Mark Graham Plan of Excellence

March 19, 2011

Health Food to Live By

Filed under: Fitness,Mark's World,MGPoE — Mark Graham @ 11:28 pm
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You know there is a lot of talk about what is healthy and what is not healthy and all of that.  I used to be a believer in things that were healthy – you know like whole wheat bread is somehow healthier than white bread.  Well no more, I don’t buy into any of that and I’m no longer going to say that something is unhealthy.

For example, the pizza to the right, that’s not an unhealthy pizza is it?  No, no, I know exactly what your thinking “Oh yes it is!”.  But let’s look at the pizza – its nourishing right?  So what makes it so unhealthy then?  The high amount of calories or fat?  If that’s the case, let me ask you this – if there was a 1 inch by 1 inch square piece of pizza there would you think: “Wow, that’s one unhealthy piece of pizza there!”?  Or would you think “That’s a pretty small piece of pizza, and not all that unhealthy.”

For me, I would most likely say the second “That’s a pretty small piece of pizza….” Then I would most likely, without thinking about the health consequences , pick it up and eat it.  Eating that small piece of pizza hasn’t deteriorated my health in anyway has it?

So let’s be clear about something – food isn’t unhealthy – its the proportion of food you eat.  If you ate the entire pizza above, that’s clearly not healthy – that’s over 5,000 calories!!! Likewise with salad – if you ate 5,000 calories of salad – that’s not healthy either and I would argue it is just as unhealthy as eating the entire pizza above.

You see my Dr. once told me that ANY diet in the whole world will work.  As long as you burn more calories in one day than what you consume.  And that is absolutely true.  I’ve done several diets:

Atkins – worked amazingly for me!  I lost close to 60 pounds on Adkins – and before you start saying that’s not a healthy diet – it is, my cholesterol shot way down, as did my blood pressure and everything else.  However, Atkin’s isn’t realistic to live on for ever – sorry, it just doesn’t seem possible.

Weight Watchers – another great diet, it taught me a lot about proportions.  After coming off of Adkins – I had no clue how much food I was allowed to eat – so Weight Watchers really taught me a lot there.

MGPoE – This is my own diet – I eat whatever I want, but I don’t go crazy like I used too.  Don’t get me wrong, I stick with lower calorie foods because you get more “Bang for the Buck” not because they are healthier.

I’m Mark Graham and I’m a recovering foodaholic.  I used to weigh in at 350 pounds – since then I’ve lost over 130 pounds – so I like to think I’m a self proclaimed expert on this matter.  For anyone that is trying to lose a lot of weight, understand that food is absolutely an addiction – and it is something that I battle everyday, and will for the rest of my life.  Sadly, I’ll never not struggle with food, this will always be a hard journey for me.  But knowing that simple fact is half the battle, the other half is the willpower to say ‘no’ to eating too much – regardless of how “healthy” it is.

February 3, 2011

Where’s the money?

Filed under: Fitness,Mark's World,MGPoE,Sports — Mark Graham @ 8:22 pm
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So as I sit here and watch the OSU versus Michigan (go Bucks) I start to wonder, where is the money?

Why can’t these athletes get paid?  Is it because college is somehow held to a higher moral standard than professional sports?  I don’t think so – millions are made by athletic programs around the country.  The NCAA has to make a TON off of college sports, let alone everyone else.  In fact, college sports are one of the most ‘sellout’ sports ever.  They have a bowl game called the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – really? Why is it everyone makes money here, except the athletes?

Anyway, before I continue too much on my rant, I do sort of get why they can’t be paid by colleges – believe it or not.  If athletes were paid by the school, wouldn’t they just be a minor league team?  What about all the smaller colleges that can’t afford the best athletes, their programs would suffer dramatically.

So what’s the Mark Graham Plan of Excellence suggest?  Well, it suggests allowing the students to make money.  Not by the school, but by sponsorships.  If Nike wants to sponsor a Terrelle Pryor – why can’t they?  Because the NCAA wants to keep as much money as possible, that’s why.  Is it any wonder why the NCAA allowed Pryor and others to play in the sugar bowl game after they ‘broke’ the rules by selling their stuff?  Because the NCAA wouldn’t have made near as much money had they not played.

Why did I put quotes around the word broke you ask?  There is no question in my mind that those players broke the rules, but that doesn’t mean the rule is right.  And no rule is ever going to get changed unless it is challenged first.  I think it is a stupid rule, and it needs to be challenged and eventually done away with.

So I say let them make as much money as the market will bear!

P.S. Basketball players have to be the worlds best actors.  Its amazing how a light touch will send a player skirting across the floor.

February 1, 2011

I’m no athlete!

Filed under: Fitness,Mark's World — Mark Graham @ 8:45 pm
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Ok, so I used to think I was somewhat an athlete, but after watching this squash video, I realize that I’m not…. At all.  These people are true athletes.  For a single point to last as long as it does with these people, I think I would die of a massive heart failure.  No wonder they changed the scoring of the game to make the game more ‘fast pace’.

I try to play this game three times a week. Sometimes I’m good, sometimes I’m not. I find that Wednesdays are my best day for playing – can anyone explain that?

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