confuse

Hey you all!

Maybe I miss spoke about something or mumbled or misspelled or maybe you werent listening because I say a lot of random things and you thought this wasnt important.

If you are in the Challenge....and there is only a short time left.......you MUST email me your food log.

As wayne brady told dave.. "this is not an option *&%^!!!!"

If I dont receive a food log from you you are not in the challenge. Im sorry but rules are rules and if you dont like em speak with Officer Rios about such matters ;)

Please email me (xfitnut@yahoo.com) and let a bro know who is still in it to win it. I need a name and a food log. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I love you all, mostly with tough love, but love nonetheless and need directions to be followed in order to not cause conflict.

For those of you by the way who braved the winds and bootcamped it with me this morning big hugs and kisses.

Also a HUGE (to the not huge) Welcome back to WENDY!! Who somehow delivered child and still kicked major butt in her workout. I am upset though that the pregnancy is over because now I cannot pick on her. That means someone else must take her place. Any Takers?!?!? :)

Live the Dream..

Really??

There's more than 5 people in this challenge???

Strange.....because I only receive about 5 food logs a week....on time.....at all......

HHmmmm...... That must means that those of you who attended the lecture missed out on a crucial part because everyone was trying to run off and get wasted one last time or go catch dinner....and those of you who "couldn't" make it for whatever reason obviously just don't know.

Well let me break it to you folks.

The only way in and out of this challenge isn't the initiation fee its also a weekly food log that you are all suppose to keep so I know what you're doing and know that you aren't cheating.

See things can go wrong in challenges like this; digestive issues, mood issues, hormonal issues, performance issues, results issues etc. and I cant help you figure any of that out if I don't know what the heck y'all are doing!

Some of you may be saying "this paleo thing is a joke, I haven't had any changes!" And I am unable to help those who may be thinking this because I have no idea what you're doing because you for whatever reason missed the mentioning that you MUST turn in weekly food logs.

Hopefully you've been keeping track, if not, better start.

In order to seriously be considered in this challenge you MUST turn in a food log every week. If I don't have food logs from you you WILL NOT WIN. I don't care how much you lost.

The only person who should have won last time was Nolan. Not just for leaning out like a mutha but on the technicality that he was the only one who showed up on the last day. Interesting.....

Please email all food logs to xfitnut@yahoo.com

I have really only been receiving 5 food logs a week and through passing conversation with Cat learned that there are like 15 of you in this challenge. Whoops!.........

I believe we are at the 1/2 way point which isn't bad.

Of course if you have any questions please email me at the same address.

Hope all is well y'all.

Let me know if its not....

OH! I forgot to tell you.....

...You are going to suck....

This was originally brought to my attention when Gary had explained to me that the last WOD he performed he completely sucked at. He felt terrible, slow, dragging and to make matters worse his wife completed the workout faster than he did....wow....

So what happened?

Well Gary forgot to realize that his body is changing. No not puberty folks, but he is switching over to Paleo.

Everyone in the challenge should pay attention to this and I have no better way to say it: youre probably gona suck.

I know I promised you all kinds of wonderful results by switching over to Paleo but this stuff does take time. Depending on how well you were following the American Diet before switching over to Paleo could result in the progress taking longer.

So until your body adapts, in the mean time you may suck. Its just part of the process. You will fall back a little while your body gets used to what youre doing and then you will start to do nothing but PR.

So even though you might feel like the guy below, hang in there and be super excited for the benefits that are coming shortly ;)

So Slow...

At least thats how I have been feeling lately.

I have completely forgot, possibly due to my own excitement, to tell all of you that Robb Wolfs book (which has just been ranked as Number 1 on the New York's Best Sellers List!!) is available for y'all to purchase.

I honestly could not express all of the kind feelings I have towards Robb and his wife Nikki and how much they both have helped me as a trainer. I have heard nothing but amazing things about the book and Robb is becoming ever more popular amongst the main stream media hitting up a few Television and Radio programs. Please go to robbwolf.com to get into the amazing podcasts he and Andy Deas do together and check out all kinds of amazing info he shares with everyone FOR FREE dammit. I believe the best place to get the book is on amazon. I have yet to get it up its on the list fo sho. Enjoy, learn, grow and be sexy!

3..2...1....

Eat!!

Oh yes my friends. The big day is upon us!! The start to the 2nd Crossfit Simi Valley Paleo Challenge!! If you havent had youre measurements or pictures taken or emailed me for a food log and such please do. (Email xfitnut@yahoo.com)

There were definitely some things we were unfortunately unable to go over because most of you were trying to split to go party-hearty on a friday night which I really cant be mad at you for.

Meal construction:

Try to think of when you are hungry and youre going to make some grub in this order:

1) What animal am I going to eat?

Always try to start your meal with a good source of protein from the list. This should be the crux of your meal. Feel free to mix and match as well for meals. Animals are awesome, and they taste good. Enjoy them.

2) Fat? What kind of fat are you going to have with your meal. Avocado, olive oil, coconut milk etc etc. Fat is really important because of a lot of reasons, all of them good. One important thing it does though is makes you feel full. DONT go crazy with fat but definitely dont go light with it. You really want to take it in moderation.

3) Carbs: here is where you want to get really intimate, ok maybe not intimate, but acquainted with Veggies....and some fruit... Most of your carb sources should come from these guys. Fruits in moderation but veggies you can literally go hog wild on. I dare you to try and over eat on veggies (d0nt really you wont feel too good).

Remember to chew your food A LOT! THere is a lot of important things that happen when eating and one of them is chewing. A lot of the important stuff you need to absorb from food starts when it starts melting in your mouth. So really chew your food. You will also feel more full which helps. Everyone should be enjoying your food. So please Enjoy!

Cutting: If you are going to cut things out I suggested 2 options: Cut 1 thing and then another and then another. Basically get used to cutting 1 thing and when you are ok with it start on another and so on. OR Cut everything and run!! Basically cut everything, go hardcore paleo, and REAP the benefits. Its on you really.
I have an analogy I have been using the past few weeks. Imagine this Challenge like a trip to Vegas. Now how do you want to get there? Do you want my really fast sports car? Or do you want to walk?

But really do what you are comfortable with while being slightly uncomfortable. Im not trying to ruin anyones life, despite what some of you may think my goal is in my classes, Im really only trying to make you Look Perform and Feel better.

So Cutting Options include but are not limited to:

1) Grains---read this article--http://cfsvdiner.blogspot.com/2009/04/truth-about-grains.html

2) Dairy-- read this article--http://cfsvdiner.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-just-like-me.html

3) Sugar--common sense, no attached article

Also read these articles from last years challenge to get some more help. Its all the articles from the challenge that took place including resources for meal ideas and the food list from the lecture.

Start Eating and Starting Leaning!!!!

http://cfsvdiner.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

In the Fridge...

Hey everyone,

Thanks to all those who attended the lecture and amazing power point. I hope my ramblings made sense and helped to some degree. I got a lot of questions over the following 2 days so please dont be shy and just ask away.

Like I said though, I told you all that I would post a food log that I kept (or tried to keep) for a few days. Like I also said DO NOT follow this or try to replicate it in anyway. By all means take some ideas but dont start doing this and only this. Of course if you have any questions just ask.

As far as I am concerned with eating, I have certain foods that I really enjoy eating and make them frequently. Its not because I dont have a lot of options, I just have things that are cheap, healthy, and easy for me to make and consume.

Enjoy!

Food Log:

9-6-10:
Bfast: 4 eggs- sausage patties – 1 cup applesauce – coconut ice cream (shredded coconut+coconut milk+ cinnamon+splash of almond milk (chocolate))
Lunch: 1/2lb buffalo (ground) + 1 bowl of spinach+ butter (KerryGold) + handful of nuts.
Dinner: ½ lb buffalo (ground) + 1 bowl carrots/broccoli + coconut ice cream

9-7-10:
Bfast: Bfast: 4 eggs- sausage patties – 2 bananas– coconut ice cream
Snack: Cup of macadamia nuts.
Lunch: Bowl of mixed veggies – 1 can of salmon
Dinner: 1 bowl of spinach+ butter – I can salmon – 1 lara bar

9-8-10:
Bfast: 4 eggs- sausage patties – 1 cup applesauce – coconut ice cream
Lunch: 2 talapias – 1 bowl spinach+ butter
Snack: Protein Shake

9-9-10:
Bfast: Ham steak- sausage patties- 3 gluten free waffles- nuts.
Lunch: Taco meat – spinach – nuts
Dinner: taco meat – salad – applesauce+strawberries

9-10-10
Bfast: 4 eggs- taco meat- 3 sausage patties- nuts
(Forgot to write stuff down for a while)

9-15-10:
Bfast: 4 eggs – sausage patties – applesauce
Lunch: 1 can of salmon – salad.
Dinner: chicken + salad.

9-16-10:
Bfast: 4 eggs- sausage patties – 1 cup applesauce – coconut ice cream
Lunch: 2x tilapia- bowl of spinach- coconut milk.

Change, Change, Change!!

Oh! Can you feel it? In the air? In your tummy??
Its coming....

The Challenge

Hey Folks,
New Paleo/Zone Challenge will be starting soon. Lecture will be given on Friday September 17th at 730pm Post WOD. If summer was a little harsh to you or you wana slim down before bulking up October thru February or have some pound-age to lose or arent preforming or as healthy as you should be then definitely stop by and Hunt/Gather some info (You like that huh? You did didnt you? Turned Hunter Gather into a pun...That's clever :) and get on the road to transforming yourself.

Come along my little caterpillars and lets become beautiful butterflies!!!!

Also: MANDATORY post lecture meeting at the closest YogurtLand!!!!!!!!!!.........Just kidding..............maybe ;)

Its just like me....

.....It does a body good.....maybe??

A lot of questions I get revolve around the consumption and effects of milk. I love milk and I love most milk based products. I believe that a heavy consumption of chocolate milk, almost a gallon on Saturdays, when I was a young lad led me to have never broken a bone....EVER..my entire life. Although I did get bouts of acne and was sick a bunch I still never wore a cast and was strong as an ox...or really tough puppy. I had good teeth, damn good teeth and for the most part still do.

But, still the debate still rages as to whether or not the consumption of milk as an adult is either good or bad. As our Governor once responded at a Body Building show being asked his opinion on milk, "milk is fo babiez."

I subscribe to the Paleo Newsletter and just wanted to share with you a question and answer I recently read. Enjoy!

Question:

Hello Dr. Cordain,

I am working on an article for Men's Journal about the negative impact of dairy products on some people. Basically, can you explain why milk is problematic? My understanding is that, similar to gluten, milk is potentially inflammatory, which is why it's such a common allergen. Can you expand on this?If someone is drinking milk now, and not feeling any negative effects, does that mean he doesn't have an issue with milk?What sort of changes have you observed in people who've given up dairy?Also, are all dairy products problematic, or is milk a particularly bad one?What do you recommend in place of milk to fill that nutritional gap?

Thanks so much for your help.

Thanks,
Ben

Detailed Answer!:

Hi Ben,

I really am not a world expert when it comes to health problems associated with milk, but I will copy Pedro Bastos, a colleague who is, and who has written a few pieces on this that may help to answer your questions:

Milk has numerous properties that may adversely affect health.

• Paradoxically, milk has a low glycemic response, but has an insulin response similar to eating a chocolate chip cookie or candy. In a recent study of young boys, they became insulin resistance after 7 days on a high milk diet compared to 7 days of a high meat diet.
  
  
• In humans, milk drinking elevates a hormone called IGF-1 which increases growth in children, resulting in an increased adult stature, but it also increases the risk for breast, colon and most particularly prostate cancer. How milk drinking increases IGF-1 is not completely known, but two mechanisms have been proposed: 1) bovine milk contains IGF-1 which crosses the human gut barrier, and 2) IGF-1 concentrations in human blood vary with insulin -- because milk increases the insulin response so dramatically, then this response in turn may increase IGF-1.
  
  
• In numerous epidemiological studies, milk drinking has been associated with an increased risk for numerous autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Young children are particularly at risk for type 1 diabetes if bovine milk exposure occurs before the age of 1 year. In animal models of multiple sclerosis, a particular protein found in milk (butyrophilin) when injected into rats causes the animal equivalent of MS.
  
  
• In a series of epidemiological studies from the Harvard School of Public Health, milk drinking has shown to dramatically increase the risk for acne. Once again the mechanism has not been completely worked out but may once again involve milks highly insulinotropic effect and/or various hormones found in milk that bypass the gut barrier and enter circulation.
  
  
• In many epidemiological studies, milk drinking increases the risk for atherosclerosis and fatal myocardial infarctions independent of its saturated fat content. Again the mechanisms are unclear, but it likely involves chronic low level inflammation, or perhaps endocrine substances found in bovine milk that adversely interact with mechanisms known to underlie cardiovascular disease.
  
  
• Milk contains a hormone called betacellulin which binds a human gut receptor called the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). In many human cancers, there is massive over expression of this receptor which may be linked to chronic consumption of betacellulin in bovine milk.
  
  
• There are many more health problems associated with milk drinking, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind. I'm sure Pedro can add many more.

Are all dairy products problematic, or is milk a particularly bad one?

I believe that all dairy products are problematic. Cheeses do not cause the high insulin response as does milk, yogurt and other fermented dairy products, but is one of the most acidic of all foods. Paradoxically, despite its high calcium content, its net acidic load promotes calcium loss from the bones. Betacellulin is also found in cheese, but many of the other hormones found in milk do not survive the cheese making process.

If someone is drinking milk now, and not feeling any negative effects, does that mean he doesn't have an issue with milk?

We cannot feel whether or not we are insulin resistant or if bovine hormones are entering our bloodstream, or if our arteries are becoming clogged with the atherosclerotic process, but we can notice improvements in acne and symptoms of allergy (wheezing, sneezing, rashes etc.), or autoimmune disease.

What sort of changes have you observed in people who've given up dairy?

I am not a clinician, and generally the anecdotal responses I am privy to involve people not just giving up dairy only, but rather adopting a Paleo diet in which all dairy is eliminated, along with all grains, processed foods, salt, legumes and potatoes. If you go to my website and look at the success stories section, you can read about these people.

What do you recommend in place of milk to fill that nutritional gap?

I don't view it as a nutritional gap, but rather a liability which causes our health to suffer in the long run. We have run nutritional comparisons of the following food groups (meats, seafood's, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts & seeds, milk) and published our results in the highest impact nutritional journal in the world, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. We found that for these 7 food groups, milk ranked third from last for the 14 most commonly lacking nutrients in the US diet. Hence, the commonly held notion that milk is a highly nutritious food is simply untrue.

Except for calcium, milk is a lightweight for many of the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal human health. Healthy bones result from positive calcium balance. Calcium balance is like a bank account and results from how much calcium we put into our bodies minus how much we lose. The Dairy Council focuses their ads upon the input side of the calcium equation -- more, more, more. However, the calcium that we ultimately lose in our urine is just as important. If we lose more calcium in our urine than we take in, we will never be in calcium balance, no matter how much milk we drink.

The most important factor determining urinary calcium loss is acid base balance. A net acid yielding diet promotes calcium loss in the urine, whereas a net base yielding diet prevents urinary calcium loss. Foods which are base yielding are fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that by consuming about 25-30 % of our daily energy as fruits and veggies, we can maintain calcium balance at low calcium intakes without milk consumption. Humans have existed on this planet for 2.5 million years, and only in the past 10,000 have we ever consumed milk or dairy products. Like all other mammals on the planet, we did quite well without milk (once we were weaned) for the rest of our adult lives. Have you ever thought about how an elephant can grow such large, health and strong bones without drinking the milk of another species?

I hope this helps.

Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Professor

SPAM!!!

Ok more like newsletters. Here is the latest one and I pretty much knew a lot of this but just wanted to pass the info onwards because I know most of you their think I am crazy, paranoid, nuts, bonkers, and evil.....or some kind of combination of those. Enjoy and Feast on Knowledge!!

3 So-Called "Healthy" Foods that You Should STOP Eating (if you want a lean healthy body)

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition SpecialistAuthor of the best-seller: The Truth About Six Pack Abs

I was reading a statistic in a nutrition book recently, and this is going to shock you...
Now before I tell you the statistic, let's keep an important fact in mind... according to well renowned nutrition author Michael Pollan, and his amazing book called In Defense of Food, humankind has historically consumed approximately 80,000 different species of edible plants, animals, and fungi, and approximately 3,000 of those have been widespread foods of the human diet.
Now get ready for a shocking and appalling statistic...
Currently, the average adult in the US consumes approximately 67% of their total caloric intake from only 3 foods -- CORN, SOY, AND WHEAT (and their derivatives).
What would be considered a reasonably healthy amount of corn, soy, and wheat in the human diet? Based on 10's of thousands of years of human history, and what the natural diet of our ancestors was (indicating what our digestive systems are still programmed to process), this would probably be in the range of about 1% to 5% MAX of our total calories from corn, soy, and wheat.
Considering that modern humans are eating 67% of their total calories from corn, soy, wheat... you can see why we have massive problems in our health, and our weight!
It's not a surprise that we have so many intolerances and allergies, specifically to soy and wheat (and gluten intolerance)... the human digestive system was simply never meant to consume these substances in such MASSIVE quantities.
Keep in mind that these massively high levels of corn, soy, and wheat in our modern human diet is a relatively new phenomenon that originated from the economics of the multi-billion dollar corn, soy, and wheat industries. It really HAS been all about the money.
By "derivatives" of corn, soy, and wheat, this means the food additives such as:
high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
corn oil
soybean oil (hydrogenated or plain refined)
soy protein
refined wheat flour
hundreds of other food additives such as maltodextrin, corn or wheat starch, soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, etc, etc
This doesn't surprise me... consider how much soda or other sweetened drinks (with loads of HFCS) that the average person drinks daily... this is a LOT of calories from just 1 sole corn derivative. Even marinades, salad dressings, ketchup, breads, and 100's of other foods contain loads of HFCS!
Also think about how many processed foods we have that are either fried in soybean or corn oil... and even if the foods are not fried in these oils, these oils are additives to almost every processed food... chips, candies, cakes, salad dressings, tomato sauces, burrito wraps, corn chips, breaded chicken, etc, etc. This is a LOT of calories from these 2 other corn and soy derivatives... both of them EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY!
On top of that, think about how much breads, cereals, pastas, muffins, and other highly processed wheat products that most people consume each day. Again, this is LOADS of unhealthy, blood-sugar spiking, nutrient-poor calories, that more than half of the population has some degree of intolerance to anyway.
It gets even worse!
Not only are we eating 67% of our total calories from corn, soy, and wheat... but because of the economics involved (specifically with cheap corn and soy) we are also feeding most of our farm animals corn and soy now too... again amplifying the amount of corn and soy that ends up in our bodies.
Probably the 2 worst examples of this blatant mismanagement of our food supply is how our factory farmed chickens and cows are fed.
Cows are fed mostly corn in factory feedlot farms, even though their digestive systems are only meant to eat grass and other forage. This makes the cows sick (hmm... E-coli anyone?), alters the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of the fats to unhealthy levels, and also diminishes the healthy CLA fats that would occur naturally in grass-fed beef. All of these problems go away if our cows are fed what they were made to eat naturally - grass!
Our chickens are also fed a diet of mostly corn and soy and crowded in tight pens in horrendous conditions... when the fact is that a chicken was meant to roam around the outdoors eating a mixture of greens, insects, worms, seeds, etc. When chickens are kept inside in tight quarters and fed only grains, it leads to an unhealthy meat for you to eat, and less healthy eggs compared to free-roaming chickens allowed to eat an outdoors diet.
Our food supply has gotten so screwed up that we're even feeding our salmon and other farmed fish corn and soy...again because of the economics involved. How ludicrous is this, considering that fish are meant to eat a diverse diet of smaller fish, worms, bugs, etc. Again this makes farm raised fish unhealthy in terms of nutrition compared to the wild counterparts. If you want to see something even scarier about farm raised fish, watch this quick video about the toxic fish you might be buying.
So even when you're eating chicken, beef, and fish, you're still essentially getting even MORE corn and soy into your body...considering that the cows, chickens, and farmed fish ate mostly soy and corn.
So it's actually WORSE than just 67% isn't it!
Why is it so unhealthy to consume 2/3rds of our calories from corn, soy, and wheat?
Well, this section could encompass an entire book, so to keep this short, I'll just throw out a few random reasons...
Skews the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in our diet to as high as 30:1, when a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1 is considered healthy.
Problems with gluten intolerance (related to heavy wheat consumption)
Problems with weight gain, blood-sugar swings, and reduced insulin sensitivity (and progression of diabetes) due to excessive refined corn and wheat flours, as well as HFCS in our diet
Soy and corn are the most genetically modified crops (which also allows more pesticides and herbicides to be used, which are usually xenoestrogens)
Many of the pesticide and herbicide residues in these crops are xenoestrogens, which can increase "stubborn" belly fat
Soy products and derivatives contain a double-whammy of xenoestrogens as well as phyto-estrogens... again creating an environment in your body for fat storage, carcinogenic effects, and even "man boobs" in very severe cases
The feeding of corn and soy to animals reduces the health and nutritional benefits of those animal products
and the list could go on and on and on...
So how do you avoid all of this overwhelming amount of corn, soy, and wheat in our food supply, and finally take control of your weight and your health?
1. Don't purchase processed foods! It all starts with your grocery cart discipline... choose only 1-ingredient foods such as fruits, veggies, beans, eggs (free roaming), nuts, seeds, and meats from grass-fed or free roaming animals that are raised correctly. Only resort to junk foods or processed foods on a 1-day per week "cheat day" but ONLY when dining out... that way, the processed foods aren't in your house to tempt you.
2. Get most of your carbs from fruits and veggies instead of grains.
3. Avoid store bought salad dressings as they almost always contain soybean oil and HFCS (instead, try my homemade healthy salad dressing)
4. Make sure that your tomato sauces don't have HFCS and soybean oils... look for sauces made with olive oil instead. Remember to avoid unhealthy canola oils too!
5. Try veggie sticks with guacamole instead of corn chips
6. Try veggies sticks with hummus instead of pita chips or other bread
7. Reduce your cereal, bread, and pasta intake by having these foods only on "cheat days" and stick to more of the 1-ingredient foods I mentioned in #1 above. Try some of these healthy snacks as good alternatives (yes, I know that one of the 13 snacks on there has sprouted grain, which is fine on occasion).
I could go on with more examples, but I think that's good for now.
So with all of this said... Is my diet perfect? Well, no of course not! Nobody is perfect, and I can give in to temptation on occasion just like anybody else.
However, I'd estimate that my corn/soy/wheat consumption is only about 2-4% of my total caloric intake compared to 67% for the average person. The way that I achieve this is to simply not bring any corn, soy, or wheat products into my house, so I'm never tempted by it. Therefore, at least 6 days/week, I eat virtually no corn/soy/wheat, except for the occasional piece of sprouted grain toast a couple times a week (which is a better option than typical "whole grain" bread).
I do, however, give in and sometimes eat breads, pasta, and even corn chips, etc. when I'm dining out. I see these as my cheat meals and try to do this no more than once per week. I still completely eliminate sodas and deep fried foods though...they are just TOO evil!

If youre not eating them...

Youre not living right...
This is a great newsletter article that was emailed to me that I wanted to share with you.
Enjoy!!

The Truth About Eggs!!

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal TrainerAuthor - The Truth About 6-Pack Abs

I was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.
Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this...
"because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you...that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is".
And I replied, "you mean that's where all of the nutrition is!"
This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!
By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all.
In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.
Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).
And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg...
"But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof"
No, this is FALSE!
First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.
On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.
And here's where it gets even more interesting...
There have been plenty of studies lately that indicate that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.
And 3rd... high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT. Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions... it is DEAD WRONG to try to "lower your cholesterol" just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.
If you're interested in this topic of cholesterol specifically, I have another article listed at the bottom of this page about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are.
In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.
To help bring even more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study. However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease) that the whole egg eaters did.
So I hope we've established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body... instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.
But what about the extra calories in the yolks?
This is actually a non-issue and here's why... even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks have such a high micro-nutrient density in those calories, that it increases your overall nutrient density per calorie you consume. Essentially, what this does is help to regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall. In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.
Overall, this means that the extra fats (healthy fats) and calories from the yolk are so nutrient-dense that they actually HELP you to burn off body fat!
Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don't compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet. Your typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels and a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level. On the other hand, the cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens allowed to eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.
I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.
Most people don't realize that there's a major difference because they've never bought real eggs from healthy chickens... The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs from the local farm had strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids... and just a healthier egg in general.
This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy. It's a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.
So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior (because of their "fat-phobic" mentality towards dietary fats), you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.
And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk... If you want real taste and real health benefits, we'd all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.
After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites? NOT A CHANCE! They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks. But our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.
Another interesting study about eggs...
I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.
It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.
Oh, one last thing I almost forgot... I personally eat 4 whole eggs almost every day with breakfast, and I maintain single-digit bodyfat most of the year.
Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

Stolen from the North!!

Those awesome peeps up north in Chico at Norcal Strength and Conditioning wrote a pretty good article: check it out (if you still visit this site. And if you do please let me know)

Soda....Are you STILL drinking it?!?!

By Katie

I have watched so many people come through the gym who are completely hooked/addicted to soda. After all of the diet changes that we implement I feel soda is one of the last things that people actually ditch.

They hold onto it for dear life and even lie quite frequently about its consumption. I’ve found that the reason for this is that there is just no substitute for it! At some point most folks think they are doing fine if they choose diet over regular....but after that...they just can’t make the break because there’s nothing else as satisfying!

So here are few things to consider---if you are still having a daily dose of soda: Even if it is sugar free, it is pumped full of chemically derived artificial sweeteners, which have been proven to have the same effect on your blood glucose as regular sugar. But that’s ok, because they’re calorie free, right? Wrong! Even if they may have no calories, the artificial sweeteners still illicit a response from your body the same as you eating regular sugar. This drives your blood sugar up, creating an insulin spike, creating a blood sugar crash!

I can think of some other uppers and downers that are way more fun, then having a can of soda ! So, once your blood sugar crashes, what happens? Oh, that’s right, you crave more sugar. Your body receives a message that you are low on carbohydrate--and hungry or not--you decide to eat more carbs to fill the void. It is a vicious cycle that ultimately leads to you never getting off the sugar! This cycle is a hard one to break, so get on board and do something about the sugar attacks and ditch the soda! Cold turkey it, and substitute for mineral water, tea or black coffee! As if the constant roller coaster effect isn’t enough for you to end your soda habit...here are a few more interesting tidbits I found in the post on blisstree.com:

Below you will find what soda does to your body in the first sixty minutes of consumption.

* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.
*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

Do you know what youre eating??

Pug Soup---Oh yeah! Its cute, delicious and paleo!!



Interesting list of things that are placed in our products which do nothing but harm.


Look for them in the foods you buy and enjoy the benifits! :) (<--- That is sarcasm by the way)





9 Ingredients to avoid in processed foods:


Check out the article here and get your mind blown!!


And then of course get super pissed at me because Im trying to save your life.


Go ahead, get mad.


http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/9-ingredients-to-avoid-in-processed-foods-1268429/

Drink More!!

Water!!! YEAH!!!

<---This guy LOVES his water. This is actually the background of my desk computer. Why?

Cause its a koala bear in a bowl of water!! What?!? Cause its Awesome!!!

Guys make sure you are hydrated throughout the day. Water is like, UBER important to have in the system for all kinds of crazy reasons. Mainly before workouts you want to make sure you are coming in REALLy well hydrated. Not so much that you are peeing your pants during the workout or running to the bath room but to prevent dehydration, dizziness, passing out, feeling like trash, and getting smashed in the wods. This could explain why you are preforming sometimes the way you do.

How much H2O??

I dont know or care about the glasses per day or gallons or liters just drink the fracking water!!

A little thing that I do that helps out with making sure I get enough water for the day is to drink 1 glass before my meal and 1 glass after. This helps me feel more full and also aids in digestion. If I eat 4 times a day then I know thats 8 glasses. Thank goodness I eat more than 4 times. Also if you do use protein shakes use water with the shake instead of some other bs. I use coconut milk and water mixed with the powder.

So drink up!! And if you were really hoping I was talking about alcohol, you may want to get some other kinds of help.

CHEERS!!

Challenge Over!!

Howdy!

For some reason, even before I have finished this post, I am afraid that this post is going to backfire. I fear that this is going to be THE downfall for most of you. Ill post it anyway but if I start seeing food logs with just these items on it there is going to be literal HELL to pay. BUT! If one of you wants to cook a sweet batch up for me, cause I pretty much only leave myself time for the hunting and cooking of animals, there would be hugs in it for you. Enjoy and let me know how it goes.

Paleo Muffins: Ingredients: * 2 cups almond flour (almond meal) * 2 teaspoons baking powder * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 1/4 coconut oil * 4 eggs * 1/3 cup water *Add blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peanut butter, chopped nuts, or any other fruit as desired, cinnamon/coco and other similar ingredients can be included. Preparation: 1) Preheat oven to 350 F. 2) You can really do it with any size, but I'm basing the recipe on a 12-muffin tin. 3) Mix dry ingredients together well. 4) Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly (You don't want strings of egg white in there and you don't have to worry about "tunnels" when you are using almond meal). 5) Put in muffin tins (about 1/2 to 2/3 full) and bake for about 15 minutes.

Paleo Doughnuts: Ingredients: * 1 cup flax meal * 1 cup almond meal * 1 T baking powder * 1/4 t salt * 1 and 1/4 t nutmeg * 1 t honey * 1 t cinnamon * 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted * 4 eggs, beaten * 1/2 cup plus 2 T water Preparation: Makes 12 regular-size muffins 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Mix dry ingredients well (exclude those used for topping). 3. Add beaten eggs, melted butter, water, and sweetener to the dry mixture. Mix well. 4. Fill muffin cups a bit more than half way with the mixture. 5. Bake for about 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Allow muffins to cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove. 6. Mix the cinnamon and powdered sweetener for the topping in a clean bowl. 7. When the muffins are cool enough to handle, dip the tops in the melted butter you allocated for the topping, followed by the sweetener/cinnamon mixture.

Paleo Pancakes: Ingredients: * 1 cup almond flour * 2 eggs * 1/4 cup water (for puffier pancakes, you can use sparkling water) * 2 T coconut oil * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 1 T honey Preparation: Mix ingredients together and cook as you would other pancakes. I like to use a nonstick pan with a little oil. The only real difference is that they won't "bubble" on top the same way as regular pancakes. Flip them when the underside is brown.

Paleo Winners!!

Hey Gang!
So the Paleo Winners have finally been announced. Sorry that it took so long hee hee;)
I just wanted to share the results of the winner at Bodies In Motion and verbal statements from other challengers.
The Winner of the BIM Challenge was Aline who stuck with the diet fairly well (she was very honest but did paleo probably about 87-90%) but still got banging results. She also trained her butt, almost literally, off with me, which from what I hear helps a little. She lost a total of 12 pounds-ish (from 175 down to 163). Went down 5% body fat (from 31% to 26%)Lost 3 inches in my waist (35 to 32)Lost 3 inches in my hips (39 to 36)Lost 10 pounds of body fat (from 53lbs to 43lbs).

Other results that people mentioned were:

Client 1 Results:

Hey Chris,

I cant believe I made it through these past 7 weeks haha. Im really glad i made it all the way through with messing up as little as possible. I really believe that if you can dedicate yourself to eating right and exercising, you can just about do anything else and I feel like this is the first time that i have actually reached a goal of mine with my physique. I am feeling great and am not planning on stopping the paleo lifestyle anytime soon. I am now about 172 pounds, give or take half a pound, and was originally 187 pounds when i first started the challenge. I am feeling healthy and can not wait to hit the weights now to build up a little bit. I also wanted to let you know that my dad has been very successful with his results from the diet also. Honestly, i am kind of happy he isn't in the challenge because i think he would have been some really tough competition haha. He lost a total of about 17 pounds and has gone from a size 38 pant size to about a 33 now. He is very happy with the results and wanted me to say thank you for all this great information on his behalf as well.

Client 2 Results:
Hey Chris!!
Its finally done!! I am grateful to you and Aline for introducing me to the challenge. I always kind of knew what to do but actually being determined and implementing Paleo into my life has changed my life in a positive way. I want to keep going with this Paleo lifestyle except have some chocolate here and there and some alcohol to celebrate.
I have lost a total of 15 pounds and it was basically all due from diet. I didnt really work out a lot. I wanted to but my schedule didn't really allow me to do as much as I wanted. I still worked out mostly doing my Pilates tapes at home but as for hard core gym workouts no. I didt measure my body fat or muscle content but I have been fitting almost all of my pants..even the ones from highschool. I would say I have from 2 dress sizes as well. I dont know what that is in inches. I feel great but when I took these new picture I still dont like what I see. I still want a lot more change in my body..this is just the beginning for me.

Closing Arguments

Well, its a matter of days now. In just a few days some of you are going to unleash your overwhelmed, imprisoned taste buds on anything and everything you haven't had in the past few weeks. Many of you will find nothing but pain, loss of finance, possible vomit or diarrhea, the fetal position, darkness, guilt and more. Some of you may never come back. Sure you will make attempts but you wont fully come back. Im talking about those who once this challenge is over, have some bad intentions towards processed carbs and sweets. Sadder is there are some who havent even been 90% with this and still feel like they MUST cheat (you know who you are).

Anyways, its almost over.....OR is it?!!? MMuuuaaahhhahahaha....ha...ha.....

Right? Wait! Some of you lost tons of weight. Some set new PRs. Some look and feel younger. Some are just starting to make really amazing progress, so the question is; is it actually over?? For most of you Im going to assume that its not. Some of you arent going to go back to the way you ate before this challenge/intervention and that makes me happy. For some of you this hasnt just impacted you but also your families lives as well. You got stronger, faster, fitter, clothes fit better and you can think and function better. For some of you this wasnt a challenge but the right thing you need to do to see improvements in your overall health. For some that right thing was passed to others as well. Congrats to you. Great job to all.

As a trainer, coach, friend, person, seeing these positive changes in each of you and hearing about them is something that brings a true joy to me knowing that if possible I helped in some way, and for that joy I thank You.

IMPORTANT INFO:

Pictures. Final pictures must be sent in my Monday 3-29-10. If you are at the gym this weekend and dont think its getting any better you can ask us to take the pictures friday, saturday, sunday or monday. ALL PICTURES MUST BE TURNED IN MY MONDAY NIGHT. No pic no prize.

Suggestion!!: Dont take the picture after the workout, you arent going to look any leaner and depending on the wod you may look puffy. Just throwing that out there.

Simi Paleo Challengers: Trying to plan this accordingly I would like it if all of those who participated in the challenge show up to the 730pm class on tuesday (because Im also lacking attendees at that time) to find out who won. Ha! Want your money! Better show. P.s. I dont have your money, just wanted to state that for the record :) If you can not make it please email me.

BIM Paleo Challengers: You still need to email me pics by Monday night. Winner will be announced Tuesday night. Since there are only like 4 of you, we probably wont meet but I will meet with you individually. I do kindly ask that you email me all and any changes physiological changes that have taken place over the past few weeks ie total weight loss, total fat loss, muscle gain, any signs of better health or feelings etc.

Congrats to all of you! I wish you all the best!

The End Is Near!!!!

2012??? Nope. End of the 1st Paleo Challenge.

First off you should be proud of yourselves for even getting involved. Then you should have even more pride that you have lasted this long, cheat meals or no cheat meals. Pride should then further be inflated if you have obtained some kind of good result.

You have to remember, gyms, fitness, diets, self help, they are all huge multi-billion dollar industries, why? Because most people fail. They set themselves up for failure, they aim for failure and then odd as it sounds "the succeed at failing." (Thats my own line you cant have it!)

So if you lost 5lbs, 20lbs, 2lbs you need to be proud that some kind of change took place. A change that most people in this country sweat, cry, depress, fight, bleed for and sometimes never even start...and one in which most cant succeed at getting. Change...everyone who got involved in this at least tried to make one. Maybe it was cutting grains, maybe it was eating more, maybe it was starting a food log but at least something changed because of you.

Speaking of change: How do I change more?!?

Some of you are flipping out about this (not in a bad way.....yet). But some are asking how do I change more (You give a mouse a cookie and it wants a glass of milk)? How do I lean out more? Its weird because this stuff (proper nutrition) doesnt really work with the applied "I taught you how to fish" philosophy. Even I require new advice and direction. So here are my suggestions:

LESS (you hear that) LESS!! than two weeks remaining. Suck it up! Sack it up! Get it done! Theres Cash involved so this is now a sprint to the end. Of course keep it real.

If you are major on fruit cut/limit it. If I really wanted to lean out I would go under 50g of carbs for the day (you would need to know how to count carbs in the 1st place and watch EVERY freaking carb you eat). So id cut fruit and go veggies only.

Id start tapering down fats. limit the nuts. Get rid of the butters (almond too), maybe switch over to solely coconut milk. In small doses.

Dont over eat. Still leave some room for hunger. Basically dont eat until stuffed but satisfied.

Drink a ton of water.

NO CHEATS!!!

You are almost there!!

Questions?? Email a brother.

IMPORTANT INFO!!

Jesus! Moses! I was tired but I hope I wasnt that tired that I didnt explain this so badly. A lot of info on this blog that I try and spend time on it and then I hear...Some of you dont read it! What?!?

Anyways I need to straighten some things up:

1) This is NOT a strict 7 week challenge. This is a best you can for 7 weeks. If you have meals that arent paleo, as my bother says "my names paul and thats between y'all." If you eat non paleo meals it does NOT mean you failed or its over. It means get back on the horse and ride into the new frontier of the better you! It happens, dont get depressed or stressed about it, just go right back to eating well. Its called temptations, crappy friends, amazing advertising, and social situations. PLEASE though, note how you feel and how you react to it if you cheat. A few of you have come off and suffered badly from it. (I told you). BUT hear this...if you have NOT made it a week of strict paleo......you better be praying for great results because thats the only way I can think you are going to make it. If you didnt make it 3 days youre screwed. If you cant make it a week youre screwed. This is a challenge for cash to see who makes the greatest change. Its not a strict challenge. Ive seen people do this and still drink coke zero. Did they win....HELL No! Did they make changes, yes. Figure out your goals and live accordingly.

2) If you are having any problems, difficulties or dont feel goods please let me know.

3) EVERYONE send me where they are at right now. What weight have you lost? Is it still coming off? How do you feel? What do you like about it and dislike? I need everyones response on this, if I dont get it......we dont want to go there....especially if you show up for one of my wods.

4) EVERY single person needs to keep a food log and send it in weekly (sunday). WHY?? So I know you arent killing yourself and if anything goes wrong I have data points to reference.

5) Do not be scared....talk to me...about anything.....except white kittens....they give me the heeby jeebys!

Cool link I found for more recipes:

http://everydaypaleo.com/

Deep!

Ever rip your underwear squatting?? This is the second time it happened to me. At first I thought it was a muscle or a tendon. Then I thought it was my pants, so I spent a good amount of time molesting myself hoping I didnt just rip my pants and my booty is hanging out in a populated gym that I work at. Turns out it was just the underwear. I kept squatting until it wouldnt rip anymore. Wide stance, depth.....might have to work out commando because this may get expensive. Conclusions? Need stretchier underwear, no underwear, booty getting bigger, stop squatting....... Load some weight, get your wide stance, drop deep and tear some victorias secret. (No that was not what I was wearing I just think it would make for a better story).

It does Not matter

My clothes post 2 mile sprint, 8am, in the rain.

California turned into Seattle, its rained for what seemed like weeks; I still ran my miles.

My quads locked and my hamstrings got sticky; but I still lifted.

Work becomes more and more crazy; I still workout.

I had no energy; but I picked up the bar anyway.

It didnt matter. I still gained, each and everytime. I PR'd. I got faster. I got better.

Starting to see the picture. It doesnt matter. There are only a few good excuses, and you probably dont have any of them to use. All the simple BS that clogs our heads before we decide to even GO to the gym is nothing more than silly BS. Get in and get it done and get better.

Poor Bastards

Hey everyone. I hope you all are enjoying your warm sunshine and nice weather. Its 20 here and I cant tell where snow ends and the world starts. Its like living in a snow globe....and the devils holding it. Anyways, enough bitching.

I wanted to post this yesterday but I feel its still pretty important. The weekend is here and most of you are going to go running off playing and hanging out with friends. These "friends" probably arent eating paleo. Hell, there probably are a few significant others that arent eating paleo as well. For some of you its going to be tough hanging around these people. Its pretty much true that in a group setting, if a member tries to change the group setting, especially a change that might improve their position over the other members, the other group members may become upset or mad. They will use these emotions to say and do things that cause the other improving member to give up or not succeed. Its sad and it happens. Now not everyone is like this but some people may feel threatened or uncomfortable trying to make these changes and be around people who arent making the same changes. Melissa Byers wrote a really good article about being in such circumstances. Please read it because it makes a lot of sense for someone who may be around non-paleo peoples:

http://whole9life.com/2009/08/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-paleo/

Enjoy. PLease update me on how you guys are doing. We have almost wrapped up week 1!! Exciting. For those who are wondering, food logs will be submitted to me on Sunday (tomorrow). Email them to xfitnut@yahoo.com

You have to send in and keep accurate food logs in order to stay in the competition.

Keep up the good job everyone and take care,

ChRiS

Crystal

This is a comment because there has been some slight confusion.
Under no circumstance will any of the pictures for this challenge be made public or posted publicly UNLESS permission is giving by that person in the photos. WE WILL NOT POST THE PICTURES. There is nothing but respect for privacy. We have a trust with our clients concerning several issues and this is one of those. So please understand;
THE PICTURES WILL NOT BE MADE PUBLIC.

Thank you.

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....