Friday, June 10, 2011
Second week almost at an end
The pleasant surprise was that my weight was up only two pounds--exactly--on the day after my binge day. Much to my chagrin, however, it continued to climb for two more days. This morning--day 5 of week 2--it was finally down from the reading just prior to binging. So, it’s not looking like a great week. Tomorrow morning will be my weekly reading, for comparison to last week. It should be interesting. I do know, however, that I had a huge dinner last night--about a pound and a half of food--which I’m sure adversely affected my weight this morning. I know my waist is way down, and I wish I had bought a tape measure. I know my fat’s way down, and I wish I had access to body fat percentage measurements. Anyway, the final word on the second week will come tomorrow. Oh yes, tomorrow...binge day. My diet was pretty much the same this week. No hunger, no cravings, but I am looking forward to binge day tomorrow more than I was last week. Some things just struck me as appealing the last couple of days, like some beautiful French blue cheeses and a loaf of sourdough walnut bread. Kettle corn. Maybe some Chinese food. Yum!!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
First week wrap-up
Well, the first week was pretty impressive. In six days, my average daily weight loss was 1.3 pounds per day, for a total of 7.8 pounds at the end of six days. That includes being up on days four and five. I’m guessing that a good part of that loss was “water weight.” Still, that’s pretty good! And I’m still shaking my head in disbelief at how much the stomach fat seems to have diminished.
It’s pretty hard to believe I ate the massive amounts of food I did, and drank tons of water, and lost weight. I ate so much last week that I almost want to cut down on intake this week. But, I’m viewing this as a bigger test week than last, due to my feeling that a lot of last week’s loss was water weight. If I were to keep losing at the same rate, the diet would be done in a month! Furthermore, it makes more sense, probably, to view it in terms of percentage of body weight, not absolute pounds. I have no way of measuring body fat percentage.
My cheat day wasn’t very exciting, in any respect. First of all, I was eating so much during the week, that I never did develop a craving for anything I wasn’t eating. Friday night and Saturday morning (night 6 and morning 7) I quickly skimmed the part of the book (by the way, that reminds me I’ve been misspelling the author’s name, which is Ferriss) about making your day off less “destructive.” I had a high-protein breakfast, and went from there. I didn’t use the PAGG cocktail because it was too last minute to figure that out. I did the grapefruit juice/coffee thing, which isn’t as bad as it sounds. I had a couple of pastries in the morning--a glazed doughnut and a cheese Danish. Normally I crave things like that. I consumed them with a sense of duty, to reset my body, but I could have done without. Perhaps a function of the high-protein breakfast designed to curb the appetite the rest of the day? Mid-afternoon I had a java-chip frappuccino, only because I had a freebie.
Dinner was my huge meal of the day. I decided to have a leisurely meal out...several courses paired with wines...and that’s exactly what I did. Which reminds me, one of the things I didn’t do days 1-6 was consume any wine, even though the diet allows it. Some of my dinner food was diet-allowed, some wasn’t I didn’t go overboard for the sake of going overboard. One of the courses I had featured organic tomatoes, house-made mozzarella, a ton of fresh spinach and mint pesto (a glass of Sancerre, for those who care) and I had smoked and braised short ribs (Cotes du Rhone), with the leftover short ribs going into breakfast this morning. Okay, that’s only two you say. That was the better stuff as far as the diet’s concerned. I had a light cream of smoked corn soup with tomato and basil (not all bad, except for the cream) with a glass of taboo off-dry Italian red wine (I forget the name).
From yesterday morning--just pre-binge--to this morning, I racked up a two-pound weight gain. And I’m back on the diet today. I won’t bore you this week with the details of what I’m eating, since it will be very similar to last week. I’ll be grocery shopping today, and cooking for the week ahead, and I’ll try to make more of an effort to detail costs of everything, just out of curiosity. A calorie count might be interesting, too, even though calorie counting doesn’t enter into the diet.
And just a word on the wine situation vis-à-vis the diet. From a health point of view, according to many studies, wine consumption in moderation can be good for you. I think it’s been found that red wine offers more benefits than white wine. But the author eschews the consumption of all white wine, and I think this is a broad generalization to avoid sugar in wine. Yes, red wines are nearly all fermented dry (i.e. have no sugar remaining), but there are exceptions, like the one I had last night with the corn soup. It was sweeter than the average white wine. Yes, many white wines are not fermented dry, but most are. If you know your wines, you can probably choose a white that will fit the diet. Virtually all sauvignon blancs are dry. Most chardonnays are. Stay away from pinot gris/pinot grigio, riesling and gewürztraminer. These tend to pose the highest risk for sugar in the wine.
Off to the market...
It’s pretty hard to believe I ate the massive amounts of food I did, and drank tons of water, and lost weight. I ate so much last week that I almost want to cut down on intake this week. But, I’m viewing this as a bigger test week than last, due to my feeling that a lot of last week’s loss was water weight. If I were to keep losing at the same rate, the diet would be done in a month! Furthermore, it makes more sense, probably, to view it in terms of percentage of body weight, not absolute pounds. I have no way of measuring body fat percentage.
My cheat day wasn’t very exciting, in any respect. First of all, I was eating so much during the week, that I never did develop a craving for anything I wasn’t eating. Friday night and Saturday morning (night 6 and morning 7) I quickly skimmed the part of the book (by the way, that reminds me I’ve been misspelling the author’s name, which is Ferriss) about making your day off less “destructive.” I had a high-protein breakfast, and went from there. I didn’t use the PAGG cocktail because it was too last minute to figure that out. I did the grapefruit juice/coffee thing, which isn’t as bad as it sounds. I had a couple of pastries in the morning--a glazed doughnut and a cheese Danish. Normally I crave things like that. I consumed them with a sense of duty, to reset my body, but I could have done without. Perhaps a function of the high-protein breakfast designed to curb the appetite the rest of the day? Mid-afternoon I had a java-chip frappuccino, only because I had a freebie.
Dinner was my huge meal of the day. I decided to have a leisurely meal out...several courses paired with wines...and that’s exactly what I did. Which reminds me, one of the things I didn’t do days 1-6 was consume any wine, even though the diet allows it. Some of my dinner food was diet-allowed, some wasn’t I didn’t go overboard for the sake of going overboard. One of the courses I had featured organic tomatoes, house-made mozzarella, a ton of fresh spinach and mint pesto (a glass of Sancerre, for those who care) and I had smoked and braised short ribs (Cotes du Rhone), with the leftover short ribs going into breakfast this morning. Okay, that’s only two you say. That was the better stuff as far as the diet’s concerned. I had a light cream of smoked corn soup with tomato and basil (not all bad, except for the cream) with a glass of taboo off-dry Italian red wine (I forget the name).
From yesterday morning--just pre-binge--to this morning, I racked up a two-pound weight gain. And I’m back on the diet today. I won’t bore you this week with the details of what I’m eating, since it will be very similar to last week. I’ll be grocery shopping today, and cooking for the week ahead, and I’ll try to make more of an effort to detail costs of everything, just out of curiosity. A calorie count might be interesting, too, even though calorie counting doesn’t enter into the diet.
And just a word on the wine situation vis-à-vis the diet. From a health point of view, according to many studies, wine consumption in moderation can be good for you. I think it’s been found that red wine offers more benefits than white wine. But the author eschews the consumption of all white wine, and I think this is a broad generalization to avoid sugar in wine. Yes, red wines are nearly all fermented dry (i.e. have no sugar remaining), but there are exceptions, like the one I had last night with the corn soup. It was sweeter than the average white wine. Yes, many white wines are not fermented dry, but most are. If you know your wines, you can probably choose a white that will fit the diet. Virtually all sauvignon blancs are dry. Most chardonnays are. Stay away from pinot gris/pinot grigio, riesling and gewürztraminer. These tend to pose the highest risk for sugar in the wine.
Off to the market...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
A normal day, once again!
That's not my dinner above; it's this morning's breakfast, the one I was looking forward to when I went to bed last night. It turned out to be nice looking, but that wasn't a conscious effort on my part. For me, there is little effort in the morning that is conscious. This was the chicken mix, to which I added fresh spinach, hard boiled egg, cashews and sun-dried tomatoes. Oh--and, of course, a sprinkling of fleur de sel.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Yada, yada, yada
Well folks, this is bizarre. With much embarrassment and very sheepishly, I found myself telling someone about this diet today. No, I wasn’t touting it, I was offering it as a reason for my not eating a sample of a pastry. I always thought people silly when they said “I’m on the Scarsdale/Pritikin/Atkins/South Beach/Whatever (take your pick!) diet.” Yada, yada, yada! The only time I lost significant weight, and kept it off, is when I began watching my calories and started exercising. The health club I was a member of had a team of exercise physiologists, and they were really helpful. They also had a really good nutritionist who helped me straighten my diet out when my weight hit a plateau. While the author of the “4-Hour Body” claims, and rightly so, that there’s no definition of a balanced diet, some diets are more balanced than others, and lead to more fat-burning than muscle-burning, which can happen. As he also claims, and I think he’s right on this too, you need a “trigger” to get you to start losing weight. Mine--at the time--was that I was obese and lethargic, and would lean back in my office chair and be dozing in five minutes. After being active with sports in high school, that was quite a change. I wouldn’t say my trigger this time--boredom with the food I was eating, a love of cooking, and just the spur-of-the-moment challenge--was as strong.
Like I told my friend Cherie today, this diet is crazy nuts! As I said in the last post, I’m not ready to give out numbers yet. I told her that Tuesday morning (remember, I started on Sunday) I was grabbing my belly fat, because it seemed to have diminished. Almost to the point of “pinch me, I must be dreaming.” Saturday’s my binge day. I’ll see what my weight is Saturday morning before breakfast. I think that will be my benchmark, weekly reading, since apparently one can temporarily gain a whole bunch of weight from the day of cheating.
When on the road as I was yesterday, the “pit stop” of choice is now Starbucks. Years ago it used to be Micky D’s. I think that may be true for a lot of people; I’ve heard others say the same thing. But if I stop at a random store or gas-station-food-place, I hate to ask to use the restroom without buying something. (Now, I know that there is one person out there chuckling. AND, you know who you are! I just want to see if you’re paying attention.) Last night, I bought a small bag of roasted cashews. These probably fall into the category of foods referred to as “domino” foods in the book. I didn’t break open the bag. Instead, I had a different idea.
The other day when I bagged up all the roasted chicken, I looked at it--well, actually I listened--it was screaming for various seasonings, different treatments. A culinary canvas, if you will. Did I mention this already? Mexican, Thai, Indian... When I’ve done quick curries (again, I’ve made my own curries before, but we’re keeping it simple), I like to add some nuts and some fruit. I like cashews in curries, and pineapple, mango or banana. Fruits, of course, are taboo on this diet, except on cheat day. But I had the cashews, and I went and bought some hot Madras curry powder. As a substitute for the usual fruit, I bought a bag of sun-dried tomatoes. Think about what’s in my Ziploc bag: cauliflower is delicious curried, ditto chicken, lentils, chick peas... The only thing I wouldn’t associate with curry would be the black beans. I had to eat dinner on the fly tonight, because I had to go to a meeting. So, ba-da-boom!, I nuked a bag, threw in probably a half teaspoon of curry, about an ounce of crushed cashews, and probably an ounce of chopped tomatoes (not at all reconstituted). I massaged it all together, ate half, and put the other half away for breakfast. When I got home from my meeting, I did it all over again, except I put two eggs, a handful of torn up spinach leaves and about a heaping quarter cup of sauerkraut in a sauté pan. Turned on the heat. When the eggs started to set, I threw in the nuts and tomatoes, then the meal-in-a-bag. Oh, my gosh!
So, here I am again, day four, not tired of it yet, and actually having a good time. I want that curried chicken for breakfast again tomorrow!! I still can’t fathom cheat day, yet, though I still have two days left of the good stuff. I haven’t had any cravings for anything else, which is strange for me. Maybe I just should have started cooking for myself a long time ago? I don’t know. And I’ll give you a hint...I’m going to bed tonight saying to myself there’s no way my weight can be down again tomorrow.
Even though I’ve kept good notes on stuff up till now, with all the bags I’ve packed, and all the meals I’ve eaten, it’s becoming more and more of a daunting task to figure out exactly how many meals I got out of what I cooked. I’m thinking maybe this weekend, if I have the time, I’ll start anew, and do just one chicken, one head of cauliflower, etc., and work out all the numbers. Plus, at some point, I should probably give a bit more instruction on what I’m preparing, and how I’m doing it. We’ll see how it goes!!
Like I told my friend Cherie today, this diet is crazy nuts! As I said in the last post, I’m not ready to give out numbers yet. I told her that Tuesday morning (remember, I started on Sunday) I was grabbing my belly fat, because it seemed to have diminished. Almost to the point of “pinch me, I must be dreaming.” Saturday’s my binge day. I’ll see what my weight is Saturday morning before breakfast. I think that will be my benchmark, weekly reading, since apparently one can temporarily gain a whole bunch of weight from the day of cheating.
When on the road as I was yesterday, the “pit stop” of choice is now Starbucks. Years ago it used to be Micky D’s. I think that may be true for a lot of people; I’ve heard others say the same thing. But if I stop at a random store or gas-station-food-place, I hate to ask to use the restroom without buying something. (Now, I know that there is one person out there chuckling. AND, you know who you are! I just want to see if you’re paying attention.) Last night, I bought a small bag of roasted cashews. These probably fall into the category of foods referred to as “domino” foods in the book. I didn’t break open the bag. Instead, I had a different idea.
The other day when I bagged up all the roasted chicken, I looked at it--well, actually I listened--it was screaming for various seasonings, different treatments. A culinary canvas, if you will. Did I mention this already? Mexican, Thai, Indian... When I’ve done quick curries (again, I’ve made my own curries before, but we’re keeping it simple), I like to add some nuts and some fruit. I like cashews in curries, and pineapple, mango or banana. Fruits, of course, are taboo on this diet, except on cheat day. But I had the cashews, and I went and bought some hot Madras curry powder. As a substitute for the usual fruit, I bought a bag of sun-dried tomatoes. Think about what’s in my Ziploc bag: cauliflower is delicious curried, ditto chicken, lentils, chick peas... The only thing I wouldn’t associate with curry would be the black beans. I had to eat dinner on the fly tonight, because I had to go to a meeting. So, ba-da-boom!, I nuked a bag, threw in probably a half teaspoon of curry, about an ounce of crushed cashews, and probably an ounce of chopped tomatoes (not at all reconstituted). I massaged it all together, ate half, and put the other half away for breakfast. When I got home from my meeting, I did it all over again, except I put two eggs, a handful of torn up spinach leaves and about a heaping quarter cup of sauerkraut in a sauté pan. Turned on the heat. When the eggs started to set, I threw in the nuts and tomatoes, then the meal-in-a-bag. Oh, my gosh!
So, here I am again, day four, not tired of it yet, and actually having a good time. I want that curried chicken for breakfast again tomorrow!! I still can’t fathom cheat day, yet, though I still have two days left of the good stuff. I haven’t had any cravings for anything else, which is strange for me. Maybe I just should have started cooking for myself a long time ago? I don’t know. And I’ll give you a hint...I’m going to bed tonight saying to myself there’s no way my weight can be down again tomorrow.
Even though I’ve kept good notes on stuff up till now, with all the bags I’ve packed, and all the meals I’ve eaten, it’s becoming more and more of a daunting task to figure out exactly how many meals I got out of what I cooked. I’m thinking maybe this weekend, if I have the time, I’ll start anew, and do just one chicken, one head of cauliflower, etc., and work out all the numbers. Plus, at some point, I should probably give a bit more instruction on what I’m preparing, and how I’m doing it. We’ll see how it goes!!
Cheating, Meals on the Road, and a Couple of Changes
After the long weekend, it was back on the road today. Home late, and not much time to post. Though my meals so far have been mostly variations on a theme, I’m a happy camper. Still not craving anything I can’t eat, but I’m sure that will come. Without cravings, I’m still not feeling the need for a “cheat day,” but it’s only day three.
I seem to recall that Timothy Ferris, the author, says something about perhaps taking a few days to adjust to the diet, and that you should feel good after that. So far, I’ve been feeling fine. Generally black beans do a number on me, but the mixture of black beans, lentils and chick peas has had no effect on me whatsoever (thankfully!).
It still seems like I’ve been eating way more than I should be. I’m curious enough that I’ll probably count the calories at some point. I’ve been taking good enough notes to be able to make a rough guess, but more about that some other time. I’ve experienced hunger--as in, my gosh, I’m starving--only once. That was this afternoon following a smaller-than-normal lunch, and heading into the late afternoon. The many pit stops I had to make today is evidence that I’m probably drinking enough water. How much? Tough to say, because I’m not measuring it. I would guess 2+ quarts per day.
The author mentions tracking data. I agree. When I lost a ton of weight one time, I kept calorie counts, weight, and an exercise log, eventually cutting out the calorie count when I got a feel for it. Then, I got to the point where calories no longer mattered anyway. I may detail some of that experience some other time. Right now, all I’m tracking is weight. I don’t own a tape measure, so I can’t do waist and other measurements. But I certainly know my clothes well enough to be able to tell what’s going on.
I have only three weight measurements so far--the morning of the day I started, and the two following mornings. I can’t get excited over short-term measurements. I know from experience that my weight while I was exercising and dieting would regularly vary by seven pounds during the week. This was based on weighing myself at the same time every day. You want to do that, too. In my opinion, there’s no sense in doing it any other way. Probably the best is in the morning before breakfast. The trend on a weekly basis, say your Friday morning weight, if your cheat day is Saturday, for example, carries far more meaning than the day-to-day fluctuations. And the trend is more important than week-to-week fluctuations, too. Trust me, in a former life I was trained as an economist with a strong background in statistics.
Have I seen a trend in just three days? Yes. Is it significant? Not in the overall scheme of things, so I’ll reserve judgment. I think it will be interesting to see how the first week stacks up. But I can’t gainsay my comments on the weekly trend. To me, that’s far more important.
So, I’m cheating a bit. I bought a jar of sauerkraut which, the book suggests, as a fermented food, is good for you. I’m trying to get away from canned and frozen food, so where do we draw the line? Is food in a jar superior to food in a can, or flash-frozen packed in paper? I’ve made my own sauerkraut before, and you can too, so I’ll let you be the judge. Again, I’m trying to improve on what the book offers for food suggestions, but at the same time keep it simple. Given that, I also bought a jar of Pace picante sauce and a jar of Mezzetta deli-sliced “tamed” jalapeno peppers. Neither contains any sort of sweetener. The former to try to spice up my ahi, which I indicated I’m not that fond of. The latter, because I’ve had them before, and I love them. I used to chop them and add them as a topping to pizzas, or to spice up a pasta sauce, among other things.
As far as the ahi is concerned, I’m actually liking it better now anyway. It seems, like cheesecake, that the flavors of everything meld in the plastic bag in the fridge/freezer, and become much more delicious.
I’ve had two meals on the road, both of which had protein and veggies, but lacked the bean element. That’s why Ferris suggests Mexican food. Yesterday, late afternoon, was a double-double, protein style, at In-N-Out Burger. For those of you who don’t know, that would be two burgers, two slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion, wrapped in more lettuce instead of on a bun. I forgot about the sauce they put on it, which I’m certain has some sort of sweetener. Most of that dripped out, though, along with the juice from the tomato.
Then today, by late afternoon, I was starving. I was on the remote California coast. I finally hit a supermarket which I knew had a salad bar and a deli department. I thought that would be great, since many salad bars have garbanzo beans, along with the normal spinach and salad greens. I thought I could get some sliced meat to go along with it. But the salad bar was broken down by the time I got there, so I moved on.
Down the road I stopped at a restaurant (Sea Ranch--I might as well give them a plug--they’re pretty good) and sat at the bar. I had a burger with a slice of Swiss, a side of delicious, tiny Brussels sprouts, and lettuce, tomato, and half a dill pickle. Bingo! Except for the lack of beans.
I’ve made two changes in cooking ingredients. I’m blanching the cauliflower ahead of time--more on that perhaps tomorrow. And, I’ve decided to wilt the fresh spinach, rather than chomping on it rabbit-style (unless, of course, I want a salad of the fresh stuff).
I’ve been jotting down notes from time to time, and I have a lot to share, but it will have to come some other time. However, I can tell you that last night I went to bed looking forward to breakfast this morning. That’s rare for me, unless I’m eating out, as I’m neither a morning person nor a breakfast eater. I whisked three eggs, poured them in a hot sauté pan which had been coated with veg oil. I turned down the heat and let the eggs set a bit, then added a handful of spinach. After that warmed, I added one of my bags that had the bean mix, blanched cauliflower, chicken, and a quarter cup of the salsa, and spread it out over the eggs, and left it to warm a bit. Then, I folded it over into a delicious omelet. For me, it was soooo good! Generally I’ve been eating half the breakfast I prepare and saving the rest for lunch. I ate more than half the omelet, and could have eaten the whole thing. Hence my smaller-than-normal lunch.
I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this yet, but the bags of chicken I prepared contain over a pound of food. On top of that, I add eggs and spinach, so we’re looking at quite a bit! Again, more on that later.
I seem to recall that Timothy Ferris, the author, says something about perhaps taking a few days to adjust to the diet, and that you should feel good after that. So far, I’ve been feeling fine. Generally black beans do a number on me, but the mixture of black beans, lentils and chick peas has had no effect on me whatsoever (thankfully!).
It still seems like I’ve been eating way more than I should be. I’m curious enough that I’ll probably count the calories at some point. I’ve been taking good enough notes to be able to make a rough guess, but more about that some other time. I’ve experienced hunger--as in, my gosh, I’m starving--only once. That was this afternoon following a smaller-than-normal lunch, and heading into the late afternoon. The many pit stops I had to make today is evidence that I’m probably drinking enough water. How much? Tough to say, because I’m not measuring it. I would guess 2+ quarts per day.
The author mentions tracking data. I agree. When I lost a ton of weight one time, I kept calorie counts, weight, and an exercise log, eventually cutting out the calorie count when I got a feel for it. Then, I got to the point where calories no longer mattered anyway. I may detail some of that experience some other time. Right now, all I’m tracking is weight. I don’t own a tape measure, so I can’t do waist and other measurements. But I certainly know my clothes well enough to be able to tell what’s going on.
I have only three weight measurements so far--the morning of the day I started, and the two following mornings. I can’t get excited over short-term measurements. I know from experience that my weight while I was exercising and dieting would regularly vary by seven pounds during the week. This was based on weighing myself at the same time every day. You want to do that, too. In my opinion, there’s no sense in doing it any other way. Probably the best is in the morning before breakfast. The trend on a weekly basis, say your Friday morning weight, if your cheat day is Saturday, for example, carries far more meaning than the day-to-day fluctuations. And the trend is more important than week-to-week fluctuations, too. Trust me, in a former life I was trained as an economist with a strong background in statistics.
Have I seen a trend in just three days? Yes. Is it significant? Not in the overall scheme of things, so I’ll reserve judgment. I think it will be interesting to see how the first week stacks up. But I can’t gainsay my comments on the weekly trend. To me, that’s far more important.
So, I’m cheating a bit. I bought a jar of sauerkraut which, the book suggests, as a fermented food, is good for you. I’m trying to get away from canned and frozen food, so where do we draw the line? Is food in a jar superior to food in a can, or flash-frozen packed in paper? I’ve made my own sauerkraut before, and you can too, so I’ll let you be the judge. Again, I’m trying to improve on what the book offers for food suggestions, but at the same time keep it simple. Given that, I also bought a jar of Pace picante sauce and a jar of Mezzetta deli-sliced “tamed” jalapeno peppers. Neither contains any sort of sweetener. The former to try to spice up my ahi, which I indicated I’m not that fond of. The latter, because I’ve had them before, and I love them. I used to chop them and add them as a topping to pizzas, or to spice up a pasta sauce, among other things.
As far as the ahi is concerned, I’m actually liking it better now anyway. It seems, like cheesecake, that the flavors of everything meld in the plastic bag in the fridge/freezer, and become much more delicious.
I’ve had two meals on the road, both of which had protein and veggies, but lacked the bean element. That’s why Ferris suggests Mexican food. Yesterday, late afternoon, was a double-double, protein style, at In-N-Out Burger. For those of you who don’t know, that would be two burgers, two slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion, wrapped in more lettuce instead of on a bun. I forgot about the sauce they put on it, which I’m certain has some sort of sweetener. Most of that dripped out, though, along with the juice from the tomato.
Then today, by late afternoon, I was starving. I was on the remote California coast. I finally hit a supermarket which I knew had a salad bar and a deli department. I thought that would be great, since many salad bars have garbanzo beans, along with the normal spinach and salad greens. I thought I could get some sliced meat to go along with it. But the salad bar was broken down by the time I got there, so I moved on.
Down the road I stopped at a restaurant (Sea Ranch--I might as well give them a plug--they’re pretty good) and sat at the bar. I had a burger with a slice of Swiss, a side of delicious, tiny Brussels sprouts, and lettuce, tomato, and half a dill pickle. Bingo! Except for the lack of beans.
I’ve made two changes in cooking ingredients. I’m blanching the cauliflower ahead of time--more on that perhaps tomorrow. And, I’ve decided to wilt the fresh spinach, rather than chomping on it rabbit-style (unless, of course, I want a salad of the fresh stuff).
I’ve been jotting down notes from time to time, and I have a lot to share, but it will have to come some other time. However, I can tell you that last night I went to bed looking forward to breakfast this morning. That’s rare for me, unless I’m eating out, as I’m neither a morning person nor a breakfast eater. I whisked three eggs, poured them in a hot sauté pan which had been coated with veg oil. I turned down the heat and let the eggs set a bit, then added a handful of spinach. After that warmed, I added one of my bags that had the bean mix, blanched cauliflower, chicken, and a quarter cup of the salsa, and spread it out over the eggs, and left it to warm a bit. Then, I folded it over into a delicious omelet. For me, it was soooo good! Generally I’ve been eating half the breakfast I prepare and saving the rest for lunch. I ate more than half the omelet, and could have eaten the whole thing. Hence my smaller-than-normal lunch.
I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this yet, but the bags of chicken I prepared contain over a pound of food. On top of that, I add eggs and spinach, so we’re looking at quite a bit! Again, more on that later.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Day 2...preparing more meals...spinach salad
I bought a box of 1 quart Ziploc bags. I figure what I’m going to do is produce the basics for a bunch of meals at one time, and then freeze them. But let me skip ahead for a second, to finish out my first day’s meals. Dinner was pretty much a repeat of earlier meals. As I was headed off to bed, though, I was thinking about all the fresh spinach I was eating, the eggs, and the possibility of meat. Spinach salad, I thought. Nothing wrong with that!
Well, I got into bed, and was thinking about the spinach salad, and was getting hungry. So I got up and made a very rustic spinach salad. I smashed a hardboiled egg, added some spinach and some of the cooked beans. I lacked a dressing, but that was okay. With just a sprinkling of fine sea salt, it was pretty yummy. So much so, that I made a second one and ate it! Now, I could see that as a meal, with a bit of bacon. And warm. Heat some vinaigrette (following the book, if you use store-bought, make sure there’s no sweetener in it) in a pan, get it warm, add the beans first to warm them--they’re denser and will take longer. When they’re warm, add the spinach and toss with the vinaigrette. Add some crumbled bacon if you have it, and sliced or chopped egg, and chow down. Mmm...I’m getting hungry again.
Yesterday afternoon--I’m on the second day now, so we’re rewinding to the first day--I took the two chickens, put them in a roasting pan, and put them in the oven at 375. Here comes the chef part of me...I cooked them till they were done. If roasting a chicken is daunting, as doing the Thanksgiving turkey may also be, do exactly what I did. Put them in a pan, and put them in the oven. Be sure to take out the bag of giblets first. You can use the chicken livers for whatever pleases you. The gizzard and neck can be roasted with the chicken. If your chicken comes in a bag with juice, rinse it off first. Mine happened to be nice and dry, wrapped in butcher paper.
Yes, normally I would brush the chickens with melted butter and season them liberally with salt and black pepper before roasting them, and certainly I’d do that if I were serving them as roasted chicken, but I’m not, and I’m trying to keep it simple. Just be sure the chicken is cooked through before taking it out of the oven. Pull the thigh away from the body. There should be no pink juices at the joint.
I’m an avid fan of salt, as you might have deduced. If you’re finding this diet bland and not using salt, you’re missing out. Plus, I would guess a bit of extra salt might facilitate your wanting to drink more water. I like pepper, too, but I’m working in someone else’s kitchen right now, and I don’t have my spice mill with me, so I’m going without.
When the chicken’s done, pull it out, leave it the pan, and let it cool to the point where you can handle it. Pull all the skin and meat off. Chop the skin and chop or tear apart the meat. Put in a container and set aside. Reserve the bones and the carcass. Degrease the roasting pan and deglaze it with water. Heat it stovetop, or back in the oven. Use a wooden spoon to loosen all the golden bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the juices into the chicken meat and toss. Now, the chicken’s way more flavorful with the pan juices. Bag up the carcasses and chill in the fridge, then freeze for later use. If you’re into it, you can make stock. Or, if you use store-bought “chicken broth” you can throw the carcasses into a pot with the broth and simmer it all for about half an hour, then strain. You’ll have much more flavorful broth. Or give them to a friend.
After dealing with the chicken, I cooked the rest of everything else, except the spinach and the eggs--with the exception of boiling a half dozen for a quick snack, or the above-mentioned spinach salad.
I cooked the rest of the beans. I sliced the ahi and cooked it and set it aside. I sliced the cauliflower and cooked it the way I did yesterday, and set it aside.
I set up a bunch of Ziploc bags. Taking the leftover, chilled beans from yesterday, I put a cup in each bag, followed by some cauliflower, and some ahi. I think I got three bags worth. Laying each bag on its side, I pressed down to spread out the contents and squeeze the air out before sealing. This will minimize the chance for freezer burn (not that I expect any of the food to be in the freezer that long), speed freezing, and subsequently speed thawing.
My idea with these bags is that I can pull them one-by-one, as needed, thaw/heat them, and then finish them in a sauté pan, scrambling eggs into them, then adding fresh spinach.
While the just-cooked beans were cooling, I bagged up the chicken, 5 ounces per bag. I sealed the bags and put them in the fridge. I got about ten portions. Then I covered the beans and put them away. Today, I’ll take the bags of chicken out, and add a cup of beans to each. I should also go and buy and prep more veg to add that to the bags, then freeze them. And I need more eggs.
By the way, I use a Pelouze 32 ounce scale from my restaurant for weighing the chicken. You certainly don’t need to be as exact! You could just as easily use a cup measure. And, the cup of beans is about 5 ounces. If your breakfast should be at least 30% protein, you’re at 50/50 right now. If you decide to use a bag and add eggs and veggies, you’re probably more than good to go with the 30%. I used a bag this morning, with three eggs, and three and a half ounces of spinach--which is quite voluminous--and got breakfast and lunch out of it.
So far, I haven’t really been hungry or craving anything, though I did get up to make the spinach salad last night. I just hope I’m not overeating. It’s only been two days, of course, but I don’t feel the need for a “cheat day” yet. I’m sure when the time comes, I’ll be looking forward to it, but I recall with less than great fondness a couple of different days in childhood when I ate so much I wanted to throw up. One of those days it was chocolate éclairs and hamburgers, among other goodies.
Speaking of “cheat day,” I have a huge amount of skepticism about this diet for several reasons, cheat day being one of those. The concept just doesn’t strike me as being healthy. I’ll probably get into some of the other issues on a slow day, but then I don’t want to appear as a pontificating blogger.
I’ve been recording the amount I’ve spent on food thus far, just out of curiosity to compare my costs with what’s in the book. That’ll come in this blog in a day or two, along with some thoughts on making the food yet more palatable and interesting.
Well, I got into bed, and was thinking about the spinach salad, and was getting hungry. So I got up and made a very rustic spinach salad. I smashed a hardboiled egg, added some spinach and some of the cooked beans. I lacked a dressing, but that was okay. With just a sprinkling of fine sea salt, it was pretty yummy. So much so, that I made a second one and ate it! Now, I could see that as a meal, with a bit of bacon. And warm. Heat some vinaigrette (following the book, if you use store-bought, make sure there’s no sweetener in it) in a pan, get it warm, add the beans first to warm them--they’re denser and will take longer. When they’re warm, add the spinach and toss with the vinaigrette. Add some crumbled bacon if you have it, and sliced or chopped egg, and chow down. Mmm...I’m getting hungry again.
Yesterday afternoon--I’m on the second day now, so we’re rewinding to the first day--I took the two chickens, put them in a roasting pan, and put them in the oven at 375. Here comes the chef part of me...I cooked them till they were done. If roasting a chicken is daunting, as doing the Thanksgiving turkey may also be, do exactly what I did. Put them in a pan, and put them in the oven. Be sure to take out the bag of giblets first. You can use the chicken livers for whatever pleases you. The gizzard and neck can be roasted with the chicken. If your chicken comes in a bag with juice, rinse it off first. Mine happened to be nice and dry, wrapped in butcher paper.
Yes, normally I would brush the chickens with melted butter and season them liberally with salt and black pepper before roasting them, and certainly I’d do that if I were serving them as roasted chicken, but I’m not, and I’m trying to keep it simple. Just be sure the chicken is cooked through before taking it out of the oven. Pull the thigh away from the body. There should be no pink juices at the joint.
I’m an avid fan of salt, as you might have deduced. If you’re finding this diet bland and not using salt, you’re missing out. Plus, I would guess a bit of extra salt might facilitate your wanting to drink more water. I like pepper, too, but I’m working in someone else’s kitchen right now, and I don’t have my spice mill with me, so I’m going without.
When the chicken’s done, pull it out, leave it the pan, and let it cool to the point where you can handle it. Pull all the skin and meat off. Chop the skin and chop or tear apart the meat. Put in a container and set aside. Reserve the bones and the carcass. Degrease the roasting pan and deglaze it with water. Heat it stovetop, or back in the oven. Use a wooden spoon to loosen all the golden bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the juices into the chicken meat and toss. Now, the chicken’s way more flavorful with the pan juices. Bag up the carcasses and chill in the fridge, then freeze for later use. If you’re into it, you can make stock. Or, if you use store-bought “chicken broth” you can throw the carcasses into a pot with the broth and simmer it all for about half an hour, then strain. You’ll have much more flavorful broth. Or give them to a friend.
After dealing with the chicken, I cooked the rest of everything else, except the spinach and the eggs--with the exception of boiling a half dozen for a quick snack, or the above-mentioned spinach salad.
I cooked the rest of the beans. I sliced the ahi and cooked it and set it aside. I sliced the cauliflower and cooked it the way I did yesterday, and set it aside.
I set up a bunch of Ziploc bags. Taking the leftover, chilled beans from yesterday, I put a cup in each bag, followed by some cauliflower, and some ahi. I think I got three bags worth. Laying each bag on its side, I pressed down to spread out the contents and squeeze the air out before sealing. This will minimize the chance for freezer burn (not that I expect any of the food to be in the freezer that long), speed freezing, and subsequently speed thawing.
My idea with these bags is that I can pull them one-by-one, as needed, thaw/heat them, and then finish them in a sauté pan, scrambling eggs into them, then adding fresh spinach.
While the just-cooked beans were cooling, I bagged up the chicken, 5 ounces per bag. I sealed the bags and put them in the fridge. I got about ten portions. Then I covered the beans and put them away. Today, I’ll take the bags of chicken out, and add a cup of beans to each. I should also go and buy and prep more veg to add that to the bags, then freeze them. And I need more eggs.
By the way, I use a Pelouze 32 ounce scale from my restaurant for weighing the chicken. You certainly don’t need to be as exact! You could just as easily use a cup measure. And, the cup of beans is about 5 ounces. If your breakfast should be at least 30% protein, you’re at 50/50 right now. If you decide to use a bag and add eggs and veggies, you’re probably more than good to go with the 30%. I used a bag this morning, with three eggs, and three and a half ounces of spinach--which is quite voluminous--and got breakfast and lunch out of it.
So far, I haven’t really been hungry or craving anything, though I did get up to make the spinach salad last night. I just hope I’m not overeating. It’s only been two days, of course, but I don’t feel the need for a “cheat day” yet. I’m sure when the time comes, I’ll be looking forward to it, but I recall with less than great fondness a couple of different days in childhood when I ate so much I wanted to throw up. One of those days it was chocolate éclairs and hamburgers, among other goodies.
Speaking of “cheat day,” I have a huge amount of skepticism about this diet for several reasons, cheat day being one of those. The concept just doesn’t strike me as being healthy. I’ll probably get into some of the other issues on a slow day, but then I don’t want to appear as a pontificating blogger.
I’ve been recording the amount I’ve spent on food thus far, just out of curiosity to compare my costs with what’s in the book. That’ll come in this blog in a day or two, along with some thoughts on making the food yet more palatable and interesting.
A spur of the moment beginning!
I don’t really blog. Certainly, I never read blogs. I’m tired of Facebook, and I finally took the time to suspend my account. Yeah, I’m probably a little anti-social, but do you really care? I don’t think you do. Nor did I care about all the stuff that everyone else was always posting about themselves, as if the world cared. There are more personal ways to stay in touch with people.
It was not my idea to do this blog. It was suggested by a good friend, Cherie, with reason. I first heard about “The 4-Hour Body” and the slow carb diet from her. She loaned me the book. I’ve never had any desire or intention of trying a diet that‘s been the subject of any book. I’m a professional chef, and I’ve also “dieted” very successfully in my life, losing 65# in eight months, and keeping more than the majority of that off for many, many years. So, I know how to lose weight and keep it off. (One of the things I "love" about blogs is when people profess to have great knowledge about something. I don't have great knowledge, but I do have expereince.)
Yes, I’d like to lose some weight now. It’s been many years since I’ve had a regular exercise program, since my restaurant and bed & breakfast became my exercise. After more than 15 years, we finally closed the business because of the bad economy. I’m not cooking professionally right now--almost a welcome respite--and I don’t cook for myself. I prefer to cook for others. When I have no one to cook for, I tend just to eat out or order food to go. But, believe it or not, that becomes boring after a while.
Out of boredom, I figured I’d give the slow carb diet a try. Timothy Ferris, the author, likes to eat out of cans, but I can’t bring myself to that. I might as well eat out. Though I don’t like to cook for myself, I love to cook, and I love challenges. I figured this could be a challenge. I know as a professional, it’s relatively easy for me to walk into a kitchen and do things because it’s all in my head. So, I’m not going to give details here. But neither do I want what I’m going to say to be daunting. Perhaps it’ll just stir some creative juices.
Today is day one. Yes, as the book suggests, I’ve eaten basically the same meal four times today. But nothing’s out of a can, or frozen. Between yesterday and today, I’ve thrown some things together which I hope will make this diet a little more interesting.
First, a trip to the grocery store. Check out the proteins first. Stupid reason--they’re going to be the heaviest items, so you won’t crush your produce, plus they can leak. You don’t want chicken fluids on your fresh spinach. Do I need to say that? No, it’s just a suggestion. I happened to go the other way, starting in produce.
I’m not a big fish eater. I’m not fond of “fishy” (aka oily) fish, first of all, even though, in general, they’re probably better for you. Second, being a chef, I have an issue with freshness. I will barbecue right-out-of-the-ocean salmon once a year at home, and I love it. I’d do salmon for staff meal at the restaurant if I knew it was impeccably fresh. Mostly if I have fish, I’ll have it at a good restaurant. Sort of don’t ask, don’t tell. But it’s just one of a few things I’ll never cook for myself, but I’ll order out somewhere. Chicken livers. Same thing. Go figure.
Since you’re looking for protein from fish (aside from the fact that Omega-3s are good for you) look for fresh and cheap. Ahi was $10 a pound. Petrale sole, which I love, was $12, wild king salmon was $22. I got a chunk of ahi. In my book, lamb and pork are favored over beef, but I like chicken, too. So I got two roasters, local and naturally-raised. That was enough for the time being.
Beans/legumes. I happen to love black beans, and I used to make some killer refried black bean cakes. Black bean soup, too. Oh, my Mom’s black bean soup with a squirt of lemon juice and diced or sliced hardboiled egg on the top! But we’re trying to keep things simple. So, over to the bulk commodity section. I picked up some black beans, green lentils and split baby chick peas, with the emphasis on the black beans. Lentils from Puy in the Auvergne in France are considered to be among the world’s best. Splurge if you want to. They stay firmer than regular green lentils. Red lentils are close to worthless, in my opinion, unless you like mush.
On to produce. Again, to keep things simple for now, a head of cauliflower and a bag of washed, baby spinach. Don’t bother with bunches of spinach, which normally are full of sand and gunky leaves interspersed among the good ones. It’s worth getting the washed stuff, unless you really hate yourself.
I also picked up a dozen organic eggs and a gallon of spring water. I’m an egg lover, but not a water drinker. I could guzzle down a pint of water in about 10 gulps when I was working in my hot kitchen all day and needed hydration. I’d have a two cup measure handy just for that purpose, and the sink was right there. As soon as the first pint settled, I’d often down a second. The book says to drink a lot of water, but unless it’s right there, like it was in my kitchen, I don’t think to drink. The gallon keeps the water close by and, true to form, I can guzzle it from the bottle and down quite a bit.
Last night I cooked some of the legumes. If you’re a purist, you can soak the black beans overnight. I tend not to. Rinse ‘em, put ‘em in a pan, cover with about an inch of water and bring ‘em to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. They’ll need to go an hour, and watch the water. You want to keep the water level with the top of the beans. After 30-35 minutes, add the chick peas and lentils. Again, keep the water level with the top. At the end of the hour, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Finally, drain, put in a container, cover and refrigerate.
That’s all I did last night in preparation for starting the diet today.
For breakfast, I heated some oil in a sauté pan and sliced some of the cauliflower about 3/16ths of an inch thick. (Sorry, it was neither an 1/8 of an inch, nor a 1/4). When the oil was hot, I added the raw cauliflower. The reason for that thickness is that I wasn’t blanching it ahead of time, so I wanted it thin enough to cook and brown, but not so thick that it would burn. When it was slightly brown, I turned it to brown on the other side.
While that was cooking, I sliced some ahi, about 1/4 inch thick. You can do the seared ahi thing, if you like, but I was looking for simplicity--a one-pan meal. To keep the ahi rare would have meant removing it from the pan when it was done and later and adding it back. I added about a cup of the precooked legumes and heated them a bit, and then whisked in three eggs. Personally, I like my eggs scrambled soft--custardy. But this wasn’t to be this time. Then, a handful of fresh spinach, just to take the chill off it, and a bit of salt. It was passable, but way more than I could eat. So I doggy-bagged the rest, put an ice pack on it, and took it on the road with me for lunch. It was actually better the second time around, cold.
Well, it wasn’t exciting, but it was okay. There was a good combination of textures and flavors. And if you’re a bigger fan of fish than I am, it probably would have been quite good. Meals the rest of the day were pretty much the same. I ate enough that I wasn’t hungry. And I’ve been drinking water, but probably not enough.
As Ferris says, you don’t have to read the whole book, just those sections that are of interest. What I read was a couple or more weeks ago. Since I decided yesterday, more or less on the spur of the moment, to give it a try, I had to quickly review what the book said. So, right now I’m sort of winging it in terms of percentages of protein, legumes and veggies.
It was not my idea to do this blog. It was suggested by a good friend, Cherie, with reason. I first heard about “The 4-Hour Body” and the slow carb diet from her. She loaned me the book. I’ve never had any desire or intention of trying a diet that‘s been the subject of any book. I’m a professional chef, and I’ve also “dieted” very successfully in my life, losing 65# in eight months, and keeping more than the majority of that off for many, many years. So, I know how to lose weight and keep it off. (One of the things I "love" about blogs is when people profess to have great knowledge about something. I don't have great knowledge, but I do have expereince.)
Yes, I’d like to lose some weight now. It’s been many years since I’ve had a regular exercise program, since my restaurant and bed & breakfast became my exercise. After more than 15 years, we finally closed the business because of the bad economy. I’m not cooking professionally right now--almost a welcome respite--and I don’t cook for myself. I prefer to cook for others. When I have no one to cook for, I tend just to eat out or order food to go. But, believe it or not, that becomes boring after a while.
Out of boredom, I figured I’d give the slow carb diet a try. Timothy Ferris, the author, likes to eat out of cans, but I can’t bring myself to that. I might as well eat out. Though I don’t like to cook for myself, I love to cook, and I love challenges. I figured this could be a challenge. I know as a professional, it’s relatively easy for me to walk into a kitchen and do things because it’s all in my head. So, I’m not going to give details here. But neither do I want what I’m going to say to be daunting. Perhaps it’ll just stir some creative juices.
Today is day one. Yes, as the book suggests, I’ve eaten basically the same meal four times today. But nothing’s out of a can, or frozen. Between yesterday and today, I’ve thrown some things together which I hope will make this diet a little more interesting.
First, a trip to the grocery store. Check out the proteins first. Stupid reason--they’re going to be the heaviest items, so you won’t crush your produce, plus they can leak. You don’t want chicken fluids on your fresh spinach. Do I need to say that? No, it’s just a suggestion. I happened to go the other way, starting in produce.
I’m not a big fish eater. I’m not fond of “fishy” (aka oily) fish, first of all, even though, in general, they’re probably better for you. Second, being a chef, I have an issue with freshness. I will barbecue right-out-of-the-ocean salmon once a year at home, and I love it. I’d do salmon for staff meal at the restaurant if I knew it was impeccably fresh. Mostly if I have fish, I’ll have it at a good restaurant. Sort of don’t ask, don’t tell. But it’s just one of a few things I’ll never cook for myself, but I’ll order out somewhere. Chicken livers. Same thing. Go figure.
Since you’re looking for protein from fish (aside from the fact that Omega-3s are good for you) look for fresh and cheap. Ahi was $10 a pound. Petrale sole, which I love, was $12, wild king salmon was $22. I got a chunk of ahi. In my book, lamb and pork are favored over beef, but I like chicken, too. So I got two roasters, local and naturally-raised. That was enough for the time being.
Beans/legumes. I happen to love black beans, and I used to make some killer refried black bean cakes. Black bean soup, too. Oh, my Mom’s black bean soup with a squirt of lemon juice and diced or sliced hardboiled egg on the top! But we’re trying to keep things simple. So, over to the bulk commodity section. I picked up some black beans, green lentils and split baby chick peas, with the emphasis on the black beans. Lentils from Puy in the Auvergne in France are considered to be among the world’s best. Splurge if you want to. They stay firmer than regular green lentils. Red lentils are close to worthless, in my opinion, unless you like mush.
On to produce. Again, to keep things simple for now, a head of cauliflower and a bag of washed, baby spinach. Don’t bother with bunches of spinach, which normally are full of sand and gunky leaves interspersed among the good ones. It’s worth getting the washed stuff, unless you really hate yourself.
I also picked up a dozen organic eggs and a gallon of spring water. I’m an egg lover, but not a water drinker. I could guzzle down a pint of water in about 10 gulps when I was working in my hot kitchen all day and needed hydration. I’d have a two cup measure handy just for that purpose, and the sink was right there. As soon as the first pint settled, I’d often down a second. The book says to drink a lot of water, but unless it’s right there, like it was in my kitchen, I don’t think to drink. The gallon keeps the water close by and, true to form, I can guzzle it from the bottle and down quite a bit.
Last night I cooked some of the legumes. If you’re a purist, you can soak the black beans overnight. I tend not to. Rinse ‘em, put ‘em in a pan, cover with about an inch of water and bring ‘em to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. They’ll need to go an hour, and watch the water. You want to keep the water level with the top of the beans. After 30-35 minutes, add the chick peas and lentils. Again, keep the water level with the top. At the end of the hour, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Finally, drain, put in a container, cover and refrigerate.
That’s all I did last night in preparation for starting the diet today.
For breakfast, I heated some oil in a sauté pan and sliced some of the cauliflower about 3/16ths of an inch thick. (Sorry, it was neither an 1/8 of an inch, nor a 1/4). When the oil was hot, I added the raw cauliflower. The reason for that thickness is that I wasn’t blanching it ahead of time, so I wanted it thin enough to cook and brown, but not so thick that it would burn. When it was slightly brown, I turned it to brown on the other side.
While that was cooking, I sliced some ahi, about 1/4 inch thick. You can do the seared ahi thing, if you like, but I was looking for simplicity--a one-pan meal. To keep the ahi rare would have meant removing it from the pan when it was done and later and adding it back. I added about a cup of the precooked legumes and heated them a bit, and then whisked in three eggs. Personally, I like my eggs scrambled soft--custardy. But this wasn’t to be this time. Then, a handful of fresh spinach, just to take the chill off it, and a bit of salt. It was passable, but way more than I could eat. So I doggy-bagged the rest, put an ice pack on it, and took it on the road with me for lunch. It was actually better the second time around, cold.
Well, it wasn’t exciting, but it was okay. There was a good combination of textures and flavors. And if you’re a bigger fan of fish than I am, it probably would have been quite good. Meals the rest of the day were pretty much the same. I ate enough that I wasn’t hungry. And I’ve been drinking water, but probably not enough.
As Ferris says, you don’t have to read the whole book, just those sections that are of interest. What I read was a couple or more weeks ago. Since I decided yesterday, more or less on the spur of the moment, to give it a try, I had to quickly review what the book said. So, right now I’m sort of winging it in terms of percentages of protein, legumes and veggies.
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