Stephen Can't Run Good

1200 calories

2015-05-13T15:27:00.001-05:00

4 apples = 372
1/2 cup guacamole = 182
15 tortilla chips = 105
2 rice cakes = 100
40 saltine crackers = 440
Total = 1199

Nutritarian

2015-03-05T12:27:00.001-06:00

I am writing this post from a phone. I've never done that before. I'm not even sure if this is actually the correct text field.

I mostly just wanted to record a slaw recipe I just made, but I realized I'd like to compile all the improvised recipes I've been making lately. My diet has become very particular as of late, and I can't really find recipes that meet my needs without heavy modifications.

When I weighed myself for the first time in quite a while on New Year's Eve I was at 190 pounds. That's the heaviest I've been since Sam was born. So, I decided to make a resolution to get down to 140 pounds by the end of the year (a number slightly below my lightest weight as an adult). During the month of January I lost about 10 pounds, doing a combination of loosely following Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" with some inspiration from Timothy Ferriss' "Slow Carb Diet" and Sears' "Zone" for good measure. I lost my steam after that month, and gained all the weight back by the end of February.

Then something happened. I stayed home from work while my son Sam was sick last Friday and it gave me some time to reflect. I realized that my stress from work, my infant daughter, and all the other noise of daily life was the biggest reason I couldn't lose weight. Even though I had been making good-faith efforts to improve my health, they were disorganized and piecemeal. Instead of worrying about eating better along with everything else, I decided to invest the time and energy to make food my priority.

Following a variety of diets on a conceptual level hadn't worked, so I went with a clearly defined, more radical version of the "Eat to Live" diet (a food plan already deemed very strict by most standards).

In addition to eating only whole foods, I wanted to eliminate all those foods that contain relatively high calories. Any foods Fuhrman recommends eating in moderation (grains, nuts, seeds, starchy vegetables) I have eliminated completely, as well as eating no refined products (aside from calorie-free vinegar, herbs, spices, and salt-free broth).

I've already lost the 10 pounds again in about a week and I don't intend on letting up for a while. For the most part I'm not a very disciplined person, so having a set of rules that (if followed) will lead to guaranteed weight-loss success, I feel exceedingly more confident about the future. Moderation has never been and probably never will be a strong suit of mine.

This might be the strictest I've ever been, but I've been similarly strict with my diet in various ways over the years (see most of my previous entries on this blog). One big problem I have is getting bored with the food. That's why I'm making the enjoyment of food more of a priority, while still following my rules.

Which brings me to this: slaw recipe!

This Asian slaw doesn't offer the same satisfaction one could expect from the typically high-fat, high-salt, carb-infused varieties, but after a week of mostly fresh fruit and bland bean soups, it's not that bad!

Speaking of, I wonder how many people don't do well on fad diets because they believe the claims of gurus that they can make only slight modifications to their food choices and achieve delicious success. I know eating healthier, lower calorie options is not going to give me the same kind of food-high I crave, but at least creating foods with superficially similar flavor profiles helps me make it through the day.

Can't Run Good (CRG) Asian Slaw

1 bag shredded cabbage (about 14 ounces)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Ground ginger

*OR*

If you aren't as lazy as me, this would be a lot better with freshly minced onions, garlic, and ginger root. And freshly ground pepper, which I actually have, but I'm trying to use up the shitty pre-powdered stuff I have first.

Preparation:
Mix the vinegar in with the dry spices (or minced goodness) in a medium bowl. Put the cabbage in a large plastic or glass storage container that has a lid. Pour the liquid over the cabbage. Mix it up. Taste it and adjust flavor ratios as needed. Put the top on and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour, maybe longer.

For full disclosure, I haven't actually tried this yet. Mine's marinating in the fridge. It would probably be better with more ingredients, but I haven't figured out what those are yet.

Good luck!

Put Michael Sam on the Rams' Roster!

2014-08-24T19:30:00.001-05:00

This blog has 1,570 page views, so I decided this is the one I should write something on. I just read an article about Michael Sam's performance in the preseason on bleacherreport.com, and I saw on the bottom of the page a link to information about their "Writer Program." They suggested that if I don't have publishing credits, I should start with a blog for practice. I guess I have technically been published: a few columns for my college newspaper and a few columns and interviews for Vegan Mainstream. I've written blogs off and on. In fact, I just realized I have five blogs on Blogger alone. I imagine I have a few on Wordpress too. Is Tumblr a blog site? I have one of those too.

Also, I've been watching Bored to Death and it's making me wish more than usual that I was a novelist. This same thing happened when I started watching Californication a year or two ago. I ended up writing a few dozen poems. I don't think it inspired any novel or story attempts. It probably did though. I just don't remember.

I've been dreaming more lately. That's good for inspiration. I'll try to turn my recorded dreams into something.

Wine and Cheese

2013-02-06T20:39:00.001-06:00

Apparently people don't like the title of my other blog, so I'm going to switch to this one, at least for now. I am almost finished with Joel Fuhrman's Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right, which will put me at two books for the year. I intend on finishing two more Fuhrman books in the next week or so: Fasting and Eating for Health and Super Immunity. If I can avoid watching television my reading goals should be easy, but I need to start reading two books a week for a bit to catch up.

My diet has been healthy of late for the most part, but I've done things like drinking too much wine the past week and I also gorged myself on Daiya cheese and tortillas last night. Even with such indulgences, I've been eating at least a pound of non-starchy vegetables a day, and at least two pounds most days. I'm eating at least a cup of beans, an ounce of nuts and/or seeds, and four servings of fruit daily, so my appetite is still allowing me to ingest immunity-boosting levels of nutrients, even given my occasional missteps.

I find myself very tired lately, and I think the biggest factor is my lack of vigorous exercise and inconsistent sleep schedule. I hope that if I start working out I'll be tired enough to get to sleep earlier each night.

This post is a follow-up to my earlier writings about my new year's resolutions I posted on Stephen Hates America.

I am erratic.

2012-08-18T08:34:00.001-05:00

I still haven't posted my food diary, in part because I am embarrassed. I made reasonable choices until Thursday night, but that's when it started to go downhill. After donating plasma, I went over to a friend's apartment and proceeded to eat a bag of tortilla chips with pizza sauce, and drink two Lone Stars. That was my dinner. The following morning I ate three plums and three breakfast tacos. The director at my school was nice enough to bring in some vegan ones: black bean and potato.

The tacos tasted so good I started craving more. So, I went to Taco Bell and had two bean and potato burritos. Oh, and I forgot about this part until just now... I was already dehydrated before eating the burritos, so in a state of total irrationality I drank one liter of 7-Up. I rarely drink soda, and if I do, well... No, I just hardly ever do it. I can't remember the last time I had soda.

I haven't been sleeping enough so maybe that's part of the problem. I've been a little stressed by my new job. Oh, but I haven't even gotten to the terrible, depressing climax yet.

After spending more money on food yesterday than I intended, I decided to stop by Supermercado El Rancho on my way home for enough cheap produce to last me through the weekend. I didn't make it past the fifteen feet of pastries (pan dulces) that greet you as you walk in the store.

I though, "Hmm." I've feeling tired and stressed out. I want to relax tonight. I'll buy a couple of pastries. I won't give you all the details of my brain's machinations, because it's too depressing to go into, but I ended up purchasing nine pastries, eating four of them on the ten-minute car ride home, and proceeding to eat the other five before bed while watching three hours of YouTube videos.

I need a vacation.

A Budget

2012-08-17T07:44:00.000-05:00

I made a budget: two-week periods, detailing how to spend my paycheck. I won't post that budget now because it would take too long. I will only post post my food and gas expenditures (my only necessary costs that are also variable).

August 15
-$20 on gas
-$4.97 on food

August 16
-$3.72 on food

August 17
-$5.14 on food

My goal is to limit food costs to under $5 a day, and I'm finding it really easy so far. By insuring I spend under $5 each time at the grocery store, I have to choose foods I can eat throughout the day. Because I probably won't end up buying food every day, I may be able to bring that number down even more. Ideally, I want to keep the combined food/gas total below $100 per pay period, and then I would be able to cover the cost completely through plasma donations.

I have a plan to eliminate all non-student loan debt by the end of the year and pay to finish my teacher certification. From there, I want to develop and implement a one-year program to meet a lot of goals I've been wanting to achieve the past few years that I've never had the discipline to accomplish.

I will also be keeping a food diary again. I've been tracking since Wednesday, but I don't have time to post it this morning.

Cheers,
Stephen

I might

2012-06-19T20:20:00.003-05:00

This blog never became what I wanted it to be, because I never made a good-faith effort to be the reluctant athlete that I had some intentions of becoming. The pessimistic name I gave it, "Stephen Can't Run Good," acknowledges my doubts about my abilities, and may have been part of the self-fulfilling prophecy I laid out for myself.

I might do a couples "tri sprint" next month. I might go on the "80/10/10" diet for the next 4 weeks. I might train regularly. I probably won't do any of these things, but I wanted to let you know just in case.

Get Boozy for Lent!

2012-02-20T14:41:00.000-06:00

"A clause is a group of words that forms part of a sentence and has a subject and predicate. A principal clause makes a statement. It can stand alone like a simple sentence. A compound sentence contains two or more principal clauses usually joined by a co-ordinate conjunction."

I haven't blogged about anything in a long time. The cobwebs have formed on my previous vain literary ventures, and my heart has grown cold from months of blissful introspection and self-improvement. But no longer will I continue to mildew in the throes of that doldrum!

With another Judeo-Christian holiday season rearing its ugly head, I have decided it is time for me to loudly proclaim my vigor and excite my wit once again.

Usually I only realize it's Lent about a week into the process, but my girlfriend happened to make me aware of the impending event only hours ago. It's Lent! Yea!

I immediately decided to pose this question on Facebook, and now I also pose that question to you, the World! Question:

Hi Facebook friends/enemies! For Lent, I have decided to give up things other people don't like about me, in the spirit of selfless Christian love and the intrinsic goodness of conforming to societal expectations! Shoot me with your arrows of discontent! Please!

World, as you probably don't know me as well as my many hundreds of acquaintances and handful of friends, and although you're probably not reading this, if you happen to be, feel free to project onto me your various absurd worldviews and dogmas, minus any actual understanding of who I am as a person! (Was that a run-on sentence, or a brilliant and determined use of well-placed commas to create a dramatic statement?)

Wow! Talk about burying the lead! I was trying to get around to saying that I haven't been very exciting lately. I don't have much money, having been un/underemployed for over four months now, and the winter weather has added to my glumness and subtle malaise. But spring is around the corner! Flowers! Rabbits! Chocolate! Cleaning! And with them...hope. And whatnot.

And so, for that reason, I have decided to commit to consuming alcohol throughout the month (or 40 days... 40 days. Right? It's like, a really long lunar month? A super month. Biblical month. Magic month.) of Lent. I think it makes sense. I haven't been drinking. Catholics drink. It's a Catholic holiday. Act Catholic.

You're welcome,
Stephen

Choose Me to Write Your Content

2011-10-24T00:27:00.002-05:00

I've been applying for freelance writing/editing gigs lately. Some website was looking for product descriptions. I decided to do some samples. I only wrote one though. This is it:
_________________________________________________________________

Central Market Organics Cold Milled Ground Flaxseed

           Unlike the lower quality, less inspired ground flaxseeds on the market, Central Market’s Cold Milled Ground Flaxseed is milled cold, locking in all those essential nutrients you have grown to love. With the texture and earthiness of discarded roach legs, this flaxseed will bring out the crunchy hipster in you, and provide a playful decoration for your favorite cereals, yogurts, and salads. At three grams of fiber and three grams of Omega-3’s per serving, you’ll feel your vitality soaring with every mouth-watering bite. Its curious roasted smell, the unusual slime deposits it leaves in your mouth, and the way it burrows deep in between your teeth to provide hours of additional snacking will leave you wondering how you lived before you had access to this wonder-drug. You’ll make all the squirrels on your block jealous.
           Our ground flaxseed is also excellent for creating excrement-shaped meal replacement bars that will beautifully compliment the rest of your low-fat, high-protein diet. But the flaxseed has seven grams of fat per serving, you say. Low fat? Don’t worry. It’s good fat. You know, the type that ladies in skin-tight workout gear who tote yoga mats while pushing their blonde little babies around in designer strollers are always yapping about. Seriously, you can trust them. They’ve had at least two kids during their 30s and they can still get away with spandex.
           And that’s not all. Do you have trouble recovering from illness or injury? Not anymore. Our flax will kick your immune system in the ass, providing you with twice the ability to fight viruses, bacteria, bone fractures, ligament damage, and even cancer. It acts as a natural insect repellent, can be mixed with lard to create a world-class beautifying cream, has been shown to significantly increase libido and sperm count in rats, and is a safer alternative to Gardasil for vaccinating yourself against HPV. And Central Market Organics cold-milled flaxseed doesn’t just protect you against the four most common strains. It kills all the HPV you can manage to throw at it.
           If you aren’t eating our flax, you’re cheating yourself out of the American dream. Yes, we live in a land of darkness, but here, here is the light. It’s organic ground flaxseed, and it’s here to save your mother-fucking life. Eat it, or eat it. Peace.

Runner's Diet

2011-08-12T17:34:00.000-05:00

I traveled over six miles by foot today. It was mostly walking, but I threw in some jogging and running when the spirit moved me. It was very hot, so that dissuaded me from running the whole time. My weak stamina, sore joints, and asthmatic lungs didn't help either.

My new apartment is about three miles away from Planet Fitness, my gym of choice, and I decided that's close enough for me to jog to. The round-trip endeavor was a little over two and a half hours, including over thirty minutes of doing upper-body weight machines once I was at the gym, but I'm hoping to trim that time down to under two hours soon.

This is the most exercise I've gotten in recent memory, and I'm hoping to stick with it as one of my aforementioned "I just moved into my new apartment" resolutions. I will also be posting recipes, sticking to a food budget (I think I'll be starting at $200 a month for my initial goal), and listing my daily food intake (as I used to do religiously).

I used the "Scooby's Workshop" calorie calculator to arrive at my eating plan, with the goal of losing a pound a week. I guessed that I'm at 160 pounds right now, and that I'll be getting "moderate" exercise for 3-5 hours a week. I'm hoping for more than that, but I figured I should be conservative to play it safe. I'm going with the default 55% carb, 25% protein, and 20% fat (with a total caloric intake of 2,152) that the calculator recommended for "someone like me." I was going to do 50 carb/25 fat based on some article I read in a runner's magazine, but going lower fat seems valid. Hell, I don't know what I'm doing, so who am I to question the default percentages I was offered?

My scale hasn't moved in with me yet, which is why I am guessing my weight. I also don't have plates, or glasses/cups for liquid beverages. I've been making do. Here's what I ate/will eat today:

4 tortillas: 436 cal, 80 C, 16 P, 8 F
16 oz. rice milk: 240 cal, 46 C, 2 P, 5 F
4 tablespoons rice protein: 220 cal, 24 C, 30 P, 0 F
1 16 oz. block of hard tofu: 450 cal, 15 C, 50 P, 20 F
1 cup F-Factor high fiber cereal: 140 cal, 54 C, 8 P, 2 F
8 oz. rice milk: 120 cal, 23 C, 1 P, 3 F
2/3 cup (dry) refried black beans: 232 cal, 44 C, 16 P, 0 F
3 tortillas: 327 calories, 60 C, 12 P, 6 F

Totals: 2165 calories, 346 grams of carbs, 135 grams of protein, 44 grams of fat

Well, now I'm going to Veggie Heaven. A bubble tea is approximately equivalent to high-fiber cereal with rice milk, right?

New Projects

2011-08-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

I know my recent lack of food and fitness updates must be at least as disappointing for you as it is for me. Fear not, the wheels are turning. I'm going to be living alone very soon, and I'm taking it as an opportunity for new resolutions and lifestyle projects.

Here are the three main things I'm hoping to work on:

Posting recipes on my blog and cooking more decadent things than I've been eating lately. Consistent with my periods of obsessive calorie-counting, I want to include extensive food stats and play around with recipes to make them fit my dietary goals.
To make this a bit more challenging, I also want to reduce my food budget significantly. It's typically $200 to $300 a month right now, and I want to start tracking my expenditures and displaying them for public scrutiny. The main goal of this plan is to show that eating lots of delicious, healthy, vegan food can be cheap.
I have not worked out in a long time, and I would like to start jogging regularly. I also hope to start doing the machine circuit at my gym at least three times a week.

Those were the main things I've been thinking about. I'm so out of the habit with meal-planning, but I can sense the bug coming back. I've gained some weight in the past few weeks, and I'm just really feeling like I don't have any control over my food intake. The time is now.

So, starting Thursday... Get ready.

(Note: The Ramadan thing only lasted two days. I'm still trying to educate myself more on Islam this month; I just don't feel compelled to also damage my body and mind in the process.)

Pretending to be Muslim

2011-08-02T06:27:00.000-05:00

It's 13 minutes until dawn, so I've been up for almost an hour, eating and drinking what I can. Last night all I ate was french fries and Gardetto's. I'm working all this out, but for the moment I am observing Ramadan.

To heighten the experience, I listened to Islamic podcasts all day at work. I probably won't be drinking any alcohol during this month, and I guess I'll try to do some other Muslim things. Already I've noticed I have increased empathy for Muslim people engaged in revolutionary struggles in the Middle East, which is what happened the last time I tried this experiment in 2001. That year it was Nov. 16 - Dec. 11, and I did it out of solidarity with Muslims after the irrational backlash against the community in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Back to the moment, I need to drink more water. I realize I should down at least 32 oz. both AM and PM. Ugh, I was not that thirsty. Bleh. I'll probably be thanking myself later though.

Limerick #3

2011-08-01T00:31:00.000-05:00

KFC says it has “world’s best chicken”

Such good bird meat that it’s “finger lickin’”

This has gone on too long

You bastards, you’re wrong

Only good chicken’s one that’s still tickin’.

In other news, apparently it's Ramadan now. I'm tempted to do a Ramadan-style fast...

Limerick #2

2011-07-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

My pantries are filled full of starches

My cabinets with cookies and tartses

‘Til these stuffs dissipate

Eating Paleo must wait

‘Cause I’m poor and I can’t waste these carbses.

Limerick #1

2011-07-27T06:39:00.000-05:00

There once was a boy on a diet
When he saw a new one he would try it
The "Slow Carb" was "fruitless"
Eating raw: cold and ruthless
Each new plan, he would swiftly defy it.

A Dry Post Mostly Consumed with Details About What I'm Eating

2011-07-20T08:14:00.000-05:00

The evening snack I made for Sam last night. It inspired today's meal plan.

Hi, I made it so anyone can comment on the blog. Before you had to have some type of ID. Sorry, I didn't realize that was the case. Also, I fixed the time zone problem. It had been Pacific since I started the blog, and I just started playing around with the settings and found the option by accident.

Writing blogs in the morning is hard, because I have a tendency to zone out. Now it's almost 8, and I need to leave. I use the word "zone" too much.

July 19 - Back on calorie-restricted "Zone"

1/4 cup raisins, 109 calories, 1 gram of protein, 29 grams of carbs, 0 grams of fat
1 oz. almonds, 180 cal, 7 P, 6 C, 14 F
1/4 cup raw peanuts, 207 cal, 10 P, 6 C, 18 F
8 oz. almond milk, 45 cal, 2 P, 3 C, 4 F
soy protein, 130 cal, 30 P, 0 C, 1 F
can of lentils, 300 cal, 24 P, 51 C, 0 F
barbecue sauce, 40 cal, 0 P, 10 C, 0 F
20 fat-free saltines, 240 cal, 8 P, 52 C, 0 F

Totals: 1251 calories, 82 grams of protein (25%), 157 grams of carbs (49%), 37 grams of fat (26%)

July 20 - "Toddler's Delight"

Lots of pickles, 0 cal, 0 P, 0 C, 0 F
1/2 cup of raisins, 218 cal, 2 P, 58 C, 0 F
2 oz. almonds, 360 cal, 14 P, 12 C, 28 F
1/2 cup high fiber cereal, 70 cal, 4 P, 27 C, 1 F
1/2 cup rice milk, 60 cal, 1 P, 12 C, 1 F
4 jumbo Smart Dogs, 320 cal, 60 P, 12 C, 4 F
4 Whitewheat hot dog buns, 360 cal, 20 P, 80 C, 4 F

Totals: 1388 cal, 101 P, 201 C, 38 F

"Toddler's Delight" is a reference to a comment my mother made about my son Sam's food last night. I intentionally increased my calories and carbs and decreased my fat (as a percentage) from the day before. I don't have time to go into that part. Also, no P90X this morning. I woke up a little too late for that.

Argh, I better go. Toodles.

Off the Wagon

2011-07-19T08:03:00.000-05:00

Sorry for going a week without posting. I've been drinking, binge eating, and lounging for over a week now. In a fit of restless energy I did P90X again for the first time in recent memory. Without calorie restriction, I realize I have no self-control. The Zone with calorie restriction seemed to be working. I'm going to try to jump back in with that. Details to follow.

Raw Food, and Whatnot

2011-07-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

The plum thief strikes again!

I didn't find going raw for a day difficult. That could have been in part because I didn't. My son Sam ate four of my plums, so I made up for it by eating leftover chickpeas and lentils.

But yeah, that still put me at close to 90 percent raw for the day, which is probably the most raw food I've had in one day in years. I've tried to do the raw thing for brief periods at a time, but I've never done it while counting calories. It takes a lot of food to hit 2000 calories raw.

I am a big skeptic of the raw craze, but I also like to challenge myself to do things that seem difficult. So, raw on a budget. Bam.

The next several days after tomorrow are going to be semi-raw, because my tofu and hummus are about to go bad. Is hummus raw?

Raisins I am purporting to be raw.

July 11 (Raw #2 - low fat)

1/4 cup raw peanuts - 207 calories, 10 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, 18 grams of fat ($0.16)
1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels - 205 cal, 8 P, 7 C, 18 F ($0.21)
1/2 bunch spinach (6 oz.) - 39 cal, 5 P, 6 C, 1 F ($0.44)
4 bananas - 420 cal, 5 P, 108 C, 1 F ($1.41)
1/4 cup raisins (no oil, sugar, salt, sulfur - raw enough for me) - 109 cal, 1 P, 29 C, 0 F ($0.20)
1 pound strawberries - 145 cal, 3 P, 35 C, 1 F ($0.97)
2 pounds peaches (7 medium) - 354 cal, 8 P, 90 C, 2 F ($0.94)
1 pound plums (7 small) - 209 cal, 3 P, 52 C, 1 F ($0.99)
1 pound apples (3 Jonagold) - 236 cal, 1 P, 63 C, 1 F ($0.99)

Total calories: 1924; Total protein: 44 grams (8%); Total carbs: 396 (74%); Total fat: 43 (18%); Total cost: $6.31

Raw on a Budget

2011-07-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

OK, you can disregard the percentages on that last post. They were arbitrary anyway. I'm worried that I've gotten too good at this, and I know how to eat healthy without obsessing over ratios and quantities. I had a meal plan today that I followed for the most part, but I subbed a banana for the one and a half cups of beans I had already prepared. I just wasn't hungry anymore. Two thousand calories seems like a whole lot when eating nutrient-dense foods. Hopefully I'll get used to it eventually.

I've been spending more time with Emily, my mostly raw (75+ percent) vegan friend, and she's been reading David Wolfe's "Sun Food System" (or whatever) book recently. I think it has inspired her to go completely raw, which bothers me, because I felt like she was too raw already. To be honest, one of my biggest problems with the raw diet as it is typically practiced is that it is way too expensive. With all the obscure sea nutrients, $50 tubs of dry green powder, cocoa powder that seems to cost 20 times what Hershey's does, and with everything being organic, I don't even want to think about what the actual costs of such a diet might be for me.

With that said, I was thinking about apes today, and what they eat. Fruit, nuts, seeds, and greens, right? (I actually don't know, but that sounds right to me.) Why is this important? I'm an ape. A pale, mostly hairless ape. If I give the raw people any credit, it's on the grounds they are eating a diet more in line with the one nature provides. Wait, scratch that. They are potentially eating a diet along natural lines, so long as they aren't overdoing it with all the dehydrated, powdered, and liquefied stuff.

So, what I want to know is, can I sustain myself on a balanced raw diet for less than $200 a month? Because of my current ape infatuation, I also want to do it without buying anything processed, or processing any of my own food. I chose $200 a month for a goal because that's what the government provides in food stamps to an individual making no qualifying income (at least for Austin, Texas).

I decided to look at the weekly grocery store mailings for the cheapest produce, and I also calculated (and here's the part where I feel clever) the amount of calories per dollar for each item, to use as a factor in making food choices. Below is my meal plan for tomorrow. It's mostly (all) conventional produce, and I guess apes only eat organic, but you know what? I don't care. I'm poor.

July 10 (raw)

1 cup raw Virginia peanuts - 828 calories, 38 grams of protein, 24 grams of carbs, 72 grams of fat, $0.64
1 pound peaches (3 medium) - 177 cal, 4 P, 45 C, 1 F, $0.47
1 pound Jonagold/Braeburn apples (1 of each) - 236 cal, 1 P, 63 C, 1 F, $0.99
1 pound plums (7 total, some black and some red) - 209 cal, 3 P, 52 C, 1 F, $0.99
1 pound strawberries - 145 cal, 3 P, 35 C, 1 F, $0.97
1 bunch spinach (12 oz.) - 78 cal, 10 P, 12 C, 1 F, $0.88
3 bananas - 315 cal, 4 P, 81 C, 1 F, $1.06

Total calories: 1988; Total protein: 63 grams (11%); Total carbs: 312 grams (57%); Total fat: 78 grams (32%); Total cost: $6.00

McDougall/Blue Zone

2011-07-07T23:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back from "vacation," i.e. my break from religiously tracking my food and having self-respect. The thing I notice most when I don't have a set eating plan is that I eat a whole lot of fat and sugar. I guess that's not surprising, but the astronomical quantities really wowed me. Gross.

I finished reading The Blue Zone today, and I have broken down the main food points from the book, in a way that I can easily include them into my new eating plan:

Food group servings:

fruit (2 per day)
nuts (5 per week)
legumes (3+ per week)
tomatoes (3+ per week)
vegetables (4 to 6 per day)

Supplements:

Per the recommendation of the book, I am going to consume 1900 to 2000 calories as my long-term average intake. My biggest goal right now is to have adequate energy and avoid indigestion, rather than having any weight/fat loss goals. Now that I'll be consuming more carbs, I really should get more exercise too.

The main things I'm incorporating from the McDougall plan are high carbs and low fat. I will also be eating significant quantities of whole grains. After a discussion with my equally food-obsessed friend Raquel, I will be making a point to consume at least 50 grams of fiber a day.

Here's the protein/carb/fat breakdown:

Protein: 10-20% (50 to 100 grams)
Carb: 60-70% (300 to 350 grams)
Fat: 15-25% (22 to 44 grams)

[I realized that I was making myself crazy trying to hit numbers exactly, so I included a +/- 5 percent cushion. Ideally I would be doing exactly 15-65-20, but then I would stress myself out. And stress causes inflammation. And inflammation kills you.]

Because one of my new projects is to get enough sleep, I'm going to have to quickly jot down my eating plan for tomorrow and hit the hay.

July 8

1/4 cup mixed nuts - 220 calories, 8 grams protein, 6 grams carbs, 19 grams fat
2 cups oatmeal - 294 cal, 12 P, 51 C, 5 F
2 packets of McDonald's preserves/jam - 70 cal, 0 P, 18 C, 0 F
1/2 can of lentils - 150 cal, 4 P, 9 C, 0 F
3 T barbecue sauce - 60 cal, 0 P, 15 C, 0 F
1 bag lima beans - 550 cal, 30 P, 100 C, 0 F
1 cup spaghetti sauce - 160 cal, 4 P, 26 C, 5 F
1/2 package spelt elbow pasta - 420 cal, 18 P, 84 C, 2 F

Total calories: 1924, total protein: 76 grams, total carbs: 309 grams, total fat: 31 grams, total fiber: 71 grams

Veganism is not a diet.

2011-07-02T17:07:00.000-05:00

I know what I ate the past two days. Every calorie of it. But I'm not going to tell you what it was. I haven't weighed myself, so I simply don't know the extent to which the earth's gravitational pull is compelling me toward its center. I do not know. I do not care.

On Wednesday I attended a lecture given by Neal Barnard at the main office of Whole Foods in downtown Austin. He was promoting a book of his, 21 Day Kickstart, and I was less than impressed by the experience. It was clearly geared toward health and nutrition neophytes, and it made me feel kind of bad about associating myself with veganism. "Not in my name!" screamed my unspoken sense of propriety.

To set straight any possible confusion, I am vegan. I am not vegan because I do not like the taste, feel, or texture of animal products. I am not vegan because I think it is healthy to do so. I am vegan because it is fundamentally immoral to be anything but. With all my concern about my weight, appearance, health, and drive for longevity, my veganism is a completely unrelated life choice. I can stop eating carbs, consume nothing but seeds and nuts, drink spicy lemonade for a fortnight, or run in place for six hours a day, but during any of these thought-provoking diversions, one thing, if nothing else, will not change. I will still be vegan.

My sense of well-being is perhaps the most important factor in my being a healthy person, and having a morally sound purpose in life is a centerpiece of that. I don't know that I've been looking out enough for that part of myself. I had not been blessed by a sense of moral outrage until a couple of recent, awkward interactions with animal exploiters, and it made me feel really good. I have never been especially active in animal rights-related activities, but something about being surrounded by "health" or "dietary" vegans recently made me want to punch a beef-eating American in the face, instead of offering them a mango salsa sample. Don't worry. I didn't actually do that; I'm just saying I would like to. That was not one of the awkward situations I got myself into this week. I have punched no one at all recently.

I don't want to be nice. I don't want to cure type 2 diabetes. I don't want to blame society for the individual choices people make to destroy the lives of sentient beings. I want people to stop abusing animals, and that means I want them to stop buying or wearing leather. It means I want them to stop buying and eating/drinking milk, eggs, honey, cow, pig, beeswax, D3, goose liver, etc. I don't want to see any of it anymore. Because I don't choose to believe that people simply "don't know better." I choose to believe they are wrong, they are callous, they are hateful, and that they willingly consort with evil. I choose to believe that in a society where crimes are punished, animal abusers fall into the realm of a guilty party. And when you choose to fund the exploitation of animals, you are an accomplice to those crimes.

No diet news today, kids. Peace.

Or Not

2011-06-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

These taste bad, but they must be healthy, because Adventists made them.

I'm done with wine. I don't like it. I was only drinking it because Sardinians do. The Loma Linda Adventists don't drink any alcohol at all and they're old too. I've decided to be more selective in how I pick and choose Blue Zone cultures to emulate in my daily life. To learn more about Blue Zones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Zone. Better yet, read the book I've been reading the past several days: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Zones-Lessons-Living-Longest/dp/1426202741. I've been saying I'm going to post my notes, but I have yet to do so. Maybe I will on some odd day off work when I'm feeling...odd.

I actually ate 1585 calories yesterday because I didn't drink wine before bed. Today I ate closer to 1200, even though I said I was going to stop doing that. I'm kind of hooked on unsafely rapid weight-loss now. With that said, I gained a pound at some point during the past 24 hours. That was probably a fluke though. Water weight and what not.

OK, so I posted the food I ate yesterday, but I haven't posted anything for today and tomorrow. I will do that now. This is boring, isn't it? Writing everything I eat. By the way, I haven't done P90X since Saturday. It's looking like I'm only going to be able to do it two or three times a week. Oh well. It's better than nothing. Maybe once I get my life on a better schedule I can start exercising more often.

Also, I'm switching from the Zone-recommended 40 carb - 30 protein - 30 fat to 40 carb - 40 protein - 20 fat. I had stomach discomfort today after eating the nuts, and looking back, the times I've had discomfort on the diet are from having too much fat at once. This doesn't mean I couldn't plan better and spread the fat around, but I know me, and I'm bad at that sort of thing. And I've felt really good on low-fat diets in the past, so, this is what I am doing. Additionally, I will be dropping caffeine. And I'm going to avoid protein shakes. I think they might upset my stomach too.

I could write an entire blog on my finicky food problems, but I'll spare you for now. Hopefully forever.

And another rule: 7 hours of sleep. Ideally, closer to nine, but 7 at an absolute minimum.

I ate this:

This is the kitchen where the magic happens.

June 28

1 soy protein shake - 200 calories, 39 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat
1/2 cup curry cashews - 390 cal, 10 P, 22 C, 32 F
6 oz. carrots - 80 cal, 2 P, 18 C, 0 F
1 cup Hi Lo Cereal - 180 cal, 24 P, 26 C, 4 F
1 cup soymilk - 70 cal, 9 P, 5 C, 1 F
1/2 cup soymilk (last swig from the bottle) - 35 cal, 4.5 P, 2.5 C, .5 F
1 individual size bag of Rold Gold pretzels - 230 cal, 4 P, 47 C, 2 F
1 banana - 105 cal, 1.5 P, 27 C, .5 F

Total calories: 1290; total protein: 94 grams; total carbs: 152.5 grams; total fat: 42 grams

So, I lied. I'm too tired to post my meal plan for tomorrow. I have a few precious minutes before I must retire if I am going to salvage my dream of 7+ hours of sleep. Damn the torpedoes; I'm going to bed.

1700 calories?

2011-06-27T23:33:00.000-05:00

After adding a protein bar before bowling tonight, I ate the most food in one day that I've had in quite a while. My caloric load was still low enough to lose weight, and I still fit into the "Zone." So, yeah. If I'm getting hungry, it makes me feel like I might be doing something wrong, so I'm going to up the calories going forward. Especially since I walk for exercise every day, and I burn a lot of calories from P90X, more calories is definitely more sustainable.

With that said, I had cereal and pie early in the day. It's not that surprising that such foods would not fill me up. So, who knows? I don't.

I don't have a lot to say today. I'm tired, and I have to get up early tomorrow. I weighed in at 151.4 this morning, meaning I've lost 8.6 pounds this month, and 13 pounds since I started this blog. I might as well start posting my weight regularly, since that's a metric I'm very concerned with.

June 27

My home-prepped food that I ate today. Yes, that's wine in a food container.

1 slice of homemade blueberry pie - 360 calories, 4 grams of protein, 49 grams of carbs, 18 grams of fat
1.5 cups spaghetti sauce - 240 cal, 6 P, 39 C, 7.5 F
16 oz. tofu - 450 cal, 50 P, 15 C, 20 F
1/2 cup Hi-Lo Cereal - 90 cal, 12 P, 13 C, 2 F
1/2 cup soymilk - 35 cal, 4.5 P, 2.5 C, .5 F
1 soy protein shake - 200 cal, 39 P, 5 C, 2 F
Odwalla protein bar - 210 cal, 14 P, 30 C, 4.5 F
6 oz. red wine - 120 cal, 0 P, 4 C, 0 F

Tub of soymilk plus tub of cereal, mixed together, equals breakfast at work.

Total calories: 1705, total protein: 129.5 grams, total carbs: 157.5 grams, total fat: 54.5 grams

Today is June 26th

2011-06-26T20:03:00.000-05:00

I did another semi-raw meal plan today. I have a banana and mango left to go. I almost bought some greens and sprouts to mix things up yesterday, but I decided they aren't cheap enough. Instead, I opted for two pounds of peaches for $1.03, and a mango and cantaloupe for 88 cents each. Oh, and a $5.97 bottle of red wine...

I did P90X again yesterday, and I may try to do it again today. I'm thinking I might be too tired though. If I go to sleep early I could do it in the morning, but after that I probably won't have time again until Wednesday.

I'm really loving the protein shakes. I'm going to do a soy entree with either tofu, tempeh, or TVP tomorrow, so I'll have to cut down to just one shake. I'm just mixing Twinlabs Vegefuel soy protein with some cheap, green soymilk from the Asian market nearby, but I think it tastes great. It was especially good when I mixed it and left in the fridge overnight. Very creamy.

I was planning to do another semi-raw day tomorrow, but watching my son Sam eat bread today made me jealous (I snuck a few bites when he wasn't looking), so I decided I want to add in some more cooked/processed food.

I haven't figured out my food completely yet for tomorrow, but here's what I had today:

June 26

1/2 cup curry cashews - 390 calories, 10 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 32 grams of fat
2 soy protein shakes - 400 cal, 78 P, 10 C, 4 F
5 small peaches - 154 cal, 4 P, 39 C, 1 F
1 banana - 105 cal, 1 P, 27 C, 0 F
1 mango - 135 cal, 1 P, 35 C, 1 F
6 oz. Yellow Tail Cabernet Savignon - 120 cal, 0 P, 4 C, 0 F

Total calories: 1304, total protein: 94, total carbs: 137, total fat: 38

Pictures!

This is my soymilk.

These are the little tubs I put my food in. Two cups each. I have nine of them. They come in packs of three.

This is the food I ate yesterday, June 25th.

My home gym!

I know it's late.

2011-06-25T02:53:00.000-05:00

But I feel like if I don't post an entry right now I'm going to lose track of my food notes and then all my meticulous lists and computations will be for naught. I have way too much to write about to not be posting daily.

I did P90X yesterday: Kenpo. I went ahead and only ate about 1200 calories that day too, but I broke down and ate about 400 calories worth of cashews before I went to sleep that night. Wait, it was Thursday. When this publishes this should say it's Saturday, so that would be two days ago.

Anyway, it's a cardio exercise and I'm pretty sure I burned a fair amount of calories. So, that made things tough. Also, I'm officially off Slow Carb. I know it's lame to quit a few days before my goal date, but I've really started doubting the fruit avoidance, among other things. More than that, I'm just bored with it. It's not nearly complicated enough to keep my attention.

I took some notes on Buettner's The Blue Zone I want to share, but it could get lengthy so I'll save it for another post when I feel I have the time, space, and energy. I'm going to skip to all the food now before I forget.

First, I'll make a note about June 21. That was the best meal plan I've put together so far. I bought five cans of spaghetti sauce on clearance from HEB for 50 cents, so I'm hoping to do a similar meal plan to that one again soon.

In order to continue delaying the inane food stats, I will also mention that I am challenging myself to create both a "shelf-stable" meal plan and a raw meal plan. Both of them would be at 1200-1300 calories and follow the Zone recommendations. I created a "semi-raw" meal plan for tomorrow as a start. Only the bananas and blueberries are actually raw, but I think the other foods could be easily substituted for raw versions. Like I said, it's a start.

The purpose behind doing the raw plan is to impress my raw vegan friend. I want to do a "no refrigeration necessary" (or any prep at all, for that matter) one for when I'm traveling or something. I was imagining packing a bag with a few bottles of water and having my little snack containers to carry around and munch from. Zone-friendly trail mix, crackers, jerky, I suppose.

That reminds me. I haven't been posting pictures. I'm really falling down on the job here. And now, for real this time, the food.

June 22

Tofu scramble - 320 calories, 32 grams protein, 4 grams carbs, 16 grams fat
Broccoli - 150 cal, 5 P, 20 C, 0 F
4 Boca patties - 280 cal, 52 P, 24 C, 2 F
2 slices of Whole Foods pizza - 427.6 cal, 9.2 P, 56.4 C, 19.2 F

Total calories: 1177.6; Total protein: 98.2; Total carbs: 104.4; Total fat: 37.2

June 23

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich - 325 calories, 11 grams of protein, 36 grams of carbs, 16 grams of fat
Tofu, TVP, mixed vegetables - 867 calories, 76 grams of protein, 58 grams of carbs, 27 grams of fat
6 oz. container of blueberries - 97 calories, 1.3 P, 24.7 C, 0.5 F

Total calories: 1289; Total protein: 88.3; Total carbs: 118.7; Total fat: 43.5

(Note: I actually consumed something I calculated to be over 1600 calories due to my cashew splurge before bed.)

June 24

Tempeh, black beans, mustard greens - 603 calories, 46 P, 49 C, 12 F
1 serving cashews (about 14 nuts) - 163 cal, 4 P, 9 C, 13 F
Boca sandwich with ketchup - 185 cal, 17 P, 30 C, .5 F

Total calories: 951 cal, 67 P, 88 C, 25.5 F

(Note: I screwed up by not eating my last serving of the tempeh, bean, green mix. I may eat it tomorrow to make up for it. I didn't want to eat it late at night, because I've been trying to avoid eating after 7pm. Also, I had a few ounces of wine before bed. I'm going to possibly make that a staple in my meal planning in the future.)

June 25 (bridge to raw plan)

2 servings soy protein with 16 oz. soymilk - 400 cal, 78 P, 10 C, 4 F
1/2 cup mixed nuts - 440 cal, 16 P, 12 C, 38 F
2 bananas - 210 cal, 3 P, 54 C, 1 F
12 oz. blueberries - 194 cal, 2.5 P, 49 C, 1 F

Total calories: 1244; Total protein: 99.5; Total carbs: 125; Total fat: 44