Nutrition, Diet, and Exercise: Notes, Goals, and Resources (these people just keep talking about crossfit)

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JayKay PE said:
Guys.  GUYS.  I might be starting to get a bicep!

Also, did pull ups and chinups yesterday, as well as a bunch of other 'arm' exercises...I feel they'd be much easier if I had less weight to hold up.  
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congrats!!! super jealous.   I want some of those too, but my ulna nerve in both arms has been acting up big time so my general arm strength has gone to shit.  

 
JayKay PE said:
Also, did pull ups and chinups yesterday, as well as a bunch of other 'arm' exercises...I feel they'd be much easier if I had less weight to hold up.  
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Please note, I did do these with a ton of support/a bench to get a higher starting point, and tension bands, but still!!!!  I DID THEM.

 
Our gym owner is out of town this week, i think he goofed on the programming, Monday was 95 wall balls and around 50 burpees, tuesday was all upper body strength day, so figured today would be something aerobic.. nope another 120 wall balls, 80 burpees over rower :(   ,some rowing...

I think tomorrow is going to be a cherry pick day...

also since the gym opened up a little more fully, lots of the normal 5 am crowd haven't shown back up yet - takes some of the fun out of it as they were more fit than me and it helped push me, but now that I am driving back to the office very day that is my only time slot I can make. Its usually me and a couple of new ladies... defin not the same.

Also (no 2) I think being back at the office this past month or so has helped me shed a few lbs, not being close to the kitchen, and we are not allowed any food in the building- which seems weird, we can bring coffee / water / etc , but no food? 

 
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Ugh.  Got my blood work back...I was doing better in November, but things have gone up again (specifically my triglycerides).  I have a doctor appointment next week back in NY.  I'm going to seriously discuss the keto diet with him , exercise is good but I know I need to start focusing again on portions and limiting carbs.  Depending on what he says, when I get back from vacation I might offload all my 'carb' groceries off on my co-worker who has two kids.  Get rid of the milk + snacks + rice + whatever I have in the apartment.  Also going to start trying to keep a food journal again w/ calories.  Have to rework my whole lifestyle and be serious about this.

I'll bank some extra money this paycheck so I can buy everything when I return and start fresh.

 
JayKay PE said:
Ugh.  Got my blood work back...I was doing better in November, but things have gone up again (specifically my triglycerides).  I have a doctor appointment next week back in NY.  I'm going to seriously discuss the keto diet with him , exercise is good but I know I need to start focusing again on portions and limiting carbs.  Depending on what he says, when I get back from vacation I might offload all my 'carb' groceries off on my co-worker who has two kids.  Get rid of the milk + snacks + rice + whatever I have in the apartment.  Also going to start trying to keep a food journal again w/ calories.  Have to rework my whole lifestyle and be serious about this.

I'll bank some extra money this paycheck so I can buy everything when I return and start fresh.
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Any particular reason you think offloading carbs will be helpful? I ask because carbs fuel our bodies in a different way than protein and fats and are needed. 

I'm a big fan of RP. Here's an article from them I like. https://renaissanceperiodization.com/expert-advice/bridging-the-gap-part-2-dangers-of-and-fixes-for-dietary-restraint

FWIW, I use the app from them. 

 
Mine went down pretty significantly when I got rid of most sugar, which also included (sadly) reducing the booze.

 
csb said:
Any particular reason you think offloading carbs will be helpful? I ask because carbs fuel our bodies in a different way than protein and fats and are needed. 

I'm a big fan of RP. Here's an article from them I like. https://renaissanceperiodization.com/expert-advice/bridging-the-gap-part-2-dangers-of-and-fixes-for-dietary-restraint

FWIW, I use the app from them. 
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Honest reason?  Both my parents are Type 2 diabetics and my super high triglycerides are caused by sugar + carbohydrates (I actually don't drink that much now that I'm older due to some alcohol co-dependency on both sides of the family).  I lost the most weight/actually had my numbers decrease the most when I had a strict low-carb diet combined with portion control and upping my protein.   I agree that keto might not be the answer, but my body is wired for carbs and I feel like I really need to start limiting them if possible.  I'll still try to keep 'good carbs' in my diet, like beans, but limit them maybe to a cup a day instead of the serving I really want.

Actually, I might just go back to the diet I had when I was kickboxing.  It allowed carbs, but it had protein shakes during the day and required me to be more concerned about the portion of what I was eating, as well as having simple meals, than limiting.  Like, 5 meals a day, but protein shakes for 2 of them, and it made sure I was eating all three meals.  Idk.  I just know, in general, I have to be more aware of my portions, but it's really tough since I'm shopping for myself...and having that much food in the house makes me get lazy and ignore the healthy stuff I buy.

 
I just looked up something called the 'ketogenic Mediterranean' diet, which might actually be something I could do that would help get the tri down.  Kinda like a keto diet, but more based on fish + poultry vs. red meat as the protein source.  Going to research this a bit more.  It might help push me on the right track.

 
I think in general it doesn't really matter so much what the "diet" is - but the quantity of food / calorie intake is what really matters ( assuming the diet install chicken nuggies and fries).

We just try and focus on eating -------->  Meats / Fruits & vegetables  / Seeds and Nuts / Little Starch and No Sugar

When the wife was an active RD she told me she felt most everyone she worked with  that has type 2 diabetes got there by drinking excessive calories & sugar.

 
For @JayKay PE specifically but also for anyone else curious about keto...

Yeah. Me and my wife do keto and I can say it's not for everyone. (But I have personally found it easier than I expected.)

I don't think there are any "one-size fits all" programs when it comes to diet and exercise. You gotta figure out what works for you. Portion control, low fat, low carb, keto, vegetarian, whole30, etc can each be good or bad for different people.

Regarding carbs.
Yeah carbs are super calorie dense, especially highly processed carbs, so reducing carbs also has the effect of reducing calories. If you're eating prepared foods (packaged or restaurants) there are LOTS of carbs hiding in there that you may not be aware of. Just something to consider.

Keto takes it a step farther than just doing low carb. With keto you basically eat no carbs (not even "healthy" carbs). That actually forces your body chemistry to change. You go into ketosis (that's where the name comes from), where you body start producing ketones and burning fat as it's primary energy source. But that means you actually have to eat a lot of fat. Keto is basically high fat, moderate protein, and no carbs (technically less than 30g of carbs per day). Since keto puts your body in permanent fat-burning mode, it can make it much easier to lose weight.

Some things to consider:

  • Can you really give up all carbs? This has actually been easier than I expected. There are carb-free substitutions and recipes for almost anything. Yeah it's not the same, but it's passable.
  • Are you willing to cook for yourself all the time? Keto options when eating out are few and far between. It's actually VERY inconvenient if you rely on eating out for convenience, lack of time, or lack of cooking ability. I could give a list of suggestions if anyone is interested, but believe me when I say it's not a long list.
  • The first couple of month of keto can suck. It takes between 2 weeks and 2 months for your body to go through that chemical change to get into ketosis. That can result in what people refer to as the "keto flu". Basically you feel like shit for a while until your body gets used to it. It hits everyone differently, but there are things you can do to help the process along including exercise, intermittent fasting, and consuming a lot of electrolytes. Again just something to be aware of. Also that means you can't quickly jump into and out of a keto diet like some people do with other diets. 
I don't say all this to be discouraging. On the contrary. I want you to be informed and realistic because that's what sets you of for success. Feel free to ask me if you want any more info.

 
Road Guy said:
So what does an average Keto breakfast look like?
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Generally speaking eating any meat (beef, pork, chicken, seafood, etc) and most vegetables (pretty much any green vegetables) is the simplest way to eat a keto diet

I think breakfast is probably the easiest meal to do keto. Eggs and breakfast meat (bacon, sausage, ham, etc) are great on keto. Cheese is cool so you can do omelets (my wife doesn't really like omelets). If you want to get a little more complex, there are a number of recipes for keto breads that usually use almond flour or coconut flour, so I'll sometimes make pancakes, waffles, or bread for breakfast sandwiches from almond flour.

I know you didn't ask, but expanding beyond breakfast...

For other meals, like I said, meats and green veggies are the most straight forward meals. We usual try to cook stuff with a little oil to make sure we're getting enough fat. Full fat dairy is good so we cook with cream and cheese often. From there is just up to your imagination or your research (keto is super popular, so there are lots of recipes online).

Some of the tougher substitutions. Rutabaga is the best replacement that I've found for potatoes, but it's not quite the same. Radishes and turnips are also ok. For mashed potatoes, we'll often do cauliflower.

Cauliflower rice is an ok sub for rice depending on the recipe. There are companies that sell plant-based "rice" and "pasta" that are pretty good. Miracle Rice, Better Than Rice, PastaZero are a few brands that come to mind. But again, not the same. (Yes I know normal rice and pasta are already plant based, but that's often how they refer to their products) We experimented with making out own pasta from flour alternatives (almond, coconut, lupin, etc) but we haven't found a recipe that we liked.

When it comes to eating out, like I said, when in doubt, meat and green veg. Steak restaurants are pretty easy. Almost anywhere that sells a sandwich will sell it to you without the bread, and many will wrap it in lettuce instead. Sushi without the rice is one of our go-to takeout meals. Wings are good if you can find somewhere that doesn't put a breading on the wings. In general deep fried foods are good but no breading. BBQ can be ok if it's a dry rub and not cooked with the sauce already on it. (They do sell sugar free BBQ sauces.) But most BBQ places don't have compliant sides.

Salad can be great, but you have to be careful. A lot of fancier salads incorporate stuff that isn't compliant (e.g. beans, grains, fruit, carrots, croutons, tortillas strips, etc). For salad dressing you want either plain oil and vinegar or a cream based dressing (ranch, blue cheese, Caesar) but those can sometimes have some sugar in them. Lower fat dressings (Italian, Catalina, 1000 island, etc) usually have a lot of sugar.

Not many fruits that you can eat, but in small quantites, berries are ok. They have less sugar than other fruits and are lower on the glycemic index.

There are lots of sugar free sweeteners and desserts that you can buy. It's been surprisingly east to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I REALLY miss Tex-Mex / Mexican food. Like so much. 

Ok, this had made me hungry, 

 
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In my experience with keto, a couple tips.

1) lots of cheese.

2) when at restaurants, always ask for dressing on the side, and make sure to ask for no sauce, especially at Asian restaurants (lots of sugar and msg)

3) keto flu really sucks, but once it’s over, you will have a clarity of mind you’ve never felt before. That, to me, was worth it.

 
you know I realized this morning, at approximately 5:20 AM, that doing around a 12 mile hike on Sunday and then trying to workout Monday was not something I need to be doing at 46!

I always feel like you HAVE to workout on Mondays, but damn now I think I am gong to need 2-3 rest days instead of just taking today off.

#suckstogetold    :(

 
All the lumber for our deck rebuild just showed up.  Junior and I have to make about 60 trips from the curb to the backyard.  I'm regretting last night's late log and devil press session.

 
sounds like making use of "nextdoor" to find some bored middle school kids who want to make $20 bucks!

 
N.S. Nandagopal, P E

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