Oh my gosh! It's bad! I ate some white rice (sushi)....it was probably less than 1/2 a cup two days in a row. I have been allowing myself 1 cup of either rice, quinoa, potato, yam, polenta, etc. per week. However, after two 1/2 cup servings of white rice I am beyond bloated. My hands are puffy, my ankles are swollen, and my tummy feels like it can barely fit in the jeans that were way too big three days ago. I had to tighten my belt - a whole notch - and now I've gone back up two notches. Yeah - water retention!
So, rice is now OFF my food list. Clearly adding a semi-large amount of a very processed food was not the best idea. I'm a little sad that sushi is now off my list of foods for a while. As is soy sauce - which has an amazing amount of salt! The rest of the week will be spent working out and eating lots of protein and veggies to try to regulate my system back to where it was. Damn set backs.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Slacker
So I've been slacking on the blogging but I'm back. I haven't been doing any fancy recipes - in fact I'm sort of at a loss for what to cook. Luckily my good friend, Katie, lent me her recipe book so I went through and found everything that's "paleo-clean" (my new name for the eating system) and made my own start on a book of recipes.
I don't know how much I've lost so far - have a weigh-in on Sunday morning so I'll update. But, I do know my belt had to go down a notch this week...and that about 5 people have remarked that I "look like you've lost weight!" Here's hoping this plateau has met it's match!
No real work outs this week cause my car has been broken on and off. But, I did a 3 mile walk, one gym routine, and kickboxing. So...all in all not too shabby for an off week....I'll post Sunday at the latest with a loss update.
I don't know how much I've lost so far - have a weigh-in on Sunday morning so I'll update. But, I do know my belt had to go down a notch this week...and that about 5 people have remarked that I "look like you've lost weight!" Here's hoping this plateau has met it's match!
No real work outs this week cause my car has been broken on and off. But, I did a 3 mile walk, one gym routine, and kickboxing. So...all in all not too shabby for an off week....I'll post Sunday at the latest with a loss update.
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Spark
Tonight T and I went out to dinner. We enjoyed a "paleo diner" in our local area. T had a grilled cheese sandwich with 'not fries' (french fries that are air baked) and I enjoyed a plate of three veggies - yam 'not fries,' cucumber salad with olives, onion, and red peppers, and coleslaw. Unfortunately, I also decided to have a cocktail. I enjoyed a elder flower liquor cocktail. I recalled having one with a friend a few months back and thoroughly enjoyed it. Problem is, it's infused with cane sugar. Despite the fact that cane sugar is a fairly unprocessed sweet it managed to crawl into my brain and find the button that still dings for sugar.
I certainly had the 30 seconds of scanning the fridge and then attempted to eat my homemade sorbet (which needed time to soften a bit). I thought about apples and peanut butter, thought about some nuts, and thought about some mango sorbet that sits in the freezer taunting me. In the end, I came to my senses and chopped up a mango. It's sweet enough to satisfy a sugar craving and hearty enough to kill my hunger. Ended up being thoroughly satisfying and I managed to keep myself from giving in to my sugar craving. It was the first moment that was truly challenging and I came through it. Unscathed.
I certainly had the 30 seconds of scanning the fridge and then attempted to eat my homemade sorbet (which needed time to soften a bit). I thought about apples and peanut butter, thought about some nuts, and thought about some mango sorbet that sits in the freezer taunting me. In the end, I came to my senses and chopped up a mango. It's sweet enough to satisfy a sugar craving and hearty enough to kill my hunger. Ended up being thoroughly satisfying and I managed to keep myself from giving in to my sugar craving. It was the first moment that was truly challenging and I came through it. Unscathed.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Cake Trials
Currently, I'm having a feast. Yes, I said feast - because that's what it feels like to be able to eat until I'm full. This is a revelation for me. I haven't eaten until full in three years. I mean, let's be honest, calorie counting doesn't really help you get in touch with your body. It helps you get in touch with how many calories are in what foods and what a portion of that food looks like. At this point I could size-out a cup, an ounce, 12 oz of liquid, 2 tbsp, etc in my sleep. And, once you've met your calories for the day well....that's it and too bad if you're still hungry. But today, I'm feasting. I have a spread of carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, baked salmon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, pecan-crackers, an ounce of pepper jack cheese, and a whole mango. Obviously, I won't eat it all. I'll be full in about 10 more bites but it's so nice to just be able to eat.
My god daughter, Squish, turned 4 on Monday and today was her party at a bounce house. The party was absolutely darling! I went with Kells Bells and her daughter (and my other and oldest god daughter) Bug. Those kids had me running through this bounce-house obstacle course like a maniac! Having eaten only a piece of meatloaf for breakfast I was very hungry by the time we got to the part of the party that involved presents and.......cake. There it sat - a two layer white cake with strawberry butter cream layers and vanilla butter cream frosting and decorated beautifully with a fruit rainbow. I haven't had anything processed in 6 days now and I couldn't get myself over to where the fruit and veggies I had brought were sitting.
I helped pass out the cake - looking at every piece that I handed out and noticed who got bits of strawberry, mango, blueberry.....Did the fruit make the butter cream even more delectable? As I finished handing out the pieces Squish's mom, and my dear friend - J, turns to me and says "You'll have a bite won't you?" A good friend of hers made the cake and J decorated it herself and it would be so very easy for me to justify having one small bite. And then I hear myself say "I sure won't." And that's when I realized....I didn't actually want the cake. I wanted the fruit. And this realization takes me totally by surprise. The fruit? Really? I want the fruit?
Well, apparently so because I bee-line over to the fruit tray and pop a cold sweet piece of honeydew melon in my mouth and then another and some pineapple and a few carrots and suddenly I'm more than content. Yeah, my body wanted whole fruits and veggies when it was presented with what turned out to be (according to every guest) an amazing cake. The pieces of honeydew, pineapple, and carrots were enough to get me home to where I had food - hence the feast.
I'm not saying this is easy because it's not. But what is hard about it, right now, isn't so much having to restrict myself. Rather, the hard part is turning out to be that there are often places where there is literally nothing I can eat. It was sheer luck that J asked me to bring along some fruits and veggies. Last night I went to one of my favorite local cafes, as I sat reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, I attempted to order something from the menu. Unfortunately, there was literally not one thing that I could eat. It all had processed stuff - bread, crust, pasta, or lots of sugar. I ended up ordering a vegetable sandwich with no bread. The guy working was sweet enough to make me a full on hummus plate. But, that won't happen every time I go somewhere - which is the challenge I'm attempting to figure a creative solution to at the moment.
I am planning to try this recipe as soon as I can....just waiting for a day when T is home from work early enough to eat with me because boy does she LOVE scallops!
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/spicy-scallop-salad/
If anyone tries it before I do let me know how it turns out!
My god daughter, Squish, turned 4 on Monday and today was her party at a bounce house. The party was absolutely darling! I went with Kells Bells and her daughter (and my other and oldest god daughter) Bug. Those kids had me running through this bounce-house obstacle course like a maniac! Having eaten only a piece of meatloaf for breakfast I was very hungry by the time we got to the part of the party that involved presents and.......cake. There it sat - a two layer white cake with strawberry butter cream layers and vanilla butter cream frosting and decorated beautifully with a fruit rainbow. I haven't had anything processed in 6 days now and I couldn't get myself over to where the fruit and veggies I had brought were sitting.
I helped pass out the cake - looking at every piece that I handed out and noticed who got bits of strawberry, mango, blueberry.....Did the fruit make the butter cream even more delectable? As I finished handing out the pieces Squish's mom, and my dear friend - J, turns to me and says "You'll have a bite won't you?" A good friend of hers made the cake and J decorated it herself and it would be so very easy for me to justify having one small bite. And then I hear myself say "I sure won't." And that's when I realized....I didn't actually want the cake. I wanted the fruit. And this realization takes me totally by surprise. The fruit? Really? I want the fruit?
Well, apparently so because I bee-line over to the fruit tray and pop a cold sweet piece of honeydew melon in my mouth and then another and some pineapple and a few carrots and suddenly I'm more than content. Yeah, my body wanted whole fruits and veggies when it was presented with what turned out to be (according to every guest) an amazing cake. The pieces of honeydew, pineapple, and carrots were enough to get me home to where I had food - hence the feast.
I'm not saying this is easy because it's not. But what is hard about it, right now, isn't so much having to restrict myself. Rather, the hard part is turning out to be that there are often places where there is literally nothing I can eat. It was sheer luck that J asked me to bring along some fruits and veggies. Last night I went to one of my favorite local cafes, as I sat reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, I attempted to order something from the menu. Unfortunately, there was literally not one thing that I could eat. It all had processed stuff - bread, crust, pasta, or lots of sugar. I ended up ordering a vegetable sandwich with no bread. The guy working was sweet enough to make me a full on hummus plate. But, that won't happen every time I go somewhere - which is the challenge I'm attempting to figure a creative solution to at the moment.
I am planning to try this recipe as soon as I can....just waiting for a day when T is home from work early enough to eat with me because boy does she LOVE scallops!
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/spicy-scallop-salad/
If anyone tries it before I do let me know how it turns out!
Friday, August 12, 2011
5 by 5
It is day five. I have been processed-free and gluten free for 5 days and I am starting to notice a difference. When I work out my stamina and energy is AMAZING but I also sweat about 10x more. It's like my body is just pushing out every toxin it can in every way it possibly can. The foggy-headed was gone today until I went and worked out. I found that the extra energy and stamina created a natural desire to just work really hard and then suddenly I was like - oh holy crap I've been practically running up the elliptical and then stair-master for 30 minutes and I think I might faint. When I stepped off I was suuuuuuppppper dizzy! Took a few extra minutes of cool-down and an entire bottle of water to move from dizzy to nauseated and then another bottle of water to get through nauseated. Must keep an eye on that next time I go to the gym!
I learned the other day from a friend who is a fitness enthusiast that recent research finds that if you can 'rev up' the muscles in the area where you want to burn fat from it can encourage your body to burn fat from that area. Now, I don't know where she read this - a fitness journal I think - but I'll try to get the reference for anyone interested. Today I started to try it. I spend a good 15 minutes before cardio working the crap out of my abs and then really focused on tightening my abs throughout my cardio routine. And here is the routine for anyone interested:
3 sets of 10 reps Roman Chair - side pose
30 full extension sit-ups on the BOSU ball
30 bicycle legs on the BOSU ball
15 minutes level 12 speed 100+ on the elliptical
15 minutes stair-master at 65 steps per minute
10 min cool down on treadmill level 2.7
And now for a recipe - cause I promised one and it's time to deliver! :)
Wilted Beet Greens and Chicken
What you'll need:
greens from about 6-8 beets
1/2 a red onion
2 large fresh carrots
garlic
2 strips bacon
2 tbsp chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast/person (this recipe is about enough for 2-3)
Dice your carrots, chop garlic, slice onion, and slice chicken into strips. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Place bacon aside and allow to de-grease on a paper towel. Add garlic and onion into pan with bacon fat. Allow onion and garlic to slightly brown. Add carrots and cook until the carrots are al dente. Add beet greens and chicken stock to pan and allow to cook until beet greens wilt.
Meanwhile, get a pan heated to medium along with olive oil. Salt and pepper each side of the chicken. Place the chicken in the pan after the pan has heated up so you get a nice sear. Flip chicken to get even cook on each side as needed.
Crumble bacon over the wilted greens. Serve greens on the bottom with chicken over the top. Enjoy.
I learned the other day from a friend who is a fitness enthusiast that recent research finds that if you can 'rev up' the muscles in the area where you want to burn fat from it can encourage your body to burn fat from that area. Now, I don't know where she read this - a fitness journal I think - but I'll try to get the reference for anyone interested. Today I started to try it. I spend a good 15 minutes before cardio working the crap out of my abs and then really focused on tightening my abs throughout my cardio routine. And here is the routine for anyone interested:
3 sets of 10 reps Roman Chair - side pose
30 full extension sit-ups on the BOSU ball
30 bicycle legs on the BOSU ball
15 minutes level 12 speed 100+ on the elliptical
15 minutes stair-master at 65 steps per minute
10 min cool down on treadmill level 2.7
And now for a recipe - cause I promised one and it's time to deliver! :)
Wilted Beet Greens and Chicken
What you'll need:
greens from about 6-8 beets
1/2 a red onion
2 large fresh carrots
garlic
2 strips bacon
2 tbsp chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast/person (this recipe is about enough for 2-3)
Dice your carrots, chop garlic, slice onion, and slice chicken into strips. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Place bacon aside and allow to de-grease on a paper towel. Add garlic and onion into pan with bacon fat. Allow onion and garlic to slightly brown. Add carrots and cook until the carrots are al dente. Add beet greens and chicken stock to pan and allow to cook until beet greens wilt.
Meanwhile, get a pan heated to medium along with olive oil. Salt and pepper each side of the chicken. Place the chicken in the pan after the pan has heated up so you get a nice sear. Flip chicken to get even cook on each side as needed.
Crumble bacon over the wilted greens. Serve greens on the bottom with chicken over the top. Enjoy.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Day 4
Ok, so today I tried really hard to listen to my body and just eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. At this moment I'm enjoying 8 full oz of baked salmon and basil and olive oil roasted red potatoes. No gym today - instead I hit happy hour with my coworkers because it was our last day of camp.
Speaking of happy hour - when you eat 85% protein/veggies/fruit your system simply does not have 'stuff' to sop up alcohol and you will get MUCH tipsier than you previously have! Just a warning.
Speaking of happy hour - when you eat 85% protein/veggies/fruit your system simply does not have 'stuff' to sop up alcohol and you will get MUCH tipsier than you previously have! Just a warning.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Day 3 - This is not the point!
This is NOT the point! This is so NOT the point of what I'm trying to do. What I'm trying to do is get to a place where I eat when I'm hungry and I stop when I'm full. The point is to eat healthful and wholesome whole foods. The point is to fuel my body really well. But damn it if I can't stop wondering how many calories I've eaten, how much protein, how much fat, how many carbs....on and on....how many calories did I burn in my workout today? Ugh.....and that's not the point. But ever since yesterday when I thought I might not be eating enough calories I've found myself worried about it. I feel like I ate pretty reasonably today.
The Food:
5 turkey meatballs
1 yogurt
2 hard boiled eggs
3 oz of deli turkey
1 oz pepper jack cheese
1 cup blueberries
1 peach
1/2 cup pistachios
2 tbsp hummus
20 'nut thins'
I'm super full. I feel totally satisfied and I even worked out today - 60 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes on the elliptical. I know that what I need to do is think about whether or I'm full or hungry, whether I'm feeling energetic or exhausted, whether I'm feeling foggy or clear. I know my body must be doing some detoxing from sugar, gluten, starch, etc. I know I'm bound to be a little 'off' as I'm starting this process. Tobi reminded me of that last night - that from time to time I'll feel a little off, sweaty, foggy, or tired. I just need to give myself a little time to adjust.
I suppose I'm also detoxing from 3 years of counting calories, fat grams, and how much I burned each workout. I must be trying to let go of worrying if today I got the calculation just right so that I can loose that next pound. And it's been so long since I saw the last pound fall and stay fallen that I know I must be doing something that doesn't agree with my body.
The Food:
5 turkey meatballs
1 yogurt
2 hard boiled eggs
3 oz of deli turkey
1 oz pepper jack cheese
1 cup blueberries
1 peach
1/2 cup pistachios
2 tbsp hummus
20 'nut thins'
I'm super full. I feel totally satisfied and I even worked out today - 60 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes on the elliptical. I know that what I need to do is think about whether or I'm full or hungry, whether I'm feeling energetic or exhausted, whether I'm feeling foggy or clear. I know my body must be doing some detoxing from sugar, gluten, starch, etc. I know I'm bound to be a little 'off' as I'm starting this process. Tobi reminded me of that last night - that from time to time I'll feel a little off, sweaty, foggy, or tired. I just need to give myself a little time to adjust.
I suppose I'm also detoxing from 3 years of counting calories, fat grams, and how much I burned each workout. I must be trying to let go of worrying if today I got the calculation just right so that I can loose that next pound. And it's been so long since I saw the last pound fall and stay fallen that I know I must be doing something that doesn't agree with my body.
Days 1 and 2
Day 1
So day one I woke up pretty "nercited" which is my word for nervous and excited at the same time. I found myself really wondering if I would experience any real cravings for sugar or bread or pasta or whatever. I felt a little worried I'd be hungry all day or never quite full or burn through what I ate in record time. Turns out none of that happened.
Day's menu:
1 mango
1 large carrott
2 tbsp hummus
7 baby carrots
1 yoplait yogurt
2 turkey meatballs
1 hard boiled egg
4 oz grilled chicken
2 cups wilted beet greens with stems
1/2 cup sauteed carrots/onion/garlic
1 pear
At the end of the day - when I ate that pear - I found I was pretty confused about why I wasn't going to have my nightly 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt. I didn't really 'want' it...but it was part of my routine. That was the only hard moment of day 1.
Day 2
Woke up feeling pretty lethargic. I was fuzzy headed and had not slept that well. I was a bit clammy and cold. I found as soon as I started to move around I was a little sweaty. What was going on? The day continued in this fashion. I was a little tired, a little headachy, a little sweaty, and a little cranky. Luckily, I decided that my day wasn't complete unless I worked out. I did a full hour on the treadmill at a 15% incline 3.2 mph. Did a pretty rad arm routine also - in case you're interested:
bicep curls
'skull crushers' - hold a heavy weight, arms bent, above your head and bend at the elbows until you bring your weight onto your forehead.
tricep presses
shoulder presses
'round abouts' - take a 25 lb weight and rotate it to the left around your head and then switch and rotate to the right.
each exercise should be done 10 reps, 3 sets
I talked to my buddy Whitney for a while. She suggested that I might not be eating enough....which is crazy...because I eat all the time! I eat all day! At any rate, I packed in a little more food and I found that as the evenign wore on I was feeling a lot better. Just might not be eating enough.
So day one I woke up pretty "nercited" which is my word for nervous and excited at the same time. I found myself really wondering if I would experience any real cravings for sugar or bread or pasta or whatever. I felt a little worried I'd be hungry all day or never quite full or burn through what I ate in record time. Turns out none of that happened.
Day's menu:
1 mango
1 large carrott
2 tbsp hummus
7 baby carrots
1 yoplait yogurt
2 turkey meatballs
1 hard boiled egg
4 oz grilled chicken
2 cups wilted beet greens with stems
1/2 cup sauteed carrots/onion/garlic
1 pear
At the end of the day - when I ate that pear - I found I was pretty confused about why I wasn't going to have my nightly 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt. I didn't really 'want' it...but it was part of my routine. That was the only hard moment of day 1.
Day 2
Woke up feeling pretty lethargic. I was fuzzy headed and had not slept that well. I was a bit clammy and cold. I found as soon as I started to move around I was a little sweaty. What was going on? The day continued in this fashion. I was a little tired, a little headachy, a little sweaty, and a little cranky. Luckily, I decided that my day wasn't complete unless I worked out. I did a full hour on the treadmill at a 15% incline 3.2 mph. Did a pretty rad arm routine also - in case you're interested:
bicep curls
'skull crushers' - hold a heavy weight, arms bent, above your head and bend at the elbows until you bring your weight onto your forehead.
tricep presses
shoulder presses
'round abouts' - take a 25 lb weight and rotate it to the left around your head and then switch and rotate to the right.
each exercise should be done 10 reps, 3 sets
I talked to my buddy Whitney for a while. She suggested that I might not be eating enough....which is crazy...because I eat all the time! I eat all day! At any rate, I packed in a little more food and I found that as the evenign wore on I was feeling a lot better. Just might not be eating enough.
Welcome to the Cave
First off thanks for reading. Assuming anyone is reading out there...which I suppose I'll find out over time.
I want to start by giving a full description of the system I've decided to use and why I decided to use this particular combination. See, I started doing research on the Paleo Diet/Caveman Diet because it seemed to make a lot of sense in a way - the idea of just eating what our ancestors did. I mean you really can't feed yourself better than whole fresh veggies, proteins, and fruits. But as I looked into it more and more I started to see things that didn't make a ton of sense to me. For example, did you know that according to a few websites I looked at - including http://www.paleodietfoodlist.net/paleo-diet-food-list/ and http://altmed.creighton.edu/Paleodiet/Foodlist.html that it's OK to drink diet soda, wine, beer - listed on altmed.creighton.edu, and booze but it's NOT OK to eat root veggies (like yams), beans, or brown rice.
I found this troubling because there is no way I can wrap my head around diet soda being something our ancestors ate, first of all, and second, I have a hard time imagining that no where in the world were caveboys and cavegirls eating yams or potatoes. Since I was so baffled I decided to bitch about it on Facebook - bitch central - and my dear friend Michelle asked me if I'd looked into the Eat Clean system. I had - ages ago - and thought I might as well check it out again. According to http://eatcleandiet.com/what_is_the_eat-clean_diet.aspx Eating Clean "is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied. The best part is that if you need to lose weight it will happen almost without you having to try. And yes, you can have a treat now and again." And, as I looked at the foods that they support including in my diet I found that I agreed with a lot of it - especially the inclusion of naturally occurring root plans and things like beans. BUT I found myself perplexed - again - at the inclusion of things like bread. I just don't like the idea of eating processed stuff on a regular basis. Especially processed stuff with things like wheat gluten, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup in them. And, a little disclaimer here, I'm certainly not saying this system is scientific - it's not at all! What I've designed here is 99% instinct and 1% changes to existing systems because I don't think they make sense.
So, here's what I'm doing. At this point I've decided I'm giving this thing 3 months and just going to see what happens. I intend to exercise also - FYI. I have been for three years and it keeps me sane (and saves my wife from having to deal with my crankiness when I don't work out) so I'm not stopping now.
Foods I can eat as much as I want of:
- All fruit
- All veggies
- Lean protein: chicken, turkey, seafood.
Foods I can eat a lot of:
- Root veggies
- Nuts
Foods I can eat some of :
- Lean-ish meats: pork and lean beef
- Milk products: for me this is mostly yogurt and some cream in my coffee
- Olive oil
Foods I can eat a little of:
- Beans
- Rice
- Quinoa
Foods I'm avoiding:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Artificial sugars/processed sugar
As for workouts - they vary week to week cause I love to keep my body guessing!
But, a 'typical' work out would be something like a combination of cardio and strength with the strength targeting either the top, middle, or lower part of my body (top: arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, middle: core, lower: legs, butt). And I do yoga at least once a week to balance it all out.
So there ya go - that's the program. It feels intuitive to me so we'll just see how it goes.
I want to start by giving a full description of the system I've decided to use and why I decided to use this particular combination. See, I started doing research on the Paleo Diet/Caveman Diet because it seemed to make a lot of sense in a way - the idea of just eating what our ancestors did. I mean you really can't feed yourself better than whole fresh veggies, proteins, and fruits. But as I looked into it more and more I started to see things that didn't make a ton of sense to me. For example, did you know that according to a few websites I looked at - including http://www.paleodietfoodlist.net/paleo-diet-food-list/ and http://altmed.creighton.edu/Paleodiet/Foodlist.html that it's OK to drink diet soda, wine, beer - listed on altmed.creighton.edu, and booze but it's NOT OK to eat root veggies (like yams), beans, or brown rice.
I found this troubling because there is no way I can wrap my head around diet soda being something our ancestors ate, first of all, and second, I have a hard time imagining that no where in the world were caveboys and cavegirls eating yams or potatoes. Since I was so baffled I decided to bitch about it on Facebook - bitch central - and my dear friend Michelle asked me if I'd looked into the Eat Clean system. I had - ages ago - and thought I might as well check it out again. According to http://eatcleandiet.com/what_is_the_eat-clean_diet.aspx Eating Clean "is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied. The best part is that if you need to lose weight it will happen almost without you having to try. And yes, you can have a treat now and again." And, as I looked at the foods that they support including in my diet I found that I agreed with a lot of it - especially the inclusion of naturally occurring root plans and things like beans. BUT I found myself perplexed - again - at the inclusion of things like bread. I just don't like the idea of eating processed stuff on a regular basis. Especially processed stuff with things like wheat gluten, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup in them. And, a little disclaimer here, I'm certainly not saying this system is scientific - it's not at all! What I've designed here is 99% instinct and 1% changes to existing systems because I don't think they make sense.
So, here's what I'm doing. At this point I've decided I'm giving this thing 3 months and just going to see what happens. I intend to exercise also - FYI. I have been for three years and it keeps me sane (and saves my wife from having to deal with my crankiness when I don't work out) so I'm not stopping now.
Foods I can eat as much as I want of:
- All fruit
- All veggies
- Lean protein: chicken, turkey, seafood.
Foods I can eat a lot of:
- Root veggies
- Nuts
Foods I can eat some of :
- Lean-ish meats: pork and lean beef
- Milk products: for me this is mostly yogurt and some cream in my coffee
- Olive oil
Foods I can eat a little of:
- Beans
- Rice
- Quinoa
Foods I'm avoiding:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Artificial sugars/processed sugar
As for workouts - they vary week to week cause I love to keep my body guessing!
But, a 'typical' work out would be something like a combination of cardio and strength with the strength targeting either the top, middle, or lower part of my body (top: arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, middle: core, lower: legs, butt). And I do yoga at least once a week to balance it all out.
So there ya go - that's the program. It feels intuitive to me so we'll just see how it goes.
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