Carb-tastic

I have recently switched dieting strategies.

I have come full-circle, as it were (not only a pun because it's the CSA I subscribe to). 

Back in high school, when I did gymnastics twice a week and had marching band practice, but was otherwise sedentary, I managed to lose about 20 or 30 lb one summer by doing the Zone diet.  It's basic premise is that you have a low, sustained insulin response, and they encourage foods that do not promote an insulin burst (vegetables, fruits).

Since then, I've tried multiple things - heck, I even recently went through a few months of dicking around with some naturopaths who meant well, but proved useless to me (and wanted to stick me on some horrid-sounding "nutrtional shake elimination diet" thing based on rice flour. Horrors!)

At the advice of my trainer, I tried going ultra low-carb Paleo.  The end result was it just made me angry if I sustained it for any period of time without "falling off the wagon". (A phrase which I think should really be "choosing to step off the wagon for a bit", because you are making a choice to ingest certain things). I was eating ~150 g of protein a day, and aiming for < 60 g carbs.  Often, over 50% of my daily calories were from fat (nuts, oils, meat-fat).  Interestingly, I didn't gain weight on this diet, but I didn't lose any, either. My acne was surprisingly clear (except when I went off the wagon).

Another trainer at the gym suggested  "OK, maybe a little more carbs, and a little less fat", after I told her the low-carb thing was difficult to sustain.  Tried that, and then it hit me that I was basically doing Paleo-Zone, but a little lower-carb.

I used this handy Zone block calculator to figure out how much I got to eat.  According to them, at 155 lb, 30% body fat, and medium-to-hard activity 4-5x / week, I get 14 blocks.per day.  A Zone 'block' has the following:

- 9 g carbohydrates
- 7 g protein
- 1.5 g fat (assuming a low-fat protein source)

That means I get to eat a total of 126 g of carb, 98 g of protein, and 21 g of fat per day.

To be honest, it was also very difficult for me to actually commit to ingesting 150 g of protein a day - at approximately 7 g protein per ounce of meat, that comes out to 21 oz, or 1.3 lb of meat per day! (Or more if you are eating certain seafood).

Time will tell if this new diet works; I think it will, as it has worked before on me.  This isn't to say that low-carb doesn't work - it does! I've seen it work on several people, and I think with the right foods and attitude, it is sustainable.  It is just a pain in the ass for me.  (And I was noticing I was starting to get that acetone smell in my breath that tells you ketosis is acting... I have had a couple of friends with the most God-awful breath in the world, who were on Atkins and drank coffee... ech, makes me cringe just thinking about it!)

I'm Back

Hello, World!

It's been a l-0-n-g time, but I decided to come back to this blog.

I thought I would steer it toward a little more personal vent, that being my health & fitness.

Late last year, my mom insisted that I go to a naturopath to try and work through some hormone imbalance issues. This had transpired out of her disbelief that I could be doing Crossfit 4x/week, Pilates on Sundays, and generally something outdoors-related on Saturdays (hiking, skiing, kayaking, whatever the season called for), and still be fat around my gut.

I ate Paleo. Nothing changed externally, although once I gave up grains, my stomach sure felt a lot better.

Naturopath #1 did about $1000 worth of ancillary tests - stool samples (ugh), blood, & saliva tests. These confirmed an elevated cortisol level, an elevated fasting glucose level, and high cholesterol. Awesome. They then wanted to start me on a 6 week "fasting" diet composed of these hideous medical shakes used for people with IBS, which cost about $150-200. The shakes are basically made of rice flour + a bunch of vitamins so you don't get malnutrition, and then you add fiber so you actually go to the bathroom. I looked at her fiber source and said, "I am allergic to flax seeds". This naturopath hadn't done her homework, since I had provided her with a complete dietary profile from a trusted food allergy testing company. Also, I am convinced that large amount of rice flour would not have done me any favors. In addition to the fasting, I would be required to visit their office weekly, to "assess progress", at $150 per office visit, plus the cost of any ancillary tests. Besides that, they were crappy at drawing blood from me. Did I mention none of this was covered by insurance? Yeah, out-of-pocket. All of it.

Naturopath #1 was out.

I next visited another naturopath, this one requiring me to travel to Portland, about 3 hours south of Seattle.

This naturopath looked at all my test results, my gym attendance record over the past year, looked at me, and said, "Have you ever considered that this is how you are supposed to look? Maybe take a look at your ancestors...". Honey, my ancestors were all skinny. Unacceptable! At least she told me I could tell her to go to hell and she wouldn't mind. :)

Fast-forward to Fran, my old trainer who recently opened up her own gym in south Seattle.

Her recommendations? Lower the Crossfit to 3x / week. Rest enough, eat strict Paleo, and go super-low carb. In preparation to meet with her, I'd eaten for two weeks at less than 100 g carbohydrate / day. I use Fitday (www.fitday.com) to track my diet.

Where I'm at now? Less than 60 g carbohydrates per day. This really restricts things, folks, but it is (surprisingly) feasible.

The secret? I eat lots and lots of meat and fat. Like, 50-60% of my calories come from fat. Good fats, though - not french fries or doughnuts. Fats like nuts, olive & nut oils, coconut oil & milk, and fat inherent in meats. I eat almost all grass-fed meat products. Organic vegetables & fruits. My sister was amazed to hear my diet. (And she's always been the skinny one!)

What am I avoiding? Dairy. Grains (for sure). Root vegetables, because they have an incredible amount of sugar in them. (Consider, after all, that root vegetables evolved as energy storage devices for plants).

What do I cheat with? Super high quality bourgeoisie dark chocolate. I actually drink a little more wine than I was drinking in the past 6 months; by "more" I mean I drink maybe 3 -4 glasses a week now, and enjoy it thoroughly. I do put 1 tsp of agave syrup into my morning coconut milk latte.

I bought myself a Sodastream water carbonator, and enjoy acting like I'm drinking something "fun" when it's really just carbonated water with a citrus slice in it, or some flavoring extract like vanilla or orange.


***

I'm going back to Fran in a month, so we'll see how things progress!

In the meantime, I've got some bacon I need to go heat up in the microwave...

Happy New Year!

Hello All!

Happy 2010! I hope everyone has managed to maintain the March of Good Health throughout the holidays.

I was lucky. I went to visit my parents, and for the most part, they eat Paleo, as I do. My parents do consume a lot less meat, and a lot more dairy, though. But avocados, coconut oil, and nuts are all prevalent foods at their home. So is high quality dark chocolate, which is great when consumed in small amounts.

I am proud to say that, while some meals were not Paleo, I did not gorge myself like a python, coming home with a giant lump of food in my belly. I did, however, eat too many sugary sweet things. Sigh.

But, it is a New Year, and I am back on it! Some grass-finished bacon is in the oven for my breakfast, along with some satsumas (tangerines) I picked up at the store last night, in addition to some chicken thighs for some chicken-veggie soup I'll make later today. In a couple of hours, I am off to the Farmer's Market in my neighborhood, to stock up on meats and local, organic greens.

I would like to mention something: I discovered a couple of months ago that I have a hormone imbalance. This might have been the lynchpin as to why I struggle so much with weight loss. I will admit, though - at 5'5" and 150 lb, I could look a lot worse than I do. A lot of that weight is muscle. Yet I hold fat around my upper body (belly, some in the back), and the layer of fat around my body prevents any actual muscle definition from showing through.

I go to a naturopathic doctor who specializes in bioidentical hormones on Tuesday, to see if they can help me! I'm pretty excited. This could also "miraculously" cure my monthly onset of cystic acne.

***

May Your New Year Be Filled With Light, Love, Health, and Fitness.

And May Your Deadlift PR Increase by 20%. :)

Hot Links: Curried Squash & Chicken Soup

My mom is kind enough to forward me emails containing recipes she thinks I'd like.

I found this one in a list of chicken soups. And it's Paleo! Yeah!

Curried Squash & Chicken Soup, courtesy of Cooking.com.

A few notes:

- I suspect you could use a canned pumpkin, or just roast your own squash if you are so inclined (I usually am so inclined for dishes like soups. If I make a pumpkin pie, I use canned pumpkin because most people can't tell the difference).

- I would use dark chicken meat. I have never had great success keeping white chicken meat from becoming tough in a soup-type application. Plus, the dark meat is where the flavor is! You can probably find some boneless thighs in a decent grocery's meat section.

- I would eliminate the brown sugar in the recipe. Two teaspoons won't make any difference in such a large soup, and if you use a fresh-roasted squash, I bet it'll be sweet enough! Might as well not get your body in a fuss over such a small amount of sugar, anyway.

- You could easily substitute Swiss or Rainbow chard for the spinach in this recipe. Whole Foods often has them even pre-cut in the produce section (at least, the Whole Foods in the Roosevelt neighborhood in Seattle does). But spinach also has plenty of vitamins, so I wouldn't worry too much.

This recipe intrigues me; I think I'll have to try it on Sunday (my traditional day to cook up food for the week).

***

As some brief life-happens notes... I came down with a cold last Saturday evening. It began as a sore throat, and went from there. I definitely credit doing Crossfit regularly with reducing the severity of the cold. What used to happen with me was when I got sick, I invariably got a respiratory infection of some sort, and went on antibiotics regularly.

I haven't been to the gym since last Thursday, and I am really anxious to get back. I knew that going would delay my return to wellness, so the only exercise I really got last week was meandering around my neighborhood after work. And I worked from home, too, after taking a sick day on Monday. I am grateful that my job allows for that (both sick days and telecommuting), and that my coworkers weren't subjected to watching me use piles of Kleenex and taking a nap during lunchtime.

Other mitigating steps I took to keep the viruses and bacteria at bay were taking tons of natural supplements:

- daily multivitamin
- 2 x 1000 mg vitamin C pills (you just pee it out, so I take one in the morning and one in the evening until the cold is gone, then I revert back to a daily 1000 mg)
- echinacea tincture (1 tsp, twice a day)
- oregano oil (2 drops, twice a day)
- cat's claw tincture (1 tsp, twice a day)
- twice-daily nasal wash using X-Clear nasal wash (saline + xylitol)

Apart from that, I drank tons of fluids - mostly iced herbal tea, hot herbal tea, and unsweetened flavored fizzy water. I tried to eat well, and last Sunday I made a chicken soup using ginger, lemongrass, and plenty of garlic. I also added sriracha sauce (an Asian hot pepper sauce) to help clear out any remaining sinus gunk. I avoided dairy because milk thickens mucous. (Another point in favor of So Delicious coconut milk!)

However, I had a couple of relapses... when I'm sick, I admit - my willpower goes to hell. I had a few sweets.. *sigh*.

Oh well. Back on the wagon!!! Nobody said it was easy, but I hope my blog at least helps make it more palatable.

Health Effects of (Ch)eating

I thought I would do a post on what happens to me when I choose to eat things that are not good for me.

DISCLAIMER: If you are grossed out by the mention of bodily functions, er, you may want to skip this post. I am not a doctor, and don't play one on TV. Reliable, solid information can be found at a library, or by asking a physician you trust.

Now, then.

I shall list what symptoms I can come up with, and/ or events, and then tell you what causes them. Hopefully that may help some of you untangle cause-and-effect of certain physical manifestations, like acne or loose bowels, etc.

You might think that I am a perfect mess, listing all these health troubles, but I feel that I am lucky that a) foods manifest their evils in me so quickly, and b) I get feedback (hah) and now really know what to avoid to make myself feel strong, fit, and healthy!!! I hope that more people will choose to start to listen to their bodies telling them what they do and do not need for healthy living.

As an anecdotal example, I have a friend who claims to suffer from IBS, but really I think he needs to a) de-stress, and b) eat better; that is, No Grains, No Alcohol for a few months, and re-evaluate his health! So many people choose to use Western drugs and pills, when all they really need is to learn to avoid certain foods that make them ill. But, no, the pills are easier!!! (SIGH!)

***

ACNE: Usually caused by too many fried foods, grains, milk chocolate, any soda (fizzy water, like Crystal Geyser, is OK). I get huge, cystic zits that take days to clear out, even with spot use of benzoyl peroxide, salycilic acid, and a sulfur topical application.

BLOAT (with or without gas): Usually caused by drinking beer or eating most types of fermented food. My mom thinks, and I am with her on this, that since beer is fermented and fizzy (and acts like bread rising), that when you drink it, you also become bloated and "rise". Sounds hippie-dippie, but it made more sense to me the first time I noticed it.

EXCESSIVE URINE: Caused when I drink too much caffeine (usually in coffee form). I become thirsty after drinking coffee, and consume extra water to make up for the diuretic effect of caffeine.... but still, I am peeing every 20 minutes for a couple of hours after consuming a cup of coffee. ("A cup of coffee" to me, means a single shot of espresso or approx 8 oz of drip coffee + usually enough cream to fill a 12 oz cup).

JOINT PAIN: Usually caused by eating grains, but may be exacerbated by nightshades (e.g. potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.), which are a known inflammatory for some people.

PSORIASIS FLARE-UPS (including DANDRUFF): Usually caused by eating grains. I haven't pinpointed what, exactly, is causing some of the flare-ups. I did notice that my psoriasis greatly healed in the month I was at my parents' house, and I also know that I ate really, really cleanly while I was over there, so I am sure it has some tie-in.

STOMACHACHE, leading to GAS, LOOSE STOOLS: Caused by eating grains and/or gluten, processed foods, too many fried foods, too much alcohol, food that wasn't at the peak of freshness (whether it's too old or too young, like unripe fruit). Pretty much when I eat anything that isn't good for me, I get a reliable reminder within an hour or two of my digression- my stomach feels like it's twisting and burbling, and I can get anything from a lot of gas to a few trips to the bathroom to let it all out. Thankfully, upsets from food never result in vomiting!!