Hmmmmmm....

Snack foods don't fatten kids.

That's interesting, but not quite news to people who don't subscribe to the latest hue and cry about heath in this country. While the government and nanny-statists shriek about how horrible it is to have fat people, and how we should just DO something, people like my parents have been shaking their heads and sighing.

Here's an equasion for you folks out there. If calorie intake is greater than calorie usage, you will gain weight. If your calorie intake is LESS than your calorie usage, you will lose weight.

Now granted, that's pretty simplified, and there are always exceptions to the rule. But the exceptions PROVE the rule. Want to lose weight? Either eat fewer calories or raise the level of calorie use (i.e. get off your ass and excersise).

Please notice that I never said "EAT LESS", I said "EAT FEWER CALORIES". Five ounces of carrot sticks carry fewer calories than five ounces of potato chips or french fries. Me, I eat like a damn whale. Seriously, I'm always eating. But it's WHAT I eat that I care about, not how much. Lots of fruit. Apples, pears, bananas, bring 'em on. Salads. Lean meat. I pull the skin off my chicken before I cook it, that takes away 80% of the fat content right there. You want fried chicken without the fat? Try this:

Skinless chicken.
Two eggs.
breadcrumbs (seasoned or not, whatever you prefer)

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Coat the chicken with egg, and then roll it in breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 350 until done (about 30-45 minutes). You can tell it's done when you stick it with a fork and no blood comes out. Clear liquid is fine.

There ya go. It has a crunchy "skin" just like fried chicken, but without the fat from the skin or the grease from the cooking. Less fat means less calories, since fat is rather calorie heavy.

Look at your starch intake. Starches are transformed into sugar in your body. People who run a lot will be familiar with carbo-loading, eating lots of carbohydrates the night before a big event. If you don't use that sugar, your body turns it into fat for storage. When I was running five miles a day, I was eating tons of pasta and rice. When I got out of active duty, I cut down on my starches. I'm eating more fruits and veggies in place of those carbs.

I still eat the same amount, but I don't eat the same things.

If you really want to be healthy, don't listen to all the hysteria that crops up on a weekly basis. Eat healthy (more veggies!), and excersise (even if it's just walking around the block a few times). That's it. It really is that simple.