January 2012
1 post
1 tag
Health is not a race.
December 2011
2 posts
Four Years
I published my first post, Nutrition & Exercise 101, on December 15, 2007 - just over four years ago. For those of you who have and still visit this site, thanks for tuning in. The accountability I feel with you is encouraging and inspiring.
Thank you!
November 2011
1 post
Dave Earle Elite Performance: Winning the... →
daveearleeliteperformance:
99% of supplements are bullshit - EXPENSIVE bullshit, the worst kind.
Read this article.
September 2011
2 posts
“I’m not there yet. But I want to be training 24 hours per day. Sleeping as...”
– Sebastian Marshall on 24 Hours of Training Per Day
July 2011
5 posts
“Listen to your fear but don’t obey it.”
– Seth Godin
“…meals embody the principles and the disposition of the person who eats...”
– http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/
3 tags
A Cheat Day after a Paleo Challenge, Part 2
Today, I throw everything I did for the last month out the window.
Let’s just say I feel like garbage at the end of this cheat day. I may eat like [the new] normal tomorrow and forget about the “celebrating.” It’s not authentic or worth it. I didn’t realize how great I felt until now.
Here’s what my cheat day looked like:
Breakfast: 1 Venti Iced Vanilla Latte, 1 cinnamon swirl coffee cake
...
3 tags
A Cheat Day after a Paleo Challenge, Part 1
Today, I throw everything I did for the last month out the window.
First thing this morning, I went to Starbucks. I’m not as big a fan as I used to be, but during the summer I love a cold, iced beverage. So I bought an Iced Venti Vanilla Latte and a Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake. These are my default choices at Starbucks. It’s what I always get. And today is a cheat day, so I’m...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 30
Killed it! Tomorrow I celebrate.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, coffee
Lunch: Chicken salad (chicken breast, 1 crushed bacon strip, lettuce, cucumbers, red onions, avocado/olive oil dressing), iced green tea
Snack: 3 hard-boiled eggs, 1 apple, almonds
Dinner: 2 chicken breasts, asparagus, blueberries
Snack: 1 apple, almonds
I almost had bacon for dinner, too, in favor of day 30 of 30....
June 2011
52 posts
4 tags
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 29
I tried the brussel sprouts again for dinner and they were just awful. Terrible. I couldn’t eat more than two. I really want to like vegetables more, but it’s tough to get outside my comfort zone (tomatoes, peppers, onions, asparagus, green beans, cucumbers and broccoli) without gagging. I guess my comfort zone could be worse. I won’t pretend to like a wide variety of vegetables....
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 28
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 bacon strips, strawberries, coffee
Lunch: Chicken salad (chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, cucumber slices, avocado/olive oil dressing, iced green tea
Snack: 1 Larabar, almonds, blueberries
Dinner: Steak, shrimp, 1/2 lemon, 1 banana
3 tags
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 27
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 bacon strips, coffee
Lunch: 1/4 chicken breast, chicken salad (1 chicken breast, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber slices, black olives, avocado/olive oil dressing), iced green tea
Snack: 1 hamburger, 1/4 chicken breast, tomatoes, strawberries
Dinner: Pork tenderloin, tomatoes, strawberries
Snack: 1 Larabar
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 26
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, strawberries, coffee
Lunch: 4 hamburgers, strawberries
Dinner: 2 eggs, 4 bacon strips, strawberries, coffee
Weak meals today. No time to stock up on good foods. Lots of activities going on. Finishing this week strong.
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 25
I feel the end drawing near.
Breakfast: Blueberries, Iced Grande Americano
Lunch: 2 hamburgers, cucumber slices
Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 apple
Dinner: Steak, salad (lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, eggs, sunflower seeds, carrots, pickles, peppers)
But it won’t be the end.
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 24
I’m back from New York and will get into a more balanced eating routine on Sunday. Paleo travel notes and tips coming in the next day or two.
Snack: Blackberries, coffee
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 5 bacon strips, Iced Grande Americano
Lunch: Hardee’s - 2/3lb monster burger, low carb (no bun, no cheese, no mayo) with lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard
Snack: coffee, blueberries,...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 23
I lied.
Yesterday I said, “I cannot eat enough ribs.” I put that to the test today and ate A LOT of ribs. Enough, indeed.
Breakfast: Almonds, blueberries, Iced Grande Americano
Lunch: Ribs (half rack), chicken breast, carrots
Snack: Ribs (4), raspberries, blackberries
Dinner: Ribs (full rack), collared greens, mixed fruit
The ribs (lunch) I ate today were not paleo-friendly....
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 22
22 days strong. Think you can’t do it? You can.
Breakfast: Almonds, blueberries, Iced Venti Americano
Lunch: 1 hamburger, 2 bacon strips, lettuce, tomato
Snack: Iced Venti Americano
Dinner: Dry ribs (half rack), asparagus, orange wedges, lemon wedges
Snack: Almonds, carrots, tomatoes, raspberries
I cannot eat enough ribs. Could have easily polished off the full rack I ordered....
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 21
Wikipedia:
Centered on commonly available modern foods, the “contemporary” Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.
You may notice something out of the ordinary below: peanuts. Woops. These aren’t paleo-friendly because they contain lectins and are...
3 tags
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 20
Today wasn’t as challenging as I expected. I am so “on” I don’t even realize it. Macho, right? Pumped and motivated to succeed. Hard work. Positivity. GO.
Definitely some weird timing and long stretches between these meals:
Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 banana (4:30am)
Snack: Iced Venti Americano, 1 Larabar (8:30am)
Snack: almonds (1:30pm, time change 1 hour ahead)
...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 19
Drove to Chicagoland last night to spend Father’s Day with my family. They catered to my paleo needs, which was great!
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 4 bacon strips, 1/2 banana, 1 Iced Venti Americano, 1 cup of grapefruit juice
Lunch: pork tenderloin, black olives, strawberries, blueberries
Dinner: 2 hamburgers with lettuce, tomato, onion avocado and mustard, 1/2 tomato
Snack: Larabar
Missed my...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 18
Determined.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 4 bacon strips, coffee
Lunch: 2 hamburgers, green beans, broccoli, avocado
Snack: 3 hard-boiled eggs, blueberries, 1 cup of grapefruit juice
Dinner: pork tenderloin, grilled red and yellow peppers, a couple strawberries
Snack: deli turkey, strawberries, blueberries
A little high on the fructose today. Sometimes I get hung up about what kind of paleo food...
3 tags
Traveling Paleo
Traveling next week will be a challenge, but I am determined to get through it without cheating. Nick and I were discussing different strategies for eating paleo-friendly meals on the road. Here are a few ideas, some of which I will be trying out:
Pack a big bag of almonds (or nuts of your choice) and/or any kind of food you can travel with
Pack a cooler with ice at the destination. Fill it with...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 17
I’ll be on the road Monday through Friday next week, so I’m trying to use up all of the non-frozen meat, fresh fruits and vegetables in my refrigerator.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, coffee (The Breakfast Standard)
Lunch: 2 hamburgers, green beans, iced green tea
Snack: deli turkey, 1 banana, almonds
Dinner: 2 hamburgers, asparagus, 1 tequila/lime juice drink
Snack: Larabar
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 16
16 days, no cheats. All or nothing. Go big or go home. Tough guy stuff.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, 1 plum, coffee
Lunch: 2 hamburgers, asparagus, 1/2 tomato, avocado, iced green tea
Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs, deli turkey, 1 banana, blueberries
Dinner: 1.5 huge chicken breasts, red/yellow peppers, onions and tomatoes
Snack: 1/2 chicken breast, black olives, blueberries
I cook all...
3 tags
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 15
Half way through June. I am beginning to formulate a plan for what I’ll do after the challenge. First off, who am I kidding, I will inhale all the foods I love. Pizza, beer, chips, ice cream, cheese and Sugar Free Red Bull. I will regret the amount I ate and make sure to document everything here.
After that, I’m going try a paleo + some dairy diet. I want to see how I feel with the...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 14
Week 2 in the history books.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 sausage patties, coffee
Lunch: 2 bison bratwursts, broccoli, 1 plum, iced green tea
Snack: 3 hard-boiled eggs, strawberries
Dinner: 2 hamburgers, red onion, 2 pickles, black olives, 1/4 red pepper with olive oil
Snack: Larabar
My evening snack has been challenging because I’m not hungry.
The two pickles I ate for dinner were made by...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 13
Still going strong! Hard to believe I will be half way through this challenge on Wednesday. I also feel like I have been doing this for an eternity. I am looking forward to finishing what I started and continuing this, or something similar, after the challenge is over.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 sausage patties, coffee
Lunch: ribs, broccoli, tomato slices, peppers, sunflower seeds, iced green tea
...
4 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 12
Missed my snack tonight, but had a massive dinner. Trained w/squats and bench press at the gym this afternoon. Eating so much after training makes me feel like an invincible giant.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 bacon strips, 1/2 sausage, coffee
Lunch: chicken breast, 1 hot dog, blueberries, iced green tea
Snack: 3 hard-boiled eggs, strawberries
Dinner: 2 hamburgers, 1 hot dog, 1/2 pork chop,...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 11
Tonight, I went to the theater with a few friends to watch Super 8 (it was incredible). All I could hear was the hundreds of thousands of people in that theater smelling, touching, chewing, tasting and enjoying their delicious popcorn. I wept, then listened to a small voice inside of me that said, “Carry on.”
After the movie, I went to a bar/restaurant with the same friends and looked...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 10
1/3 of the way through.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, 1 plum, coffee
Lunch: 1 bison burger, 1 beef hot dog, 3.5 broccoli, 1 plum
Snack: 3 hard-boiled eggs, strawberries, almonds
Dinner: chicken breast, 1 beef hot dog, green beans, strawberries
Snack: strawberries
1 tag
2 tags
The Paleo Sweet Tooth Cure
One poor habit I have developed over the last several months is eating dessert. I have a massive sweet tooth after dinner. A Dairy Queen blizzard will do, thanks. My trick for a paleo diet is to eat a lemon or a lime for “dessert.” These two fruits are the paleo sweet tooth cure.
You might argue, “this still promotes a ‘dessert’ mentality.” Well, maybe, but I...
3 tags
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 9
This challenge has become a routine. I enjoy it. I feel terrific, energetic and motivated to continue. A snowball effect kind of thing.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, coffee
Lunch: steak, cucumber slices, tomato wedges, mushrooms, iced green tea
Snack: 2 bacon strips, steak, watermelon
Dinner: 1 bison burger, 1 hamburger, 1 beef hot dog, carrots, green beans, 1/4 lemon, 2 lime...
1 tag
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably...”
– Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect. (1846-1912)
2 tags
Feeding Schedule
I eat 4 or 5 meals a day. It’s a lot of work eating healthy. Preparing creative meals takes time and I haven’t been that creative, either. It takes time to actually consuming the meals, too. Have you tried consuming 30 grams of carbohydrates from green beans or broccoli? It works out to just less than 1 pound worth of vegetables that aren’t that tasty. It takes time to eat those...
3 tags
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 8
Some good eats today. In the past, I have known the local health food store to be weak in variety. So I don’t go. Today I went and was pleasantly surprised.
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 bacon strips, coffee
Lunch: chicken breast, green beans, avocado, carrots, strawberries, coffee
Snack: 2 Larabars
Dinner: 2 bison burgers, 2 beef hot dogs, broccoli, watermelon
Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs,...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 7
1 week down and still going strong. What’s also still going strong: cravings. It’s overwhelmingly tempting to grab some ice cream when it’s 90 degrees outside and 5 other people are enjoying it right in front of me. But not tempting enough to cheat. What’s funny is, I feel a burden of responsibility and accountability to this blog. If I didn’t have to write these...
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 6
Surprisingly, not much energy today. Need more carbs.
Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 3 bacon strips, blueberries, coffee
Lunch: chicken breast, spinach and olive oil, watermelon, walnuts, iced green tea
Snack: 3 hard-boiled eggs, 1 banana, 1/2 lemon
Snack: 1 banana, watermelon
Dinner: 2 hamburgers, cucumber slices, blueberries
A little heavy on the watermelon, which is high in fructose. Not...
“If you’re going to work… work hard.”
– Seth Godin
3 tags
30-Day Paleo Challenge Notes
Some notes on the last 5.5 days of my Paleo Challenge:
I have been using sea salt, ground pepper, crushed red pepper, Aromatica Organics Southern Fried Chicken Seasoning and fresh garlic for seasoning meat and other stuff. It’s getting boring. Fetching ingredients from multiple stores, finding new recipes, and preparing them takes time and effort. Sounds lazy. It is.
A handful of times, I...