Record: 10 wins, 10 loses, spread of -327. I normally wouldn’t be content with a .500 record, but this was a new dictionary against a world-class field and I proved to myself that I can compete. Notched a victory over every player in the field except for one (to whom I lost two games by 32 points total). Six players in this division represented the U.S. at the 2010 World Scrabble Championship. Another highlight to my 10-10 finish was a 2-1 record against two-time national champion Dave Wiegand, who went on to win the tournament at 15-5. I’ll take it.

Bingos played: 39 in 20 games (1.95 BPG). Nothing flashy, just enough to get the job done: ABJURES, BARONESS, INQUIETS, TANTRIX*, AIDANCE, SUDORAL, TURBOFAN. My opponents played 30 bingos (1.5 BPG).

Collins bingos missed: 9. DESMINE, WEFTAGE, STIRRAS, SAILROOM, OREWEED, ALNAGERS, PANNOSE, OPALIZED, THALIAN. I missed several other plays due to failing to pull the trigger on the Collins-only hook. Enormous gap in my word knowledge that I’m amending. I expected this coming in, and I’ll be more prepared next time. Several of these misses came during a six-game, mid-tournament slump, during which hunger, blood sugar, and temperature affected my judgment. I’ve already consulted with a top nutritionist to prevent this from happening again.

High games: 532 vs Geoff Thevenot; 528 vs Evans Clinchy; 504 vs Dave Wiegand.

Round 2 vs Dave Wiegand
Round 13 vs Geoff Thevenot
Round 18 vs Evans Clinchy (annotated by Evans)

Low combined score: 721 twice (W 368-353 vs Marty Gabriel and W 391-330 vs John O’laughlin). The two lowest combined scores in the Collins division, both victories. Not sure if this suggests anything in particular, but it’s an interesting stat. In certain games, such as Round 15 vs John O’laughlin and round 16 vs Chris Lipe, I felt very comfortable controlling the board.

Favorite play: Round 3 vs Marty Gabriel

Lucas Freeman: Turn 11
   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O   -> Lucas Freeman            CEFFGZ?   292
   ------------------------------     Marty Gabriel            DEENOQR   333
 1|B     '       E V O E ' E W T| --Tracking---------------------------------
 2|R -       "       O X I D E  | RADEENOQ  8
 3|I   -       '   '   T   -   J|
 4|N     M       '     O -     A|
 5|G E N O A     U N B R A I D S|
 6|  S U R L I E R   " T     " E|
 7|    '       '   ' O s   '   Y|
 8|O U P H E   P I T A   C     S|
 9|    '   A G I T A T O R '    |
10|  "       "       H   I N "  |
11|        V A K I L S - M U    |
12|'     -   W I N       E L   '|
13|    -   Y A D   '       L    |
14|  -       "       "       -  |
15|=     '       =       '     =|
   ------------------------------

Marty’s previous play, MOR, told me the Q was one of two in the bag. If I were to block the lone Q spot with ZIFF M4, I lose to N in the bag (ODEA N4) despite the Q stick. Played FIzZ M4 instead to eliminate Marty’s scoring options. If I hadn’t blocked the I, and Q were in the bag, Marty would have Q stuck me anyway with my useless blank. FIzZ led to a Q-stick and a 368-353 win.

Other games from the tournament:

Round 9 vs Evans Clinchy (annotated by Evans) – L 377-435
Round 20 vs Dave Wiegand – W 428-387

I believe my next tournament will be in Montreal in May to compete against Canada’s best and former world champions Adam Logan, Joel Wapnick, and David Boys. I obviously have a lot to work on and many words to learn, but I’m preparing even harder now to make fewer mistakes and a better showing. I know what I’m capable of, so it’s time to get serious and bring it.

-Vacherie, a restaurant on the corner of Toulouse and Dauphine (its name is French for “cow pasture”). Best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The chicken salad was made with dried cranberries, cream cheese, and sour cream, blended with relish and egg. This became a lunchtime staple during the tournament.

-Café Beignet, nestled in the back of Music Legends Park, which is a quaint gap of jazz legend memorial statues and a live music stage on Bourbon Street. Beignets and coffee with Scrabble friends Dave Wiegand, Evans, Conrad, and Leesa became somewhat of a morning routine. The sparrows love coming here to beg for beignet scraps, as evidenced by how fat they were. Also tried Café du Monde by the riverfront of the French Quarter with Conrad, Kate, and Tim. Excellent beignets with Cafe Au Lait and chicory. Easy to see why the cafe was overcrowded.

-Audubon Park, with its two-mile running loop between St. Charles and Magazine Street. One and a half loops starting at St. Charles (I took the streetcar from Canal Street next to the French Quarter) made for a quick 5K that ended at the Audubon Zoo. Didn’t get a chance to walk the Labyrinth at Audubon (no doubt inspired by the Chartres Catherdral labyrinth), but that will be on my itinerary for a second trip to New Orleans. Lots of beautiful Southern Live oaks (iconic of the old south), which thankfully didn’t bother my raging oak allergy.

-The Audubon Zoo and Aquarium housed several endangered species I’d wanted to see, plus some other favorites. Got to see Asian elephants, white Bengal tigers, marmosets, giraffes, alligators, a komodo dragon, a female mountain lion, several Kori Bustards, sharks, manta rays, black-footed penguins, an orangutan, and a Southern white rhinoceros. I wrote a mountain lion-based novel entitled Caterwaul a few years ago, so I especially wanted to observe the mountain lion there. She didn’t disappoint. Gorgeous cat, inspiring, but surely not a creature I’d want to tussle with. The sharks, penguins, komodo dragon, and rhino were my other favorites. Could easily have spent a second day here.

-Royal Street Deli with Chris, Kate, Nadine, Tim, and Conrad. Conrad and I both ordered what was advertised on the menu as “grilled cheese with bacon” for four bucks. Turned out to be an amazing grilled mozzarella with maple-glazed bacon. Under-promised and over-delivered. Went down great with a Guinness, but I went back later for an Abita Turbodog at Chris’s suggestion. It’s also a dark ale, hints of coffee and chocolate like a Guinness, but not as thick and foamy. Brewed just an hour north of New Orleans, on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. I now have a second favorite beer.

-Café Amelie – Possibly the most beautiful restaurant I’ve ever dined at. Entered the Princess of Monaco Courtyard at night, where it was dimly lit and empty except for two charming hostesses wearing shawls at the hostess stand. The scene looked like something out of Victorian or American Gothic lit, like Irving or Dickens or the Brontë sisters. Our group of six quickly swelled to a group of twentyish Scrabble players and we were reseated inside the carriage house. Had the seared muscovy duck breast and one hell of a doberge red velvet cake. Wow. Unfortunately I was too busy soaking in the ambience to take any pictures that night.

Café Maspero – Leesa and I stumbled upon this place while looking for a late dinner and were drawn in by the muffaletta options (she was eating vegeterian). It was my first ever muffaletta and it took some serious work to finish off that much meat and olive salad in one sandwich. Paired with a Guinness Extra Stout, this was a very satisfying meal. Leesa was similarly pleased with her veggie version. I swear this entire city was build around food. We also toured the art galleries on Royal Street. The haunting trees of Tanner and the Escher/Giger/Daliesque work of the Antieau Gallery were two of our favorites.

The New Orleans Saints – Amazing football spirit in this city, which I was delighted to see. The Saints’ Superbowl win of 2009 as the city rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina is such an inspiring story. Drew Brees is a favorite athlete of mine and I’ve cheered the Saints on for several years. Got to watch the end of Saints vs 49ers divisional playoff game at the bar inside the Inn on Bourbon. Was hoping to experience Bourbon Street madness following the playoff victory, but the 49ers pulled out the win and Bourbon Street was noticeably quieter that night. There was plenty of madness beheld other nights, though.

The city reminded me quite a bit of Quebec City, except that Quebec isn’t as food-oriented (but it is much cleaner) and the good times aren’t so much centered around alcohol. Quebec does hold the edge in fitness, where I was able to run La Promenade des Gouverneurs and the Plains of Abraham with more space and quiet than St. Charles Street in New Orleans would have given me. Audubon Park appeared to be the best run in the Crescent City, and it was peaceful and convenient, so I have no complaints. I would definitely visit New Orleans again. There was plenty to do by myself and with friends, and still sights and tastes to discover.

Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding with Cream Cheese

4 to 6 sliced bananas
1 11-ounce box vanilla wafers
8 ounces cream cheese
1 5-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups milk
1 8-ounce container Cool Whip
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sliced strawberries or other berries

In one bowl, combine milk, instant pudding mix, and vanilla extract. In a second bowl, beat cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Combine the two bowls and whisk until smooth, gradually adding in half of the Cool Whip. Whisk until fully combined. Line the bottom of a large bowl with vanilla wafers, then a layer of sliced bananas, followed by the banana pudding mixture. Repeat layers until complete. Top with the remainder of the Cool Whip, then decorate with crushed wafers and/or berries of your choice. Chill four hours before serving.

Ricotta Cheesecake

Ricotta Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
20-30 gingersnaps
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract -or- seeds from one whole vanilla bean
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 cup crushed walnuts
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup apple cider
2-3 tart apples (Rome, Jonathan, Granny Smith, Blushing Golden, etc.)

In a springform pan, apply cooking spray then add mixture of crumbled gingersnaps, 2 tbsp butter, and brown sugar, press until crust is flat. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then mix ricotta, vanilla (extract or bean), and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Add sour cream and cream cheese and continue mixing until smooth. Whisk 3 eggs and gradually add ricotta/cream cheese mixture to eggs until fully combined. Pour evenly onto gingersnap crust and bake 45 minutes. The middle will be soft still but the edges should be slightly raised. Allow to cool before covering and refrigerating overnight.

To caramelize apples, peel, core, and slice apples, then combine 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a skillet over medium heat and dissolve until golden brown. Add the sliced apples and 2 tbsp butter and stir until apples are fully coated, 10-12 minutes. Remove caramelized apples with a fork or spatula and arrange on top of cheesecake. Add 1/4 cup apple cider to the remaining caramel and stir for a couple of minutes, then pour over apples and cheesecake. Top with crushed walnuts. Take apart springform pan to serve.

Image from http://www.dobermanpinschersite.com/

From http://www.justdogbreeds.com/doberman-pinscher.html (emphasis mine):

The Doberman Pinscher is often referred to by enthusiasts as “The Cadillac of Dogs.” They’ve also been called “the dog with the human brain.” Originally bred to be a guard dog, the Doberman Pinscher makes a protective family pet. (Sometimes, due to their somewhat erroneous reputation, the mere presence of a Doberman is sufficient deterrent to evildoers.) However, a Doberman Pinscher in a loving, stable environment is also a loving, stable dog, and an obedient and loyal companion. He is not a dog you simply chain outside to protect your property.

A Doberman is a people dog and will show you unflinching devotion. He will need to be by your side. They are incredibly intelligent, perceptive, intuitive, and sensitive, all of which makes them highly trainable. However, they require you to be a firm pack leader, or they will assume the role. A Doberman will need to be obedience trained.

The Doberman Pinscher is a versatile breed: family dog, agility champion, therapy dog, seeing eye dog, police dog. They are used to being active. They are fearless, outgoing, and up for anything, anytime. They need vigorous exercise every day and they need to be mentally stimulated. Dobermans do best when they have a job to do. (However, they are not fond of rain, so they will nap with you until the sun comes out.)

Speaking of napping, the Doberman is a cuddler! Be prepared to be watching TV, minding your own business, and suddenly finding a Doberman in your lap. He will also try to sleep with you. A Doberman will be lovey-dovey with you on the couch, but will be reserved with strangers. They have a natural ability to evaluate a situation and determine whether or not their family is being threatened. The Doberman loves his children and will be protective of them.

Dobermans are prone to behavior issues because they are so intelligent and energetic, but a Doberman who is provided with exercise, care, attention, and training should be a perfect gentleman in the home. You just need to have the time and be able to make the commitment. As with many breeds, the Doberman is not for everyone.

From http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/dobermanpinschers.html:

This athletic dog needs brisk walking every day and all-out running as often as possible. Too little exercise and too little companionship can lead to restlessness and other behavioral problems.

Mental exercise (advanced obedience, agility, tracking, Schutzhund) is just as important to this thinking breed.

Though some Doberman Pinschers are big softies who love everyone, most are reserved with strangers and protective of their family. Early and extensive socialization is mandatory to avoid either shyness or sharpness.

Some Doberman Pinschers are dominant with other dogs. Some are confirmed cat chasers, while others love small animals.

Some excel in advanced obedience competition, while others are hardheaded and will test to find their place in the pecking order.

Calm, consistent leadership is a must, and obedience training must be upbeat and persuasive rather than sharp. This breed does not tolerate teasing or mischief.

Thrives on exercise, athletic activities, and challenging things to do

Looks serious and imposing, so makes an effective deterrent even when friendly

Emotional sensitivity to stress and loud voices

Yep, that’s me in almost every regard. Our clinic staff has a variety of personalities such as Basset Hound, Gordon Setter, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Italian Greyhound, and Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Many say that often owners resemble their pets, but I believe people choose pets that remind them of themselves. I personally wouldn’t own a Doberman, and they’re not my favorite breed, but I do identify with them. What dog breed do you most identify with?

I’ll conclude with a picture of Monkey, who, with her new owner Emly, is turning out to be a gorgeous young cat.

Photo by Emly McPhee

I’ve been playing Scrabble competitively since 2006, roughly three tournaments per year, and achieved my unofficial “expert” rating at the 2010 National Scrabble Championship (currently there is no official nomenclature for status the way chess uses master and grandmaster). I played my first 209 sanctioned games using the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary 4th Ed. (OSPD4), which is a compilation of four source dictionaries: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.; American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th ed.; Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th ed.; and Random-House Webster’s College Dictionary, 2000 2nd ed. Revised. The OSPD4, which is the red one you can buy at any bookstore in North America, serves as a fairly complete representation of North American English. For this reason, it works well to market this as a word judge for casual Scrabble players in the U.S. and Canada.

However, Scrabble is a worldwide game. And the OSPD4 doesn’t represent the massive English language outside of North America. A great majority of clubs and tournaments outside of North America, including the World Scrabble Championship, use a wordlist that is more representative of world English: Collins Official Scrabble Words (CSW), which based on the Collins English Dictionary, 11th Ed. published in the U.K., and the OSPD4. CSW is also the official word judge of the World English Scrabble Players Association (WESPA). Since I plan to travel within the next few years, I want to be able to play Scrabble overseas using a word judge friendly to others’ experiences of the English language. And so in March of this year, I started studying CSW.

The switch didn’t come easily, but rather months after discussing it with world champion Nigel Richards at the 2010 Nationals. I had seen Collins games online before and was turned off by the higher scores and greater number of blowouts. Nigel eased my fears by explaining that the higher scores were due to having more scoring opportunities and more flexibility to get out of binds. He also explained that the scoring disparity was due to a greater difference in talent than I was used to, not due to any difference in the wordlist. The words, he also said, made it a richer game.

By then, Collins divisions had started gaining popularity in North America. So, seven months after my conversation with Nigel, I apprehensively decided to make the switch. With a tournament being held in Bethesda, Maryland on a weekend in March, I began studying the Collins-only words the previous Friday night. Armed with only the two-letter words, and a handful of threes, fours, and high-probability sevens, I dove into an eight-player Collins division that included three players who had competed in the World Championship (John O’Laughlin, Robert Linn, and Yawo Ananga) and I surprised myself. My limited knowledge brought me to third place after nine rounds, and I experienced the greater flexibility with international words like WAQF – an endowment in Muslim law, EUOI – a cry of Bacchic frenzy, and AGNISED – to acknowledge. In the end I did finish poorly with five wins and nine losses, though I earned three of those victories over the three Worlds competitors. Due to the strength of the field I earned a respectable international rating and brought myself one step closer to fulfilling my goal of one day competing in the World Scrabble Championship.

Collins Scrabble Words will officially be updated on January 1st, 2012, and the Crescent City Cup will be my first tournament experience with the new list. Since Bethesda my knowledge of the Collins words has exploded and I feel ready to compete against eight WSC competitors, a two-time national champion, and a few others in New Orleans.

Since I compete in so few tournaments, I see no point in trying to balance two dictionaries, so I’ve abandoned the OSPD4 entirely. While many North American players cite individual words for their reason against switching, I find many of those individual words to be rather charming and entertaining. Granted, if every three-letter combination that has ever appeared in English were valid (such as EIE, meaning “eye”, from Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”), there wouldn’t be much left that’s invalid. So I’m certainly glad not every hapax legomena are included. But clearly someone is keeping track of usages of archaic words and their modern influences on the language through concordances and whatnot. Medieval and Renaissance literature has had a significant impact on the British national identity. While YTHUNDERED might look silly to some, Spenser’s work (e.g. The Teares of the Muses, 1591) is fucking gorgeous. Not all obsolete words have been treated the same (e.g. I believe QUEERCORE got expunged when Chambers 1998 was dropped as a source dictionary). Nonetheless, erring on the side of inclusion, such as Spenser’s poetic license, is one of the things that attracts me to Collins.

From Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”:

“Where that false couple were full closely ment
In wanton lust and leud embracement:
Which when he saw he burnt with gealous fire;
The eie of reason was with rage yblent;
And would have slaine them in his furious ire”

Some other words in CSW12 that I will be able to play in New Orleans that I wouldn’t be able to in OSPD4 are:

EMO, MOFO, WIKI, ACAI, XRAY, AFRO, BENJ, VLOG, MILF, INBOX, SPORK, SYRAH,
JUVIE, BODHI, GOTTA, SORTA, FLAVA, CRUNK, COXIB, MOOBS, CAJUN, HEWGH

RIBEYE, NUTJOB, ECOMAP, MOJITO, SHITZU, CANKLE, SPYCAM, YWROKE, DHAMMA

RIBCAGE, LAYDEEZ, BOOTCUT, CATFLAP, YPLIGHT, UNOAKED, DUCDAME, FUCKWIT
BRAHMAN, ANOESIS, BOXPLOT, ENDZONE, SNOTRAG, APESHIT, FANSITE, NAMASTE

INTERNET, AVOIDANT, BATTLEAX, OVERFINE, INASMUCH, ASHTANGA, MINDFUCK,
YBOUNDEN, TEALIGHT, AUTOSAVE, GUYLINER, SHITHOLE, INTERWEB, EQUATIVE

GASTROPUB, TANOREXIC, BITCHFEST, QUIDDITCH, BOOTYLICIOUS

A nice mix of slang, archaic and obsolete, pop culture terms, technology terms, and everyday words used even in North America. Personally, I’m less thrilled with the slang terms (especially GOOGLE, MYSPACE, and FACEBOOK included as verbs) than those with historical significance. But the inclusion of a greater range of overall English makes the minor nuisances worth studying to me. Some words I like are even leaving CSW12: SWEETPEA, OAKLEAF, BLANKY, JETPLANE, WYSIWYG, and SHOTPUT. Of course, some players have hostile or extreme criticisms for other words that don’t fit their personal criteria (or their own ethnocentric view of the English language), and those views seem to be the biggest obstacle in advancing Collins in North American competition. But as a testament to our worldliness, I believe the U.S. national champion should be decided using the broader dictionary, and I’m sacrificing my dream of becoming a national Scrabble champion until this becomes a reality. There are two greater causes to play for in the meantime: the world championship and unity with those I’ll someday play Scrabble with overseas.

Starting now, I am adjusting my workout routine to decrease two of the F.I.T.T. principles, Frequency and Time, and increase the other two, Intensity and Type. What has worked for me since 2008, stacking on body weight from 144 lbs to 174 lbs while maintaining <8% body fat and improving my max VO2 from 46 to 50 ml/kg min, has been 90-to-120-minute combinations of isolation and compound exercises multiple times per week. I’ve added comparison photos below to show what this has done for me. I feel great now and my body loves these workouts. However, I can’t maintain this. Next month I’ll be competing in my first Scrabble tournament in almost a year, the Crescent City Cup in New Orleans. I’ll also begin classes toward my veterinary technical license next year, and I’ve decided to rejoin the NSCA as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Since being promoted to technical supervisor at the clinic, I’ve had less time and energy to maintain these workouts, and I’m only going to get busier. So it’s time to become more efficient and more intense inside the gym. When I set my sights on outworking the hardest worker there, I’ll have to redouble those efforts to continue making progress.

(L) Looking skeletal in October 2008 at 144 lbs. (R) Gratuitous mirror shot in the dressing room, June 2011 at 174 lbs

I’m all about simplicity in every aspect of my life, so I’m looking forward to simplifying my workout routine. By performing only compound movements, I can boil my workouts down to just a few effective and efficient exercises that I truly enjoy doing:

Plyometric warmups (see here)
Squats
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Walking Dumbbell Lunges
Pull-ups
Barbell Rows
Bench Press
Medicine Ball Archbishop
Iwo Jima Corner Squat (aka “Cornerstones”)
Standing Military Press

On days I can’t visit the gym, I can still perform kettlebell snatches, cleans, and squat presses anywhere I want (though I may need to upgrade to a heavier bell). I’ll continue training for and running 5K’s with my friend Samantha, and consuming enough calories and protein to stimulate muscle growth. My goal of being a functional athlete at 180 lbs pounds lean is still alive. But with everything I have planned for the next few months, each individual workout has to count for more. The purpose of this post is to hold me accountable to that. Now that it’s written, I have no excuse but to shut up and do it.

The three babies — two black and one gray — were dropped off at the clinic to be fostered until we could find a home. The girls at the clinic named them Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup after the Powerpuff Girls (I had no say in the matter). They were about three weeks old at the time. So I brought them home and bottlefed them until they could eat solid food, and found them homes almost immediately. The fluffy gray one is Monkey, whom I found in a tree outside a Barnes & Noble when she was about six weeks old. I wasn’t able to keep her, but she found a good home with friends of mine, a Scrabble-playing couple and their daughter one town over. And they are simply enamoured with her. I would have kept Monkey if my roommate weren’t allergic, but she’s happy with her new family and their menagerie, so I’m happy too.

Game 1 vs Feargal Weatherhead (IRL): W 423-370
Game 2 vs Feargal Weatherhead (IRL): L 363-454

Game 1 vs Harshan Lamabadusuriya (GBR): W 485-329

Game 1 vs Ganesh Asirvatham (MYS): L 439-578
Game 2 vs Ganesh Asirvatham (MYS): W 506-380

Game 1 vs David Eldar (AUS): L 274-626
Game 2 vs David Eldar (AUS): W 607-427

Bingos: tREHALAS, TIMONEER, SPALLER, UNFIXES, DIAGNOSE, DEPONES, BARNACLE, REOILED, BEgINNER, DENTING, ALERION, DIPLOMAT, ANGULAR, ECdYSIS.

I was also her best friend, and the one to bathe her and groom her when she mucked herself up. Despite having CAGE BRAVE written in big red marker across her cage card and at least five bite victims to her credit, she was my buddy and I loved her. We all did. By Sunday night she was down to three pounds, six ounces and unresponsive (I gave her the “Six-Pound” monicker when we were trying to fatten her up to six pounds so she could undergo a thyroidectomy. She made it shortly. For one day she was Six-Pound Jessie Brown, baddest cat in the whole damn town. Badder than old King Kong, meaner than the junkyard dog). Usually one to struggle and fight against anything forced upon her, she had no fight left on Sunday. After 17 years, it was her time, and she went in peace. It still sucks though. I really loved this cat. She’s the closest friend to me that I’ve ever lost. Goodbye, Babygirl. I love you.

Six-Pound Jessie Brown - 1994-2011

The study provides a list of products whose purchases were analyzed in the study. Among the “vice” products were Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, Coca-Cola, Ghirardelli hot cocoa, Little Debbie banana nut muffins, Mrs. Smith’s apple and pumpkin pies, Oreo cookies, and Drake’s coffee cakes. Among the “virtue” products were Aquafina bottled water, Arnold/Brownberry 100% whole wheat bread, Bush’s baked beans, Honey Nut Cheerios, Del Monte diced peaches, Health Valley granola, Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, Quaker oatmeal, Special K cereal, and Yoplait 99% fat-free yogurt. It doesn’t take a wizard to see why each product was placed into its respective category. Whenever I shop, I try to adhere to the Men’s Health acronym ABS DIET POWER to make smart choices:

Almonds (other nuts and seeds)
Beans (and other legumes)
Spinach (leafy greens and other vegetables)

Dairy (especially milk, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt)
Instant oatmeal
Eggs
Turkey (and other lean meats)

Peanut butter
Olive oil
Whole grains
Extra protein (whey, soy, etc.)
Rasperries (fruits and other berries)

In the study, overall purchase averages nearly doubled (from $38 to $68) when credit was favored instead of cash. Nobody has to tell me twice that parting with a walletful of hard-earned green hurts more than handing over a plastic card. I’d be more deliberate as well. Also, while the study found virtually no difference between amount cash and credit used to pay for “virtue” products (approximately $17.50 for both payment methods), there was a significant difference between cash handed over and credit swiped for “vice” products (approximately $10 versus $14, respectively). For those who use cash to make their purchases, and thus are more careful about impulsive shopping, that choice equals scrilla in the bank and inches off their waistline.

Of course, controlling food impulses should be a greater effort than simply switching currency. Yes, one should be able to pay with any means at all, realize those means are not unlimited, and cave to fewer impulses as a result. But fat and sugar addictions shouldn’t be indulged to begin with. Once the mindset and lifestyle of making responsible diet choices are established, currency becomes a secondary consideration.

I’ll admit I started reverting to cash only when some card-swiping machines began charging a fifty cent fee per transaction. But handing over that money made me think: If given the choice between abs and cash or a pack of Chips Ahoy, which one do you suppose I’ll take?

Thomas, M., Desai, K., & Seenivasan, S. (2010). How Credit Card Payments Increase Unhealthy Food Purchases: Visceral Regulation of Vices. Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 38. DOI: 10.1086/657331 READ HERE.