LL Cool J Loves “Cheat Meals”

Oh, ladies… we do love “Cool James” don’t we?

Men, you know you love him too – just more of an envious kind of love, eh? ;)

LL Cool J recently released a new program called Platinum 360 which involves an eating plan and workout schedule. He claims that it’s helped him get in shape while working on NCIS: Los Angeles. (I’ve been on sets before… Craft Services tables are a total nightmare for dieters!)

So last week, he was on one of my favorite shows, The Doctors. He was there to talk about his new diet and exercise plan, LL Cool J’s Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle: A Full-Circle Guide to Developing Your Mind, Body, and Soul .

Sounds to me like it actually takes the whole “common sense” stuff and breaks it down in a way that’s easier to “digest”. Ha. I kid.

Carbohydrates, Fat & Protein

CARBOHYDRATES
Bad Carbs = Simple Sugars (soda, candy, white rice, white bread).
Good Carbs = Whole grains, natural (fruit) sugars in moderation, veggies.

Seriously, kids. I mean, we all know that we need carbohydrates for fuel. We all know that we should be eating real oatmeal and not “Sugar Crunchies” for breakfast (or donuts, for that matter).

Eat a whole grain bagel with some peanut butter. Better still? Shmear some Laughing Cow Cheese on that baby. I SWEAR it’s just like cream cheese! I’m partial to the French Onion flavored wedges. One per bagel half and I’m in total breakfast heaven.

FATS

Women especially need fat in their diet, to facilitate hormone production. But everyone needs fat (a total fat-free diet WILL make you sick). Many vitamins and minerals are fat-soluble only, meaning they’ll only be absorbed into the body when broken down by the fat we eat.

Think of traffic lights. Red, yellow, and green.

Red = Saturated fats like deep fried foods, lard, some oils, full-fat dressings and sauces.

Yellow = Use caution, these are fine in moderation. We’re talking eggs, milk, cheese, stuff like that.

Green = Unsaturated fats. Think salmon, almonds, avocado. Yum!

PROTEIN

You must remember this from 7th grade health class, right? We need protein because it’s the building block for all your body’s cells, but especially muscle. Yes, your HEART is a muscle. Think about that. We’re not talking about you eating a whole chicken every day so you can bulk up and look like LL Cool J. This is basic body function type muscle strength.

Protein also helps prevent sugar spikes in your blood. Hello!!! Diabetics! Pay attention! Eat up the white meat turkey and chicken (skinless, please) and add in some tuna, nonfat Greek yogurt, low-fat cheeses. Stay away from the Atkins ill-advised bacon and fatty steak, okay?

Check this out: If your body doesn’t get protein in food, it’s going to steal it from your body’s muscle. Do YOU want to be sitting there 10 years from now with pain and weakness in your body? I don’t!

LL’s Number One Tip

Mix up your food based on your workouts. Shock your body. Confuse it, eat carbs then don’t. Eat fat, then don’t.

This isn’t a new revelation, people. Back when I was on Weight Watchers, with their POINTS system, there was a member-derived plan based on one woman’s success with it called the Wendie Plan. The POINTS system basically told you that you had a certain number of POINTS you could eat each day. POINTS basically were an easy way to count calories. Once you met your POINTS, you were done. Well, the Wendie Plan said that instead of eating say, 30 POINTS a day, you’d take the 210 POINTS you got each week and mixed it up. Have ONE cheat day a week.

Example:

Sunday – 25 (Low)
Monday – 30 (Normal)
Tuesday – 22 (Low)
Wednesday – 41 (Cheat Day – Super High)
Thursday – 27 (Low)
Friday – 35 (High)
Saturday – 30 (Normal)

You can do this with daily caloric intake just the same. LL adds in that you should vary up the actual types of food you eat, based on carbs, fat, or protein. So say on your cheat day, you’d have that double cheeseburger or the 2 pieces of fried chicken. But you need to workout extra on that day. On your light days, where you stick mainly to fruit and veggies or something, you’d take it a little easier on the workout.

I simply love this idea. Shocking your body keeps it alert and not knowing what’s happening next. The Wendie Plan works like a charm (when I did it, I consistently lost 2-3 pounds per week). I can’t see why this idea wouldn’t work too!

The Bottom Line

It boils down to common sense and portion control. I’m sick of hearing people whine about not being able to lose weight. It’s basic, people. Eat right, move your body, and damnit, walk tall!

Yes, this makes the assumption that you’re not on medicine or have a health issue that prevents you from losing weight. If that’s the case, talk to your doctor and a nutritionist. But if you’re a reasonably average human being, with lots of desire and no medical reason behind your excessive weight, then laziness (which yes, I’m quite subject to myself) is your only cause.

You know how. It’s just a matter of doing it.

Diabetes Watch: Love Your Junky Trunk!

Okay, so according to a recent study, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, and Shakira will likely never have to worry about diabetes.

Granted, thus far the study has only been done on mice, and we all know that means that it may or may not yet apply to humans. But what they did was take subcutaneous fat (the layer of fat right below the skin) from the buttocks and moved it to the abdomen areas of the mice. The result was a drop in body weight and blood sugar levels in those mice. Researchers believe there is something in this kind of fat that improves the metabolism of glucose.

What they do know is that women with a larger backside and smaller stomachs have a lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes than women with large amounts of abdominal fat. It all goes back to Dr. Oz and his grotesque display of that “omentum” on Oprah a few years back.

Belly fat in the omentum is probably the most dangerous. It’s only job is to provide fuel to your internal organs, but when you have too much and are not eating properly, it’s delivering toxic fuel to those organs. Fuel loaded with chemicals and poisons that aren’t good for your body. It’s almost the equivalent to putting sugar in your car’s gas tank. Fortunately with the body, as opposed to a sugared tank, you can actually reverse it before it kills the car.

If you’re interested in learning more about how your body works, especially when you’re dieting, you need to grab a copy of You: On A Diet by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz. It’s on my reading list for sure.

So get out those “Apple Bottom Jeans” and wear them with pride, ladies! (But get your bellies flat first!)

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Tools to Life Review

Image via CrunchBase

“Change” has been a huge buzzword lately, what with the election of US President Barack Obama, the new year with resolutions abound… I think 2009 is going to be called “The Year of Change”. That said, I’d like to talk about a website that features self help programs to encourage this change within yourself, Tools to Life.

Tools to Life is a 100% free online program that claims to provide you with all you need to help make changes in your life. To “create YOUR best life” according to the site. I do like the fact that it’s completely free – as you know, I’m a huge fan of free!

Sign-up was easy and took seconds. Create a username and password, give your birth date, and you’re in. There’s lots to see and do, but don’t get overwhelmed. You might want to begin by filling out a complete profile. Add your schools, jobs, a photo, set up your notifications, and write a little about yourself.

Once you’ve filled out your profile, check out the inspirational motivation podcasts, or join one of the several life coaching support groups there are. There are lots of challenges you can join too, everything from adding cardio workouts to your daily routine, to keeping a clean house, to avoiding alcohol or fast foods. I love how diverse the membership is on this site! You’ll find people from 16 to well into their “golden years” all working together to support and encourage each other to reach their goals, one step at a time.

Fair warning: The goals and challenges are extremely diverse. You’re going to find people who have addictions to more than just drugs or alcohol. I ran across a couple challenges that were sexual (avoiding pornography, for example). Please try not to judge those with issues if they’re different than your own. We all have things we’d like to walk away from and the way I see it, if you’re working on becoming what you perceive to be “a better person”, then good for you! For some it’s a more “PC” addiction like fast food or even smoking, and for others it’s often more “harsh” than that. If it’s not an interest of yours, just skim on past to find something more closely related to your own needs.

There are some great programs on here too. Being that I’m trying once again to lose weight, I joined the Body Makeover program. I’m really excited to join this program, and maintain my “contract” by logging in daily and keeping track of my progress.

All in all, I have to say that I’m really very pleased with the Tools to Life site. It seems a lot more in depth and better organized than some other free sites I’ve seen out there, and I truly encourage you to take a peek and sign up!

[Sponsored Post]

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