Metabolism, is it all that?

Today's entry is about poorly photoshopped stock photography that is just too on-the-nose.

Last week I chewed on the "cheat day" as a method of preventing metabolism from slowing down when trying to lose weight. As I was finishing up that entry, it occurred to me I was not 100% clear what "metabolism" actually is. I know it gets kicked into high gear when you take speed or meth, and fat people supposedly have slow metabolisms. So, oh mighty internet, what is a metabolism?

Metabolism is the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of living organisms. These enzyme-catalyzed reactions allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. 

And you know what "grow" means in this context: get fat. Your metabolism is the system that transforms matter you take in from the environment and turns it into the building blocks of your body, your energy and your ability to get-it-awwwn. The specific aspect of metabolism that gets diet guru's panties in a bunch is the metabolic rate:

Basal metabolic rate (BMR), and the closely related resting metabolic rate (RMR), is the amount of energy expended daily by humans and other animals at rest.

The laws of physics state that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, the human body isn't so simple. It would be nice if every person in the world who exerted the same amount of effort would expend the same amount of energy.  Two people, same age, height, background and diet. One could get humongously fat and one could be trim, and that would be because of metabolic rate.

Textbook case of twins with different metabolisms.

Those factors can be used to estimate your metabolic rate, like with this handy rate calculator, but it's more of an art than a science. (Though the fact it spit out 2760 cal burned everyday for me seemed close to correct, judging from my 2300 cal averages and rate of weight loss.)

So I wanna get skinny. How do I increase my metabolic rate with out resorting to meth, a tobacco habit or dexys? 

 A victim of Dexy abuse.

Just about every wimmin's mag, health blog and diet guru has something to say about how to speed up your metabolism, but a few pages summed up all the accepted wisdom:

Determine what is influencing your metabolism. There are some factors that you can control and change, and some factors that you can't.

• Age - Metabolic rate decreases 5% each decade, after the age of 40, partly because of decreased muscle mass.
• Gender - Men generally burn calories more quickly than women because they have more muscle tissue.
• Heredity - You can inherit your metabolic rate from previous generations.
• Thyroid disorder - Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) can slow down or speed up metabolism, but only 3% and .3% of the population have hypo- and hyperthyroidism respectively.
• Weight - different tissues of your body contribute different amounts to resting metabolism. Muscle contributes more than fat per unit mass and, because it is denser than fat, muscle contributes much more per unit volume, but this may not be practically significant.

Adjust your diet according (to what a MR calculator says.) Your Metabolic Rate will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your body at rest. Your daily consumption to maintain your weight should be:

• MR x 1.15. E.g. RMR = 2000, so the maintenance intake is 2000 x 1.15 = 2300
• To lose weight safely, do not exceed your maintenance intake or have a caloric intake lower than your calculated RMR.
• Count calories by recording what you eat and looking up how many calories each food item contains (either on the food packaging or in tables provided in books or online). 

Eat small, frequent meals. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode," which decreases your metabolism as a means to conserve energy and prevent starvation. While some people are able to lose weight through intermittent fasting, most people generally eat less overall when they eat small, frequent meals. In addition to having four to six small meals per day[6] eating healthy snacks will also increase metabolism.[2]

Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. Different activities burn different quantities of calories, but the important thing is to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately thirty minutes.

Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does (73 more calories per kilogram per day, to be exact) so the more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR) will be. Every muscle cell that you gain is like a little factory that constantly burns calories for you, even while you sleep, and revs up when you exercise.

This is the only way to increase RMR, which accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the calories you burn daily.

And I imagine once you follow this advice and start seeing results, one should recalculate the metabolic rate, as you might need more calories according to this mode of thinking. Over the past year, I've probably increased my metabolic rate a little bit, but have stayed close to the lower limits of my calorie budget.

My baloney's first name is M E T A B O L I C.

Then again, it may all be a bunch of baloney.  Yes, if you eat less & more often, you will lose weight - perhaps independently of anything to do with metabolism. Gaining muscle weight is a long slow process for anyone, and it's minor effect on metabolism is probably not worth the effort it takes to gain it. Some sources sight the thermogenic effect of spicy food as affecting metabolism, but dear readers will already know that to be questionable. Yes, activity increases the calories burned, but eating more food does that, too, due to the energy required to burn it. Worry less about metabolism and worry more about the quantity and quality of food you eat, because there is no secret cheat-code to getting and staying healthy.
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Geddit? Geddit?

Well, it's official. After a change of career a the beginning of the Great Recession and a few years of fitful employment due to needing to raise kids (as working in the restaurant biz does not lend itself to the finances needed to pay for childcare,) I am now working full time as a Presentation Designer at a leading firm. I've been there for a few weeks now,  but just locked it up officially at the end of this week. After my weigh-in next week, definitely an entry on what I've been observing, foodwise in my new office.
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Just started using the last loop of my "new" belt, which I purchased in the fall because the belt of 5+ years was too big. Let's hope it's not just stretched out, next week's numbers will tell the tale....

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2286

After eating sugar three days in a row last week, I'm glad I got through this week sugar-free, again. I knew it was due to circumstance and social obligation more than compulsive backsliding, but there is always a little voice in the back of your head shouting from a deep dark well, that you're screwing up and you might as well shove your face because it's all over. -sigh-

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MONDAY COUNT: 2285

Good eating day. Was still hungry in the late evening, but was too exhausted to shovel more food in my gullet.

AM SNACK: 6:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10am, steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, health salad, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 8:15pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 155 cal

PM SNACK: 8:45pm poppa salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 9:15pm, shrimp and shirataki noodles in butter and garlic, over roasted brussel sprouts and mushrooms, 690 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2830

Woke up super early, around 4:30am, to make knish filling & dough while working out and taking care of the early-arising baby. Got really hungry in the evening and broke the budget, but stayed in relative control.

AM SNACK: 5am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken sausage, roasted brussels and mushrooms, sofrito black beans, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal


PM SNACK: 8pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 155 cal

PM SNACK: 8:30pm poppa salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, x

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK 2: 10pm, Fritos, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK 3: 10:30pm, 2 pieces whole wheat toast, with hummus and peanut butter, +/- 500 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 1970

Long day, up at 4am to bake knishes. Popped in on a party in Brooklyn after work, very tired but happy when I got home.

AM SNACK: 5am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, fruit smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled curry chicken breast, roasted broccoli, quinoa, water, 630

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, Stouffer's Frenchbread pizza, poppa salad, 530 cal
Was going to be 960 cal, but one pizza fell in the oven. Oh well, for the best, I really didn't need it, just tired and wanted an easy meal.

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2105

Long day, up at 4 to package knishes and do chores. Long day at work, too, but today was the day I finished negotiations with the powers that be, so I'm down for the short and midterm at this gig.

AM SNACK: 5:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1pm,chicken meatballs, jodhpur lentils, steamed string beans, 530 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 7:45pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 170 cal

PM SNACK: 8:45pm poppa salad, 150 cal

DINNER: 9:30pm, scallops, broccoli, sofrito black beans, 545 cal

EVENING SNACK: 11pm, pretzels, 240 cal
The bandito came and ate all my Fritos! Ay yai yai!

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FRIDAY COUNT: 2240

Up early again for laundry, weight lifting, food shopping.

AM SNACK: 5am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1:15pm, Quarter Pounder Deluxe, small cherry diet coke, 540 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:30, Stouffer's French Bread pizzas, 840

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

Tom Cruising It

I know someone who knows someone who knows Tom Cruise. Outside of a life long habit picked up from my mom of reading Entertainment Weekly, I really don't waste much time reading gossip or thinking about celebrities. However, when I learned of my 3 degrees of separation from Tommy, I couldn't help but ask about what he ate.

Hence, I've sometimes referenced certain habits I've been keeping for the last year as "Tom Cruising-it". Supposedly, when Tom Cruise is working, he is on a very specific & controlled regimen of diet & exercise, and when he's not working he is....on a very specific & controlled regimen, but only 5 or 6 days a week. He gets a 1-2 day holiday to eat whatever the hell he wants. This is pretty much what I've been doing. I don't have a nutritionist, chef, trainer or personal shopper, though -- all I got is this here blog, a light handful of readers and my wife (though she doesn't really cook, train, shop for things for me, and sees a nutritionist herself.)

I call it "Tom Cruising", but the rest of the world calls it a diet "cheat day".  The theory goes that if one restricts one's diet to lose weight, the body will adjust its metabolism and related systems to prevent weight loss. A steady, regular, reduced diet will lead the body to a new point of equilibrium relatively quickly. However, if one were to occasionally "step on the gas" and flood the system with calories, the metabolism will be forced to step it up to process what's coming in, and this new pace will carry over through the days you are calorie restricting.

Well, that's kinda BS.

Some studies suggest overfeeding (the scientific phrase for eating too much, or "cheating") only ups metabolism between three and 10 percent for no more than 24 hours, making the little boost not worth the hundreds or thousands of extra calories

But as with all things, if you drill down into the nitty gritty, things come in a lot more shades of grey. First, the physiological side of a cheat day is not all bad:

Restricting calories (as most people do when dieting) can cause leptin, a hormone responsible for maintaining our energy balance and causing weight loss, to dwindle. But temporarily upping calorie intake can re-up leptin production by nearly 30 percent (for up to 24 hours). It's that quick leptin buzz that's responsible for boosting metabolism after overeating. And in addition to regulating hunger and metabolism, this hormone may contribute to increased motivation, libido, and dopamine— so after a cheat day, dieters might actually be happier and more motivated.

And that's only the physiological side of things -- let's not forget about the psychological effects, a.k.a. being a disgusting pig in the right amount makes you hella happy.

Psychologists and nutritionists often believe allowing a cheat meal or cheat day to satisfy a craving allows people to stick to otherwise restrictive diets, Kalman explains. Other proponents of "cheating," accept that people will only really adhere to a strict diet about 80 percent of the time. The other 20 percent is like built-in cheating.

Back to Tommy Boy. There is a big deal made about TC's height: celebrities and powerful people tend to tower, but TC is a normal person's height, about, well, my height. I say I'm 5' 8", but if you want to get technical, I'm closer to 5' 7.5". Tommy is a purported 5' 7", which means we share one thing that tall people don't: when we put on weight, it has less places to distribute than one with a taller figure.

TC's all-blood, all-the-time diet is all the rage.

I googled "Tom Cruise eating" to try to confirm my concept of Tom Cruising-it, and found myself feeling really bad for Tom Cruise. Sure, he's famous, has one of the greatest film careers of all time, indisputably talented, not bad looking, and probably has earned enough for many future generations of Cruiselings. But put aside all the common gossip stuff about his divorce, his religion, his kid, his intensity, and holy crap there is some weird stuff being put on the web about his eating habits.

Tom Cruise:

• ate his baby's placenta
• went temporarily anorexic when he got divorced
• couldn't pay his tab at an Indian restaurant in England because they didn't take American Express, but he ate all his curry.
• ate ice cream and pizza with Jamie Fox, are not gay. (OK, that was an Onion headline, but still.)

Several websites proclaim to know Tom Cruise's diet & fitness "secrets", but I can't see  anywhere where TC has gone on the record about it. Not that a website would use Tom Cruise's name over and over again to get more hits. No way, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise!

I heard through my source that after TC went through a particularly traumatic time, he got a bunch of friends over and ate much ice cream. Any person going through some serious stuff is going to act out, like over eat or what ever. It's when we start whispering to each other and adding our own interests and bents, then it becomes distorted and weird. TC ate many gallons of ice cream while hanging out with the Beckhams, the Smiths and the Oprahs, and they sacrificed a lamb to L. Ron Hubble!!!

L. Ron Hubble, space robot, protects us from outer space Thetans.

It's easy to forget that Tommy is a successful fellow but also a guy who follows the same laws of physics that we do -- if he eats to much and does to little, he'll get fat and feel terrible, too. So far, my Tom Cruising-it works, and from my research, the habit of allowing oneself regular and temporary freedom  from an otherwise restrictive diet is not only not unique to Tom Cruise, but helpful in mild physiological ways and strong psychological ways. Until Tom himself calls me up to give me some tips to refine my Tom Cruising, I'll just leave his details alone as idle gossip.

A rare unretouched photo, before special effects.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2344

Due to social reasons, sugar popped into the weekly diet this week, more than I like. However, these were happy times and I never really flew off the handle, so I'm gonna give myself a pass, as long as next week goes back to normal.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2165

Good eating day, back in the office.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt, 350 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, health salad, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 7:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 8pm poppa salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli & shitake mushrooms, quinoa, 565 cal 
B ate half the broccoli, had to stretch the remaining over this dinner and 2 packed lunches. Supplemented with the mushrooms, but suspect I may need to add more veg to the lunches.

EVENING SNACK: 8:45pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2810

Odd day - went to the office but the office's building was shut due to mechanical difficulties. Ended up working "remotely" from home, despite not having all the needed resources, as work's servers were down, too, but I muddled through. Made a proper lunch, got laundry done, did a light food shop, made chocolate chip cookie sandwiches with left over chocolate pastry cream for a going-away treat for a neighborhood family tomorrow.

B was out late, and I was unusually hungry. After my 2nd evening snack which brought me to the edge of my calorie budget, I needed to finish the cookie sandwiches before starting Edie on her go-to-sleep ritual. A shmear of pastry cream got on the counter, I wiped it up with a finger and without thinking, popped it in my mouth. It was all over right then and there. Between being hungry, tired, stressed and the taste of chocolaty goodness on my tongue, it was all too much. I quickly finished the cookie sandwiches, pulled the extra cookies out and inhaled the bag. I did not do a calorie count on the cookies, but I DID make them small (.5oz of dough each) and in the end, ate maybe 8-10 of them. For an uncontrolled indulgence, I've done a lot worse. I can't really beat myself up too hard, as this seems to happen only once a month, and for the first time I was able to contain it rather than let it run to multiple courses.

AM SNACK: 6am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 325 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, broiled hake loin, roasted broccoli and mushrooms, 395 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 6pm poppa salad with homemade Italian dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:15 pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat toast, steamed string beans, kimchi, 540 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, Fritos, 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal

EVENING BLOWOUT: 8pm, handful of homemade chocolate chip cookies, +/- 500 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2310

Fell asleep last night with Edie around 9pm, so this morning's happy wake up by 2 tots at 5:30am was pretty A-OK. Felt a little hungry early, which made me happy -- my cookie blow out really wasn't as bad as it could have been. Did not like that I didn't feel sore at all from yesterday's work out, gonna push up my work out from Friday to tomorrow. Ate too much at dinner and ate more cookies, but skipped Fritos to keep in a budget

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, fruit smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli & shitake mushrooms, quinoa, momma salad 730 cal 
Packed for work, but eaten at home. Won't stay fresh much longer, and I got two of these lunch-packs!

PM SNACK: 4:45pm, juice, 170 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm poppa salad with tahini miso, 100 cal

DINNER: 6:30 pm, 2 slices of pizza, 5 small cookie sandwiches +/-900 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2480

Another day working from home. Edie had "graduation" with a big spread of food, then I went to Red Hook to for the final meal of the after-school high school class I taught for it's first 3 classes, and taught for the previous 6 semesters. The new chef definitely did not stress nutrition, he he.

AM SNACK: 5:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10am, steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt, 350 cal

LUNCH: 12:30pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli & shitake mushrooms, quinoa, momma salad 730 cal 
Last of the week's lunch packs.

PM SNACK: 4pm, poppa salad with tahini miso, 100 cal

PRESCHOOL GRAD SNACK: 5:45pm, mini pizzas, bourekas, +/- 500 cal

SCHOOL DINNER: 6:45 pm, salmon, chicken, spinach salad, lasagna, banana pudding with vanilla cookies, orange soda, +/- 800 cal
Gotta admit, the food was delicious and I only finished half the huge portion the students served me. The 8oz cup of fully-leaded soda definitely left me feeling a little queasy on the bike ride home.

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FRIDAY COUNT: 1955

Back in the office. Nice evening with B celebrating her birthday in a married-stylee, Ethiopian food then an ice cream. 

AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea, 0 cal

New batch, cold-brewed in the fridge for about 10 hours. I noticed that the packaging said the contents is good for "28 cups", which I assumed was 8oz, though I believe a standard "cup" of caffienated beverage is 6oz. Regardless, 28 8oz portions is... a little under 2 gallons. I've been making 4 gallons from the same amount. So as an experiment, I doubled up the tea, and made the $10 box make only half the quantity of the past, but it's worth to see if it was a significant change in quality.

In a word: yes. I've gotten used to weak iced tea, and to all of a sudden have a glass that is a) properly strong and b) brewed perfectly to prevent any bitter tannins, well, as I brought the first sip to my lips I was asking myself, is this good? And once it hit my mouth, sloshed for a second, then got swallowed, my mind knew it was good even before I could think the words, "Yes, this is the right way."

The tea brand I brew (Rishi) is not cheap, the inexpensive boxes are $10 and the rarer, fancier ones are close to $20. Still, even with the cost break down, my new pint of iced tea is only about 65¢, a far cry from Starbucks or the dirty water served in a diner.

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 325 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken meatballs, johdpur lentils, steamed string beans, 430 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad and seaweed sheets, 200 cal

DINNER: 7pm, Ethiopian food, water, +/- 700 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, ice cream cone, +/- 300 cal

Carbo-loading, f'real?

Something tells me this is not going to end well.

Last Saturday, my 1.5 year old son woke me up at 1am - he wanted a hug, he needed a diaper change, and he got a bottle after all that to get him back to sleep quickly and efficiently. However, I was up, so I got on my bike and road 150 miles.

It's not that simple, of course. I'd been preparing for a 1:30am wake up for the past week, so 30 minutes didn't make much of a difference. I skipped the prior week's weight lifting so I'd have no sore muscles lingering for the ride, and all my gear and equipment was arranged, checked, pumped & lubed the day before. But I did one thing that I'd done before, but never thought about too deeply: for dinner, with my protein and veg, I doubled up on my carbohydrate.

I knew that endurance athletes like marathon runners have a tradition of a big pasta dinner the night before the run, a.k.a. "carbo-loading", and I was mimicking this practice. So, is this a real thing?

Yes, it is. Glycogen is the form all calories take regardless of whether it is consumed as a carb, fat or protein: a super simple kind of simple carbohydrate, a.k.a. sugar. It is stored in your muscles and liver as the last place in your body where energy is kept before expended in the form of movement and activity. The idea behind carbo-loading is to consume foods that are easy to digest so as to top-off the glycogen in your muscles and liver. If you do endurance sports and run out of glycogen, you hit....the wall.

All in all, we're all just (trying to avoid hitting) bricks in the wall.

When you run out of glycogen during a race you hit "the wall." Your body has to slow down as it turns fat into energy. Benjamin Rapoport, a 2:55 marathoner, is intimately acquainted with the wall. The Harvard M.D. student (who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT) hit the wall so hard at the 2005 New York City Marathon he decided to study how to avoid it in the future. "Proper carbo-loading—or filling your muscles to the brim with glycogen—won't make you faster, but it will allow you to run your best and, if you race smartly, avoid the wall," he says. 

It's carbo-loading, not fat-loading, protein-loading or even sugar-loading, for a reason. All food eventually be turned into glycogen, fat, pee or pooh. (And farts, if you want to get technical, about it.) However, they don't get there equally as easy. Fat and proteins take more time and energy to break down. Simple sugars will have the added side effect of spiking blood sugar and causing issues with hunger, energy level and hormones. High-fiber food will slow down digestion and cause potential distress during an endurance event.

Which carbs should you load up on? "I'm very utilitarian," says Rapoport. "I eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." But runners don't need to be so restrictive. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. Many fruits are high in carbs but are also high in fiber—and too much can cause stomach trouble midrace. "Bananas are a low-fiber choice," says sports nutritionist Ilana Katz, R.D. "And you can peel apples, peaches, and pears to reduce their fiber content." She also gives her clients permission to indulge in white bread and baked potatoes without the skin since both are easily digested.

So can you eat ten pounds of pasta the night before the race? Probably not, unless you like to start a run with a big ol' horking.

Rapoport came up with an elegant formula to guide the endurance athlete in terms of how much: For two to three days before the event, 85-95% of all calories should come from a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates. One day's consumption should equal 4 grams of carbs for every pound of body weight. So, as a 200 lb guy, I should eat about 800 grams of carbs, which is equivalent of 3,200 calories. That's a full thousand over my daily routine, and a solid 50-60% more carbs than I usually aim for, but my daily routine is designed to slowly lose weight, not endure a long-distance athletic event.

As with everything, moderation. In the future, I do not think I will formally experiment with carbo-loading unless I really plan to ride at least 150 miles. However, an double cous cous portion on a Friday night before a Saturday morning bike ride doesn't sound like a bad idea.
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While waiting around in town for the separate arrival of my bicycle after a long train ride last Saturday, I popped in a McDonald's for a sinful meal, with no intention of getting a soda. But instead of the traditional soda dispensary, they had an odd machine with a touch screen and a single inset spout. So I ordered a meal which came with a cup, and explored the machine.

Ah, I see. This must of been in the planning stages once Coke got wind of a "soda ban". A soda dispenser that is used by the customer instead of the server, and an interface that is friendly and game-like.  When you touch the "diet coke" logo, the screen clears and many more icons show up in a circle:

• Diet Coke
• Diet Lemon Coke
• Diet Lime Coke
• Diet Raspberry Coke
• Diet Orange Coke
• Diet Cherry Coke
• Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke
• Caffeine Free Diet Coke

And that's not including Coke Zero and all it's variants! You press one of those, and it becomes the only icon on the screen. The "pour" button lights up and you place your cup under, and you fill as you wish.

This is definitely an "end-run" around a "soda ban". Yes, you only get one 16-oz cup, but this machine invites one to come back again and again and play, experiencing not only 100s of different flavors, but 1000s upon thousands of combinations. When I worked in some restaurants, a big deal was made of mixing dark cherry soda with Italian limonatta soda. This is that on steroids. This is that on coke.

Once I say the "Diet Cherry Coke", I filled half of the 22oz cup, and greatly enjoyed it -- I always got the cherry version when available, but in later years it only came in 1 liter bottles, which would go flat before finishing. In the past year, 12oz cans became available but by then I was focused on helping myself get out of the diet soda habit with 7oz cans. So now that I've kicked even those, it comes back around on tap and freely flowing for one low charge! That, sir, are serious corporate marketing tentacles.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2138

First full week of working in an office, happy to report my eating was just as good as it has been. It's a bit different, as I have to stick to what can be reheated in a microwave, but I found roasted vegetables made the night before to be just fine. I have a sense of relief.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2385

Ugh, had to leave work in a rush to get to a dentist's appt, skipped out on my momma salad. After getting a filling, could not eat at all for 2 hours so sipped my juice through a straw, and my evening meal had to be chewed on one side of my face, no fun.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 11am, steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt, 350 cal
It occurred to me that this breakfast is very portable, so I took it to work & zapped it. Unfortunately, I forgot about it then ate it a bit late.

LUNCH: 2pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat toast, health salad, kimchi, water, 580 cal
Toaster oven the only source of heat other than the micro. Took a solid 6 minutes to get to super-light toast. Still, a successfully put together portable lunch.

PM SNACK: 7:15pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 205 cal

PM SNACK: 8:15pm momma salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, pint of shrimp lomein, +/-850 cal
Ordered for the kids the day before, but they sent shrimp instead of vegetable. Fortunately, I needed something soft & easy to eat with one side of my mouth, and calorically it worked out. Funny, never thought of food in terms of soft & easy to eat before, but for anyone with dental issues, it must be looming over everything.


EVENING SNACK: 9:15pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2030

Good eating day. Work going well, eating going well.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 325 cal
Another breakfast transported to work.

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken sausages, steamed string beans, punjab eggplant stew, water, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad & seaweed, 200 cal

PM SNACK: 7:30pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli, berbere whole wheat cous cous, 515 cal
Made exactly two equal portions of each, the second for an easy zappable lunch tomorrow.


EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2140

Good eating day. As the middle of my 1st full office week in a hella long time, I'm starting to realize the eating part is actually kinda easier, not harder, if the appropriate prep is taken.

AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, Fruit Smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted broccoli, berbere whole wheat cous cous, 515 cal
Surprisingly enjoyable and fresh for a micro meal. I was able to store some of the pork jus in a little mise cup that really brought the otherwise ugly pile of food together.

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad & beef jerky, 260 cal

PM SNACK: 8:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 180 cal

DINNER: 9pm, hake loin, roasted brussel sprouts, poppa salad with homemade Italian dressing, 475 cal


EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 1900

Did laundry when I got home last night, as well as prep lunch and cook a huge pot o' oatmeal for 3 servings and a big supply for Mili.  Woke up at 5am to finally get a lift session in -- I skipped it all last week in the run up to the 150 mile ride, which also coincided with the start of working in an office. I skipped it earlier in the week because I still hadn't recovered from the ride fully. Now, no more excuses. Felt good, though I could use a little more sleep, he he.

AM SNACK: 5:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, steel cut oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla & salt, 250 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, almond butter and jelly on whole wheat, health salad, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad,  100 cal

PM SNACK: 8:30pm, poppa salad with tahini miso, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, shrimp in butter & garlic over shirataki noodles with sno peas and asparagus, 560 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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FRIDAY COUNT:2235

Woke up slightly, pleasantly sore from yesterday's weights, makes me happy. Took a Citibike for the first time ever, from Edie's school to my work, amazing.

AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 9:15am,  Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 325 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, Quarter Pounder Deluxe, 10oz diet cherry coke,  540 cal
I tried a shot of diet cherry vanilla coke from the machine. My god, that's disgusting.

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad & seaweed sheets,  200 cal


PM SNACK: 6:45pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 185 cal

DINNER: 7:15pm, chicken meatballs, steamed stringbeans, amaranth, 685 cal
First time making amaranth, a whole, ancient grain. Now I know why it's not known -- it's kinda gross. Has the texture of slightly stiff caviar, a slightly off grassy flavor. Meh. For weird grains, I'll stick with teff.

EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, Fritos, 300 cal

Weigh In: Cracked the 200 line

204.0-->201.0-->198.8

Huh, I was a little worried I didn't lose any this month due to a crazy bad eating weekend last week, but I guess bottom line is if I'm eating well 5 out of 7 days, I shouldn't stress to hard -- it took 7 out of 7 days to maintain my much heavier weight. So I cracked 200, only 2.8 pounds to get to first goal weight, were my BMI will go from "obese" to merely "overweight". Then, to dare, to dream, to be....."normal".

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2032

Good eating week. Wed-Fri was 9-5 in an office, so I survived that well, though it's another 5 days next week, need to figure out a solid rotation of a portable lunch menu, as 5 days of peanut butter and jelly won't cut it.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2280

Got home late, wangled a dinner to break out of the stirfry rut. Despite incorporating a not-so-healthy food into dinner, had a good eating day.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 1pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm,scallops, steamed string beans, sofrito black beans, pickle, 520 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 135 cal

PM SNACK: 9pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 9:30pm,chicken meatballs, roasted broccoli, Stouffer's Stove Top Stuffing, 765 cal

Looking for something interesting, really hungry, need something fast. Considered doing shirataki in an Italian style, but wanted quicker. Zapped meatballs, broc took 10 minutes in oven. Outside of cous cous which takes 5 minutes to make, the only other fast cooking starch was a box of ol' crappy Stove Top stuffing. Yes, it's delicious, but in a chemically weird way from child hood. Eh, once in a blue moon, fine, it fits today's calories, hope it doesn't spike me off into sugarville.

EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, Frito's, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2130

Stomach a little off, nervous about starting a 2-week office gig tomorrow.

AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt, 350 cal

LUNCH: 12:30pm, hake loin, string beans, kimchi, 260cal

Just not that hungry.

PM SNACK: 2:45pm, seaweed sheets, momma salad, 200 cal

DINNER PT 1: 5pm, 6" veggie burger sub, potato chips, 8oz diet sprite, 630 cal

Subway. Potato chips were good compared to last time, but at 240 cal a bag, they easily could have cut the amount in half and been just as satisfying. Meal came with a 30 oz cup, filled it half way with diet sprite and only was able to get through half of it -- tasted kinda gross, like sweet cleaning fluid.

DINNER PT 2: 8pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, Frito's, 400 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2215

Weeeerk.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, Fage Whole yogurt with agave, almonds and vanilla, 310 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, almond butter and grape jelly on whole wheat, momma salad, 690 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 7pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 135 cal

PM SNACK: 8pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, grilled chicken breast, roasted broccoli, kimchi, 520 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Frito's, 300 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 1990

Good eating day, focused on work and getting chores done. Got to bed at 10:30.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, steel cut oatmeal, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, chicken sausage, string beans, lentils, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad & seaweed sheets, 200 cal

PM SNACK: 8:30pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 9:15pm, shrimp, asparagus, shirataki with garlic & butter, 450 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, Frito's, 300 cal

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FRIDAY COUNT: 2345

Up at 3:30 to prepare for a 1:30am wake up tomorrow. Got to bed by 9, skipped the evening snack, which was good, as my doubling up on the (good) carbs for dinner did the trick. My version of "carbo-loading, which I suspect is a myth. Perhaps a blog topic next week....

AM SNACK: 3:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal
To save time, instead of traditionally brewing the two gallons of tea to the package directions, I dumped the tea leaves loose into the pitchers and wacked them in the fridge, and let them steep for about 10 hours. Strained it, and....not bad. Definitely tastes slightly different, but not bad.

BREAKFAST: 7am, fruit smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 1:15pm, Quarter Pounder with Halbenero Ranch, Bacon & Cheese, water, 610cal
Kinda disgusting new burger at McD's. Thick cut bacon has to be cooked fresh or it's a bit like shoe-leather. Sauce was spicy/fatty in the wrong way. Skipped the diet coke all together because they only sold one size and vended from these dispensers that allowed for 1000s of combinations of sodas, blechch.

PM SNACK:  4:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal


PM SNACK: 6:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/kale/cayenne juice, 125 cal


PM SNACK: 6:45pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian dressing, 135 cal

DINNER: 7pm, chicken meatballs, whole wheat cous cous, black beans, roasted brussel sprouts, 965 cal