The Low Carb Loser

Second week back at it strict and deep into ketosis

2010-04-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

I have to say, this has been by far the easiest transition back onto a strict induction eating plan that I have ever made. I was fortunate enough to waltz right through the first 5 days without a single craving, weak spell, or moment of true hunger. What is even more amazing to me is that here I am 12 days in and I already have to FORCE myself to eat! I don't recall this happening before; I remember not bing AS hungry, but twice this week I skipped a meal. Not good, but I just forgot to eat!

I've been eating a TON of eggs and bacon; two reasons 1) it is a quick, easy, and simple induction friendly meal, 2) it is very cheap and transports to work easily in one container. What can I say... I'm pretty much lazy.

This week I had planned on modifying a recipe for peanut butter pie but it ended up that I needed to order some stuff to experiment with so instead I attempted to make a low carb no-bake cheesecake. It turned out really good (thanks Jamie) and the only things I think I need to change is less crust and more sweetener in the batter. I think they might be related because the almond crust didn't have very much sweetener so it might have just overpowered the flavor from the cheese mixture. I actually had some of the cheesecake for lunch a couple days and it tasted great and was very filling.

I'm planning on working on the recipe conversion this week once my Netrition order comes in. I also ordered some carbalose (low carb flour substitute) so I hope to be able to attempt some other breaded recipes like chicken Parmesan :)

Who wants to double down?

2010-04-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

There's been considerable buzz (positive and negative) about this new "sandwich" from KFC... they have both a fried and grilled version reported to contain 11g and 3g carbs respectively. Basically, it is 2 chicken breasts, a couple flimsy slices of bacon, one slice of pepper jack cheese, and "special sauce". I opted for the grilled version but in haste forgot to ask for the sauce on the side. I got mine to go so I had to smell it the whole 8 minute drive home...

I opened it up and my first impression was "wow, this isn't really that big"... then I opened it up and I was like "wow, I expected this to be bigger...". Now it was pretty big, but I'm a big dude and I like to eat so I wanted more than was there. It came in this paper wrapper that let you eat it with one hand which was nice; it kept all the grease, sauce, and melted cheese off my "I ♥ BBQ" tshirt so I was a happy camper. The overall taste was at best a 6 or 7 out of ten. The chicken was juicy and hot but I could barely taste the bacon or cheese. The sauce overpowered the rest of the components, so I think next time I will drop the sauce and perhaps dip it in sour cream or something maybe even some baconnaise :)

All in all, probably a better choice as far as low carb goes, but not worth $5, I think $3.50-$3.99 would be a proper price range. So we'll give the taste a 6.5, the value a 4, and I would say as far as filling my gut... about a 6. I could have easily eaten another one.

Homemade Baconnaise rocks the hizzle

2010-04-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm talking to my good friend Jamie and we're talking bacon.. and about making baconnaise from scratch. She's went fancy and I'm well... lazy. Here is my attempt at making a delish mayo/bacon spread that you can use anywhere you want to taste bacon but need a spreadable mayo.

So of course you need bacon and mayo, but for kicks I threw in a good bit of black peppa, some garlic powder, a little ranch dressing, and a tidge of paprika.

To begin with, fry up three strips of bacon until crispy. Cut, crush, or crumble into small pieces trying to only use the crunchiest parts. I put the bacon in my Magic Bullet and pulsed it into a magical bacon powder :). Getting a fine powder helps prevent it from being chunky.

In a small bowl combine about a fist size pile of (preferably room temp) mayo, the bacon powder, 3 shakes of garlic powder, 0-2 Tbsp of ranch dressing (I love ranch and think it pepped up the overall taste), about a Tbsp of black pepper and toss in some paprika to help with the coloring. Thoroughly mix with a fork and taste. Secret ingredient spoiler.. liquid smoke! Add about 5-8 drops of liquid smoke and thoroughly mix again... taste.

At this point you should either like it or love it. If you don't like it, you can tweak it up or down. If the flavor is too strong, squeeze some additional mayo and remix. If it is too weak, you can add a little smoke, some garlic/pepper, or of course make, blend, and add some additional bacon and taste again :)

State of the Union 4/12

2010-04-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've learned the hard way that if you don't pay attention and "back slide" into some of your old ways, all of a sudden your jeans don't fit like they used to. You don't need a belt because they're so tight they stay up without one :(... So how do I fix it? What is the "plan of attack" to correct this little problem? Eat more food of course, but eat the right food. My weakness isn't bread, it has always been ice cream and cookies; even worse, cookies and cream ice cream LOL.

So here we go; as stupid as I think this sounds, I made a fresh start today (Monday). I cooked breakfast for us this morning and decided to just make a little extra and carry it to work for lunch. 3 bacon, 3 eggs for both meals although the 3 eggs were fried this morning and scrambled for lunch. I actually ate the bacon and eggs cold at lunch and really enjoyed it!

I really think that motivation has been my problem; rather it has been lack of motivation. When I was at my heaviest, I had plenty of motivation... I felt like I was close to dying. So I lose the weight and get to buy all these new clothes and where's my motivation? I thought it would be there to maintain the loss and continue to slowly lose a few more pounds but sadly that didn't seem to be the case.

So I have NEW motivation now! While at the beach for spring break, my wife "proposed" to me and asked if I would marry her again in the fall. We are going to renew our vows on September 25th, 2 days after out 15th wedding anniversary and I just HAVE to get this regained weight off and for good this time. I basically have 5 months or 20 weeks to "drop it like it's hot" (well actually "drop it while it's hot"). Tennis is in full force, I'm really getting into my training for the 5K so I'm trying to run more often now and it's starting to get REALLY warm. Tennis tournament season is starting in less than 2 weeks and I think one of my teams will e heading to the state championships before 9/25. I have to do this! I need all the encouragement you guys can offer me... I need to be held accountable for my mistakes just like everyone else!

Look for some weight updates soon!

2010-03-29T19:59:00.001-07:00

I've packed on a few pounds and am ready to shake it off... not with a shake weight or anything silly like that; just a "back to the basics", no frills low carb eating plan. We're heading to the beach in a few days which will prove challenging as always but I plan on getting plenty of exercise running around with 8+ kids as well as playing a little tennis. I intend on completing week 5 of the Couch to 5K running program while we are gone and am looking forward to the flat terrain and warm temperatures :)

Running update

2010-03-13T04:55:00.000-08:00

I'm having severe pain in my shin area when running, especially on my left shin. I've asked around and people have different suggestions but the most common theme was that I needed new shoes. I got to looking and the running shoes I bought were NOT for road running so that could be a big part of the problem.

Friday, we were headed to Chattanooga and I wanted to stop at Big Peach Running Store because I read about the service they offer to match you up with the correct shoe. Basically, they take 2 measurements; first they use a tool that measures your pressure points when you stand to determine your arch type and where your center of balance is. The second test is to record you running on the treadmill for a few minutes to see if you over/under pronate or have a neutral running type. Alice was the employee that helped us and she was VERY knowledgeable and opened my eyes to some of the mistakes I had made.

I found out that I have medium to high arches (my right arch being considerable higher than my left) and I have a slight to moderate pronation when I run. This means that when I land, my foot tends to kind of "roll" inward and therefore I need a shoe with good arch support AND "structured cushioning" on the inside to help prevent/ease the over pronation. Then came the fun part... trying on shoes. I tried on about eight pair of shoes and several combinations of them to determine which ones "felt" the best to me. I was asked to take a short run in each pair to see if I could tell a difference. I tried on Nike, Saucony, Brooks, New Balance, and Asics... the first pair I tried on ended up being the ones that felt the best out of all of them... the Asics GEL-Kayano® 16.... wow, what a shoe! Out of all the ones I tried on, these were simply amazing.. the fit and comfort level was heads above any shoe I've ever owned (and trust me, I have about 15 pair of shoes right now!).

So I learned through this process that shoes, the right shoes, are super important. I made an uneducated selection of my first pair of shoes and ended up with an all terrain shoe that appears to have been a really bad choice. I learned about the different kinds of pronation when running and how a shoe can help correct/compensate for that style to make your runs more comfortable on your feet.

I'm hoping to get out and test these shoes this weekend and get back on track for my Couch to 5K running program! :)

Couch to 5k??

2010-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

I hate running; I couldn't stand running in gym class. I used to think all morning and come up with some excuse to give the phys ed teacher so I either didn't have to run or could at least walk. So what's the point of this blog entry? In short, I'm running!

So I decided I wanted to try running... partially as a challenge to myself, partially to help my tennis, and partially to help me lose some more weight and help keep it off. A friend suggested the running program for beginners called "Couch to 5k" so I had to check it out. The goal of the program is to go from being a couch potato to running a 5k in about 9 weeks... I'm a bit skeptical for myself, but I see TONS of people have had success with this program so why not, right? After a few brief moments on the website, I learned how the program worked by alternating jogging and walking at first and then gradually decreasing the amount of waking time until you're eventually running the entire time.

I also quickly found several developers have an iPhone/iPod app that keeps up with all of the weeks and times so all you have to do is listen and run. Basically, you just kick off your music and then start the program... select the week and hit start. Verbal cues and optional voices are played over your music at the key exchanges letting you know when to switch between jogging and walking. Not necessary, but it sure does make it easy!

I ran Friday, 2/19 for my "day one experience"... not too bad, I ran around the neighborhood and I could tell that the jogging part really made a difference in how far I went in the time I was out there. In my previous walks we estimated about a mile and I'm pretty sure I went over 2 miles this time. I decided I needed some running shoes and went out to Kohl's after dinner and got a great deal on some New Balance shoes that were on sale AND an additional discount that night (I love a great deal) :).

Day two was going to be Monday but it was going to rain so I ran on Sunday evening on the high school running track. Much easier than day one but I still have my doubts about how long I can run. Today was day three and the last day of the first week. Same running schedule but today was much different for me. I went to the dentist this morning and got a shot that was really hurting. I think I have a sinus infection and/or a cold. I had absolutely ZERO motivation to run today. Plus it was 35 degrees outside and the wind was blowing about 10MPH. Did I mention I hate running?? LOL... I went ahead and decided to run despite the lack of motivation and pain :(. I went out to GoldDust park in Villa Rica to run on their trails with the thought that the trees would help cut the wind down. I failed to think about the trails being in the shade of said trees and thus being colder than the other areas... silly me. Anyhoo, I "got my run on" and did the program, it was VERY tough today. I had zero energy but I pushed through. On the 7th "run minute" I was hurting so bad, my calves and shins were on fire. So like and idiot, what did I decide to do?? Quit, right? No, I decided to see how far past the 60 seconds I could run in the 8th run minute. I ran and ran and yelled at myself until I made it all the way through my 60 seconds and through the 90 second walk time! I didn't think I could run that far or that long. The down side of it is that I am REALLY sore now; of course that might be the upside of it meaning that I did a good job pushing my body even more and burning more calories... we'll see how I feel tomorrow!

More Atkins goodies from the recipe contest

2010-02-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

In an earlier post, I showed pictures from the first shipment of products from the Atkins recipe contest. Today, I received to large boxes from Atkins Nutritionals Inc. and couldn't wait to tear them open. This was the shipment of all the food products; pretty much one of every Atkins product. These boxes contained over 20 packs of their bars, 6 4-packs of their low carb shakes, a box of their new pasta, and 2 pounds of all purpose baking mix. There was also an eco-friendly shopping bag and Atkins The Complete Cookbook was also included. They also threw in a little surprise that I was NOT expecting... an autographed photo of Courtney Thorne-Smith (fellow low carber and Atkins spokeswoman) holding, you guessed it, my casserole recipe prepared and ready to eat!!

What is the deal?

2010-02-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

So you've fallen off the wagon... maybe a little or maybe a lot. You're back on plan and feeling tons better. The weight might not be coming of as fast as you'd like but it's worth it to keep forging ahead. Is it just me, or do you get the feeling that you need to "cheat" after just a few days? I have found that days 3, 4, and possibly 5 are the toughest for me. When I've been lulled into eating foods I shouldn't, changing gears back to making healthy choices takes tons of dedication. It is so much easier (out of laziness) to just eat what is in front of you; what is simplest to "fill you up"... but it never does the trick and you're back for more. Kind of like when you eat out at a Chinese restaurant for lunch and are hungry again by 2PM...

So what challenges do you face with your dieting plan? Cheats, eating out, free food at work?? Let's hear them!

Week one of 2010

2010-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well, so far it isn't going exactly as planned. I'm in a contest with a good friend to lose 25 pounds and so far I'm +1... not exactly sure what's going on but I'm hoping this next week will show progress in the right direction. Regardless, it is fun to send him pictures of all the yummy low carb food I'm eating while he's eating tiny portions of low calorie food items... :)

On a positive note, I received half of the kitchen stuff from the Atkins recipe contest I won and the products they picked out are AMAZING! We haven't ever had cookware and a knife block/set that are of this high quality before. I feel bad using them because they look so beautiful... check out the pics below. I'm still waiting on a utensil set and all of the Atkins products but I wouldn't be eating most of them at this point of my diet anyway :)

Tooth update

2009-11-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've been having a rough time with a bad tooth over the last week or so and been in SEVERE pain. I didn't know what this would be like but now I know I would never wish this on anyone, even my enemies. The root canal specialist was able to work me in today (they will be closed for 5 days for the holiday) and removed the roots and relieved nearly all the pain. I am so glad the pain is gone and might actually get to sleep tonight.

I told you this story to tell you this one.... (-Ron White...)

During all this tooth nonsense, I found it extremely hard to stay on plan. The pain was so intense at times I would just eat all this "comfort food" in hopes it would make me feel better at the time (let's say a soft brownie at 3:45 AM). We all regret these mistakes but there is little that can be done about it afterwards. I didn't give up on all my food choices because what I eat for meals is usually low carb anyway because that is what I like. The snacking is what got me.

So back on the horse as they say... I'm planning on starting a modified 6 week cure plan where I think I'm going to try having bacon and eggs for breakfast every day, a shake for lunch most every day and then a low carb meal for dinner with one LC snack during the day. I think this will be perfect for me and fit my lifestyle well... more to come on this later :)

Feedback on bacon; 2 part post

2009-11-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

I love bacon; there I said it. I have like 5 packs in the fridge at home, 4 in the freezer at work, and 1 bacon 1 jowl in the mini fridge in my office. When I find a sale, I buy a couple. When I find something new, I buy at least one...

Hog jowl seems to be my favorite discovery so far. Bacon is good, thick cut bacon is better, jowl seems to taste even better... much more flavor. I also tried some "salt pork" which actually appeared to be "pepper pork" because the edges were covered in pepper which produced a nice crisp crust when cooked. The taste and texture were good, but not as flavorful as the jowl.

I finally got the hang of frying eggs (a.k.a. over medium) and can't even stand the thought of eating scrambled eggs again :). My favorite breakfast right now is to fry up 3-4 pieces of bacon and then use the leftover grease to fry up my eggs. Very good, filling, and super easy to cleanup. I put some shredded cheese on my plate and when I drop the hot fried eggs on there, the cheese melts into a delicious gooeyness that works really well with the runny yolk.

Part 2; do you worry about my (or your) cholesterol? Some people have asked me about my cholesterol and are worried that I am killing myself with this way of eating, specifically too much bacon and eggs. I can't remember EVER having my cholesterol checked (which a really regret as I have no numbers to compare before low carb and after) but I think I owe it to myself and my friends to have it checked to see where it is right now. At work we have a machine that can be used to test it and they are looking into purchasing some of the test cartridges so we can have it checked more easily and cheaper than going to the doctor. If this doesn't pan out in the next few weeks, I guess I will schedule an appointment with some random general practitioner because I don't really have a GP that I see. My primary care physician is actually and ENT; that's pretty much all I've had wrong with me in several years (outside of a couple visits to the orthopaedic doctor for my shoulder and back). Thoughts?

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

2009-11-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm a guy. I can wing my way through most stuff and am not very good with details sometimes... So we're having a Thanksgiving type dinner tomorrow and I thought it would be smart for me to bring a dessert so I know I am covered :). I remembered this pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Linda's website that I had made before but I didn't have it in front of me so I just threw some stuff in the bowl and mixed it up. It turned out great!

To make the batter, a 15oz. can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), a brick of regular, full fat cream cheese, I used 4 eggs I think, some Splenda (I just eyeballed it but is should be about half a cup), cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Blend all ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl.

For the crusts, I mixed some melted butter and some freshly ground almond meal into a thick batter. Using silicone cupcake liners I placed a small amount in the bottom of each and pressed out evenly in the bottom. In a preheated oven (350 degrees) I precooked the crusts for about 10 or so minutes. You just want to get them dry and a little crispy.

I spooned in about 1.5 spoons in the pumpkin mixture in each of the 12 cupcake liners and put all of them on a cookie sheet. The remaining mixture (no crust) went into a small casserole dish and both were put in the oven for about 45 minutes (not sure exactly because I forgot to set the timer.

I finally found the original recipe and I did a decent job of remembering the ingretients for JODY'S PUMPKIN BAKE.

And the winner is...?

2009-11-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

Greg Arnold! His guess was 13 pounds and I actually weighed in at 13.2 pounds less :) We're working out the details on the prizes and might have some of them to give away so stay tuned!
This put me back down near where I was in the early months of this year, closer to my lowest weight. I also lost nearly 2 inches off my "middle".. even cooler than shedding a few pounds is shedding some inches!

This diet was much easier than I had expected. The shakes were NOT my favorite part but the shake weeks were definitely when I lost the most weight and also was the least hungry. I am going to start back a modified version of this diet for a few weeks and see if I can kind of merge weeks one and two together and see how it works for me. I talked to one of my fellow low carb friends Amy and she still enjoys her shakes even after the 6 weeks were completed.

The book came with tons of good recipes, some were good and some were just plain awesome. They were fairly easy to make (I hate complicated recipes even if they're really good) so that made me happy and interested in trying them.

Bottom line, if you have 6 weeks and want to see how a non mainstream or traditional diet really works, please check out this diet and book (Six Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle); I'd love to hear about your success!

Jowl anyone?

2009-11-05T10:19:00.001-08:00

On our recent trip to the beach I stumbled upon hog jowl at Lambert's Cafe in Foley Alabama. The menu said something similar to "thick cut tastes like bacon only better"; knowing how much I love bacon I had to give it a try. It was awesome! I haven't thought anything more about it until I was at the grocery store picking up some bacon (on sale) and saw that they had jowl for sale too. I had to put them in my mini fridge (since I was on the way to work) and I kept hearing this snorting sound coming from that general area of my office. It sounded like someone mumbling "eat me, eat me"... so I had to microwave a few slices to see what it was going to taste like. I have to say, while it wasn't quite as good as what I had at Lambert's it was really good. I can't wait to cook some up for breakfast in the morning!

Ran across this funny image

2009-10-31T07:02:00.001-07:00

I ran across this image in the LowCarbFriends forum and thought I would pass it along. It is simply perfect!

It kind of goes along with my bacon and eggs costume :)

Update

2009-10-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on a few things...
The diet is still going well although I am not losing pounds like I had hoped I am losing more inches which is just fine with me. I haven't really lost any weight in a couple weeks and only have about 9 days before the final weighin. Don't forget to enter the contest and guess how much weight I lost over the 6 week period!

I submitted a recipe to the Atkins recipe contest and it has been selected as a semi-finalist! The prize package is awesome and there are only 4 recipes in my subcategory; I like those odds :). The voting ends tomorrow so register and vote for mine!
Click here for the details

Also, many of you know of my obsession with bacon. For the first time in three weeks I didn't have B&E for breakfast this morning... but I bet you can guess what is on the menu for lunch :). I found a bacon costume at KMart this week and with creative help from friends on facebook made a do-rag out of a white shirt and painted yellow egg yolks so I can be bacon and eggs... LOL. My company is having a costume contest today and I never participate in this kind of stuff so I think I will give it a go today. Wish me luck! (yes, I'll post a picture later)

Bacon and eggs for breakfast

2009-10-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is week four of the 6 week cure and I am really loving all the meat! I have had eggs and breakfast every morning and it has been a great way to start the day. I used to not really put any focus on breakfast, sometimes I just had a yogurt or whatever but having a really good breakfast is not only filling but obviously gets me started out great for the day of low carb eating :).

Today was the first day I've been able to actually make an omelet, it usually turns into scrambled eggs somewhere towards the end... I went to Ingles this morning and they had some of the "ready to eat" bacon on sale B1G1 so I grabbed a couple packs of that to use at work when I have a craving for bacon. It's not the same as the real stuff, but will do in a pinch!

What is your favorite breakfast to get your day started off right?

Something kind of new for breakfast

2009-10-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here I am in week three of The Cure and really enjoying my start to the meat weeks. I grilled out 17 hamburgers Tuesday night so I would have some yum on hand when I get hungry. I have three pounds of bacon, some extra beef hot dogs, and I just purchased a few pounds of pork chops for grillin (if the rain will let up again). For the first time today, I think I wanted to have a shake... not as a meal replacement but as a snack.

Now for a 2 part story; I love hot stuff. Not like Nancy, but I really like a little judo chop in my foods. I love hot wings and feel the need to eat Jalapeño peppers on my food whenever possible. A few years back, BLC (before low carb) I got heart burn all the time when I ate stuff that was hot but now I can literally drink hot salsa from a Mexican restaurant with no ill effects. So I like peppers on my taco salad and usually dice the slices up into smaller pieces to spread around in the salad mixture. This got me to thinking "I wonder if they sell them already diced?"... well the do, and it is a time saver!

Which leads me into the second part of the story; in the recipe section of The Cure, there is a Confetti Omelet that has diced bell peppers in it which I wanted to try. Bad news, is I don't like bell peppers regardless of the color or how long they're cooked. I'm sure you can tell where I'm headed here but my new favorite breakfast is 2 or three scrambled eggs (from some local home schoolers (thanks Laurie)) with some of the diced Jalapeño peppers and a tidge of Colby Jack cheese added at the last minute. If I have time, I try to cook a couple strips of bacon, but I always set off the smoke detector which makes Nicole freak out when the baby is still asleep at 8:00AM. She took the smoke detector off the wall and took the battery out because it is too sensitive, LOL.

So what's the moral of this low carb story?

Peppers in your eggs are yummy; setting off the smoke detector... not so much!

I'm back eating again... 3 meals a day!

2009-10-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well I stopped the shakes a day or two early, I just couldn't take it any more. I think if I would have been at home instead of the beach it would have been easier, but to be honest I was really ready to eat again. It wasn't that I was hungry per se, it was just that I wanted to eat. I think the shakes are a great way to stay full and get you started back losing weight. I think I could see myself going back to one week on the shakes and then skip right into the meat weeks.

Per the suggestion in the book, I am heading to donate blood tomorrow after lunch. They mentioned that you could down a caffeinated beverage before donating to help remove more toxins from your body but I don't think I'm willing to have caffeine at this point considering how long it's been since I last had any... :P The caffeine is supposed to help mobilize fat and aid in removing toxic substances from your body.

I am looking forward to experimenting with some of the recipes in the book. There are so many, I don't think I will get around to making them all in a year's time!

Live from the Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores Alabama

2009-10-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

This was officially day two of the festival, although the vendors have been setting up for about three or four days. The festival was scheduled to open each day at 10AM so we ventured down to the strip about 9:30 and ended up parking in the lot of one of the souvenir shops. (side note, the shops near the festival close their lots and you can't park to go into the stores without paying the $5-$10!! what a rip!) We headed down and saw a huge map of all the vendors, music stages, arts and craft booths as well as the kids area. This is how busy it was already this morning:
The temperature today is about 90 degrees, but according to the weather channel, the "real feel" temperature is 101-102... I can vouch that it is HOT HOT HOT out there. We walked around and visited various vendors and scoped out a few things we wanted to come back and see. There is a large kids area with several free things for the kids to do. My kids made crafts with some of the local churches, rode a jet ski simulator and made safety t-shirts with the Marine Police, and we found free sno cones and popcorn as well as $1 cokes from the local school system's PTO fundraiser.

Back towards the center of all the action, they have tons of booths setup frying everything you can imagine from shrimp and soft shell crabs to alligator, Snickers and of course pork skins. I bought a JUMBO bag of SPICY pork skins for $6 and they were fresh out of the fryer... so delicious! One of the "must have" items from the festival is called a "Cajun pistol" and is basically a bignet style doughnut with a cheesy seafood mixture inside; the lines were longer at booths selling these than any others. Several vendors had grilled items like sausage and shrimp as well as steamed seafood like below.

The festival runs through the end of the day Sunday and they have multiple musical stages setup with live performers all through the weekend. If you are in the area or close enough to make a short trip down, the food will be worth the trip!

One week down, so far so good :)

2009-10-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

This was the first of two "shake weeks" and it was both easier than I thought and more enlightening than I thought. The protein shakes are very filling and I didn't have any problems with a lack of energy. Today, I had two smaller shakes in the morning for a late breakfast and lunch and then we played flag football followed by an hour and a half of tennis practice and I hung in there with everyone else just fine!

So far the biggest thing I have learned, well that has been reinforced, is that I love food and like to eat. I REALLY look forward to my "chew meal" which has always been supper with the family. I know that my love for eating is what helped me gain all that weight, but I guess I never really acknowledged it before being reduced to one meal a day.

This upcoming week is going to be somewhat of a challenge; we're heading to the beach on Wednesday with TJ and Ashley Padgett and will be attending the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores. I contacted them through facebook and am planning to take some pictures and hope to write an Examiner article LIVE from the festival.

This also marks 2 weeks since my last caffeinated drink and one week off aspartame. I can't say that I've noticed any marked difference in my health but I am trying to keep my eyes peeled for anything.

Can't wait to start "MEAT WEEKS" when we get back from the beach~!

Don't forget to enter the contest and guess how much weight I will have lost at the end of the 6 weeks!

Go to this page and put your guess in the comments section.

Day 5 here we come!

2009-10-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

This week has flown by, I still can't believe how filling these drinks/shakes are. I am still having problems finishing all three, but I am at least trying to have parts of three shakes in addition to dinner with the family. Last night I had beef hot dogs and forgot how much I love them... I had 6 (bunless of course). Today I am going to try something new and make a chocolate protein shake and mix in a little almond butter and see if I can get somewhat of a Reece's flavor. Yesterday's morning shake was one of the best so far; vanilla protein powder and raspberry Davinci's with some fresh raspberries... it was so delicious! I added a little bit of ice and blended so it was a little thicker than I usually make them but not as thick as a milk shake.

Tonight I think we are heading to the movies which usually means the food court at the mall for dinner. There is a Japanese place there that has great meat and veggie dishes that they cook to order so I am hoping to get some chicken and broccoli or something of that nature for dinner tonight.

Two big challenges coming up this weekend; first we have a wedding to go to out of town tomorrow night and of course dinner is going to be an issue there. Also on Sunday we are starting a marriage small group at church and they will be serving Subway sandwiches. My options are bring my own food, or substitute bread so I can "fit in"... I have had a serious craving for hot wings so I just might have to bring my own wings and hope no one else tries to eat any :)

Woo hoo, a contest? Guess my weight loss!

2009-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you know me or have read any of my blog entries lately then you know I am on a 6 week journey following the diet called Six Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle. I decided I would start a contest to follow along with my diet and when the six weeks is over I'll pick the winner.

The rules are simple, guess how much weight I will have lost over the 6 weeks and whoever is the closest wins!

I will post my weight loss on November 9th.
My scales read to the nearest 2/10ths e.g. 254.8
Over or under doesn't matter, closest wins.
You have to leave your guess here as a comment.

So what's up for grabs? Low carb stuff of course! Currently, I have another copy of the 6 week diet book and a second low carb cook book (retail value $40). I will see if I can stockpile some other snacks and goodies over the next few weeks. If you win and don't want the low carb stuff, you can opt to pass on the goodies to a friend or someone else who entered the contest.

Day one, part deux

2009-09-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'll try to blog about my daily experience so anyone who is interested can check it out and I can keep a record of how this went for me.

Had a cookies and creme drink this morning about 7:30 or so. I think I drank it too fast trying to finish before I left for work and felt really bloated. I was very full, all morning I felt even more full than when I eat eggs and bacon. I ended up playing tennis over my lunch break at 11:30 and decided to push it and see if that one shake would hold me over. The temperature was nice out there today and I really enjoyed tennis with the guys. I got back to work and whipped up my second drink (chocolate powder with raspberry Davinci's) and it was pretty good! I think I need to use more raspberry flavoring next time, I was just a little worried about using too much since it has sucralose too. I think I finally finished it about 1:30 and made it all the way until 6:15 for my dinner. Even though my wife was sick, she still cooked a chicken cheese casserole, green beans, and some deviled eggs for dinner. It was really good, but I didn't scarf it down like I thought I would. I just wasn't that hungry. I picked up a second case of Diet Rite cola from Walmart today (seems to be the lowest price $3) and really think I like these about as good as anything that isn't Diet Coke. I am considering moving to Diet Coke with Splenda after the two weeks is up. I am looking for some Diet Rite Cherry, Black Cherry, or Red Raspberry but I haven't seen them anywhere around here yet. WM carries Cola, Tangerine, and White Grape.

This is the time I would really like some almonds. I am chilling out, playing on the computer, watching TV and drinking my Diet Rite. I wish I had something to crunch with my drink (not ice) but I know it is psychological because I'm still not hungry.

If you're looking for an interesting new kitchen gadget, check out this new item from Dr. Eades.

Day one, part one

2009-09-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

First PP drink was pretty good. Raw locally supplied egg, cookies and creme powder, HWC, water, ice; still feeling full after 2 hours so we'll see if I can make it until lunch.

Good news, bad news:
The good news is that I am down 17.6 pounds over the last 12 months. The bad news is I weighed in UP 12 pounds from where I had been weighing for 4 months. I was expecting to have gained a few pounds, maybe 8... NOT 12! It was obviously all my fault but I will not only live with the consequences of my mistakes but they will help provide the determination needed to reach my goals!

Here is the warning I received from FitDay.com when I entered my current weight and goal:
Warning:
The weekly weight loss for your goal is high. Most weight loss guidelines aim for a weekly weight loss of 2-pounds or less. To acheive your goal weight by the goal date, you would need to lose 4.57 pounds per week. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider.

Zero week down, starting week one!

2009-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am officially at one week from when I drank my last "real" diet coke. I still feel a little more tired than I expected but I can't say for sure it is the caffeine since we have been fairly busy this week and I think I might be on the verge of getting sick. I played tennis today for the first time in a couple weeks and it didn't go that well; I didn't feel 100% and didn't play 100% either.

Tomorrow starts day one of week one of The 6 Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle; I'm a little nervous because I will only have ONE actual meal each day for two weeks. I think I will adjust after a day or two but I REALLY like my almonds for snack and my meat and veggies. For anyone who hasn't heard of this diet, the first two weeks are designed to detox your liver and basically give it a rest from all the hard work it has been doing. 3 protein shakes a day and one low carb meal with veggies and as much meat as you need to get full. I plan on making dinner my meal since that is the meal we always spend together as a family.

I've put on a few pounds in the past couple months experimenting with some new stuff and basically being half hearted with my eatin choices. Well, back on the wagon as they say. Tomorrow morning starts another chapter in this crazy weight loss journey. I need to "relose" the weight I gained and then lose another 15-20 pounds. My goal is to lose down to about 175 expecting to gain 5-10 of it back and level out between 180 and 185.

Planning on doing some shopping...

2009-09-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Need to locate some good protein powder and several flavors of sugar free (zero carb) flavored syrups like Davinci's. I heard that TJMaxx or Ross usually have some for a low price so I plan to check them out Thursday at lunch. The protein powder I have used in the past is ok in taste and I think it is about as cheap as they come. I am considering the Jay Robb brand although I think it is more expensive.

The books are here!

2009-09-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

The 6 week cure book was delivered today (thanks buy.com) and so far it looks a little more daunting than I originally thought. Not impossible, but not as simple as your basic lo carb plan. It's been so long since I have been on a strict eating plan, I just think it is going to be a big adjustment for me. Nicole has shown some interest in trying this with me but I think Diet Coke is going to be the deal breaker. I am going to try the half and half suggestion for weaning off caffeine (start with half full caffiene and half decaf, then 1/3 caffienated 2/3 decaf, 1/4 caffienated 3/4 decaf and next thing you know you're totally off). Need to get a couple tubs of protein powder and some Davinci's sugar free syrups for the shakes during the first couple weeks. I plan to finish the book in the next few days and hope to post some more details on the 6 week plan.

Need to get back on this blog thingy

2009-09-16T20:40:00.001-07:00

Ok, so tennis has consumed the last few months of my life and blogging has fallen to the curb. Not sure if anyone still tracks my blog, but I feel like I need to get back into the swing of things and update this sucker! First thing I changed was the blog feed added to the left side -->.

I removed my Examiner posts from the main body of the LCL blog and added a top 5 feed section so you can also see the posts on my low carb examiner column when visiting my bloggerino here :). I get to write a little more freely here, and use all kind of grammatically incorrect things like slang, internet abbreviations, and emoticons... LOL :).

So how's my low carb diet going? Well, it's spinning like a helicopter and the tail rotor is sputtering... I haven't been sticking to any plan, count, or goal and have been basically maintaining my weight within a 6-10 pound window of where I was when I slowed down. I have been super active playing tennis (not using that as an excuse, I'm just sayin') and we have had a good bit going on around the house lately. I have been snacking too much and eat WAY too many almonds.

SO what's next? Well I have decided to pretty much blindly start a new plan for a while and see if it is the shake up I need. I went so long NOT losing any weight even though I was trying pretty hard to break below 190. The Eades' have released a new book called "The 6 Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle" and I am going to commit to following the book for 6 weeks at minimum. I don't know what the book has in it, don't know about the recipes and what you have to do each week. The only details I have about it are that you have to cut alcohol (n/a) and caffeine (ahem, could be tricky) and have three shakes with 50g of protein a day and one low carb meal for the first couple weeks. Could be tough, but I think the net will be a huge loss in 14 days :). I ordered the book today and expect it in early next week and hope to start the plan on Monday September 28th. Several of my LC friends have read the book and are following the plan and losing weight so I don't see what the harm could be (aside from looking like I am just jumping on the bandwagon which really doesn't bother me because I already said I was looking for a change and am blindly committing to trying THIS diet as THAT change)... ROFL.

So in the meantime, I'm still eating salad and bunless burgers, hot wings, grilled chicken, taco salads (no shell) and all kinds of interesting low carb desserts (like the black bean brownie/cake, pumpkin cheesecake, and my cheesecake icecream thingies). Heck, I spoon almond butter and cream cheese straight from the container, who am I kidding?? I plan on making rat toes on Friday and posting the recipe here and on Examiner.com :)

Oh and there was a test in the first paragraph. You probably failed.

2009-08-07T07:55:00.002-07:00

Single skillet low carb breakfast (credit)

Full fat salad dressing, seafood, eggs and yes, BACON! What kind of diet allows you to eat so many traditionally non diet foods while both improving your health and slimming your waistline? That's right, a balanced low carb lifestyle!

"My diet is too restrictive", "I am always hungry", "low fat items on my diet don't taste very good"; these are common complaints from dieters about their eating plan and are often reasons for falling off plan. While some find a low carb lifestyle too restrictive, there are only a few basic restrictions and they mainly revolve around sugar and bread. A fellow low carb eater Lindsey Root said "if it's white, don't bite" which is great advice to help keep you away from breads, cakes, and other flour or sugar filled items. Here are some foods that can be enjoyed regularly on a low carb lifestyle that would throw most "traditional" dieters into shock.

Full fat items (cream cheese (straight from the block), Greek yogurt, shredded cheese for recipes

Eggs (yes BOTH the egg white and the yolk)

Higher fat cuts of meat including bacon (even better, eggs cooked in a little bacon grease)

Avocado/guacamole, good fat source and keeps your overall calories up for the day

Vegetables are encouraged on most diets, but are at the core of a low carb lifestyle

Nuts, many different kinds and flavors (all natural unsalted almonds are my favorite)

High percent cocoa chocolate, Lindt 85% has only 1.5 carbs per square

Scotch egg anyone?

2009-06-21T20:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, not everyone has heard of these before but many low carbers have. I tried to make them once before but this time they turned out much better. It is basically just a hard boiled egg surrounded in sausage; induction friendly of course! I tried putting some grated cheese between the egg and sausage layer, but most of it appeares to have melted out. I seared the outside of the sausage balls and then baked them in the oven to finish cooking the meat.

Oopsies revisited

2009-06-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

While I can't take credit for the original revolution rolls, or cleochatra's oopsie variant, I can tell you that there are tons of things you can do to tweak them for your own application. I use Wilton's mini baking pans to make my rolls, and I use a slightly modified version of the oopsie roll to fit into 6 mini pans. I use only 2 eggs and about 2 1/2 ounces of cream cheese; this gives me just enough to make 3 sets of buns.

If I am making buns for sandwiches or hamburgers, I will throw in some spices and salt or pepper to give the a little extra flavor and sprinkle some grated cheese on top of the mixture before baking. Experiment with some garlic (powder or salt), some Mrs. Dash's seasoning, or maybe some BBQ dry rub. If you are going to use them in a dessert application or waffle/pancakes you should leave all the seasonings and salt out of the mix.

One of my favorite uses of these rolls has to be pakcake/waffles for breakfast. Frest hout of the oven, you can put a little pad of butter on each one and then drizzle a little Davinci's sugar free syrup on them and it tastes JUST like IHOP.... delish!

My new favorite meal

2009-05-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me knows without a doubt that I am super lazy :). I make a big batch of food on Sunday for lunches during the week so I don't have to cook every day and remember to bring my lunch to work. Lately, I am on a real bacon tear; I crave it day in and day out. Here is my simple, one skillet meal solution for my laziness and my hunger:

You will need:

skillet
kitchen shears
bacon (3-4 slices)
eggs (3-4)
grated cheese (preferably fancy/thinly shredded or grated)

Heat skillet on medium high heat. While holding a bacon strip in one hand, cut into smaller bitesized pieces allowing them to drop right into the skillet. Cut all bacon this way and continue cooking bacon until it is about 3/4 of the way done. Crack eggs directly into skillet and keep egg/bacon mixture moving to prevent eggs from sticking to pan. Lower heat to medium to slowly finish cooking eggs without burning them. When the eggs are just about done (I like mine a little runny) turn off the heat and sprinkle some cheese on top. It will melt into the eggs and then you can dump the whole thing onto your plate.

Some bacon has more fat than others and you will need to drain some of the grease off the bacon before adding your eggs. Eating some bacon grease really improves the tast of the eggs, too much grease is not really a good idea and it doesn't make it taste any better.

Happy Memorial Day week!

2009-05-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

So I took this week off from work to spend with the kids since this is their first week out of school. My niece and nephew are going to be with us Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and I hope we will be doing fun stuff outside most if the time if the rain will hold off.

Trying to work on getting some recipes up here, and testing some I ran across on the web. If you have time check out this recipe for chocolate cake and this variant as well. They are very similar and since I didn't have all the ingredients for either recipe, I just threw a bunch of stuff in the blender and it came out very good. The kids tried it (without knowing what it was) and liked it, my wife said it tasted good too. I whipped up a simple cream cheese icing with cinnamon and a little DaVinci's syrup and let it set up on top of the cake. It was amazing! I actually had some cake for breakfast this morning :).

My wife whipped up a wonderful BBQ dinner for us an her parents last night, the main course was a precooked beef brisket from Wal-Mart. I know what you're thinking... yuck, right. Well I have to say it was totally awesome! The brisket was from Sadler's Smokehouse, and was presliced as well as precooked. Just reheated it in the oven and it was out of this world moist and delicious. One word of caution, when looking at the label, the price is per pound :).

Nicole found another old picture; new comparison composite

2009-05-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a composite of two shots taken about 10 months apart. I was probably 260-270 on the left and 195ish on the right. I can see a big difference (first thing I see is that rockin pair of Costas on the right :) ) but also the back of my head was more straight down and it actually has shape now. Very interesting what the camera reveals...

I am going to try and get some recipes posted this week. I plan to start a new list on the right for quick reference. It will take me a while to get them all in here, but I will start with the few I have photos of, and then try to add them when we make it again so I can get some in progress pictures.

New logo/banner coming soon... all I can say is it is going to be AWESOME! I have seen a couple samples and they both looked good. I can't wait to unveil them; hey wait... maybe I can post a poll and see what you think about them and then have a small give away for all those who vote??? Hmm... I guess that is one way to find out if anyone is reading my blog :)

Low carb ice cream nut butter thingy

2009-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked me about desserts or treats and some who have had this at my house have asked for the recipe. Well here you go! Step by step directions with pictures along the way... (for those kitchen impaired folks like me :) )

Here are the ingredients:
-a couple ounces of cream cheese
-a couple ounces of heavy whipping cream (HWC)
-a packet of your favorite sweetener (Stevia based preferably)
-about half a spoon of nut butter (the lower the carbs the better, almond butter is really low)

I use 2 bowls but you can do it in one if you're extra lazy.

Whip up the HWC in one bowl and put the cream cheese and nut butter in the other bowl in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Then beat that until smooth.

Mix the two together with the sweetener (it can actually be added at any point in either bowl).

Spoon into silicon cupcake molds filling them about halfway.

I put them in the freezer about 90-120 minutes before I want to serve them. They will be a little soft but o-so-delicious and will melt in your hands and mouth! They will harden up more as they stay in the freezer but will still be soft enough to bite into.

I'm sure you can imagine the possibilities here; replace the nut butter with just about any other flavoring or a little bit of melted Lindt 85% and there is no limit to all the creations you can make!

FYI, the original idea/recipe came from here and I made a lazy adaptation for my hectic life.

I feel like I ate ALL day long...

2009-05-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Man, I am full as a tick! Here was my menu for today, I just feel like I ate all day long. Never over ate or got stuffed but just comfortably full... perfect!

7:30 Greek yogurt with half banana
10:45 3 half deviled eggs
12:45 3 burgers (no bun) Caesar salad
3:45 5 chicken wings
9:15 salad with taco meat, cheese, sour cream and taco sauce

Drank tons of water, 60oz of hot tea, and 3 diet cokes.

For the first day in a couple weeks I made it without eating any nuts. I am extremely addicted to almonds at this point but I made it thru without a single one :).

Cookout at my house!

2009-05-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

We had the clan over to our house today for a cookout. I was in heaven... burgers, hot dogs, sausage dogs... soy chips, oopsie buns, and homemade LC frozen desserts! It was a great day and we all had a good time visiting with each other and relaxing. The kids even went for a swim out in the freezing cold water :).

My brother and his girlfriend are trying to lose a little weight and working on a modified LC plan so I took some time to show them a few tricks and quick snack recipes. They liked everything I showed them especially the LC frozen treat and the oopsies. Hope this keeps them motivated on their diet!

My new teapot for one

2009-04-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

I picked up this up this nice little teapot/mug combo today at my favorite store (TJMaxx) and it has proven to be perfect for brewing my tea in the evenings at home :)

Low carb tortillia chip snack

2008-12-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

OK, I will apologize in advance for the pictures, I snapped them quickly and I had to be fast because these didn't sit on the counter too long...

A few weeks ago I had some LC tortilla shells that were stuck together in the pack and pretty much useless so I decided to cut them into triangles, fry them, and sprinkle on some seasoning salt to make me some LC chips. They were great! My kids ate more of them than I did and we all know that is a good sign as far as taste goes... Here is the batch I made today:

Anyway, I got to thinking... I just bought some of this Truvia sweetener and wanted to try it out in the kitchen... got to thinking, what if I put a dab of almond butter between two of these triangles and fry them together like a tart or turnover?? Here is what happened:

Just a dab or your favorite reduced carb nut butter (I like the fresh ground almond butter from Ingles nearest my house and it is very thick).

I used a fork to pinch closed the edges to minimize (not prevent) leakage in the frying process.

Gratuitous frying shot.

And here they are completed and sprinkled with a little of the Truvia sweetener.

Obviously you can use whichever brand or combination of sweeteners you happen to prefer or can tolerate. I have to give these a thumbs up for ease of making and especially snacking goodness. All in all, it was a great change of pace for me as far as desserts and I think it would be even better with a little Lindt 85% melted over it... but that will have to wait for another day.

Found some old shorts..

2008-12-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

You might have to look close to see that Montana is inside the shorts with me! Jackson took the picture so it might be a little off-centered.

Edit:
Ok, the kids couldn't believe that those were mine so they all wanted to get in... I should charge admission I guess!

I think I lost a couple pounds this year...

2008-12-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

This first one was taken about 2001 and believe it or not I had actually lost a few pounds before this picture was taken... we were headed to Disney for and Montana was about 6 months old. I lost a little weight and then went right back up to a record 354 pounds in 2007. Last year I lost and kept off 50 pounds and I'm going to call it at 94 MORE pounds in 2008 for a total of 144 pounds in 2 years. I never thought I'd be this close to 200... I am stead hovering around 210 and hope to get back into some kind of stable eating plan and knock off a few more pounds in order to break into "onderland". I feel great and am beginning to see a slimmer, more healthy me in the mirror. It's safe to say that if you're reading this blog post, you have helped me in one way or another and I just want to say "thanks!". I won't let you down and will continue to monitor my weight and eat more healthy. I hope to lose another 15-20 pounds this year, but I also plan (I said plan..) to hit the weights more this year and pack on some muscle mass so I might not be too concerned about my weight vs. making progress in my workout.

Oh, and that IS my "baby" girl... about to turn 10! OMG... I can't believe it; she is a wonderful child and I can't believe how fast she is turning into a young (dare I say) lady!

I will have some special news to share about her shortly, but for now it's a secret :)

TJ out.

yum, pig and chicken together at last!

2008-10-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, Nancy has inspired me to get back in the kitchen and start trying some new stuff for my diet. I have had the desire to try and fry up some chicken fingers for a while now and finally got around to it tonight.. :). I crushed up some spicy pork skins and tossed the chicken in an egg bath and then coated them with the crushed pork rinds. Gave them a quick fry on the stove top and they were DELICIOUS! I had a few for "dinner" tonight at 8:30 and will probably reheat the remainder for lunch tomorrow. I made a dip consisting of buffalo sauce and ranch mixed together and it was as good as any I have had at Zaxby's or pretty much anywhere... everyone here tried them and they all liked the taste too. Sounds like another hit!

This is why I LOVE this diet!

2008-06-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... well here 'ya go!

Look at the size of this turd! (JK)

2008-05-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, here is one of my favorite desserts that I have been experimenting with... I call them turds! It is cream cheese, almond flour, a little Lindt 80% Dark chocolate, and a couple packs of sweetener. You can add more Lindt for darker turds (and a few more carbs) or less for a lighter brown color. I chop the Lindt into very small pieces and nuke it with the cream cheese for 30 seconds and mix in some almond flour. Repeat until it is a thick consistency. I just chose to roll them up into a small piece so they would be an even thickness. You can refridgerate or freeze them to last longer.

Latest Oopsies

2008-03-05T19:55:00.001-08:00

Here are some images from my latest incarnation of my new "best friend"! I see that the oopsie creator cleochatra has discovered the same idea :). We chat on the low carb message board and this seems to be a perfect idea for making buns. I really wish I had known about this recipe last year when I started my new way of eating...

Before cooking:

Hot out of the oven:

On the cooling rack:

TJ out