Lately, I have been hungry for chinese. But you all know the problem with eating out chinese........first off, most people go for chinese when they are starving and cannot remember the last time they ate.

So, you go and order a large entre plus an egg roll, hot and spicy soup, plus whatever appettizer sounds good at the time. I prefer the shrimp spring rolls to get things started. Then you proceed to eat ALL of it. If you are like me, you always end up feeling miserable afterwards, but I'd eat it all anyway.

I am not sure why I am thinking about this right now..........maybe because I am working late tonight and I am STARVING! I brought all my meals today too, but they simply don't appeal to me right now.

Today is a birthday for my friend, Laura. Maybe I should be having visions of ice cream and cake dancing in my head, instead. That kinda sounds good on my throat cuz it feels like I have swallowed gravel from the sandlot. Yea, I am getting sick. I guess it comes as a hazard of being a doctor. It's nothing that I cannot fight off.

I am not sure where I am going with this.....I am just waiting for a strep screen to come back. They take exactly 5 min to run unless it comes back positive sooner. No! I don't have strep throat! I have a cough too. Most cases of strep don't include cough. The classic symptoms of strep are fever, sore throat, and swollen glands on the front of the neck.

Ok folks, the bill is in the mail. I just told you all my secrets!! :)

Extra! Extra! Lose Body Fat NOW..........No Crunches, No Exercise, No Kidding........Just great tasting food. Now you can eat food THIS delicious and EVERY bite will contain the antidote to belly fat, the natural ingredient that actually TARGETS BELLY FAT!

This is not a joke. I read this add today. And I would venture to guess someone out there purchased this food that contains the "antidote" to belly fat.

Folks, please do not be mislead by these ads and articles. Please use some common sense. Seriously, does anyone really think they can lose belly fat simply by eating some magic food? I hope not......and if I am wrong, then I am not doing my job.

As many of you know, I have a huge passion for health and fitness. This past weekend I have updated my personal website. Included are lots of fact-filled articles, recipes, exercise routines, and a bunch of stuff about yours truly.......the lean, mean, IronLadyDOC machine. Check it out at www.maleajensen.com.

This past weekend I attended the Mr. and Ms. Olympia. Despite the fact that I was sick the entire weekend and the expo was subpar, I came away with a new energy for my workouts. The past few months I have had only moderate intensity, my poundage progression has been non-existent, and my bodybuilding progress has been non-existent as well. The fact that my routines were clearly not working, did not register with me that I needed to make some changes..........not until this past weekend that is. So, instead of continuing my current pattern, I am going to try a new program.

This morning I felt like a kid again. I trained back, and as many of you know, this is my favorite bodypart to train. I went heavy on bb rows, db rows, low pulley rows, and finished with heavy lat pulldowns to the front.

Let me just tell you that training failures can be valuable learning experiences. If you approach your training failures and setbacks with a positive attitude, you can use them to improve your chance of success.

Use your gym time wisely. Train hard and smart. Use exercises suited for you. Strive to add poundage to your lifts. Use a balanced program that includes, not only weights, but also cardio and stretching. Eat like a champ and sleep well. Don't undermine your training by cutting corners or persisting with exercises, routines, or methods that don't help you!

Good afternoon! Here is a shout out to Stephanie. She wants you all to know she is my number one fan!!

Today I am going to teach you something short and saweet about the term, "whole-grain".

In order to learn the full benefit of eating whole grains, I decided that I should make some whole grain bread at home. Ha, Not really. I cannot tell a lie.....I do not bake. I just make believe cook. It can be just as fulfilling as the real thing, but not quite as messy. So, I checked at the local Hy-Vee for whole grain. However, when I went to the grocery store, I could only find flour labelled 'whole wheat'.

"Whole-grain" means that all parts of the grain (germ, endosperm, and bran) are present. Wheat is one type of grain. So, "whole-wheat flour" is absolutely a whole-grain product. You can make whole-grain bread using whole-wheat flour or a combination of whole-grain flours, such as oat, spelt, kamut, rice, rye, or buckwheat.

I found out there can be some challenges with baking whole-grain breads at home. Breads made with 100% whole-wheat (or whole-grain) flour can be somewhat coarse and heavy. They don't keep very well. Many bakers like to mix in some refined flour to lighten the texture while still getting the benefit of whole grains. Or, look for King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour.

"White flour" usually refers to flour that has had the germ and bran removed--which is not a whole-grain flour. But the King Arthur's White Whole Wheat is a 100% whole-wheat flour that's milled from a different strain of wheat (called "white wheat"). White wheat is lighter in texture. When you bake with it, the result is more like a combination of regular whole wheat and refined white flour....but it's still 100% whole grain.

Now that all my blogger buddies are experts on this whole grain stuff, you can all bake me some bread!

Hi there blogger buddies! I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

As many of you know, I have been involved in mission work over the years........the most recent was my involvement with ChildVoice International. ChildVoice International is a group that was set up to help the child mothers of Northern Uganda. For many of the child mothers of northern Uganda, there was no hope before ChildVoice International. They experienced rejection, pain, hunger, and fear for themselves and their children.

These young women were abducted as children by the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel force that has waged a 22 year civil war in northern Uganda. They were beaten, raped, abused and enslaved. When they finally escaped the rebels, they didn't have homes, villages or families to return to because of the war. And now they were mothers, responsible for their own children when they were as young as 14 years old.

Today, 30 child mothers and their 43 children are living in a sanctuary, ChildVoice residential program in Lukodi. Here they have beds to sleep in, clothing to wear, three meals a day - something they have not experienced in a long time if ever. They are continuing their education which had stopped abruptly when they were abducted. ChildVoice has been helping the mothers learn vocational training and they are also receiving counseling which gives them hope for the future. Their children are in early childhood development classes to help them grow and thrive so they heal as well.

Many more child mothers and their children are waiting for the future ChildVoice International can provide with your help. Conrad Mandsager, the founder of Childvoice International and his brother, Dr. Neil Mandsagger, have been struggling financially to keep ChildVoice afloat. I was called to go on a mission this past summer. I was influenced by the lives of these people. I saw that they are being taught the love of God, and they are feeding their body and soul for the Glory of God.

I want to help the people of Northern Uganda with tools to educate their young people, food to nourish their mind, and the Word to fill their spirits. ChildVoice wishes to plant the seed of love for Christ.

I understand that there are many organizations out there for you to support, but I am asking you to help support ChildVoice International. I was there personally. I saw these moms and their children. I saw the good works they are learning and the hopes they have of being productive on their own. I also saw that they were putting Christ at the center in their teachings.

If anyone has ideas regarding fundraising or would like to donate to this organization, please contact me at Ironladydoc@aol.com. Won't you join us in our mission. Your donation will help our vision become reality and will make you an integral part of change for a better future in our world. We need your support and your prayers and thank you in advance.

I look for forward to hearing from you!

-your Ironladydoc

Today is a big day for me.........I just reached Oprah Winfrey status according to one of my patients. She was fearful I will become so famous that I move away and start my own TV series or take the place of Dr. OZ. To be honest, Oprah has been trying to get me on her daytime program for quite some time. The title of the series would be "Day to Day with Dr. J" a health series to include exercise and nutrition. I have declined due to my current patient load. Oprah was discouraged, but very respectful!

Ok, so I cannot tell a lie...........No Oprah offers, but it's true about my current patient load.

For more on Dr. J, check out the following link.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809190369

Recently I have been having a lot of questions regarding meal planning and how much protein that needs to be consumed at each meal.

Let me first state that exercise is a must. To get lean and defined, exercise must be done regularly. To strip away fat and increase your muscle definition, do some type of resistance exercise (i.e. weight training) at least 4 times per week along with cardiovascular training (e.g. jogging or cycling). Always perform your cardio AFTER your weight training session or simply split the two routines up in your day.

Ok, now we are ready to explore the meal planning. You've probably been reading that multiple small meals divided through the day is the best for health and weight loss. I advocate 5-6 small meals a day. Grazing rather than gorging boosts your metabolic rate, reduces hunger by stabilizing blood sugar levels, and keeps your energy levels high. The easiest way to do this is to prepare all your meals for the day and bring them along with you. It takes some planning time, but once you get used to it, you won't ever worry about what to eat at your next meal.

When planning each meal, include a protein source in each meal. Protein will help your metabolism because it has a high "thermic effect of food" (roughly double that of carbohydrates and fat). Raising the amount of protein you eat daily will increase your TEF by 21 calories. Protein should comprise about thirty-five percent of your total calories (most people eat 15 percent).

An easy and simplifed way of calculating grams of protein, carbs, and fats, is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight if working out regularly, 3/4 gram of carbs per pound of bodyweight, and 1/2 gram healthy fats per pound of bodyweight. For example, a 150 pound person will eat 150 g of protein each day in divided meals, 112 g of carbs per day in divided meals, and 75 grams of healthy fats each day in divided meals.

As mentioned above, this is a very simplistic approach to meal planning. It is used as a general guideline. For more individualistic approach, I suggest a nutrtionist, and lots of reading to increase your knowledge base.

Train Hard and Eat Smart
-Your IronLadyDoc

Everyone begins a fitness plan with one goal in mind....RESULTS. And most likely, they want those results YESTERDAY! So, what if there was a way you could accelerate your results? Here's where post workout nutrition comes into play. Post workout meals are important no matter what a persons' goals are......whether it is to lose weight, gain mass, or simply maintain your current body weight. What you choose to eat (or not to eat) will determine how quickly your body recovers after a workout. Failure to eat the right food after exercise — or worse — skipping the post-exercise meal altogether can harm your body.

Right after a workout, your body is in need of nutrients. Your muscles need carbohydrates to replace their drained fuel sources (muscle glycogen) and they need protein to begin the repairing and rebuilding process. This repair and recovery process will improve the condition of your muscles and in return will boost your metabolism.

The sooner you eat, the sooner the recovery process can begin because your muscles are like sponges, ready to absorb everything you feed them, which is why you need to focus on the timing and the quality of this meal. This timing is referred to by many as the "window of opportunity". Your goal is to eat something within the first 30-60 minutes after your workout. The better the nutrients you provide, the better the recovery.

So what do you eat? The best post workout meal option is a liquid source. This is most ideal because a drink can be processed and utilized by your body much faster than eating a whole food meal that takes time to digest. Mix 30 grams of whey protein powder with 60 grams of easily digestible carbs such as orange juice or gatorade.

Finding the time to eat is one challenge, but embracing the mindset that it is okay to fill your body with food after workout is yet another challenge we must overcome.

It is very common for women to skip this post workout meal due to a combination of false beliefs..
- eat less, weigh less
- post workout is when we feel the "lightest"

However, this is the most important time TO put food into your body. This isn't going to sabotage weight-loss efforts. If anything, it will allow you to be more productive in your exercise, which in the long term is going to help you with your weight-loss efforts.

Take your fat loss plan to the next level be ensuring you have the right type of post workout meal within 30-60 minutes after your workout. If you want results, you have to pay attention to nutrient timing.