Since I started learning about the primal lifestyle, I've heard about this IF thing. Intermitent fasting is just what it sounds like - occasional fasting. I understand that there's a strategy to IF that atheletes use and that's used to propel weight loss, but I'm not IF savvy enough to know all that at this point.
I'm also sure that there's plenty of science out there that is pro-IF and con-IF. Really, it goes against everything I've read and been told thus far about weight loss, specifically that rule that you should NEVER miss a meal. Missing a meal will slow down your metabolism and it'll be sluggish to get revved up again. OK. I accepted that as the truth - I mean, if you think about a furnace, the fire goes out if you don't make sure it's got coal. I accepted the analogy as the truth. However, after all the CW that we're just dismissing as myths as part of the primal lifestyle, I was, rather easily, ready to let that myth go. Overall, I just can't believe that my body is built to crash if I don't get a caloric jumpstart every 6 or so hours.
Anyway, I inadvertanty do IF from time to time. If I don't make the effort to fix some hard-boiled eggs and cooked bacon, I skip breakfast. I'm just not going to get up earlier than I have to just to fix breakfast and I'm definitely not going to stop and pick up something, so I go without. There are also times that I'm at work and get too busy to eat or just plain forget to eat my BAS because I'm not hungry.
Today, I decided to consciously do a 12 hour IF. I don't think I can go 24 hours at this point without being ravenous in the morning... at which point I would gorge on something from Dunkin Donuts, which totally defeats the point... so I'll stick with 12 hours for now. Right now, I'm at the tail end of that 12 hours. I had some Herbasious Grape Chicken Salad on lettuce leaves this morning right before I started and nothing but water since.
I'm so proud of myself for not cheating. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult really. The key was keeping busy. I am an emotional eater, so when I get bored on the weekends, I eat. I did pretty well this weekend and so I was a little bit less worried about cheating on the IF than if I'd done it a week ago. I didn't start getting hungry until after my activity died down. I was pretty impressed with it overall. I don't know that I feel any different - I don't even know that I'm *supposed* to feel different after the first one.
When the IF is over, what do you eat to break the fast - breakfast of course! I love breakfast for dinner, so I'm going to enjoy some bacon and eggs... maybe even some primal pancakes. Mmmmmm!
Confession 5: After 12 hours, there's been no crash and I don't really feel like I've been deprived for 12 hours either. I'm pretty curious about this IF thing. Quite often, I feel like my stomach is Audrey II: you know, FEED ME SEYMORE! Today I didn't feel that and, as my goal in all this is a great weight loss, I want to see if this is a tool that I can use to get Audrey under control.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Go Ahead... Homemade Mayo is EASY! Riiight!
Homemade mayo is easy. Homemade mayo tastes so much better than store bought. Homemade mayo is better for you. Homemade mayo is primal/paleo/low carb/all natural.
I read all these Paleo, Primal, Low Carb, All Natural, etc blogs and they all encourage you to make your own homemade mayo. With the warmer weather, I was feeling like some chicken salad and some pulled pork with cole slaw... I thought I'd make my own mayo and see how it goes. I have some culinary training - I can make an emulsion, right?
I searched my favorite primal/paleo blogs for recipes and other blogs for technique and set out to make my own mayo. I was a little wary, wondering if the taste would really be better, but I was confident that I could do it.
Well, four unsuccessful attempts later, I concede that maybe it's not so easy for all of us. The first attempt was made with bacon drippings from Health-Bent, in my mini food processor. I used the little holes in the top to drip the cool liquid bacon grease into my egg, mustard, and vinegar. Six minutes later, I had bowl full of something that looked like watered down cake batter. In the trash.
My second attempt was in a bowl with a whisk. Same recipe, different method, same results. Batch 2 in the trash.
After the second, I did a little more reading. Apparently, if it looks like your emulsion didn't properly form or breaks (probably because you'd added the oil too quickly), you can add another egg yolk and whisk it together until the emulsion comes together again and then start adding more oil.
Armed with some new information, I made attempt 3 in the blender, deciding to change the recipe to use a different type of oil. I used half olive oil and half coconut oil - I felt that the olive oil flavor would be too strong if I used all olive oil so I used half coconut, but I was concerned about the mayo solidifying too much once it was refridgerated. I put the oil mixture into a bottle streamer and tried again. Halfway through, I was so excited - I had a beautiful emulsion. It looked like yellow-ish mayo! I continued to drizzle in the rest of the oil and ... thin cake batter again. 86-ed that batch too. Damn!
I ran out of dijon. Ran out of cider vinegar. I have two eggs left and enough olive oil for one more attempt. I used some ground mustard seed for the fourth attempt, regular white vinegar, and the same oil mixture. I drizzled in the oil even slower this time, but at the halfway point, I was in trouble again. I added in my last egg yolk and whizzed and whizzed for about 2 minutes, to no avail. Strike four. UGH! ****!
Confession 4: I had everything already prepped for my cole slaw and my chicken salad (I was prepping food for several days) and had to go to the store to re-supply. I know it's a cop-out, but I just grabbed a jar of mayo while I was there and used that. I've armed myself with more information and I'm going to be trying the homemade mayo again soon.
I read all these Paleo, Primal, Low Carb, All Natural, etc blogs and they all encourage you to make your own homemade mayo. With the warmer weather, I was feeling like some chicken salad and some pulled pork with cole slaw... I thought I'd make my own mayo and see how it goes. I have some culinary training - I can make an emulsion, right?
I searched my favorite primal/paleo blogs for recipes and other blogs for technique and set out to make my own mayo. I was a little wary, wondering if the taste would really be better, but I was confident that I could do it.
Well, four unsuccessful attempts later, I concede that maybe it's not so easy for all of us. The first attempt was made with bacon drippings from Health-Bent, in my mini food processor. I used the little holes in the top to drip the cool liquid bacon grease into my egg, mustard, and vinegar. Six minutes later, I had bowl full of something that looked like watered down cake batter. In the trash.
My second attempt was in a bowl with a whisk. Same recipe, different method, same results. Batch 2 in the trash.
After the second, I did a little more reading. Apparently, if it looks like your emulsion didn't properly form or breaks (probably because you'd added the oil too quickly), you can add another egg yolk and whisk it together until the emulsion comes together again and then start adding more oil.
Armed with some new information, I made attempt 3 in the blender, deciding to change the recipe to use a different type of oil. I used half olive oil and half coconut oil - I felt that the olive oil flavor would be too strong if I used all olive oil so I used half coconut, but I was concerned about the mayo solidifying too much once it was refridgerated. I put the oil mixture into a bottle streamer and tried again. Halfway through, I was so excited - I had a beautiful emulsion. It looked like yellow-ish mayo! I continued to drizzle in the rest of the oil and ... thin cake batter again. 86-ed that batch too. Damn!
I ran out of dijon. Ran out of cider vinegar. I have two eggs left and enough olive oil for one more attempt. I used some ground mustard seed for the fourth attempt, regular white vinegar, and the same oil mixture. I drizzled in the oil even slower this time, but at the halfway point, I was in trouble again. I added in my last egg yolk and whizzed and whizzed for about 2 minutes, to no avail. Strike four. UGH! ****!
Confession 4: I had everything already prepped for my cole slaw and my chicken salad (I was prepping food for several days) and had to go to the store to re-supply. I know it's a cop-out, but I just grabbed a jar of mayo while I was there and used that. I've armed myself with more information and I'm going to be trying the homemade mayo again soon.
Friday, May 28, 2010
To Primal or Not to Primal
For a CJ (Carb Junkie) like me, eating primarily protein and healthy fat is difficult with no bread or noodles or dessert. Yeah, I love steak and chicken (I'm a landlubber - don't eat water animals), but nothing beats a donut, except maybe a cupcake. I've struggled for many, many months now on making that lasting change. I mean, I couldn't even get through one day without defeating myself. I'd start to feel like I was going to be deprived, not even like I was being deprived yet!, and I'd gorge on carbs. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
But if I'm honest, I've always been like that - hence the reason I'm pushing 380 at 28. I finally made the primal leap and I'm doing it - period. Below are my top five excuses for sitting on the side-lines and my top five reasons for finally taking the plunge.
Excuses
1. I'm too fat. I'm too fat and I've been too fat for too long to make a successful change. And what's the flippin' point if I can't make it last forever? I should probably look into surgery or something because I would like to find love and have adventures and all that but surgery is probably the only realistic way for me. I've tried everything else, right, so that's all I've got left.
2. I don't have the time. I drive an hour and a half or more for work each day. I don't sleep well, so I get up late and rush in the morning. I get home and I'm tired from my day and need some time to relax. By the time all that's done, my day's pretty much used up and it's time to go to bed again.
3. I can't afford it. Organic? All natural? Grass-fed? Humanely raised/slaughtered? Specialty stores? No Ramen? New kitchen contraptions? All this crap just isn't in my budget. I wouldn't even know where to find it if I could afford it. In the long run, it's probably not any better for me than the regular stuff!
4. I don't have the strength. I've tried everything out there - what's going to make this one any different? A little less of this, a little more of that, it's just like what I did before. I couldn't do those so why would I be able to do this? I'm pretty much doomed and hopeless.
5. I don't want to put in the effort. In the end, it all boiled down to this one excuse for me. I'm not too fat, too old, or too uncoordinated to do it. I'm not too busy to prepare food, work in some exercise, or plan my meals. I spend way too much money on shitty food now anyway - even if I don't spend less, which I know I will, I'll be getting better quality and better tasting food. And I know that I'm strong enough to be able to do whatever I want and need to do. In the end, it just takes some honestly, effort, knowledge, determination, and a little faith.
Reasons
1. I want to LIVE! Capital freaking letters people! There's so much I want to get out of this life and catching the new episode of "Bones" (while great) is not on that list. I want to go sky diving, I want to climb a real mountain, I want to swim with dolphins, I want to see the pyramids, I want to complete an Ironman, I want to camp on the beach, I want to go cliff diving, I want to travel Europe, I want to learn to kick box. I want simple things too: home, hearth, happiness, love, laughter.
I suppose I feel like I've missed out on these things because I was fat. I didn't take a chance because I was afraid of being hurt. What's a little bit of pain compared to a lifetime of never knowing? In the end, I always think of something my mother told me as a child: you'll regret more of the things you don't do than those you do. Those lost chances still haunt me - I remember every single one - and I'd like to make sure there are no more lost chances.
2. I want to be healthier. I want to not worry about whether I'll develop diabetes or hypertension or high cholesterol or mobility issues or the other myriad of diseases that come with obesity. Without health, you have nothing.
3. I want to be happier. There are the aesthetic things that will make me feel happier - when all the goodies are tone and firm, when the 'ugh' spots have diminished, when I feel comfortable wearing a dress and heels, when Sunday can be 'nekkid' day in the house :), etc. But being physically stronger, having more endurance and stamina, generally feeling better... those things will make me really happy.
4. I want to be successful. I want this to actually work. I want to be successful in all aspects of my life: at work, physically, emotionally, and in relationships. I want to conquer all those things that bring me down and then help others do the same. Obesity is as much of a physical disorder as it is a mental one - you constantly berate and belittle yourself - the Good Lord help you if you don't have the balls (or ovaries) to not let the world do it to you too. Overcoming it is not as simple as dropping the pounds and I want to get past that myself - out of that Fat State of Mind - and then help others do it.
5. I want to surprise myself. I'm capable of so much more than I even know. I can't wait to figure out what that is and then share it with people. I watch The Biggest Loser and, while it's not primal and probably not all that healthy, I can identify with all the contestants on the show. This past season, in one of the early interviews, one of the female contestants is with her partner, who is her mother, and she says to her mother, "What if I can't do it?" And her mother says "But what if you can?" What if I can... I won't know unless I take the chance.. no more lost chances.
Confession 3: I'm a chicken at heart, but I want so many things and I know they don't come unless you have courage. You've got to be honest, confident, and ballsy... and I think I've got what it takes.
Have a grokkin' day folks.
But if I'm honest, I've always been like that - hence the reason I'm pushing 380 at 28. I finally made the primal leap and I'm doing it - period. Below are my top five excuses for sitting on the side-lines and my top five reasons for finally taking the plunge.
Excuses
1. I'm too fat. I'm too fat and I've been too fat for too long to make a successful change. And what's the flippin' point if I can't make it last forever? I should probably look into surgery or something because I would like to find love and have adventures and all that but surgery is probably the only realistic way for me. I've tried everything else, right, so that's all I've got left.
2. I don't have the time. I drive an hour and a half or more for work each day. I don't sleep well, so I get up late and rush in the morning. I get home and I'm tired from my day and need some time to relax. By the time all that's done, my day's pretty much used up and it's time to go to bed again.
3. I can't afford it. Organic? All natural? Grass-fed? Humanely raised/slaughtered? Specialty stores? No Ramen? New kitchen contraptions? All this crap just isn't in my budget. I wouldn't even know where to find it if I could afford it. In the long run, it's probably not any better for me than the regular stuff!
4. I don't have the strength. I've tried everything out there - what's going to make this one any different? A little less of this, a little more of that, it's just like what I did before. I couldn't do those so why would I be able to do this? I'm pretty much doomed and hopeless.
5. I don't want to put in the effort. In the end, it all boiled down to this one excuse for me. I'm not too fat, too old, or too uncoordinated to do it. I'm not too busy to prepare food, work in some exercise, or plan my meals. I spend way too much money on shitty food now anyway - even if I don't spend less, which I know I will, I'll be getting better quality and better tasting food. And I know that I'm strong enough to be able to do whatever I want and need to do. In the end, it just takes some honestly, effort, knowledge, determination, and a little faith.
Reasons
1. I want to LIVE! Capital freaking letters people! There's so much I want to get out of this life and catching the new episode of "Bones" (while great) is not on that list. I want to go sky diving, I want to climb a real mountain, I want to swim with dolphins, I want to see the pyramids, I want to complete an Ironman, I want to camp on the beach, I want to go cliff diving, I want to travel Europe, I want to learn to kick box. I want simple things too: home, hearth, happiness, love, laughter.
I suppose I feel like I've missed out on these things because I was fat. I didn't take a chance because I was afraid of being hurt. What's a little bit of pain compared to a lifetime of never knowing? In the end, I always think of something my mother told me as a child: you'll regret more of the things you don't do than those you do. Those lost chances still haunt me - I remember every single one - and I'd like to make sure there are no more lost chances.
2. I want to be healthier. I want to not worry about whether I'll develop diabetes or hypertension or high cholesterol or mobility issues or the other myriad of diseases that come with obesity. Without health, you have nothing.
3. I want to be happier. There are the aesthetic things that will make me feel happier - when all the goodies are tone and firm, when the 'ugh' spots have diminished, when I feel comfortable wearing a dress and heels, when Sunday can be 'nekkid' day in the house :), etc. But being physically stronger, having more endurance and stamina, generally feeling better... those things will make me really happy.
4. I want to be successful. I want this to actually work. I want to be successful in all aspects of my life: at work, physically, emotionally, and in relationships. I want to conquer all those things that bring me down and then help others do the same. Obesity is as much of a physical disorder as it is a mental one - you constantly berate and belittle yourself - the Good Lord help you if you don't have the balls (or ovaries) to not let the world do it to you too. Overcoming it is not as simple as dropping the pounds and I want to get past that myself - out of that Fat State of Mind - and then help others do it.
5. I want to surprise myself. I'm capable of so much more than I even know. I can't wait to figure out what that is and then share it with people. I watch The Biggest Loser and, while it's not primal and probably not all that healthy, I can identify with all the contestants on the show. This past season, in one of the early interviews, one of the female contestants is with her partner, who is her mother, and she says to her mother, "What if I can't do it?" And her mother says "But what if you can?" What if I can... I won't know unless I take the chance.. no more lost chances.
Confession 3: I'm a chicken at heart, but I want so many things and I know they don't come unless you have courage. You've got to be honest, confident, and ballsy... and I think I've got what it takes.
Have a grokkin' day folks.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
In a Fat State of Mind
For a carb junkie like me, the Primal lifestyle is not easy. When I say junkie, I do mean junk, not even "healthy" carbs - white rice, tons of pasta, starchy, grainy things, IV drips of HFCS and sugar (well almost, except I'd probably need a prescription for that and I'm not fond of the doctor). Carbs were the worst, but there were plenty of other bad habits: fried foods, at least 4 cups of coffee before noon with non-dairy creamer and artificial sweetener, no exercise, way too much TV, never enough sleep, always planning but never doing. In the end, real life was passing me by while I was in my carb coma.
But, recovery is never easy - I know they can wake up from a six month coma and run a marathon 3 days later on the Young & the Restless, but that's just not possible. It takes time, persistence, confidence, dedication, and usually some pains, tears, and a whole lot of four-letter words. In the end, hopefully you make yourself proud that you took the journey and maybe make some others proud of you too.
Now, I know we're talking carbs not a coma, but it's not as simple as that for a lot of people I think. Carbs can become a crutch that you use to prop yourself up when other things aren't so great. They can become a replacement for family, friends, relationships, companionship, success, control, grief... they are comforting when faced with loneliness, heartbreak, stress, unaccomplished goals and dreams, lost potential. I think it must sound silly to people who haven't experienced it, but there it is. It's emotional eating, not rational eating people!
I, a fat person, would have denied and denied that I'm an emotional eater... until a couple of months ago. My roommate moved out and I moved my exercise equipment into her old room so I'd have an "Exercise Room" where I could focus on getting healthier and losing weight. It wasn't until about two months later, one Saturday when I was watching DVD's of "Diagnosis Murder", pulling the blinds down to block out the sun, and eating Cheetos and cupcakes (which is a common weekend activity for me) that I realized I'd moved her stuff into that room and it was now out of sight, out of mind. And I was stuffing my fat cells with this shit because I didn't know what else to do with myself. I mean, I live alone, I'm single, no kids, am an introvert so I don't have a lot of friends, don't belong to any clubs or gyms, don't volunteer, don't shop a lot because I don't like nick-knacks and most of the stores don't have clothes that fit me, block the sun out of almost all my windows, and rarely leave my apartment except to go to work, the grocery store, and a few other occasional places. What a waste of space I am! Then there was a pity party that, of course, involved more Cheetos and cupcakes, but also involved brownies and ice cream and pizza. I was going to drown my sorrows yet again - and I did!
It took a couple more months for me to come around to finally giving the primal lifestyle an honest-to-goodness try. Why'd it take so long? What finally changed my mind? I'll tell you in another post. For now, I just wanted to share my shame - yep, my pure embarrassment and shame - that I was given an opportunity to live a wonderful life, to fulfill dreams that I haven't even realized I have yet, to be fortunate enough to not have to pinch every penny, and to have warm, caring people around me and to have just squandered that for nothing. For a massive layer of fat that surrounds my body, that puts people off, that makes me feel defensive about everything, that discourages touching, that holds me back at every crossroads in my life, that suffocates my courage, the extinguishes the fire inside me, that suppresses my joy, that overshadows the person I am.
Anyway, having realized all this for soooo long, it's ridiculous that I wouldn't take steps to correct it in myself, right? Yeah, it's pretty stupid. I don't think the Primal lifestyle will be easy for a girl like me who would sell her soul to work as a taste-tester at Krispie Kreme, but I'm ready to really give it a go.
So, confession 2: I am an emotional eater! Go frickin' figure. I eat when I'm bored, depressed, lonely, stressed... bored. I gotta do something with myself - another real epiphany, I know, but this time, I'm going to make it happen. Anyway, I have to accept it for what it is - a bad habit - and move on to a Grok state of mind.
But, recovery is never easy - I know they can wake up from a six month coma and run a marathon 3 days later on the Young & the Restless, but that's just not possible. It takes time, persistence, confidence, dedication, and usually some pains, tears, and a whole lot of four-letter words. In the end, hopefully you make yourself proud that you took the journey and maybe make some others proud of you too.
Now, I know we're talking carbs not a coma, but it's not as simple as that for a lot of people I think. Carbs can become a crutch that you use to prop yourself up when other things aren't so great. They can become a replacement for family, friends, relationships, companionship, success, control, grief... they are comforting when faced with loneliness, heartbreak, stress, unaccomplished goals and dreams, lost potential. I think it must sound silly to people who haven't experienced it, but there it is. It's emotional eating, not rational eating people!
I, a fat person, would have denied and denied that I'm an emotional eater... until a couple of months ago. My roommate moved out and I moved my exercise equipment into her old room so I'd have an "Exercise Room" where I could focus on getting healthier and losing weight. It wasn't until about two months later, one Saturday when I was watching DVD's of "Diagnosis Murder", pulling the blinds down to block out the sun, and eating Cheetos and cupcakes (which is a common weekend activity for me) that I realized I'd moved her stuff into that room and it was now out of sight, out of mind. And I was stuffing my fat cells with this shit because I didn't know what else to do with myself. I mean, I live alone, I'm single, no kids, am an introvert so I don't have a lot of friends, don't belong to any clubs or gyms, don't volunteer, don't shop a lot because I don't like nick-knacks and most of the stores don't have clothes that fit me, block the sun out of almost all my windows, and rarely leave my apartment except to go to work, the grocery store, and a few other occasional places. What a waste of space I am! Then there was a pity party that, of course, involved more Cheetos and cupcakes, but also involved brownies and ice cream and pizza. I was going to drown my sorrows yet again - and I did!
It took a couple more months for me to come around to finally giving the primal lifestyle an honest-to-goodness try. Why'd it take so long? What finally changed my mind? I'll tell you in another post. For now, I just wanted to share my shame - yep, my pure embarrassment and shame - that I was given an opportunity to live a wonderful life, to fulfill dreams that I haven't even realized I have yet, to be fortunate enough to not have to pinch every penny, and to have warm, caring people around me and to have just squandered that for nothing. For a massive layer of fat that surrounds my body, that puts people off, that makes me feel defensive about everything, that discourages touching, that holds me back at every crossroads in my life, that suffocates my courage, the extinguishes the fire inside me, that suppresses my joy, that overshadows the person I am.
Anyway, having realized all this for soooo long, it's ridiculous that I wouldn't take steps to correct it in myself, right? Yeah, it's pretty stupid. I don't think the Primal lifestyle will be easy for a girl like me who would sell her soul to work as a taste-tester at Krispie Kreme, but I'm ready to really give it a go.
So, confession 2: I am an emotional eater! Go frickin' figure. I eat when I'm bored, depressed, lonely, stressed... bored. I gotta do something with myself - another real epiphany, I know, but this time, I'm going to make it happen. Anyway, I have to accept it for what it is - a bad habit - and move on to a Grok state of mind.
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