Can anyone volunteer their time for a few hours?

Friends: I need help:

My friend Lou Mars, who is an unbelievably talented drummer and performer, is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for Marathon Drumming starting next month on January 14, 2010, by drumming continuously for more than 120 hours, (he gets a 5 minute break per hour). Besides besting the record, the goal of this event is to raise money, secure donations of musical equipment for use in public schools, and to raise awareness for the need to bring music classes back to the public classroom. Due to Lou's deep connections in the music industry, we have a number of instrument manufacturers and retailers donating and matching contributions. We have a number of national and international media, including VH1, poised to carry portions of the attempt live.

Everything is coming together nicely, but what we need are volunteers here in the Chico area to serve as witnesses and timekeepers. These volunteers will work in shifts of no more than 4 hours in length, to document the world record event under the Guinness rules. So if you can spare a few hours of your time to serve as a witness or timekeeper anytime between January 14 through January 20th, please email or send me a message so I can get you on the list.

Thanks a bunch, Dave, (please see link below for more info).

http://www.loumarsdrums.com/worldrecord/index.html

Answer to Anonymous

Anon:

Rather than just give you some case citations with a bunch of legalese, (that may or may not make sense to you), I figured giving you some authoritative articles, investigation services, monographs, and reports from 3rd parties would help you understand this evolving field. There are also a number of books that have been written on the subject, especially in the HR and Business Management field that you can pick up from Amazon. For a good introduction, that is not in legalese, try Nolo Press. One of the citations below is from the author that wrote their book for California.

A couple of investigation services:

http://www.diversifiedriskmanagement.com/investigations/workplace-violence.html

http://www.merrills-investigations.com/Workplace-Violence-Investigations.html

An overview on the subject and related issues out of UC Berkeley School of Business Management

http://are.berkeley.edu/APMP/pubs/lmd/html/summer_94/previol.html

A leading expert in the field, and her book:

http://workplaceviolencenews.com/books/books-2008/the-essential-guide-to-workplace-investigations-how-to-handle-employee-complaints-problems/

Cal OSHA Guidelines

http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/worksecurity.html

Article giving overview of Federal Case Law

http://www.workviolence.com/articles/corporate_liability.htm

FBI National Study of Workplace Violence

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/violence.pdf

Article on recent developments for Employer Liability for Workplace Violence

http://www.liabilityconsultants.com/article.htm

California Specific Article on Employer Duties to prevent workplace violence

http://www.mediate.com/articles/larsen.cfm

Still losing inches

Wow, been a long time since I posted. While the frequency of my work outs has diminished, (which I need to seriously rededicate myself to), I have been doing well on my Paleo Diet. Doesn't mean I don't "cheat" now and again, but overall, while I don't seem to be losing a lot of weight, my waist is still going down. A year ago, I was given some shorts that were size 38 waist. I was wearing 44s at the time. I have tried them on occasionally since, hoping I would fit into them. Well today, they finally fit. So that is a total of 6" off my waist since January.

Dave's Paleo Recipes

I decided to make my Polynesian Beef Tip Stew today, and realized that I had given away all of the printouts I had made of the recipe, so I came here to my blog to reprint it off. Surprisingly, I had a heck of a time finding it buried amongst all of my other ramblings and recipes. So I decided to make a new blog, Dave's Paleo Recipes, where only the recipes are going to be posted. This will hopefully help us all be able to find them quicker and easier.

Please see the link in the upper right hand corner under Healthy Links.

Dave

Wow, been a while since I last posted

Wow, been a while since I last posted. I have been really busy, and then more recently sick with a lung infection. So working out has been very sporadic. I have been continuing to eat well on my Paleo diet, and even with the loss of consistent exercise, I have continued to lose some weight, (albeit at a snail's pace).

Today when I did work out, I weighed 262 lbs, =), which is 4 lbs less than my last official Thursday weigh in. At 2 pounds a month, my goal to reach 250 lbs may take a little longer than I hoped, but at least I am still moving in the right direction.

Rob Wolfe has really been pushing me to up my intake of fish oil capsules. He has found that the fish oil has really helped him lean out. So I am trying to up my intake to 10 to 12 a day. I will let you know how that works for me.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Dave

266 lbs and counting

I have been remiss in posting lately. Been very busy and doing some traveling. My trainers at the gym have been guilting me because I am not working out as much as I should be, but I am still doing good on my diet, (well except this weekend), but last Saturday I was at 266 lbs. So I can finally say I am in the 260's. Now just another 16 lbs to go to hit my original target of 250 lbs.

The 7 month Paleo challenge at my gym ends at the end of July, so I have another 10 weeks or so to go. It is my goal to be at or below 250 lbs by the end of the challenge. That means I am going to need to average losing about 2 lbs per week. That has been pretty close to my average since January 1st, so I definately believe this is doable.

270 lbs and going

At workout on Friday, April 17 I decided to check my weight. A couple of trainers noticed me doing so. I weighed, and looking at the number, I pulled off my shoes and weighed myself again. Then I pulled off my shirt and did it again. I considered closing the door and pulling off my shorts, but noticed them watching me and thought better of it. So as I walked out, they asked, so did you lose or gain?

The answer was lost, in fact 5 lbs in a week. I explained that the first time the scale said 271.5. So I thought, hmm, can I get below 270? So I started stripping. For me, being able to say I am in the 260s, is a big deal. I don't think I have been in that range for at least the last decade. I couldn't get the scale to budge below the 270.0 mark however. Still, that is almost a 5 pound loss just in a week.

Things are still heading in the right direction. Just 20 lbs to my original goal of 250lbs. =)

Blood Work

As I posted back in January, I had some blood work taken at my doctor's insistence. The results were not good. In fact, they were plain horrible. So horrible, that he called me at home within 48 hours of having the tests done.

My Blood Glucose was 130 mg/dl. “Normal” values 70-110mg/dl. Anything above 125, is considered Diabetic. My doctor stated that at this point I was essentially a Type 2 diabetic, and that if my next test was above 125, then he would have to diagnose me as being diabetic.

HDL was 35 mg/dl. This is your “good” Cholesterol. Normal is 30-80. Higher is better.

LDL was 152 mg/dl. This is “BAD” cholesterol. Normal is 50-130. Lower is better. So mine was way BAD.

My Triglycerides were 284 mg/dl. Normal is 30-150. This is a measure of your blood fats and an indicator of your insulin resistance. You want this number to be LOW. Mine, almost twice the high limit, again, VERY, VERY BAD

These bad numbers did help me focus on really being strict on my Paleo Diet. For me, it was my last chance to try and reverse these bad numbers, or face having to go on to a number of daily medicines that I really wanted no part of. My doctor is also a very conservative Seventh Day Adventist, who counseled me about becoming a vegetarian and avoiding meats. When I explained to him that I was 1 week into the Paleo Diet, he told me to read the China Study, (vegetarian)and that was the only diet he recommended.

So, having put off the second set of tests until I could really feel and see all of the positive changes that were happening due to following the Paleo Diet, I went in 2 weeks ago and had the follow up tests done. I kept waiting for the call from the doctor. I was expecting good news, but you never know. Finally, after not hearing anything, I called my mother last week, (who works for my doctor), and asked her if she could check on it for me. She told me that the Dr. would call me as soon as he got the tests back, as that is what he always did. So on Tuesday this week, I went by to see my mother and remembered to ask her again. So she pulled my file, and found all of my tests. She was very surprised that the Dr. had not called me. I suspect it is because he had no way to explain the results. He actually told my mother that I was jeopardizing my health by being on the Paleo Diet, (due to my high cholesterol). So when he saw the new numbers, I think he decided to avoid calling me, since he did not want to hear me gloat about the benefits of living on a Paleo Diet.

So, 80 days after my first tests, here were the changes:

Blood Glucose-115 mg/dl. Still higher than normal, but down 15 points from last time, and most importantly, NOT in the Diabetic Range.

HDL-40 mg/dl. Up 5 points! A good start.

LDL-104mg/dl. Down 48 points!! That is a 32% drop, and HUGE. So anyone who says eating "meats" increases your cholesterol, needs to rethink their biases.

Triglycerides-95 mg/dl. Down almost 200 points!!!! That is over a 66% drop.

So in 80 days, ALL of my blood tests substantially improved. The only difference between the two tests, was my continued paleo diet. I had already been working out twice a week for months and had already lost 31 lbs from my highest weight when I had the first set of tests taken. Exercising and losing weight alone were not enough to fix my body's bad chemistry. I needed to change my diet, and that was the only change in my lifestyle that happened between the two tests. The Medical Tests prove that my body is substantially healthier due to the change in diet.

Having already discovered how much better I feel, and now seeing this scientific evidence confirming my body's improved health; I have to concede that I am wholly convinced that the Paleo Diet is the way to go for me.

Now all you need to figure out is if it is the right choice for you.

Good luck and good health.
Dave

Broke 275 lb barrier

On Saturday, 4-11, I volunteered to help out the regional work out for the up coming CrossFit Games. It was a lot of fun. Boy let me tell you, I may think of myself as being competitive in nature, but what those athletes put themselves through that day was nothing short of HELL. I have absolutely no inclination to ever want to try those kinds of work outs. It was amazing to see them push themselves so hard. I don't think anyone left the gym that day without a raspy voice. There was no way you could watch these men and women push themselves to the incredible work outs they were turning in, without getting emotionally charged and yelling, screaming and doing everything you could to help keep them going.

As part of my plan to help, I brought a big batch of the Polynesian Beef Tip Stew that I have previously posted and a bunch of Oranges that I cut into wedges. When I participated in the Fight Gone Bad workout for charity last fall, someone had brought orange wedges. After nearly killing myself with the workout, those oranges were like the food of the Gods. They really helped me recover that day, so I wanted to make sure that they were available to the athletes. Apparently both were good choices, as there was nothing left of either by the end of the day.

Now to my weight. When I got to the gym that morning, I checked my weight. I was 272 lbs. That makes a total of 52 lbs I have lost since starting at CrossFit and 22 lbs since January 1st of this year. I can't wait to get into the 260's. Its been a long time since I saw that weight on the scale. =)

New O-Lifting Personal Records

This week is a "Max Lift" week at Nor Cal Strength & Conditioning. We have been focusing on building up our "body strength" for the last few weeks. These lifts, (back squat, dead lift, and push press), are not designed to build "muscle" as much as they are to tone and increase our body's general athletic abilities. At 43, I certainly don't have any interest in trying to be a body builder, but I get excited seeing how far I have come since I first started working out there.

I never realized how physically weak I had become. I have already written about not being able to even do a single pushup when I first started. On Monday I set my personal record for the Back Squat at 275 lbs, and today I bested my previous dead lift record with a 375 lb lift.

I can't help it, that old competitive beast within me is now rearing its ugly head....because what's even more cool, is that I posted the highest lifts in both events so far. =) Everyone else can run circles around me doing everything else, but at least I can hold my head up high about topping this list, (well at least so long as Rob and Fraguso don't participate).

My weight has been holding steady still, so I am tweaking my diet a bit. Increasing protein, cutting back on the fruits. I thought the extra work outs would allow me a little more leeway, but apparently such thinking was only a pleasant delusion. I still have 4 months to go until the end of the 7 month paleo challenge, but there are a lot of people working very hard, so I need to really buckle down. See, sometimes being competitive can be a good thing.

Still dropping inches

I've been a bit frustrated for the last couple weeks, as I don't seem to be losing any weight. However, I have upped my workouts to 3 and 4 times a week. I have been noticing my muscle mass increasing, and try to convince myself that I am losing fat, just replacing it with heavier muscle. Well today, I found some proof of that.

Today, knowing that I had to appear before a local City Councel, and wanting to wear green for St. Patrick's Day, I was looking through my clothes looking for something green to wear when I came upon these brand new pants hanging up, with tags still on them. At the time, I could not remember where they had come from, but decided to try them on. They fit perfectly, and my thought at the time was, "Oh cool, they are not stretched out and falling off me like all of the others".

So later I am talking to my wife, and ask her where these pants came from. She reminded me that I had gotten them for Christmas, and they were way too small for me. Then I remembered that when I tried them on at Christmas, I could not even come close to getting them to button. Now they fit perfectly. So that is a 45" waist to a 42 inch waist in 9 weeks.

Not sure I will ever get back to the 32" waist I had when I graduated from college, but I am now 30% closer to doing so. =)

Sirloin Stroganoff

My mother made this last Saturday for a family dinner, wherein I was the only person on a Paleo Diet. Everyone loved it, and there were NO leftovers.

12 to 16 oz. of boneless beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced into bite sized strips.
8 oz. of sliced mushrooms
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Butter
4 small apples, halved and cored or 2 large apples quarterd.
1 cup apple cider or juice
8 oz. sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

1. In large skillet, cook bell pepper, onion, and garlic in hot butter over medium high heat about 8 minutes or until nearly tender. Add meat slices and stir about 4 minutes or until meat is desired doneness. Using slotted spoon or spatula, remove meat and vegetables to serving platter, Cover to keep warm.

2. In same skillet, cook apples, cut side down, in pan drippins about 2 minutes or until browned. Stir in apple cider. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer covered 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Using slotted spoon or spatula, remove apples from skillet to serving planner, Cover to keep warm.

3. For sauce, whisk sour cream, salt and pepper into pan drippings in skillet until smooth. Spoon sauce over steak and apples and serve.

Chipotle Steak and Tomatoes

Another recipe from my mother, (from whom I aspire to have just some of her culinary talent). I am very lucky to have my mother close by, and that she is so supportive of my gluten free and paleo lifestyle. Everytime she has us up for dinner, she comes up with a new recipe that both satisfies the appetite's of the non-paleo eaters as well as mine.

Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos. Find chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce at the supermarket next to the canned chili peppers, or buy the chipotle chile peppers separately and make your own adobo sauce.

2, 6-8 oz beef shoulder petite tenders or two 6-8 oz. beff ribeye steaks
1 Canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 tsp. adobo sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 medium tomatoes, cut in thick slices, (app. 1 lb.)
2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup of thinly sliced red onion
Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Sprinkel steaks lightly with salt and pepper. Spread each with 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce.

2. BBQ steaks on the uncovered grill directly over medium coals, (or if using gas fire, directly over the flame with the cover down), until desired doneness, turning once. Allow 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare or 12 to 15 minutes for medium.

3. Meanwhile, for dressing, in screw-top jar combine chopped peppers, olive oil, and vinegar. Shake well to combine.

4. Serve steaks with tomatoes and avocado slices. Top steaks with onion slices and drizzle with dressing. Makes 4 servings.

Variation: For a creamy dressing, omit olive oil and cider vinegar and stir cipotle peeper into 1/2 cup bottled ranch dressing.

Enjoy.

Paleo Challenge Results

The voting is done, and I came in 3rd in the 7 week Paleo Challenge, as voted on by the participants. Looking at the photos, I was pretty happy with my progress, but a lot of work still left to do.

With the positive results that the participants all shared in, Rob and Nicki, (Owners of NorCal Crossfit), have now extended the Paleo Challenge to 7 months. So now I have even more reason to stay on board. 7 weeks gave me a 16 pound weight loss. As my weight goes down, I know the weight loss will slow, but I think I can reach 250 by July. So that is my new goal.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support.

Final Paleo Challenge Weigh In

Wednesday was the final night of the 7 week Paleo Challenge that started this blog, as well as my new Paleo lifestyle.

My final weigh in had me at 278.5 lbs, for a total loss of 16 lbs since 1/1/2009. So I am real happy with that, (just over a 2 lb a week loss).

This is the first time I have been below 280 lbs in many years.

While the "challenge" is over, it is my plan to keep living a Paleo Diet/lifestyle. I still have 28.5 lbs to go to my immediate goal of 250 lbs.

2/23/09 Back to the Gym

Well my semi-vacation is over. Between the convention and my wife's birthday, my Paleo Diet took a beating, but I am happy to say that I mostly limited the damage, (I did give in to having a small piece of the chocolate-respberry cheesecake and a baked potato at my wife's birthday party). I could have eaten the whole damn thing it was so good.

Then my schedule last week pretty much kept me out of the gym. I did get some good workouts in, (hauling app. 2 cords of firewood by wheel barrow and stacking it up), at both my house and that of my mother. Luckily my lot is flat, but my Mom's is not. Let me tell you, pushing a wheel barrow up hill when it is full of firewood is no joke.

So I wasn't sure what the scale would tell me tonight. Luckily it all seemed to balance out, as I weighed in at 181.5 lbs. That is a .5 lb loss since my last weigh in, (for a total of 13 lbs since 1/1/09). So while it is not much, at least it is in the right direction.

The end of the Paleo Challenge at my gym is Wednesday. So I am hoping to lose just a little more by then. I did some extra work on my abs and chest today after our workout, hoping to maximize the changes I am feeling. Like I said earlier, I am not losing the weight as fast as I want to, but I am seeing and feeling a number of positive changes. My pants are all looser, my belt has gone down 2 notches, and my "tight shirts" are no longer tight in the stomach, but rather in the chest. So I like those trends, and hopefully the weight loss will continue.

Weekend Convention

Well, it was bound to happen. Had my yearly gaming convention, (DunDraCon) down in the Bay Area. This is basically a 3-day weekend where you sleep little, sit playing hundreds of games, (card games, minitures, role playing games, etc.), and try to survive on convention food.

It wasn't pretty, but I took a bunch of beef jerky, almond crunch, and cashews and avoided the worst of the worst. However, I certainly did get off the Paleo bandwagon for the weekend. This was my first non-caffein induced Con ever. I did keep up with drinking the lemon water only, and surprisingly, I think I was more alert and did better than sucking down the usual 10 diet sodas per day.

Now that I am back home, it is back onto the diet. Having had the carbs over the weekend, it was surprising to me how much more I craved them today. But I have been good, and am hoping that a weekend of indulgence, won't put me too far behind the 8 ball. Guess we can see the damage this Thursday at weigh in.

Weigh in 2/12/09

Well, the old scale was not too friendly today. Still at 282 lbs, (same as last Thursday). I'm actually not too disappointed, however, as I also lost about an inch off my waste, (went down to the next belt hole), and I can see and feel the extra muscle I am putting on in my shoulders and chest.

So overall, I can tell my stomach has shrunk, (I also found this week that I could comfortably fit into and even button a dress jacket that I have not been able to wear in a couple of years). I had a massage on last Friday, and the massues kept commenting on how much more muscle and muscle tone I have added in the last 2 months. One of the wierd things, (though nice), is that I can actually feel my stomach muscles toning up. I actually feel like my stomach is getting "pulled in", because the muscles are so much "tighter" than they use to be.

So as Nicki keeps telling me, the scale is a good thing to keep an eye on, but the main thing is that I stay consistant on my paleo diet and workouts, as that is what is going to "lean me out", and that is what I really need to be focused on, rather than what that "weight" might be.

P.S. Also got a new personal record for my deadlift tonight, 365 lbs. I then bit off more than I could chew, as I wanted to lift 405 lbs, which is a total of 8 blue/45 lb weights. (365 was 6 blues and 2 greens/25 lb weights). It may be silly, but I love the idea of lifting all blues all away across the ends of the bar. (I want to frame that picture). I really thought I could do that 40 lb jump up, because 365 did not feel that hard. I could get the 405 off the ground, but unfortunately could not clear my knees. So oh well, now I have a new goal to hit.

Weigh In 2/5/09

Been doing pretty well on eating only paleo. I had a judge threatening me with contempt today if I did not eat a donute, (he didn't want to be the only one eating them). Luckily, a couple other attorneys took him up on the offer, so I didn't have to risk his questionable sense of humor. Several months ago, I gave in and ate a donute, (he's a visiting judge and brings donuts every time he sits on this particular juvenile calendar). Then I made the mistake of telling Nicki about it. I still remember my "work out", (which would better be termed Punishment Session) that she put me through while telling me how "disappointed she was". Sheesh, not going to make that mistake again.

Otherwise, this week was pretty good. I am still doing large batches of hamburger patties and chicken breasts as fillers when I don't have enough time to cook something more elaborate, but with the variety of recipes that I am now using, I am starting to feel like this "diet" is one that can be made with enough variety to keep it fresh and as a long term lifestyle. I've done the Atkin's diet before, but it never felt sustainable to me. So I would follow it for a time, (lose some weight), but ultimately go off of it and gain back the weight. While in some ways the Paleo Diet is even more restrictive than the Atkins, it is easier for me to conceptualize WHY I am avoiding certain foods. The Paleo also explains and encourages me to mix in good FATs, to still get that satisfied "full" feeling, that I never got on the Atkins diet.

So now that i am down to 282 lbs, (which totals 12.5 pounds since January 1st), I can honestly say that I have not had to go hungery. While I know we are fast approaching the end of the "Paleo Challenge" that Rob and Nicki put us on, it is clear to me that I will be continuing on with this "lifestyle" for the forseeable future.

Thanks for everyone's continued support.

Only about another 60 lbs to go. =)

Weekly Food Log 2/1/09- 2/7/09

2/1/09 Left over beef tip stew 10 am
Chipotle Carnitas 1 pm
Shrimp & cocktail sauce 4pm
2 chicken breasts w salsa 8 pm
Apple 9 pm
Almond Crunch 12 am

2/2/2009 2 chicken breasts w salsa 12 pm
Almond crunch 7pm
2 BBq Pork Chops 8 pm
Apple 10 pm

2/3/09 2 pork chops and almond crunch 12:30 pm
apple 6 pm
Paleo Speghetti 8 pm

2/4/09 Apple 8:30 am
Left over Paleo Speghetti 12:30
3 Chicken Breasts 7 pm
Apple 9 pm

2/5/09 Apple 8 am
Lemon Chicken 1pm
2 hamburger patties w salsa 9:30 pm
2 chicken breasts 10 pm

Polynesian Beef Tip Stew

Some of you that have been around Chico for a long time may remember the Albatross Restaurant north of town. It was THE BEST restaurant in Chico for years. The owners sold the restaurant a number of years ago, and it then went through a series of owners. Well the original owners are back and have started a new restaurant in the same location, The Gooney Bird. A networking group I belong to meets there every Thursday for lunch, and this last week they served a Beef Tip Stew that was supposed to be served over rice. Skipping the rice, I just had the stew, and it was so damn good, (and paleo friendly), that I immediately set about deconstructing its ingredients so that I could make my own version of it. I fixed it tonight for dinner, and my wife, (who is not on a paleo diet and has been suffering from me not fixing our "normal" type meals), absolutely loved it. It is also extremely easy to make and is a "One Pot" meal.
So here it is, and I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as mine did.

1 lb or more of lean Beef cut into app. 3/4 inch cubes
1 lg green bell pepper diced into app. 3/4 inch squares
1 lg red bell pepper diced into app. 3/4 inch squares
1 medium onion diced into app 3/4 inch squares
2 cups mushrooms, (quartered into app 3/4 inch chunks)
1 20 .oz can of sliced or chunked pineapple in unsweetened juice,
(if sliced, quater the rings)
1/3 cup wheat free soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tbs lime juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients, (including the pineapple juice within the can) into an oven safe caserole dish or slow cooker. Mix all ingredients together, making sure to coat everything with resulting sauce. Cover, and either cook in the oven at 350 for 60 minutes, (stirring occaisionally to recoat), or in slow cooker on high for 4 hours or on low for 8.

Ladel into bowls to serve.

The meat you choose to use should determine your cooking method. I cut up a cross-rib roast, (which tends to be a little tough unless cooked slowly), so I used a slow cooker for 8 hours. If using good and tender steak cuts, (such as rib eye, sirloin, or tri-tip), then the oven is probably a better choice.

Weigh in 1/29/09

Well, what can I say? The results were not as good as I had hoped for. I weighed in at 183.5 today after my work out. That is only a .5 lb loss since last Thursday. Now a total of 11 lbs lost since January 1st.

I knew those "Guilt Free" Chocolate Balls at Robb's party would be my undoing. There is no way something that tastes so great can be Good for my attempt to lose weight. So like I figured, they were a guilty pleasure I should not have partaken in. But on the upside, I did not drink, so I avoided all of those calories.

Jarred, (better known as "Fish"), was trying to lift my spirits after weighing in. He said that I was building muscle. While I don't really buy that explanation, it is just another reason why I encourage people that NorCal Strength and Conditioning, (CrossFit Chico), is a great place to work out. There is never a shortage of highly supportive and enthusiastic people to keep you motivated.

I was actually surprised that I had not lost more weight, because quite frankly, I have been feeling great. I can feel a number of body changes already, (between the workouts and diet my chest seems to be growing and my waist slimming, (hit a new hole on the belt yesterday). I have had a number of people notice I am losing weight, (that know nothing about this diet or blog). So overall, I am happy about the direction everything is going, I JUST WANT IT TO BE FASTER.

Speghetti Paleo Style

Been craving some good speghetti. Not the noodles, just that very savory taste of the meat, spices and tomato sauce.

So when I was in Costco, I happened to see Dave's Gourmet Red Heirloom Organic Pasta Sauce. With a name like that, I knew it had to be good. =) As the name implies, it is organic, with lots of vine ripened heirloom tomatoes that are original strains, (no genetic engineering here). So I chose that as my base, (rather than trying to make my own).

As simple a meal as you can cook:

1lb of lean hamburger
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 Jar of Dave's Sauce, (or approximately 3 cups of pasta sauce)
1/2 tsp crushed bay leaves


Brown hamburger in a skillet with a little salt and pepper to taste. Drain grease. Add sauce and bay leaves, stirring occaisionally, and let simmer for a few minutes. Then add sliced mushrooms, and let simmer just long enough for mushrooms to soften just a bit.

Then scoop out and serve in a bowl. Filling and savory, a great change of pace from what I have been eating on my paleo diet. Hope you enjoy.

Weekly Food Log 1/25-1/31

1/25/09 Bowl of Veg/Beef Soup 10:30 am
Rack of Port Ribs 1pm
4 Terriyaki Chicken Breasts 7pm
Almond Crunch 11 pm

1/26/09 3 bacon + 2 eggs 10 am
Hamburger-egg scramble 1:30 pm
Almond Crunch 6pm
Paleo Speghetti 8 pm

1/27/09 Leftover Speghetti 9 am
2 hamburger patties w salsa 12 pm
Apple 6 pm
Turkey Breast 8 pm
Almond Crungh 10 pm

1/28/09 3 bacon + 2 eggs 9 am
2 chicken breasts w salsa 2 pm
Almond Crunch 6 pm
Hamburger/Egg scramble 8 pm

1/29/09 Hamburger/egg scrmble 9 am
Beef tip Stew 12 pm
Beef Jerky 6 pm
3 BBq Hamburger Patties w salsa 8 pm
Apple 10 pm

1/30/09 Hamburger/egg scramble 1 pm
almond crunch 6 pm
BBQ steak w 1 garlic roasted potato 8 pm

1/31/09 3 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage 10:30 am
Hamburger pattie w salsa 5 pm
Polynesian Beef Tip Stew 8 pm
Almond Crunch 10 pm

Weigh In 1/22/09

Kind of got thrown a curve ball today. I have been weighing myself every Thursday after I work out with the scale at NorCal Strength & Conditioning. This way I should eliminate any difference in different scales calibrations. Unfortunately, someone had converted it from lbs to kgs, so it came out at 129.1 kg, (and I couldn't figure out how to reset it). So then I had to get out the calculator to figure out that this equates to 284 lbs. (Ok, 284.2 lbs to be exact, but I am choosing to round down)

So that gives me a total of 10.5 lbs lost in 22 days. Basically a half a pound a day. While I know this rate of loss will slow down as my body fat and water content shrinks, the quick results are very encouraging. I even feel better and seem to be doing better in the work outs. I hope the rest of you on the challenge are having similar results.

Restaurant Choices

While most restaurants tend to have "vegetarian" dishes, it is generally hard for me to find "Paleo" choices in restaurants. Primarily, I end up looking for restaurants serving breakfast "all day" so that I can order wheat free and paleo items such as bacon and eggs or an omellet, (which still does not always work because it is quite common that I end up with a stomach ache because the cooks don't clean the grill of gluten before cooking my food).

There is one restaurant, however, that I have found works really well for lunch or dinner for a person following a gluten free, paleo diet: Hula's Mongolian Bbq. There are two locations here in Chico, across from the Chico Mall, next door to the Dollar Store on 20th Street, and on the corner of East Ave and Esplanade.

If you have never eaten there, you are in for a treat. You take your bowl, and fill it with your choice of meats, (pork, chicken, beef, lamb and salami are offered), and vegetables, (way too many to list). Then you get to add a variety of sauces to your bowl which includes sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, terriyaki sauce, cooking wine, kung pow, garlic and a number of others), to your own individual tastes. (For those staying gluten free, make sure you bring your own wheat free soy sauce, and don't use the house soy sauce or terriyaki). Don't feel wierd about this either, the restaurant actually has a gluten free menu, and is strongly supportive of serving those with dietary restrictions and will not mind you bringing in your own soy sauce.

Then when you get to the cooking iron, make sure you ask the cooks to clean the cooking surface before cooking your bowl. In this way they will clean the cooking surface, thereby removing any gluten contamination left over from someone else's noodles or sauce. Again, the workers are quite friendly, and they will be happy to clean the grill for you. (Although leaving them a tip in their jar is a sure way to keep them happy).

The reason we went to Hula's tonight, (and why I think it is important for each of us to pre-identify restaurants we are comfortable eating at), was because I am performing the marriage ceremony for a co-worker of my wife's this weekend. They wanted to take us to dinner and discuss the ceremony. Being on a restricted diet such as the Paleo Diet should not make us shut-ins. We need to be able to do the regular things everyone else does, just a little differently. So that is why I like Hula's. I don't feel tempted to eat food I shouldn't, and I don't feel like I have to tell people I don't like eating out. It is a restaurant I can go to and eat good, healthy food, without having to give excuses or long explanations about my dietary choices.

If anyone else found some good restaurant choices, please post them in the comments.

The China Study and Diet Wars

I've posted about my concerns with my doctor. My mother works for the medical group that he is a member of. She basically told me that he would most likely try to convince me to forego the Paleo Diet. I was therefore surprised when he seemed to be supportive, (though only after telling me to avoid red meats, shell fish and dairy). He then took a page from his prescription pad and wrote down the following, "The China Study". He told me, "I have read that book from cover to cover and it is the best book on nutrition available. With your family history of heart disease, you need to read this book and follow its findings".

Well, ok, I did not read the whole 900 + page book, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study. It basically boils down that the nutritionist author, (Dr. Campbell), says that all animal protein sources are bad for your health, and will increase your prevelance for Cancer, Heart Disease, Depression, and other medical issues. He basically is saying that the Vegan diet is the healthiest diet choice. I am not a scientist, but the first thing that jumped out at me, was that if this premise/conclusion was true, then why don't a number of tribes in Africa and all of the Inuit, Eskimo, and other people's of the polar region, (who I know from both my college studies and individual research), subsist on a diet consisting of almost 90% of their total caloric intake from animal based sources, have horribly high rates of such diseases? In fact, many of these groups have exceedingly low rates of cancer and heart disease.

Similarly, a couple of years ago, I watched a documentary about a group of "homesteaders" that were living in Alaska. These primarily "caucasion" families made the decision to leave the cities where they had resided in, and move into the wilderness of Alaska where they subsisted primarily on a hunter-gatherer diet. Even though they consumed an enormous amount of fat based on their primary meat based diets, their incidence of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease was WAY below the statistical average for their racial and age groups, and in almost every case, was significantly better than their original tests that were taken upon the beginning of their new wilderness existance.

Dr. Campbel simply equates a Chinese group's eating of more meat, causing them to have worse health. Again, I am no medical expert, but having studied China at some depth back in my college days, it was only the middle class and above that could afford a more western diet. This western diet, not only included more meat proteins, it also included more processed and refined foods. No where did I find any evidence that this study separated the impacts of these high starch, low nutrient processed foods, from that of increased meat protein.

So again I am left with a number of questions as to the legitimacy and scientific support for the author's conclusions. I suspect that Robb Wolf probably has a plethora of studies, citations, and other isms, that could better put this study in its place, but I thought I would post the citation for anyone who is interested in seeing the study. Here is one of the critic's reviews that I found quite informative. http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/China-Study.html

I come back to the one thing that every doctor, trainer, and healthy person I know seems to be in agreement on. Reduce your intake of processed and highly refined foods. Seems to me the China Study, as well as a number of other studies regarding social groups living a subsistence existance, all tend to show that people can be healthy living on either a primarily plant based or animal based diet, but these same groups all tend to suffer dramatic increases of "Western Diseases", once they start increasing their intake of highly processed and refined foods. That seems to be the nexus, and the reason I feel the Paleo Diet is a good and healthy choice for me.

Salsa, the new Ketchup

I have been surprised that over all, the Paleo Diet has not been that hard for me to follow. It just takes a little planning and outside the box thinking. As I previously posted, I LOVE ketchup. Always have. I averaged one to two bottles of ketchup a week for years. Obviously, that had to change due to the sugar content.

I was talking with Robb Wolf, (one of my trainers), about all of the recipes, sauces, marinades, etc., that I was trying to come up with, because I generally don't like eating "dry" meat. I want some sort of sauce, gravy or other flavorful liquid on it.

Rob suggested using salsa. At first, I thought, no way. Salsa is for chips, (and damn it I cant have any of those either). In reality, I had never really considered salsa as a topping, So I bought some of my favorite salsa in the store, (checking to make sure there was no added sugar in it), and tried it out. I put some over chicken breasts. It was yummy. Tried some over hamburger patties, even better. Now I am experimenting with different kinds of salsas, (southwest, mild, italian, etc.). It really is a great way to add a fresh taste, (and some extra vegies), to your meal.

I am now trying to make some fresh homemade salsa. If I come up with anything decent, I will pass it along. If anyone out there has a good homemade salsa recipe, please post it. (Remember, I am a gringo, so please keep it on the mild side). =)

Weekly Food Journal 1/18 through 1/24

1/18/09 3 eggs and 4 bacon 10 am
Almond crunch and apple 1 pm
Shrimp w cocktail sauce 3pm
4 hamburger patties w cheese 8pm
Apple 11pm

1/19/09 4 bacon + 2 eggs 11:30 am
Beef Jerky 1 pm
Slice of Meat Loaf 3pm
2 Hamburger Patties 7:30 pm
2 Chicken Breasts w salsa 8:30 pm

1/20/09 Beef Jerky 10 am
2 Hamburger Patties with Salsa 1:30 pm
Hulas, (restaurant) Just meat & veggies 7 pm
Apple 11:30 pm

1/21/09 2 hamburger patties with salsa 3 pm
Apple 3:30 pm
Almond Crunch 6 pm.
3 Breasts of Chicken Adobo, 8 pm

1/22/09 Luncheon Faire, (2 small pieces of chicken + salmon) 12 pm
2 Breasts of Chicken Adobo 1:30 pm
Almond Crunch 7 pm
2 hamburger patties w salsa 7:30
2 breasts of chicken w salsa 8:30
apple 11 pm

1/23/09 Stuck at office all day, ate bag of beef jerky between 10 am and 4pm
2 hamburger patties w salsa 5pm
Almond Crunch 6 pm
2 Bbq terriyaki pork chops 10 pm

1/24/09 3 bacon, 2 sausage + 2 eggs 9:30 am
Strawberries and Rasberries 12:30 pm
Hamburger Patty w Salsa 2 pm
Coldcuts & Cheese 3:30 pm
Hamburger Patty w Salsa 6 pm
Smokin' Moes Tri Tip 8:30 pm
Several of the Guilt Free Chocolate Drops.....um, um, good

Chicken Ragout

I have not tried this recipe yet, but the basis for it comes from Mom, so it has to be good. I have "tweaked" it just a bit to better fit a Paleo Diet. I left the artichoke hearts as an ingredient, (though it is my understanding that artichokes are a less desireable vegetable), because I love them and figured as a small component of the meal, they can't be that bad. You can always choose to skip this ingredient if you like.

6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, quartered
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tbs Crushed or Minced Garlic
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch matchsticks
12 oz. artichoke hearts
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tsp crushed thyme
1 tsp lemon zest
2 1/2 cups wheat free chicken broth
3/4 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 oz. shaved parmesan

Season Chicken all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large pot over medium- high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook for app. 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove browned chicken to plate, and repeat with remaining chicken. (If pan begins to scorch, reduce heat).

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pot and cook until onion is softened and becomes translucent, app. 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and stir together. Add carrots and cook them until they have begun to soften, about 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts, mushoorms thyme and lemon zest, stir to combine. Return Chicken to pot and stir in chicken broth. Cover, lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook 15 minutes. Add asparagus, cover, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until asparagus is tender-crisp. Remove from heat, serve in bowls with shaved parmesan sprinkled over the top.

Doctor Update

I met with my Doc yesterday, and he was very pleased to hear that I was on the Paleo Diet, (well, after I explained to him what the Paleo Diet consisted of). His only concern with the diet was that due to my high cholesterol, that I should be careful with my intake of Pork and Beef, (as they tend to have the most cholesterol), and try to incorporate more lean fish. This may be difficult to do, however, for while I actually love seafood and fish, the mere smell of such causes my wife to get ill. So trying to cook them here at home is a little problematic. Therefore, I think Chicken/Turkey is going to have to take a larger roll in my diet, so I am aggressively looking for more and different ways to keep them from becoming boring. If any of you have any good "fowl" recipes, please post them in the comments. Thanks

The long and the short of it, however, is that my blood sugar was 130 on my fasting test. This is 5 pts above the diagnosis point for Diabeties. According to my doc, it takes two such tests, to confirm such diagnosis. So basically, his intent was to try and scare me into eating better and exercising more. He was quite pleased that I had already initiated such endeavors. He gave me the next set of testing orders, (including the ldl particle size test Rob wanted), and it is our plan to test me immediately after the Paleo Challenge ends to see where my numbers are at that point.

Somewhat related was a news report yesterday saying that researchers had found that ingesting "sugar" actually changes your body's chemistry for up to 15 days. Making it that much harder for your body to recover and properly process sugars. The report went on to state that repeated ingestion of large quantities of sugar, (whether in candy, baking items, etc.), can actually cause long term changes to your body's chemical reactions and may even effect changes at the genetic lvl, further retarding your body's ability to process sugar, thereby leading to increased chances of diabeties.

I did "binge" on New Years with some chocolate, so maybe that is why 7 days later my blood sugar was still high. Hopefully the Paleo Diet will help get this problem straightened out too.

Some good news, my blood pressure was back down to normal, without any blood pressure medicine this week. So we are holding off on any additional medicines to see if that trend continues.

Chicken Adobo

This recipe I can not take any credit for. It's mom's, so it is awsome. Easy to fix and boy do I like it. Hope you do too.

2 tbs olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup wheat free soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp crushed bay leaf

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, (app. 5 to 7 minutes), then turn over and do the same on the other side. Set chicken aside on a separate plate.

Leaving the drippings in the pan, turn down the heat to low. Add garlic and saute' until soft. Add rest of the ingredients and stir them all together. Return chicken to pan and cook covered for about 20 minutes, turning the chicken over about half way through.

Then uncover the pan, and allow to cook for approximately another 20 minutes. This will allow the sauce to thicken a bit. Spoon sauce over chicken while it is cooking. This should form a nice glaze over the chicken.

Variations: For you vegetable lovers out there, serve over steamed fresh vegies, or throw some vegies in while the chicken is cooking.

1/15/09 Weigh in Thoughts

I finally got to work out tonight. Boy, did we get put through the ringer. After round 1, I really thought there was no way I was going to make it through 3 rounds. Thanks to Margaret's 23rd birthday, we got to do 400 run/row, 23 wall balls, and 23 pull ups/body rows, for 3 rounds. The plan is for me to work out tomorrow too, (so I can get my 2 in for the week), but given how "spicey" my legs and arms feel already), not sure that is going to happen.

Anyways, to the subject at hand. I am trying to make Thursday my normal "Weigh In", to track my weight loss. While Rob and Nicki expound on the Paleo Diet for a lot of different reasons, not just focusing on weight loss. However, that is my primary motivator right now. Less weight means greater performance, but I would settle for lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol; all things directly related to my excessive belly fat.

So now after making you read all that. Today after working out, I weighed exactly 285.5 lbs. That is a loss of 4 lbs from my last weigh in. For a total of 9 pounds since January 1st when I started the Paleo Diet. I'm pretty happy with 9 pounds in 15 days, (ok actually damn ecstatic). =)

10.5 lbs to go to reach my next goal of 275 lbs.

Then under 265 lbs.

I was always taught that it is easier to achieve objectives if you set a reasonable Immediate Goal, and then a Secondary Goal. Every time you achieve that Immediate Goal, then the Secondary one becomes your next Immediate Goal, and you have to set another Secondary. In this way, you will not tend to get as discouraged, because your immediate goal is right there at your fingertips, and it lets you focus on achieving that goal all the more.

Learned something new

Well blow me down.

I was surfing the web, looking for more Paleo information and links, when I spent some time on Dr. Balzer's Introduction to the Paleolithic Diet. He is an Australian Family Physician that is a big proponent of the diet. While I had heard about his page, I had not spent any time there. Reading through it, I discovered that I should not be eating ANY legumes, (beans), including peas and green beans. Here I thought I was doing so well including these two vegies in my diet. They were "green", and I don't really like them, so I assumed this meant they were ok. So I am going back through and editing my relevant recipes to remove these two items.

Scary Things

Well today was one of those days where really good things happened, and some scary things happened. My mother after suffering for years with a bad knee, had it surgically replaced today. She came through in fine shape and was actually up and walking around this evening on her new "bionic" leg. So that was good, (but also a little scary).
Then I called my wife to let her know that I was heading home, (the hospital is about an hour away), and she told me that my doctor had called. Remember my entry on Friday about fasting for blood tests, well apparently they put a rush order on the results, (which is never good).

Now I like my doctor, and he has a good bedside manner. I guess he professes that if you concentrate on the "sugar" the medicine is easier to swallow. He was calling to let me know that, "overall your blood tests came back good", except for my blood sugar, triglicerides, and 244 cholesterol count being too high, that is. He also let me know that I need to make an appointment with him as soon as I can so that we can go over my test results and he can get me started on the necessary pharmecueticals, (I guess that is supposed to sound better than medicines).

So great, I started high blood pressure medicine 3 weeks ago, now I need even more "pharmacueticals", (yes I know I am misspelling it but I don't feel like looking up the correct spelling right now so please forgive me). I HATE taking medicines. Now I guess I am going to have to get one of those weekly medicine dispensors, as it sounds like there is going to be a lot of pills involved.

I am going to ask my Doc if I can hold off for 6 more weeks of the Paleo challenge before starting these medicines, so that we can retest and see if the change in lifestyle is helping. I thought for sure with reducing my carb intake the way I have, that my blood sugar levels, (that I knew were borderline), would be better. As Nicki alluded to in the Norcal Strength Blog, it took me a while, (and a lot of hard work and arm twisting on her part), but I have given up all my sugared and diet sodas and drinks. I gave up my ketchup, (my kids bought me a shirt that says, "I put ketchup on my ketchup", because ketchup was not a garnish for me, but rather a staple food in my diet. I even gave up my gluten free pastas, breads, potatoes and rice. All in the name of better health. While that helped me lose weight and feel physically better, then I took this Paleo challenge on to push it even more......and what do I get......worse test results than I started with. Sheesh. Logically I know that due to age, all of these problems get worse, and that if I had not made these changes, I would be even in worse shape. But it is damn disappointing. But hope remains eternal. Maybe the 7 days on the Paleo Diet was not long enough to really change my numbers. That is why I want to retest and "hope" all is better if I stick to my diet. This is probably wishful thinking, but it is the best I got at this point.

Weekly Food log 1/11-1/18

1/11/09 Roasted Chicken 11 am
2 Chicken Breasts 3:30 pm
Italian Stew 7 pm
Almond Crunch 9 pm

1/12/09 Apple 6 am
3 sausage and 2 egg 11 am
2 chicken Breasts 5pm
2 hamburger patties w cheese 8:30
strawberries and Amond Crunch 10:30

1/13/09 Apple and beef jerky 9am
2 chicken breasts 12 pm
Apple 4pm
Almond Crunch 8 pm
Turkey Roast 9 pm

1/14/09 2 Chicken Breats 1 pm
Apple 4 pm
Beef Jerky 5:30 pm
Apple + almond crunch 6 pm
Pork Tenderloin 7 pm

1/15/09 Egg and sausage omelet 6:30 am
Calimari 12 pm
Apple 4 pm
Almond Crunch 6pm
2 hamburger patties with 2 cheese slices 8 pm
Apple 11:30 pm

1/16/09 Egg and sausage omelet 7 am
2 Hamburger Patties w Cheese 1pm
Apple 2 pm
2 Chicken Breasts (Adobo) 7 pm
Bowl of Beef/veg soup 11 pm

1/17/09 Egg and Sausage omelet 11 am
beef jerky and apple 3pm
Almond Crunch 5 pm
Marinated, BBQ London Broil 8 pm
Orange 10 pm

Slow Cooker Stew/soup

If you check out my daily food journal, you will see that I eat a lot of homemade soup/stew. This is primarily because it is the only way I like to eat vegetables, and trying to live on a Paleo Diet, pretty much means I have to eat a lot of them. I generally use the food processor to slice up all of the vegies and put everything in the slow cooker the night before. Then in the morning, I just turn it on to cook all day, so it will be ready to eat when I get home.
Left overs get put in quart ziplock bags and frozen, for ready to eat meals I can simply put in microwave and defrost/reheat.

1-1 ½ lbs of cubed or shredded boneless and lean meat
1 cup/can diced tomatoes
1 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup/can tomato paste or sauce
¼ cup minced/crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground thyme
½ teaspoon ground rosemary
½ teaspoon ground basil
½ teaspoon ground bay leaf
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 pkg Gluten Free Chicken Soup Stock


Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, then add soup stock to cover. Stir and season to taste before serving.

Time saving step to marinate

As you already know, I am a big fan of marinading, and I buy most of my meats in bulk. So one of the other timesaving steps I take is when I get home from Costco, I take the non-frozen meats and break them into meal size portions, so that I can freeze them in zip lock freezer bags. This is a perfect opportunity to start them marinating. Just put some marinade in the ziplock bag with the meat, and throw it in the freezer. That way, you won't have to waste time marinading after you defrost.

Saute'ed Pork Chops with Italian Salsa

Tired of the mess, smoke, and grease from cooking pork chops in a skillet? Try cooking them this way. More tender, moist and almost impossible to burn.

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 pork chops, trimmed of fat
pinch of pepper
pinch of paprika
pinch of thyme

Using a deep skillet or sauté pan, place oil in bottom, and add pork chops to pan. Then add water so that chops are approximately submerged ¾ in solution. Turn up heat to a low simmer. Sprinkle spices over the top of the chops, then cover pan and allow chops to slowly cook. When the chops are cooked at least half way through, (moisture will be forced out the top of the chops), turn over, (bottom side up). Then sprinkle more spices over the chops and recover.

Italian Salsa:

1 diced tomato
½ cup finely diced onions
1 cup chopped mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced/crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon crushed oregano

While chops are cooking, combine tomato, onion, mushroom, garlic and oil in covered sauté pan, and allow to simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally. Once the onions are softened, remove cover and allow mixture to reduce and thicken while stirring occasionally.
Once chops are done, plate them with the Italian Salsa either over the top, or on the side.

My #1 way to avoid cheating

I have a history of cheating when on a diet. Normally, it is not because I simply can't resist a sugur rush, its because I'm hungery and I don't have anything "good" ready to eat. So, then the hunger wins out and I eat whatever is quick and available, (which is generally not low carb, and certainly not Paleo food). Also, I often times don't get home until 7pm or later during the week. This makes it hard to come home and get a full meal prepared. So I have been using my weekends to help prepare "fast paleo food" for the week, that I can then use as either the basis for a meal, or a quick snack.

I get most of our bulk food supplies from Costco, (food warehouse where you buy in bulk). One of our staples is the 6.5 lb bag of skinless, boneless, frozen chicken breasts. So last Saturday after going to Costco, I let an entire bag defrost. Then I made up a batch of the Wine-Terriyaki Marinade that I have already posted, and marinaded all of the breasts in it overnight in the resealable "ziplock" bag the breasts come in. Then on Sunday, I fired up the BBQ and grilled all of the breasts. That is what we had for dinner, (with a little salsa over the top). Then after dinner when the remaining 8 breasts had cooled, I divided them between 4 quart ziplock bags and refroze them. This way, I basically can take out a bag whenever I'm hungary, throw it in the microwave for 2:30 to 3:00 minutes, and will have a hot steaming, and something wholesome to eat.

I do the samething with the big 6 lb Costco Hamburger package. I will take the whole package, make up 20 or so patties, and bbq them. Whatever is left over gets frozen 2 patties to a quart ziplock bag. Remember to reheat in the ziplock bags, as this will prevent the meat from getting dried out.

Skillet Stew in Wine Sauce

1 lb of meat of your choice, cubed
1 cup wine, (red for beef, white for other)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
½ cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 teaspoon crushed thyme
1 teaspoon crushed oregeno
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Sauté the meat, onions, carrots in the oil until the meat is browned and the vegetables softened. Turn down heat, and stir in the balance of the ingredients and allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

Lunch Meeting Cravings

Boy, I had one of my hardest Paleo diet challenges today. I belong to a business networking group that meets for lunch every Thursday. They had a beef dip that was to die for, (which is my favorite sandwich of all time). Homemade sour dough bread, with lots of tri-tip beef cooked in a delicious beef broth with a mound of white and orange steak fries, (white= russet potatoes, orange=sweet potatoes).

Damn, getting hungry just thinking about it again.

Anyways, I was a good little Paleo, and ate only the meat. Then I noticed that Nicki, (my personal trainer, who belongs to the same group), did not have any orange fries left on her plate. She admitted to me that SHE ATE THEM. Whatever happened to making a good example I ask you? =)

Hmmm, now I am thinking that posting such snitching is likely to motivate her to really kick my butt at our next work out. Se le vi'

Daily Food Journal

One of the tasks that Nicki and Rob have set for those of us taking the 7 week Paleo challenge, (see link for Norcal Strength & Conditioning) is to keep a food journal so that they can go over our diets with us. I have been keeping one on paper, but hey, this is the 21st Century, so I think it should be here. Besides, forcing them to come here to my blog and check up on my progress is probably going to give me my only audience. =) So here is the journal to date. Oh, and averaging 6 to 8 fish oil pills a day.

1/1/09 Bowl of Turkey/veg soup w 3 eggs 11:30 am
Berybell Cheese mini roll 5 pm
Beef Jerky 5:30 pm
Bowl Turkey/veg soup w 3 eggs 9 pm

1/2/09 Beef Jerky 11:30 am
Apple 12 pm
8 slices lunch meat w 4 slices cheese 3:30 pm
Hulas BBQ, (restaurant), Meats and Mushrooms 6 pm
Almonds 9 pm

1/3/09 Beef Jerky 12 pm
Apple 6 pm
4 Chicken Breasts w Salsa (Terriyaki-Wine) 8 pm

1/4/09 3 bacon+3 sausage+2 eggs 12 pm
Apple 2 pm
Almonds 3 pm
2 Turky Breasts 5 pm
Hamburger Egg Omellate w salsa 7 pm

1/5/09 3 bacon+4 sausage+2 eggs 12 pm
3 slices of cheese + 6 slices of lunch meat 1 pm
Berrybell Cheese mini roll 6 pm
4 hamburger patties w cheese 7 pm
Almonds 9 pm
Apple 10 pm

1/6/09 3 bacon+4 Sausage+2 eggs 10 am
Banana 6 pm
Beef Jerky 7 pm
Baked Turkey Breast 9 pm

1/7/09 Baked Turkey Breast 5:30 am
2 Hamburger Patties w Cheese 12 pm
Berrybell Cheese Mini roll 5 pm
2 Porkchops w salsa 8 pm
Apple 12 am

1/8/09 Beef Dip Sandwich, (just the meat) 12 pm
Porkchop w salsa 1:30 pm
Berrybell Cheese Mini roll 7:30 pm
2 bowls Homemade Beef/veg Soup 8 pm
Apple 12 am

1/9/09 (fasting for blood tests)
2 pork chops with salsa 3:30 pm
1 bowl of beef/veg soup 7 pm
2 chicken breasts 12 am

1/10/09 3 bacon+3 eggs+1/2 apple 11 am
1/2 roasted chicken+1 1/2 apple 3:30
2 bowls beef/veg soup 9 pm
Almond crunch 12 am

Weigh In

On January 1st, 2009, after working out and sweating out a few ounces (59 squats, 59 body rows, 59 knee to elbows, 59 box jumps to welcome the new year, 50+9 for 2009), I weighed myself. I was 294.5 lbs, (yep, I had a good Holiday Season and gained back a few pounds I had lost).

This was my first day on a Paleo Diet.

On Monday, January 5, 2009, I weighed myself after another workout, (same scale), and I weighed 289.5 lbs. YEAH!

While I rationally know that this is probably mostly water weight, at least it is a start. I am hopefully going to get to work out tomorrow, (I got busy today and lost track of time and missed my work out class today), and then weigh myself again. Hopefully the trend will continue.

How I cook vegies with Marinades

To be honest, while several of my marinade recipes discuss adding vegetables 1/2 to 1 hour prior to serving when using the marinade as a broth, I don't really do that. I am one of the strange vegetable hating freaks, that really can't stand eating raw and firm vegetables. If I am going to eat them, they have to be chopped up and cooked to a pulp in either a soup or stew type presentation. So when I use the slow cooker, all of the vegies get cut up and added to the pot the night before, (along with the meat and marinade/broth), so that in the morning, I can simply pull the pot out of the fridge and set it for cooking all day long.

I know this is not how most people like to eat their vegies, so that is why I list the more traditional 1/2 to 1 hour cooking time in my recipes.

Just wanted to set that straight.

(My) Traditional Teriyaki Marinade

1/3 cup wheat free, low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cold water

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Marinate the meat from 15 minutes to overnight. (I like to use zip lock bags for marinating as they are self sealing and you can rotate the bag rather than having to rotate each piece of meat). Baste often with the marinade while cooking.

Alternative: Cook meat in slow cooker or oven with marinade, (add 1/4 cup of water to make broth), drop in cut vegetables ½ to 1 hour prior to serving to make complete one pot meal.

Teryaki-Wine Marinade

Great way to use up wine that has aged past its prime.

½ cup wine (Red for Beef and Lamb, White for most others)
¼ cup wheat free, low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl to make the marinade. Marinate the meat from 15 minutes to overnight. (I like to use zip lock bags for marinating as they are self sealing and you can rotate the bag rather than having to rotate each piece of meat). Baste often with the marinade while cooking.

Alternative: Cook meat in slow cooker or oven with marinade, (add 1/4 cup of water to make broth), drop in cut vegetables 1/2 to 1 hour prior to serving to make complete one pot meal.

Citrus Marinade for Pork, Poultry and Fish

Great way to jazz up that white meat. Light and quite tasty if I say so myself.

¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 minced/crushed garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped/ground thyme

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with 1/3 cup of water to make the marinade. Marinate the meat from 15 minutes to overnight. (I like to use zip lock bags for marinating as they are self sealing, easy to throw in the fridge and you can rotate the bag rather than having to rotate each piece of meat). Baste often with the marinade while cooking.

Want it a little spicy? Add ¼ teaspoon chili powder.

Marinades are a Must

I have been a fan of meat and bbqing for most of my life. After learning to cook gluten free, and now working on my Paleo Diet, I have found that expanding marinades into almost all of my protein dishes really gives me a way to add flavor without calories or carbs. It also greatly expands the variety of flavors you can add to your favorite proteins so that you don't get burned out on eating the same tasting chicken, pork or beef, over and over.

The following are some of my favorite marinades. Hope you like, and if you have some others, please post them.

Wheat/Gluten Allergy/Intollerance

By the way, did I forget to mention that one month after my 40th birthday, I started having severe allergic reactions, (including 2 anaphalatic shock episodes), to an unknown food. While the allergists and doctor's could not find a cause and basically told me to get use to drooling on myself due to the high dosages of anti-histimines they put me on, my personal trainers again came to my rescue. They kept harping on me to go "Wheat Free", and provided me with a lot of documentation to back up their views. Did you know that Wheat is considered to be the most allergenic, (number of people having an allergic reaction to it), food in widespread consumption in the world? I sure didn't. So after the doctors couldn't seem to figure it out, I figured what did I have to lose.

I am happy to report that not only did all of the allergic reactions go away, but a whole host of other problems that I had been dealing with my entire life also disappeared, (frequent ear infections, gastrol-intestinal issues, repeated sinus infections, etc). Funny, but the doctors kept saying that it "couldn't be wheat", because they tested me for that allergy. Yet every time I accidently consumed some wheat from a hidden source, there I would go again. So finally they decided that maybe I had a Gluten Intollerance, rather than a real wheat allergy, (gluten is the protein in wheat). Either way, thanks again Rob and Nicki. I so much prefer life without antihistimines.

Hello there

Up until high school, I was always fat, (the pc term then was "Husky", (I know this because the tag on my pants said so. Now mind you, I had about as perfect a childhood as one could ask for, so I am not saying this feeling sorry for myself. Its just the truthful beginning of my battle with weight. I played football, baseball and was on the swim team, but still I remained fat. Then something marvelous happened in the 8th grade. I grew almost 6 inches. Suddenly, instead of being short and fat, I was one of the tallest kids. Now mind you, I was not skinny, (I don't think I have ever qualified for that descriptor), but along with the height came some pretty broad shoulders, so I at least became proportional.
During HighSchool and my undergraduate years, I pretty much ate and drank whatever I wanted, and stayed right at 220 lbs. While that's a lot of weight for a 5'10" man, between my self-employment of cutting and splitting firewood, and my addiction to swimming, water skiing, and fencing, I maintained a high level of fitness and a 52' chest and a 32" waist.
Then I got married and acquired 2 kids with the wife. This necessitated working full-time during the week and going to law school at night.
Needless to say, the fencing, water skiing and working out in the forest stopped. Then my wife thankfully decided to quit smoking. Unfortunately, with the candy and snacks she had all over the house to help her kick the habit, I put on some 40 pounds with her. Then upon becoming an attorney, and opening my own office. I found myself sitting 12-14 hours a day behind a desk, in my car, at a computer, or in court.
Of course, I still ate pretty much whatever I wanted to, so I found that I kept having to have my suits let out.
Then one day I was rushing to court, and had to go up a flight of stairs. I found myself completely out of breath and had to ask the judge to trail the case while I got my breathing under control. So I decided right then to do something about it. A year later, after completely being unable to motivate myself, I finally hired a personal trainer, http://www.norcalsc.com/index.php


It came as such a shock to me. I found that I weighed 320 lbs, and could not do a single push-up. I had to cheat and go from my knees.
Luckily, Nicki and Rob, (my trainers), would not let me fail, and 18 months later, I have lost 40 lbs, and can now do a host of push ups, sit ups, body rows, etc.
The only problem is that I have not lost a single pound in the last 6 months. I am stuck, and until I drop some more weight, I am not going to be successful in getting that damn pull up back.
Then there is the doctor telling me my blood pressure is about 35 points high, and I am pre-diabetic. So in other words, I NEED TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT and reduce my starch and sugar intake.


So now my personal trainers, Rob and Nicki have challenged a group of us to try the diet they live on. It is called the Paleo Diet.
This is a HUGE change to my way of living and eating. I have been reading all I can, and trying to come up with ways to make this "lifestyle" more palatable to both myself and my wife, (yes I do the cooking). So I am hoping to use this blog to help myself, and others living the Paleo way, to come up with recipes, tips and shortcuts to help us all stay natural, fit and above all, healthy.


I also know that posting what I am eating, and the choices I am making are going to help me stay on track. So with thinking Slimming Thoughts.....here I go.