Thursday, March 5, 2009

links

A few interesting articles in the NY Times today. 

On eating well on a budget:  Hey, did you know that pasta is cheap?  Yeah, me too.  This article does make some interesting points about canned vegetables, though.  I never buy canned veggies, but I'm willing to sacrifice elsewhere for my fresh produce.  (I do freeze a lot of stuff over the summer and use it throughout the winter).  But if they canned stuff really is just as nutritious as the fresh stuff, it's not a bad choice.  My main beef with this article is that they totally bury the lead--you have to read 2/3 of it before they mention any specific foods, and even then it's just a quick, self-explanatory list without too many meal ideas.  Except for potatoes.  For some reason there are 82 potato ideas.

On the effect of exercise posters:  Apparently looking at posters encouraging you to exercise will result in stuffing your face with M&Ms.  Or something.  I'm not sure how broadly the study can be interpreted.  However, it does bring up an interesting point, one that G and I have argued about a gajillion times.  Activity points: to eat, or not to eat?  For those non Weight Watchers, activity points are calculated by intensity and duration of exercise and your weight.  The longer and harder you exercise, the more activity points you earn, which translates to "the more you get to eat."  However, WW doesn't say you should or shouldn't eat them, just that you can earn them.  I find activity points a huge motivating factor during my workouts--20 more minutes and I can have a snack this afternoon!  Oh how will I use these lovely points???  G, on the other hand, focuses on the "calories in, calories out" perspective and tries not to eat too many activity points.  I think it comes down to listening to your body and doing what is sustainable.  If eating the points will keep you in the gym, then go for it.  However, I have been trying to leave a few AP's on the table lately, especially after reading about people who gain weight while training for marathons.  Horrors! 

2 comments:

  1. I'm torn on AP's too - so far I haven't used them but I'm still allotted points enough so that I don't really feel deprived. Who knows how I'll feel when my weight (and points allowance) drops?

    I say, if you're hungry you should eat something! And if AP's keep you on track, then so be it!

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  2. That's definitely something I need to work on--listening to my body and knowing whether I'm hungry or not. My mindset tends to be more "what can I get away with??" which probably isn't going to be too productive in the long run.

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