Trying To Get A Handle

So I was thinking about fringe diets and my own diet.  Keeping an open mind, I believe that those fringe diets such as paleo or low/zero carb can and would work with me, if I adhered to them.  But honestly, I like "bad" food too much to stop eating it entirely.  I have tried many times to not "cheat", and always come back to the "bad" food.  What's more, is that it always makes me happy when I have a meal of the "bad" food.  So that's what I need to remember.  Like that yoga post, eating "bad" food is part of me, and I enjoy it.  If I eat it all the time, I will gain fat.  But if I keep it in moderation, like a few times a week, I will either maintain or lose fat, depending on my calorie intake during the rest of the time.  This has been proved personally.  So that is my diet solution:  Eat healthy most of the time, and then have my out meals or pizza or desert a few times a week.  That is reasonable, and can even be considered a healthy diet.  Will this diet make me "shredded"?  Probably not.  But I don't want to sacrifice my out meals or pizza or desert to be shredded.  I like eating too much.  I like eating my comfort food too much.  I want to eat a po boy if I want.  (BTW I want one soon!)  I want to eat a hamburger with a bun if I want.  And so I will.  But, I need to keep it in moderation, if I don't want to gain fat.  So, I will keep on not listening to all the diet advice, and eat what I want, but what I know to be healthy, or healthy-ish.  (Or what tastes good!)  I do need to get back to tracking calories, though.  I will use my modified BFFM plan, which is tracking calories 5 days a week, and have 2 days a week which will be "refeed" days.  On those days, I will have an out meal(s) or pizza and not really worry about calories.  And for the 5 days, I will work a small deficit, maybe like 10-15%, leaning more to 10%.  I will keep fat and protein high, and carbs low, but not worry about a carb number or percentage.  I will try to keep protein at 1 gram per pound, if I can.  I will try low carb ways, but go off them when I want.  I'll eat fruit if I want.  I'll eat vegetables only if I want, which is not too often.  I will continue to take my multivitamin, but only that.  I will try to eat as cheaply as possible.  I need to simplify my diet, so that I can put that energy toward my spiritual growth and other things.  The calorie counting will take some time and energy, but I've done it before and I can do it again.  Once I get a general diet down, it won't really change that much daily.  Although I still need to figure what I will eat at work.  I am tired of turkey and vegetables.  And I don't care if I ever eat tuna again.  Lean cuisine, maybe?  4 a week may not cost too much.  Canned soup is cheap too.  I'll work it.  I want to stay away from sandwiches, though.  The less grains I eat the better, since I will be eating them on out meals. 

You know, I have lost my taste for some unhealthy foods, like chips and sugared cereal.  Sometimes chips are okay, but only a little.  And cereal I don't really miss anymore, especially sugared.  But I still love most candy, and chocolate, and bread, and pasta, and other foods like that.  So I will keep it moderate, and enjoy my eating.  It makes me happy! 

Back To Normal

I am done with letting people tell me what I can and cannot eat.  I am tired of reading all these people blogging on this is unhealthy, this is the right way to do it, this is how people should eat, blah blah blah.  I am still interested in diet and fitness, but I am getting bogged down with my current method of research, which is mostly reading blogs.  I have to remind myself that this is just one person's opinion; it may or may not be factual.  It may be backed by some study, but does that mean it is true?  For me or anyone else?  I do not have the answer.  But I know it is not really getting me anywhere.  I mean, I am, by nearly all definitions, fit and in shape.  I have good lean muscle mass, and my body fat levels are low but not unhealthy.  I look good naked, and generally feel good phyiscally at rest and in activity.  So what am I after?  Why do I feel the need to try to deprive myself of certain foods because other people are telling me so?  Or more acurately, why am I trying to live on the fringe?  

This I believe:  Grains are for the most part unhealthy.  There is too much evidence which supports this, which I believe.  I am okay with avoiding them on a regular basis, and eating them in moderation, as in pizza, pasta, bread, or pastries.  But these are occassional, and are not a part of my daily diet.  The same can be said with sugar.  But I am getting tired of trying to adhere to a set of dietary rules.  This is only adding stress to my life, and it is completely self-induced.  Screw this.  I am done.

I am gonna stop all the madness.  I will eat low-carb-ish, but not really follow a diet or a WOE.  I will eat whatever I want some of the time.  This could mean twice a week, or three times a week.  Basically, I'm going to try not to count or worry about it, or record it, or anything.  When I want to eat "bad" food, I will.  I need to get back to food being food, and not "good" or "bad" or "clean" or "unhealthy".  I have a general idea what is healthy or not.  I can eat healthy most of the time.

I miss my bananas and other fruit.  Grains I can keep to moderation.  I'm not really missing cereal too much, so I can hang with my bacon and eggs.  Maybe throw some sausage in there.  I am going to continue not to measure, and eat off hunger.  I will keep on my weekly weigh-ins, because this will keep me from letting my weight or BF get too high.  Or, at least, be aware of it.  I want my strength training to be my top fitness priority, so I don't want to be in a calorie deficit while I'm trying to increase my strength.  That makes sense.  I may or may not try a 24 hour fast.  I keep saying I want to, then chicken out.  Maybe one week I will do it. 

I am also going to ditch the whole minimalist running.  I miss running normally. Trying to make the transition to running in my VFF is hard and not fun.  So I'm gonna use my VFF only at the gym, and run like a normal person. 

I like that sound of that.  Like a normal person.  While I'm working so hard on my spritual program, I need to stop trying to change other aspects of my life so much.  I need to put my energy toward spirtual growth, and let the other changes come more naturally.  I will still exercise, and try to eat healthy, but will do it more sanely and normally.  I need to stop trying to live extreme and instead do what makes me happy.  I know what makes me happy, so I should do that.  Also, I need to be happy with what I have, and stop trying to make my life into something else.  Like trying to be paleo/primal or carnivore or low-carb or whatever. 

Moderation in diet, do what I like in exercise, and work hard on the spirit.  This is now my plan.   

The Power Of Publix

Slept well, and woke about 515a.  Made coffee, and drank it while reading my reader.  Then to Gold's for another 5X5 session.  I am really loving this program.  I am making improvements every workout.  I know I will stall at some point, but I feel I am totally building a solid foundation for when it gets really hard.  I like this style of weight lifting, which is really more like powerlifting.  I haven't ever tried that before; I was always more interested in body sculpting and traditional bodybuilding.  So, I'll stick with this until it stops being fun, or I can't progress anymore.  I will hit my genetic limit of strength at some point, at least that what the Stronglifts pdf says.  I figure I can tough it out for the 12 week program, and then decide what to do then.

I had a bit of a challenge with my diet today.  Now that I've decided to ditch the whole ZC thing, this morning I realized I didn't have any food to bring to work.  I made my eggs for breakfast, but I didn't want to stink up the apt cooking a steak.  So I thought that maybe I would go out and get something for lunch, like Chic-fil-a.  After tossing that idea around a bit, I decided it would be better if I just went to Publix and picked up something there.  Cheaper, more healthy, and more variety.  I had plenty of time before my shift after breakfast, so I grabbed my Publix bag and headed to the one on Mahan.

I picked up a pint of whole milk to drink right away; the 3 egg breakfast wasn't holding me too much.  Then I hit the deli to see what they had.  Fried chicken tenders, a big thing for like 7 bucks.  Nah, and I didn't want to get a sandwich.  I looked at the sushi, which I had yesterday, and finally settled on a small ready to mix Caesar salad.  And for a snack I picked up some semi-soft Babybel cheese.

All that was good, although the salad was pretty small.  After I ate it, I was still hungry, so I bought a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos out of the vending machine.  They tasted stale, although they were still fresh according to the date.  They just didn't taste good.  Not sure if my taste has changed or if I got a bum bag.  But, I finished it anyway.  Had a couple cans of Coke Zero too.  Still love soda, damn it.

So as the end of my shift approaches, I realize I am way too hungry to go to bed without eating something else.  I have nothing at home, so I thought I would just get fast food on the way home.  First I thought about Taco Bell, and even went to their site to see the menu.  It looked good, but I remembered the last two times I've gotten Taco Bell it was just-okay to not-that-good.  I was craving mexican, so I thought about getting La Fiesta to go.  That sounded pretty good, but checking out their menu it was going to cost me about $10.  That's a lot for one meal.  So I decided to once again hit Publix and get some a frozen dinner or some of those chicken tenders.  Fortunately for me, they had hot rotisserie ready, so I picked up one, along with a gallon of whole milk and some bacon that was on sale.  Now I have dinner and at least 2 more meals, plus bacon and milk for breakfast.  A much wiser, healthier choice.

And this is what I want to do.  I want to make good healthy choices, wise money choices, and still eat well.  I can do it, I just have to figure out how to do it.  And today is an example of what works.  My work food was a bit on the short side, but the night chicken was awesome and now I have breakfast.  I really feel like I made good choices.  Hey, I'm happy at least.

All for now.  See ya tomorrow.

Screw The August Challenge

Reading MDA's August Challenge is causing me to rethink this whole ZC thing.  Three days in, and already it's hard.  Even the ZC people say it is hard.  Why am I doing this again?  I need to rethink my diet.  I have enough hard in my life.  Why am I taking on more?  I think about what Marc said.  What are my motives?  What are my goals?  What do I want?

 

I want to be healthy.  But, I don't want it to be painful for most of the time.  What way is that to live?  So I must find what works for me.  I know this, and yet I look for someone to tell me exactly how to eat.  Then, I try the diet, only to start hating it and go off it.  I need to find some starting point, and then adjust from there.  

 

The all meat diet is already not easy.  I feel sick to my stomach sometimes, and the thought of downing a pound of plain ground beef does not sound good.  But chicken, or the ground beef in tomato sauce, now that I could eat.  I can eat healthy, or at least what I presently know to be healthy, without totally depriving myself.  

 

I think I have a tendency to obess on my diet.  Why am I doing this?  I am not overwieght.  Why do I want to get my BF down to under 10%?  Just to look ripped?  Shouldn't I be spending more energy on improving my spiritual condition, or at least my financial situation?  I think it is because it is easy to believe that all I have to do is follow certain steps, and I will achieve what this diet promises.  Well, I have committed myself to that already, with my recovery and the 12 Steps.  I am convinced that the 12 Steps will work, and know that working them will be nothing but good for me.  But maybe I am transfering that belief to my diet and my body.  If I am, I need to drop that belief now.  I need to find a balance in my diet between what I want to eat and what I should eat.  Not just forcing restrictive rules on my eating.  I have tried and tried this, only to it not be sustainable.  I need to think in the long term.  My diet has drastically improved over the last few years.  I need to just keep on slowly improving it, and enjoy food along the way. 

 

I like to exercise, that is a given.  I will keep working out with weights.  I will keep running, making the transition with my VFF.  I will of course keep cycling.  All that is fine.  These will keep me fit and healthy, and at a normal weight. 

 

I just went to Publix on my lunch break and bought a pack of sushi, Crunchy Shrimp with avocado.  Also a mixed berries.  The sushi was awesome.  It has been a while since I had one that was so good.  Then I ate the whole mixed berries.  I probably should have only eaten half the berries, but oh well.  My stomach is full, and a little tiny bit unsettled due to the influx of more carbs than I have eaten in a few days.  But I am okay with it.  Weird, though:  I'm getting TMJ.  Probably the rush of carbs after being ZC for about 72 hours.  No biggie.

 

I think I am going to ditch this whole challenge thing and just try to eat healthy 80% of the time.  I am okay with cutting out grains and sugar except for a pizza or an out meal or an occasional desert.  I will eat vegetables, but only occasionally, when I feel like it.  Maybe a salad once a week, or veggies with my entree when I eat out.  I'm not going to count calories or macros, but I will try to keep my carbs down below 10% of my calories for 80% of the time.  [This I will, of course, estimate.  I may do a FitDay once in a while, maybe.  I will continue with my weekly weigh-ins for progress sake.]  I will eat fruit, but try to keep it to berries and occasionally an apple or other fruit when I feel like it.  But try to not do fruit daily.  Just like a few times a week.  I will go back to whole milk.  It was good, and cheap calories.  I will pass on the HWC for now.  I will listen to my body, and try to eat when hungry.  I will use PaNu and PB as guidelines, but change it as I desire.  The whole point is to not obsess over my diet, and just eat healthy most of the time.  That sounds reasonable to me!

 

I will still try to blog daily.  I will blog about stuff going on, rather than just diet and exercise.  I will write about that, but just not only that.  I will include recovery stuff too.  Why not?!

 

So that's it.  Follow some general rules, changing them as I find what works for me and what doesn't.  Try not to get so hung up on someone writing about something being healthy or unhealthy.  I have a good sense on what is healthy and what is not.  Simply eat healthy, whole foods more often, with an emphasis on meat, and try to minimize unhealthy additions.  If I want a soda with an out meal, I'll have it.  If I want A1 on my steak, I'll put it on it.  If I want to eat ketchup with my burger, so be it.  I'm not looking to be super lean and ripped like Watchmen dude.  I just want to be lean, feel good, and do well in my sports.  I am already lean, so I just have to maintain that.  I don't need to have a six-pack.  It would be nice, but if not, then so be it.  I want to feel good, which I do mostly.  Reducing coffee has helped.  I want to do well in my sports, which means progressing at the gym, which I am doing.  I would like to run well, and ride well, which I am progressing toward also.  So I just need to follow the path I'm on.  Not take things to extremes like ZC or RTP.  There is no need for that.  It requires too much sacrifice.  Life is short.  I have lived hard enough already.  I will follow the 80/20 rule, and search for the balance between crazy strict eating and SAD.  It's a journey, not a destination.  Enjoy the journey.

 

I'm home now, after work.  Ate what was left of my breakfast NY strip, with A1 sauce.  Awesome!  I love A1 and steak.  And I'm not apologizing for it!

 

August Challenge Day 2

Day 2 down on the August Challenge.  Took the entire day off from exercise.  I woke up early again today, which made me not want to go on the Club ride.  So I relaxed all day, ran errands, took a nap, and watched Watchman.  The movie was good, but just okay.
For my diet, Marc ordered Pizza Hut, so I joined in with a 10-piece of Traditional All-American wings.  According to the PH website, no carb, and no sugars.  I'm guessing they fried them in canola oil, which is not preferable, but not a diet breaker.  Any intake of carbs would keep me from achieving keto-adaption, which is the goal of this ZC diet.  I had eggs for breakfast, and cream with my coffee.  While we were waiting for the wings, I swigged some heavy whipping cream (HWC), ate one andouille sausage and took a bite of cheese.  The wings were really tasty.  I ate as much of the meat as I could, including the stuff on the ends.  I tried to nearly clean the bones.  Then movie (3+ hours), then nap.  After my nap, I had my grass-fed ribeye cooked bleu rare.  It was pretty tasty.  I ate the fat first, which is not as tasty as the lean.  But, it's ribeye, which is not all that lean anyway.  I cooked up my pound of ground chuck and one of my older NY Strips, so that's all ready for tomorrow.

I'm getting to like the beef.  I've always loved burgers, and I may buy some Bubba or Angus on my mid-week shopping.  I also think I'm going to roast a chicken.  I love chicken, so I'll get some.  With me being so new to this way of eating (WOE), I'm really going to listen to my tastes more than anything.  As long as it says within the rules.

Not feeling terribly low energy, like I was yesterday.  The nap helped, along with lounging all day.  I am planning on going for a walk/run tomorrow morning, and then back to the gym on Tuesday.  Also, tomorrow I get to see what Sisson has for his August challenge, finally.  There are some prizes to be given away, so I will try for some.  Hopefully he will be giving away something good!

As far as hunger goes, I was never really starving.  I was hungry waiting for the wings, which is why I ate the sausage.  Just eggs don't keep me full for very long.  And now, as I'm writing this, I'm a bit hungry.  But I still want to lose some body fat, so being a little hunger before bed is no big deal, at least for now.

I read some of the ZC forum today.  There are many of them who only eat beef and water.  Wow.  That is pretty restrictive.  I'm not sure if I can stay like that for any significant length of time.  But that's okay.  They all say start with the rules that Bear put out, and see what works for you.  So that's what I'm doing.  Sounds good to me.

See ya tomorrow.

August Challenge Day 1

I woke this morning at about 4am, and couldn't get back to sleep. This is on the heels of having trouble falling asleep, probably from the excitement of starting my new carnivore diet. It was heavy on my mind this morning, too. As I lay there in bed, I started to get hungry. But still I stayed in bed until about 5, then got up to make coffee and start my day, and my new diet.

Had a little more coffee than usual, about 3 and a half cups with cream. Then it was off to the gym. I'm in my 3rd week of Stronglifts 5X5, and it is going well. My squats are coming along nicely, without too much effort. I really like how I'm training to go as low as possible. It make me feel like a power-lifter! The bench press is difficult, but not terribly so. The push-ups are definitely hard. This morning I'm up to 75 for my first set, with a total of 155 in 3 sets.

After my weights, I went for a run around my neighborhood with my VFF. I took it easy, walking a lot and staying on the grass as much as I could when running. I went for about 40 minutes, and I don't believe that was too much. I will try to get out as much as I can, so my feet and legs can get used to it. This will only amount to 3-4 days a week probably, so that seems like a sensible number of days. And I will keep the runs short, between 30-60 min. Sounds good.

I made it through my entire shift without drinking coffee. This was rough, especially after a bad night of sleep. I was sleepy and irritable until about 445p, when I ate my second steak. It was rare and awesome! It brought my energy level right to where it is supposed to be. The power of meat!

So how I eat my steaks at work is this: I cook the steaks in the morning when I'm making my eggs. Then I cut them up, and put them in tupperware, so I don't have to cut then at work. Much more convenient. I keep them in the fridge at work until I'm hungry, then nuke them to get them hot again. I'm still learning how this goes, though. This morning, I made so much smoke while cooking it set off the smoke alarm. And at work, I nuked one of my steaks so much it cooked it to medium! But hey, I'm learning.

I'm thinking about losing the cream. I have a pint to use, then I think I'll go back to black. No carrageenan that way. I'm also going to stop all supplements, including fish oil. Forgot to take it today, so I'll just continue the trend!

I think I may need to be looking at this as a one-day-at-a-time thing. Between three and six weeks, my body will have keto-adapted. But until that happens, I have to take it day by day and not cheat. I can make it. Almost one day down!