Healthy reading (FFP August Book Discussion)

For the month of August, the Flips Flipping Pages (FFP, the book club I belong to) book discussion was all about health, moderated by our very fit Flipper Jan.

A lot of us, myself included, were apprehensive about the topic, seeing as we’re book club friends and not gym buddies, and we flex our muscles carrying stacks of books, not dumbbells.

On a personal note,  I joined the discussion because I am still trying to come to terms (haha!) with my post-college body (*sigh* those college jeans…).  All my life, I’d always been skinny, up until after a couple years at work, when genetics (ugh, the family hips) and the sedentary life of a desk worker kicked in. The discussion was very timely for me, as I wanted to explore getting into a regular fitness routine that I can do at home, and make healthier diet choices.

The first part of the day was a bikram yoga session, and I really wanted to go (I even packed my own yoga mat!) but it had rained buckets the previous night and our street was flooded up to my calf so I was stuck at home.

The Flippers who did do the yoga had a lot of steamy fun, and not just because of the challenging yoga (hahaha), and their recollections of the session were punctuated with dreamy sighs (and a lot of verbose descriptions not printable here!).

By noon, the flood subsided so I was able to catch the book discussion.

We first had a chat with strength and sports conditioning coach Sebastian Ripoll of Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center (SPARC), who gave us an overview about fitness routines and how we can incorporate them into our lives. He also debunked common fitness myths — we learned that weight training doesn’t stunt growth and doesn’t get rid of the flab (cardio will), Ab-Rocker and all those exercise contraptions on home tv shopping don’t work. We also learned that bananas are the ultimate power food and that pizza is evil (j/k, Ajie) :D

May I just say that there was also a lot of dreamy sighing after he left.

For the discussion proper, we each had to read a health/fitness book — whether general health, special diets, sports, fitness plans, men’s and women’s health, etc (excluding spirituality, mental healing, and self help).

Among the books read were: Yoga for Weight Loss by Celia Hawe (Shirley), David Beckham’s Soccer Skills (Ruby), Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (MayD), Dr Atkins New Carb Gram Counter (Czar), How to Eat like a Hot Chick by Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent (me), In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Peter), Spontaneous Health by Andrew Weil (Ajie), A Path to Healing (AkaShy), South Beach Diet by Dr Arthur Agatston and The Golfer’s Mind: Play to Play Great by Dr Bon Rotello (Jan), and Killer Diets: Are Low Carb Diets High Risk? by Laura Levine (Fredda).

Of the books discussed, I can only review the books I’ve read, namely Skinny Bitch (which I read last year) and How to Eat Like a Hot Chick (book #134 for 2009).

I got Skinny Bitch for a friend and read it before I gave it to her, and I was turned off by its aggressive perspective. The skinny bitch authors make people who eat meat feel bad, which I find offensive, and the solutions they offer are not very practical, especially for people like us, who live on the other side of the hemisphere and do not have very many options available for them.

I have nothing against the lifestyle. I have friends who are vegetarian and vegan, and while I eat my share of meat, I don’t love meat over any other food group, and I eat a lot of vegetables too. The book, described as “a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous,” claims a lot of things without substantiation, just a lot of harping.  I also felt that a huge chunk of the book was propaganda against organizations (e.g. the US government, the US food industry) that I pretty much don’t care about, since I’m not even American.

It was because of Skinny Bitch that I was drawn to How to Eat Like a Hot Chick.

How to Eat Like a Hot Chick (Eat what you love, love how you feel) is the anti-thesis of Skinny Bitch– it is friendly, practical, and it makes you actually enjoy what you eat.

The book defines a hot chick as a confident woman who loves life, and is comfortable in her own skin. It is a guide to a healthy diet, without giving up the fun of eating, and without obsessing about every little thing you put into your mouth. It gives sensible advice on how to balance calories throughout the day

The tone is friendly and upbeat, and it feels like talking to your gal pals. I like how the book is easy to understand, and more importantly, how it is easy to apply. The book is divided into chapters for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and going out, with recommendations on food you can eat and food you should avoid, mostly in list form, so it’s easy to understand.

For instance, there is a list of brunch bummers (hash browns, cones, granola that’s shockingly equivalent to two giant waffles with syrup); what to put in your salad (no hot food, no crunchy toppings, no olive oil, no iceberg lettuce, lots of  baby greens, parmesan, and seasoning); and what to put in your sandwich (no mayo, lean meats, greens).

The book also discusses healthy but yummy snacks; (fro-yo, bulk candy, plain chips, fruit, nuts); what type of coffee to get (no lattes, no mochas, no syrups — just simple coffee with half-and-half and splenda); what type of soup to get (no cream of, bisque, chowder, roux, and crackers instead of croutons); foods that smell better than they taste (street food, friend chicken, mall pretzels, cinnabon, funnel cake); and ways to cook spinach (omelet, sandwich, pasta, soup/ noodles soup, in garlic, roll-ups, etc.).

There is also a guide to midnight snacking (N-ever a meal, I-s it bedtime?, G-rab something small, H-ave a drink, T-hink about tomorrow); what drinks are safe (water and diet soda), what to eat for dinner (fish, stir-fry, pasta, baked potato); how to party like a hot chick (light beers and wine, the redder the better); what restaurants to eat from (never from a resto with a mascot, and no chain pizza), and what to order depending on the type of cuisine (Italian, Chinese, Mexican, American).

I like that it’s very comprehensive, and the information is easily digestible. I also took away two great points from the book:

1) It reminds vegans/vegetarians to play fair, and don’t talk crap to those who eat meat because not everyone shares your discipline and values.

2) If you’re treating yourself to the occasional indulgence, go for the real thing. It will taste so much better and you’ll be satisfied, rather than accumulating the sum total of calories from all the substitutes you will probably consume to assuage your craving.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to my gal pals.

After the discussion, we couldn’t help it — we capped the day off by going book hunting at the bargain book stores…

… and a hearty (but healthy) Greek dinner at Arya for the last ones remaining.

It was another awesome book discussion!

Next month, I’m moderating the discussion on Perfume by Patrick Suskind, so stay tuned for the recap! :)

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My copy: Skinny Bitch, given away; How to Eat Like a Hot Chick, trade paperback, P45 at Book Sale

My rating: Skinny Bitch, 2/5 stars; How to Eat Like a Hot Chick, 4/5 stars

*half the photos courtesy of Jan (thanks Jan!)