Aries Intake: Fill & Download for Free

You see this apple? Looks pretty tasty, yes? What if I told you that if you ate this after 8pm, you’d gain a half pound of fat.How many of you have heard that eating late in the day will screw up your metabolism and make you gain weight? Well, you’re not alone, and it seems like any time I post about my eating schedule, someone makes a comment about how I will become obese from eating food after 8pm. We hear from our mums, news outlets, and social media all the time that food after a certain time will make us fat.I’m here to tell you that food (and your body) don’t work like that.Many competitive athletes are familiar with the long and crazy hours that may disrupt our eating schedule. On one end of the spectrum are swimmers and rowers, who are often awake at 4am. On the other side of the spectrum are fencers and basketball players who routinely have practices that run up to 8pm and even later. So, for both sides of the crazy time spectrum, many athletes have odd eating hours.I, for one, usually ate dinner at 10pm in high school for almost 4 years straight. Since I had practices that ran from 5pm or 6pm to 9pm, it wasn’t always feasible to eat dinner beforehand. The only thing worse than a grueling three hour practice is a three hour practice on a full stomach. But, food is crucial to recovery post-training, and so I always opted to eat a big meal afterwards instead of forgoing the “no food after 5/6/7/8pm” rule. And unsurprisingly, I had visible abs throughout highschool. Meanwhile, my swimmer friends happily chowed down on huge dinners so they wouldn’t get hungry during practice the next morning, and still stayed as lean as ever. What gives?The phrase a “calorie is calorie” is a deceptively plain statement that can be argued until the cows come home (or don’t if they get turned into tasty burgers). Oftentimes it is used to mean that 100 calories of avocado is equivalent to 100 calories of frosting. And in some ways, this is true. For example, a nutrition professor consumed nothing but “junk food” (ex: Twinkies, Doritos, Oreos) and lost 27lbs in 10 weeks. It’s also worth noting, he was eating around 1600 calories a day. Now this doesn’t mean that his diet was “healthy”, per se. It just resulted in weight loss as it created a caloric deficit.It might not seem obvious why I brought this up, however. The answer lies within why exactly eating late at night is correlated with weight gain. Lets say you helped me set up folding chairs for an event for an hour today. In exchange, I give you $5.00 (in this fictional world we don’t have labor laws 😬),which you add to the $15.00 you already have in your pocket, which renews every day. So after a day of work, you have $20.00 in your wallet to spend. That means, you can buy a fancy Starbucks drink for breakfast ($4), a sandwich at Subway plus a tip for lunch ($6), a sweet potato and with some leftover chicken and veggies for dinner ($5). After dinner, you find yourself with an extra $5 and use it to buy a fancy cupcake while out with friends. So at the end of the night, you have $0.In terms of calories, it would look like this:400cal- breakfast600cal-lunch500cal-dinner500cal-dessert2000cal= totalNow imagine, you don’t help me set up the chairs the next day, but still have $15 that you budget daily for your calories. So you could do the same meals (breakfast ($4.00), lunch ($6.00), dinner ($5.00)) and spend all of your $15.00.The thing is, many people don’t do that, and when the opportunity presents itself, will splurge/eat that $5.00/500 calorie cupcake even if they’ve already hit 0 for the day.In short, the problem with eating late comes from people exceeding their caloric intake for their day, which is easy to do if you’re eating socially, because you’re stressed, or you’re bored. Oftentimes the food that we reach for late at night aren’t high-satiety fiber or protein filled foods (ex: Apples, jerky, celery & peanut butter), but that of the cupcake variety. Because of this, it becomes easy to habitually overeat and gain weight, especially if you’re snacking after a day of eating your entire caloric budget.So, you can happily enjoy your late-night dinner, drinks with friends, and ice-cream underneath the stars without worrying about gaining fat, as long as what you eat roughly equals what you burn. For example, you could in theory pick either of these two days of eating and maintain or lose weight in the same manner (depending on your current caloric needs)The choice is yours :)You don’t even necessarily need to count calories, but maybe examine your own night time eating practices instead. For example, if you’re unsatisfied with your weight and notice that you find yourself eating a chocolate bar after dinner each night, consider eating 1/2 of the bar for a change or replacing it with a less energy dense snack. The phrase “a calorie is a calorie” is flawed in many ways, but the most important message it sends is that we don’t have to be Puritanical about our eating habits and resign ourselves to a life on undressed salads and carrot chips, but instead evaluate what we’re eating and how it is (or isn’t) serving our goals.TL;DR- Consuming food after a certain time does not necessarily cause fat gain.Sources:Twinkie diet helps nutrition professor lose 27 pounds.Diet Truth or Myth: Eating at Night Causes Weight Gain.

TO ANY MED STAFF READING THIS: Thank you for all you do and the personal sacrifices you make, especially in these tough times. We appreciate you 💙There are some fights you win, and others you have to just count your losses in and prepare to get your ass kicked. I realized that I was in the latter situation, looking up at the 6′5″ ex-policeman hovering above me.I’ll preface this by saying that I have a reflexive punch. If fencing has taught me anything it’s that sometimes it’s better to stick your arm out and hope it does something than stand there and get hit. So this is a public warning- come at me with a needle, when I’m not expecting it, and be prepared to get reflexively punched. Truly, I don’t mean it, unless you’re trying to scare me; In that case, I definitely mean it. My friends know well by now that I am absolutely terrified with needles and they are not even in the realm of possibility for pranks. Hell, I hate even writing the word, looking at photos of it, or even thinking about it.On the 3rd of July, I was rushed to the emergency room with a fever well over 102 and rising steadily. By that point, I was absolutely laid out, and had precious little going on in my head other than “Ooh, pretty lights” (at the street lights going by) and “Am I going to die tonight?”. Who’d have thought that competing with a fever and a general low standard of health care was a bad idea?At 8:00 on that morning, I groggily suited up to compete in the USA Fencing Summer Nationals, held that year in Dallas, Texas. And, man, was I ever excited — it was my first-ever Summer Nationals and I was ready to kick ass! Unsurprisingly, 13-year-olds have an oddly optimistic world view. I told myself that the pain in my lungs was probably nothing, and that I was probably having trouble breathing because of allergies. We all tell those little lies to ourselves.A few short hours later, I wandered into the bathroom disappointingly, after failing miserably in competition (gee, I wonder why?), and began to strip down. As I stood back up from retying my shoes, the world spun around, and as I leaned against the stall waiting for it to stop, I realize it wasn’t. Still half-dressed in fencing whites, I stumbled out to where my family was and gasped out, “We need to leave.” I don’t really remember what happened next.Fast forward to that evening, and we were speeding through the muggy Texas air, on our way to the emergency room… against my protests. With my head in my sister’s lap, I looked up at her and thought, “I hope tonight isn’t the last night I get to see her.” Teens are dramatic like that, but I had never felt that terrible and disoriented in my young life. As she ran her fingers through my hair, and I caught the glimpse of an urgent care sign in the corner of the glass, I was brought back to reality. I affirmed to myself, “If I have to deal with needles of any kind, I’d rather die. I’ll just refuse.” Yes, that’s how scared I was of needles. Even in my deluded fever brain, though, I knew I sounded crazy. What I didn’t know is I wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.I don’t remember the intake process or the waiting room or how I got from the parking lot to the exam room, but I remember freaking out the second I had to lie down. By that part I was so far gone that I was operating on pure fight-or-flight response. Logic had been left back at the competition venue, before I felt like Alice in Horrorland. The animal part of my brain screamed “Run!” — and I kept on trying to get up and say I was fine. Unsurprisingly, I was not fineThe doctor spoke over me to my parents and I was too out of it to scream, “Look down! I can talk too!” In reality, I couldn’t even string two rational sentences together. And if I could even talk, nobody should’ve been listening to me because I had made enough shit decisions that day that led me to that hospital bed.Out of nowhere I caught the word, “IV” and I lost my shit. If I sounded crazy before, I definitely was crazy then. I was about to try to untangle the wires around me and escape on foot from the emergency room (I shit you not- that was my actual plan), until I saw what was coming around the door. A hulking 6′5″ beast of a man in a nursing uniform rounded the door, and looked down at me. Oh fuck, I wasn’t going to win this one.(Real size comparison: He looked like the tall dude on the right and I looked like the baby in the middle)Like a game warden whispering to an injured animal who’d tangled itself in barbed wire, he talked soothingly to me, while I continued to hyperventilate, now frozen in place. All I could think was, ”You’ve got to be kidding me.” I seriously thought I could fight my way out of this one before GI Joe showed up. And part of me did before he put the IV in — I tried pulling my arm back like I could wrap my little 13-year-old frame around it and avoid the needle. Nope. He held my arm, gently, but like a vice grip, and in that moment I knew there wasn’t shit I could do to fight him. So I relaxed after a few moments, stopped pulling away and let them help me…. The sedative also probably helped. 😆As I slowly uncoiled from the corner of the bed I’d tried to hid myself away in, he continued to talk to me, and slowly draw my mind off of the thing in my arm. He told me funny stories about things he’d done while working with the police, about his grandchildren, and about the horses he raised on his farm outside of town. With the help of a dose of sedatives and the adrenaline drop after I stopped panicking, I felt oddly okay if not seriously zonked.Eventually when I was back fully to my conscious not-fevered mind the next day, I felt so ashamed about the way that I had acted. I knew I was afraid, but never knew what a shitstorm fear could make when combined with exhaustion, adrenaline, and a fever. My family and I called back a few weeks later, still on the mend from what had caused the fever in a first place, and thanked him (and the other medical staff) for the help they had given me on that awful night. I wish I’d also thanked him for helping me get over my fear of needles through the most traumatic form of exposure therapy possible, but I’d be lying if I said I’m over it. 😉However, I’m proud to say I haven’t panic-punched anyone, doctors and nurses included, yet :)

Photo from: After Dropping Cigarettes, CVS Gives Snack Aisle A "Healthy" MakeoverThe thing about being “healthy” is that your perception of health changes as you do. For example, for the longest time I believed that foods made with “real” ingredients were better than foods with preservatives, regardless of their nutritional value (macro and micro nutrients)… for no real reason. I just read on the internet that certain things were “unhealthy”, but was too young to apply critical thinking and consider how it was healthy or unhealthy to me.Let’s pretend we’re going on a shopping trip to the mall for some snacks on a road trip. Based off of my personal needs, I’ll describe why I used to think each product is healthy, and why I wouldn’t choose it now.First up a drink while we shop: Jamba Juice (PB and Banana Protein)Before: Ooh it has bananas and peanut butter! Those are healthy, right? And protein is always good, because you can’t get to much protein if you want gainzzzz.After: Oh God, 810 calories for a large? And 68 grams of sugar (and only 3g of fiber), which are definitely not from the bananas alone. If I want to free myself of the task of chewing or get some cals in quick, it isn’t a terrible option. But on the average day that’ll not be super satisfying and honestly kind of boring.Next, a light lunch before we hit the road: California Pizza Kitchen (Morrocan Salad)Before: Ooh, a salad! It has no refined white grains in it, so it’s got to be better than pasta or pizza. Also, there’s nuts in it, which are supposed to be good for you, so the entire thing is healthy.After: Hah, nope! At 1500 calories (about half of my daily intake), a entire bowl of this really isn’t worth the caloric cost. I’d rather have half, then add extra chicken, and enjoy a scoop of ice cream at the end. If I’m going to be eating 80 grams of sugar, I’d much more enjoy it in the form of ice cream.Now in the store, we head to the snack aisle, and shimmy down to the healthy snacks aisle…1: Bobo’s Oat Bars (Banana)Before: Awesome, they’re organic, all natural, and vegan. That’s like triple health, right? And it’s just oats and bananas, which is super healthy.After: *Flips bar over and reads* Holy f*ck, you’re telling me this little thing, that barely covers half of my plam is almost 400 calories! And only 3g of protein snuck in there. Pass, I’d rather have a Justin’s peanut butter pack with two bananas to bide my time.2: Quest BarsBefore: Well, everyone at the gym eats them and they taste like dessert at only 200 cals. This is a way tastier way to get protein in than plain chicken. It even has no added sugar.After: Oh god, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Every time someone even says “Mint Chip Quest Bar” my stomach starts silently weeping. I f*cking love Quest Bars (especially when nuked for a couple seconds in the microwave), but a 3 a day habit to get extra energy in isn’t healthy. Spending an hour a day on the loo isn’t healthy and sure doesn’t feel great if my stomach starts grumbling on ling distance runs. So, Quest Bars are healthy, for me, but ONLY IN MODERATION.3: Banana ChipsBefore: Heyoo, more bananas! Got to love a “clean” carb source. I’m being so healthy and not choosing chips.After: What the heck, there are 140cals in a piddly 1/4 cup? And the entire bag is 1280 cals. Maybe not the best choice of things to mindlessly snack on while being sedentary for a few hours.4: Starbucks Bistro BoxBefore: There we go, it says protein again! And it has an egg in it which I’m sure has loadddds of protein. Plus that museli looks whole grain.After: Eh, not too bad. 23 grams of protein in 470cals is pretty decent for a lunch, though I’m not sure how satisfied or full I’d truly be. Also, just because it says “multigrain” doesn’t mean any of those multiple grains are necessarily whole.5: Lenny & Larry’s Complete CookieBefore: Omg, a face sized cookie sounds so yummy! It’s in GNC and every gym in California, so it’s probably healthy.After: Wait, you’re telling me the serving size is only HALF a cookie? I feel honestly so attacked, and was just out here to have a good time (lol). On a serious note, 420cals can be a serious amount to have after consuming a full meal. And there’s only 16g of protein in the WHOLE cookie, leading me to believe it wouldn’t be the most satiating or muscle building thing to swap for a meal. So, I’d rather do a slightly smaller cookie (say a Quest cookie) and get more of my nutrition from a solid meal that will keep me full.Done! These are just my personal takes while shopping, and I understand what’s healthy for me may not be healthy for everyone. With time our understanding of what is good for us changes with our needs and this is just a quick snapshot into changes in the past 5 years from my life, I highly doubt that in 10 years my main nutritional goal will be fitting in 3000+ cals daily haha.