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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Meal Time! Enchilada on Flaxseed Tortilla

Following a Primal Blueprint/Paleo/Low-Carb lifestyle is great, but sometimes you miss your old friends like bread, chips, corn, and tortilla shells.  I mean, what is a sandwich without bread and what is a taco salad without the tortilla shell?

Some friends of mine pointed out the fact that if I was really hurting for my grainy friends, that I could always look to alternative sources of them like flaxseed, coconut, and almonds to name a few.  When my sister announced that enchiladas were on the docket for dinner, I started to panic a little.  You see, enchilada filling is delicious and it fits in with Primal Blueprint eating, but it's just not the same without the tortilla wrapper.  

I decided that I needed that wrapper, but I wasn't going to settle for anything less than PB standards.  This set me out for my local grocery store.  There, I picked up a couple of bags of milled flaxseed and some baking powder.  I soon returned home and looked to the Internet for the next step.  I was lucky to find this site with a recipe for flaxseed tortillas and bread.

I followed the recipe for the most part, and it turned out decently.  My few critiques are as follows: 

• The flaxseed needs to be ground down even further until it is closer to a powdery consistency.  Left as is will be fine, but if the person eating the tortilla has issues with texture, then this may not be for them.
• The seasoning for the tortilla needs a lot of work.  It was very salty tasting.
• The final product had very little in common with the flour tortillas that come to mind.  It was very thick and brittle, and very similar to a cookie in hardness.  This one definitely wasn't made to wrap around anything.

All of that said, the final product was very filling.

As far as the enchilada filling, it was a very simple recipe.  We used meat from a rotisserie chicken bought at the store, a small 8oz. tub of the Philadelphia Cream Cheese - Santa Fe Blend, and a can of crushed tomato. Mix that together with a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese and put it in (on) your tortilla shell.  Throw some more shredded cheese on top with some enchilada sauce (not in the picture above) and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is melted on top!

I hope you guys enjoy this simple recipe.  Leave a comment if you have any suggestions on how to make this better!

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.

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!

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!

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

 

 

 

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!

Meal Time! Baja Fish Tacos

Baja Fish Tacos with steamed baby carrots

This is one of the recipes from Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier's Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals.  Like most of the recipes in the book, this one is surprisingly easy to make.  My wife and I worked together to make this and it only took us about 30 minutes to prepare.

I'm not going to give away all of the recipe, because I really want people to try out this cookbook as well as other primal meals.  However, all this recipe takes in some limes, lettuce, onions, mayonnaise, a fish of your choice, and some lemon pepper seasoning. 

For ours, we chose to cook with cod, which we pan fried in some light olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning. We also used store-bought mayo, but they have an awesome recipe for homemade mayo in the book.

For more recipes like this, be sure to check out Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier's Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals.

Christopher Poe - Did you Know? Food As Investments

This is another excerpt from Christopher Poe of Christopher Fitness Pro, LLC.  Christopher is a certified ISSA Fitness Professional with a background including martial arts and firefighting.  

DID YOU KNOW? The next time you think eating healthy is expensive...remember this. Food IS NOT a purchase, but an investment that yields specific returns. (Just like decisions you make with your financial portfolio.) Question is, what kind of RETURNS are you getting from your INVESTMENT decisions? Now, "marinate" on that!

Many people worry about getting the most for their dollar when they go to the grocery store.  That's why you see so many pushing carts full of cereal, chips, pastas, and "instant" products.  They have a mindset that the closer to the top of the cart the food is, the better off they will be.  However, most of the foods they're packing their buggies with are processed, carbohydrate-rich, calorie-packed, non-nutritious foods.

People need to learn that it's much better than they think to eat healthy.  Most people don't realize that after you eat healthy for a while, your body starts to be satisfied when it's gained maximum nutrition, instead of just being full.  You'll be surprised that after just a few weeks, you'll be satisfied after eating a handful of almonds, instead of that whole bag of potato chips.