2nd Day of Paleo!!

Let a brother know how y'all feel!!! Write in comments!!!

Protein Powder

Ok, I know, they are tasty, convenient and easy to use...all things I have aspired to be in life (Wait..what??) Anywho here is the deal with the quick liquid meals.

Some people use this a supplement to their diets. Others make it the only thing in their diets (yes there are diets in which people drink shakes and only shakes for a month, dont worry about these people, they wont live long and when we are a little older we will do burpees on their graves).

From words in the herd, shakes release a high insulin response causing problems for those who already have problems in that department and a lack of the actual amount of protein to be digested. As Robb Wolf put it :"Why not shakes? I’ve not found them to be superior to solid food, I have noticed they make people fat. A new paper just came out comparing milk & cereal (shitty food) to a PWO shake (also shitty food) and the milk+cereal beat the shake with regards to glycogen repletion. Go figure. I’d wager salmon and sweet potatoes would be even better…not likely to see that study!"

As I told Cat tonight I occasionally make smoothies but you can also use meats that you can quickly throw down (think finger food ie sausage patties, chunk of steak etc). In all honesty I will resort to a shake as a last ditch effort. It is not my first go to. Because most diets we have encountered restrict food, and Paleo does not, if you can eat why not eat? If I do use a shake, as I have posted in the comments I try to go with a clean version like Isopure (Unflavored..really it has no flavor, its more bland than cardboard.) If I do use them I try to add coconut milk, water and cinnamon. Why cinnamon? Because most studies show that it blunts insulin from rising quickly ie blunts insulin response. Most powders contain sucralose, not good. If you are gonna bs me with Bodybuilders use shakes and theyre fine then you have no idea what a BB eats before competition when they look as lean as the do.

So youre probably asking still ......"so...can I use em...or not" and I will give you the same look that I gave the person who asked me ""I cant believe its not butter" is that a good butter to use?" It goes like this: we are trying to tighten the belt, suck it up, make you Look-Perform-Feel better, raise your standards, make a better you.....get serious, cut it for just 7 weeks and then considering adding it back in afterwards. When it comes to your LPF you have to ask yourself how serious are you about this. All the time and effort, why risk it for a f-ing shake.

Heres my newly created motto: Screw Shakes!! Eat Steaks!!

Boom!!

She doesnt like shakes...and she lifts more than you...get the hint??

With Holding Information

So as of late I have been accused of holding back tasty information. Something new to me with all of this is that I have come up with my own tricks my own tastes and certain things I add to meals that others would LOVE to know about. Ive been eating this way (85% of the time) for months now. I have made serious efforts to remove things that I know hurt my standards of LPF. The information with holding isnt intentional, it is just something I havent gone over with anyone yet.
Two days into it and some are already complaining of lack of "flavor" or "taste".......seriously?? Its called "spices." If you dont know what they are or how to use them, I dont see you making it through the challenge (sorry). There is a simple fact of when it comes to meat "EVERYTHING taste the SAME." It is only spiced to taste differently. The only difference between KFC and El Pollo Loco is spices. KFC has a "secret recipe" which they have used for years consisting of herbs and spices. EPL has there own (mainly lime). Chicken tastes like chicken. All meat has, pulled from the animal, a bland taste. You have to add spices to make it something special. To many this is a no brainer for others the are lacking the flavor. Food is food. You have to make it special you have to add things too it. As of recently you have just paying other people a lot of money to flavor it for you. How much sense does that make?

Also, try to come up with favorite meals. I was speaking with Brian about this the other night. I have certain bfast/lunch/dinner and snacks I have made that I LOVE. I replicate these meals often and Im usually excited and cant wait to eat them because I know how tasty they are. As Robb said eat Chicken for 1 week, Lamb the 2nd, Beef the 3rd, Buffalo the 4th and then cycle again, basically making it a month until you eat chicken again. Didnt sound like a bad idear.

So the things I have been with holding mainly involve condiments and information about protein powder. As far as condiments go Im a outspoken addict for ranch dressing. It was one of my things I didnt want to give up. When I use it I use Drews Ranch because it has all natural ingredients. I mainly try to use something else like CLASSICO instead of the ranch, especially when Im getting closer to or know of workouts that I need to be best for. For ketchup, Annies Natural ketchup is amazing and I like it more than than Heinz. Again, all natural and also gluten free. Whats wrong with both of these; Price and Volume. They are both more expensive and contain less volume than Hidden Valley and Heinz. But that should tell you something about the product; HV and H can make it cheaper and there for sell it cheaper because of the quality. If anyone else has more ideas or products or even products that they would like to look into let me know.
OH!!! ALso, butter....if you are gonna use it the running recommendation right now is KerryGold (I use unsalted, I liked the taste more) Its a great butter you can put on anything really. It comes from New Zealand or something (so its like $4) but comes from Real cows that are free range and grass fed. Bang!!

Enjoy.

I feel so warm inside

Hey every1,


I just wanted to throw an update out there, Nolan has jumped into this full boar. He has made a blog and promises to try and keep it updated. You too can do the same. Like I said the more community involved in this the better. Im posting his link here but it will also permanently be added to the side bar (underneath my info) on the right of the screen. Just wanted to congratulate Nolan on his pursuit to raise his standards. I think its awesome and as more results pour in from others its going to be even better. Today was day one, so Please let the others know how you're feeling.

Check out Nolans Blog here: http://nolanpatterson.blogspot.com
Good job/luck/times every1

Chris

You are screwed

Muuahhahahah!!! You guys asked for it!!! Some of you wanted that extra day!!! Wanted to wait till the saints won. Well for those of you that decided that today is the last day and im going to go all out....you just made it...SO...damn...hard for yourself! I said its an addiction, so if you think that tomorrow when you wake up that youre going to have the self control to drive those cravings away....we shall see. If you are one of those people that loaded up and jumped on that vicious cycle I was describing you are going to have a really rough week. LET THE CRAVINGS BEGIN!!! Its a fact, that addicts who use before entering rehab have a horrible time trying to come of. BE PREPARED!!

Now some of you think im probably just being mean...well yeah...tough love, eh, but I come bringing advice. If you have left overs, if you have temptations in your house or around you GET RID OF IT. You wont make it. You will break and the cycle begins anew. Get it out of the house dont interact with it. You have to come down and detox....YOU>>>HAVE>>TO. I can not stress this enough. This is going to be like coming down from a high...ly addictive substance. For some newly recovered addicts it takes time to be able to go to a bar or hang with friends who use, same thing will happen. BUT! the better life, the better you, the new standards are more than worth it. You have to be strong. You have to have good reasons and vision and make this a MUST. And you can. You can do this. Its 7 weeks. Dont quit. STAY STRONG.

Get the stuff out of the house. Dont be around it. Plan your meals. Cook ahead. Stay Strong.

If it helps tell yourself that you will do this 1 week. No cheating, no slips, no breaks. 1 week no matter what. At the end of that week see if you want to cheat, probably not. If you cant make it PAST 3 days, we are in serious trouble. I predict people making mistakes like "Oh! Well I thought that was paleo?" (and BTW if its a stupid mistake like "I thought tequila was ok because its a plant" you are going to be on my list, and take it from heather who is on it frequently, you dont want to be there) You can all do this, you dont have a good enough reason not to. Best of luck. 12am tonight...LET THE CHALLENGE BEGIN!!!!

STAY....STRONG!!!!

Dont be the weak one on the bottom; getting your a** kicked by cravings/sugar/carbs....

Be the Strong one on top; beating the snot of all of it....

Resources

These are good websites to check out with all kinds of different info.

Tasty Meals:
http://www.performancemenu.com/recipes/index.php

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

Tons of info:
http://paleobrands.com/

Good meals:
http://www.crossfitfootball.com/

Paleo Bfast and Dinner ideas:
http://socalsc.com/

Vitamni D info: http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2009/10/a-closer-look-at-vitamin-d/
more to come......

Important INFO

Ok everybody, here is the info for pictures and food logs.

Pictures:

People have asked me why we don’t weigh participants and take body fat measurements, along with other vitals. There are several reasons. In regards to weighing, some people don’t actually loose that much weight but the change to their body is significant. Again, people want to look good naked and pictures don’t lie. How the participant looks is what matters to them and determines the winner. Body fat measurements can be very inconsistent and it takes more time. Other vitals take time and money as well. Its all well worth it, but it is important to consider keeping things simple. The health benefits everyone receives from eating better is a given and will be numerous. No amount of tests can sum up these benefits and changes.
It’s important to emphasize the privacy of the pictures that are taken, especially these days. We will send every participant’s Before and After pictures to them via their email address. The pictures will be kept on a private computer.

What kind of Pictures:

3 ‘Before’ pictures taken: front view, side view and back view. Men are in shorts; Women are in shorts and sports bra/bikini top

Food Logs:

The Food Logs have several great side benefits. One of them being that all those doing the Challenge can see what others are eating and get great ideas from it. Almost everyone gets stuck in a rut and seeing what someone else is eating for breakfast can often help them break out. The accountability that the Food Log offers should not be underestimated. Some folks said the Food Log was a more motivating factor for them than the pictures. Yes, some people will not write everything down or be totally honest. That’s okay. The pictures don’t lie.

If you want to be really exact in describing what you eat, you can. Or you can be fairly general. Everything you eat, though, has to be written down, including beverages. People will fall off the wagon big time. This WILL happen and it’s okay. Just get right back on again.
Several people will tell us they want to do the LEANing Challenge but that you can’t give up this or that. We DONT care. Even if our clients make just one change, such as cutting out high-fructose corn syrup, that is good enough for us. Often, once people start writing down what they eat, it’s only then that they can see for themselves the changes they need to make.
For each Challenge we’ve found that there are a few people who will jump into the Challenge by starving themselves. They come into the gym and report dizziness and that they feel awful. This is where the Food Log is really handy. We will be able to look at what you are eating and often we will let you know that they are not eating nearly enough.
Also there are few people whose body will not switch into a fat-burning mode very quickly. Hence, you may not see any results for weeks. This can be very discouraging and makes it hard for these people to stick with the Challenge. We encourage you to hang in there. The changes will come. (This is, of course, a very generalized statement. You may have other underlying factors that are keeping you from burning fat).

Food logs will be emailed to me every week (make it a sunday ritual. I will not ask for it but IF I dont get them...coughburpeescough.....)

Example Food Log:

Note this is an EXAMPLE food log...DO NOT FOLLOW

Monday (date)
-2 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 6 almonds.
-12 almonds, 7 oz carrots, Omelet: 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1/3 of a bell
pepper, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 3/4 cup salsa
-4 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 21 almonds, 2.5 cups steamed collard greens
-2 oz chicken breast, 24 almonds
-4 oz chicken breast, 1 apple, 12 almonds, 2.5 cups of rhutabaga
-1 peanut butter cookie

Chris's Food Log Super Bowl Sunday:

B-fast:

3 eggs/ sausage/ 1 small glass of coconut milk

Lunch: 2 Hamburger patties/ salad/ Carrots/ nuts

Dinner: Dennys Grand Slam: 2 eggs/chicken patty/turkey bacon/sausage/fruit/ coconut milk

BTW: Good ideas for switching condiments ie if you love Ketchup or something I have found that bfast with salsa is always great and easy, any kind of meat goes well with a meat sauce that you would put on pasta(I use CLASSICO). Try and find a good brand remember we are going to be eating processed free so make sure you look at the ingredients. you are looking for natural ingredients and the like.