The USDA: Looking Out for You

I was calculating my macronutrients for a diet the wife and I are doing (2-weeks of insanity; I'll post if we finish it), and I had a horrid bout of curiosity. As I built up a goodly deal of protein and fat, I wondered: WWUSS? (What Would Uncle Sam Say; a highly apropos acronym for the USDA, by the by.)

Greg Newbold's brilliant parody of a classic; all too fitting for American nutrition.

So, what ought a 5'9", 185 pound, active, 32 year old male be consuming on a daily basis? Here are my numbers, according to the USDA:
3210 calories
361-522g carbs
67g protein
71-125g fat

I'm speechless. "Retarded" really isn't a strong enough word.

Just for reference, let me walk you through a day with macros similar to those above:
I'll start off the day with a Super Sized Coke (not sure they even offer this, anymore; maybe I'll just have 2 Large Cokes).

Next, I'll down a bag of cheddar Kettle chips. Yes, the whole bag.

After I wake up from a 4 hour nap, I'll settle in with a nice dinner. Maybe, I don't know, 4 cups of spaghetti topped with a country fried steak.

Shut up and eat your carbs!

No gravy for me; I'm watching my weight!

Another 4-hour-insulin-coma later, and I'm awake again. Time for a little snack before bedtime. We'll go with one more Super Sized Coke and a King Size Snickers; because it really satisfies!

Grand total:
552g carbs
85g fat
67g protein

After falling into yet another coma, I get to wake up and do it all over again tomorrow! And they wonder why heart disease is on the rise, despite their best "education" efforts.

For those of you interested in a real take on how many carbs one ought to get in their day, take a gander at this blog:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/

Now, go eat some bacon! (Don't worry; the delicious is worth the sodium bloat.)

Skipper's Challenge: Push

Here's what you'll need:


Prowler x 1

Expanse of space that can be scratched up x 1

Minutes x 15

Take the Prowler and load it up with some weights (I'm pretty weak, so I only loaded it with 280 pounds). Start the timer. Push it to the end of the expanse, turn it around, push it back. Repeat until you're out of minutes.

This exercise is pretty surprising. On the way out, you think, "this is easy." On the way back, you think, "I really ought to add more weight." When you stop after your first "rep" (there and back), you think, "huff puff huff puff . . . Nah, this weight is good."

It'll sneak up on you, but it's a fun way to get some cardio/resistance training in.

Go out there and, as Salt 'n Peppa says, Push It!

Skipper's Challenge: Nutrition

This is an easy one (though I have some tough, nutrition challenges up my sleeve for you all). All you have to do is watch a movie.

Hold it, there, tiger! Not any ol' movie you want; I have a specific one in mind.

I know you had your heart set on this. Too bad.

Grab some popcorn and Junior Mints and settle down with Fat Head. It's a documentary rebuttal to Super Size Me, because that one was stupid. Don't worry; it's as entertaining as it is informative (OK, maybe a little more informative than entertaining). On second thought, it might be best to skip the popcorn and Junior Mints; you may not feel like eating them during this film.

Hulu Link

Happy watching!

Skipper's Challenge: Get Out of Town

Every now and again (read: as often as possible), you need to get out and experience the world. I'm not talking about running off to Paris to settle that lingering, mid-life crisis; I mean enjoying the bounty of nature that God has provided us instead of sweating in an enclosed room with a rubberised floor and a bunch of poser dudes in sleeveless shirts and backwards hats.

Seeing that I live in Colorado Springs, it's practically cheating when it comes to enjoying nature. No long drives, no romanticising of boring landscapes; just miles and miles of picturesque, rolling mountains bathed in sunlight and draped with evergreens. The above photo was a quick shot taken from my phone camera. It really is that beautiful, here.

My wife and I took a couple of dogs and a couple of friends and headed for the hills for a little steady-state cardio. Nothing too crazy, here (we'll save the crazy hike for another post); just a little elevation and a lot of scenery. The hike itself was a little better than 2 miles, and about 415 ft. in elevation gain (I told you it was pretty tame). Still, I can think of worse ways to exercise over the weekend.

Get out there!