Crawling Back on the Horse

Now that Easter has gone (along with most of the candy..Finally) it’s time to get rid of this carb-induced puffines.  I am at a stage where I am not embarassed for people to see me without a shirt anymore.  I used to not even go shirtless in my own house!  I am at the point where I have to get really serious to lose those small “trouble spots” on the lower back,  just below the armpit, and abs.  When I’m in a glycogen depleted state I look pretty lean (not Leonidas yet, lol) but when I’m carbed up I feel like I still weigh around 210 lbs.  All those trouble spots seem to swell ala the Nutty Professor (at least they look that way to me, the wife heartily disagrees bless her heart).  That of course can set off the whole “what am I bothering for, I blew my whole diet” B.S. that strikes us all from time to time.

So I’m crawling back on that horse. Monday started it off with an unintentional fast.  I had stayed home to help my sickly wife tend to our baby, but instead ended up continuing the war I had waged all weekend against a sudden infestation of ticks in our yard.  Before I knew it,  4 p.m. rolled around and I had to make a run to the store for soup for the sickly wife.  I asked if there was anything else, hoping that she might want ice cream (I wanted ice cream) but she is serious about getting her baby weight off, so no dice.

So I went to the store in the worst possible state – hungry.  I got her soup, and behind me was all the really good ramen noodles (the kind with all the words in Korean or Japanese) that I used to love.  I almost bought one, but  fought off the voices.  Then I passed the ice cream case, and wouldn’t you know, the Butterfinger ice cream was on special.  I stood at that case for a looong time before deciding it would be unfair to my wife for me to eat ice cream in front of her.

Now I was really hungry, and as I turned a corner the devil poked me again – 2 for 1 bags of Doritos.  There was no way I was walking out of the store without something to snack on!  I searched frantically for something, anything that I wouldn’t feel guilty for eating.  A light shone down from above onto the cold meat case and there they were, 5 oz. Portuguese sausages for a buck a piece!  Hallelujah! It’s amazing that just picking them up made my food cravings subside.  I had about 2 oz. for my snack that evening, cut up with some chedder cheese and Spanish olives.  Delicious!

Yesterday was leftover taco meat for lunch and my wife’s awesome mexican shredded chicken (really! She got the recipe from her friend who’s from Mexico).  It’s just chicken, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cerrano chiles.  We ate them in a bowl with some shredded cheese.   Later was more sausage and cheese.   Today it’s a fast until dinner.  Until next time!

 

Little Piggies

I read an AP story today about how 1 in 5 preschoolers are obese.  Of course, the study only looked at reported data on 8,500 kids and relied solely on BMI, but it’s just another example of the “healthy” legacy of the lipophobes.  It seems that each generation is more and more susceptible to the hazards of the highly refined and processed foods on the market.  I was born in the mid-70’s and grew up eating sugary cereals, drinking sodas, eating bag after bag of chips and crackers, all of it low-fat!  This legacy has been passed to our children, and they are paying a heavy price.  At least we had morning, noon, and afternoon recess!  Outdoor play for kids now consists of a group of tots sitting on the sidewalk playing Wi-Fi connected Nintendo DS games.

Yup, kids are fat.  And they’ve gotten this way by following the healthy path that begins with rice cereal as their first food, followed by Gerber doggy-biscuits to cut the teeth they will use to squish the sugary mush they spoon from their milk before heading off to school with a Lunchable and a might-as-well-be-a-soda juice box.  But hey, at least they’re not eating that dreaded saturated fat!

 

“Too Sweet!”

The always interesting Son of Grok posted a bit on reprogramming your “food recognition software” and it reminded me of something that happened just the other day.

We were out celebrating my son’s first place finish in his Cub Scout pack’s Pinewood Derby races, and decided to get some Ben & Jerry’s pints.  My son picked out “Cinnamon Buns” because he thought it sounded good.  We got home and he dug into his pint.  After about 6 spoonfuls he put it back in the fridge.  We asked how it was, and he replied “It’s too sweet!”.  Really? Too sweet?  I didn’t think such a thing was possible for a kid!  Then my wife told me that while I was gone she had made pancakes for my son, but had run out of maple syrup.  We had a little bit of the HFCS Log cabin stuff hanging out in the fridge so she gave him that.  Apparently he could barely stomach it!  Just over a year ago he expressed dissapointment at the real maple syrup we were now buying because it wasn’t sweet enough.  Reprogramming the software, indeed!

 

Misinformation in the Information Age

I just watched a little video Dr. Dan put up on At Darwin’s Table about digestion. It’s funny because I just did a little research on digestion recently. A co-worker looked at my big bowl of salmon and sardines, which had about 55 g of protein, and said

“You know, your body can only absorb 15 g of protein in a sitting”,

to which I quickly replied “B.S!” I felt compelled to show him proof anyway, just for his own benefit (and mine).  A little digging found that animal protein (meat) is absorbed at a rate of 10-15 grams per hour. Since it takes around 4 hours or so for food to pass through the small intestine, my meal was broken down just fine! It is amazing how much misinformation gets passed by word of mouth, and how much gets blindly accepted in an age where accurate information is only a click away.

Note: I’m still feeling under the weather.  I haven’t eaten anything but a small bowl of chicken broth and green tea in the past 37 hours.  I was hoping a fast would knock this sucker out before it gained momentum, but while I don’t really feel worse, I don’t feel much better either.  I’m going to skip the weights today and eat some light meals.  Tomorrow I should be sleeping in my own bed, so that should help.  Until next time!

 

5 days of Fasting

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, things have been busy!

Last week I ended up fasting for 5 straight days!  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I could barely eat as it was – only had a small bowl of chicken soup in the evening.  Thursday I felt a lot better, so it was ribeye steak with cauliflower and carrots for dinner.  Friday was another all-day fast with a nice piece of salmon.  Saturday I spent the afternoon snacking on whatever I could get my hands on, then Outback for an Ahi tuna steak with a baked potato (I know..).  Sunday was eggs for breakfast and tri-tip roast and pork chops for dinner.  I must admit that giving up dairy just isn’t happening.  I can live without the other stuff, but nothing beats a hunk of cheese when I’m hungry.  One day I may be able to purge it from my diet, but today is not that day.

I am currently out at sea for my job.  Given the nature of the comms out here I may be lucky to post once a week.  If I can do more I will.  I’m looking forward to doing some long fasts while I’m out here.  I’ll be lifting weights every other day, eating clean, and (here’s the best part) getting a lot more sleep.  This should give me some good results by the time I get home!

 

Down With the Sickness

The sore throat, sinus infections, and fevers that have been going around my son’s school have finally made it to our house.  So we are ALL home today doing our best to tend to one another.  Haven’t eaten anything today yet, which is just as well since we had a birthday party yesterday.  I didn’t want to hurt feelings by not eating, so I had some pizza, cake, and ice cream.  I know, I know, but it won’t happen again!  I won’t be doing any weight lifting today, though I may do some bodyweight stuff if I feel better later.  I’m going to go brew up some green tea for my throat, then on to the couch for some Mario Kart with the sick boy.  Maybe I’ll let him win 😉

 

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I’m really sorry for not posting for so long, but between the 12+ hour workdays (not counting commute) and the precious little time I have for my wife and kids the blog has taken a back seat. Thank you all for continuing to visit.  Please subscribe to my RSS feed so you know when I have  new content.

Despite my busy schedule I manage to grab some quick eats. Here’s my quickfast from the other day:

Quickfast, it's a breakfast! It's a fast, fast, quick breakfast!

Yes, it’s blurry – just like my vision these days…  But it is simply Spanish olives and Roma tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a little black pepper, with some swiss and cheddar on the side. Fast, easy, delicious.

 

Mahalo Monday!

SHAKA!

I just wanted to take a moment to say MAHALO (thank you in Hawaiian) to all of you who take a moment of your day to visit my little blog.  If there is anything you think I could improve, please let me know!

I’d also like to send some love to the blogs below.  Your referrals are the reason people know about me:

At Darwin’s Table – Special Thanks for being the first, and mentioning me on your blog

The Son of Grok – Special thanks as well for a mention on your blog

Beastie Girl –  Thanks for the feedback!

Mark’s Daily Apple

The Life Spotlight

Thank you all so much.  Hope everyone had a safe and healthy weekend!

RedBeerd

 

Two is Better Than One

Two of my favorite sites – The IF Life & Modern Forager – have combined, and the new site is finally up!  It’s called the Life Spotlight, and it looks really good.  Mike and Scott are two guys worth reading if you’ve never seen their blogs.  Mike’s articles on Intermittent Fasting are a must read for anyone considering adding IF to their lifestyle.  Head on over there and check it out!

 

Lazy Sunday

The joys of parenthood have left me pretty wiped out.  I’m taking today to recharge as much as I can.  If it ain’t baby or Mommy related, I ain’t doin’ it!  No yard work, no Honey-do’s, NOTHING.  Sleep, television, and a little more sleep.  Hope you all have a relaxing day as well.

Yours in Laziness,

RedBeerd