I couldn't agree more. And now, while I think salads are delicious, I also think that Indian food, jambalaya, and fried chicken are equally delicious. My point wasn't that salads aren't delicious, but rather that they can get monotonous, and at some point, you do crave something that's unhealthy. And the reality is, you have to give in, otherwise you'll go stir crazy.

Re: water vs. soda, while everyone loves water, I prefer having something flavored to drink. Not all the time, but at least half the time, I prefer that my hydration is through something that's not water.

And actually, I have a preference for certain types of candy, and certain types of chips (and yes, Doritos). What can I say?

And I will say that after a good evening's rock climbing, my favorite thing to do is hit the local bar and get a coupe of large beers. It may be bitter, but I certainly love the way it tastes. And don't even get me started on gin and tonic.

But to your point, a lot of these things, including beer, could very well be cultural conditioning.

However, I think there's a difference between realizing that something unhealthy you enjoy is good in moderation versus rejecting it entirely. I eat a lot of things that are of questionable nutritional value -- I just don't make them my primary source of sustenance, and I certainly don't spit them up.

My personal philosophy is what I call IIFYM -- if it fits your macros. As long as the food I eat meets my macro nutritional requirements, I am happy (i.e. within my caloric limit, ideal ratio of protein:fat:carbs, not overtly rich in sodium etc). That means sometimes, I eat a pizza for breakfast and lunch, and dinner is greens and a protein shake. Other times, it means, I go out drinking with my buddies and fill up on beer and bar food, and make sure that the rest of my week is pretty good. I find that it's a lot more sustainable in the long run.

Your math is completely off.

A 4 oz. filet of grilled salmon has 25g protein and is 233 calories. A similar sized chicken breast (skinless) is also similar in nutritional value. Steak tips have slightly lower protein at about the same caloric value, let's say 20g.

Egg whites usually give you ~4g for 20 calories and scrambled eggs are at 100 calories with 7g of protein. A cup of low fat cottage cheese is usually around 200 calories and also gives you 25 grams of protein. A cup of Greek yogurt is at 120 calories, with 12g of protein.

Throw in two scoops of a whey shake at 24g for 120 calories.

Now let's do the math. Let's say you had two scrambled eggs for breakfast - that comes to 200 calories and 14g of protein. A greens salad with some dressing that's at ~100 calories and negligible protein with a grilled chicken breast or salmon. You have two Greek yogurts as your afternoon snack. And dinner is some steak, cottage cheese, and two scoops of whey.

Suddenly, you're at 156 grams of protein for the day, at a little over 1400 calories. If you're a 5'9 male at 155 lbs, you'll need ~2000 calories a day. That still leaves you with 600 calories to play around with -- a bag of chips, a cup of coffee, a banana, a muffin, and some grilled vegetables. Or hell, you can have a Big Mac *every day* at 550 calories (just stay away from the fries).

I hope you fall in a well.

But because of my increased endurance and strength, I will claw my way out of any well, alive and ready to spread my madness to this world.

I am tired of hearing this argument.

Getting in shape is not rocket science - all it takes is motivation, and persistence.

You think those of us who are fit enjoy eating salads? Do you really think I enjoy drinking water instead of soda? Or do you think we somehow magically like candy less than everyone else? We are still humans, and we crave the exact same things. A bag of Doritos and some beer look just as tempting to us as they look to you.

Getting in shape is almost entirely about dietary control. You even see it in the article, where the guy says that his company got him a gym membership. No, the solution is not a gym membership -- it is good diet.

And at the end of the day, diet is much easier than working out.

There is a reason people say that six pack abs are made in the kitchen. Every time I've had a six pack, it's been entirely because my diet has been in check. And when overeat, it doesn't matter how much or how hard I work out -- you cannot outrun a shitty diet.

Besides,someone who eats healthy and does not work out is often in better shape than someone who eats junk and "works out" for half hour a day. Most of those people just use their momentum to do some crazy exercises with piss poor forms, and eat unhealthy crap afterwards because they've worked out (think middle aged man with flabby biceps and a beer gut trying to bench press, when he probably has 50% body fat).

The solution to getting in shape is fairly simple. As long as you're in a caloric deficit, get enough protein (~1g/lb of lean body mass), and engage your muscles (I prefer to lift + rock climb + row), then you will shed the fat.

At the end of the day, it comes down to simple math. You just need to burn more than you eat. And often, it's just a lot easier to not eat that bag of chips or only eat a salad for lunch and dinner than, say, run it off.

For instance, a bag of Lays kettle chips is ~200 calories and a regular size chocolate chip cookie is ~180 calories. A bowl of Cap'n Crunch with skim milk? 300 calories. Add some sugar to that, and just having these will put you over 600 calories. That's ONE hour of running at 6mph.

Instead, you can have some egg whites and oatmeal for lunch, two salads, and perhaps some baked lean meat or seafood for lunch and save yourself a whole lot of calories.

This whole culture of saying that something is too difficult because it's an addition is nonsense. Whatever happened good old fashioned responsibility and personal accountability?

I don't care *how* it flies so long as I can have it chase anything larger than a hummingbird, yet smaller than a cat, that moves.

@*#(*^% air rats eating my seeds, berries, and other fruit. Go at them while emitting raptor cries . . .

hawk

Indeed. Slashdot has always discussed politics of import, and this is no different.

Not to mention, I consider this to be Slashdot maturing in terms of the type of topics that are discussed.

There are plenty of sites that discuss the "shiny new tech thingy" -- Slashdot ceased to be that site a long time ago. These days, I consider it to be a good mix of tech, business, and politics -- one whose readers offer up (mostly) intelligent opinions that I can relate to.

Better yet, hire a lawyer without MPD and follow his advice (or "her," if the specific lawyer is female).

Speaking as a lawyer, never, EVER higher a lawyer that can be referred to in the plural . . . :)

hawk, esq.

Why do you think I have dochawk.org, rather than dochawk.com?

I checked for dochawk.com. Available. Went to register the next day, and gone. Scratched my head.

Then I checked dochawk.net. Waffled a day, and it was gone.

So I just registered dochawk.org.

And then the bit elsewhere where they double-billed and held data hostge . . .

hawk

Don't forget double-billing your account each month, which triggers your credit card company to auto-cancel the fraudulent, err, second charge, and using *that* to cancel you for non-payment, while continuing to charge you each month, and demanding either a year's service contract or $100 to recover your backup . . .

not that they pulled that on me . . .

hawk

Ummm, the mirrors are to ensure that you have good form when you work out.

The goal of bodybuilding is indeed aesthetics, and they do not hide it. Their goal is not functional -- rather, their goal is the full development of every muscle on the body in a proportional manner.

And that does not mean it's easy, either. People often assume that that degree of muscular development is just "lifting weights" and that is the farthest from the truth. Bodybuilding entails making sure that you pretty much develop every visible muscle group, without any one group looking out of proportion than the other. For instance, my chest and calves are the hardest to build, and it takes me a lot of effort to ensure that they develop in proportion to the rest of my body, my shortcomings notwithstanding.

However, bodybuilders are far from the best examples of fitness simply because their whole bulk/cut regimen isn't healthy, not to mention the overabundance of supplements that they consume. But I cannot tell from your post if you're referring to all bodybuilders (including the professional ones) or to the popular perception of the gym rat bodybuilder.

But there is a part of your argument that I disagree with - while they body builders may not be as strong as they should be, given their muscular density, that is by design. They're still stronger than most people (I mean, if you're squatting over a thousand pounds, imagine crushing something with those legs).

They may have some shortcomings compared to others of a leaner makeup, and that is a function of what they focus on. As a rock climber, I am more agile but my mirror muscles will never get that big; but despite having great lung capacity, my lung capacity will never equal that of my wife's, who's a long distance swimmer. Similarly, despite being strong and flexible, I cannot dream of ever squatting anything over 350 lbs. Because at some level, you hit a very realistic limit that cannot be overcome without additional muscle mass.

Bodybuilders are extremely good at what they do - i.e. push their muscle development to the max. You cannot judge a fish by how high it can fly.

>But when I get on a bus, i know where its going.
>These buses may decide my destination is not
>worthwhile, and take me far from where I expected.

Actually, that's not it.

They've figured out that you're *wrong* about where you want to go, and will take you to the *right* place.

So welcome your new bus overlords . . .

hawk

My son is 3 months old, and I walk around in a dazed stupor. It's a miracle that I am functional most of the time. Fortunately, my job has been greatly understanding, so that's been helpful.

Can't spell Snowden right, eh?

The last option should be changed to Snowen who, to match the typo.

Slashdot's editorial service at its best.