tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33710783560895978312024-02-18T20:21:27.899-08:00Lauren Tries Out Alternate Day FastingI decided to try alternate day fasting (ADF) after seeing the documentaries and reading the research. ADF may <br>
help with lowering risks for many diseases, including: heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. <br>
This blog details my personal ADF experiment and its impacts on me, ADF news and tips, recipes for fast days, <br>
and other health and nutrition-related info.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-87944273644793654792013-11-12T12:53:00.004-08:002013-11-13T22:46:05.881-08:00A Pile of Numbers<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 222, Fast Day #77</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What have I been doing over the last month? Nothing new. I've been just working, hanging out with my husband and friends, and dealing with my dysfunctional family. I love them, but they drive me at least a little crazy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am still alternate day fasting. I have been less strict and have been on a 4:3 schedule the past few weeks. It seems like every weekend there is some sort of party or evening out which is not motivating me to fast on weekend days. Despite that, I have<b> lost 6 lbs (2.7 kg)</b> since I last posted 5 weeks ago. This puts me at <b>32 lbs (14.5 kg) lost total</b> in almost 32 weeks, so basically a pound dropped per week even with over a month of not fasting around my wedding and honeymoon. This puts me at just 8 lbs to my goal weight which is pretty exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the sake of collecting data, I finally plugging in all of my numbers over the last 5 weeks:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qik4WIxToaNmzzemvv3hwH9UqA1eqrlYR9URjWTLrdE5gXHuQjKK-BaLXS1bJ8CDxuqpCx2GiYCI89btzMzCC9x-EzZ1S2NTafv6IznUMP8m9le7Bth4CFYAIgRNXj882fd7GVu9CR8/s1600/weightlossovertime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qik4WIxToaNmzzemvv3hwH9UqA1eqrlYR9URjWTLrdE5gXHuQjKK-BaLXS1bJ8CDxuqpCx2GiYCI89btzMzCC9x-EzZ1S2NTafv6IznUMP8m9le7Bth4CFYAIgRNXj882fd7GVu9CR8/s400/weightlossovertime.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 1,861 kcal or 98% of baseline calories (-245 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 1,684 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 18: 1,598 kcal or 84% of baseline calories (-2,086 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 19: 1,686 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,470 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 25: 1,857 kcal or 98% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie (-273 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 26: 1,820 kcal or 96% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie (-532 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 27: 1,454 kcal or 77% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie (-3,094 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 28: 1,896 kcal or 100% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 29: 1,613 kcal or 85% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie (-1,981 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 30: 1,817 kcal or 96% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie (-553 kcal/week)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 31: 1,694 kcal or 89% </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of baseline calorie (-1,414 kcal/week)</span></b><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,770 kcal or 93% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,096 kcal or 111% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 442 kcal or 23% of baseline calories</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 18: 5 feast days, 2 fast days - maintenance mode</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 19: 5 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day - maintenance mode</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 25: 5 feast days, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 26: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 feast days, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 27: 4 feast days. 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 28: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 feast days. 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 29: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 feast days. 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 30: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 feast days. 3 fast days</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 31: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 feast days. 3 fast days</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The numbers aren't showing any super interesting trends. The last two weeks I have lost weight I was eating on average 24 grams of carbs less per day than the prior two weeks. However, it's pretty normal to plateau a bit now and then. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that I am married I have health insurance through Zach's work (because America is a little broken like that), so I am going to see a doctor for the first time in awhile. I am hoping to get a blood test and see how my blood work looks now after the weight loss and ADF.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-55231860112247209442013-10-06T15:38:00.000-07:002013-10-06T15:38:39.810-07:00Slow to Blog<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just want to apologize, especially to my regular readers, about my slowness to write and finish new posts lately. I am alternate day fasting again, tracking my calories, and have<b> lost the three pounds (1.4 kg)</b> I gained while on my honeymoon and family vacation. I plan to get back to blogging more soon and reporting more details of my dieting progress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The truth is my family is currently struggling to help one of our own who has isolated themselves from us and is exhibiting many signs of major depression and anxiety (and possibly addiction). However, this person is not seeking professional help or treatment yet. I am obviously very worried about this person because I love them very much and am frustrated watching their mental health seriously and negatively impact important aspects of their life including my personal relationship with them. I wish I had a more positive reason to not be spending my time blogging, but family and friends come first to me, always.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-24417083075013234632013-09-20T06:08:00.000-07:002013-09-24T11:28:12.020-07:00Fast(ing) Food - Garlic and Ginger Beef Stir-Fry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 141, Fast Day #56</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq2_EQ974Ei7I8j_ChMfblv0laQmCnYQhWIR6tTQ_Jx4NLvOMc0GSxqz96fVsPtWVat2tXpYa4h4r0vD_fyfY9QpaG9pFRrX6895Z-uLrqRqvFTE2ovW-ZHuEdAmHwlEgNnQlZvINJZU/s1600/wok.jpg" height="216" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I will tell you how to make this without creating a fireball in your kitchen.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got a flat-bottomed wok as a wedding gift so I feel compelled to make lots of stir-fry (Zach is not complaining). I love stir fry because it is fast, simple, and healthy (unless you are adding in a bunch of corn starch for a thick sauce).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because stir-frying is hot and quick, there is some potential for disaster (smoke & flames). Before I give you the recipe, please note these tips on avoiding setting off the smoke alarm while stir-frying..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">1) ONLY stir-fry using oils with </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>high smoke points! </b>I know a lot of folks that try to exclusively cook with unrefined oils, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and animal fats like lard and butter. <b>Do not use these for stir-fry!</b> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unrefined oils have low smoke points because of the little bits in them. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you try to stir-fry with these you will likely create a burnt mess if not a </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ball of flames</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. On the opposite end, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>never</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> use any hydrogenated (whipped/"spreadable") vegetable-based oils either. They also have low smoke points.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What oils should you use?</i> Traditionally refined peanut oil is used. For those that can't/don't eat peanut products, try refined canola, soy, safflower, sunflower, palm, or avocado oil. Again, unrefined oils are going to smoke at low temperatures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2) Do not preheat oil in the wok/pan prior to stir-frying</b>. Just heat the wok. This will minimize the breakdown of the oil due to the high heat and helps prevent your cooking oil from it reaching its smoke point while cooking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3) Add flavoring oils at the end. </b>Sesame oil, chili oil, garlic oil, and other flavoring oils are for flavor, <i>not</i> cooking. They have low smoke points. If you add these too early, you may summon the fires of Mordor in your kitchen.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_eXNu88AVReEtwzChhzniq-940AGEAbW_4BvYYQrWC6uPqpmGrKGldlLo0Q_HyjGU5OK9NszzjJlOc4P4FY7ZUVIpHUlJ3qyFkzxRI-rxU1OdYVIkdMEECPCgqAUqbGMRp65M3zVmkE/s1600/mordor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_eXNu88AVReEtwzChhzniq-940AGEAbW_4BvYYQrWC6uPqpmGrKGldlLo0Q_HyjGU5OK9NszzjJlOc4P4FY7ZUVIpHUlJ3qyFkzxRI-rxU1OdYVIkdMEECPCgqAUqbGMRp65M3zVmkE/s1600/mordor.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that you are less likely to cause a stir-fry fire, here is the recipe:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Garlic and Ginger Beef Stir-Fry</u> (Yields 3 servings) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~376 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal/serving</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Takes 10 minutes to cook</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp cooking oil with a high smoke point, divided in half </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">240 kcal (I used refined canola)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large clove of garlic, minced </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~5</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2" knuckle of fresh ginger, peeled and minced </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 kcal (about </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp minced ginger)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 oz beef, thinly sliced (like fajita meat)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">569 kcal (I recommend using skirt or flank steak cuts)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 large onion, chopped </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">30 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">large carrot, thinly sliced ~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">52 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">large bell pepper, sliced </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">33 kcal (I used a green one)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups broccoli, chopped </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp rice vinegar </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 kcal (white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar are okay substitutes)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp soy sauce </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp rice cooking wine </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25 kcal (one can substitute this with sherry or a drier white wine, note American cooking wine is salty and not the best substitute)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 crushed red chili pepper flakes </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 kcal -<i>optional</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tbsp sesame oil </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp hot chili oil ~23 kcal - <i>optional</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the wok (or large pan) is heating up on your stove, stir-frying occurs at a rapid pace. I recommend having all of the ingredients you need in your reach and to not take your eyes off of the wok. So make sure all of your veggies and whatnot are ready to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat your wok on the high heat, (<u><b>not the oil</b></u>). I have to use the highest heat possible on my electric stove. You know it is hot enough if you put a small drop of water (DO NOT throw a bunch of water in a very hot pan. Hot steam burns flesh.) into the wok and it evaporates within a couple seconds. If the water immediately evaporates, your wok is too hot and there will be smoke once you put in oil. Remove the wok from the heat to cool a bit if this is the case. As soon as it is hot (but not too hot) you want to start cooking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carefully remove the wok from the direct heat source and add the cooking oil into the wok and swirl it around to coat the sides. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If smoke occurs </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">when you add oil you need to </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>stop what you are doing</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, turn off the burner, wait until the wok is cool, wipe up the oil, and start over. Only bad things will happen to your food and you if you continue with a wok that is crazy hot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the minced ginger and garlic into the wok first. Stir around for a few seconds. Stir while it cooks. If you are not using fresh garlic, add it in with the vegetables later since it is already soft and will burn quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add onions to the wok. Stir until onions until they start to break down and become translucent on the edges.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the beef to the pan. Let it cook on one side (pause the stirring for a moment) for a minute. Cook and stir for another minute. The beef should not be cooked through at this point, but seared.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the rest of your vegetables (carrots, bell pepper, and broccoli) and rice wine. Stir for about 2 minutes or until the carrots and broccoli start becoming tender.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili pepper flakes to the wok and mix for a minute. Add in the sesame and chili oil last and stir. Then serve and eat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Tip</u>: If you want a stronger flavor and have time, try marinating the beef in the soy sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar, and additional garlic and ginger for 30 minutes to 4 hours prior to cooking.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-53669580494151375262013-09-18T20:30:00.000-07:002013-09-18T20:30:49.691-07:00Return of the Bride<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 140, Fast Day #55 - First one since August 12</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am <b>BACK</b> after my blogging and fasting hiatus!!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off I want to thank all the people that wrote guest posts for this blog while I was away. So thanks again to Becky Clark, Brianna Prigge, Oleg, Sabine, and Sarah Berger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I last blogged, I survived my wedding (and am a lot less stressed now), married Zach, honeymooned on the Oregon Coast, and vacationed in Kona, Hawai'i with the in-laws. The wedding was a lot of fun and it was wonderful to be surrounded by the love of friends and family from all around the country. We were both overwhelmed by emotions and happiness. On that note, it was a lot of fun, a lot of money, a lot of work, and I hope to never, ever *knock on wood* be a bride again.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeuF6sUP7M8F-JunSI3XqXW1qFpHu1qlfY2NZhMlB__YZ6bTv2hx6c6RhpGU_3hBRdskbtNXMzN7ygIIYsAKL7M-jR4zckIImGyOBGWxz-ljv0mRHDzd6FVzhxVsaLr7sIc8EwobHrLA/s1600/wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeuF6sUP7M8F-JunSI3XqXW1qFpHu1qlfY2NZhMlB__YZ6bTv2hx6c6RhpGU_3hBRdskbtNXMzN7ygIIYsAKL7M-jR4zckIImGyOBGWxz-ljv0mRHDzd6FVzhxVsaLr7sIc8EwobHrLA/s1600/wedding.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Mandatory wedding picture.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am now back home in Seattle to my small apartment that looks like a tornado swept through it, a daunting list of unopened emails, a mass of laundry that needs to be done, and a backlog of work. As one would expect after a month of basically zero rules, zero counting eating and drinking, I put a bit of weight back on. I initially thought I had gained 5 lbs, but it turns out some of that was likely just bloating from the plethora of carbohydrate rich, sugary, processed food I had been eating. It appears I actually <b>gained 3 lbs (1.4 kg) back</b> (<i>6 lbs</i> or <i>2.7 kg</i> up from my lowest while alternate day fasting) since the wedding, which is not too bad considering what I ate (pie, cake, ice cream, Spam, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, pizza, and lots of alcohol especially in beer form). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To put things in perspective though, I am <b>still 23 lbs lighter</b> than I was this past April and I wore bikinis on the beach in Kona without feeling incredibly self-conscious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first day that we got back home there wasn't any food in the house and we ate out, so it was a feast day. Then one of Zach's friends from out-of-town was in town for the weekend, so we feasted again. After the weekend I came down with one of those 24-48 hour colds and had no motivation to resist an extra bowl of turkey chili or leftover gnocchi. It is really hard to get back on the fasting bandwagon (much less off of the wheatwagon) when excuses to eat and drink are everywhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I am attempting a 500 calorie fast after about a month of gluttony. So far I've had a cup of coffee, a lot of tea, low-calorie can of soup and some left over beef stir-fry for lunch (the recipe and how-to is in the works) and a glass of green juice (with kale, radishes, ginger, lemon, and a couple slices of apple) to get the rest of my calories. The day has been passing by at a snail's pace while my stomach is wondering what happened to the Times of Plenty. I am looking forward to breaking my fast soon!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-62204174575988514772013-09-12T06:38:00.000-07:002013-09-12T06:38:00.045-07:00Guest Post: Fast(ing) Food - Grilled Greek Shrimp with Salad and Green Beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by <a href="http://lovemuffinblog.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Berger</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6rzjR7jmw1DA7CgRvoBAOEwLjc2m05gVoUiFrgmd2Xsu8OoCdYtamMfojk4pAIdzDpgA13WEmrYllRgI_hQdSq11wLBAfpxqmLl76vBF6TVc45n7JgYWgRU1N0Z841gmbcYyEijGTDo/s1600/shrimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6rzjR7jmw1DA7CgRvoBAOEwLjc2m05gVoUiFrgmd2Xsu8OoCdYtamMfojk4pAIdzDpgA13WEmrYllRgI_hQdSq11wLBAfpxqmLl76vBF6TVc45n7JgYWgRU1N0Z841gmbcYyEijGTDo/s1600/shrimp.jpg" height="299" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Grilled Greek Shrimp with Tomato-Cucumber-Avocado Salad and Green Beans</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Yields 2 servings) ~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">380 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal/serving</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another delicious low-calorie Paleo and low carb meal from Sarah Berger. This one is low sugar, full of healthy fats, and has vitamins A-E. I can't wait to try this one out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Shrimp</u>:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 lb large shrimp or about 24 large shrimp </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I used the frozen Argentinian shrimp from Trader Joe’s)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp Greek seasoning (Mix up a batch of equal parts ground cumin, ground coriander, granulated garlic, smoked paprika and dried italian seasoning - keep it for other recipes, make as much as you want, it’s great on chicken!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Juice of ½ small lemon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp olive oil </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 wooden skewers</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Combine shrimp, greek seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil in a bag- marinate at least thirty minutes to overnight. Skewer about 6 large shrimp on each skewer. Grill shrimp for 3-4 minutes per side or until firm and pink, careful to not overcook or shrimp will become rubbery. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Salad</u>:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 large beefsteak tomatoes, in large cubes or wedges</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ to ⅔ english cucumber, sliced lengthwise, then sliced into half-circles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ ripe avocado, diced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">juice of ½ lemon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and toss to coat---the avocado should mash a bit and become part of the dressing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Green Beans</u>:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ to ⅔ lb fresh green beans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ large sweet onion (like Walla Walla)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cloves minced garlic </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and pepper</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat the olive oil over medium heat, while it is heating, thinly slice the onion, then add it to the pan. Stir frequently until the onion becomes golden brown and softens. add the garlic and green beans and splash of water (2-3 tablespoons) , turn up heat to medium high and saute until green beans are tender but still slightly crisp. Season with salt and pepper to taste.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Divide salad, green beans and shrimp skewers between two plates. Serve and enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The creator and author of this recipe is Sarah Berger. She is the blogger behind </span><a href="http://lovemuffinblog.tumblr.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Love Muffin</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (also in my blogroll) which is a collection of her Paleo recipes. Sarah has been my friend since middle school and is a great cook with some culinary schooling.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-58054690893498935182013-09-09T06:11:00.000-07:002013-09-09T06:11:00.062-07:00Guest Post: The Lazy Low Cal Lifestyle Way to Revamp Your Recipes<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by <a href="http://www.lazylowcallifestyle.com/" target="_blank">Becky Clark</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/41/8f/e92304471fbd0a7f02355a.L._V168255717_SX200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/41/8f/e92304471fbd0a7f02355a.L._V168255717_SX200_.jpg" height="200" width="137" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My kids put me on journeys I never imagined for myself, but
probably not in the way you're thinking. I mean, all parents end up at the waterpark the emergency room, and Disneyland eventually, but this is
different.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my older son was about 8, he and I went in search of
some historical fiction for boys because, let's face it, reading his sister's
American Girl books was not cutting the macho mustard for him. When we couldn't find any that he hadn't read, he threw the fiction gauntlet at my feet. <i>Mom, why don't you just write one? </i>Thus
was born my first book. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As adults (if that's what we’re calling 18-year-old boys
these days), both my sons joined the Navy, shoving this <i>knows-nothing-about-the-military</i> Mom straight into the arms of
Uncle Sam. One of them is getting out soon, but the other is deploying again,
at which time I'm thrust into the role of adoptive grandmother. Lucky for me
it's just for his dog. But still.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both of them were matter-of-fact about their requests: <i>Mom, will you go talk to the recruiter with
me? … Mom, will you take care of Nala for a while?</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my daughter was in her first apartment in college, her
request was just a simple: <i>Mom, will you
send me the recipes you used to make when we were kids? </i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out loud, I said, “Of course, darling!” but in my head I was
thinking, “Score! That will make a cute little Christmas present for Her Hard to
Shop For-ness!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little did I know the result of her simple request would be
an entirely new business venture and writing genre for me. When I started
compiling recipes for her, I was horrified at how unhealthy those family
dinners had been. Yes, we had fun, but geez-o-pete … a jury of my peers just
might convict me of trying to kill them with butter and cheese.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I healthed 'em up. While I was revamping our recipes,
hubs and I had lost some weight — not much, 10 pounds or so, but enough to
notice. People started asking what I was doing differently and thus was born my
<a href="http://www.lazylowcallifestyle.com/" target="_blank">Lazy Low Cal Lifestyle</a> cookbooks and blog.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the things I get asked a lot — a LOT — is how I
create recipes. It's not rocket surgery, but it can be a daunting task.
Especially for those of us who have long ago embraced the lazy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, here are some tips to revamp your recipes, if you're so
inclined. And if you're lazy — like me — and NOT so inclined, here’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004NQO14I" target="_blank">the link</a> to buy my cookbooks where I've done all the work for you. I have a
sale going on all the digital versions, but the brand-spankin-new print version
includes ALL my recipes. (And were you aware your bookshelf has confessed to having
a little crush on my cookbook? Just thought you should know.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing I do with a recipe is look at the ingredient
list. If I can't picture the location of each ingredient in my pantry or
grocery store, I decide how necessary each one is. If they seem like integral
parts of the recipe but I've never heard of them, I wad that recipe up and toss
it. Life's too short to search for ingredients or special utensils. (I have
made the exception for doughnut pans. I'm not a complete idiot.) If it seems
like I can substitute ingredients (or better yet, leave them out), then I
continue.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next I look at what I know to be high calorie or unhealthy
ingredients. Can I substitute half the oil for applesauce? Remove half — or all
— of the meat? Use almond milk instead of heavy cream? Sauté with water or
broth instead of oil? Even though Grandma would certainly answer with an
emphatic no, can I get rid of the potato chips crumbled on top of the
casserole?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I see what healthy ingredients I can use more of. Can I
double the vegetables? Add more fish? Throw in a little flaxseed or wheat germ?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This not only ‘healths it up’ but it also increases the
volume of food in the recipe, which does two important things. One, it lowers
the overall calorie count by increasing the servings. Two, it means I'll have
leftovers so I won't have to cook so often. Yes, I really am that lazy. I
prefer to think of it as efficient, though.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So then I actually have to cook it. Most main dishes and
sides only take one try, but baking is more science than art so changing
ingredients causes more angst as well as a few more tries. But when there’s
chocolate involved, I'll take one for the team! (Ironic side note here, when I'm in cookbook-mode and making lots of new low-calorie recipes, I actually <i>gain</i> weight. So not fair.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the last step is to measure the total number of
appropriate-sized servings. You may need to change your thinking about serving
sizes. I know I did. Now I cut my squares smaller, use muffin tins and other
single-serving choices, eat half as much as I used to. If I'm truly still
hungry 30 minutes later, I'll have some more. You know the drill. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the LAST last step — should you choose to accept this
mission — is to do the math and figure out the exact calories in the recipe. It
requires precision and a calculator, but I have faith in you. Divide total
calories in the recipe by the number of servings and you have calories per
serving. If a main dish is over 400 calories per serving, I make the servings
smaller, or I try it again with more substitutions or whatever. Or I'm forced
to give up on it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can offer you a bit of help, however. When you join my
mailing list at <a href="http://www.lazylowcallifestyle.com/" target="_blank">LazyLowCalLifestyle.com</a>, you get some freebies, one of which is my <i>Alphabetical List of Foods
and Their Calories</i>, a helpful resource I've compiled over the years. I use it
all the time and I bet you will too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, that's my story and a bit of how and why I do what I do.
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you find success and joy on whatever journey you’re
on, whether your kids nudged you to the path, whether someone dragged you
kicking and screaming to it, whether you stumbled on it yourself, or whether
you hacked your way through the brambles searching for it despite the dangers
of dragons, evil witches, and fierce beasts. You're on it now … isn't the view
lovely?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy cooking!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Becky Clark is the author, blogger, and cook behind <a href="http://www.lazylowcallifestyle.com/" target="_blank">LazyLowCalLifestyle.com</a>. Enjoy more of her humor and low-calorie recipes in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004NQO14I" target="_blank">her cookbooks</a> or on her <a href="http://www.lazylowcallifestyle.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. If you have questions for Becky, please leave a comment and she will get back to you right here!</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-83223586880252725352013-09-05T07:12:00.000-07:002013-09-05T07:12:00.495-07:00Guest Post: Do Less Cardio<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=79174253" target="_blank">Brianna Prigge</a>, CPT</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am thrilled to be guest posting on Lauren’s blog this
week. I met Lauren through mutual friends and we now work together. Working in
the same small office as Lauren, I have had the unique opportunity to watch her
go through the ADF lifestyle change. I had never heard of ADF before Lauren
decided to commit to it about 5 months ago. I naturally had countless questions
for her and was floored by the scientific evidence boasting the benefits of the
ADF lifestyle. As you know from her blog, she has been incredibly successful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lauren and I never run short on conversation topics because
we are both interested in the <a href="http://thepaleodiet.com/the-paleo-diet-premise/" target="_blank">Paleo diet</a> and some of the lifestyle aspects of
the <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/#axzz2ck3rFH6L" target="_blank">primal life</a>, as well. I chose to adopt the Paleo diet about 6 months ago. I
follow the diet with 80% of what I eat. The occasional soy sauce, peanut
butter, corn chips, and dessert do tend to find themselves in my diet from time
to time. I battle with some autoimmune conditions, and I feel markedly better
following the Paleo diet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, I would like to spend some time discussing a different
aspect of the Paleo lifestyle: <b>exercise</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How does the primal lifestyle suggest
we approach exercise? According to the author of <i>The Primal Blueprint</i> and popular blog, <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2ck3rFH6L" target="_blank">Mark’s Daily Apple</a>, Mark
Sisson, “<b>The fact is, our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn't ramp up their heart rates significantly for over an hour every day, and I don't think we should either. They walked at a very low level of exertion, burning almost entirely stored fats</b>.” Is Sisson trying to tell us that there is such a thing as too much cardio? Yes, in fact, once your body leaves the fat-burning zones, we become dependent on glycogen stores to fuel our muscles. Your muscles and liver have a threshold for stored glycogen, up to 2 hours for well-trained individuals, and much less for the rest of us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pushing past fat burning zones and relying on glycogen stores can quickly take a toll on your body. To name a few that Mark Sisson mentions: “t<b>his kind of training (and diet) raises cortisol levels, increases oxidative damage, systemic inflammation, depresses the immune system and decreases fat metabolism. About the only thing good it does is improve cardiac muscle strength – and even then you get to the point of diminishing returns fairly quickly.</b>”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Read more <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/chronic-cardio/#ixzz2cReVrTUl" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This information has been difficult for me to digest. I have accepted the meat and produce concepts of the Paleo diet, it truly resonates with me to eat like our ancestors did and fuel my body similarly. But we have been conditioned to believe that marathon runners are the picture of health; that we should be jogging for hours every week to be feel our best. For example, I just ran the Seattle Rock n’ Roll marathon in June and felt that I had hit a milestone in my journey towards health. To be honest, I could not have been more misguided. The marathon training demanded me to put more and more carbohydrates into my body as fuel. I was consuming Swedish fish during long training runs to keep my glycogen stores up, and was constantly exhausted. But I truly believed I was reaching extreme levels of fatigue in the name of health. I was very wrong.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Since the marathon, I have changed my approach to exercise. Not an easy task, since I have it ingrained in my brain that running and pushing my body to extreme cardio limits is equated with optimal health. But now, a week of my workouts looks like this:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Monday</u>: 3 mile walk during my lunch hour and a Yoga Sculpt class in the evening</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">(<a href="http://www.corepoweryoga.com/information/classdescriptions#Yoga%20Sculpt" target="_blank">Yoga Sculpt</a> is a total body workout, CorePower Yoga Sculpt classes are set to energizing music and designed to tone and sculpt every major muscle group. This class complements your regular yoga practice, while boosting your metabolism and pushing your strength and flexibility to new heights. Free weights are added to the CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) sequence, creating resistance and intensifying each pose. Strength-training exercises such as squats, lunges, bicep curls and tricep curls are incorporated to build lean muscle mass.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Tuesday</u>: Yoga Sculpt class</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Wednesday</u>: 3 mile run and functional bodyweight exercises</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Thursday</u>: Functional Sprint and Strength Workout <i>(see below)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Friday</u>: Yoga Sculpt class</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Saturday</u>: Hike or take another adventure with my husband (kayak on the lake during the summer, ski during the winter, etc.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Sunday</u>: REST</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">According to the primal lifestyle, we should move slow and frequently. I do not own a car, so I end up walking a fairly great amount in everyday life, and also enjoy taking walks to explore new neighborhoods in Seattle. It is also important to do functional strength moves to make sure we are strong throughout our entire lives. Squats, lunges, and push-ups with our own body weight are great ways to keep your strength up. Lastly, we should sprint once in awhile This is good for both our metabolism and body composition.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Here is a great example of a quick, <b>functional sprint and strength workout</b> to do no more than once a week:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">*Warm-up for 5 minutes (power-walking or light jogging)*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Interval 1</u>: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">-60 seconds of air squats (Here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4kjzkg9MZ4" target="_blank">video tutorial</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Interval 2</u>: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">-60 seconds of push-ups</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Interval 3</u>: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">-60 seconds of walking lunges</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Interval 4</u>: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">-60 seconds of planks</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I feel markedly better on this type of a workout regimen. I no longer need to load up on carbohydrates to sustain my energy levels. In fact, two to three Paleo-style meals a day yields more than enough energy and the correct nutrients to feel my best. And to end on a vanity note: my clothes fit better than when I was marathon training, go figure.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=79174253" style="line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Brianna Prigge</a><span style="line-height: 18px;"> is not only my friend and coworker but a certified personal trainer (CPT) with a passion for fitness and health.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-60089288880976208382013-09-03T07:02:00.000-07:002013-09-03T07:02:00.205-07:00Guest Post: 3 Delicious Low-Fat Apple Juices<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CeGeP5alOxc/UgFNgpw7pbI/AAAAAAAAASI/g7EZFmMSd2A/s1600/apple%2520juices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CeGeP5alOxc/UgFNgpw7pbI/AAAAAAAAASI/g7EZFmMSd2A/s1600/apple%2520juices.jpg" height="151" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by <a href="http://howtogetabbs.com/" target="_blank">Oleg</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you say "juicing" with the intent to lose some weight, you mean juice comprised of vegetables and fruits. The major front-runner of fruits, when it comes to juicing, is the apple. It is very common among mixtures of natural juices. Apple is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C and folic acid.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not only that, apples can also neutralize the bitter taste and bad odor of vegetable mixtures. Without the presence of apple in a mixture, the juice can have a strong smell and a bitter taste, especially if the mixture is comprised mostly of green vegetables like broccoli, kale leaves, cauliflower and others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the top 3 apple juicing recipes for weight loss:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Apple-Carrot-Ginger Juice.</b> This juice will be loved by the health enthusiasts because it’s really low fat. It only contains 60 calories at the maximum. You can make this by mixing 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of chopped apples, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and 2 cups of ice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the carotene to be easily assimilated by your liver, you need to mix the juice with one half cup of sour cream or yogurt A single serving will give you bursting flavors of saltiness, sourness, bitterness, spiciness and sweetness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>2.</strong><b> Apple-Fennel Juice.</b> This juice has a fighting sweetness and sourness flavor. To get the right mixture, all you need to have is pick a 1 bulb of fennel, 2 lemons (sliced), 2 apples (use large ones) and a handful of mint.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Put everything inside the juicer and start blending until it liquefies. If you wanted to make it greener, you have the option to add kale leaves. Serve with ice cubes for great</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">taste</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Each serving only has a maximum of 130 calories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Apple-Grapefruit Juice. </b>This mixture is deliciously enticing because of the presence of semi-sweet grapefruit. In order to tone down the sweetness and sourness of the grapefruit, you need to put 2 big apples in the mixture. Usually, this mixture contains 1 grapefruit. The tropical fruit’s mixture with the apple is perfect. Usually, the mixture will give you 130 calories. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthiest-Juicing-Stronger-Immunity-ebook/dp/B00DIPWC32/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Juicing for weight loss</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> using apples is indeed very fun. Apples are a universal neutralizer in the world of juicing. They can be paired with any other vegetable mixtures or with other fruits like pears, grapes, citrus, watermelons and many more. Try it and witness its wonders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oleg, the author is a fitness and health enthusiast and invites you to visit his personal blog at </span><a href="http://howtogetabbs.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">howtogetabbs.com</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> if you would like to get more fat loss tips.</span></span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-29547665696672359552013-08-28T06:05:00.000-07:002013-08-28T06:05:00.179-07:00Guest Post: Fast(ing) Food - Seared Sesame-Crusted Ahi Over Mango Cilantro Slaw<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by <a href="http://lovemuffinblog.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Berger</a></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHwglFMDC_AcNxeLniWudzWaDDvNNA51GYJLaxFQx05qje1lmbm-k22Tg48UDQ4yfHtyYryGl-JFb-sCEzcnOo7lCbWxCgDx9c1rFSoai8EM5E66ve1nhrfOobHXZgDe0H3fpf52DyRg/s1600/Seared+Ahi+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHwglFMDC_AcNxeLniWudzWaDDvNNA51GYJLaxFQx05qje1lmbm-k22Tg48UDQ4yfHtyYryGl-JFb-sCEzcnOo7lCbWxCgDx9c1rFSoai8EM5E66ve1nhrfOobHXZgDe0H3fpf52DyRg/s1600/Seared+Ahi+.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eat this and forget you're fasting because you made your mouth so happy.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Seared Sesame-Crusted Ahi over Mango Cilantro Slaw</b></u> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Yields 2 servings)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~500</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">k</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cal/serving (w/avocado) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">350 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">k</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cal/serving (w/o avocado)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This fast day meal is full of healthy fats and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including iron, 11 grams of fiber, and many vitamins (A, B, C, E), and more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Sesame-Crusted </u></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Tuna</u>:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 frozen ahi steaks (I used the ones from Trader Joe’s)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp sesame seeds (not toasted)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp coconut oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt<i> - optional</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Defrost tuna in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of cold water (still in package). Remove from package and place on a plate, sprinkle with sesame seeds on all sides and press into fish. Season with salt, if desired. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is melted and hot, add fish. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes depending on desired done-ness. Be careful not to burn sesame seeds---turn often and reduce heat if necessary. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remove from pan and place on a cutting board to rest for a few minutes while assembling the slaw. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Mango Cilantro Slaw</u>:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">¼ red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-2 carrots, grated</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 green onions, sliced finely</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 mango, julienned</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped finely</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Dressing</u>:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp rice vinegar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ tsp honey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">¼ tsp salt or soy sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ tbsp sesame oil</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Extra</u>:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large avocado, sliced <i>- optional</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk to dissolve honey and salt. Add in slaw ingredients and toss to coat. Place ½ of the slaw mixture on each plate, slice tuna across the grain and place over slaw. Top with sliced avocado, if desired. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The creator and author of this recipe is Sarah Berger. She is the blogger behind <a href="http://lovemuffinblog.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Love Muffin</a> (also in my blogroll) which is a collection of her Paleo recipes. Sarah has been my friend since middle school and is a great cook with some culinary schooling.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-69516272897296105282013-08-26T06:23:00.000-07:002013-08-26T06:23:00.645-07:00Guest Post: Mix Up Your Fast Days<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Sabine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi! My name is Sabine, and I've been doing ADF for about five months. I'm female, mid-forties, don't exercise, and I started off about 50 pounds overweight. I also do <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/" target="_blank">primal low-carb</a>, and though it makes me feel great when I eat that way, I found it hard to sustain long-term (cheats!) and hard to get back on after cheating. The biggest benefit I have seen from ADF is that it is now easy to get back on plan after I eat something I shouldn't instead of falling into a downward spiral that can take weeks or months to recover from. And, oh yeah, I'm down 25 pounds so far. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't always do the same thing on my Down Days (the <a href="http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/html/down-day.html" target="_blank">JUDDD term for fasting days</a>). Here are some different types of Down Days, that are helpful to have in your toolbox:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Zero-Calorie (Water Fasting)</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what most people think of when they hear "fasting." Water, that's all, right? But even eating nothing has some tricks to it. Have different kinds of water. No, don't go buy fancy bottles. But have regular water, have water with lemon juice and salt (8 cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sweetener - great for maintaining your electrolyte balance), have a pitcher of water that has some cucumber slices floating in it. Switch off between your different types of water, and have some herbal tea, as well. The change in flavors, though subtle, really helps. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drink at least 12 glasses of water, shoot for 16. (Unless you have issues which make drinking lots of water unsafe. Rare, but it can happen. Know thyself!) Accept that you will be visiting the bathroom a lot. Brush your teeth every time you're in there, while you're at it. It really helps. <i>Do not</i> chew gum. It makes it worse. Don't feel that you need to "do nothing" while you are fasting. It is better to be busy. Plan projects, errands, any kind of physical activity. Mental activities, save for Up Days (the <a href="http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/html/up-day.html" target="_blank">JUDDD term for feast days</a>), at least in the beginning. There's something about having to think, that makes your body say, "Hey, let's eat!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>All-Liquid</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You're still drinking, but you're getting some nutrition. The main reason for drinking your calories, is to minimize your "meal" experience. When you first start Down Days, you will be amazed at all the time you now have, that you used to spend eating, preparing food, cleaning up, and thinking about food. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with yourself! And sometimes you find that dealing with food at all, makes you want to go all the way, and have a meal, a real meal, and no, you don't want to wait until tomorrow, you want it NOW! This is when drinking a meal helps you out. You slug it down, and it's done, then you can stop thinking about it. Protein shakes are good here, probiotic drinks, and vegetable smoothies. And for those who like to have something going into their mouths all day, sipping on a nice iced coffee with milk or cream, can make the day a lot happier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>High-Fat</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started doing these kind of Down Days because I have had good success in the past with the <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Jump-Start-the-Atkins-Diet" target="_blank">Atkins Fat Fast</a>. It gets you into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis" target="_blank">ketosis</a> (the good kind) super fast, and knocks cravings flat on their back. The challenge with High-Fat Down Days is that fat packs quite the caloric punch. You really can't eat a lot on these Down Days, but used wisely (after you have been low carb for a while, and are experienced with Down Days and their wiles) these can be great. One of my favorite "meals" is to cut a slice of liverwurst (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60 calories) into 24 little chunks, and eat them S-L-O-W-L-Y, letting them melt in my mouth. Unlike the All-Liquid Days, where you are trying not to think about food, High-Fat Days are all about savoring every bit of flavor in your mouth. Brie cheese, pork rinds with sour cream, macadamia nuts, and a spoon of peanut or almond butter are all favorites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>High-Protein</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ADF is supposed to be muscle-sparing, but once in awhile you just start wondering: are my muscles wasting away? Protein to the rescue. At four calories per gram, you can get a lot of protein into a Down Day. Fish is great, because there's not much fat going along with it. Every bite is mostly protein. Protein shakes, of course. And jerky! I was amazed to discover how satisfying it is to tear into bites of jerky on a Down Day. Don't forget the humble egg. Double up on your whites, and save the yolks for your Up Day, or hard-boil them, and have egg-white egg salad. Amazingly good, especially when you consider that the best part (the yolk!) is missing. Also good is diet Jell-O (if you do chemicals) made with extra gelatin. I love being able to have a "dessert" on my Down Days sometimes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Bulky</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, you just want to chew. Or stuff your face. And the fact that it is a Down Day, and you need to keep it to 500 calories or less, matters not. Vegetables are your friends. Those big bags of cut cabbage? They make great stir-fry. Yes, you CAN eat the whole bag yourself! Everyone has their favorites, but let me show you what 500 calories will get you in the produce aisle:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">56 kcal = 16 spears of asparagus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20 kcal = a head of broccoli</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60 kcal = 4 cups shredded cabbage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">62 kcal = 2 big carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">26 kcal = 1/4 head of cauliflower</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24 kcal = 4 stalks of celery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24 kcal = a bag of cut lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">28 kcal =2 cucumbers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">48 kcal = 8 oz of mushrooms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">40 kcal = a nice big bell pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">36 kcal = a bag of spinach</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">72 kcal = 20 cherry tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>= </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>~</b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">496 calories TOTAL</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can eat on that all day and maybe even run out of time. Yes, there's no butter, or cheese, but it is one day! It can be done. And, amazingly, some days, you don't even want the butter. Your taste buds and enjoyment of food DO change when you are doing ADF. I really look forward to my Down Days now, which I never would have thought would happen at the beginning. And if you have to have the butter or olive oil, well, drop the cucumbers and tomatoes, and stir-fry the rest up with 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil. You'll still have a huge quantity of food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Mini-Meals</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is good for those days when you have a long, tedious project to do (think paperwork) and you will be desperate for breaks. In days past you might have had chips, or a candy bar, or a handful of nuts, or heck, all three, just a reason to get away from the project. You make real meals (yes you can have meals that are just </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">140 calories) but you divide them even smaller. Just a bite or two. Say, one half of a deviled egg (made with sour cream and mustard in the yolks) which is </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">40 calories. Forty calories, you say! That's crazy! But... you get </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 of these little meals</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. You're eating something every hour. And sometimes, it is okay to have just a bite. You enjoy it, you set the timer for another hour, and you head back to your project. Cherry tomatoes filled with cream cheese are especially good for this. You can have </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">four</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of them for </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">40 calories!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>I'm-Not-Dieting-I-Just Feel-Like-a-Salad!</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes you have to meet people for a meal on your Down Day. People you may not be interested in telling what you are doing. For whatever reason. I've had one too many eye rolls to judge anyone. You eat nothing else that day. You order water with lemon, or unsweetened iced tea. You order a salad with protein (chicken breast/steak/salmon) on top and not too many of the crazy extras (pineapple, craisins, nuts, croutons, you know what I mean) in it, and the dressing on the side. Dip your fork in the dressing before you spear your bites, and exclaim over how fresh it all tastes. You <b>ORDER A DESSERT</b> to go, saying you are too full, but it all looks so good, you just can't resist. (You get to eat it tomorrow, not tonight. Or you can give it to someone.) No one who orders a dessert can possibly be on some weird fasting plan, right, so your secret is safe!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Three-Squares-a-Day</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it can be done. Get out your calorie book, and start thinking. Here's one of mine for inspiration:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Breakfast:</i></b> 1 poached egg (~70 kcal) served over 2 cups spinach (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), steamed, and mixed with 1 tsp butter (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">33 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). <i>Total = 115 </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>kcal</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Lunch</i>:</b> 1 small salmon fillet (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">100 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) with 1 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tsp mayo (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">33 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) and a squirt of lemon juice (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) and a shake of dried dill (free!),1 small zucchini (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), 4 mushrooms (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) sauteed with 1 tsp butter (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">33 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total = </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">197 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Snack:</i></b> 1/2 apple (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">41</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) and 1 tsp peanut butter (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">32 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total = </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">73 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Dinner:</i></b> Homemade vegetable soup (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">60 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) and a dessert of diet Jell-O made with extra gelatin (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">45 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total = </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">105 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I count correctly, that's </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>~</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>490 calories</b>. G</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">o hog wild with the other 10! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope these ideas have been useful for you. Down Days can be a challenge, but they can also be fun. Find the right kind of plan for your situation, and enjoy your food!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Sabine started the <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread81577.html" target="_blank">Alternate Day Fasting Support and Chat forum thread</a> of <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/" target="_blank">Mark's Daily Apple</a>, a website that is a hub of resources and discussions about healthy living and the primal lifestyle. I met her through the forum thread when I first started alternate day fasting and was looking for advice from other people practicing the ADF way of eating. For more information on primal eating and living, check out Mark's Daily Apple.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-60337712499755119902013-08-22T17:41:00.000-07:002013-08-22T17:41:00.371-07:00Help Fund Pediatric Brain Tumor Research<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my general life goals is to give what I can (even if it is not that much) to help those that need it and to causes I think better the state of the planet and humanity. One of those causes is <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/lauren-kim-3k/2013" target="_blank"><b>brain cancer research</b></a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately there are few people that cancer does not impact, whether one gets cancer themselves or has a family member or friend that battles it. Brain cancer has impacted me by taking the life of one of my high school teachers a little over a year ago. I also have a friend that lives with an inoperable brain tumor.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this year Zach and I are participating in the <a href="https://runofhopeseattle.org/Event_Info.html" target="_blank">Run of Hope 3k</a> in Seattle for pediatric brain tumor research. I am joining the team of my former co-worker Kris who lost her own 11 year-old daughter, <a href="http://home.comcast.net/~patrick_duff/site/" target="_blank">Jocelyn</a>, to brain cancer. Unfortunately, <b>less than 4%</b> of the money used for medical research is used for children. Team Jocelyn and I hope to raise as much money as we can to help fund the research needed so that hopefully someday we don't have to lose children to brain cancer.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Jocelyn, 1991 - 2003</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can support this effort by becoming a sponsor of my 3k walk with a <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/lauren-kim-3k/2013" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">secure online donation</a>. Over the last four years participants in the Run of Hope 3k have raised over $1.1 million, 99.94% which went directly to Seattle Children's Hospital's research on pediatric brain tumors. Please chip in what you can because every little bit helps in the fight against child brain cancer. Thanks!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-44155464138261352062013-08-21T11:39:00.000-07:002013-08-21T11:39:05.716-07:00Mission Accomplished<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 138, Feast Day #81 - <b>Nine in a Row</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to forgo fasting this week as weight gain was not happening even at 6:1 for me and at -27 lbs (-12.2 kg) my wedding dress was fitting just a bit loosely. I was in a bit of a panic yesterday morning when<b> I dropped another 2 lbs (0.9 kg)</b> seemingly overnight (probably hormonal), which put me at <b>-29 lbs (13.2 kg)</b> lost overall in almost 20 weeks, despite being in maintenance mode for the last couple of weeks. This would be great if I was not trying to gain weight so my wedding dress fits this Saturday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So yesterday I decided I was going to eat <i>all day</i> and<i> not</i> eat healthy in a last ditch attempt to put on a few pounds. So yesterday I started off my day with a pile of nuts, cheese, and beef jerky, followed by fried chicken and potato wedges drenched in ranch dressing for lunch (which made me feel quite queasy), and then for dinner a large Greek salad with goat cheese, a McFlurry with M&Ms, soda, and a Whopper Jr. hamburger. So I clocked in at over a whopping 3,200 calories yesterday, like a boss. Note: I do not recommend this diet, nor is it a healthy way to gain weight. It is apparently very effective though.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPyFVOgR9dXRHkbtUQfyiLwSLTQ1K8wZ2EVDamwzYnbIqbFjYkuuJ3HcKpqNjzOmK6rUmHTua-fN9EFQKEES_625MvaU43M1wmQa9SaKIcjUzANZFyCDYSmbhfeloYmGcZWV8-1nkEPY/s1600/1377045131018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPyFVOgR9dXRHkbtUQfyiLwSLTQ1K8wZ2EVDamwzYnbIqbFjYkuuJ3HcKpqNjzOmK6rUmHTua-fN9EFQKEES_625MvaU43M1wmQa9SaKIcjUzANZFyCDYSmbhfeloYmGcZWV8-1nkEPY/s1600/1377045131018.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>650 McCalories of soft serve and candy.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My fast food and comfort food boot camp boosted me up <b>3 lbs</b> in a day (so back to <b>-26 lbs</b> or <b>-11.8 kg</b>). I hit my regaining goal, which is excellent. So I just hope I can hold on to some of that bloat for a couple days. Wine and cheese will be consumed tonight, so that should keep my calories up.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-34331035646625324782013-08-18T23:48:00.000-07:002013-08-18T23:49:40.058-07:00Week 19 Summary<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 135, Feast Day #78 -<b> Six in a Row</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well that pound I gained back after entering maintenance mode disappeared. So I am back to where I started before deciding to decrease my numbers fasting days for the sole purpose of fitting in my wedding dress without more alterations. So I am at <b>-27 pounds (12.2 kg) </b>since April 5 and of course, my dress is just a little too loose. Last week I only did one fast day and a medium day with five feast days, and still lost that darn pound.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this week, I don't think I am going to fast <i>at all</i>. Even on maintenance mode, my caloric intake has been comparable to other 4:3 weeks I have had in the past. I have been eating out less this month to save money, so I think that has prevented me from eating insane numbers of calories. Now gaining weight is difficult for me. What a silly problem to have.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gaining weight is difficult is because I have <b>retrained my tastes</b> and my brain has different food reward associations now after nearly 5 months of alternate day fasting. To be honest, I read that this happens in Dr. Michael Mosley's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-FastDiet-Healthy-Intermittent-Fasting/dp/1442366621" target="_blank">The FastDiet</a></i> and thought there was no way I would not always want to eat bagels, fried food, processed food, etc. It happened though! the last time I really went nuts on calories and carbs I felt awful sick afterwards with bloating and stomach pain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have basically had to unlearn everything my brain liked about food, and retrained it to like food that gives me energy and a lot of nutrition, not empty calories. I crave greens like chard, peppers, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli, not breads or pasta. The onion bagels toasting at work still smell good, but I don't crave them on my own without being exposed to good smells. I have been easing off of wheat products after scaring myself by reading <i><a href="http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/buy-the-book/" target="_blank">Wheat Belly</a></i> and not repurchased wheat products I've run out of (with an exception for beer) too. It is crazy how many calories you cut out once you stop eating bread, pastas, crackers, and the like.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reducing my portion sizes and not eating after I am full is also becoming habit for me. These commons sense practices only become habit after lots and lots of conscious decision making and practice saying "no" the instinct to gorge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought some bacon and have wine and cheese eating on my social calendar this week (aside from my wedding). So hopefully I can get one of those pounds back on!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 1,861 kcal or 98% of baseline calories (-245 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 1,684 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 18: 1,598 kcal or 84% of baseline calories (-2,086 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 19: 1,686 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,470 kcal/week)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,761 kcal or 93% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,732 kcal or 144% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 435 kcal or 23% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 18: 5 feast days, 2 fast days - maintenance mode</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 19: 5 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day - maintenance mode</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-56758842898103878412013-08-16T20:53:00.000-07:002013-08-16T20:53:18.155-07:00Fast(ing) Food - Citrus Kale Salad<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 133, Feast Day #76 -<b> Quadruple Feast</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
I just hate when the end of the summer starts approaching. Especially in Seattle where there are really only two seasons: a dry summer, and the wet, cloudy season. That 8-9 month wet season can be rough. So I wanted to make a salad that reminded me of the fresh, colorful months of summer.</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6tYQ27GEla0UsinnBB5jMzJWbQzO-bg4-diymfMqapFfCv8c5-rX4I7JUYS3WbIeFKOFLsMt-Xcc77NVSWZaCGIhKzFhDPlNEfLIeO5cBREPiTrxVG7O4tv7j8iyIgIJ6H9VQTUkSdU/s1600/20130816_190206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6tYQ27GEla0UsinnBB5jMzJWbQzO-bg4-diymfMqapFfCv8c5-rX4I7JUYS3WbIeFKOFLsMt-Xcc77NVSWZaCGIhKzFhDPlNEfLIeO5cBREPiTrxVG7O4tv7j8iyIgIJ6H9VQTUkSdU/s1600/20130816_190206.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tastes like summer.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Citrus Kale Salad</u></b> (Yields 2 servings) ~ 360 kcal/serving</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Takes 5-10 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This salad also is packed with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and a bunch of fiber. I also have a tough time resisting avocados.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Citrus Vinaigrette</u></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp olive oil oil ~ 125 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">juice of 1/3 navel orange </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 13 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">juice of 1/2 lemon </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 4 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp white wine vinegar</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~5 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp honey</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 20 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kosher salt to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Salad</u></span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups kale (3-4 leaves), just the leafy parts, chopped (I used purple kale) ~ 66 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 onion, diced (I used a red onion) ~ 15 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 carrots with tops, the root slice thin and the greens chopped </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 81 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2/3 navel orange, peeled and wedges separated</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 46 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 small avocado, pitted and chopped </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 250 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ 95 kcal</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make sure your citrus fruits are juicy, roll them against your cutting board with a little pressure. Squeeze the needed parts for juice in a large bowl. Save your half lemon and use it for something else yummy, like a baked fish fillet. You'll be using the rest of that orange shortly.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper into the large bowl with the juice. Whisk.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now go ahead and add the rest of your orange, kale, onions, carrots, carrot tops, avocado, and sunflower seeds into the bowl. Mix and eat!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-1004486458244846222013-08-12T22:56:00.000-07:002013-08-12T22:56:41.418-07:00Week 18 Summary<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 129, Fast Day #54</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finished my first fast today after 6 non-fasting day, since I am in maintenance mode. After the initial 2 lb (0.9 kg) jump up after beginning maintenance mode, I have been holding steady and am still at <b>25 lbs (11.3 kg) lost </b>since I started ADF 18 weeks ago. I had planned to fast yesterday, but Zach and I needed to get our marriage vows written and doing that on an empty stomach seemed like a recipe for disaster. So I ended up having a medium day yesterday and actually fasted today.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQzAfh2xvm1nLx7xcqVJFcj72bfeGPPjgNiMeY8dyls48B_mnnukYI-jgOK5zm2eYzbdrSbn3IR2TtNPJxJkuQYHbfiXK5h5LpJE1NJuqrkFau3qsUgVNWoRDQYfKN6NXa08bGABYIJk/s1600/1376251626266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQzAfh2xvm1nLx7xcqVJFcj72bfeGPPjgNiMeY8dyls48B_mnnukYI-jgOK5zm2eYzbdrSbn3IR2TtNPJxJkuQYHbfiXK5h5LpJE1NJuqrkFau3qsUgVNWoRDQYfKN6NXa08bGABYIJk/s1600/1376251626266.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sometimes fish tacos happen instead of fasting.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is how last week compared:<br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 1,861 kcal or 98% of baseline calories (-245 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 1,684 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 18: 1,598 kcal or 84% of baseline calories (-2,086 kcal/week)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,765 kcal or 93% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,780 kcal or 147% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 434 kcal or 23% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 18: 5 feast days, 2 fast days - maintenance mode</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm pulling together the last little details and finishing tasks for my wedding. So no more blogging tonight!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-70946717552630012942013-08-09T19:01:00.001-07:002013-08-09T19:01:37.731-07:00A Little Weight Gain<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 126, Feast Day #71 - Triple Feast Day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I'm on my fourth day in <a href="http://tryingadf.blogspot.com/2013/08/maintenance-mode.html" target="_blank">maintenance mode</a> and <b>gained back 2 lbs (0.9 kg)</b> in the last couple of days, which is fine in terms of my wedding dress fitting. This puts me squarely at <b>a total of 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) lost</b> since early April. I had already fasted twice earlier in the week, so I have been "feasting" since. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Switching back to a modern day normal person's eating pattern is proving difficult because I just don't get as hungry, I don't expect the food, and my new habit is not eating much every other day (just like three days a meals, plus snacks, plus lots of carbs and sugar was my habit prior to ADF).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of my ADF habits have remained intact over the last few days. For one, I don't eat breakfast. (Such a rebel, I know. But, a lot of that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" propaganda "research" is funded by food manufacturers <a href="http://www.bellinstitute.com/Breakfast.aspx" target="_blank">like General Mills</a> through puppet organizations, surprise surprise. <i>They</i> <i>sell breakfast cereal</i>.) A</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">s long as I don't go crazy with the wheat and carbs at dinner the night before, I tend not to be hungry at all in the morning. In fact, I have never really liked eating in the mornings because I am not hungry until midday. I like my scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon, obviously. I just like them for brunch or dinner like a weirdo. I also have never had much interest in sweet breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, french toast, oatmeal, jams, etc. I find that all to be too sweet and I don't like a morning sugar rush followed by a crash to set the tone for my day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am also still trying to cook and eat healthier. I ended up eating under the amount of calories that I would normally eat on a feast day this past Wednesday, thinking my homemade shrimp teriyaki would have brought me past the 1600 calorie mark for the day. It ended up being far fewer calories than I expected (I didn't use granulated sugar at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>~</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>720 kcal per cup</b> in the teriyaki sauce, but instead substituted with crushed pineapple in pineapple juice at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">140 kcal per cup), so I had some Greek yogurt with a bit of honey for dessert to get up to 1433 calories that day. I am also still trying not to eat wheat products.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik56JiDJ9DKAzuRrXwFdOuEg-YwvCrWQUkmyaM_P2q2YEYAQ22-Lcgpb8WK4mUwm-9YzH6rlN-zSUx9YabLSFKoP7Wnf7DKPP-nwSQ89S8xow0K0dtD9yd-lMOlmFBllTHBqJxUZbljiI/s1600/sugar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik56JiDJ9DKAzuRrXwFdOuEg-YwvCrWQUkmyaM_P2q2YEYAQ22-Lcgpb8WK4mUwm-9YzH6rlN-zSUx9YabLSFKoP7Wnf7DKPP-nwSQ89S8xow0K0dtD9yd-lMOlmFBllTHBqJxUZbljiI/s1600/sugar.png" height="320" width="185" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plan is to fast again on Sunday for sure and probably Tuesday next week while continuing in maintenance mode (as of now, I am doing a 5:2 fast diet as maintenance). Zach and I are celebrating one of his colleagues surviving their PhD defense tomorrow plus running a ton of last minute wedding errands, so, fasting on Sunday makes more sense.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you may know, I am getting married in 15 days (<i>O-M-G</i>) and then jetting off for a beach honeymoon followed by a family trip. I may blog a bit in those three weeks, as there will undoubtedly be a lot of down time on vacation and I honestly enjoy writing (and I go a little crazy if I don't feel like I am being productive). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't like the idea of letting this blog go stale for 3 weeks after months of routine blogging, especially for regular readers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I have been spending time soliciting, editing and scheduling original guest posts from folks that also practice alternate day fasting or are bloggers in the fields of health and wellness, weight loss, low-calorie cooking, etc. If you are personally interested in submitting a guest post that relates to these topics, </span><a href="http://tryingadf.blogspot.com/p/contact.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">hit me up</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with a proposal for your writing piece.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-87457140416145185772013-08-06T23:06:00.000-07:002013-08-06T23:06:58.086-07:00Maintenance Mode<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 123, Feast Day #68</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So <b>I lost another pound</b> for a total of<b> 27 pounds lost in 17.5 weeks</b>. Normally this would be a great accomplishment, especially losing weight after a feast day. However, if I lose much more weight my wedding dress is going to be too baggy and maybe fall off. I only have <i>18 days</i> left until I walk down the aisle so that limits the time I could get the dress altered. More importantly, I do not want to spend more money on that dress! It's a great dress, it looks great on me, but I am wearing it once. My expensive outfit expires within 24 hours. I do not need to be spending more money on it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My solution? It is much cheaper to fast less often to maintain my weight (or possibly gain back some weight in my case) compared to altering my dress again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fasting periodically to maintain one's weight is what is commonly referred to as <b>"maintenance mode"</b> by other fasters. Dr. Michael Mosley for instance fasts just 1 day a week (a 6:1 schedule) to maintain the weight he lost while doing a 5:2 diet and to get some of the other benefits of fasting. Other people go from ADF to 5:2 or 6:1. Some people who just fast for weight loss (not the biochemical changes) just go back to everyday calorie restriction.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So my goal until August 25th is maintenance, <i>not</i> weight loss, in the hopes my wedding dress will fit nicely. So more feasting will happen.I </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hence, I will try my best to pig out on my feast days for a couple of weeks. I broke my fast with a gross amount of carbs and wheat yesterday in the form of beer, a soft pretzel, and a burger bun. I got home after that and passed out soon after. I swear all the wheat and carbs resulted in a food coma I couldn't fight off. I felt awful physically after that feast and later groggy and hungry the next morning. I think it might be better if I try to get fat on potatoes instead. Sorry body.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-5174042393875272172013-08-05T07:34:00.000-07:002013-08-05T08:53:55.877-07:00Fast(ing) Food - Spicy African-Style Fish Stew<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 122, Fast Day #53</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjPZDUD_ObJKzsz9Rp9NWxBU1EVYU_jDLL5FQIpTr8hNlyc_7PG8qWlIbrZ2YkcGlMLcPhC_a-xywDUo0rF-mseU8tLlaCCkgSDNDDj0i0lxItP2lDPQV6woQUnq0ELpxtt4Mm7OrUe8/s1600/afristew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjPZDUD_ObJKzsz9Rp9NWxBU1EVYU_jDLL5FQIpTr8hNlyc_7PG8qWlIbrZ2YkcGlMLcPhC_a-xywDUo0rF-mseU8tLlaCCkgSDNDDj0i0lxItP2lDPQV6woQUnq0ELpxtt4Mm7OrUe8/s1600/afristew.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Nom, fishies!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Spicy African-Style Fish Stew</b></u> (Yields 4 large servings) ~252 kcal/serving</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Takes 30-40 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This spicy stew has 20 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber, 39% of the DRV of calcium with no dairy, all of the vitamin A and C for your day and 950 mg of potassium.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 small head of cabbage, diced (I used red) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~176 kcal</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp cooking oil (I didn't have palm oil, which is more traditional, so I used coconut) ~120 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 onion, diced (I used half a yellow onion and half a red onion) ~40 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 garlic cloves, minced ~12 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tbsp of ginger, minced ~2 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 can of tomato paste (6 oz) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~150 kcal</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups of water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 habañero pepper, seeds removed, minced (can substitute with a milder pepper like a serrano,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> jalapeño, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or an Anaheim</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> pepper) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~15 kcal</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 can of sardines in tomato sauce ~371 kcal (you can substitute the sardines with another oily or white fish, Using a white fish which will be less "fishy" tasting)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 can of diced tomatoes, drained ~53 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups of kale, just the leaves, chopped ~66 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp ground allspice </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1 kcal</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kosher salt to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boil water with a couple pinches of salt in a large pot. Boil the cabbage until tender. Drain and set aside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the water is coming to boil/cabbage is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan or medium to large pot on medium heat. Add onions and the ginger to the pan and cook until the onions start to become translucent (a couple minutes). Add in the garlic</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring as needed to keep things from burning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix the tomato paste and water together. Add that mixture and the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">habañero (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or whatever pepper you are using) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to the frying pan. I wore latex gloves while mincing the hot pepper,<i> I highly recommend you do too</i>. I have made the poor life decision before and not worn gloves and had burning fingers for days. Add in the diced tomatoes to the frying pan too. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 5 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the fish (if using a fish in tomato sauce, include the sauce), kale, and cabbage to the frying pan. Season with allspice, salt, and pepper. Cover the pan and lower the heat to keep a simmer. Cook 15-20 minutes (if using raw fish, make sure it is cooked through). Eat! It's even better the next day.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-77367733085433400042013-08-04T17:44:00.000-07:002013-08-04T17:44:06.417-07:00Week 17 Summary<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 121, Feast Day #67</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning I woke up <b>a pound lighter</b>. So that makes for<b> 26 lbs (11.8 kg) lost</b> in just over 17 weeks of alternate day fasting. This puts me at about <b>1.5 lbs (0.7 kg) lost per week</b> so far. I am a little worried I will fast myself down too small for my wedding dress. So I tried the dress on again today. It fits right now without any shapewear and I can zip it up myself (unlike when I originally bought it and had to squeeze in with the help of a layer of strong Lycra compressing my belly and a second pair of hands). So I just have to work a bit more at eating all of my calories on fast days and possibly cutting back to a 6:1 or 5:2 schedule for maintenance if the dress gets too loose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I fasted 22 hours on just tea and water and then broke my fast with an African-style fish stew and a late night snack of nuts, plain Greek yogurt with a little honey, and some raspberries. I wasn't very hungry at all yesterday, maybe because I ate so much the day before. Any brief thoughts I had about food passed quickly and I got a ton of chores and wedding tasks done. I don't often experience the feelings of being light-headed or tired like I did when I first started intermittent fasting, which is nice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zach is off doing fieldwork, so I have been testing out new recipes while he is away and adding to my dinner tool belt. So far my favorite was this Paleo recipe for <a href="http://paleoparents.com/2013/guest-post-simone-ginger-scallion-pork-meatballs/" target="_blank">Asian-inspired pork meatballs</a>. They were so yummy!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg1PAQz7agO2Z8WYeJ0lXU5_9ZQ8kZ0GED9RiBXxq-eRaKjCr04X3o08Od8cwuXVqn3ZUiaU1wvtQq97c0mhYWvi7yNNymAIYGNYJp1BXkwoHN_iXnh7kmzUF00P5Nmywtbk8oMlPugA/s1600/20130725_222749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg1PAQz7agO2Z8WYeJ0lXU5_9ZQ8kZ0GED9RiBXxq-eRaKjCr04X3o08Od8cwuXVqn3ZUiaU1wvtQq97c0mhYWvi7yNNymAIYGNYJp1BXkwoHN_iXnh7kmzUF00P5Nmywtbk8oMlPugA/s1600/20130725_222749.jpg" height="203" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I added in some minced garlic and red chili flakes to them and substituted soy aminos, since I don't have any coconut ones. They are also only ~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">252 calories for five meatballs the way I made them, therefore perfect for an easy fast day meal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is how last week's numbers factored in:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 1,861 kcal or 98% of baseline calories (-245 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 17: 1,684 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1484 kcal/week)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,775 kcal or 94% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,831 kcal or 149% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 438 kcal or 23% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 16: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 17: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feasted hardcore this past week with a fondue party and a couple happy hours with friends. It turns out what I was feasting on was notably different than past weeks. I ended up averaging just 119 grams of carbs a day, versus my average of 186 grams over the last 17 weeks, a 36% decrease. I've been trying to reduce the amount of grains I have been eating, since quitting wheat cold turkey didn't last longer than 72 hours for me. I have been feeling less tired recently despite no changes in how long I am sleeping. I wonder if my recent burst in productivity is from reducing the refined and total carbs in my diet or if I am just riding waves of wedding jitters and stress that is leading to more work getting done. Maybe it is just because I am trying to stay busy and not think about Zach being away.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-18171898193206578372013-07-30T14:32:00.002-07:002013-07-30T14:32:53.976-07:00Week 16 Summary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 116, Fast Day #50</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post is late, my bad. My mother and my future mother-in-law were in town this weekend for my bridal shower and staying at my apartment, I had my bridal shower, and then dealt with a little family drama which luckily doesn't revolve around me. It was both a busy and stressful weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning marked a new milestone. I dropped another pound, bringing me to <b>25 lbs (11.3 kg) lost total </b>over the last 16.5 weeks. My weight loss is so far <b>1.5 lb (0.7 kg) loss per week</b>. I was feeling so confident, I ordered a <i>bikini</i>. I'm not sure if that was a good decision even at 30% off of clearance prices (I should probably consider doing some ab exercises and buying some self-tanner), but the point is that is how confident I have been feeling about my slimmer figure. I don't think I have worn a bikini in several years. Plus I will be spending quite a bit of time on the beach in the next month and I am scared the swimsuits I wore last year will fall off with one good dive or wave. A swimsuit malfunction in front of my in-laws would be way more mortifying than a little beer belly showing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijB2kMaxm34AC-gPPbOTWo1qyuJ3smgt_YvIA7pAt7GRsdIX98jflul7PLgBFtq5UH35Q2oP6CumeaAyi4F-wp1JP5wFOyAdxi9tIgFWgeQmv2oqnsmbX-55iMd4vDgyoTJppggHqktC8/s1600/wk16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijB2kMaxm34AC-gPPbOTWo1qyuJ3smgt_YvIA7pAt7GRsdIX98jflul7PLgBFtq5UH35Q2oP6CumeaAyi4F-wp1JP5wFOyAdxi9tIgFWgeQmv2oqnsmbX-55iMd4vDgyoTJppggHqktC8/s1600/wk16.png" height="240" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 16: 1,861 kcal or 98% of baseline calories (-245 kcal/week)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,781 kcal or 94% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,842 kcal or 150% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 442 kcal or 23% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 15: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 16: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I had one main lunch meal of 372 calories, so I have some calories left for an evening snack if I want them:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSoSpxZORyDcPhSWh6ZVxpe-5mFHBvspqDJSqLLwBAownzzTb3kL-0yh8Od5ammC3BqO8gB0MfG_mw8vqKeC6drEQp0SFemSi1ckFQDdtx3ffzJ5RPmDI-l0VeQkmpS9bHz9tFM-8yp0/s1600/worklunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSoSpxZORyDcPhSWh6ZVxpe-5mFHBvspqDJSqLLwBAownzzTb3kL-0yh8Od5ammC3BqO8gB0MfG_mw8vqKeC6drEQp0SFemSi1ckFQDdtx3ffzJ5RPmDI-l0VeQkmpS9bHz9tFM-8yp0/s1600/worklunch.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pistachios, 1/2 cup (measured with shells on) ~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">170 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kroger Cow Pals light mozzarella string cheese </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~50 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">35 blueberries </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">27 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 bell pepper, sliced</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">45 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 baby carrots </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">35 kcal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp edamame hummus </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~45 kcal</span></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-23007215783479389622013-07-25T19:53:00.000-07:002013-07-25T20:34:56.207-07:00LFMF: Bad Fast Day<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 111, Fast Day #48</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am alive! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just been blogging less furiously recently as I am in the last month before my wedding day now, so I am rushing to get all kinds of things done. Both my mother and future mother-in-law are staying at my apartment tomorrow for the bridal shower this weekend. On top of that, Zach is out of town for work, so I will be spending most of my evening cleaning tonight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My routine has been pretty steady the last few days. I'm still restricting calories every other day down to 400-500 calories typically (minus occasional extra feast days for social events) and still eating what I want every other day. This past Sunday I did a 18 hour total fast (minus a cup of black coffee in the morning) and then went to a BBQ party that evening. I am putting in an extra feast day this Saturday for my bridal shower, which works out because otherwise I would have had to put one in next Wednesday anyway for a fondue/making wedding decorations party.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I weighed in this morning and I am holding steady weight-wise at </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a 23 pound loss. </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After measuring myself today, I discovered that I </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lost another inch from my hips.</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The new totals for inches lost are</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2 inches from my hips</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 inches from my waist</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">an inch from my neck</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My clothes have gotten noticeably</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> baggy at this point and all of my shorts have become saggy ass sad girl shorts. If you haven't watched the sketch show Portlandia, this will enlighten you:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FmKRIqnov9g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Saggy ass sad girl shorts are a part of my summer attire right now.</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now for my very real saggy ass sad girl shorts:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvUrI74HisfJgcPYED6XBgQ-1qslG33WaY5-69_RECQTRHtZ-3Ys0Hq1yEQAZUjPuUCp_pXw_UD_CRLoLg4hGMYLBWkEubVAmmZvtY1dLGHLIswFjdJLaPIHI1JK5Ms_cstBFoaYXrzc/s1600/saggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvUrI74HisfJgcPYED6XBgQ-1qslG33WaY5-69_RECQTRHtZ-3Ys0Hq1yEQAZUjPuUCp_pXw_UD_CRLoLg4hGMYLBWkEubVAmmZvtY1dLGHLIswFjdJLaPIHI1JK5Ms_cstBFoaYXrzc/s1600/saggy.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>They are even orange. Was I that sad when I bought these?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still have a few more hours to go until my breakfast time and I am already hungry. <i>Ugh. </i>Right now I have some hibiscus tea filling my tummy in the interim. One factor is that I have been sleep deprived over the last couple of days, which is not helping my urge to chow down. One</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> poor eating decision I made today also triggered a cascade of events leading to my irritating hunger today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ate an unexpected amount of calories from part of a burger patty that was 73/27 (lean to fat ratio), unlike a normal 85/15, 80/20 or a 90/10 ground beef. The patty didn't even taste very good, as it was a frozen patty leftover from the July 4th party. Extra calories from the ground beef led to me not getting to eat the cucumber or bell pepper I desired for lunch. This in turn led to me eating less than 25% of my normal fast day fiber intake. I know fiber and protein are both supposed to be filling, but apparently the fiber part is more important for me. My lack of fiber will undoubtedly trigger further consequences. This is the brutal reality of eating part of a burger patty on a fast day. <i>Learn from my fail.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-67755957487049268932013-07-21T14:07:00.003-07:002013-07-21T14:20:43.750-07:00Week 15 Summary (& America's Fried Food)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 107, Fast Day #46</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><br />
</u></span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a really epic feast day between Friday night and Saturday afternoon. I broke my fast at the Bite of Seattle, which is a weekend event at Seattle Center (where the <a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/D/u/SeattleSpaceNeedle.jpg" target="_blank">Space Needle</a> is) celebrating local restaurants, standard greasy American county fair-type foods, music, and canine athletic events. My heart is still beating despite the heaps of trans fat that are flowing in my veins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For all of my readers outside of the USA, the stereotype is true that most <b>Americans will just about eat anything they can deep-fry</b>. Typical deep-fried foods in the American diet include "French" fries (aka frites/chips) or any type of cut, sliced, diced, or shredded potatoes, fried chicken, whole fried-turkey, fried shrimp, chimichangas (deep-fried burritos), Americanized Chinese food entrees (sweet and sour pork, General Tso's chicken, orange chicken, etc.), corn dogs (battered and deep-fried hot dogs on sticks), jalapeno poppers, egg rolls, fried dough covered in sugar (doughnuts, elephant ears, etc.), onion rings, and mozzarella sticks. The repertoire of American fried food creations goes well beyond this. Some venture into eating deep-fried pickles, fried macaroni and cheese, chicken fried steak, fried tofu, fried green beans, fried clams, fried mushrooms, chicken-fried bacon, fried cheese curds, and deep-fried ice cream. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the American love of deep-fried junk food goes beyond the normal American diner, Tex-Mex joint, and Chinese American restaurant. Deep frying is basically a culinary art best expressed at our </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">state and county fairs, which are full of carnival rides and games, livestock competitions, and food that can send you into a diabetic coma. Some "<a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/31488/25-deep-fried-foods-texas-state-fair" target="_blank">fair foods</a>" are deep-fried butter, deep-fried Twinkies, fried Oreos, fried ravioli stuffed with beer, fried batter flavored with soda syrup or Kool-Aid drink mix, deep-fried candy bars and jelly beans, deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and more. You can understand why some of us Yankees are irritated that <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/07/2013710728461274.html" target="_blank">Mexico has taken our title of the most obese country in the world</a>. India also better not get too comfortable with its #1 rank for the <a href="https://www.idf.org/latest-diabetes-figures-paint-grim-global-picture" target="_blank">largest population with diabetes</a> either. We are coming for your title! <b><span style="color: red;">U</span><span style="color: white;">-</span><span style="color: blue;">S</span><span style="color: white;">-</span><span style="color: red;">A</span>!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I myself enjoy eating novelty deep-fried food on occasion (I do not eat like this normally because I feel like this is an opportunity I may only have in America, where it is easy and legal to obtain calorie dense, nutrient poor, sugar coated balls of fat and more sugar on sticks, which are likely fried in the oil of GMO corn. In the past I have eaten some exotic deep-fried dishes like fried alligator, Rocky Mountain Oysters (calf testicles that are battered and deep-fried), and fried frog legs. Yes, I ate testicles and they taste and have the mouthfeel of fried mushrooms. On Friday, I scratched off deep-fried lasagna and a deep-fried peanut butter cup sandwich from my bucket list of fried foods.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p480x480/1001785_563395210362591_1508804311_n.jpg" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">America is the land of freedom to fry and eat whatever you want, expect <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002687.htm" target="_blank">sassafras oil</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/business/05cheese.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">unpasteurized cheese that is aged less than 60 days</a>, and <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123179163" target="_blank">haggis</a>. Photo from the <a href="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01860/burger-liberty_1860351i.jpg" target="_blank">Telegraph</a>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am glad that alternate day fasting does not interfere with my bucket list of American fried foods (which may cause many in my country to kick the bucket early). I am also glad that I have managed not to gain any weight after my deep-fried calorie extravaganza on Friday. This past week <b>I lost a total of 2 lbs</b>. I think this is likely due to stopping the antibiotics that had me gaining and retaining weight. My total loss is now <b>23 lbs (10.4 kg) over 15 weeks</b>. This averages to <b>1.5 lbs lost per week (or 0.7 kg per week)</b>. Again, this is not accompanied by changes in exercise or the cessation of any habits or substances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 15: 1,280 kcal or 68% of baseline calories (-4,312 kcal/week)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,776 kcal or 94% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,830 kcal or 149% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 450 kcal or 24% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 15: 4 fast days, 3 feast days</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a difference a 4:3 week makes to my numbers compared to a 3:4 or 5:2 week. In case the deep-fried peanut butter cup sandwich or deep-fried lasagna didn't tip you off, I have also not been successful in keeping wheat products out of my mouth. It is a new day, so I will try once more to not eat wheat.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-45012123807198833742013-07-15T23:03:00.000-07:002013-07-15T23:03:49.551-07:00Wheat-Free Experiment<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 101, Fast Day #43</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After two full days of being off of Cipro, <b>I lost 3 lbs</b> and am at at <b>23 pounds lost (10.4 kg)</b> in </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the last 14.5 weeks. Woo hoo! All of that bachelorette party and birthday party weight is gone finally and I am losing weight again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the last three days, I have also avoided consuming wheat products. Wheat is proving much easier for me to kick than Zach. I caught him eating some snack mix with pretzels and dried bread chips in it that was next to the trash can so it would be thrown out. So far no progress on the elbow rash. So my paranoia about my body getting rashes from wheat might just be plain paranoia. Either way, <i><a href="http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/buy-the-book/" target="_blank">Wheat Belly</a></i> has me all freaked out about wheat at the moment for many other health reasons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my wheat-free adventure, I made little pizzas with wheat-free crusts to break the fast today:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L3l6dYpCumGhxdmqBCilhwYjMGtBFtaHH6RB5irlj5nxtennYR6jhG0h-cmXVZESy3qt-VKPsSvlZoGTWFAqWmlvLb2xqanFc6KOVAKxWCNnijE8pIyFIXiv0aEGhpSh9isGLxpLgRs/s1600/wheatfreepizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2L3l6dYpCumGhxdmqBCilhwYjMGtBFtaHH6RB5irlj5nxtennYR6jhG0h-cmXVZESy3qt-VKPsSvlZoGTWFAqWmlvLb2xqanFc6KOVAKxWCNnijE8pIyFIXiv0aEGhpSh9isGLxpLgRs/s1600/wheatfreepizza.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went a little crust crazy! WARNING: This is not low-calorie fast day food.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this is an example of what I might eat on a feast day. The crust is just 1 cup arrowroot starch, 1 cup almond meal, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp olive oil, and a bit of kosher salt. I mushed it all up and then flattened the dough out on a thin layer of arrowroot starch so it wouldn't stick. This yield 2-3 servings and is ~</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1,261 kcal for the whole batch. It's some dense crunchy crust. It is not like normal wheat pizza crust, but it is better than not eating pizza at all.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-59361799806045869582013-07-14T01:28:00.000-07:002013-07-20T23:44:46.021-07:00Week 14 Summary<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 100, Feast Day #56</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After doing further research on <a href="http://tryingadf.blogspot.com/2013/07/antibiotics-weight-gain.html" target="_blank">antibiotics and weight gain</a>, it appears one of the less common side effects of taking the specific antibiotic I was prescribed, ciprofloxacin (aka Cipro), is <a href="http://www.drugs.com/cons/cipro.html" target="_blank">unusual weight gain</a>. I also searched and found several health and weight loss forum threads where other people wrote about their similar experience with crazy weight gain on Cipro, even as much as a pound per day. I don't want to think about how much weight I could have gained if I hadn't done any fast days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the recap of last week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Calories</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 1,437 kcal or 76% of baseline calories (-3,213 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 1,938 kcal or 102% of baseline calories (+294 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 1,680 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,512 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 2,196 kcal or 116% of baseline calories (+2,100 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 1,829 kcal or 96% of baseline calories (-469 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 1,531 kcal or 81% of baseline calories (-2,555 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 1,954 kcal or 103% of baseline calories (+406 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 1,196 kcal or 63% of baseline calories (-4,900 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 1,638 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,806 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 1,637 kcal or 86% of baseline calories (-1,813 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 1,681 kcal or 89% of baseline calories (-1,505 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12*: 2,108 kcal or 111% of baseline calories (+1,484 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13*: 2,649 kcal or 140% of baseline calories (+5,271 kcal/week)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 14: 1,882 kcal or 99% of baseline calories (-98 kcal/week)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While ADFing: 1,811 kcal or 96% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseline Days: 1,896 kcal </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Feast Days: 2,856 kcal or 151% of baseline calories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Fast Days: 448 kcal or 24% of baseline calories</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>For reference</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 1: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 2: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 3: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 1 fast day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 4: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 5: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 6: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 7: 4 feast days, 3 fast days, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 8: 3 feast days, 4 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 9: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 10: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 11: 4 feast days, 3 fast days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 12: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Week 13: 5 feast days, 2 fast days*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Week 14: 4 feast days, 1 medium day, 2 fast days</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Includes days during my bachelorette party weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> wasn't a total failure considering I ended up only pulling a 953 calorie "medium day" at the start of the week instead of a fast day, ate out on what should have been a fast day because of a company lunch, and indulged myself at a friend's birthday party. On top of that I had heartburn and volatile weight gains and losses that suspiciously occurred while taking antibiotics. I did end up losing one of the pounds I had gained, so I am back down to where I was at two weeks ago. So I just need to drop a pound to get back to where I was before my bachelorette party.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am about halfway through reading <a href="http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/buy-the-book/" target="_blank"><i>Wheat Belly</i></a> right now, and I got to the part about wheat gluten being a cause of rashes, especially on the elbows, knees, and back. I have had rashes on my elbows, knees, wrists, and back almost constantly since I was a teenager and had just accepted the fact that I will be itchy and bumpy for my entire life. My mother diagnosed my rashes as eczema, which is <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eczema/DS00986/DSECTION=causes" target="_blank">theorized to be caused by genetics</a>. Now I am worried that I am sensitive to gluten, as I noticed my latest elbow rash occurred shortly after a very wheat-filled meal with pasta and bread. So Zach and I got more serious about cutting out wheat this weekend and tossed out wheat-filled snacks we found in our apartment and didn't buy any new wheat products while going grocery shopping this weekend. I guess we will see if my rashes get better at all or if I am just paranoid after reading about rashes in the same spots I get them.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3371078356089597831.post-61063023885680630222013-07-12T16:50:00.000-07:002013-07-12T16:50:16.464-07:00Antibiotics & Weight Gain<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day #98, Feast Day #55</span><br />
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I am on my last day taking antibiotics and am more than ready to be done with them. Despite trying to get back on track with alternate day fasting this week, my scale has been messing with my mind. I have been gaining and losing pounds like my scale is on a rollercoaster ride. I got on the scale yesterday before work, and <b>I gained 2 lbs </b>in the night. Sure, I had a small slice of cake and a cocktail when I broke my fast that evening, but 2 lbs?!? I also have averaged below my baseline calories this past week. I've also had a lot of heartburn the last couple of days. So, what the hell is going on with my body? Even on bad weeks I haven't seen this much volatility in my weight before. My first thought is that it has something to do with being on antibiotics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to work for a pubic interest group, so I am generally suspicious of taking any medication for the most part because I am wary of the influence of profit-driven, pharmaceutical companies, drug manufacturers, and their lobbyists. These are the same companies that <a href="http://www.uspirg.org/issues/usp/fighting-high-cost-rx-drugs" target="_blank">pay off rival companies</a> to delay the production of generic medications, do "<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/PainManagement/fda-official-testify-agency-knew-johnson-johnson-recall/story?id=11765649#.Ud9llPm1E30" target="_blank">phantom" recalls</a> of tainted products from retail stores, and literally have <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42847237/bayer-admits-it-paid-millions-in-hiv-infection-cases----just-not-in-english/" target="_blank">given people AIDS</a>. Now that I have noted my paranoia/bias, <b>can antibiotics cause weight gain</b>?</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antibiotics-linked-weight-gain-mice" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/antibiotics-linked-weight-gain-mice_1.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antibiotics-linked-weight-gain-mice" target="_blank">This fat antibiotic fed laboratory mouse says, "<b>Yes</b>!"</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My stepfather has worked in the animal slaughter industry basically his entire life. So I have known that some </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">agribusinesses mix antibiotics into the regular animal feed, so they fatten up their animals quickly. Luckily his company does not use this practice. The agribusiness practice of feeding animals low levels of antibiotics has been repeated in controlled laboratory studies. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mice fed a low dose of antibiotics got fat in these studies. It turns out the mouse bodies were converting more carbohydrates</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> into fatty acids and storing more fat while on antibiotics than the control mice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I obviously was given a therapeutic level of antibiotics and not a low dosage. I am also not a mouse. So <b>do antibiotic treatments cause human weight gain</b>? A summary of research on this topic suggests <b>they do</b>. The </span><a href="http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/fmb.11.142" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">types of gut bacteria and their populations are correlated to weight</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in people and may be an important factor in weight gain, loss, and maintenance. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children treated with antibiotics early in life also tended to be more overweight than children who had not been treated with antibiotics when they got older.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that cake and cocktail may have magically turned themselves into fat overnight due to my compromised bacterial balance. Ugh. Now that I have a good theory as to why my weight has been all over the place this week, I am glad that I get to start repopulating my gut with good bacteria tomorrow.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02399867758072356231noreply@blogger.com0