Thermogenics is a thing.

It says "BADDASS", must be legit.

Last week, I quoted a not-quite-reputable wimmin's mag as saying:

Studies show that the main compound in chilies, called capsaicin, has a thermogenic effect and may cause the body to burn bonus calories for 20 minutes post chow-down.

The internet seems to agree, this is a thing. Thermogenic effect encourages the body to increase it's heat output, necessitating the use of more calories. Historically, spicy food in hot climates became popular not just for spice's preservative qualities, but because of the thermogenic effect....but not to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive -- why would you want the experience of heat in your mouth when you live in a subtropical zone? Because when you raise your core temperature, it increases the amount you sweat, therefore increasing the cooling experience as your sweat evaporates.

Funny, I initially assumed the thermogenic effect was silliness, like "fat makes you fat".  Just because you you feel the illusion of heat in your mouth doesn't necessarily mean there is an actual increase in temperature. But there is - in your body. Funnier still, spicy food doesn't have the biggest thermogenic effect. It's, uh, celery.

Celery is one of the best thermogenic foods. First of all, it is very low in calories which is why it is a common staple food for dieters. Aside from this, it also helps you burn more calories thanks to its thermogenic effect. Celery also has a very mild taste which makes it easier to include them in your meals.

So I guess the celery served with Buffalo wings can now be reclassified as a health food?

Eat all 3000 calories on this plate, then burn an extra 300 by just sitting there!

All food takes energy to process and digest, but some take more energy than others. Proteins take the most, about 30% of it's calories, while fats take the least, about 10%. High fiber foods (like whole grains and celery) also take more energy to break down than more heavily processed foods. However, that is not quite what is happening when it comes to the claim of spices increasing the metabolic rate, which controls the speed at which food is turned into energy.

We're all familiar with drugs that increase metabolism. Caffiene is a the most common, speed n' crank are less common but popular among it's dedicated fanbase. I was not able to find any literature that addresses how the feeling of heat from spice translates to the actual heat of increased metabolism, but it does seem to be a real thing, however relatively small and not considered a real effect on losing weight. However, studies do show that on average, people who have spicy versions of a meal versus those who don't tend to eat on average 200 calories less. The spice acts as an appetite suppressant, which makes sense to me. So those BADDASS pills and many other "thermogenic" supplements? They're either some form of speed, or they are just a way to reduce the weight of your wallet.

I've been adding a shot of cayenne to my biweekly juicing, to help with the taste of the beet and make it more interesting. Though I've never been a huge fan of spicy heat, I'm definitely going to BAM! kick a few dishes up a notch in the future.

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I skipped juicing by accident on Wednesday, and picked up an apple from a vendor while travelling by bike to avoid discomfort/bonk. Surprisingly, it was really satisfying. Think I'm going to start adding fruit to my rotation of snacks.

Still no pull up, but twice a week before my routine, I do an honest try at one. damn. pull up. Chin up, whatevs. I can jump into a pull up, but that doesn't really count, nor does the set of six chin ups I do with resistance bands around my knee.
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2434

Thursday's school dinner messed me up, with a scoop of mashed potatoes sending me into a carb spin in the evening. Still, all in all a good eating week and I feel good. I did an early weigh-in on Friday, as the 1st is mid-week, and I was happy with what I saw.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2225

Good work out, arms and chest felt rubbery after.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

PM SNACK: 1pm,  baby carrots, 80 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, scallops, string beans, jodhpur lentils, 610 cal
Sautted the scallops in coconut oil, my first use of the stuff. Verdict: delicious. The oil itself tastes like what you'd hope cocobutter skin cream would taste like, but doesn't due to waxes n' skin stuff. In this amount, the coconut flavor was very mild, given to the sharp tones of the old bay seasoning and the strong undernote of fish.

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger/celery/cucumber/cayenne juice, 170 cal

DINNER: 9pm, shiritaki wide noodles with homemade tomato sauce, chicken meatballs, roasted broccoli, roasted shitaki mushrooms, roasted cipolini onions, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini, water, 815 cal
Skipped stirfrying and went Italian, as I made the sauce today. Pretty decent.

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

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2460

Woke up pleasantly sore. A good eating day that was capped by a double evening snack -- makes me think perhaps I should have a new standard for a 2nd snack -- perhaps fruit instead of commodity-based junk from a multi national conglomerate corporation?

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, fruit smoothie, 400 cal

LUNCH: 2pm,  almond butter and grape jelly on whole wheat, momma salad, water, 490 cal

PM SNACK: 6pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 7:15pm, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, ,grilled chicken breast, sofrito black beans, roasted brussel sprouts & cipollini onions, water, 710 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal
Was honestly hungry, after suffering through some sugar cravings. Funny how my 1st thought is to EAT SUGAR DON'T REPORT IT GO CRAZY then I quickly come to my senses, knowing not reporting eating after taking the time to write everything down makes this whole effort a waste of time, and is just lying to myself. And, uh, you, dear reader!

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2070

Good eating day. Forgot to juice right before a bike ride way up town and back, so I stopped at a fruit stand and got an apple, pretty much the only snack I could have gotten that I wouldn't beat myself up about. And surprisingly, it was....good. Hmmmm.

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

BREAKFAST: 9:45am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, almonds, vanilla, 320 cal

AM SNACK: 11:45am, 1 kasha knish mini, +/- 30 cal

LUNCH: 12:30pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat toast,  momma salad, water, 520 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, an apple, +/-115 cal

PM SNACK: 8:15pm, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, chicken sausage, sofrito black beans, whole wheat cous cous, water, 685 cal

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

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THURSDAY COUNT: 3010

Ugh, school.

AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:15am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

LUNCH: 12:30, flounder, roasted asparagus, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini, 540 cal

PM SNACK: 2pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger/celery/cucumber/cayenne juice, 170 cal

SCHOOL SNACK: 4pm, graham cracker cookies, +/- 500 cal

SCHOOL DINNER: 7:15pm, large cesar salad with sauteed chicken breast, shrimp salad, brownies, water, +/- 1250 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, Fritos, 300 cals

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FRIDAY COUNT: 2405

Woke up pleasantly sore. Weighed in early, to see if the last Friday of the month is different than the 1st, which this time is a Wednesday -- pleasantly surprised, particularly after yesterday's eating day.

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

BREAKFAST: 10am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, almonds, vanilla, 320 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, grilled pork chops, roasted broccoli, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini, 790 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger/celery/cucumber/cayenne juice, 145 cal

PM SNACK: 6:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, vegetarian Ethiopian food, +/- 750 cal


EVENING SNACK: 10pm, Fritos, 300 cals

You are a very naughty potato.

Spicy Promises

Bedside Astrologer? Sexy weight loss tips tailored to your star sign.

Wimmin's magazines are known for their TEN MILLION TIPS TO MAKE YO MAN GO MONKEY CRAZY IN BED lists, but a close second is their advice to lose weight. One piece of advice that tends to be repeated is:

The extra kick of hot sauce or a chopped jalapeno can make even the most bland diet food more palatable, causing you to be more likely to stick with your weight loss plan. In addition, they may jack up your metabolism. Studies show that the main compound in chilies, called capsaicin, has a thermogenic effect and may cause the body to burn bonus calories for 20 minutes post chow-down.

Is there any truth to this? Will adding cayenne and siracha to all my dishes make the pounds melt away?

It is theorized that the active ingredient in heat, capsaicin, evolved to prevent fungus growing on peppers in moist environments. It is only by luck that mammals experience heat by eating it -- in fact, all non-mammals do not have the receptors to experience the pain of hot pepper. Capsaicin works the same pain pathways as fire: we literally experience the same heat as if our tongues were aflame, only without the consequence of, y'know, being cooked alive.

No other mammal likes spicy food -- spicy is technically not a flavor, but a feeling of sustained heat. Some people seem to dig it because they're masochists, others because they add some variety and interest to otherwise boring food. South American cuisine's staple crops are corn and rice, which can be awfully dull, but with the right finesse of spice and it's a whole 'nuther thing.

Evidence tends to support the idea that there might be a slight advantage to eating spicy to help lose some chunk.

A 1999 study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition" investigated the relationship between hot pepper consumption, appetite and caloric intake. Subjects were fed a breakfast and lunchtime appetizer that included red pepper. Caloric intake and appetite were measured before and during consumption of lunch and an afternoon snack. The researchers concluded that consuming hot peppers suppressed the appetite and decreased total caloric intake of Japanese females and Caucasian males. A 2006 study published in "the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" showed that chili pepper consumption improved blood sugar and insulin regulation after a meal. Both studies suggest that consumption of hot peppers contained in spicy foods might be helpful for treating obesity.

Food that delivers a certain amount of pain might be consciously enjoyable, but perhaps there is some mechanism in the body or brain that recognizes painful food as poisonous and works to prevent more of it from entering the system?

Note that many studies have been conducted that point to other health effects of spicy food -- lowering blood pressure, protecting against microbial infection, increasing heart health, boost in serotonin, preventing cancer....why, it sounds a bit like green tea! However, every study that has any credibility points out that these effects are very minor, and even if you were to be blowing out your pain receptors at every single meal, you're O-ring would blow out before you experienced significant positive health effects.

Too much spicy food.

So what about the "thermogenic effect" of spicy food that "may cause the body to burn bonus calories for 20 minutes post chow-down"? After a little Internet-thinkin', evidence points to "yes". As this contradicts my assumptions, I will dedicate the next post to it.
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On Thursday morning I began my work out with an honest attempt to do one. damn. pull up. I psyched myself up in the lead up, and I had my wifey witness my attempt. Started from a prone position, I was able to lift myself about half way with a loud grunt, though Mrs. Wifey said it was more like 3/4 of the way. Though not a success, it's the closest yet, and considering when I first started I could not budge from the prone position, it marks progress in the right direction.
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2328

Thursday's school dinner messed me up, with a scoop of mashed potatoes sending me into a carb spin in the evening. Still, all in all a good eating week and I feel good.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2395

Started using resistance bands in my pull-ups. Had to use all three bands in the kit just to do 4 or 5 assisted pull-ups. I guess when I can do 20, I'll take away a band.

Had sugar cravings in the evening. Rode them out, and it kinda turned into honest hunger, so I had a 2nd evening snack. Busted my budget, but felt right.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

PM SNACK: 12:15pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, scallops, string beans, jodhpur lentils, 490 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger/celery/cucumber/cayenne juice, 155 cal

DINNER: 9pm, stir fry with velveted chicken, shirataki noodles, broccoli, shitaki mushrooms and black bean paste, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini, water, 800 cal
Haven't velveted a protein since c-school, but it's such a tasty way to treat meat -- unfortunately, it's basically deep fried. I did it in peanut oil at a high temp, so I guestimated an additional 150 cal -- next time I do it, I'm gonna measure all-through to actually determine how much oil gets picked up by the meat when fried at the correct temps.

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

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, Cheesy Poofs, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2065

Woke up with slight soreness in my upper arms, chest, back and even a little in my lower arms. Seems yesterday's introduction of resistance bands have made itself known.

Had an eventful day, able to grab lunch with the wifey (and then she ate half my sammich!), catch a movie in the afternoon and trade in my beef jerky for some popcorn (and +/- 10oz of a 32oz "small" diet coke) and indulged in some comfort food out of a box for dinner.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10am, Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 300 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, half an almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat sandwich, momma salad, 295cal

PM SNACK 5pm, popcorn and about 10oz diet coke, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 8pm, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini dressing, 100 cal
Unlike the first spinach salad, this round was made with savoy instead of flat -- the bigger, crinkly leaves. Found it to be much more bitter, and surprisingly a tad sandy. I washed it 3 times until sand started come out, but I guess that wasn't enough. I think next time, I'll chop it up a little, and soak it in a bigger bowl a few times before spinning it.

DINNER: 8:30pm, Stouffers French Bread Pizza, 860 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2035

x

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10am, fruit smoothie, 400 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, mahi mahi, roasted asparagus, roasted cippolini onions, black beans, kimchi, momma salad, 580 cal

PM SNACK 4pm, apple/carrot/beet/ginger/cucumber/celery/kale/cayenne juice, 165 cal

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

DINNER: 8:45pm, chicken sausage, string beans, madras lentils, 590  cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 3170

Funny, it didn't feel like such a huge bust over the budget, but upon reflection, that one scoop of buttery mashed potatoes set my whole system up to crave carbs n' calories. I didn't beat myself up for it because a) the cravings were out of line and b) I was going to ride all day tomorrow, so in theory this was "carbo loading", though usually things this enjoyable but justifiable are usually BS. Perhaps for a future post.

AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

LUNCH: 1:15pm, chicken meatballs, roasted brussel sprouts, tomato soup, spinach poppa salad with miso tahini dressing, 720 cal
Different brand of boxed soup, way too salty, only ate half my portion.

SCHOOL DINNER: 7:30pm, grilled chicken breast, mashed potato, kale & caramelized onions, water, +/- 900 cal
Ate extra chicken, minimized the potato and had a decent scoop of the kale, which I formulated to make over 50% caramelized onion to appeal to the kids. The scoop of potato was relatively reasonable, but I'm assuming it was 500 or more calories in it. There were only full-sugar sodas to drink, but I resisted. Made me realize because I'm not keeping diet soda in the house, I haven't had any since the weekend and it's been OK. Huh.

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

EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, cheesy poofs, 300

EVENING SNACK: 10:45pm, pb&j on whole wheat, +/- 400

EVENING SNACK: 11:30pm, cheesy poofs, 300

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BIKE CREDIT: 1860

FRIDAY COUNT: 1975

A good day on the bike. Honestly took in about the same as I expended, which doesn't account for my allotment of lunch calories, so I had a big pasta dinner which hit the spot. Only 4 oz of pasta (double the recommended serving size) which was my original go-to portion when I started restricting, now seemed really generous.

Very happy with my granola bars. They're dense, moist, and deliver maximum calories with minimal bulk, not too sweet and a good nutty taste. I store them in the freezer, so they don't have weird gums, stabilizers, preservatives or excess sugar to keep them shelf stable. My next round I'm going to add caffeine extract so I won't need to drink any diet coke on future rides.

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

BREAKFAST: 7:15am,  Fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 300 cal

BIKE SNACK: 9:15am, granola bars, 465 cal

BIKE SNACK: 12pm, digestive biscuits, 520 cal


BIKE SNACK: 1:45pm, 20 oz diet coke, 0 cal

BIKE SNACK: 2:15pm, granola bars, 465 cal

BIKE SNACK: 4:30pm, falafel sandwich, +/- 650 cal

PM SNACK: 6:15pm, apple/carrot/beet/ginger/cucumber/celery/kale/cayenne juice, 155 cal

PM SNACK: 7pm, momma salad, 100 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, whole wheat pasta with boiled shrimp, roasted broccoli & cippolini onions, dressed in olive oil and romano cheese, 875 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal

Oh mah lord, someone read to the bottom last week! So this week the secret password is "shmeggy mgeggy"!

Gonna Make You Sweat, Suit

It's spring in NYC and we've had our first string of +70 degree days. The trees are starting to shoot out their buds, the street garbage in Chinatown is starting to create the base of it's special multi-layered funk, and....people are running around in vinyl sweat suits.

I guess before I was more conscious of exercise & fitness, these ugly things didn't register. Now that my mind is more open to more options, my first reaction is....horror. When I go for proper long-distance bike rides, I wear as skimpy spandex as possible, because it looks damn sexy is purpose built to keep me cool and dry and comfortable on the bike. A suit to capture your sweat and heat you up as you run? 

Vinyl suit that is undoubtedly sweaty, not what we're tawkin' 'bout heeah.

For microwave popcorn fetishists. Tin foil hat not included. Tilda Swinton's  house frock. I can go all day!

So why wear a vinyl sweat suit a.k.a. sauna suit? They actually do have real benefits:

1. Increased perspiration, leading to loss of water weight and/or "toxins"
2. Temporary increase of pulse rate and metabolism, if used while exercising
3. Can be used in the treatment of Psoriasis, by keep affected skin moist at all times
4. Increased circulation delivers more oxygen to organs and skin, promoting healing on a cellular level
5. Keeps you warm while exercising in colder weather

Could there be any downsides to this modern marvel?

1. Water weight loss is as temporary as the next beverage your drink
2. The "Toxin" theory is a bit silly
3. Overuse easily leads to dehydration, heat stroke and if you really are stubborn, yep, death
4. Extreme discomfort when the suit sticks to your skin. Eeeeeew, just thinking about it....
5. It makes you look like a a baggy sack of sweaty flesh from the 80s.

Typically, the vinyl sweat suit is used by athletes like boxers and wrestlers to quickly get down to a weight class to qualify for a particular match, but they have the opportunity to rehydrate and get healthy before actually entering the ring. But hey, you can get a vinyl sweat suit for as little as $6,  they're made in sized up to 4XL, and it fits with the American-feeling that to lose weight, one must be punished for their failure of character. Don't let Billy Idol be your fitness trainer.

SWEAT!

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In recent weeks, when I've enountered people I haven't seen in a while, before they comment on my weight-loss, they say something like I look like I've been "working out". I don't think I'm particularly more muscular than a year ago so I don't see it, but maybe this is an expression of gender? Women look "sexy" and "attractive", men look "fit" and like they've been "working out", perhaps?

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2094

Good eating week, had to remake salads by Thursday due to wifely eating, which is nice, keeps everything moving and fresh. Swapped out my mix of red leaf & ice berg for adult spinach and...wow! I knew I liked spinach, but this brings the raw poppa salad to another level. Had to triple wash the greens in a salad spinner, but so worth it.

Weekend eating was unrestrained, but getting better. Unfortunately, some chocolate eaten late Friday evening prevented a good sleep, and by Sunday morning when I tried to get out of the house by 6 for a proper ride, I just folded, got back in bed and slept until noon. Bike and time pressures seem like the most probably way I'm going to get my weekend eating to come correct.

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MONDAY COUNT: 1845

Good work out in the morning, push ups kicking my ass. Ordered resistance bands to help do real supported pull-ups.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

PM SNACK: 12:45pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 2pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat bread, kimchi, water, 500 cal

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

DINNER: 8:45pm, stir fry with shrimp, shirataki noodles, broccoli, shitaki mushrooms and black bean paste, poppa salad with miso tahini, water, 560 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal
Hungry right after dinner, made myself wait 30 minutes before going for the 'tos, and it worked. I think I may have been set to have a second bowl of chips if I didn't wait.

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2220

Woke up to upper triceps a little sore, a good thing.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, Whole Fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 300 cal

LUNCH: 2:45pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, momma salad, 490 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm,  beef jerky, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 6:15pm, poppa salad, miso tahini dressing, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:15pm, homemade steak-umms, roasted brussel sprouts, 570 cal
Took .5 lbs of organic ground chuck, put it in food processesor with a little salt and let turn to paste. Rolled it thin between sheets of wax paper, froze it, cut it into large rectangles. It was 85% lean, so placed it in a hot pan with no oil, and low and behold, it acted just like the Steak-umms I remember from my college days. Shrunk down, kind of tough but really beefy, greasy. Only the manufactured ones were made from lips n' buttholes. Good, but definitely not going to be a regular rotation item.

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, Cheesy Poofs, 300 cal
Found myself honestly hungry, hungry enough to keep me awake. Already drank more than a quart of water with dinner and Fritos, so I was confident it was not dehydration, either. Didn't feel particularly sugar-craved, either.

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2335

Odd eating day. Spent the morning cooking knishes, avoided getting any in my mouth as the tasting of the fillings were done last night, when baking it becomes a visual task. Went to a mom-friend's for lunch. Spent the evening at an event where I served knishes, a few smushed ones found their way to my mouth but stayed in control, despite the other tempting foods on offer.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 11am, Fruit Smoothie, 400 cal

PM SNACK: noon, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, baked chicken breast, green salad, potato/rutabaga mash, water, +/- 500 cal
Nice lunch at a friend's. Large piece of meat, small scoop of mash, extra helpings of green salad. People cut potato with things like rutabaga, I get it, it's healthy, but....it ain't potato.

PM SNACK: 4pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger/celery/cucumber/cayenne juice, 175 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, veggie burger 6" sub on whole wheat, potato chips, 16oz diet coke, 760 cal
Funny, always regarded this as a "healthy" option, but I can kinda taste the additives in the bread, the weird fillers in the soy patty, and the amount of vegetables feels sparse. And thats not to mention the greasy vegetable oil of the chips and the chemical sweetness of the diet coke. Bleah. I think I've ruined Subway for myself.

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, 3 mini knishes, +/- 100 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2120

Taught the first lesson of the high school culinary class I've taught for the past 3 years, brought in as a substitute. Was a lot of fun, but no easy way to calculate calories. Still, I was conservative in my consumption of tortilla chips and guac, went heavy on the oil-free salsa we made, and due to time and getting really hungry, chomped down on 2 slices of pizza we ordered in. Still, in comparison of how I'd eat in the past 3 years, I easily avoided the sugared sodas, a 3rd slice and some random potato chips that were served.

I intended to eat a big poppa salad when I got home in the evening, but I just wasn't that hungry -- though not ickily full, either.

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

PM SNACK: 12:45pm, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, chicken meatballs, steamed string beans, madras lentils, 610 cal

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

SCHOOL DINNER: 7:45pm, several tastes of student fruit smoothies, tortilla chips & salsa & guacemole, 2 slices of streetza, water, +/- 1000 cal

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FRIDAY COUNT: 1950

Woke up with a good-feeling stomach, which made me feel a bit better about how I let it go a little at school dinner yesterday. Additionally, pleasantly sore from yesterday's work out, particular in my arms and upper back -- switching to the chin-up position in my attempts at lifting my body by my arms is hitting new spots. (Just got resistance bands in the mail after the work out, will be implementing them next week.)

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

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, Whole Fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 300 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, mahi-mahi, asparagus, roasted cippolini onions, poppa salad featuring spinach, 465 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger/celery/cucumber/cayenne juice, 155 cal

DINNER: 7pm, grilled chicken breast, roasted broccoli, black beans, 730 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Cheesy Poofs, 300 cal

If you've read this far, please leave the comment, "OH NORBERT YOU SO SASSAY!" and you'll receive a special prize....

Drill Down: Green Tea

This entry is the first in a series where I select a foundation item from my weekly eating and really drill down into it, to force me to think deeper about what I'm eating. So to begin, we'll begin at the beginning, Benigan. Let's begin.

Green tea, it’s tea, it’s green, it’s Asian and has a halo of health around it. I start most of my days with a pint of it,unsweetened, brewed from loose leaves and cooled slowly on the windowsill before being thrown in the chill chest. Green tea seemed to get a buzz about it in the late 90s and early 00s as a wonder-super-healthy elixir that'll cure cancer, make you lose all your excess weight and allow you to smugly judge all those who would even think of drinking any other tea. I think my first exposure to green tea was over a decade ago. My friend the HVS, who before she was strictly vegan, had a taste for green tea ice cream. I remember liking it's mellow floral note, but thinking a good vanilla was still preferable.

Then a few years ago I was delivering a small cheesecake to a friend as a thank you for favor, and his wife served me a cup of freshly brewed green tea. It was a revelation. No, I didn't suddenly grow muscles, become spiritually awakened and swore off all other inferior teas. It just tasted....what I imagined perfect tea should taste like. I've had lots of tea in my time living and visiting England, but this was different. British tea barks at you in a cockney accent, needs sugar and milk, and the flavor is what I imagine a moist bulldog might taste like, if bulldogs were tasty. This tea, however, needed no condiments, and had the flavor of sweet greenery and spring breeze. It made me totally cheesy completely reassess my opinion about tea right then and there. 

So I got a few gallon pitchers, got a large 4-ounce tea-ball, and picked up some quality tea from the local market. On one end, Lipton does it's own green tea, but it's nasty. On the other end, you can also spend an unlimited amount of money on clipped tea buds from the highest mountain peaks from the islands off Japan, where only Buddhist high priests are allowed to tread for $1000/g. I've settled on a national brand available at Wholefoods, Rishi, which is not cheap but not stupidly expensive either.

At first, I'd take half the ounce container, put it in the ball, and leave it in water that was just boiling for about 3 to 4 minutes, then do it again to a second gallon. I found the flavor to be slightly bitter, not like my original experience, and I played with adding sugar, not to sweeten but mute the bitter tones. 

Mmmm, HFCS & acids, for when you need your tea to be just like your soda pop.

Considering a pint of Arizona green tea had three tablespoons of sugar, my 2oz/gallon (1.5tbsp/pint) seemed reasonable. But eventually I realized that day in, day out, the calories from the sugar were adding up, and after reading up on sugar, was it really necessary? My original exposure had no sugar, and didn't need sugar.

So I read the label on the Rishi carefully, and lo-and-behold, there was specific instructions on how to brew their product. Water at 160 degrees, steep for 2 minutes, that's it. I measured the water temp, and found the ideal temperature was not just below boiling, but around the point when little bubbles start forming on the bottom of the pot. So I followed the instructions, and the chilled tea was....naturally mildly sweet, with nothing added. I won't go into the different kinds of green tea here, but any thing that says "machta" on it is a good place to start, for it's naturally sweet tones. 

I'm now starting everyday with a pint of unsweetened, zero-calorie green tea. Usually within an hour or two, I'm ready to eat breakfast. What I'm starting my day with is basically 99% or so water. So what is in that 1% that makes green tea so hyped?

Really? Jesse would like a word with you.

After extensive internet thinkin', I've come to these realizations:

• Green tea should be considered Chinese, not Japanese, though many Asian countries grow their own.
• Make no mistake, green tea is not herbal tea, it's tea-tea, it all comes from essentially the same species of bush, just a differently processed than the black westerners are accustomed to. Caffeine, it's in there. It's about 1/3 to 1/6 that coffee typically has, so my pint in the morning is the equivalent of about half a cup of coffee.
• While there probably are some health benefits to green tea, the science is inconclusive, and where it is conclusive, it suggests it would take massive amounts of tea or concentrated extracts equivalent of 100s of cups daily to make a difference.

I guess the crazy hype is a symptom of some sort of western-guilt or reverse-racism, prescribing magical powers to the "mysterious Orient". It probably influenced my choice of breakfast drink, but the reason I've come to love it every morning is it tastes good, it gives me the mild boost of caffeine I require to help get going in the morning, gentle on my system and hydrates me, and while the health benefits are questionable, it's definitely more nutritious than my previous morning beverage, Diet Coke.

I've been picking up mostly machta green tea, which in Japan is used in tea ceremonies and as the flavoring in green tea sweets. Next time I go shopping for tea, I'm definitely going to do some internet-thinkin' on the fly (via smart phone) and explore some of the many other kinds and nationalities of green tea out there.

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Buzzfeed recently did a bit on what 2000 calories looks like:

Meh. I'm not sure what the value of informing us that you can subsist on ten cans of fat-free canned whipped "creme" a day, or eat an entire large pizza and get all your calories for the day. I do know I'd have horrible indigestion and probably feel like crap if I did that....but yeah, I'd probably continue to lose weight. I kinda wish they'd also show what 2000 calories full of vegetables, lean proteins, reasonable snacks and drinks would look like, but I guess that wouldn't get the eyeballs and clicks that Buzzfeed exists to excite.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2205

Hungrier week, but only one day over budget, perhaps due to returning to (a reasonable 2oz portion of whole wheat) pasta. Unlike December when I found myself getting hungry, this time I'm not cheating or thinking, "oh, I'm hungrier, my body must be burning more calories!" Oh, if only that was true.

Now that I've set myself a reward of an all-day bike ride, I've started gaining momentum in getting to one. damn. pull up. I've started to tuck my elbows a bit in push ups, which is proper form, and have found it kills my upper triceps, which is where the first movement of a pull up happens. Cut back on the push ups from 100 to closer to 60, as the soreness is very happening. Looking into resistance bands to assist, and according to Internet wisdom, the two kinds of pull-ups I've been doing (pull-ups are palms away, neutral pull ups are palms facing each other) are both harder than the one kind I have NOT been trying, the chin up (palms facing towards your face). Any one will count, as long as it's from a totally prone position and involves no assistance, jumping or momentum of any kind. Monday is chin-up day, or the day to place an order for bands!

Also a quick pat on my own back -- Edie was off from school all last week and part of this week, and it barely effected my caloric intake. In the past, this kind of disruption would make it go all kablooey, so yeah, I'm...

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MONDAY COUNT: 2350

AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

PM SNACK: noon, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 2:30pm, eggplant hero, side salad, water, +/-700 cal
Out at a red-sauce Italian joint with kids and a good friend. Ordered the hero minus the cheese, and resisted finishing up the pizza that my kids were getting down on. There was a slice of red velvet cake that I was able to easily pass on, despite kinda wanting to eat a good portion of it simply to keep it from getting eaten by my toddler.

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, apple/carrot/beet/kale/ginger juice, 115 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, stir fry with shrimp, shirataki noodles, broccoli, mushrooms and black bean paste, poppa salad with miso tahini, water, 585 cal
Just realized that this dish had over 300g of broccoli -- my poppa salad is also around 300g. That was a big-ass meal, very satisfying, but calories are in normal range due to the bulk being vegetables. Huh, funny how that works.

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

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, cheesy poofs, 300 cal
Got honestly hungry. Suspect it was the white bread at lunch that did me in.

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2010

AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10:45am, fruit smoothie, 400 cal
Did a new count on this, upped it from 375.

LUNCH: 2:45pm, almond butter & jelly on whole wheat, pickle, momma salad, water, 540 cal

PM SNACK: 4:45pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 6:45pm, poppa salad with miso tahini dressing, 100 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, chicken sausage, jodpur lentils, steamed string beans, 510 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Fritos, 300 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2565

Surprisingly high calorie day. Got unusually hungry around 6pm, for a bit thought I might have to get something to eat while out in case my brain would shut down, but that didn't happen. After dinner, I still felt hungry, so I made myself wait 20 minutes before pouring Fritos. After 20 minutes, I did feel less hungry, but hungry never the less. Next time this happens, will force myself to wait 30 minutes, it might make the difference between an on and off-budget day.

Looking at what I ate, the pasta at lunch sticks out like a sore thumb. Did this set me up for hunger & extra calories later in the day?

Woke up with seriously sore upper triceps. Yesterday, I tried tucking my elbows in and below me rather than sticking them out when I do my two sets of 50 push ups. I was able to do the first set, but 3 into the second, I had to stop, as my upper arms felt too rubbery. Though I was tempted to feel guilty about doing less push ups, I'm very happy this morning, because this seems to be the specific muscle area that is preventing me from that first movement in doing one. damn. pull up.

AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 10am, Whole Fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 300 cal

PM SNACK: noon, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:15pm, chicken meatballs and whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce & spinach, 645 cal
Hadn't had this meal in a while, due to avoiding refined grains and substituting shirataki for pasta the past few months. Last time I ate pasta like this, it seemed impossible to eat only 2oz of the stuff, the recommended serving, and always cooked up 4. This time, 2oz seemed pretty enough. Huh. Still, this meal is a little too high on the calories for comfort

PM SNACK: 4pm, apple/carrot/kale/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/cayenne juice, 170 cal
Decided to make a more complex juice to avoid a rut. Measured and packed today's and Friday's juice in advance, so all it takes is a wash, a chop and right into the juicer. If juice is made then refrigerated, it degrades pretty fast, and after a day, is meh.

DINNER: 9pm, scallops. black beans, roasted brussel sprouts, poppa salad with miso tahini dressing 750 cal

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

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2015
Second day in a row I got uncomfortably hungry in the afternoon. Had my PM snack on me, but I was squiring around 2 kids so I could not indulge until we got to a playground. Got hungry after evening snack, too, but was controllable.

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

BREAKFAST: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 250 cal

PM SNACK: noon, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm, grilled chicken breast, chana masala, steamed string beans, 590 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

DINNER: 6:45pm, mahi mahi, roasted asparagus, roasted spring onion, poppa salad with miso tahini dressing cal, 615 cal

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

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FRIDAY COUNT: 2085

Woke up hungry. Had cooking, chores and then weights to distract me until breakfast.

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

BREAKFAST: 10am, Whole Fage with almonds, agave and vanilla, 300 cal

AM SNACK: 11:45am, momma salad, 100 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm, deli ham & mustard on whole wheat toast, chana masala, kimchi, water, 465 cal
Not the lunch planned, but no broc due to the oven being used on some prep for a dinner party this Sunday, and no sardine & avocado due the only avocados available at the market are rock hard. Other than not enough fresh veg, relatively healthy. Used a new brand of bread "Bread Alone", more expensive but few ingredients, no fillers and preservatives and softeners and 10 kinds of sugar, just whole wheat flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast, kinda like how I'd make it. Which makes me think I should get back in the habit of bread baking.

PM SNACK: 4:15pm,  apple/carrot/kale/beet/cucumber/celery/ginger/cayenne juice, 180 cal

DINNER: 6pm, homemade hamburger with mushrooms (no bread), roasted brussel sprouts and spring onion, baked acorn squash, water, 640 cal

PM SNACK: 7:45pm, poppa salad with miso tahini dressing, 100 cal

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