Me and Charlize Theron

Who the hell am I comparing myself to a supermodel, you ask?  Well, according to a nifty little chart from the BBC, our BMI's are probably pretty similar.

What am I talking about? This, the global fat scale!  This is a fun and informative gadget where you enter your weight and height and it spits back a bunch of information at you like what your BMI is, where you rank on the national scale of your country (average, above average, etc.) and what country's people your BMI most resembles.  Mine is South Africa, hence the Charlize Theron connection.

Here's an interesting fact: I had a few of my friends do this and not one of them had a BMI similar to an American.  My friends are a pretty fit bunch so I wasn't too shocked, but it says a lot about the size (literally) of our country when people who are of a healthy weight are not the common denominator.

This is not ok.

Yeah.  I said it.

I know you have heard me preach about body acceptance day after day, but there is a big difference between acceptance and denial.  We are a country that's in denial.  And because we see so many people around us who are also in denial, this has become the new normal.  I repeat: this is not ok.

When I was in throes of my ED, running to the bathroom to throw up my food post meal was my "normal".  Is that an ok health behavior to you, dear reader?  No?  If you saw me doing this would you try to tell me to stop?  Well then why should I stand by and watch you eat yourself into an early death?  Someone needs to grab us by our collective shoulders and shake us into waking the hell up.

Yes, losing weight is hard.  Yes, it can be un-fun.  And yes, even once you lose the weight you have to maintain healthy habits, which isn't as easy as downing 4 beers on a Friday night.   But what IS fun is being able to go hiking with your friends, to be there for your kids into your old age, to be able to move a table you bought off craig'slist into your apartment (Did it this week, thankyouverymuch!).

The only way we can improve our standing in the international health rankings is by each making a commitment to our own health.  I'm not asking you to be responsible for the American population's average BMI, just yours.  So check out your chart, and if you don't have a healthy BMI, let's get moving! 

Protein: not just for dudes.

Ladies, repeat after me:

Protein is your friend. 

Yes, that's right, your friend.  It can't break your heart or punch you in the face.  It's there to make you full and help your muscles stay strong.  So why are so many women afraid of it?

The other day, I was standing in my favorite smoothie place in LA, Bodyfactory , which is known for it's lower sugar, higher protein, overall healthier smoothies.  After placing my order I listened to the woman behind me give hers,

"I'd like a bitty berries smoothie but please only half a scoop of protein.  I don't want to get too big."

I openly stared at her like she'd grown a second head.  Or incredible hulk muscles.  This had to be one of the most asinine fitness statements I have ever heard.  I'm here to tell you, 30 grams of protein in a meal WILL NOT MAKE YOU GET BIG.  If that was the case we'd all have rippling muscles instead of just a tryptophan hangover after Thanksgiving dinner.

This is not the result of an extra chicken breast.
Wait....is that a man?

Newsflash: those women in bodybuilding competitions did not just wake up one morning, eat a few extra eggs and poof! Muscles!  They have spent months training very hard and eating very specifically and you'll see that even after all that hard, calculated work, they still are no where near the size of their male counterparts.  But trust me, lifting a few weights and eating some cottage cheese will not make you suddenly rip through your brand new Chloe blouse.

So how much protein SHOULD you be eating?  Ah, the $10,000 question.  There's a whole convoluted equation that you can read about here, at Fitsugar.

Or if you hate math (like I do) you can try this: eat protein at every meal.  In a perfect world you'll be eating 6 times a day (another post for another day) and this constant intake of protein will keep your metabolism firing and your body consistently fueled.  This makes resisting the office birthday cake WAY easier.  But I promise, it will not cause you to be confused with that meathead in the cubicle next to you.

Bon protein!