I need to come clean

Did you notice how I haven't posted anything since February?  Yeah, that wasn't because I forgot.

The truth is, I gained some weight I gained most of my weight back.

That was one of the hardest things I've had to say in a while.  When I had the gall bladder attack back in February, I was already feeling downtrodden because I wasn't seeing any more results from Carb Nite.  It wasn't that the diet stopped working, it was that I was going about it the wrong way.*  The visit to the hospital gave me an excuse to dial back my diet and exercise regimen "while I figured things out."

The only problem is that I never did.

I stopped exercising all together.  I cancelled my membership with my fancy gym**, I stopped cooking my own food, I started eating fast food all the time, and started drinking a lot of soda.  I didn't notice until it was too late that my shirts and pants were tighter, I got out of breath easier, my back pain came back, and that places and things that I used to fit into just wasn't happening anymore.

I think stress and depression are to blame for me pretty much letting go of everything I had worked so hard for.  However, the only person that can fix the stress, depression, and lethargy in my life is me.  

So here is THE PLAN:

Phase 1

• Return to Carb Nite.  When I started Carb Nite, I was doing it the right way.  I'm going to watch carb intake and keep it under 30g a day.  I'm also going to be watching macro-nutrients in respect to keeping a 2:1 protein to fat ratio.
• Strive for Paleo.  As I have said before, Paleo dieting and CNS are natural bedfellows.  While striving to eat low carb, I'm also going to try and eat clean.  Basically, even if the diet soda has no carbs in it, I won't be drinking it.  Which takes me to the third part...
• Drink lots of water.  It serves so many purposes.  Water acts as an appetite suppressant, it helps flush waste from the kidneys, and it keeps the body hydrated (duh!).
• Walk at least twice a week.  It doesn't sound like much, but I'm taking advice from Hark and I'm starting small.  He was so right when he reminded me that jumping in too much too fast would only cause relapse.  These aren't going to be short walks either.  I'm going for at least a mile each time.

Phase 2

• Maintain all aspects of Phase 1.  After I have reached a level of routine with Phase 1 and results are hitting a peak, I will start into Phase 2.  This process should begin within 4-6 weeks.
• Increase walking to three or four times a week.  Still striving to at least walk a mile or two each time.
• Start to add strength training.  At first, it will simply be two days a week.  One day of upper body, and another of lower body.

Phase 3

• Maintain all aspects of Phases 1 & 2.  After I have reached a level of routine with Phases 1 & 2 and results are hitting a peak, I will start into Phase 3.  There is no definite timetable for this as results vary from person to person and even from one personal attempt to the next.  My goal is to start this phase after being on Phase 2 for 6-8 weeks.
• Divide strength training into 3 days per week.  Instead of doing one day of upper body and another of lower body, I will divide the workouts into three days where I try to focus on one from each group.  The strength training sessions will be slightly shorter, but will provide more attention to individual muscle groups.
• Start Intermittent Fasting.  This will be for my Ultra Low Carb days where I may not have any carbs in that day, or only eat once throughout the day.  This will help to break through some plateaus that I will be hitting.  I will still supplement with lots of water and multivitamins on those days.

Phase 4

• After a period where I am hitting an unbreakable plateau (which happens to everyone), I will take a break from the Carb Nite portion of the diet.  John Kiefer, author of The Carb Nite Solution, has updated his stance on how long CNS can be done from 6 months to indefinitely, but I'm going to take some precautions anyway and revert to the Mark Sisson teaching on carb intake (that the body can be maintained safely at 50-100g carbs per day).
• One month of Paleo.  This part of the diet is still going to be crucial, as this should be a lifestyle more than it is a diet.
• Possible return to just walking three or four times per week.  This will all be determined on how I feel at the time.
• After one month has passed, return to Phase 1 and repeat.  I'll keep doing this until I get the results I want!

Everything said and done, this is going to be a slow process, but I am committed to making myself healthier in the long run.  

Last, but not least, I want to thank any of the people that still read the blog for sticking with Hark and I.  We may not be the best at updating, but we appreciate all of the feedback we get from you guys!

___________________

*On CNS, it is possible to eat low carb, but not lose weight.  The diet I was keeping had my ratios backwards, and I believe that is why I wasn't losing.  Instead of keeping a ratio of 2:1 proteins to fats, I had a 1:2 ratio.

**Even though I cancelled my fancy gym membership, I found a local gym that doesn't have all of the nice equipment, but it has the necessary equipment.  Instead of paying $30 a month, I now pay $45 a year.

Burning Bridges

In this complete overhaul of my life you have to remove temptation. My sweet tooth is ridiculous and very difficult to control. It's even worse when I have a few drinks, because I have a tendency to drunk-bake. I'll wake up with my kitchen covered in cookies, cakes, or some other sweet delicacy. 

So how do you deal with something like that?

I stopped buying crap. Life as a poor college student makes buying food difficult. Do I have the time to cook this? Will it taste good? Is it nutritious? Usually a college student can only choose two of those. So I went to my (not-so) local Trader Joes. Turns out they have all sorts of hormone-free, chemical-free stuff that's even cheaper than Walmart (where I even get a discount). It's a little bit of a drive, but I save money in the long run and I'm helping my body. And then there's the rocking out to the classic rock station part...

As for what I eat on a daily basis: Breakfast is super bran flakes (with almond or coconut milk), oatmeal and honey, or a couple eggs. For lunch, I'll eat a can of sardines and some whole wheat crackers (I checked it's legit whole wheat) and sometimes a small dessert that's usually a greek yogurt with honey. Dinners are all over the place, but pretty much never fast food. And even if I do eat some fast food, it's a lot less than when I used to go out. A four-plate chinese-food buffet has become two plates. A five-dollar footlong with two cookies and soda has become a six-inch and an unsweet tea. I can't give up bread or sweet stuff like Andy. I've tried and I feel sick afterwards. But I can make sure that there's more fiber in what carbs I do eat and that I eat a lot less of those calorie-dense cake and ice cream.

I've already tackled the nutrition demon, now it's time to begin my fight against the dreaded exercise monster!

Noticeable Change

I've been on the Carb Nite Solution for over a month now.  When I weighed myself two weeks ago, I had lost nearly 20 lbs of the weight that I had put back on.

I had intended to post this update with my current weight lost as well, but with it being the winter, and me having a son, my schedule doesn't always allow me to get to the gym when I want to.  The gym just happens to be the place where I weigh myself.

Checklist of things I need to buy:

• A bathroom scale

Anyway, the picture is worth quite a few words.  The first thing that I've noticed about myself is that I am noticeably not as wide as I used to be.  My moobs (man boobs) are smaller as well.  Something you can't tell from these photos is that ALL of the clothes I was wearing a month ago are so much looser on me now.  My jeans are practically baggy, when they were snug when I bought them just a month ago!

Progress is happening!

Carb Nite Solution: Carb Nite

I'm at the tail-end of my first "Carb Nite."  When someone first starts the CNS (Carb Nite Solution), they go for almost 10 whole days of eating under 30 grams of carbohydrates a day.  At the end of the 10th day, Kiefer tells them to go all-out on carbs.

It's really weird that he has been able to tell me exactly how I would feel each step of the way on the diet.  And, as he foretold, I feel stuffed even though I didn't eat more tonight than I used to on a regular night.  Also, I have this warm and fuzzy feeling all over my body, like I've crawled into a fleece-lined sleeping bag for a nice nap.  The only difference is that I've been feeling this way while I'm awake!  Right now, it's a love/hate feeling.  I love the warm and fuzzy feeling, but I hate the overstuffed feeling that I have as well.

As for the previous 9 full days on CNS, it started out pretty roughly.  I barely got in under 30 grams of carbs the first day, the second day I barely ate any carbs because of not knowing what was safe, and the third day was fine because I was eating some carbs but not too many, but I had some pretty severe hunger pains while my body tried to persuade me into eating more carb-rich foods.  Days four through seven left me with a cloudy mind, but I was still able to function pretty normally.  After that, I settled into the diet and felt comfortable with what I was eating.  

Now, I'm simply curious to see what tomorrow is going to feel like!

Review of The Carb Nite Solution

I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about this program when I was told about it.  I'm an active member of a message forum that has a thread dedicated to fitness and nutrition, and I usually follow the advice of one of the gurus on this forum.  His name is Cormac, and you've heard me mention him before.  He is practically a genius when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, and he practices what he preaches.  

So when Cormac started talking up The Carb Nite Solution by John Kiefer, after only talking about the greatness that is Mark Sisson, I was hesitant to listen.  I had it locked in my mind that carbohydrates were pretty bad, and it was best to keep them under 100 grams a day, but the overall nutrition in my diet was the thing I needed to focus on.  

Kiefer's solution, however, is to focus almost solely on the carbohydrates and to keep them under 30 grams a day.  This is mostly acceptable to somebody so deep in the paleo-dieting world, until you find out that he also wants you to pig out (literally) one night a week.  For one night, every single week, you load as many carbs into your system as possible.  Cormac said that there was a lot of science behind it as to why it worked, but I had trouble believing him.  That was until he started talking about his overweight friend that was on it, and how much weight he had been losing with it.  He actually said, "It's funny to see the weight almost melting right off of him."

I decided to check it out for myself.  I went to the website, and started reading every little piece of information I could about it to see what Kiefer had to say for himself.  Naturally, the information on the website doesn't give away too much as to how it works or why it works, because Kiefer is selling his book that details the diet.  I took the plunge and bought it anyway, going in with an open mind ready to see what the guy had to say for himself.

What I liked about the book:

• John Kiefer is a physicist.  More importantly, he is a scientist.  This means that every single part of the book is explained with science as to why it works.
• There are so many references and citations to back up what he's saying that it is hard to refute it.
• The idea behind the plan in the book is simple, and following the diet he lays out is not a hard one.
• He explains and forewarns of EVERY thing that will happen to your body when you go on this diet.  The good, along with the bad, are laid out on the table.
• He explains that this plan is not a lifestyle-diet, like The Primal Blueprint, Weight Watchers, Atkins, or any of the others, but it is a power-diet.  This diet is meant for fat-loss, not weight-loss, and is only intended for up to 6 months of use at a time.
• The last part of the book has a layout of meal plans, recommended foods, and other things that will help you succeed on this diet.  It is all very detailed.

What I didn't like about the book:

• John Kiefer is a physicist.  More importantly, he is a scientist (yes, I did list that twice).  This means that there are a LOT of details and science facts in this book to explain why it works.  I'm taking college level biology classes right now and some of it was still over my head.  I considered it to be a necessary evil.
• I don't agree with some of the recommendations on the plan.  One major disagreement that I had was pertaining to exercise.  He doesn't actually recommend it, but says that it can be helpful.  He states that under any circumstance, no cardio should be performed while on this diet.  
• It almost sounds too good to be true.

Overall, I was impressed with the book and the diet detailed out in it.  I think the website looks a little shady, and that it might scare off some potential customers/clients.  I ended up paying $19.99 USD for an electronic version of the book that was instantly available to me, and I think it was worth it.

At the time of this writing, I am on day seven of the diet.  The first couple of days were harder than these last few, but the book has prepared me for all of that.  I can't say for sure whether or not this will actually work as I have spent so little time on it so far.  However, I am fairly confident that this will be effective for me.

After only seven days in to the diet, I am already noticing changes in my body.  That's crazy to me.

You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Step 2: Change the Diet

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to give out some details for what I'm doing to kick the weight I put on from the holidays.  It's all going to be simple stuff that should get me (and you, if you do the same) back on track!

Step 2: Change the Diet

It's New Year's Day.  Drink some coffee and clear up that hangover, if you've got one.  For me personally, I didn't do any partying last night.  Instead, I put my son to bed at 9:00 p.m. and started watching episodes of the Classic Doctor Who series on Netflix (and I have decided that Tom Baker is now one of my most favorite Doctors).  I didn't even know that I was in a new year until a friend sent me a text message 15 minutes after midnight!

The next step in the weight-loss plan will be changing up what constitutes as "normal" in our everyday diets.  Getting rid of the bread and sugary sweets will be a must.  Meats and veggies from here on out.  

Most people think that the beginning of a new year means wiping the dust off last year's resolution and reclaiming it as something new.  This also means our local gyms will be flooded and healthy foods will start to fly off the shelves at the supermarket.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, unless you really needed that asparagus for your dinner tonight or had planned on using the treadmill today.  What I'm suggesting though, is not to drive directly to the gym, but to get our affairs in order at home first.  What good is it going to do if we work out for an hour and then go home and eat a whole pizza?

Step 1: Detox

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to give out some details for what I'm doing to kick the weight I put on from the holidays.  It's all going to be simple stuff that should get me (and you, if you do the same) back on track!

Step 1: Detox

It's the day after Christmas, and I woke up this morning to a home that looked like it had been used for a holiday frat party.  Unfortunately, this frat party lasted way too long.  There is wrapping paper all over my house, toys scattered from one end to the other, and my son and two cats are having the best time ever.  Under every pile of crap, there is some new adventure just waiting to happen!

Worst of all, there is a pile of food on my kitchen table and more of it stocked in the pantry that any sensible paleo dieter would go green in the face just looking at.

The first step in getting rid of my holiday fatty fun is detoxifying my body.  The protein powder is coming out of the pantry and the vitamin organizers are getting filled up again.  Aside from delicious coffee with a little cream and sugar, and an emergency no-carb-no-sugar energy drink, my intakes of choice are going to be protein shakes and water for the next three days.  This will get my body back into requiring only the things it needs to stay healthy.

This is a good time to do a holiday purge.  Candy canes, fruit cakes (if anybody actually even gets those anymore), pastries, and other sugary carb-loaded foods need to go!

Update on the PB21DC... and other stuff

First off, I'll go ahead and put it out there that if you're starting to miss Hark and I, don't be mad at us.  We're both really busy in school right now, not to mention work, and in my case a child.  We're still trying to eat healthy and exercise too, but it's hard to fit so much into a daily schedule.  If that's not proof enough, look at the date stamp on this post.  Yes, I really wrote this at midnight.

At the time of this post, we are two full weeks (14 days) into the PB21DC.  Personally, this is the best effort that I've made to eat Primally since before the mess of things in June of 2011.  I don't know if I've lost any weight, because I've not had time to weigh myself.  I will admit, that I've cheated a couple of times on my diet and I haven't been able to exercise like I want to.  I still get a lot of low level cardio in at work because of all the walking and lifting I do though, so there is slight compensation.

Here are some things that are working for me that I thought I would share, so that you might see if they work for you:

1. Follow Marksdailyapple.com.  This is a great source (the original source) for the Primal Blueprint.  Mark gives out great advice every day of the year for how to live a Primal lifestyle, great recipes, cool links, and success stories to motivate you.
2. If you're not sure about how or what to eat, start slow.  Over the summer, I regained a heavy addiction to soda.  When the challenge started, I switched to diet soda's to take the edge off and keep the carbs at a minimum.  Now, I've been completely soda free for three days and I'm feeling fine.  I supplement the caffeine need with delicious home-brewed coffee.  The key is to keep in mind what the healthiest choice is for you to make and then strive to meet that goal.
3. Keep a journal.  I went bought a pocket-sized journal to track my food intake, energy level, physical activity, and general thoughts daily for the challenge.  This can be so beneficial when you're looking to find out, "What went wrong?"
4. Make the effort to coexist with non PB'ers.  In an ideal world, we all live either by ourselves or with people who want to eat as healthy as we do.  This is not an ideal world.  Nearly everyone has a roommate, housemate, or family member, and they may not be cozy in your PB lifestyle.  It would be nice if you could throw out all the crap food in your pantry and fridge, but they may protest.  Personally, my son has a hard time adjusting to this diet.  When he's not with me he's with my family or at school.  Neither of those places are exactly on board with the Primal eating plan.  All that being said, he's not sure why we don't have buns or bread for the hot-dogs, hamburgers, and other sandwich items in the house and he hates that he's not getting french fries and tater tots anymore for his side item or snack, and instead having to eat carrots with dip.  It's all about compromises, and remembering which food items in your home ARE NOT YOURS.  Other than that, it's all about patience and discipline.

I thought I would shoot a link for you guys over to the guy that got it all started for me.  I know him as Cormac, and I met him on a video game message forum (geeky, right?).  Cormac was the guy that started talking about paleo dieting and the Primal Blueprint.  He's insanely smart when it comes to this stuff, and he's started a blog that answers questions about how he lives his PB lifestyle in Japan.  Before I give you the link, I will warn you, he uses a little bit of non-family friendly language, but it's worth it for the knowledge you get out of it!

Cormacaroni.tumblr.com/

Recipe Corner

This is actually Rachael Ray's "Chicken in a Pot, Not Pie," but the picture is better than the one I took.

September is here and the fall is right behind it!  It's my most favorite part of the year.  The colors, the smells, and the foods this time of the year are the best.  I decided to get an early start on some of my favorite cooking that comes along with the fall too, and I stumbled upon something while cooking up dinner for the kiddo and myself the other day.  Get ready for a super simple slow cooker meal that makes itself for you while you get other things done.

Mostly-Primal Chicken Pot Pie minus the Pie Part

Ingredients:

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 cups water

6 frozen chicken tenderloins (or two frozen boneless breasts)

2 bags of frozen spring vegetables mix

2 packets of chicken gravy mix

Directions:

Mix it all in a slow cooker pot and leave it to cook.  Try mixing in the water, bouillon cube, and gravy mix first for a good consistent base.  Put the chicken and veggies in next!  Enjoy it when it's done.  

Serves: 5-7 people

My slow cooker has different settings for cooking time, so I started mid-day and had it ready in 4 hours.  Adjust your cook time and temperature settings for when you need it!  I'll be putting my leftovers in a container for tomorrow!

Sign Up! The Ancestral Weight Loss Registry

Any of you who have been reading the blog for a while or have read up on some of our older posts know that I'm a fanatic for Paleo-style dieting.  It started back in January of 2011 and it was love at first site.  I would actually say that it is responsible for the majority of any of the weight that I've lost.  It's what has caused my local bakery to lose me as a loyal customer.  And I know that when I fall off the beaten path, that Paleo-dieting will be right there, ready to pick me up with a friendly -but firm- "I told you so." 

A couple of days ago, I was doing my nightly read-through of my favorite blogs when I found one from Mark Sisson on his website.  It briefly touched on the fact that paleo dieters aren't taken seriously, are treated as "fad" dieters, and still draw a lot of concern from most health professionals.  

There is a group out there that is taking the initiative into their own hands to prove the success, seriousness, and basic truths behind this style of living and eating.  The Ancestral Weight Loss Registry has a goal to "...combine(s) a running list of clinical research combined with a registry that people can join on a volunteer basis. Collecting such data will hopefully illuminate the safety and efficacy of consuming such a food plan. Data speaks for itself."

So, if you're like me, and you've had success in any form from eating a diet that is low-carb, paleo, primal, or anywhere close to them, here's what you should do to show our politicians and physicians that the diet and we ourselves should be taken seriously:

1. Go to the sign-up page, enter your details, and answer the questions honestly.
2. Make sure you read the privacy policy.
3. Spread the word!

Bonus points will be awarded for submitting before and after photos, if you have them, and liking their Facebook page!

Quick Morning Pick-Me-Up

Orginal Image borrowed from GrazeWithMe.com

I thought I would throw out this quick tip for getting your day started in the morning.  It was honestly something that I came across by accident, but I knew my friends would enjoy it!

If you've read the blog before, you know how much I love Blender Bottles.  The snap-close top and the wire whisk ball inside make it great for not only mixing up protein shakes, which I frequently have after going to the gym, but it can be used for mixing up any number of things from salad dressings, soups, to any other number of liquid beverages or foods.

A couple of days ago, I decided that it was too hot to be drinking hot coffee in the morning.  I took a page from my old barista days at Starbucks, and decided to make myself a batch of iced coffee.  It's really quite simple.

Brew up a pot of coffee, but do it at double the strength you normally would.  When that pot is brewed, pour it into a pitcher with the same amount of cold water and ice cubes.  If you want it to be a little stronger, you can run half as much water as you did in the first pot through the same grinds that you just used.  If you want to, add sugar for taste (I added less than half a cup for a whole gallon) and let it cool.  It's really easy to make it before you go to bed and let it cool overnight so it's ready for use in the morning.  You can add milk or cream to it when you make it if that is what you prefer.

When I went to make my normal batch this morning, I decided to try something new.  I added a scoop of protein powder to it!  It went from being normal, everyday variety, iced coffee to an iced mocha with protein!

What's great about it is that it not only has the caffeine which we groggy non-morning people so desperately cleave to, but it also has that protein which turns it into a pseudo meal replacement.

Now that is what I call killing two birds with one stone!

Carbs, Sugar, and Insulin - Short and... Sweet

I don't think it's possible to talk about insulin, glucose, or diabetes without thinking of Wilford Brimley.

One of the readers of EMF and a good friend of mine recently asked me to do a post on insulin.  He told me that he was really interested in the subject and wanted to find out as much as he could about it in relation to his diet.  I started doing some reading to refresh my memory, and that was when I realized that you can't talk about insulin without talking about carbohydrates and sugars as well.  (It's a packaged deal, you see.)  I hope I give him the answers he was looking for.

Let's look at the big picture first.  Everything we eat is fuel for our bodies.  If we don't use it right away (most of the time we don't need to), then we store it for later or flush it out of our system.  

Any type of carbohydrate you eat (breads, pastas, cereals, grains, fruits, and sweets) will be broken down into one of those forms of fuel called glucose.  Glucose is a simple form of sugar.  If the glucose is not burned up right away, then the pancreas creates insulin to combine with the glucose and helps the liver and the muscles find a way to store it in the form of glycogen.

Once all of the cells being filled with glycogen get full, they have to be turned into something else.  Anyone want to take a guess as to what it is that they convert to?



(Insert the voice of the teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off) Anyone?  Anyone?

Saturated fat.  That's how the Twinkie and the the Tootsie Roll you ate yesterday are making you fat today.

Sometimes, the pancreas can't handle the load of insulin needed by the body and isn't able to make enough.  This is called Type 1 Diabetes.  It's also known as Juvenile Diabetes, but don't be fooled by the name.  Many adults can get this for of diabetes.

In other, many more common cases, the glucose created by the body is insulin resistant.  It doesn't bond with the insulin much or at all.  This is commonly known as Type 2 Diabetes.  Type 2 Diabetes is the one of the most common diseases in the world, and with most people it is incurable.

The problem with both of these diseases is that high levels of blood glucose are poisonous to our bodies.  This can lead to the onset of strokes or heart attacks that can sometimes have deadly results.  

There is also a third problem that can sometimes rise called Hypoglycemia.  This is commonly caused when the body gets (or makes)  too much insulin, is starved, or under the influence of alcohols or poisons. Hypoglycemia can usually be fixed by having the person affected eat something with complex carbohydrates.

The root of all these problems seems to be carbohydrates.  However, we will be told by doctors, nutritionists, health teachers, and the government that the problem is not with the carbs, but with our own bodies.  Doesn't it seem simple enough that we could cut out the problem of our bodies being overloaded on glucose and glycogen if we narrowed out the carbs we were getting?

Would it surprise you to hear that our hunter-gatherer ancestors like the cavemen ate an average of 80 grams of carbohydrates a day?  Did you know that the average person eats between 250-300 carbohydrates daily now?  It's no wonder that Diabetes is becoming an epidemic.

Mark Sisson, of Marksdailyapple.com, suggests that we try to consume anywhere between 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrates daily to maintain our current weight, although this number can fluctuate with our weight.  He also says that if we eat between 50 and 100 grams of carbohydrates daily, that we hit a "carbohydrate sweet spot" for losing weight.  He states that with a controlled carbohydrate diet and regular exercise, we could possibly lose up to two pounds a week!

This was how all of those people back in the 1990's and early part of the 2000's lost all of those pounds on the Atkins Diet.  They learned that through controlling their carbohydrate intake, they could regulate their weight gains and losses. 

And for those of you that said that the Atkins Diet was dangerous, those people are still alive today.

Check it Out! FitDay.com

As many times as I've plugged Marksdailyapple.com, I'm sure you've stopped in and taken a look around.  The more and more you go to the site, you'll see that he likes to plug some of his favorite sites that he goes to.  One of his favorites that he suggests to everyone is FitDay.com.

Fit Day is diet and exercise tracking, simplified online.  They only offer to keep a log of the foods you eat, the exercise you get, and the weight you loose.  They don't make a lot of suggestions and they don't judge.  If you were a fan of Sparkpeople.com, but you didn't like all of the "interactive" features that they had like the social media side and the constant tips, then Fit Day is for you.

Recently, I had to use Fit Day to get my diet back on track.  For the past few weeks, I hadn't been losing any weight.  I couldn't figure out what the problem was since I was having phenomenal results in the gym.  A friend of mine suggested logging into my Fit Day account and logging a few days worth of food.  I logged four days worth of eating, and I discovered that I was over my personal limit for carbohydrate intake.  I was getting anywhere from 25-50 more grams of carbs than I needed to lose weight.  It was the answer to why I was maintaining my weight instead of shedding it.

Did I mention that these people aren't pushy?  I've had an account for a few months now, and I don't remember getting an email from them other than the confirmation email when I signed up.  This site is one of those, "We're here if you need us" kind of places.  It's right up my alley for checking in, researching what I want to know, and getting out.  They put everything I need to know right into a nice and neat little chart and let me go on my way.  It's not overloaded with graphics either.

If you're like me, and you don't really want a lot of outside influence from an impersonal site for weight-loss, then FitDay.com is for you.  Give them a try today!

Meal Time! Primal Leftover Frittata

Andy's Primal Leftover Frittata

The day I made this frittata was May 6th, 2011.  The reason I include that is because it gives an explanation to what ingredients were used in my breakfast that morning.  The day before was May 5th, a.k.a. Cinco de Mayo.  In honor of the Mexican holiday, Amber and I decided to make a chicken taco salad for dinner.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of it, but believe me that it was delicious too!

When it comes to breakfast, I believe in two things: 

1. Bacon and Eggs have a place at every table for the first meal
2. Leftovers are delicious again and in a whole new way when mixed with eggs.

The great thing about frittatas, no matter how you make them, is that they are one of the most versatile breakfast foods out there.  I love to cook a frittata and then put the extra slices into baggies.  Over the next few days, if I'm in a hurry to get to work or something, I can just pull a bag out of the fridge and eat it on the way to work or heat it up when I get there.  It beats the hell out of cereal and milk!

Ingredients

6 eggs

1 head of broccoli (would have went bad in a few days)

1/4 cup leftover bacon pieces

1/2 cup leftover turkey sausage crumbles

1/3 cup leftover sauteed onions and peppers

1 cup leftover taco-seasoned chicken chunks

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt, Pepper, & Hot Sauce to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Lightly oil or grease a cast iron skillet (or some sort of frying pan that won't melt in the oven, i.e. not non-stick) and then begin to stir-fry the broccoli, bacon, sausage, onions and peppers, and chicken on medium heat.  While this is being fried, whisk the eggs in a separate bowls and add salt and pepper (if you want it).  Once the other ingredients are cooked, pour the egg mixture over top and let it cook until the top of the egg mixture starts to firm up.  Place in the oven on a middle rack and let it finish cooking until it starts to brown on top, remove from the oven and sprinkle cheese on top.  Place it back in the oven long enough to melt the cheese.  Remove the skillet from the oven and then use a spatula to remove the frittata from the skillet.  Allow it to cool for 3-5 minutes, cut it into slices, and serve!  This should serve between 4 and 8 people, depending on how hungry you are!

Set Goals - Soar Past Them

The wall behind my computer at home is a mess.  It's a scramble of index cards with numbers scribbled on them and pieces of paper with factoids printed out on them.  There are only two things that really stand out on this wall.

The first is a picture of me from the summer of 2005.  At the time, I was working in a town an hour north of Virginia Beach, VA.  I was employed with a summer camp and I worked from before the sun came up until a few hours after then sun went down.  It was one of the best times of my life, and I worked harder than I've ever worked there.  It was a lot of physical labor.  I burned more calories than I could consume.  I lost 50+ pounds that summer in a little over three months.  When I got back home, I had a tan and I was the thinnest I had been since I was 15 years old.  I had a picture taken with a friend there right before I left and it stayed buried in a box of old memories until a year ago.  After I found it, I became jealous of the guy in the picture and wanted to be like him again.  I hung the picture up on that wall and decided that I wanted to be like him.

The second thing hanging on my wall is a set of goals written on index cards.  They are all weight goals right now, but after I hit a certain point, I plan to make them more "physically oriented" goals.  With each goal that I have, I have a written time frame that I want to reach that goal by.  If I meet that goal in the time frame allotted to me, I get the reward I have set aside for myself.  These goals were written in February 2011.

Here are my current goals:

1. Reach 350 pounds.  Date - April 2011.  Reward - Steak Dinner and Movie with Wife
2. Reach 325 pounds.  Date - August 2011.  Reward - Buy New Clothes
3. Reach 300 pounds.  Date - February 2012.  Reward - Vacation with Family

As you can see, the goals are set at certain intervals.  My intervals are 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year.  I have only set the first goal to be somewhat lofty.  The rest won't actually be too hard.  I hope to meet the 2nd goal way before August.  I don't think I'll even have a problem meeting the 3rd goal before next February.

I also have an ultimate goal.  My ultimate goal is to be able to do a regular pull-up.  Some of you skinnier folks out there may be laughing or confused, but that is one lofty goal. 

My recommendation with all goal-setting is to keep it reachable.  Don't make it too easy on yourself, but also don't set it out of your grasp.  I will say that setting weight goals isn't always recommended.  Sometimes our weight will fluctuate if we have an off week, we gain muscle, or we retain water.  All of these things can throw off your results.  That's why a very common recommendation these days is for people to track their health through pictures.  I take a picture of myself once a month to track my progress as well.  I may only lose 5 pounds in one month, but it may look like even more in the pics!

Meal Time! Simple Workout Shake

Andy's Simple Workout Shake

When you get done at the gym or from a nice workout outside, it's normal to crave something to eat.  The trick in not making everything you just did all for nothing, is eating the right things!  The biggest one to stay away from is simple carbohydrates like chips, fries, or a cheeseburger.

Personally I like to have a protein shake and if I'm feeling extra hungry, I go for some almonds!  Here is a great way to make your protein shake, especially if you're new to it or you've gotten burned out on just mixing water in with the powder.  The protein is important though, because it helps your muscles recover from the workout quicker and you will feel less fatigued - if at all - the next day.

Ingredients

1 cup Frozen Strawberries

1 whole Banana

1 scoop Whey Protein Powder (ladies can use Soy Protein Powder)

1 cup of Water

Preparation

Stick it all in a blender and go wild!  I like the banana because it gives the shake a thicker consistency.  For a thicker shake, use less water and use more water for a thinner shake.  I like to add the powder last after the strawberries and banana have blended for even consistency.

Frozen strawberries are awesome for hot days where you want something to cool off with after that workout, but feel free to experiment with all sorts of berries and fruits.  I love to change it up with blueberries and blackberries, myself!

Time Warp! Weight Loss Pictures

Some of you might not pay any attention to the "About Andy" section on the blog, and that's okay.  But I like to post pictures there from month to month of my weight-loss progress.  Here's the quick version:

October 15th, 2010, 400.7 lbs

April 11th, 2011, 355.3 lbs

To keep those of you at home from pulling out your calculators, that's 45.3 pounds lost in 6 months.  No gimmicks and no short-cuts.  Just regular diet and exercise.  Granted, I'm not counting calories and I am doing a special diet, but it's nothing that can't be done by anyone else and it's completely healthy.

To see the rest of the photos that are regularly updated, check out the About Andy section on the EMF blog!

Intermittent Fasting

Fasting has often been identified with many religious groups for the last several hundred years, particularly the Judeo-Christian sectors.  It has also been used as a form of protest or for political show.  When it comes to using fasting for weight-loss purposes though, fasting is a bit of a taboo.  I am here to help change that point of view.

What is fasting?  It is simply abstaining from food or drink or both for a period of time.  When we fast, our body looks for other sources of energy to burn.  If it's done right, fasting can cause our bodies to burn the excess fat we have stored instead of glucose.  After all, that is what the fat is there for in our bodies.

The key to fasting is doing it right.  I know it sounds weird to say that there is a wrong and a right way to not eat, but it's true.  There are so many elements to fasting including the before, the during, and the after that take a lot of careful planning.  Here are some simple rules to keep in mind for a successful fast:

Plan it Out

Before I even start a fast, I do a lot of pre-planning to make sure that it goes right.  The most important elements of a fast are the during and the after.  I want to make sure that I have all of the right supplies I need to have a successful fast.

Drink Water and Supplement Yourself

During the fast, I'm still going to be drinking water.  If I start feeling a little depleted, I might have a glass of some kind of juice, but water is still going to be my main staple.  Even though I'm not eating anything during the fast, I still make sure that I take my normal supplements.  I'm not going to miss out on the vital nutrients that my multivitamin provides even though I'm not having real food.  This, to me, is a crucial factor in the fast.

Don't Gorge on the Return

The most important part of the fast, in my opinion, is coming off of it.  The only way to end a fast is by eating, of course.  But what we eat is going to make or break the results of the fast.  If we come off of it and we go and gorge on a double cheeseburger, fries, a milkshake, and a bag of chips, then it has all been for nothing.  However, if we ease back into eating with healthy choices like an apple, some celery, or a small portion of healthy meat, then our body will adjust accordingly and still continue to burn fat while we readjust our bodies to providing energy through food.

Know Your Limits

The last bit of advice I would have to offer about fasting is knowing how long to do it.  Nobody ever said that a fast had to be for a certain amount of time.  Nobody ever said that we had to have an X number of meals a day.  Some people fast every day without even knowing it.  For example, I only eat twice a day.  It isn't because I'm starving myself or anything, but because I get so busy during the day that I forget what time it is.  I only eat if I'm really hungry.

Maybe you can fast by only eating two meals a day.  Maybe you decide to skip breakfast one day.  Maybe you skip breakfast and lunch.  Maybe you add dinner to the skip list.  A fast can be any number of hours in length, and you might not always be hungry during that time.  I've fasted for anywhere from six to thirty-six hours before!  The key is to know how long you want to do it before hand and sticking to that plan.

Here are some other tips to keep in mind about fasting:

If you're new to fasting, try starting off with smaller chunks of time first before moving up to larger amounts.

Don't fast too often.  It's okay to do it regularly, but fasting too often can make your body think you're starving, and it will start to store fat instead of burning it.  This hails back to knowing your limits.

Try to remove temptation before you start a fast.  Stay away from McDonald's and have somebody take the cookies out of the pantry until you're done!

Fasting isn't a contest.  If you start to feel "wrong" during the fast, it's okay to break it and eat something.  Just make sure that it's something healthy, and don't feel guilty regardless afterwards.  You can' always try again!

It's natural to feel a little weaker than normal during the fast.  That's because you're not going to have as much sugar floating in your blood.  I usually take a long nap at some point during my lengthier fasts, which also helps me stick to my goal of not eating!

If you would like more information on fasting, there is some great information at these two websites:

How To: Intermittent Fasting @ MarksDailyApple.com

Fasting @ WebMD.com

 

 

 

Snack of the Week - Hard Boiled Eggs

I'm posting some of my favorite healthy snacks that I eat.  I want to keep these snacks always fresh in your mind, so I'm going to post a new one every week.  Some of them will be foods that you have all the time, but never knew how beneficial they were.  Some of them will be foods you thought were gross, but maybe deserve a second chance.  Some of them may be foods you've never even heard of!  Whatever the case may be, if you're out at your local grocery, remember to pick up a little of one of these foods and chew on them for thought!

About Hard Boiled Eggs

Boiled eggs are eggs (typically chickens' eggs) cooked by immersion in boiling water with their shells unbroken. (Eggs cooked in water without their shells are known as poached eggs, while eggs cooked below the boiling temperature, either with or without the shell, are known as coddled eggs.) Hard-boiled eggs are either boiled long enough for the egg white and then the egg yolk to solidify, or they are left in hot water to cool down, which will gradually solidify them, while a soft-boiled egg yolk, and sometimes even the white, remains at least partially liquid.

(Source: Wikipedia.org)

Ways to Enjoy Hard Boiled Eggs

I would say the most common way to enjoy this snack on this particular week will be to find the brightest colored one you can, pick it up off the ground, peel away the shell, and eat away!  However, if you find a shell made of plastic, give it to a kid.  You do not need this egg.

Honestly though, hard boiled eggs are pretty simple to enjoy.  After they're cooled down (unless you like them hot!), peel the shell and munch away.  I usually like to lightly sprinkle some sea salt on mine with every few bites.  This snack is very filling and is highly versatile!  You can take them and eat them almost anywhere, although I do caution that they sometimes give off an unpleasant odor before and - after - eating them.

If you don't like eating hard boiled eggs as they come, there are other ways to enjoy this tasty and healthy food!  You can always slice them up and enjoy them in your next salad.  Also, if you make more than one hard boiled egg, you can take the yolks out (leaving the white in-tact) and mix them with a little mayo and mustard and put them back in the whites for some Deviled Egg fun.

As far as getting hard boiled eggs goes, it's pretty easy.  If you have eggs at home, stick them in a pan on cold water (gently) and make sure the water level is above the eggs.  Put the pan on the stove and get the water to a rolling boil, then turn off the heat.  Let the eggs set in the water until it is cool, then enjoy after that or stick them in the fridge for later!  Also, if you're not in to making them yourself, several groceries and gas stations like Thorntons sell them, ready to eat.

Hard Boiled Egg Nutrition

Meal Time! Monster Burger Omelet

Monster Burger Omelet with Turkey Bacon

When I woke up Thursday morning, I had no intention of making this.  I had no idea this even existed.  The idea for this omelet simply came "off the fly" when my wife asked me, "What do you want for breakfast?"

I had already made fried eggs, scrambled eggs, and a frittata that week, so more of those didn't sound any good.  I decided on an omelet because I can pretty much throw in whatever I wanted.  I'm used to cooking them in a skillet or frying pan, but decided to go with an electric griddle for this one.  Here's everything that's in it and how to make it:

4 eggs ( I love eggs)
1 leftover Turkey burger from the night before
1/4 cup Portobello mushroom slices
1/8 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat your griddle to medium heat (mine's a little weak, so I go medium-high) and oil/spray/grease it if you need to for non-stick.  Stir in eggs and salt and pepper until well mixed.  Slowly pour eggs on griddle and be prepared for a well-sized omelet.  At the same time this is going on, if you have the real-estate on your griddle, I heated up the portobello's and the turkey burger (cut into chunks). If you don't have that much room, just preheat them before cooking the omelet and set them to the side.  I used two spatulas to flip the omelet once it was cooked on one side and could hold together.  Once flipped, I spread the mayo over one half of the cooked side, then added the burger, mushrooms, and cheese to that same half of the omelet.  Once the bottom side was sufficiently cooked, I folded it in half and used the two spatulas to move it to my plate.  

Honestly, the turkey bacon on the side was too much.  I barely finished the omelet.  I had a full tummy from it for most of the day.  The cool part about this omelet is that it is almost completely Primal Blueprint approved! 

Try it or something like it in your home today!