Halfway Through Phase 1

I've just completed my first month of training, which means I've made it halfway through Phase 1.  During Phase 1, I'm really working on building mass.  That means lots of reps to failure in the gym and focusing on getting enough protein and carbs to keep my energy level high for training and recovery.

I'm noticing, though, that as I add inches of muscle without focusing on getting lean (yet), I feel uncomfortable in my clothes.  Everything fits a little tighter than I would like.  It's like the muscle is pushing my fat outward from underneath.  Ugh!  I weighed myself this morning and saw that I'm at 209 pounds!  Time to slim down or risk looking like a puffed up meat head!

I've also been feeling like I'm letting stress dictate my diet.  Things have been hectic at work and at home.  As a result, I recently realized that I'm shoveling into my mouth ANYTHING that is put in front of me.  Eating without discretion may be fun for awhile, but I actually get tired of eating after a bit.  I'm at that point now.  Last night as I mindlessly munched on my last few bits of pizza and drank a glass of wine, it dawned on me that, not only was I not being mindful of the tastes and textures of my meal, but I was actually ignoring that fact that I was not enjoying it.  Time to turn this bus around!

So, starting today I'm cleaning up my diet.  For how long?  Permanently!  I've the done the 28 days to this and the 30 days to that.  I'm ready to commit myself to an entire year of mindful eating and increased nutrition.  In fact, I'm so ready that I'm not waiting for the old New Year's resolution phase.  I'm jumping in now and foregoing all the sweets and goodies that surround the upcoming holidays.  With two weeks to the new year, I'm looking forward to waking up January 1 ALREADY feeling slimmer and trimmer and cleaner throughout!

I'll keep you posted and maybe I'll put up some embarrassing pictures soon.

Week 2 Complete

Another one bites the dust!  Week 2 is behind me.  I survived Thanksgiving without really overdoing it (although I'm still working me way through leftovers).

In fact, I decide this morning to re-dedicate myself to a clean diet.  The basic principles that I'm putting in place today (and of rest of my six-month challenge) are:

• Meals every 4-6 hours
• No snacks in between meals -- drink water/tea instead
• Last meal by 7 p.m. every night and no food after that
• Weekly 24-hour fast -- possibly two in later months
• Most of my carbs in the morning and post-workout, less carbs in the evening
• Focus on timing of slow-release and fast-release carbs -- fast in the morning and post-workout, slow in the mid-day and evening
• No alcohol, except for the occasional glass of red wine with friends
• No coffee, some tea -- especially herbal -- and lots of water
• Emphasis on creating an alkaline digestive environment through focus on vegetables at each meal with lean meats and healthy carbs

Pre-Turkey Day Fast

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow.  Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a real challenge for people trying to eat healthy.  This year I"m being preemptive by choosing to do a 24-hour fast today as a counter-balance to any excess calories I consume tomorrow.

When I did my last "Six Months to Ryan Reynolds Challenge," I used intermittent fasting often to help me keep my diet in check.  It is also great for hydrating your muscles because you should be drinking a lot of water and herbal or detox teas on fast days.  Hydrating the muscles is important for muscle growth.  As you increase the water stored within muscle fibers, your muscles function more efficiently at a cellular level and you flush the toxins produced by the repair process that happens when you create micro tears in the muscle fiber through resistance training.

Another great result of fasting is that, even though you are drinking lots of water, your body naturally expels some of the water held between your muscle tissue and your skin (subcutaneous fluid).  Reducing this type of water retention can do amazing things for how lean you look.  Suddenly, you can see veins you didn't know you had and small muscle definitions that weren't visible before.  Some folks have designed elaborate systems of reducing water retention to look their best at bodybuilding contests or on beach vacations.  A 24-hour fast gives you a similar effect -- though not as dramatic, maybe -- without the risk of dehydration.

If you would like to read more about my experience with fasting, please read this.

Time for a New Six-Month Challenge

OK, so there's been radio silence on my blog here for a while.  Summer came and brought some amazing vacations and lots of time outdoors with friends and family.  Throughout all of it, I was eating well and exercising regularly, so I felt great and looked fit.  Then at the end of the summer I seriously sprained my ankle in a soccer game.  Suddenly I couldn't exercise, couldn't run, well I could barely walk!  That threw me off and I got to feeling pretty low.  I'm not used to coming home from work each day and sitting on the couch for the evening with my leg up and an ice pack.  I was miserable.  No soccer!  No gym!  What was I going to do?  Dive into some snacks, I guess.  Pretty soon my diet was slipping.  Not too badly, but with the lack of activity, my weight crept up.  I needed to bounce back!

So, a few weeks ago I started my recovery.  I started to sloooowly clean up my diet.  Nothing drastic, just a little more mindful eating.  Then I started to gradually work in some exercise.  First walking, then a lot of walking, then short runs.  Now I'm back to soccer and just got back into the gym.  So, what's next?  Well, I'm goal-oriented, so I think another six-month challenge like I did last year.  This time, I'm starting a little earlier so I'll really be in full swing when the warm weather hits.  Plus, having a goal will keep my (somewhat) under control when the holiday revelry begins.  Starting tomorrow (mid-November) I'm embarking on another six months to Ryan Reynolds.  Maybe I'll tweak the name this year...I'll have to think about that.  Your suggestions are welcome.  More updates coming soon!  

Recovering from Weekends

I don't know about you, but for me weekends are the biggest wild card in my diet and exercise plans.  I can go through a whole week eating right and exercising ever chance I get, then...the weekend hits and everything is suddenly out of my control.  My weekends are almost always filled with social engagements that involve eating and sitting, sitting and eating.  As a result, I've recently developed some strategies for minimizing the damage.

1. Get Involved in the Plans

I try to sway the plans whenever I can to include a few simple elements.  I've found that these elements are much easier to achieve during the summer months.  Basically, I try to move the events outdoors (usually a park or a backyard), I try to work in some barbecuing, and I make sure that kids are involved.  Here's my reasoning for these choices.

One Key to Success: Adaptation

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." - H.G. Wells

I'm learning that staying fit with a new born in the house is all about flexibility and adaptation.  When I started this program I was going to the gym regularly in the early morning hours before my household was awake.  I was able to tightly control my meals -- both in what I ate and when I ate it.  I had set times for bedtime, waking and naps.

Now,  that's ALL out the window!  My household is a 24-hour operation.  Feedings and diaper changes happen around the clock.  My older daughter wakes up a random nighttime intervals to complain about growing pains in her legs.  Most of my meals are eaten standing up -- often while holding the baby or hassling our older daughter to please, please, please just eat one spear of asparagus in order to earn the reward of dessert.

Phase 3: Just 1.5 Months Left!

In the last few weeks, my topsy-turvy schedule has taught me some important lessons about flexibility when it comes to diet and exercise.  I thought I might share a few here:

1. Try a weekly view
Many diets or exercise programs work on a daily schedule.  While there is some logic to taking things one day at a time, I'm finding that when your life feels like a colossal blur it can be hard to maintain daily consistency.  Rather than put myself under the stress of trying to complete "X" workout on "X" day and plan out my breakfast, lunch and dinner, I have taken a step back to gain some perspective.  I try to think of my nutrition as a weekly endeavor and I try to make it to the gym a few times each week.  The benefit is that I never feel like I "missed" a workout...I just moved it to another day of the week.  And if I have a day where I indulge more than normal at my meals, I simply try to be more careful on the two following days.  The result is that I have some leeway to absorb life's ups and downs without feeling overwhelmed or completely losing sight of my goals.  (Plus, it makes these crazy goals much more acceptable to my family because I'm never going nuts saying that I absolutely HAVE TO make it to the gym today or I cannot POSSIBLY enjoy cake and ice cream at a social gathering.)

Fitness is NOT Healthiness

Let's talk for a moment about the difference between "fitness" and "healthiness." I think that the distinction is very important. Especially because we have all been seriously brainwashed by the advertising and media that constantly screams at us with promises of having both..."Get fit and healthy, now!" "In just 6 minutes a day, you can have that fit and healthy physique that will have the guys/ladies taking notice!" Blah, blah, blah!

I would propose that physical fitness is a state of having the physical ability to perform at a certain level. For example, Lance Armstrong...physically fit, enough said. Achieving a state of physical health, on the other hand, requires a less performance-based measurement and more of a holistic understanding of the continuous inner workings of these glorious bodies of ours. When your body is in a healthy state, it is free of illness and disease, it is digesting efficiently, sleeping well, and properly balancing hormone levels in a sea of constantly shifting currents. My point in making the distinction between fitness and healthiness is that, while they often come together, that is often not the case.

Sweet Potato Yellow Curry

I went through a phase last year where I was cooking my way through Diana Stobo's Get Naked Fast. Diana is a health nut that espouses a raw vegan diet. While I'm not that extreme, her recipes are super easy, very healthy and down right tasty! So, what's not to like?

It has been a while since I whipped up some of my favorites from Diana's book, so I thought I would introduce you to her sweet potato curry. It is soooo easy! Here's what you do:

Sweet Potato Yellow Curry

Chop into 1-inch chunks 1 large sweet potato, 1 medium onion, 2 celery stalks, 1 large carrot, and 1 red bell pepper. Saute all the veggies in a tablespoon of ghee (super rich, Indian clarified butter...you can get a jar at Whole Foods in the butter section) or a splash of olive oil in a medium sauce pan or pot. After 2 or 3 minutes, add 3 cups fresh coconut milk (I like it best when you crack a coconut with a big knife and blend the coconut water with the scraped out coconut meat...very primal! You can also just buy it in a can, but the canned stuff is WAY sweeter.) Mix in 1 Tbs. turmeric, 2 Tsp. garam masala, 1 Tsp. ground cumin, 1 Tsp. sea salt and 1/2 Tsp. pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked but still have a little crunch to them. I've served this over brown rice (which soaks up the curry nicely) or alone in a bowl like stew. Either way top it with a little diced cilantro and its Thai-licious!

Where's the Beef?!?

OK, it's time that I admit something to myself...and to you, dear reader. Despite all my efforts to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet, I am first and foremost an omnivore (that's a meat-eater for those of you that failed junior high health class). Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy all the vegan recipes I've found in the Skinny Bitch books and other vegetarian/vegan websites, but lately I don't know what it is, I've been craving hamburgers and steaks like nobody's business, yo! Maybe it's my body telling me I need more protein. Maybe it's my caveman genes trying to coax me into scrambling down to the Dino Diner for a stegosaurus burger (didn't Fred Flintstone eat those?). I don't really know the reason, but I can ignore the call or let it go to voicemail.

Meat good. Oooga! Ooga!

So, what to do? Well, I have previously spent months at a time eating a primarily paleolithic diet. If you're not familiar with the "paleo" trend, it basically tries to emulate the foods that our ancestors would have eaten back in the paleolithic times. That means organic, grass-fed meat (when you can catch it and kill it), lots of organic fruits and vegetables (when they are in season), nuts and berries (probably foraged by the lady-folk), and healthy fats (from meats like fish or from seeds like flax or from fruits like avocados...yes, it's a fruit, people!).

You'll notice what's missing here is grains. Cavemen didn't farm and didn't harvest wild grains, so that is not on the strictly paleolithic menu...but that's where I diverge for practical reasons. I consciously try to reduce the total amount of grains I eat. I aim for ancient grains (quinoa, amaranth, spelt, buckwheat, barley or rye) when they are available, like when I'm cooking at home. I will sometimes eat whole grains or brown rice. And I try to avoid white grains, processed grains, and grain derivatives like High Fructose Corn Syrup (yes, corn is a grain not a vegetable...see how much you're learning today!).

I'll write more in future posts about this type of dieting as I make the transition and explore the effects. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind again and become a fruitarian (those that only eat fruit and nothing else...strange!). In honor of my decision to reintroduce meat, though, I'll leave you with a scrumptious and incredibly simple caveman delicacy.

Grilled Steak w/Blue Cheese, Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower & Cherry Tomatoes

I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs: Have Her Over for Dinner. I like Matt Moore's style of simple cooking so much that I own his cookbook and highly recommend it.

I altered Matt's recipe a little, so here's what I did. I bought one big London broil steak. By big I mean enough to serve me, my wife, and my daughter for two meals...BIG, think caveman! I set it out at room temperature in a dish and rubbed it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar while I heated up the broiler. Next, I chopped some broccoli and cauliflower into bite-size florets and got about an inch or two of salted water boiling in my steamer.

The next part happens in a flash, so don't blink. I rubbed some gourmet grey sea salt and cracked black pepper all over the steak, threw it on the broiler tray and popped it in the oven. Then I dumped the broccoli-cauliflower mix into the top of the steamer. I waited about two minutes. Maybe I rinsed my cherry tomatoes. Maybe I opened some Ravenswood Zinfandel...yum! When the two minutes were up, I checked my steak and because the top was browned, I turned it over, sprinkled some crumbled blue cheese on top and back into the oven it went. Then I checked my veggies and found them bright in color, so I dropped the heat to low to keep those puppies warm. When the steak looked done and the blue cheese was just beginning to brown, I pulled it out and let it rest for a few minutes while I tossed the veggies in a bowl with a little butter to melt it and some salt and pepper. Finally, I served up plates with a big scoop of veggies, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and a glorious serving of steak. Oh, and of course, a glass of that zin!

Try it. Your inner caveman will thank you!

Sleep...The New Sex

Sleep is the new sex. Think about it. Don't you hear people constantly talking about how they wish they had more of it? It used to be better, but now...not so much. Couples complain about their kids getting in the way of it. Most people agree it's better with someone you love, not quite as satisfying if you do it alone, and often awkward if you do it with a stranger!

I haven't posted in almost a week. During that time both my wife and my daughter got pretty sick with fevers and coughs. The same symptoms wiped out about half of my office and my wife's office. Everyone's feeling better now, thank goodness. The strange thing...I didn't get it. My theory on why...more sleep.

I've been thinking a lot about sleep lately. As I studied my results from all the exercising and dieting I've been doing. I could see small areas where improved effort could yield improved results (less ice cream, more intense cardio, etc.), but I felt like I should look outside the box to see if there were other factors affecting my results. That's when I stumbled onto a bunch of blogs, websites and books about sleep's effects on weight loss.

Cortisol & HGH: The Gatekeepers to Your Fat Storage Cells

You see, your body has this balance between two important hormones: cortisol and human growth hormone (HGH). Cortisol is called "the stress hormone." It tells your body to store sugars in your bloodstream as fat in preparation for a rough road ahead (think famine or a long journey for our caveman ancestors). HGH, on the other hand, tells your body to burn fat to repair muscle and organ tissue. These two hormones function on a sliding scale...when one is up, the other is down.

One way to fine tune your weight loss is to look at the things within your control that will shift your body away from cortisol production and toward HGH production. You shouldn't be surprised to see that these activities are things your good doctor (and your mother) has been telling you to do since you were a kid. Here are a few: relax, reduce your stress, eat your vegetables, reduce the amount of sugar and refined carbohydrates you eat, exercise, get a good night's sleep, take a nap.

I looked at a list like that and realized I was doing pretty well on most of them, but I was really shorting myself on sleep in order to keep up all the other practices. Making healthy meals at home often means late nights of shopping and cooking. The only time I can get the gym consistently is at 5 a.m. I realized that I could try to get to bed a little earlier, but the only way I was going to squeeze any more sleep into my schedule (and HGH into my bloodstream) was to nap!

Naps, They're Not Just for Babies

My trip down the rabbit hole of sleep research led me to a great book called Take a Nap! Change Your Life. by Sara C. Mednick, Ph.D. I'm still reading it, but here's what I've learned so far. Our bodies drift through a programmed set of sleep stages while we snooze: Stage 1 (drifting off), Stage 2 (increases alertness & motor skills), Stage 3 & 4 (called "slow-wave sleep" these improve your memory by shuttling short-term memories to long-term memory), and the most famous of all...REM or "Rapid Eye Movement" (the dream state that inspires creativity and heightens perception).

Now, I won't bore you with all the science surrounding how the body cycles through these stages, but suffice it to say that Dr. Mednick offers some very targeted advice on how to time your naps (both when and how long) for the maximum benefits depending on what type of sleep you need most. Personally, I'm aiming for short, 20-minute naps at mid-day that give me a quick dose of Stage 2 for alertness and the occasional 20 to 45 minute nap at the end of the workday that will provide a wash of slow-wave sleep for repairing muscle cells that I've torn down during my workouts. The nice thing is that both types of naps will help to lower cortisol and raise HGH, speeding up weight loss and muscle growth.

If your interested in learning more, check out Dr. Mednick's book or her website: www.saramednick.com.

I think I'm Turning Japanese, I Really Think Soba

Last night I made a healthy Japanese-inspired meal that I think could become a staple. It's so easy, lightly flavored, but sooo filling! Make it at home and you'll see what I mean.

Japanese Soba with Steamed Veggies and Tofu (from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)

You'll need some Asian flavors to make this meal, so this is a great chance to raid the "international" aisle of your local grocery store.

Start by whisking together 2 Tbs. mirin (Japanese rice wine), 1Tbs. minced fresh ginger (I omitted because my pregnant wife is currently spice-intolerant), 1 Tbs. soy sauce or tamari, and 1 Tbs. sesame oil in a big bowl. You'll toss this with your steamed veggies later, so put it aside for now.

Next, steam 1 eggplant cut into 1/4 in. cubes over some boiling water with 2 Tbs. of rice vinegar for 7 minutes. Throw in a carrot cut into matchsticks for another 7 minutes. Then toss in 8 oz. of extra firm tofu cut into 1/4 in. cubes for 3 minutes. When everything seems hot and tender (I'm talking about the vegetables here!), dump it all in the bowl with the sauce mixture and toss to coat.

At some point while your steaming away at your veggies, you've also got to boil some salted water and throw in an 8 oz. package of buckwheat soba noodles. I know it's multi-tasking, but you can do it...I believe in you! The goal is to have the soba noodles cooked (about 4-6 minutes) and the veggies hot at about the same time. Timing is everything in life...as in soba.

Finally, strain the noodles, rinse them with cold water, and strain again. Then toss them back in the pot with 1 Tbs. of sesame oil so they don't stick together. Now you're ready to lay down a tasty layer of noodles in a pasta bowl and dump some of the veggie/tofu mix on top. As if that wasn't enough, let's get gourmet here by throwing a dash of sliced scallions and a splash of gomasio (seasoned sesame seeds) on top...WAA-TAAAA!!! (You MUST actually say that in your best Bruce Lee impression...even though he wasn't Japanese.)

Now, enjoy with a fine sake. Personally, I like the cold, unfiltered Nigori sakes, but I'm no stranger to the typical, warm Junmai sakes either. Take your pick and eat with a fork...or chopsticks!

Eat, Stop, Eat -- Slow Weight Loss through Fasting

The Nuts & Bolts
I've been experimenting over the last two weeks with 24-hours fasts to help me control my diet. The basic idea is that once or twice a week I don't eat from dinner one night until dinner the next night. I have a healthy relationship with food and eating, so I'm not too uptight about the process. Some days I'll be part way through a fast and interrupt it (usually due to unexpected social commitments) so I simply start a fast after dinner the next night that it is convenient. Some weeks I'll fast on Sunday and Wednesday, but that's not written in stone. The fasts don't have to start after dinner, but that is my preference because I find that I have plenty of energy in the morning and through mid-day without food. I don't plan my fasts around my workouts because I almost always workout in the early morning in a fasted state anyhow. Finally, when I resume eating (break the fast) I don't do anything special...no extra large meals or special treats that would counteract the calorie restriction that I just accomplished.

So, Why Fast?

I'm not a stranger to fasting. I've done it on occasions for religious functions or to be supportive to friends that were fasting for religious reasons, like Ramadan (to avoid tempting my high school buddy Kinan with french fries or pizza when he was sweating his way through the daylight hours until his next meal).

Every time I've committed to and completed a fast I've learned something profound about myself and my relationship to food. If you ever find yourself fasting while sitting in a room full of people eating very unhealthy food, I can guarantee you that your eyes will be opened. You will suddenly read the craving and strong desire for fulfillment and satisfaction on the faces of those around you and you'll simultaneously realize that no meal is so amazing that it will fill that void. I'm not trying to get to metaphysical on you here, I'm just saying that on a very simple level, fasting forces you to observe. You observe when you're hungry and why. You observe how that hunger passes and returns in waves of decreasing intensity. You observe the stillness, lightness and radiant energy that comes from a body that is not preoccupied with constantly digesting. (Maybe this is why the word "observe" is used in reference to most religious fasts..."observing" Ramadan..."observing" Lent, etc.)

"OK, OK," you say, "I'm not searching for enlightenment! I just want to be healthier (or look good in a swimsuit, whatever the case may be)!" Well, intermittent fasting provides a sustainable and low-stress way to reduce your weekly calorie intake without sacrificing your enjoyment of food on your non-fast days. I'm not saying you're going to lose weight if you fast twice a week and pig out on the other days. I am saying, though, that on your fast days your body automatically shifts from burning digestible food that you consume and will begin burning stored fat (and couldn't we all afford to torch a few fat cells?). I won't bore you with a bunch of biochemistry and nutrition, but if you really want to get into the nitty gritty try reading Eat, Stop, Eat by Brad Pilon. Brad has an educational background in nutrition and has worked in the sports supplement industry. More importantly, in my opinion, in Eat, Stop, Eat he has written a very well researched and heavily footnoted summary of all the prevailing science about fasting...and he's built an impressive physique by practicing what he preaches. I'm much more apt to take diet or workout advice from someone that looks like they've reached my goal physique than from some skinny science geek or unfit personal trainer at the gym (not that those folks might not know what they're talking about...I just don't trust anyone with a "do what I say not what I do" approach...which is why I will occasionally bore you with shirtless pics of my progress, to prove that I'm investing the sweat equity to gain your trust).

The Results

I immediately saw weight loss on the scale and in the way my clothes fit. You can see the reductions in my Week 3 Measurements. I attribute these changes almost entirely to fasting because I haven't really been doing tons of cardio to burn calories. I'm sure that some of the weight loss is due to water loss, but I tend to drink a TON of liquid during my fasts (water, herbal tea, black coffee, alkaline vegetable broth). So, any water loss should be offset in the long run by my efforts to remain well hydrated.

I have also found that I enjoy the extra time I gain from eliminating the need to forage. Plus, I've experienced a definite increase in energy and alertness on fast days and a deeper appreciation for the smells and tastes of my meals on non-fast days.

Any negatives? None that I have experienced so far. I do get hungry, but it's not debilitating and it passes quickly. I haven't seen any wasting away of muscle mass or evidence of lethargy or moodiness. Your mileage may vary when it comes to the emotional effects, but one thing's for certain you will burn fat if it's the only fuel in the tank.

Roasted Sausage and Peppers over Soft Polenta...Where Have You Been All My Life?

Tonight's little Italian feast was scrumptious even though it was meatless. Who would have thought it was possible?! The lovely ladies that wrote Skinny Bitch in the Kitch...that's who!

To create this bowl of goodness you preheat your oven to 425 degrees while you a fill a big bowl with 12 (that's right 12!) cloves of garlic, 4 sliced bell peppers (any color), and 2 sliced onions. After you've tossed the veggies with a few splashes of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, you dump the mix onto a baking sheet and throw it in the oven for 20 minutes.

When the veggies are tender, you mix in 4 Italian vegan sausages sliced on a diagonal and throw the whole tray back in for another 15 minutes. (You might be saying to yourself -- just like I did -- "vegan sausages!!" I'm not a fan of products that are trying to be meat when they aren't, but I figure most commercially made meat sausage is trying to be meat when it really isn't...right? I mean, who really knows what's in those wiener casings anyhow? What I do know is that vegan sausages are a VERY tasty mixture of wheat gluten, veggies, and spices. I just may never go back to meat...when it comes to sausages, that is.)

While the sausages and veggies are getting their last 15-minute dose of heat, you have just enough time to boil 4 cups of low-sodium, organic vegetable broth with a pinch of salt in a small pot then add 1 Cup of polenta. Bring it back to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to a simmer for 8-10 minutes...just until the polenta starts to look like moist cream of wheat.

To bring it all together, you slap a few big spoonfuls of polenta into a bowl and toss a healthy mound of the veggie-sausage mix on top. Mmm-mmm, delicioso!

Skinny Bitch, Veganism and a Green Goddess

I'm man enough to admit that I'm a fan of the Skinny Bitch series of books. If you haven't read them, you've probably heard of them. Skinny Bitch is a New York Times Bestseller by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin that dumps a ton of information into your eye holes about the current appalling state of our nation's food supply. The final upshot of the book is that a vegan lifestyle is the only real way to avoid America's common killers of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes while reducing your exposure to pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones and lots of other dirty stuff (both chemical and natural).

After reading Skinny Bastard (yes, its the male version...basically the same book but with humor tailored to male sensibilities) a few months back, I have really devoted myself to eating a cleaner diet. I'm not 100% vegan, but I tend to trend toward a primarily plant-based diet with the occasional foray into the world of meat and dairy. I can say that now that I'm straddling the vegan/meat-eating fence, I have observed that I just feel cleaner, lighter and more energetic when I'm eating meals that are primarily focused on a variety of fresh, organic vegetables.

If you don't believe me, I would encourage you to try a few of the incredible recipes that I post here from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch (one of two cookbooks the gals have created). Earlier I posted a Veggie Burrito recipe and today I bring you Green Goddess Pasta. It's simple, healthy and oh so yummy!

First, melt 3 Tbs of coconut oil in a small sauce pan and sauté 4 cloves of garlic in it over low heat. Just as the garlic begins to brown take it off the heat and add 4-6 Tbs of vegan butter (I use Earth Balance from Whole Foods...I had actually been using before the vegan bug bit me and I didn't realize that it wasn't real butter!). Stir it all up until the butter melts and you now have a garlic butter sauce. Are you salivating yet? You will when you smell this stuff!

Now, boil some water with some salt in it and throw in a package of brown rice or whole wheat macaroni pasta. While that boils, cut 2 zucchini lengthwise then slice them into 1/4 inch half moons; cut about 2 or 3 handfuls of broccoli into bite size florets; and cut about 4 oz. of kale crosswise into 1/2 inch strips. When the pasta is almost done, add all the veggies and let the mess boil for another minute or two until the pasta is al dente and the veggies are bright and tender.

Finally, the mash up...strain the pasta/veggie mess while reserving 1/2 Cup of the liquid. Then pour it back into the pot with the liquid and the yummy garlic butter. Toss everything together with a handful of pine nuts and maybe a little pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper and serve. Be prepared to follow over saying, "I never knew health food could be this GOOOO-OO-OOD! That Jeremy is really on to something. I'll never eat crap again!"

I Survived Week 3!

I have my yoga days today and tomorrow then Week 3 will be complete. I was able to successfully complete the week without missing any workouts even though I was a "single dad" for a week while Anita was in Vegas. That meant moving my Wednesday and Thursday workouts to lunch time and making sure that my work calendar didn't encroach on them. It also meant that my diet suffered a little because I found it hard to prepare healthy meals and still keep Sonia entertained with trips to the library and the homes of friends and family in the evenings.

To make up for the sloppy diet week I decided to try my first 24-hour fast yesterday (Sunday). It went surprisingly well. I started the fast at 6 p.m. on Saturday, worked out Sunday morning like usual, then even took the family on a hike in San Francisco and ran around with Sonia at Crissy Field. Amazingly, I was never low energy nor was I ever hungry! That's right...I was never hungry! I'll post more in the future about intermittent fasting and some of the research that I've been reading. But on first blush it seems doable, let's just see whether it helps me lose any unwanted fat while maintaining my muscle growth.

Cleansing and Nutrition

Last year, my wife, Anita, and I returned from a long trip in India feeling stuffed and lethargic. While we were traveling we were force fed in home after loving home. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the food was very nutritious and we did an awful lot of walking, but still we came home feeling beat and ready for a sea change in our eating habits.

We immediately committed to a 28-day health and wellness program created by Ti Caudron at Cambiati Wellness Programs. We had been hearing a lot of good things from friends and relatives that had tried the program and figured we were finally ready to take the plunge.

One of our big concerns was whether the program would be flexible enough to accommodate our different goals. Anita wanted to slim down to her pre-pregnancy weight from before our daughter Sonia was born. I wanted to lose some fat while gaining some lean muscle that would improve my athleticism in activities like running, soccer, and yoga. We were amazed at how well Ti's program fit both our objectives! So amazed, in fact, that we followed up our initial success with another 28 days because we felt great and were still losing weight. In the end, I lost about 20 pounds and Anita lost about 15. I also gained about eight pounds of muscle by shifting my diet a little based on the Cambiati principles.

Since then, we have done versions of the program that we have tailored to our needs for maintenance and spot-training with Cambiati's help and support. I completed another 28-day session just before the holidays and we've both done short one to three-day "mini cleanses" whenever we have felt low energy or out of balance nutritionally.

As part of my current goals, I'm sticking to a diet that is similar to the first week of the Cambiati program and I'm giving myself a little break here and there to have drinks with friends or a dessert after a nice meal out. As a result, my energy level has been high (despite exercising seven days a week: yoga - Mon., Tues., Fri.; resistance and running - Wed., Thurs., Sat., Sun.; soccer - Thurs. nights; and golf on occasion). I'm also seeing the signs of changes in body composition...my muscles in my chest, back, shoulders and arms are getting more defined while my pants are getting loser in the waist and thighs.

I'm contemplating stepping it up and adding either intermittent fasting along the lines of the Eat Stop Eat program created by Brad Pilon and heavily touted by Rusty Moore (who created my current resistance training program) or the slow carb diet demonstrated in Tim Ferriss's book The 4-Hour Body. I'll add one of those regimens after my first two months of mass building are complete. Until then, I'm happy to maintain my current weight and watch my body composition slowly adjust.

Veggie Burritos...Yum!

Last night I made some amazing veggie burritos that topped the chart on health and taste. Basically, here's the assembly so you can make them at home:

Take an Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted Grain tortilla...

put some warm black beans and brown rice on it...

a big spoonful of a sauteed veggie mix of bell pepper, anaheim chile, red onion, yellow squash, zucchini, tomato and garlic with about a teaspoon (or less for the spice-challenged) of cumin, coriander and chili powder...

a sprinkle of minced cilantro and thinly sliced scallion...

finally a dollop of guacamole and salsa.

If you want me to send you the specific recipe with cooking instructions, post a comment and I'll email it to you. Needless to say, these burritos are packed with veggie goodness and are oh so filling. The nice thing is you can experiment with whatever veggies you have in the house and as long as you add the spice mixture its going to taste delish!