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Around SBN: Jeremy Lin And How The Pac-12 Missed Him

Chone Figgins Is A Good Clubhouse Influence

Writes Gerry Spratt:

Ken Griffey Jr. is going through withdrawals.

No more carbonated caffeine. No more high fructose corn syrup.

He's given up soda.

"I was drinking 10-12 a day, and Chone Figgins challenged me to give 'em up eight days ago."

Good clubhouse chemistry: saving a teammate from bad chemistry in the clubhouse. Now all Figgins has to do is work on getting Eric Byrnes to quit energy drinks, getting Eric Byrnes to quit Adderall, getting Eric Byrnes to quit potent cocaine analogues, and getting Eric Byrnes to quit ecstasy.

It's like watching Buddy out there.

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10-12 a day!!?

That’s a recipe for diabetes. If he can stay off that junk he’s liable to lose a couple pounds without lifting a finger. Yay, Chone!!

by short on Apr 17, 2010 12:47 PM PDT reply actions  

An eight ounce can of Pepsi has 150 calories.

x11 (between 10 and 12) is 1650 calories per day. The average human pound is about 3000 calories. Griffey is losing about 4 pounds a week without the soda.. Yikes.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions  

Also, unused suger typically gets stored as fat.

He will lose whatever weight is being added by the soda, which might be 5-15 pounds, then the body will stop losing weight. The good thing is this is weight you lose “quickly” so people who lose this weight can get excited about losing more weight until they reach their natural body weight.

by mark sobba on Apr 17, 2010 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions  

They mention switching to juice, though.

Juice isn’t much better in some situations. Lots of sugars as well, though generally more natural sugars than things like HFCS.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Apr 17, 2010 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions  

Diabeetus

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Apr 17, 2010 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions   1 recs

Gatorade isn't much better and they're a big sports sponsor.

Neither is juice, (which he switched to) but people have been conditioned to believe that it’s good for you.

by Janic on Apr 17, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions  

I don't get the natural sugar thing.

And juice really isn’t that good for you. Most juice (apple juice) is basically sugar water. A lot of the 100% juice drinks just use this trick of adding apple or pear juice to their drinks to make them sweet without adding any sweeteners.

by Edgar for Pres on Apr 17, 2010 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions  

The more fructose in your diet

The higher the likelihood of diabetes and heart disease. As far as caloric intake, sugar is still sugar. If someone needs to loose weight, you need to cut all that shit out.

by Ballard Erik on Apr 17, 2010 3:36 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions  

Yeah but sucrose increases your chances of both those diseases too

And yeah I agree with you, your weight is determined by a simple equation:

Weight gain (lbs) = 3500*(Calories In – Calories Out – Calories Burned)

There is nothing fancy about weight loss for the most part for 99% of the population.

by Edgar for Pres on Apr 17, 2010 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions  

Might not be entirely true

Recent studies suggest that corn syrup results in more weight gain than equal calories of sugar.

Goes to why corn syrup in soda is worse than the natural sugars in juice.

But this is a minor thing. You’re basically right about the basic behind weight gain.

by Snuffleupagus on Apr 17, 2010 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions  

Yeah I basically don't believe those studies until they can explain why

It should be pretty easy to explain why corn syrup leads to more weight gain by using science and not surveys. Basically when it comes down to it I don’t believe most of the studies you hear on CNN (or elsewhere) because there is little understanding that you can gain from them and tend to be more hype and sensationalism. Maybe it takes them 5-10 yrs to figure it out but I’d rather wait for solid information before drawing conclusions based on what I consider suspect information.

Basically I’m more cynical than most.

by Edgar for Pres on Apr 17, 2010 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions  

Also

That equation is basically the first law of thermodynamics

If corn syrup violates this then we have some serious issues with all of physics, chemistry and engineering. (I kid, there are probably many feasible explanations such as corn syrup possibly causing your metabolism to slow down for example)

by Edgar for Pres on Apr 17, 2010 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions  

New Study

From what I read it was just observing the result in rats. So it might not even be true for humans (but better than ‘survey’ results among people).

I think it could make perfect sense without defying science. I’m sure, as you say, we’ll find out as we continue to study it.

by Snuffleupagus on Apr 17, 2010 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions  

Except for the fact that our bodies have been conditioned to accept natural sugars.

All the shit we’ve been putting in them for the last 50 years, well, they don’t have a response to it. You can see it from the high rates of diabetes in Native American groups, for example. Stop being skeptical and actually open your eyes to what is there.

Coming Soon to SBN: Aston Villa!

by Kirsten Schlewitz on Apr 17, 2010 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions  

Fructose is a natural sugar.

Every time you eat a piece of corn, you are taking in fructose. High fructose corn syrup is essentially stripping away all the good bits of corn to get at the fructose. It is also a structural isomer of glucose.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions  

Not quite how it works.

Your body has no problem whatsoever processing fructose, generally speaking. HFCS contains both glucose and fructose. It’s pretty standard for digestion. HFCS isn’t some random chemical group; it’s fructose and glucose. Your body digests both of those all the time.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 5:48 PM PDT up reply actions  

Right, even natural foods contain tons of fructose and glucose

But KS is right in that most natural sweets also include plenty of fiber. Because HFCS has the fiber stripped out, glucose enters the blood stream faster, which worsens the whole blood sugar spike/crash roller coaster.

What're ya gonna do with those pies, boys?

by rickpo on Apr 17, 2010 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions  

If native americans would have eaten large amounts of cane sugar instead of corn syrup

i bet they would have still gotten fat and gotten diabetes. I agree there might be issues that should be examined but I don’t see any conclusive understanding of why corn syrup is evil. It could be but I’m not willing to pay 10 cents more for a soda to get cane sugar.

by Edgar for Pres on Apr 17, 2010 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions  

I think that's disputed

Many say that sugar consumption is only related to diabetes and heart disease because it leads to weight gain. If you have a high sugar diet but don’t gain weight (through exercise presumably) then you don’t have higher chance to get diabetes or heart disease.

I’m not a doctor, this is just what I’ve read after googling the topic.

by Snuffleupagus on Apr 17, 2010 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions  

Gatorade isn't terrible, the problem is people in the States don't have any comprehension of what a serving size is

The ability to stop, or show some remote form of self-restraint, is the culprit in almost any poor diet.

by cwel87 on Apr 17, 2010 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions  

This is true in everything.

Portion sizes are bigger all over the place and Americans have no concept of moderation. You can do just about anything harmful to you in moderation and not have it be detrimental to your health.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Apr 17, 2010 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions  

How could he lose any weight at all?

If he was drinking 10-12 pops a day. Was he eating any food? I’d think it was diet soda, but the blurb mentions corn syrup.

by Snuffleupagus on Apr 17, 2010 1:34 PM PDT reply actions  

Lost muscle mass due to aging.

It’s still “weight”.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Apr 17, 2010 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions  

He mentions that the sodas are just there in clubhouses

I assume during the offseason that he is limited by what he chooses to buy himself

by Malcontent1 on Apr 17, 2010 4:17 PM PDT up reply actions  

Sodas just sitting around for professional athletes to drink

This is the sort of stuff that causes people to say that baseball players aren’t ‘real’ athletes.

by Snuffleupagus on Apr 17, 2010 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions  

12 a day?

Pussy.

(but it’s Diet cokes, so a bit better.)

by craig3410 on Apr 17, 2010 2:37 PM PDT reply actions  

He'll only get cancer now!

Right now I'm dreaming of Carl Crawford. Maybe next year...(or this year at the trade deadline)...

by SeaKoala on Apr 17, 2010 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions  

The aspartame thing?

It’s BS.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

(I mean, no offense, but I’ll take the word of the FDA, The Lancet, and nearly every other doctor on earth’s word over some chain email.)

by craig3410 on Apr 17, 2010 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions  

I don't really believe it either,

it was just for the sake of a joke.

Right now I'm dreaming of Carl Crawford. Maybe next year...(or this year at the trade deadline)...

by SeaKoala on Apr 17, 2010 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions  

Um....why do you believe the FDA again?

Their record on food and drug regulation? Haha that would be a hilarious argument to make.

by refuse2lose2010 on Apr 17, 2010 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions  

No need for cynicism.

The FDA makes mistakes, but I would still take their word for things over a chain letter.

A CHAIN LETTER.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Apr 17, 2010 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions  

I wish this would get some hype.

Something were fans are encouraged to “Join Griffey in living a more healthy life” or something. Get all those wearing 24 jerseys to stop eatting junk food and eat more fruit and veggies.

Cutting soda was step one in my own weight loss journey. (Tooting horn, I have lost 50 pounds since Jan, 2008)

by mark sobba on Apr 17, 2010 2:39 PM PDT reply actions   3 recs

Sponsors

I’m not sure what kind of sponsors the Mariners have, but that would be a potential issue with something like this.

Although it seems like an opportunity for whatever juice Griffey is drinking now.

by Snuffleupagus on Apr 17, 2010 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions  

10-12 sodas a day

is about a pound of refined sugar. A pound. That’s just gross, and for a guy who’s being paid millions it is irresponsible.

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 17, 2010 2:41 PM PDT reply actions  

It really is amazing how unhealthy soda is.

I’m a 145 pound twig. I gave up soda back in september and went from 155 to 140 in about a month and an half without any kind of extra exercise. Of course, now I drink several sweet teas a day instead so I really shouldn’t b so proud of myself.

by levnclf on Apr 17, 2010 3:02 PM PDT reply actions  

My guess would be

Since there’s enough soda on hand that Griffey could drink 10-12 without really noticing it, my assumption is that the nutritionist has little to do with the snack selection in the clubhouse and it’s probably just some page that keeps it stocked with whatever the players ask for.

by Malcontent1 on Apr 17, 2010 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions  

Actually it's not.

Similar calories and grams from sugar, but besides that juices have significant benefits. Weight gain isn’t the only risk inherited by drinking sugars. The type of sugar is really important, and high fructose corn syrup is basically number one for diabetes.

by refuse2lose2010 on Apr 17, 2010 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions  

You and MSB are spot on.

Soda has no nutritional value while fruit juice has some. The team nutritionist should have the really good juice in the clubhouse.

by mark sobba on Apr 17, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions  

OH YEAH!

Hard work never killed nobody, but I won't take my chances.

by JAH on Apr 17, 2010 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions  

"As soda is singled out for its role in the rise of obesity, juice is offered as the sensible alternative."
A glass of juice concentrates all the sugar from several pieces of fruit. Ounce per ounce, it contains more calories than soda, though it tends to be consumed in smaller servings. A cup of orange juice has 112 calories, apple juice has 114, and grape juice packs 152, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The same amount of Coke has 97 calories, and Pepsi has 100.

It’s time fruit juice loses its wholesome image, some experts say

by Janic on Apr 17, 2010 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions  

Logical Fallacy

Sugar is bad, ergo fruit juice must be bad because it contains sugar. A horse has four legs, ergo that dog must be a horse.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 17, 2010 5:02 PM PDT up reply actions  

I think the argument is actually that fruit juice is often assumed to be quite good for you, comparable to eating fresh fruit.

(Thank you food pyramid….)

In reality eating an apple is much better for you than drinking apple juice. If you are choosing to drink soda or apple juice then you should drink apple juice. If you are trying to maximize the potential of your diet then you shouldn’t have either and eat an apple instead.

I definitely don’t eat healthy and probably shouldn’t preach to people about how to eat (have a diet coke, bag of cheetos and bag of reese’s in front of me right now) but for example if i was a parent I would probably try to reduce my kid’s consumption of fruit juice unless they were picky brats that refused to eat their fruits and veggies.

by Edgar for Pres on Apr 17, 2010 5:18 PM PDT up reply actions  

Sugars are all different.

Comparing soda to juice just because they have sugar is nonsensical. You wouldn’t compare lava cake to whole wheat bread just because they have carbs. These are simply not the same thing, and comparing the two at all, especially comparing the two because they both have sugar, is arguing anti-logic.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 17, 2010 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions  

Generally water > juice > pop

The bad thing about pop is not just the sugar (though it is a big part of it).

And for juice, freshly made juice (yes, I still make and drink these) > not freshly made juice > juice from concentrate.

I’m guessing Griffey’s going for the not freshly made juice but without pulp. Better than pop, but water’s still the way to go. Sadly, “just drinking water” is impossible these days for most people. This is the sad thing about capitalism… those damn corporations getting us hooked on these things.

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:18 PM PDT up reply actions  

Go back to before capitalism and people certainly weren't drinking water.

Water in itself is not actually good for you—it’s got nothing to it.

If we’re talking just calories (and Americans are fucking obsessed with calories, yet still obese) then yes, drink water. But nutrients are important and in that case, 100% juice. Or even better, fruit.

/end rant due to headache.

Coming Soon to SBN: Aston Villa!

by Kirsten Schlewitz on Apr 17, 2010 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions  

Water in itself isn't good for you?

I can’t disagree more. Definitely sugar isn’t good for you, but drinking tons of sodapop is doubly so because it tends to stand in for water in a lot of people’s diets. Drink a lot of soda and you probably don’t drink enough water. Plus caffeine is a diuretic.

People didn’t drink much water pre-industrial revolution because sources of clean drinking water were limited. And, you would probably have less of a headache if you drank more water! Water water water. And drink it hot/warm, not with ice.

by lemonverbena on Apr 17, 2010 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions  

Yep

From what I’ve heard, ice water (and really cold drinks in general) are bad for your stomach. When you drink it during meals, it can decrease the functions of your digestive system (just think about what kinda torture your stomach must be feeling while being cold as heck and trying to work properly)

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions  

And drinking ice water right after/during intense exercise is not good either

It slows down the rate that you sweat (confuses your system that it’s cold), which can be bad for your heart. Heard this from one of my dad’s research thingies, so take it with a grain of salt.

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions  

I've tried testing it and it does exactly that

Drink really cold water right after you exercise, and sweating reduces. When you think about what exactly sweating does, you realize what you are doing to yourself.

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions  

People need to stop offering up hypotheses on things they don't understand.

You sweat as a result of increased body temperature. It’s evaporative cooling. Drinking cold fluids is a convenient way to help conduct heat. It’s a great idea.

by abender20 on Apr 17, 2010 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions  

I don't like to disagree with a potential doctor

But I actually have read quite a bit about how water fucks with your digestive process if you drink it with meals, as well as how you shouldn’t drink ice water while exercising.

Coming Soon to SBN: Aston Villa!

by Kirsten Schlewitz on Apr 17, 2010 5:49 PM PDT up reply actions  

It does exactly that

Your warm insides have to work against the cold liquid. Drink cold water while eating and the food turns into a hard lump in your stomach. Resisting cold water is much harder for me than were giving up red meat, sugar, wheat flour.

by lemonverbena on Apr 17, 2010 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions  

It's a big issue sometimes actually

When you are hypothermic and thirsty DON’T EAT THE FUCKING SNOW

by Graham MacAree on Apr 17, 2010 5:43 PM PDT up reply actions  

Well yeah in extreme cases like that absolutely

But drinking a cup of ice water with your meal? No.

by OlSalty on Apr 17, 2010 5:43 PM PDT up reply actions  

Not quick enough for the temperatures that are available these days

Think about when you shove a cup of cold water down your throat. Something like 1-2 degrees. Can’t warm up that fast.

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions  

Mostly water.

Not the 90% pop/sugared drinks that we see these days

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions  

Water>Juice>Sodapop was my basic thought but I didn't say it like that.

As mention above, there are healthy juice options but a lot of people still don’t understand the difference between the two choices.

by mark sobba on Apr 17, 2010 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions  

While I'm not saying he's going to be great.

He’s only played 7 games this year and has 25 PAs. I don’t expect him to suddenly become amazing, but the sample is so small he hasn’t even gotten a chance to show how much he sucks yet this year.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Apr 17, 2010 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions  

True

My dad’s an expert on this, but I, like most people (here), only know “hearsay science”.

by Allen Wu on Apr 17, 2010 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions  

Yup.

With that said, I can concur with above posters that cutting out HFCS made me feel much better. The weight loss didn’t really happen for me, but I’m a skinny nerd to begin with.

by Rachmaninoff on Apr 17, 2010 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions  

I drink about as much soda as Griffey did

a) should I stop and b) what should I drink instead (besides water and ice tea).

by Zonis on Apr 17, 2010 5:27 PM PDT reply actions  

Yes, you really should stop.

I’ve dropped about fifty pounds mostly by cutting fast food and the 5-6 cans of soda I used to drink on a daily basis out of my diet.

by BrianL on Apr 17, 2010 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions  

I eat nothing but fast food and soda

if I stop drinking coke and eating McDonalds every day, I’d have nothing left!

Also, if I dropped 50lb, I’d weigh like 80 pounds….

by Zonis on Apr 17, 2010 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions  

You have a rough BMI of 21.

You are dead in the middle of “normal range” for weight-height ratio. In short, you don’t need to lose weight. But eating healthier doesn’t always mean losing weight.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions  

I just wonder in a way what my weight would be if I cut out, at least, eating McDonalds and drinking soda all the time

I’ve actually gained like 15-20 pounds in the last few years, believe it or not, though I have been eating that same stuff since I was like 13

by Zonis on Apr 17, 2010 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions  

You got older and your metabolism followed suit.

Tough luck. To put this in perspective, over the last 6 months, I’ve dropped 30 pounds just by being slightly more careful about what I eat, not even intentionally counting calories, just averaging stuff. I haven’t significantly altered by exercise routine or anything, just food. A little bit goes a long way.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions  

Well I am thinking about doing something similar

I am a very picky eater, and I already have trouble eating-that is to say, I’ve always found myself having to remind myself to eat, not because I am hungry, but because I usually don’t get hungry and thus forget. Problem is, I get migraines when I don’t eat for too long, which again, becomes kind of a problem when one doesn’t get hungry, and is picky about what to eat to boot (though the pickiness might also be a result of not getting hungry, that is to say, because I don’t get hungry, I can simply not eat until something I do like becomes available).

So before the ot ramble, I was thinking of simply seeing what happens if I eliminate McDonalds and Soda from my diet, and don’t simply replace the McDonalds and Soda with even more Pizza and another bad drink.

by Zonis on Apr 17, 2010 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions  

BMI is quick and dirty.

Because it doesn’t account for muscle mass. Most professional athletes have “obese” BMI’s because muscle is denser than fat. But for the average person, it’s of some use.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions  

Some, but people take it way too seriously.

You can be perfectly health with an above-average BMI and unhealthy with an “ideal” BMI.

by Aaron Campeau on Apr 17, 2010 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions  

I remember when I was considering enlisting and the recruiter told me I had to drop some weight to match their "cutoff" line.

And I was like “Do you see my body type? What do you guys want, a twig?” I would have withered to get down to the weight they were asking for.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 11:42 PM PDT up reply actions  

Ice tea isn't great for you either unless it's low in carbohydrates.

Most of the juice drinks and ice tea you can buy at say 7-11 are loaded with just as much sugar as pop but they at least have some vitamins in them. Pop has pretty much nothing good for you in it.

by OlSalty on Apr 17, 2010 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions  

One thing I have read about why America is fat

is our reliance on high fructose corn syrup for everything instead of pure sugar from, for example, sugar cane.

by Zonis on Apr 17, 2010 6:02 PM PDT reply actions  

HFCS is glucose and fructose.

Our bodies digest this all the time. It’s just not true. There are no “unnatural” sugars in HFCS. They’re just put in ratios designed by man.

by harkening on Apr 17, 2010 6:04 PM PDT up reply actions  

Perhaps this change in diet

by Griffey could make him less happy and have a negative affect on clubhouse chemistry.

by lmeyer40 on Apr 17, 2010 9:24 PM PDT reply actions  

I wish Griffey was into training...

but shit. Dude drinks 12 sodas a day. There are many worse things. Wade Boggs drank like 45 beers a day. Barry Bonds was into physical training. If someone is working to give up soda, well…. Good for them.

I think it is going to be great when Griffey hits a HR and I can finally drink a soda again while he tells everyone he just feels so much better since not drinking soda.

For all the sugar debate going on here and for people interested in it, Steve Nash swears that cutting sugar out of his diet has prolonged his career.

Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.

by Rich Langford on Apr 17, 2010 11:00 PM PDT reply actions  

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