Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Taco Omelet

This is by far my favorite breakfast. I start with sauteing Jalapenos in butter, then add three eggs and flip. One of the habits I am in lately is to save 1/4 cup taco meat from taco night and use that inside with 2% nonfat shredded Mexican cheese. I put most of the cheese on the 1/3 I am giving my wife. Then I used half an avocado, add a little salsa on the side and top with Chalula. We go through a bottle a week of Chalula at our house.

Pork Chops

More on the Primal meals. Last night was pork chops stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. I also made asparagus that I drizzle with olive oil and garlic, then bake for 10 minutes at 300°. It is my new favorite veggie. Of course, I would eat more, but my 7 yr old loves it too and I am just glad to see her eating her veggies, so I give her a lot of them. The potato salad I bought at Arbor Farms mostly for the wife and child, but I put a dollop on my plate too. Note the Strongbow cider!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Grocery Shopping

So...here is an issue that has been confounding me and I hope to either get input from readers or I may have to resort to my own investigation. Or Both. I shop at Walmart for the prices and try to limit the processed food I buy, but my wife and daughter are still insisting on some items so I have to buy them to keep from having a revolt. I do get some fruits and vegetables from there, but they don't always have the best selections. I have noticed the Organics have increased. Then there is the meat. I will not buy any meat from Walmart because I know they are getting it from the mass production corporations. They question I have is what are the differences between the market down the road that butchers their own meat, Marv's Meats, which is a very good (popular) butcher, and the stuff I get at Arbor Farms. I know Arbor Farms carries the grass fed meats and they also have great produce, but where do the other two fall in? I am under the impression that Marv's is the next best thing and local market is almost as bad as Walmart, Meijer and Kroger, but is this correct?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Primal Breakfast

I realized I don't write enough about Breakfast and Dinner, so today I am showing my breakfast and included my wife's to show the difference. I had two eggs, two sausage and a touch of hash browns. I use Tabasco to give a little flavor. Compare that to her breakfast, which I used to eat also, one egg, one sausage, more hash browns and toast. She uses Ketchup and I think she only eats half the toast,  I won't eat toast anymore. I noticed we had a loaf and a half in the freezer, which I do to keep the bread from going bad. Pre-Primal I would have to buy a new loaf every other week. The eggs are Egglands, which I buy from Meijer. I also buy Cage Free Organic from Walmart, but now have a self imposed limit of $2.50 for a dozen, as I have read enough to convince me as long as I avoid the mass produced salmonella eggs I am okay. It's hard to see in this picture, but I also occasionally drink the Bolthouse Green Goodness which does not look too appealing, but tastes just like apple juice. in addition, it has a lot of vitamins and nutrients.

Japanese Lunch Special


Went to Godaiko again. I'd give this lunch special a "B" today. Fried mushrooms are a waste of a dish, as far as I'm concerned. The wonton soup had the usual carrots, potato and celery. Tasted great. The salmon dish is a little unusual for my tastes, but I don't get enough salmon so I'm always happy when they serve it. I leave most of the rice. The best part was the spicy tuna roll. I can't get enough of that. One of the things I have done in the past was to sub a salad in place of the fried mushrooms, but I got there before the special was presented so I was not able to make that request.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Ahmo's Deli

Went to Ahmo's for lunch and ordered the Hummus with Meat Plate. I get the combo meat with a fatoush salad, but ask them to hold the pita bread for the hummus and in the salad. They went a little heavy on the dressing this time, but the salad has so many good things in it I ate it most of it. I gave 75% of the rile pilaf to my lunch partner and ate all of the Hummus. I know beans aren't pure Primal, but Hummus really makes the meal. Make sure you get the combo meat because they give you more this way and don't charge any extra.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Benchmark Photo

I wanted to add this photo for future comparisons. I will say I am at 185 here. I should be at 180 to make my target of 175 by the end of September, but I am struggling with a need to snack or drink at the end of the night. I find it difficult not to consume something while watching the idiot box, as my father used to call it, and laying down on the couch. It is not a flattering look, but the before pictures are always that way. In addition the angle is low because my photographer was having a rough morning and didn't want to get out of bed to take the picture.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Alcohol Choices

None is not a choice. Real good beer makes me congested even more now that I have been avoiding grains. I can't drink the Bud Light and other watered down stuff because I spent the last 2 decades being a micro brew snob and my tastes just don't allow for the weak stuff. I tried to go with Tequila using the logic of Blue Agave not being a grain, but after a few shots it gets old and adding marg mix is bad since it is pure HFCS. I do like to drink wine, but it is a bit expensive and not always appropriate for the setting, as I can't picture Grok standing around with a glass of Cab holding a spear. So, now I am trying the hard cider. It seems to meet all of my Paleo requirements. A side benefit to drinking cider is that I am unlikely to drink a lot of these because they are tart and fizzy, yet it satisfies the need to drink a little alcohol while watching the Lions come close but fail, again. Anyone have other recommendations?

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Is it a Cold Or Allergies?

I think I have a cold. I half expected to never get sick again now that I am Primal, but that would be unrealistic I should imagine. Perhaps it isn't that I am sick, but the degree to which I am sick and how I am treating it. I have had a lingering sinus congestion, sneezing and all over tired. However, my wife had the same thing, and shared it with me, which kept her home Monday. Plus, aren't guys always considered wimpier than women anyways? So I followed some advice I think I received from Mark about how your body does certain things for a reason, like nasal drainage, and if you use decongestants it prolongs the healing process. I have not taken any medicine and continued to work out normally, with the exception of a little lighter weights since I didn't feel as strong. I took my daily vitamins and added some extra C. I tried to get a little extra sleep, but I already get 8, so there isn't time in the day for much more. Anyways, Allergies, Colds and Flu are often mentioned in Primal discussions as being non-existent and I think I have a cold. I am going to label this General Health so I can look back in a year to any illnesses I get and keep track. Too bad I don't have a baseline to compare against.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Pho for Hangovers

For those of you not familiar with this dish it is a Vietnamese soup made with beef and rice noodles in a broth containing Oxtails and other flavors. Note: the bone marrow soup was one of Mark's hangover recommendations. It is the perfect hangover dish and today I killed the whole bowl. I did not have breakfast so I had plenty of room in what has become a shrinking stomach. I also don't drink much, if any, water with my meals because I believe it hinders the digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals. Of course, the hangover itself is not living Primal, but it happens.

The 80/20 Rule-My Interpretation

Mark talks about the 80/20 rule on his site and in his book. I have seen some comments on his site that I think misinterprets the concept. Let me begin by saying I am not one of those all or nothing kind of guys. I would compare it to my practicing Buddhism. While it is the philosophy that I believe in I am not going to become a monk. Likewise, I am following the Primal lifestyle, but I work and live with people that are not following my lifestyle and I can't control some aspects of my life. So, to me the 80/20 rule is to do the best you can within the constraints of your situation. For instance, I make burritos for dinner and my wife and daughter like beans and corn in theirs. I just make mine mostly meat and add a touch of beans and corn, but then put it on a salad instead of using a tortilla. Where this differs from others is that they may say 80% of the time they are adhering to the Primal way, but then have a big dessert or something along those lines. How I think this is different is that I try to adhere 100% of the time, but the outside forces will only allow me to be 80% compliant.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Coffee-one cup a day

I used to live in Seattle, the home of Starbucks and the start of the gourmet coffee craze. I used to drink extra strong coffee all day long with the occasional espresso thrown in to give me a boost. While I still love a good cup of Joe I no longer have more than the one cup in the morning, unless it is a special circumstance. I use the K-cups now, which is rather expensive and is just above average. Before going Primal I had to have a couple of cups a day because I was going to fall asleep. I thought it was because I was addicted to the caffeine and my buzz was wearing off, but now I know the real cause. Now that I no longer eat my grains for breakfast and lunch I don't have insulin crashes. I now have so much energy in the afternoons it's a little scary, for others! So, the moral of the story is that not needing coffee in the afternoon to make it through is another advantage of going Primal. Sorry Starbucks.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Almost Barefoot Running

I have been trying to run exclusively barefoot, but woke up to 42° this morning. Looks like Fall has arrived in Michigan. So I put on my Vibram Five Fingers and headed out the door. One of my concerns, from what I read elsewhere, is that the Vibrams may not allow you to feel the forward landing that barefoot running forces you into. I think I have been barefooting long enough because I definitely had the proper technique. Instead of running two miles, today I did one mile as a warm up and then switched to 4 x 100m sprints. It felt great. It was cool to run in the dark and then have the sunrise start just as I was finishing! I also no longer run with my I-pod so that I can enjoy the sounds of nature. What a great way to start my Friday.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Lunch at Lotus Thai

My favorite lunch special at Lotus Thai is the Panang Chicken Curry. The first picture is the way it comes, with the fried spring roll and all the rice. The second picture is after I removed the spring roll and split the rice in half. I especially like the way they make this dish here because they add broccolli, carrots, red peppers and green peppers. My experience with other Thai restaurants is that they only use green peppers. Again, I think I still eat too much rice, but it is great for soaking up the spicey Curry.

Mark's 30 Day Challenge

I am beginning the 30 day challenge from http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ and will begin documenting each day's achievements towards the "mini challenges" he lists. Today's goal is to tell everyone I know. I will begin by handing out and e-mailing his flier "so you're new to the Primal Bluebrint" to at least 30 people. It is outside my comfort zone, but so is blogging! Not that I am not already following his blueprint, but it's equivalent to plateauing with weights or cardio...it's always good to get new motivation and push yourself over the plateau.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Haylee's First Day of School and Breakfast

I took Haylee to Barry's Bagels for breakfast before her first day of school. I no longer have bagels for breakfast and am positive that I have lost 5 lbs alone from avoiding them. I now get two slices of Lox. It tastes great, costs about the same as a bagel with cream cheese and I don't get hungry and tired an hour later. I struggle with feeding Haylee, since I don't want to impose my Primal eating on her 100% I will wait until she comes around to wanting to be healthier and stronger like her dad. Of course, I am still a bit of a food Nazi, but you can't really blame me after all I have read and experienced. The big corporations spend billions trying to influence her to eat processed food and I hope that I can offset that by giving her a consistent message of healthy eating while not forcing it down her throat, so to speak.

My Bike and the Ride


I used to have two bikes, a handbuilt roadbike from Davidson Bicycles in Seattle. I loved that thing, but it was getting over 20 years old. Then I bought a very high end mtn Bike, which used to be the spare bike for Ruthie Matthes when she competed in the 2000 Olympics,  but decided I didn't like the off road trails and triathlons as much. So I just recently sold the Davidson and upgraded the mtn bike with road tires. Got my first ride in this weekend and it was very nice. I took the Border to Border trail starting at Barton Park and I ended up in Ypsi at the Sidetrack Restaurant. The trail is a great way to stay off the roads, for the most part, and still get a good workout. Since it was a Holiday I decided to have a non-primal Oberon, along with a bunless burger topped with goat cheese. I don't think I will be drinking beer during bike rides again. I felt really sluggish on the way home.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Barefoot Running

Put in my two miles of barefoot running at the track this morning. Following the Primal Blueprint logic I now only run 2-3 miles. I used to think that I had to put in the miles. It was an obsession. I often did not go for a run because I didn't have the 45 minutes to run 5 miles. Now I can go to the track run 2 miles or do some sprints and get back to the house in time to make breakfast and get ready for work. For those that think following this lifestyle is difficult have no idea how simple things can become. Of course, barefoot running alone is not nearly as much fun as going to a busy paved trail. Last time I was at Kensington Park I was acknowledged at least 10 times including two girls on a bike that had to slow down to get the lowdown. If that isn't motivation I don't know what is. I even put in an extra mile just to keep the fun alive. FUN, when was the last time you went for a run and said "that was fun". I know the chronic cardio drones are not.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Lift Heavy Things

So far this week I have done arms on Monday, chest on Tuesday and legs today. My arm workout currently consists on 3 X 8 reps of dumbbells, chin ups, curl bar, and dumbbell triceps and wrist curls front and back. I also am starting doing pull ups the Mark Sisson way. The chest work out consists of 3 X 8 reps of push ups with my feet on the second stair, bench press, push ups using push up bars, incline dumbbell press with a band for extra difficulty and overhead press with dumbbells. I also began doing jack knifes the Sisson way. For legs I do 3 X 8 reps of leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises, squats and finally step leaps, where I jump with both feet onto a stump about 1.5 feet high.