CARBO-loading is not the new black

In fact, the original god of running himself has changed his tune and will be republishing Lore of Running.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/2012/02/05/sorry-but-carbo-is-really-a-no-no

Diversion tactics

You’re sitting at home/work/car/great aunt’s house and you are bored/tired/happy/sad. In short, your mind starts getting ideas and wants to eat. Not because you’re hungry, but because you’re _(fill in the blank)_. Now what?!

You need diversion tactics. Things to get your mind off your non-existant hunger and focused on anything other than eating. So why not:

– keep a bottle of nail polish (clear or otherwise) on the counter. Slap on a coat. Can’t grab food with wet nails, right?
– drink an entire glass of ice water with lemon. Often thirst is disguised as hunger. Make sure your potential lack of hydration isn’t sneaking around pretending to be food needs.
– vacuum one room in your house. Still hungry? Vacuum another. Lame yes, but it’s a sneaky way to get in some cleaning that may be long overdue
– write someone a note. Someone you haven’t talked to in ages or haven’t seen recently. Just drop them a note. Not an email. A *real* US mail note to tell them you’re thinking of them.
– Go for a walk. This not only gets you out of the house, but it gets the metabolism stoked up and those calories a’burning.
– List out all the things you hope to achieve by the end of this challenge (weight loss, healthy skin, happiness, etc) and put it on your fridge.

There are so many diversion tactics. If you have any other ideas, post them in the comments. WHen the mind is somewhere else, it won’t be thinking about your fridge.

Stay Strong!

It’s our first weekend on the plan. It’s time to stay focused through this. Weekends can be challenging because we’re used to that “work is over, let’s kick back” mentality. So try finding ways to stay busy and don’t forget your weekend cook-up.

More blog goodness coming this weekend. For now, relish in the fact that you’ve made it 5 days and through the hardest part of the Whole 30.

The blahs and addiction

So we’ve been at it for a few days now and this is what I like to call “crash city”. It’s when you hit rock bottom and the detox has you in a funk. So what do we do?

We keep at it. Plain and simple. Story time… This past weekend, I ran in a long race. Up to that point, I had been pretty good with the Whole30 since December, staying away from most sugar (my biggest weakness) and feeling pretty damn good. Then the race came up and I sort of stuck with it but when you’re trying to run 100 miles, and you’ve been going in the rain for a number of hours, you start throwing whatever you can find into your body to make it keep going, at least that’s what you tell yourself. This includes sugary soda and gummi bears. Which worked for a while and I went as far as I could during the race before dehydrating (more on this in another post) and dropping out after 75 miles. Sunday I decided to eat whatever I wanted because “I deserved it” Again I stuck with mostly paleo but decided some chocolate would be good. And maybe some more gummi bears. And a few granola bars. I came home and crashed out that night. Monday came and what was the first thing I wanted? You guessed it. Sugar.

You see, being addicted can happen to anyone with any “thing”. It could be soda, coffee, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol. It doesn’t matter what *it* is – it’s something that the head wants but the body doesn’t need. Your body is designed to need fats and protein. That’s it. Your head on the other hand is a different story. Ever had a craving for a big spoon of olive oil or a piece of skinless white chicken breast? Exactly. Just because your head craves it, doesn’t mean your body needs it. What we’re learning to do is listen to our bodies and ignore our heads because often our heads are really good at being a lot louder than our bodies. What I really needed after the race was a few spoons of good fat and a lot of protein to rebuild muscle. I didn’t need sugar. I wanted sugar.

So right now, it’s really super important to work to cut off those voices in our heads. If we cave in, we are essentially letting our heads know that every time they start whining, we’ll give in after a while. And the more this happens, the easier it is to slip up.

So now is the time to be vigilant. These are your hardest days. Don’t give up, don’t give in. Just keep going.

Snack attack!

It’s almost 3 pm. Do you know where your mind is? Mine is wandering, jonesing for afternoon coffee and sugary snack. So instead grab:

– baby carrots – eat them until you feel like you’re going to pop
– sugar snap peas – again, eat them until you feel like you can’t eat anymore
– olives – eat them until you’re burned out on the salty flavor
– pickles – eat them until you feel like you might shrivel up into a salted salty salt

In short, pick up something crunchy and eat away!

Cuckoo for coconut milk

Ok, so there’s some confusion surrounding coconut milk so let’s clear the air right now. There are so many options and brands that it’s tough to know exactly what is recommended, what isn’t recommended and what is actually not even coconut milk.

Coconut water
Ok, so, I know you think this is obvious but coconut water is just that. It’s coconut that has been watered down. It is allowed on the Whole 30 but it’s really just over-priced water. Unless you actually like the taste of that stuff, it’s not worth the cost. I would recommend it if you’re looking to replace Gatorade during a workout or you’re a hipster who eschews everything “unnatural” but that’s about it. Brands include Vita Coco and Zico.

Cartoned coconut milk
This stuff is everywhere. You see it on the shelf next to the Almond and Soy milk and there’s yogurt and creamer made from the same recipe. The problem with this stuff is that it has added sugar. And we are on a sugar sabbatical right now. Brands include Silk and So Delicious. It’s not silk and it’s not so delicious.

Finally, the good stuff!
Coconut milk, IN A CAN
It needs to come from a can to be what we are look for. Where does one find such a product? In the ethnic food aisle! This product is often used in Thai and Spanish dishes. However, not all canned coconut milk is created equal. Make sure you look for BPA free cans since the overseas products can have some weird stuff in it.

Bring on breakfast

So a few of you asked about what to do for breakfast and I am happy to share some tips and recipes. Bon Appetite!

First, any food you can eat at other meals works great for breakfast. Salad? Sure! Gilled shrimp? Why not? Ok ok… I know, that’s weird, right? We want breakfast. That special meal that typically isn’t repeated later in the day. Here’s some ideas:

– eggs and bacon, natch
– spinach muffins from the “Well Fed” cookbook. This is a great recipe to make on the weekends and then reheat during the week. It tastes like a spinach souffle.
– breakfast burrito! Take a PureWrap (you can find these at MOM’s in Del Ray) and stuff it with 2 scrambled eggs and some sautéed green peppers and onions OR spinach greens with some walnuts and chopped apple and a splash of rice vinegar OR wrap one around your favorite link sausage
– Paleo Pancakes
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup coconut flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1) In a medium-sized mixing bowl smash the bananas until smooth.

2) Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together until well blended.

3) Grease a large skillet or griddle with coconut oil and heat over medium heat. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mix per pancake onto the hot griddle or skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.

When in Rome

I put my money where my mouth is and attempted to find a good lunch in the heart of Texas. Texas is famous for it’s BBQ so I decided to hit up one of the many joints with the fiancee in tow.

Here is how I fared:

This is a platter of half a roasted chicken, pickles, peppers and green beans. Whoa, wait, what?!? Green beans?? Aren’t they verboten?

Well yes and no. Here’s the thing. The only “vegetable” options were baked beans, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, potato salad and these overcooked beans (with bacon!). And if you look on the Whole 30 plan, under “A few concessions”, you’ll see a note on green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas. They’re ok since they’re more pod than bean and they do not affect your body in the same way. And in this case, there wasn’t even a green salad option and no meal is a good meal without some vegetables. Otherwise it’s Atkins and well, let’s not even go there.

So the lesson here is to make sure you know your “rights” under this plan. The fine print is worth reading here and definitely worth eating there!

 

Travel, pt 2

Depending on how long you’re sitting in an airport, you may find it a requirement to actually purchase food there. Sometimes, based on where you are, this can present a real challenge.

Yesterday I had to fly out of Dulles. One would think an airport that large would have a bevy of great choices! One would be wrong. Even in the A terminal which is brand new and full of restaurants, there is suprisingly little in the way of passible.

Here’s the good/decent:
Bananas
Cosi
Gordon Biersch
Green Leaf’s Grill
Harry’s Tap Room

The bad:
City Wok
Five Guys
Fuddruckers
Matsutaki

And the ugly :
Famous Familiglia
Great American Bagel Bakery

And the worst of the worst, the REALLY ugly:
Cinnabon
Dunkin Donuts

There are a few others but I’d like to explain what makes up each grouping so that you can make a more informed choice. The good choices all offer salads (keep an eye on what’s in them, though), fresh fruit smoothies, grilled meats and vegetables. None are perfect choices but you should be able find something at each.

The bad typically includes places where food is fried or cooked heavily in oil and I can tell you they’re not using extra virgin olive or grapeseed! Sushi falls in there mainly because very few people actually order only sashimi. Remember, too, soy is out which means miso soup and soy sauce are no-nos.

The ugly is white carb HELL. It’s a place where there is virtually no dish not made with starchy, useless, bloat-inducing, blood-sugar-spiking evil processed flour. And in the case of Italian, more cheese than your arteries can cringe at.

And finally, REALLY ugly needs no explanation. It’s all of the bad from above. And really, there is no place in any eating plan that includes Cinnabon and Dunkin Donuts.

So try to think in terms of “what can I have” when looking at your choices rather than “what can’t I have”. I’ve also found that at sit down restaurants, you’re sometimes able to get things prepared without certain stuff like cheese or oils but having menu items already paleo-friendly makes it easier on you and the kitchen.

Besides, we all know that wafting smell of warm cinnamon buns is not going to suddenly summon Nana to gate 18 with a plate of made-from-scratch heavenly goodness like she did when you were 8.

Finally, the last thing I want to emphasize is water. Water. Water. Water. Healthy eats and lots of water ensures that when you land, you don’t actually look like Nana.

Happy and healthy travels!

So, I have to …

So with this whole challenge comes life. And in life, things do come up. So part of what I want to do here is post great stuff you can still eat when <insert excuse here> comes up.

Today’s topic is travel. I know everyone does it, some for work, some for vacation, some for whatever. What is probably the most challenging thing to do is travel somewhere “off the DC-esque” path, say like a foreign country. Or even Texas, which could easily be considered a foreign country at times.

Never fear! You have options. Let’s explore some, shall we?

Fruit
Plain old, easy to port around fruit. When it’s fresh, go for the stuff that holds up to travel like oranges and apples. They’re sturdy, they “age” (aka rot) slower and they can be thrown in a bag and voila! Done! Also, dried fruit is wonderful here, however, be very careful. Make sure you buy ONLY fruit. Some of the fruit mixtures contain sugars, “flavorings” and the like. Also, if you’re going for a mix of fruit and nuts, steer clear of peanuts and don’t even think about soy nuts or candies. I love how healthy mixes contain a lot of junky stuff.

Bars
I love bars. Bars remind me of candy bars and everyone likes candy bars. However, we all know they’re a bit unfriendly on the blood sugar and belly. So I’ve been doing some “research” (i.e., eating) and can recommend one – Lara bars. These little gems come in all kinds of delicious flavors that mimic foods you may already have a big love for including lemon bars, key lime pie and various cookies. Make sure when you’re picking them out you choose the ones that do not have peanuts. Some even come in chocolate-ish flavors. Giant carries some of the flavors. The MOM’s in Del Ray has pretty much every single one. They’re nothing but nuts, dried fruits and an occasional hint of flavor.

Nuts
Nuts are your friend (*) They are packed with good aminos and healthy fats. They also do a great job of sating hunger. The thing about diets is often there isn’t enough “good fat” in dietary meals to make you feel like you ate anything. You know how you can take one bite of a heavy, rich, super dense truffle and feel that instant ohmahgawd, I’m done! It’s the crazy amount of fat you’re eating, albeit not good fat. We’re going to talk about fat in a later post but eating fat does not make you fat. Your body needs it and nuts are a wonderful way to get it. They’re portable, they’re tasty and often if you find yourself at a cocktail party, it’s about the only healthy thing there. And bonus! They travel.

(*) In moderation. Remember when I said you don’t need to count calories most of the time? Well, this is one time where you don’t want to consume an entire can of Diamond almonds in one sitting. Think the size of your finger and thumb, touching to make an “O”. That’s about one serving so stick with only 1-2 at a time. And no peanuts.

We will continue this discussion later today..