Agent Approved

Here's another recipe from 007. A new twist on a classic. Trader Joe's also sells an assortment of sprouted wheat bread (including Ezekiel). Sprouted bread is the only bread we typically have in the house. Exceptional ingredients in sprouted bread and protein to boot!

Susie and I make a version of this for our kids and they love it. This one is Agent approved!

Do you still crave Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and tomato soup but detest the artery clogging components of Velveeta, sodium and White bread. So do I.

Ingredients:

• Smart Balance Margarine
• Ezekiel Bread-Loaded with fiber and protein
• Carrot, celery, broccoli or asparagus spears as garnish
• Galaxie Brand Soy cheddar Cheese Slices or low fat cheddar

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Everyone loves the traditional American Icon, the Grilled Cheese Sandwich and tomato soup. We grew up on them with a steaming bowl of salty canned tomato soup. Well, how’s that working out for you? If you still make them with white bread, butter and Velveeta, well, you might consider altering the ingredients a bit to render this artery clogger a pleasantly satisfying, healthful lunch.

The processed white bread spikes blood sugar levels encouraging diabetes and contains nothing of any nutritional values; the Velveeta cheese is nothing but oil and then there’s the butter - well, you know.

This new version using Smart Balance, Soy Cheese and Whole Wheat Bread fools even my toughest critics; the grand kids. Simply don’t make a big deal of the change and no one will notice. Serve the sandwich with carrot, celery, radishes or broccoli pieces and buy BOXED soups in the healthy section of your grocers. Pacific brand is lovely. Brand name soups contain astronomical amounts of salt plus the interior lining of canned foods from coast to coast have been discovered to contain BPA; a carcinogen.

Prepare the classic sandwich in the traditional manner.

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Once Again . . .

Once again, I have been reminded of simple logic and understanding with regards to health. And, once again this reminder came from my son . . .

My wife and son arrived home the other day right around dinner time. My son asked if he could have a "lunchable" (pre-packaged and processed-but resembles miniature hot dogs, kind of). Let me preface the rest of this story by saying that we rarely allow him to eat these, but have battled his day to day exposure to our society, which in turn makes him want them and every other very colorfully packaged posion on the supermarket shelves.

My wife agreed to let him have one, since he did need to eat something . . . he responded by saying thanks and that he wanted to eat one everyday for dinner. My wife of course explained that he could only have them once and a while, since they weren't really healthy. Then the long pause came before his question . . . "why would people make food that wasn't healthy for your body?"

Why would they indeed?

So, again I stop and think about how smart my 4 and half year old is. No, actually I think about how dumb we adults are. For so many years of my adult life, I knew that I shouldn't eat the way I did, but continued to regardless. I understood years ago what "partially hydrogenated" or "high fructose corn syrup" really was. In fact, I was raised in a home that discouraged those things and focused on healthy eating and lifestyle. However, I still ended up out there on my own, buying the double stuffed oreos and supersizing my way right up to a 40-inch waist and high cholesterol.

As you well know, I talk a lot about change. So, how do we continue to elicit behavioral change in our society so that maybe, just maybe one day we are more inclined to make food healthier for our bodies? That initiative is well underway, with all the green movements and organic products that have become so trendy these days. But beyond the marketing tactics and clear business need for this in the today's marketplace, how do we change.

We keep doing what we are doing. And, we keep teaching the younger generation. Although there will always be "things" which are bad for us (both physically & mentally), I hope that what I teach my son, will become part of the foundation by which he educates his own children. Perhaps one day, when he is faced with a question like this from his kids, our world view will have changed a bit more. But, if he takes his current understanding into adulthood, then I will know that I have done my part.

Josh Neimark - Agent of Change

Update . . .

I realized it had been a while since I provided an update on my own fitness related accomplishments, so here it is.

First a quick re-cap . . .

June 2006 – Admitted to the Mayo Clinic with an undiagnosed illness. Cholesterol was off the charts, a mass had been identified in my chest, a number of “unrelated” health issues found . . . and at a near all time high weight of approximately 246 pounds.

10-months later . . . 166 pounds, bizarre ailment gone, mass decreased in size drastically, cholesterol in perfect range (actually on the low-end). All due to my self-prescribed regimen of diet and exercise. And, what I had thought to be a fairly healthy approach.

A few months ago . . .

I meet Mark Severn online, a personal trainer who resides in California. After a month or so of trading email, he offers his assistance in helping me achieve new fitness goals we had discussed. Very quickly through Mark’s experience and education, we both decide (well, he knew, I had to understand and decide myself) that I had actually lost too much weight and was borderline on what is referred to as a catabolic state. A physical state in which your body is burning too many calories and thus “eating” you away (at least your muscle tissue). After many measurements and calculations, Mark determines that I should gain somewhere in the range of 20-pounds of muscle and increase my body fat percentage a small amount (for health reasons). And the new adventure began.

This new strategy would be trying. But for me, more a mental challenge. As someone who had spent so many months watching the numbers on the scale drop, I now had to look for them to rise. My workouts changed, my eating changed; and my mindset began to change. Mark and I operate a private blog which records measurements, journal entries, photos and many many questions and comments.

4-weeks after starting the program with Mark, I had gained 5-pounds and my body fat percentage remained exactly the same at 6.9%. I basically gained all muscle . . . good start.

I am now in the second month of training with Mark. Once again my workouts changed, my caloric intake was increased again (3500 calories/day & 240 grams of protein/day). I have now gained a total of around 8-9 pounds and we are a week and half or so away from my next set of measurements.

I continue to work hard, work diligently; and am seeing tangible results. Particularly when I look in the mirror. I also continue to struggle, as the changes we now look for are measured precisely. It’s not as simple as looking down at the numbers displayed on the scale every morning. I also continue to embrace the change while striving for the “balance” I have mentioned so many times before.

Mark recently joked with me on the phone about how many ounces of water I had consumed . . . pointing out to one of his clients that if he told me to drink a precise amount, I would not be one gram over or under. And, although that does basically describe my commitment, I look to change that as well. From the beginning, Mark has kept my “goals” top of mind. And, although they have changed a bit throughout the beginning of this process, aside from the physical goals, I have to find a place where I can bend the rules, at least a little bit. Perhaps I could “cheat” more often, drink a bit less water one day when I clearly feel I have had enough, skip a workout when I just don’t feel up to it. But, change takes time. It has been over a year since I began my quest, and the past change came much slower than the current ones. So, I will be patient, stay focused and press on.

Josh – Agent of Change

Perfect . . . Far from it

Perfection is something I don’t think anyone is likely to achieve. In fact, if you did, then where would there be to go? There are those who have read or heard my story and feel as if “I have arrived”, I have achieved all I can, no need to do more . . .

Well, let me be the first to tell you, I am far from perfect. Yes, I have accomplished and exceeded many goals, but I am far from perfection. I eat a very balanced and healthy diet, my cholesterol is finally in line, I have lost weight, overcome the bizarre medical condition I was plagued with . . . but there is plenty of room for improvement.

I also drink way too much coffee, I don’t drink nearly enough water and rarely, if ever, take much needed rest time for me. I struggle with the theory (which is absolutely valid) of eating smaller amounts and more often, I almost never “cheat” and I don’t exactly know how to proceed towards my new goals.

So, what is the point of this post?

The point is we need to find balance. Balance is not only essential with regards to physical training or diet, but in life. It is very easy to think you are balanced when you are winning a battle such as weight loss and improved health, but what do we neglect in that quest? Perhaps it is the time you would spend with family, the time you might relax and read a book, or the time you could be doing more for others.

Although my current goals are being redefined (soon to be shared), finding this much needed balance is at the top of my list. Specific to weight loss and my past experiences, lack of balance is a big component of why my lifestyle and behavior “relapsed” when I had achieved goals in the past. It was just too hard to keep maintaining, lack of balance.

Over the last year, so much of what I do everyday has truly become habit. This is good. That will make continuing much of my behavioral pattern much easier. Now, I need to figure out how to be more efficient, more effective and balance that with other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Physical health is only part of “well being”. Just like everything else in our universe, balance is the key. Our carbon emissions are way out of balance, so our planet is suffering. Cultural tension around the globe is out of balance, we have increasing amounts of conflict. Workaholics don’t spend enough time with their families and end up in dysfunctional relationships.

Balance is the key. I strive to achieve it.

I am going to drink more water, drink less coffee and try to rest more. But, I am also going to spend more time focusing on my kids, my wife, taking time to reflect . . . and find balanced health and well being. My improved health is a definite start, but the journey is far from over.

Josh Neimark – Agent of Change

On with it already!

So . . .as I sat in my hotel room directly across from the Mayo Clinic, I was less than upbeat. I had ended up in this place due to a variety of circumstances. Many were due to my own neglect, others simply bizarre and unexplainable. Either way, it was day 3 of my trip and I reflected on the news I had just been given. My cholesterol was way out of whack, my chest scans had revealed a mass right over my heart, my weight was too high (according to BMI-body mass index charts obese - although as I post photos shortly most would not have placed me in that category) and the strange allergic reactions I had been suffering from for the past 3-years were still undiagnosed.

Primarily, I continued to focus on the reason I went to Mayo. For 3-years I had spent nearly everyday with pains, hives all over my body (I'll eventually post pictures of that as well) and the beginning process of anaphylactic shock following the hives each day. The "attacks" occurred generally at night (many assumptions about how night time played into all this), leaving me struggling through each attack until the mass amounts of Benadryl would kick into action. Imagine the next morning trying to get out of the coma-like feeling (from the Benadryl primarily). This routine had gotten way too old.

Many months prior to being scheduled at the Mayo Clinic I had become my own advocate. I read books on the subject of Urticaria (a type of hives), scoured the Internet for some new discovery, someone else who was going through this as well, I couldn't be alone could I? Family and friends tried to help, I took an assortment of vitamins, anything I could try was better then remaining passive. . .

When it was time to leave Mayo (upon my request, I'm certain they would have been able to identify other areas of interest if they had more time), I was given just a few prescriptions for Allegra, Singular, Zantac and one other - a cocktail as it was described. The goal, control the outbreaks (notice I did not say "fix" the outbreaks). Although looking back, I (and my regular doctor) certainly believe that the mass in my chest (the Thymus gland-feel free to Google for more information) were directly related to the allergic reactions I had been experiencing, it was clear I had other problems to deal with . . .

I had an 11 hour drive ahead of me to return home (oh yeah, if you ever have to go to the Mayo Clinic from a great distance - fly!), boy was that ample time to reflect. I drove straight through, replaying all that had happened at my visit, the painful exams, the disheartening news, and the lack of answers. I had to do something, and I had to do it soon.

I decided I would start cycling . . .