Back to Fasting -- and Sauna

Weight: 212.2  (Interestingly, my wife is at 112.)

I'm back to fasting today.  Had a little lemon water.  Just water other than that.


Yesterday I broke my fast. Lunch was due to out of town co-workers.  Dinner was due to ... idiocy.

My daughter brought me a jar of cashew butter.  It was in a moment when I was debating going to the gym or making dinner.  I was weak.  I accepted it and had a spoonful.  Then I decided, "Well, I don't feel like going to the gym and I already had food, so I might as well make dinner..."

I made an amazing dinner, if I do say so myself. 

Greenbeans and Tuna
I put two cans of tuna in with some fresh greenbeans. I sauteed them in coconut oil with some diced onions and garlic. I added chopped basil, chopped oregano, chili powder, garlic salt, crushed red pepper. It was sublime! The only thing I'd change in the future is to cut the green-beans making it more of a "hash". I'd also consider adding some green olives and larger onions than "diced".

The greenbeans were still crispy and the soft, meaty shreds of tuna absorbed a lot of the spices and oil and were delicious!

Eggs and 0 Carb Sausage
I found this zero-carb sausage at Costco.  It's tasty.  It does have "sugar" listed very, very low on the ingredients.  So little that you won't get a single carb from a single sausage.  I chopped one up and sauteed it in the leftover oil from the greenbeans and tuna. Then I scooted it to the edge and added 4 farm-fresh (high Omega-3) eggs and onions. I scrambled the eggs (more like an omlette than scrambled) and let the meat cook on the side.  The eggs absorbed a lot of flavor from the sausage and previous spices in the greenbeans and tuna dish.

I also had some steamed brussel sprouts and broccoli florets with coconut oil and salt. 

I couldn't eat even half of what I made.  I gave most of it to my daughter. 

I also had more cashew butter than I should've.  *sigh*  I probably need to just remove that stuff from my house... 

Let's talk sauna...

SAUNA
Okay, so, you'll lose a little water-weight and according to some research, it's a little more water weight than you'll replenish if you drink something. And, sure, some people say that you'll "detox" through your sweat. Some people even claim that if you sit in a hot enough sauna, long enough, that you'll actually metabolize fat and lose fat through your sweat. And the most outrageous claim is that you'll "exercise your organs" and that it's equivalent to exercising.

The reality: Ignore all the mud in the water. Just sit. (Like you would sit in the muddy water.)

RELAX

Calm yourself.

Sauna is not about how much weight you'll lose or how much you'll detox or how much fat you'll burn or your heart rate getting to 140+bpm. Sure, it *might* do some or all of that. But that's not why a paleo person should consider it.

You should consider it because you are spending time *relaxing*. You are reducing your stress levels. If you're in a public place, you might even talk to other people and establish a community and relationships.

I've watched people go into the sauna and do everything from just sit or lay there to doing intense exercises (trust me, any kind of exercise in 170degrees is "intense"). I've seen people chitter-chatter. I've seen them read books. I've seen them just sit and close their eyes, meditate, pray, or just be calm and still.

My own experience is that on days when I dont sauna, I don't feel as refreshed.

Sure, it works out my heart and organs, trying to process the heat. I've had my heart rate up to 156bpm (it's typically in the 140 range). I usually read a book. Sometimes I'll talk to people. I don't "do" anything, though. I don't do crunches or squats or pushups or that weird thing the guy did clenching all his muscles while squatting and I thought he was trying to use the toilet...

I just sit--and relax.  I usually read.  That's how I got through Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution Diet".

It works for me. You might consider trying it. Hot tubs are great for this, too.  (Except the reading part...)