The Happening 2: It Could Happen to You

As a few of you know, one of my favorite modern day movies is "The Happening" by M. Night Shyamalamadingdong and starring Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschanel.

If you haven't seen the movie, let me sum it up for you. When hordes of people start killing themselves, mousy teacher Elliot (Wahlberg) is forced to take his girlfriend (Deschanel) and flee the big city in hopes of avoiding the biological chemical causing everyone harm.

Sounds pretty epic... until you watch it, and 5 minutes into the movie, the cause is revealed: Plants have decided they've had it with humans. In every human, there is a "switch" that basically tells them to stop doing something, because it's going to hurt them. It's like the fight or flight instinct... and the plants start releasing a chemical that keeps the switch from flipping. Basically, people begin killing themselves because their brains can't tell them that they're going to hurt themselves.

Now, a few of you may be asking yourselves, "Why did Lauren decide to take such a random turn from her normally diet related blogs?"

And the answer is, I didn't. I brought this up for a reason. By a show of hands, how many people have seen this commercial?



Chances are, if you've watched network television in the past year, you've seen this - or another variation of it - at least once. And if you're like me, you bought it. I became significantly less aware of how much HFCS was in what I ate... that, however, was a bad move on my part.

Now, I'm not going to come out and say the commercial flat up lies. It doesn't. HFCS DOES have the same calories as sugar, and in moderation, it's alright... but what the commercial doesn't tell you about is the "The Happening" effect it has on your body.

The problem with HFCS is that it is loaded with calories, but because HFCS is man made and not natural, the body doesn't recognize those calories, and thus, can't break them down or use them for energy. So, where sugar would contribute calories to your energy supply, HFCS goes straight to storing all those calories as fat. Big bummer. And that's not the only thing it does.

Remember earlier in this post when I explained why people in that movie were killing themselves? HFCS does that very thing.

No - I don't mean it makes you kill yourself... though, if we want to be general, that wouldn't be too far from the truth. Because your body can't recognize the calories in HFCS, it also can't recognize that you're consuming calories. The HFCS basically bypasses the switch in your brain and stomach that says "I've eaten enough for now, I don't need to eat any more," and you can end up consuming up to twice as many calories than you're supposed to... without even knowing it. It's why people can down an entire 2 liter of Coke and still feel like they can put away more.

So... now, by a show of hands, how many people have seen THIS commercial?



Probably not as many... but honestly, I like that version better. I'm not trying to say that HFCS is completely bad for you and you should cut it out of your diet, I'm just saying, I'd rather have real sugar any day.

Now, let's hop over to Cordy and see what we've learned today... and so what we have learned applies to our lives today, and--I'm just kidding. BUT - that is what I learned today... and yesterday, I learned about Transfat and Saturated fat... and learned that my diet is actually fairly free of both of those! :D I'm glad, too, because I learned about how they make Trans fat and... well... I'm not a fan. XD Having said that... I cheated today. :) I had it all planned out, too, so I'm kind of glad I didn't destroy all my progress when I did.

Today's menu:

BREAKFAST: You Must Be Nuts! (Oatmeal mixed with blueberry yogurt and topped with walnuts. It was so much easier to eat it! No more snot!)

SNACK: Strawberry Field Marshall of the Riddermark (Smoothie recipe, but I altered the name a bit because I altered the ingredients: Strawberries, peanutbutter, vanilla whey powder, 1% milk, and low fat vanilla yogurt)

LUNCH: California Shrimp Salad (this was my cheat meal... but it wasn't too bad. Grilled shrimp, avocado chunks, avocado dressing, spinach, romaine, tomatoes, and olives) Strawberry Lemonade to drink.

SNACK: More smoothie. :D

DINNER: Easy Cheesy. (Roast Beef, red peppers, green peppers, onions, salsa, and reduced fat sharp cheddar on a whole wheat hot dog bun)

My original plan for dinner was Chili Con Turkey, but I forgot to thaw the turkey, so that didn't happen. BUT - the Easy Cheesy was delicious, and I have enough left over for Sunday night. :D Not to mention, Roast Beef is my favorite meat ever. I love that stuff... and the peppers were delectable. It's easily the best tasting thing I've made yet. And... um... PROPS TO ME FOR TEACHING MYSELF HOW TO CUT VEGGIES! WEEEE!

Also... something I learned: It's really easy to say no to cakes and cookies and stuff, when yogurts and fruits taste so much better! :)

I plan on doing some crunches and stuff tonight before bed... and tomorrow will be my first ALL DAY ABS DIET DAY. Nothing but food from the book. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to cleaning my room... hmm...

Next week, I totally intend to go to the gym every day. My friend Aly and I were joking that we've said that for 2 weeks now, but it needs to start happening. Get some muscle built up, get some protein and what not in my diet, and start losing this belly! RAWR!

ROHIRRIM! TO THE KING!