet girls or some of the more shy boys slipped out on the porch quietly, they
would catch him with a faraway look in his eyes and a peculiar look on his
face. It was almost as if this harsh, scary old man was thinking of something
that he had loved, in another life. The children inevitably startled him out of
his reverie, and he would always glare and mutter grumpy statements under his
breath. One little girl, the quietest and most gentle of the neighborhood kids,
often stood watching him for some minutes before he sensed her presence on the
porch. She had once asked her mother about him, and her mother had told the
little girl about the far off places the man had traveled and the very bad
things he had seen when he was there. The little girl used her imagination to
see him as a younger man, almost like the knights in her favorite fairy tales,
fighting monsters and boogey men, and saving beautiful princesses. Every night
she included him in her bedtime prayers. Sometimes when she was afraid of the
dark shapes in her in the corners of her room at night, she would think of the
old knight she knew and felt safer.
One day, the girl
came out of the store in her usual quiet manner and caught the old man with
that far away look in his eyes. He had not noticed her exit, and did not notice
her presence with him on the porch. She took a tentative step forward, and when
his countenance still did not change, she took another. She was so enraptured
with the man, and he with his memories, that it seemed a very sudden thing when
she appeared next to him. She reached
out a hand and touched him and he jumped to his feet, startled. His movement
was so sudden, it caused the girl to drop her apple juice, and the bottle
rolled with a loud rumbling noise off of the wooden porch and into the street
below. The old man grabbed her arm out of reflex, and the girl, whose nerve had
suddenly left her, began to cry. One solitary, glistening tear trickled down
her cheek. She had not wanted to upset the old man. She had felt, in her
childlike way, physical touch could somehow take away his sadness. If thinking
of him at night drove the monsters from closet and the corners of her room,
maybe she could help him smile. The old man began to yell, but at the sight of
that single tear, something magical happened. His face changed. The harshness
around his eyes and mouth softened into concern, and his fingers loosened on
her arm, then began patting her shoulder.
He looked around for his cane, asked the girl if she was alright, then
retrieved her apple juice bottle. He wiped it off with a handkerchief he pulled
from his pocket after wiping her tear away. His severe look had returned, but
his voice was much gentler when he asked her name. Until this point the girl
had remained speechless. She had nodded that she was ok when he asked, but now
words began spilling out of her. She told him what her mother had said, how she
knew he was a knight, how she included him in her bedtime prayers and how he
helped her drive away the darkness. At this the old man laughed, a strange
sound to the patrons of the general store. Several middle aged farmers turned
to see from whom the odd laughter was coming. He became so tickled that he
slapped his knee and tears came into his eyes too, but these were tears of
laughter. When he finally regained his composure, he assured her that he had
definitely never fought dragons, but he was a knight of sorts. He had decided
not to take away all of the girl's misconceptions of himself. He did not want
her to be frightened of the dark, and if his image was a talisman against fear,
he was happy to help. The two became instantly more comfortable with each
other, the way some people discover they are soul mates in a split second. The
immediate camaraderie led to animated conversation and even a song sung by the
little girl. To the complete astonishment of the passing farmers, the old man
got up from his chair, asked for another song, and began a little soft shoe jig
right there on the porch. The little girl squealed with delight and clapped her
hands, singing louder and jumping up to twirl in circles. The sight of the two
dancing with such abandon drew a small crowd, who stared on in astonishment at
the transformation of the oldest and crotchetiest, and the smallest and
quietest, to two of the liveliest people in the town. They both sat down
breathless and laughing, ignoring the onlookers, and began their conversations
anew.
That night, when the
old man stared into the dark corners of his bedroom, it was thoughts of a
little girl who chased away the shadows.
Always The Renaissance Woman
I believe in continuing to grow as a person. I believe in continuing to develop new skills and finding new pursuits. Since I have a blog, I figured I would share my latest pursuit with you. I have found some guided lessons online, adapted from college writing courses. The exercises are great practice for me, and a blog is a good place to get feedback. I will post my written responses to the exercises here. Feel free to leave comments.
Friday, December 23, 2011
30 Pounds Healthier
I'm starting a new blog series because I've been getting a lot of questions about how I have lost weight, but more specifically about my low carb lifestyle. It is hard to answer them all individually, and since many of the answers overlap, I figured a blog series would be the easiest was to answer everyone at once. Here is the basic query:
How did you get over the hurdle of no carbs etc? I just can't seem to do it. It's like going through withdrawals. Any suggestions? I really need to lose weight but it has been soooooooooo difficult.
How did you get over the hurdle of no carbs etc? I just can't seem to do it. It's like going through withdrawals. Any suggestions? I really need to lose weight but it has been soooooooooo difficult.
Answer:
First of all, shoot for LOW carb, not NO carb. Funny you should mention withdrawals. The scary thing is that you ARE actually going through withdrawals, you are addicted to sugar and carbs. There is a vicious cycle happening in your body every time you eat sugars of any kind. Time for a little chemistry lesson. This is the simplified version (for a more scientific overview with a graph, click here.) Carbohydrates break down into sugars in your digestive system. The speed at which this happens determines if carbs are simple or complex. Simple carbs break down quickly, complex carbs break down more slowly. A generally easy way to determine if a carb is simple or complex is by color. Lighter foods (white potatoes, regular pasta, bananas) are usually simple carbs. Darker colored foods are usually more complex (sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta). When you eat carbs, your body registers the sugars and responds by sending insulin into your blood stream. The problem is that if you have a high spike of sugar, you have a correspondingly high spike of insulin. Insulin levels do not drop off as fast as blood sugar does, and your body responds to the too-high insulin levels by requesting more food to balance out the insulin (you feel hungry). The more sugar you eat, the more you will want to eat. Over time, your body becomes insulin resistant, which means that your cells do not efficiently use the insulin that your body produces.
The easiest way to break this cycle is to slowly cut back on simple carbs while simultaneously adding more protein, fat and fiber. These other macronutrients will slow and even out the insulin response. Let's take a look at one of these macronutrients today. Fiber has many health benefits that are often overlooked. It pulls toxins and cholesterol out of your blood stream. It adds bulk and helps you to feel more full. As I said before, it also helps balance blood sugar. I've tried several different kinds, and my favorite by far is Metamucil. It is the easiest of the psyllium powders to drink and is more cost effective than the chewable fiber tablets. I'm going to list a few hints for those of you looking to add a fiber supplement to your diet.
Sneaky Sugar and Empty Calories
It might help to start the first week by tracking what you normally eat, then pinpointing specific foods to trade out. The Daily Burn website is a good place to do this. They have a great daily food tracker and their android app lets you scan bar codes on the back of foods to look up nutrition information. You can also log your weight and exercises so that you can keep up with your workouts as well. If you decide you want to use this site, look me up as a motivator (a friend on the site who can see your progress, and you can see theirs). My user name is sarahbethharris.
The very first thing I tell people to cut when they say they want to lose weight is beverages. For example, let's say you are following the USDA's Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines for calories (I do not recommend this at all, but more on that in a later blog.) The USDA says that for me to lose weight, I can consume 2000 calories a day. I eat way less than this, to be honest, usually somewhere between 1200-1600 per day. But for the sake of this example and round numbers, we'll start with 2000. If you make sweet tea like I (used to) do, you use 1.5 cups of sugar for every gallon made. Here's the math:
There are 48 teaspoons in a cup.
1.5 cups of sugar = 72 tsps
1 tsp sugar = 15 calories
72 X 15 = 1080 calories per gallon of sweet tea
1 US Gallon = 128 fluid ounces
1080 Calories divided by 128 ounces = approx. 8.5 calories per fluid ounce (I'm rounding up for the sake of the math, but not by much. The actual number is 8.4375)
Now, let's assume that you are drinking out of a standard glass and not a measuring cup (8oz) so let's say one glass of sweet tea is 12 ounces.
12 ounces x 8.5 calories = 102 calories per glass of sweet tea. Who has one glass of tea? Not me. Let's say I go crazy and drink 3 glasses of tea at dinner (in my house, four of us kill a gallon of tea per meal if we make tea). 102 calories x 3 glasses = 306 calories. For SWEET TEA. I haven't put a single morsel of food in my mouth yet, and I have already consumed 15.3% of my USDA daily calorie allotment (remember, my ACTUAL calorie limit is much lower). This is why beverages have to be monitored. Most are empty calories providing no nutrition, but lots of sugar and chemicals.
Other liquids to avoid:
Soda - There are 240 calories in a 20 oz bottle of Coke. Diet soda is not an answer either, as it has been linked to weight gain. For more info, click here.
Fruit Juice - I know, it is supposed to be healthy, right? Wrong. It's all of the fruit sugar (fructose) without much of the other things that make fruit good for you, like fiber. Without fiber to slow down the insulin response, you get a sugar high, much like drinking soda.
Sports Drinks - (guilty as charged) I love Gatorade. I have an empty bottle sitting right here on my desk. Let's take a look at the label. Not too bad, right? Only 50 calories...per 8 ounces. Oh wait, I drank the whole bottle, which is 2.5 servings. That equals 125 calories. To be fair, I split this bottle over two workouts, but that's still a major bump in calories, when I'm on the elliptical to LOSE weight. If you feel like you need Gatorade for the taste while working out, dilute it with water to cut the calories.
Alcoholic drinks - Factor them in when counting your calories. Don't cheat, they don't disappear.
1 glass of red wine (6 oz) = 150 calories
1 12 oz bottle or can of regular beer = 153 calories
Gin, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey; 80 Proof (1 shot) = 97 calories.
So the best bet as far as liquids go would obviously be water.
First of all, shoot for LOW carb, not NO carb. Funny you should mention withdrawals. The scary thing is that you ARE actually going through withdrawals, you are addicted to sugar and carbs. There is a vicious cycle happening in your body every time you eat sugars of any kind. Time for a little chemistry lesson. This is the simplified version (for a more scientific overview with a graph, click here.) Carbohydrates break down into sugars in your digestive system. The speed at which this happens determines if carbs are simple or complex. Simple carbs break down quickly, complex carbs break down more slowly. A generally easy way to determine if a carb is simple or complex is by color. Lighter foods (white potatoes, regular pasta, bananas) are usually simple carbs. Darker colored foods are usually more complex (sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta). When you eat carbs, your body registers the sugars and responds by sending insulin into your blood stream. The problem is that if you have a high spike of sugar, you have a correspondingly high spike of insulin. Insulin levels do not drop off as fast as blood sugar does, and your body responds to the too-high insulin levels by requesting more food to balance out the insulin (you feel hungry). The more sugar you eat, the more you will want to eat. Over time, your body becomes insulin resistant, which means that your cells do not efficiently use the insulin that your body produces.
The easiest way to break this cycle is to slowly cut back on simple carbs while simultaneously adding more protein, fat and fiber. These other macronutrients will slow and even out the insulin response. Let's take a look at one of these macronutrients today. Fiber has many health benefits that are often overlooked. It pulls toxins and cholesterol out of your blood stream. It adds bulk and helps you to feel more full. As I said before, it also helps balance blood sugar. I've tried several different kinds, and my favorite by far is Metamucil. It is the easiest of the psyllium powders to drink and is more cost effective than the chewable fiber tablets. I'm going to list a few hints for those of you looking to add a fiber supplement to your diet.
- Start with half a dose. Work your way up to a full dose.
- Stir it up and drink it fast. Do not let it sit on the counter while you do other things. If you do, you will come back to a glass of gel. (For the same reason, do not dump it down your kitchen sink.)
- Drink an extra glass of water after you drink the fiber, and drink water throughout the day to avoid digestive problems later.
- If you have a wheat allergy, psyllium fiber is not for you. It is a wheat product.
- Also, pay attention to what you eat, and when. For example, I try to limit my main carbs to the middle of the day so that I am not starting or ending the day with a sugar spike. An example of my typical breakfast would be two boiled eggs, plain yogurt or cottage cheese, and/or a protein shake.
Sneaky Sugar and Empty Calories
It might help to start the first week by tracking what you normally eat, then pinpointing specific foods to trade out. The Daily Burn website is a good place to do this. They have a great daily food tracker and their android app lets you scan bar codes on the back of foods to look up nutrition information. You can also log your weight and exercises so that you can keep up with your workouts as well. If you decide you want to use this site, look me up as a motivator (a friend on the site who can see your progress, and you can see theirs). My user name is sarahbethharris.
The very first thing I tell people to cut when they say they want to lose weight is beverages. For example, let's say you are following the USDA's Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines for calories (I do not recommend this at all, but more on that in a later blog.) The USDA says that for me to lose weight, I can consume 2000 calories a day. I eat way less than this, to be honest, usually somewhere between 1200-1600 per day. But for the sake of this example and round numbers, we'll start with 2000. If you make sweet tea like I (used to) do, you use 1.5 cups of sugar for every gallon made. Here's the math:
There are 48 teaspoons in a cup.
1.5 cups of sugar = 72 tsps
1 tsp sugar = 15 calories
72 X 15 = 1080 calories per gallon of sweet tea
1 US Gallon = 128 fluid ounces
1080 Calories divided by 128 ounces = approx. 8.5 calories per fluid ounce (I'm rounding up for the sake of the math, but not by much. The actual number is 8.4375)
Now, let's assume that you are drinking out of a standard glass and not a measuring cup (8oz) so let's say one glass of sweet tea is 12 ounces.
12 ounces x 8.5 calories = 102 calories per glass of sweet tea. Who has one glass of tea? Not me. Let's say I go crazy and drink 3 glasses of tea at dinner (in my house, four of us kill a gallon of tea per meal if we make tea). 102 calories x 3 glasses = 306 calories. For SWEET TEA. I haven't put a single morsel of food in my mouth yet, and I have already consumed 15.3% of my USDA daily calorie allotment (remember, my ACTUAL calorie limit is much lower). This is why beverages have to be monitored. Most are empty calories providing no nutrition, but lots of sugar and chemicals.
Other liquids to avoid:
Soda - There are 240 calories in a 20 oz bottle of Coke. Diet soda is not an answer either, as it has been linked to weight gain. For more info, click here.
Fruit Juice - I know, it is supposed to be healthy, right? Wrong. It's all of the fruit sugar (fructose) without much of the other things that make fruit good for you, like fiber. Without fiber to slow down the insulin response, you get a sugar high, much like drinking soda.
Sports Drinks - (guilty as charged) I love Gatorade. I have an empty bottle sitting right here on my desk. Let's take a look at the label. Not too bad, right? Only 50 calories...per 8 ounces. Oh wait, I drank the whole bottle, which is 2.5 servings. That equals 125 calories. To be fair, I split this bottle over two workouts, but that's still a major bump in calories, when I'm on the elliptical to LOSE weight. If you feel like you need Gatorade for the taste while working out, dilute it with water to cut the calories.
Alcoholic drinks - Factor them in when counting your calories. Don't cheat, they don't disappear.
1 glass of red wine (6 oz) = 150 calories
1 12 oz bottle or can of regular beer = 153 calories
Gin, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey; 80 Proof (1 shot) = 97 calories.
So the best bet as far as liquids go would obviously be water.
I hope this gets everyone started on the planning process for your New Year's Resolutions. The next blog will focus on specific diets and choosing the proper one for your body's needs.
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