Category: Grub

Recipes, diet, and food

Ten Years

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment
Ten years (to the day) difference in these photos.

I remember when I started my first Whole30. People were only mildly encouraging. Most told me, “You know, most people gain all the weight back and then some after doing fad diets.” I persisted despite the negativity and embraced not a fad diet, but a change in lifestyle. I knew that the key to success long-term was not the mindset of losing weight but of changing my lifestyle to get healthy. I wanted to make changes that were permanent and, most importantly, sustainable forever.

Whole30 led me to Paleo which has been my diet for eight years now. While injuries have led me to not be as active for the past 6 months, I’ve still managed to keep the weight off and to remain healthy.

The key to keeping the weight off is to embrace the lifestyle change and to have the mindset that there is no turning back. There is no being unhealthy. There is no accepting sabotage. There is only success.

I am so much better off today than I was 10 years ago. Heck, if I hadn’t made the changes, I might not even be here today. I had fatty liver disease, Type-2 diabetes, and circulation problems in my legs and feet. Even my vision was declining due to the diabetes. All these things were reversed within the first year of doing my first Whole30 just due to diet change alone.

Set your mind to it. Stop putting it off. Commit to being healthy and do the work to make it happen. Once you embrace the lifestyle, it gets easier.

Small Victories

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

I did something on Friday that has been one of the most difficult things for me to do: I stopped eating a meal when I felt full instead of when all the food was gone.

Part of the problem I have with eating healthy is not that I eat the wrong things; I very rarely do. The problem I have is that I derive pleasure from not only how delicious the food is, but also in finishing my meals. This comes from my childhood, as it does from many other peoples’ where our parents admonished us if we didn’t “Clean the plate.”

Change little things where you can. Then keep doing it and change another little thing. This morning, I chose something that wasn’t my first choice, but was a much healthier choice for breakfast than what I actually initially wanted.

Never give up, don’t allow yourself to fall on that slippery slope of, “Just this once.” That “Once” turns into another and another and before you know it, you’re having to start all over again.

Quality of Life Transformation: From Whole30 to Paleo Diet and Exercise

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

I never would have thought of myself as being the type of person who could stay on a specific diet for any period of time to allow me to be successful long-term in getting fit and healthy. I thought that I was a slave to food, and that I would forever be doomed to eating too much, eating the wrong foods, and honestly, to die young.

Whole30 changed that for me, and transitioning into the Paleo Diet was super easy. Once my sugar addiction was broken and I learned to eat foods made from whole ingredients and avoiding anything with added sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes really made me feel better and improved my health significantly in measurable ways.

Initially, the incredible improvements in my health fueled my desire to stay strictly on the diet and to avoid sabotabing my process through cheat meals or days. Then, the more weight I lost and the healthier my body was getting, the less I wanted to go back. I saw every temptation as sabotage which made it easy to avoid. Then, once I started exercising and added fitness to my plan, I didn’t want to eat anything that would hinder my progress in getting stronger, faster, and more able to do long-term exercise.

In the end, now I am motivated by how I feel followed by how comfortable I am in doing things like mountain biking, hiking, walking up flights of stairs, wearing clothes that I like, and even getting in and out of my Porsche (which would have been impossible at my heaviest). All these things are quality of life (QoL), and my QoL is so much better with a healthy lifestyle than it ever was before.

Do I miss eating anything and everything with wild abandon? Absolutely! I love eating (still), and one of my biggest behavioral issues is that I have a very hard time with portion control. The more I eat, the happier I am, so it’s a struggle I fight still. But when I’m tempted to eat more, I remind myself that I feel great and I don’t want to sabotage that feeling and all the work I’ve done to get there with short-term satisfaction.

At the end of the day, health and fitness are things that you can’t buy; you have to earn it the old fashioned way: by putting in the work.

End of week 2 and the result is…

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

203.3. That’s nearly 7 lbs in two weeks. It’s keeping me on track for the 10+ I was hoping for this Whole30. Now, here’s the crazy part: Sherry and I are considering this a pre-Whole30 because we have a summer party in two weeks where we will imbibe alcohol and probably eat some things we aren’t supposed to. But the plan is for us to then start our REAL Whole30 the following day which will lead us into a strict Paleo for the rest of the summer and fall going into the holiday season just like we did on our very first Whole30. That first Whole30 led me to lose 110 lbs in a year without exercise and shoehorned me into the Paleo lifestyle which saw me lose another 40 lbs and reverse my Type 2 Diabetes and fatty liver disease.

I’m incredibly excited and motivated to see 203.3 lbs on the scale this morning for another reason: I forgot to weigh myself when I woke up, so that was after eating breakfast and 10 oz of coffee as well as needing to *ehem* go to the bathroom. So… I could have weighed up to half a pound less! But, I’ll put that loss off for tomorrow.

Mushrooms are a great ingredient for Whole30 foods.

Today, Sherry and I are doing meal prep for the week. We are making some Carnitas, Al Pastor, and a deconstructed cheeseburger. All of these are Whole30-compliant, and among some of our favorites. Whole30 is really not that difficult to get through when the foods taste as good if not better than the non-compliant foods. Even my daughter who was staying with us last week commented on how much she liked the food. She was even happier to know that it was all very healthy for her.

My success is only possible because of the teamwork with my wife. Between her being the driving force behind our amazing menu and the cooking, to the portion sizes she’s been helping me with (my biggest problem is over-eating), the nearly 7 lbs I’ve lost is in large part due to her support. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Day Four

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

First, a quick recap of yesterday (Day 3). Dinner was a rather generous portion of the Chicken Tikka Masala that my wife and I made on Sunday. It was yummy, but it seemed like a pretty big portion. Either that, or I’m being very hard on myself and being very thoughtful about portion sizes. But I was not only sated, but it was delicious. This week, my wife made all our favorites; okay, she made all MY favorites, and it makes rolling into this Whole30 a lot easier when the foods are delicious.

This morning, I skipped weighing myself. Not because of any particular reason other than I woke up about 30 minutes later than I like, and I got dressed quickly before I realized I hadn’t weighed myself. Oh well; I’ll do it tomorrow morning.

Today’s breakfast was the Catalina Crunch (keto cereal) with blueberries. I know: cereal is SWYPO according to W30, but I NEVER eat real cereal. Heck, it’s been nearly eight years since I had real cereal, so I’m not replacing anything from the “Pre-Paleo Diet” days. I do stick to the rules on ingredients, portion size, and 99% of the SWYPO rules, but I can’t give up the one quick breakfast I have that sates my appetite until lunchtime with almost no prep.

Lunch will be chili. I freaking love chili. I have since I was a kid. I loved it so much that my grandmother used to tease me about it. Whenever I spent the weekends with my grandparents, most times we’d go out camping if the weather was nice. On those trips, they’d always stop somewhere; usually a diner or some non-fast food place. I was kind of picky about food; I didn’t like hamburgers or cheeseburgers, and not many places had hot dogs, so my go-to was chili. It was almost always great, and I grew to really love it. I remember going somewhere and my grandmother saying, “This time, try to pick anything other than chili.” I went through the menu and explained to her why each of the other items didn’t meet my culinary expectations or needs. She sighed and relented; “Fine. Get your chili.” She loved telling that story. I honestly think of her every time I eat chili.

Dinner will likely be the meatloaf and sweet potato hash. It’s another one of my absolute favorites, and a food I didn’t really grow to appreciate until my mid-20’s. My mother cooked almost exclusively Hungarian cuisine for my family, with the occasional exception of French or Italian food. I loved all kinds of food, but when it came to hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and meatloaf, I had an aversion. They seemed so pedestrian compared to the amazing meals I was accustomed to from my mother. School lunches were a challenge; there were days I didn’t eat the main portion if it was one of those three food items and I’d just eat the sides. I’d trade away my burgers for chips or fruit.

But then something crazy happened. When I was 13 or 14, I used to ride my bike a lot. Like 30-40 miles a day. I would ride my little 12-speed to neighboring towns, and most days, I’d find myself far from home and hungry. I started asking my mother for lunch money on those days I rode far, and since it was summertime, she was glad to give me the money to make me disappear for the day so she could focus on her housework. One day, I was riding and got very hungry, and as I was riding past a McDonald’s, I could smell the fries. I loved fries. So I went inside and as I was about to order fries, the person in front of me ordered a Quarter Pounder with no cheese. I thought that was a good option, and I’d work my way through it with the fries and a Coke. So, I got the Quarter Pounder, fries, and a Coke and I sat down. I took a bite of the burger expecting to be repulsed, but it was amazing. I don’t know if it was because I was so hungry, so tired, or both, but it just hit different. From that point on, burgers were on the table.

Meatloaf took a little longer. I was in the Marines and as an MP, we were not allowed to eat at the chow hall (dining facility) due to our work schedule and because we were paid a stipend for food in lieu of dining privileges. So, the other Marines and I would search out the best places to eat that fit within our budgets. One was Bob’s Big Boy, and the other was Norm’s, a diner in Santa Ana, California. One day at Norm’s, I asked what the daily special was (these were always very generous portions for an incredibly reasonable price), and on that day, it was meatloaf. I didn’t have much cash on me, but I had enough for the special and the tip, so I went for it, and it was amazing. Once again, I marveled at having missed out on meatloaf for so long (at the time lol) in my life. Like hamburgers before it, meatloaf was now on the table.

Cheeseburgers never quite made it. I can abide a swiss burger, but I prefer my burgers without cheese. I don’t know what it is. My wife thinks it’s because I respect cheese too much, and maybe she’s right. I do like cheese; just not on burgers. I love nachos, Mexican food, French food, and even Hungarian foods with cheese on it. Just leave it off my burgers.

Anyway, that’s a stupid long explanation of why the meatloaf tonight is going to be a treat, and I’m looking forward to it. Fortunately, my wife sets the portions, so I wont’ over-eat. But I will eat slowly and savor it.

I have a slight headache today that I recognize as the Whole30 haze. But on the positive side, the cravings were much lower yesterday than the day before, and I expect them to be even less today. I also feel less bloated; I measure this with what I call the “Ring test.” I check to see how easy it is for me to take my wedding ring off. If it comes off easily, then I’m not bloated. But if it is hard to remove or doesn’t come off at all… well, then I know I’m bloating, and it’s usually from grains, dairy, or sugar (of which I had all of while in the Balkans).

I’m excited. The more I get into this Whole30, the more motivated I am becoming. I don’t look at the foods I can’t eat; I actually prefer the Whole30 foods because I know they’re healthy for me, and I know that in between meals, I will feel so much better in a few weeks. There’s no replacing that with bread or a dessert.

Found my starting weight

Published on by PaleoMarine2 Comments

So, I decided to weigh myself yesterday: 209.4. Being that the weigh-in was nearly two days after I started, I’ll round it up to 210.

Oh. My. God.

That means I have 35 lbs to lose. I know, I know: it’s not about weight, it’s about health. And yes, I get it, and I sincerely subscribe to that idea. But… I am still in the military, and they care about numbers which means I have to care about numbers.

So, I will trust the process, play the game, and I will reach my goal just like I have every time in the past on Whole30’s prior.

I also broke the rule I said I would follow yesterday; I weighed myself this morning just as I always did on previous Whole30’s. What did I find? 208.5. This is also as I expected after 2 days. The first week is always the best week for pure weight loss as my body recovers from the gluten and sugar overload it was experiencing through all the amazing breads, desserts, and alcohol (we won’t mention all those double espressos with sugar).

Why do I continue to break the “Don’t weigh yourself” rule? Because for my personality type, it fuels my desire to reach my goal. It is an immediate feedback that shows me I’m doing the right thing, or if the scale goes in the other direction, it allows me to more closely analyze what I put into my body and its effect on my overall health.

As for exercise, I was supposed to start that on Monday, but I didn’t. Then, I was supposed to start that on Tuesday and still didn’t. Today is Wednesday, and if I’m being honest, I likely won’t start today either. Why? Well, my heel is still recovering from an injury I sustained about a month ago during a sprint from one building to another avoiding a devastating storm here in Houston in which 7 people lost their lives. I was downtown, the epicenter of the storm, and I sprinted far too hard and ended up injuring my right Achille’s tendon. It didn’t rupture, but it definitely was strained.

I also hurt my back prior to my vacation: a painful spasm that stayed with me for nearly two weeks. That one happened after a workout when I didn’t stretch properly after a personal best for the year in lifting, and I moved suddenly when the spasm appeared.

As for my shoulder injury I’ve been working with for the past year, it is actually the one bright spot. Because of my weightlifting, it actually has healed more and the range of motion has increased. It still hurts, but nowhere near as much as it used to, and I can use my arm and shoulder a lot more today than I have been able to in almost two years.

Today’s breakfast was 1 cup of Catalina Crunch (a keto breakfast cereal that I really enjoy when I don’t want to make my two eggs, bacon, and tomato breakfast that has been a staple for me since my very first Whole30 nearly 8 years ago) with blueberries and Califia Better Half creamer (a mix of almond milk and coconut cream). For lunch, I will have a Picadillo that my wife and I made this weekend (the recipe for it is on her website, and I highly recommend it; it’s one of my favorites!). For dinner tonight, I will likely have either the meatloaf and sweet potatoes she made, or a chicken dish with riced cauliflower. As for drinks, I limit myself to either coffee with the Califia Better Half or LMNT, a drink powder with no sugar but it has salt, potassium, and magnesium which is important when you’re doing heavy exercise when on a diet like Whole30 or Paleo.

But wait, you’re thinking: you said you aren’t exercising right now! That’s right, but I will be starting any day now as soon as my motivation for it returns, and I have to be ready. My body has to be ready. And when it and I am, I won’t have to worry that I don’t have the proper elements in my body.

So. Day 3 on Whole30. I’m starting to feel some of the flu-like symptoms, but that’s to be expected. The worst is yet to come, likely this weekend, and that’s okay. I’m here for it. I actually embrace it, because then I know I’m doing the right things.

Eating Well to Heal Well

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment
This is where my wife keeps her recipes for our amazing meals.

Something I think a lot of people overlook when they are recovering from injuries or surgery is their diet. What you eat directly affects how you heal: how fast, and how well. Case in point: my incision scar. When I went in for my three-week appointment, the nurse was amazed at how well my scar is healing. Most people my age heal slower than younger people, and often, an extended period of healing is advised. To the contrary, my scar has not only been healing well, but the nurse had to look at my chart twice to make sure she was reading it right.

“So, it’s only been three weeks?” She asked me.

“Yes, three weeks today,” I replied.

“Wow. It’s really healing nicely. I’d have said it’s at a month, based on what it looks like.”

She marveled at how well I’m healing, even considering my age. I asked her if diet could have anything to do with it, and she replied enthusiastically that diet directly impacts healing, and that many people don’t eat to heal. She said that people who eat healthier foods made from whole ingredients tend to heal better and faster than those who eat fast food or fried foods.

Since that appointment, I’ve also been adding a scar cream twice a day to the incision scar on my abdomen, and it’s been healing up very nicely. I’ve also been very careful with the food I eat, and I’ve refrained from smoking my pipe at all (as nicotine inhibits healing). I’ve had some alcohol on the weekends, but not more than a few drinks, and even then, only on one day per weekend over the past two weekends. All the food I’ve eaten has been healthy.

My wife has been very supportive throughout the process, and that support extends to the amazing foods she makes based on recipes listed on her blog, Our Daily Bacon. All the recipes on her blog are among our favorites, and we use her site weekly to decide what our meals will be for the week.

Avoid Diet Burnout

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment
These smoked ribs are delicious and even Whole30 compliant!

One of the main resons people stop eating healthy foods is because they get bored of the food they are eating. When I see people “Eating healthy,” I often see people eating lots of baked chicken breast and salads.

Ew.

Before Sherry and I did our first Whole30, we agreed that having a variety of foods on the menu was imperative. I specifically called out baked chicken breast and salads which had a hilarious consequence: Sherry avoided chicken breast and salad recipes for a year! When I once suggested a baked chicken recipe, she said, “I thought you said you didn’t like baked chicken breast.” I laughed and told her that I liked baked chicken which is exactly why I wanted to avoid over-eating it on our healthy food journey. We both had a good laugh about that one.

There are many reasons why we succeeded in changing our lifestyle and eating habits, but one of the keys was, in our opinion, the variety of foods. We avoided diet burnout by having a wide array of foods to choose from. We have learned over the years how to make healthy, Whole30 and Paleo foods that are not only good for us, but delicious and filling. It’s the last two that matter the most: delicious and filling.

Delicious foods make you happy. They feed not only your body, but your emotional well-being. When you enjoy the food you eat, you do run the risk of over-eating, but when you’re eating healthier foods, your body will respond and tell you when you’re full. I think the benefits of delicious foods outweighs the downsides.

Filling foods are important because it’s easy to over-eat. That’s one of the biggest problems with high-carb foods; they are very easy to over-eat. Take rice. In and of itself, it’s actually not really that bad for you, but it’s very easy to get way too many calories from it. That’s why we avoid it (as it’s also a grain which is not Paleo).

I can honestly say that in the five years we’ve been Paleo and doing Whole30’s, I’ve never gotten bored with the food, and I’ve never looked at a meal thinking, “Ugh. Not this again.” When you enjoy your meals, you are more likely to stick with a healthy diet.

New Recipes We Like

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

Sherry updated her blog with some new recipes we have added to the menu recently. I think it’s worth checking out!

Fried Catfish

Published on by PaleoMarineLeave a comment

 

IMG_0087_Lively

Someone may have already come across this recipe I made, but it’s too good to not share.

My wife and I love fried catfish, but finding a breading that is Paleo and that actually sticks to the fish has been difficult. My wife had all but given up before I took it upon myself to conquer fried catfish. I must have gotten lucky, because I got it right on the first try (and I’ve since been able to replicate it with 100% success!).

  • I use fresh, wild-caught catfish. I got 2 lbs of it for this recipe.
  • Equal parts of almond flour and cassava flour (about 3 tbs each)
  • Salt and pepper in the flour… not a lot, but just to add a little “something.” You can also sprinkle in some cayenne or paprika for color/flavor
  • For the oil, I use refined coconut oil. Ensure there’s enough in your pan to cover the fish 1/2 way up.

I heat the coconut oil on high and let the oil get nice and hot. Then, after cutting the catfish filets into four pieces, I use the natural moisture from the fish and pat it into the flour mixture, ensuring that all sides are well-covered. I then carefully place the pieces into the oil and cook them on each side for about3 3-7 minutes, depending on thickness. Turn them carefully with tongs to ensure you don’t pull the “breading” off. The most important part here is to not cook them based on time, but on internal temperature: minimum 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the fish is at temperature, place onto a plate that has a paper towel on it to help get some of the oil out of it. Serve!

My wife, her mother, and my son all say it’s the best catfish they’ve had! It’s really that good! I hope you enjoy it, too. Let me know how it goes if you try this recipe.