Not Fasting...

Weight: 215.4

Well, that was quick! LOL

When I realized that I had some really tasty food that would go bad because I am the only person that would eat it, I postponed my fasting until that is resolved.  That should be this evening. :)

10 Reasons to Quit Coffee

http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/06/13/ten-reasons-to-quit-your-coffee/

1. The caffeine in coffee increases catecholamines, your stress hormones. The stress response elicits cortisol and increases insulin. Insulin increases inflammation and this makes you feel lousy.

2. Habituation to caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity, making it difficult for your cells to respond appropriately to blood sugar. High blood sugar levels lead to arterial deterioration and increased risk of mortality related to cardiovascular disease.

3. Unfiltered coffee has the highest amount of beneficial antioxidants yet also leaks the most diterpenes into your system. These diterpenes have been linked to higher levels of triglycerides, LDL and VLDL levels.

4. The helpful chlorogenic acids which may delay glucose absorption in the intestine have also been shown to increase homocysteine levels- an indicator for increased risk of cardiovascular disease which tends to be elevated in diabesity.

5. The acidity of coffee is associated with digestive discomfort, indigestion, heart burn, GERD and dysbiosis (imbalances in your gut flora).

6. Addiction is often an issue with coffee drinkers and makes it really difficult to rely on the body’s natural source of energy. Ask any coffee drinker about how it feels to withdraw from coffee, and you will mistake their story for that of a drug addict’s…

7. Associative addictions trend with coffee – who doesn’t immediately think of warm, frothy sweet cream and sugar when they picture coffee? Surely the business of coffee has inspired a culture addicted to the sugary, fatty tastes of what has become more of a meal than a drink! That morning latte is the epitome of food lacking nutrition density yet packing energy!

8. 5-HIA, an organic acid and component of the neurotransmitter serotonin ( the happy chemical) seen in the urine tends to be elevated in coffee drinkers which means they may be at risk for lower levels of serotonin synthesis in the brain. Serotonin is necessary for normal sleep, bowel function, mood, and energy levels. It is a vicious cycle as caffeine can disrupt sleep and promote anxiety and depression. We all know someone who tends to be tired, wired and over caffeinated!

9. Elevated urinary excretion of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium have been noted in coffee drinkers. An imbalance in your electrolyte status can lead to serious systemic complications.

10. Constituents in coffee can interfere with normal drug metabolism and detoxification in the liver making it difficult to regulate the normal detoxification process in the liver. Another issue to be aware of with coffee intake is how certain medications such as levothyroxine (thyroid) as well as tricyclic antidepressants are poorly absorbed, making symptoms curiously worse for patients.

Back to Fasting

Weight: 215.2

It's been a long week.  I was eating paleo.  Over the weekend, I had more fruit than usual. I also had some wine.  And I had some ham and cheese as a snack on the way home yesterday. 

Today, my body has definitely been purging.  I will spare you the details, but many trips to the bathroom today.

I bought the meat from a grass-fed cow.  It's being slaughtered this week.  I have to get another freezer to accommodate it all. 

My new chicks arrived on Thursday and we've lost one to some kind of a leg condition. The others seem strong and healthy.  We're keeping them in the garage, away from the dog. 

I also ordered some Pharoah Coturnix quail.  I'll be raising them and enjoying quail meat and quail eggs in the near future. They are smaller than chickens and mature faster--but they also don't live as long. 

I'm back to fasting.  Water only.  (I've also had some tea--Bengal Spice with a little stevia sweetener in it).  I've already put away nearly 100oz of liquid. There will certainly be more by tonight.

I had to work this past weekend, so I was out of town and still managed to eat decently. I took an electric skillet to the hotel and cooked up a "paleo feast" stir fry.  :) 

Not much more to report at the moment...

9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda

9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda

http://www.rodale.com/facts-about-soda?page=0

Need a reason to break your soda addiction? We've got 9, and they're not pretty.

By Emily Main

 

Soda's Bittersweet Side Effects

If you've been reading health magazines and websites for any length of time, you've read a litany of reasons why soda is bad for you. It's nothing but sugar water. It's devoid of any nutritional value. It leads to obesity and diabetes. But we've dug up nine other disturbing facts about what soda does to your body, besides packing on the pounds, that don't get much attention in broader discussions about soda and its impact on your health.

Weird Fat in Weird Places

In the latest bad news for the soda industry, Danish researchers discovered that drinking non-diet soda leads to dramatic increases in fat buildup around your liver and your skeletal muscles, both of which can contribute to insulin resistance and diabetes. The study revealed that people who drank a regular soda every day for six months saw a 132 to 142 percent increase in liver fat, a 117 to 221 percent jump in skeletal fat, and about a 30 percent increase in both triglyceride blood fats and other organ fat. Their consumption also led to an 11 percent increase in cholesterol, compared with the people who drank other beverages such as water or milk.

Diet-Soda Belly

It's not surprising that drinking all the sugar in sodas would cause weight gain, but what is surprising is that even diet soda will pack on the pounds: Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center monitored 475 adults for 10 years, and found that those who drank diet soda had a 70 percent increase in waist circumference over the 10-year study, compared with those who didn't drink any soda. Those who drank more than two diet sodas per day saw a 500 percent waist expansion! A separate study the same researchers conducted on mice suggested that it was the aspartame, which raised blood glucose levels, that caused the weight gain; when your liver encounters too much glucose, the excess is converted to body fat.

Caramel Cancer-Causers

In 2011, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban the artificial caramel coloring used to make Coke, Pepsi, and other colas brown. The reason: Two contaminants in the coloring, 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, have been found to cause cancer in animals, a threat the group says is unnecessary, considering that the coloring is purely cosmetic. According to California's strict Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, just 16 micrograms per person per day of 4-methylimidazole is enough to pose a cancer threat, and most popular brown colas, both diet and regular, contain 200 micrograms per 20-ounce bottle.

Accelerated Aging

Diet or regular, all colas contain phosphates, or phosphoric acid, a weak acid that gives colas their tangy flavor and improves their shelf life. Although it exists in many whole foods, such as meat, dairy, and nuts, too much phosphoric acid can lead to heart and kidney problems, muscle loss, and osteoporosis, and one study suggests it could trigger accelerated aging. The study, published in a 2010 issue of the FASEB Journal, found that the excessive phosphate levels found in sodas caused lab rats to die a full five weeks earlier than the rats whose diets had more normal phosphate levels—a disturbing trend considering that soda manufacturers have been increasing the levels of phosphoric acid in their products over the past few decades.

Water Pollution

The artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas don't break down in our bodies, nor do wastewater-treatment plants catch them before they enter waterways, researchers have found. In 2009, Swiss scientists tested water samples from wastewater-treatment plants, rivers and lakes in Switzerland and detected levels of acesulfame K, sucralose, and saccharin, all of which are, or have been, used in diet sodas. A recent test of 19 municipal water supplies in the U.S. revealed the presence of sucralose in every one. It's not clear yet what these low levels are doing to people, but past research has found that sucralose in rivers and lakes interferes with some organisms' feeding habits.

Mountain Dew Mind

Dentists have a name for the condition they see in kids who drink too much Mountain Dew. They wind up with a "Mountain Dew Mouth," full of cavities caused by the drink's excessive sugar levels. "Mountain Dew Mind" may be the next medical condition that gets named after the stuff. An ingredient called brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, added to prevent the flavoring from separating from the drink, is an industrial chemical used as a flame retardant in plastics. Also found in other citrus-based soft drinks and sports drinks, the chemical has been known to cause memory loss and nerve disorders when consumed in large quantities. Researchers also suspect that, like brominated flame retardants used in furniture foam, the chemical builds up in body fat, possibly causing behavioral problems, infertility, and lesions on heart muscles over time.

Whacked-Out Hormones

It's not just the soda that's causing all the problems. Nearly all aluminum soda cans are lined with an epoxy resin called bisphenol A (BPA), used to keep the acids in soda from reacting with the metal. BPA is known to interfere with hormones, and has been linked to everything from infertility to obesity and diabetes and some forms of reproductive cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have pegged soda cans, along with restaurant, school, and fast-food meals, as a major source of exposure to the chemical. And while Pepsi and Coke are currently locked in a battle to see which company can be the first to develop a 100 percent plant-based-plastic bottle—which they're touting as "BPA free"—neither company is willing to switch to BPA-free aluminum cans.

Dead Birds

Before you switch from cans to bottles, though, take a look at the photographs of Chris Jordan, an environmentalist and photographer who visited the Midway Atoll area in 2009. It's close to the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," a mass of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean where things like soda caps (which often aren't recycled) and plastic fish netting float just beneath the surface of the water. Birds, sea turtles, and other wildlife mistake the debris for food and eat large quantities of the plastic, which they are unable to digest. Ultimately, the plastic causes them to starve to death. It's estimated that thousands of animals die this way every year.

Unknown Side Effects of GMOs

Take a look at the ingredients list for any soda and chances are most of those ingredients are derived from corn. As much as 88 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified to resist toxic pesticides or engineered to create pesticides within the plant itself. Thanks to lax government safety regulations, and tight corporate control over who gets to test these proprietary seeds, there are no human studies that can prove or disprove whether these crops are safe. Independent scientists have found that, in animals, genetically modified crops, or GMOs, are linked to digestive tract damage, accelerated aging, and even infertility. By drinking soda, you're taking part in the biggest science experiment on the planet.

The Scary Facts of High-Fructose Corn Syrup

http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/the-common-food-ingredient-thats-making-you-stupid

The Common Food Ingredient That's Making You Stupid

Lab studies show high-fructose corn syrup can actually sabotage your smarts in just 6 weeks.

Leah Zerbe, Rodale

 

Foods that appear to be nutritious could actually be destroying your brainpower. The culprit? A common ingredient slipped into many "healthy" foods, including baby food, applesauce, and oatmeal, a breakfast favorite. Researchers at UCLA found that ingesting foods and drinks containing the ingredient high-fructose corn syrup for just six weeks caused troubling changes in brain function. "Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," says Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, a professor of neurosurgery and integrative biology and physiology at UCLA. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information."

While high-fructose corn syrup is rampant in soda and candy products, it also hides out in some seemingly innocuous items like bread, juices, ketchup, and instant oatmeal. (Previous studies have found high-fructose corn syrup is sometimes contaminated with mercury.) Most often associated with obesity and diabetes, this latest study, appearing in the Journal of Physiology, shows this industrial food ingredient can harm the brain, too.

This could be leading to an all-out American brain drain, given that the average citizen downs 40 pounds of the ingredient every year.

The Experiment

To find out how high-fructose corn syrup affects brain function, researchers studied two groups of rats: One group downed high-fructose corn syrup in water for six weeks; another dined on high-fructose corn syrup but also received doses of brain-protecting omega-3 fatty acids.

Before their high-fructose corn syrup diet began, the rats were all trained to navigate a maze. After eating the sweetener for six weeks, researchers put the rats to the maze test again. The animals that didn't receive the omega-3 brain protection were slower and experienced problems with brain signaling, which disrupts critical skills like memory and thinking. Researchers also witnessed signs of insulin resistance in the group without omega-3s; this could hamper normal energy processing, which could impact thoughts, emotions, memory, and learning, according to Gomez-Pinilla. "Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body," he adds. "This is something new."

Rules for Avoiding a High-Fructose Corn Syrup-Derived Brain Drain

#1: Eat organic.

If you don't feel like reading fine-print ingredient labels every time you reach for a product in the supermarket, just look for the organic seal. High-fructose corn syrup and many other harmful food additives are banned. And whatever you do, don't ditch real fruit, which contains a natural form of fructose, not the dangerous processed type. "We're not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants," explains Gomez-Pinilla. "We're concerned about high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative."

#2: Find safer sweet treats.Gomez-Pinilla, a native of Chile and an exercise enthusiast who practices what he preaches, advises people to keep fructose intake to a minimum and swap sugary desserts for fresh berries and Greek yogurt, which he keeps within arm's reach in a small refrigerator in his office. An occasional bar of dark chocolate that hasn't been processed with a lot of extra sweetener is fine, too, he adds.

#3: Eat for brain protection.

Be sure to eat foods containing naturally robust levels of omega-3 fatty acids, especially if you'll be indulging in food containing high-fructose corn syrup. Omega-3 - rich foods include eggs from pastured hens, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts. DHA, the type of omega-3 that comes from omega-3 - rich animal products, helps protect against damage to brain synapses. These synapses are critical to tasks like memory and learning--the very functions that high-fructose corn syrup damages.

Stress, Sleep, Cravings, Food, Weight

Weight: 212.2

I ate at a chinese buffet yesterday evening. I ate a lot.  I was wise in my selections and avoided grain and sugars--though I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sauces had sugar in it. I did have a little rice.

I also had a lot of fruit last night after dinner. 

It's been a very stressful weekend--with less sleep than usual.  I've been craving, too. 

I marvel that everytime I think about craving food, feeling the urgency to eat and my weight ticking up coincides with my stress levels and lack of sleep. I have not been relaxing.  I only went to the sauna once last week.

I don't know if I posted here that I've been trying to raise some chicks and my dog got to the chicks while the family was away. She killed them all.  I've ordered new ones.

I'm working tonight to get a more permanent and better protected pen built for the new chicks.

Not sure if I'll have time to sauna.

No food yet today.  Just some lemon water and ice-water.

Might eat tonight.  Might not.  Not sure yet.

Stressful Weekend

Weight: 208.0

Yesterday I was at 208.2 in the morning.  I also had a very stressful day discovering that my dog had killed all the chicks I had been raising.  :'(

With all the stress yesterday, I caved in and ate a big meal: steamed brussel sprouts with onions and cabbage, a big salad with fresh greens and radishes from my garden, baked salmon and roasted green beans/radishes, several table spoons of almond butter, 1/2 a medium sized watermelon, and an orange. 

Lost .2 lbs. O_o

Onward and downward... ;)

Water-only Fasting, Day 4

Weight: 211.2

I went to the RecPlex and sat in the sauna for 30 minutes, cooled down in the pool for 10 minutes and then sat in the suana for another 15 minutes. (30/10/15) It was good to go back.  :)

I'm also involved in a walking competition at the office, so I walked a bunch yesterday. I'm hoping to do a lot more today.  :)

Since Sunday, I've "lost" almost 9lbs.  Mind you, I believe that all of it is water weight and any food still processing through my system. I'm continuing to take Natural Calm, which has a high magnesium content and tends to flush the system, so I'm making regular trips to the toilet. What's leaving my body basically liquid. Who needs a colon cleanse when you can fast and drink Natural Calm? O_o

Yesterday was the worst as far as hunger demands. At about lunch time, I really felt an urge to eat--but very specific things.  I wanted to go to HuHot and enjoy the buffet.  I wanted to go to Schnucks deli and get some grilled salmon.  I wanted fruit.  Oh, how I wanted fruit!  Sitting at my desk, I have a half bottle of almond butter (high protein, good fats) and a six pack of Spicy V8 (high veggie content, some carbs and lots of vitamins/minerals) -- I didn't want those.  So, I determined that I really wasn't "hungry" -- rather, I had *appetite*. 

In our culture, we've commonly mistaken these two things and cured them with one method: eating.

Appetite, however, is very different than hunger.  That gnawing, craving, urging to eat is not "hunger".  It is appetite. It is a desire to satiate the body--to have a full belly, to enjoy the texture of food, to taste the flavors, to smell the scents.  It is very similar to desire, infatuation and lust.  It is a craving and a "perceived need" (actually a "want"). 

Hunger is very different.  It is a need -- not just perceived, but actual -- that your body is lacking in enough fuel and nutrition and without it, your body diminishes. I liken true hunger to true love (as compared to infatuation.  When you encounter someone and you feel that interest in them, they return it and you spend those glorious early days in raptured bliss with one another -- that's infatuation. It's lust.  It's not love.  Love is deep, abiding, long lasting, self-sacrificing (not self-indulgent) -- and, typically, takes awhile to develop.  Years.  (Yes, infaturation can grow into love -- just as appetite can grow into hunger.) Infatuation is a feeling -- love is a need.

I've often heard it said and I agree with it: Infatuation/Lust is a feeling -- Love is an act of the will (a need).

When I have appetite, my body wants, craves, preceives a need, has a longing, misses what it felt before, desire the stimulus of scent, flavor, even the sight of the food. I've been experimenting on myself.  I've been loading up images of food and smelling foods while feeling this appetite. Surprisngly, it is assuaged slightly when I do this.  That's my first clue that what I'm dealing with is more of a feeling and less of a need. After a couple minutes of looking at interesting recipes and smelling some almond butter yesterday, my appetite diminished. Now, if I'd eaten some, I know I would have eaten a lot more--because stimulation of desire tends to excite it further.  (Just like being close to someone tends to lead to kissing and kissing to more active satisfaction of the physical desires.)

My change in lifestyle has clearly taken a more philosophical turn lately.  :)

Day 2, Water-only Fasting

Weight: 216.2

And the water weight has begun to come off!  I worked some in the garden yesterday after work.  I put up 14 fence posts.  My inner core is very tight today. I should do more fence-post driving!  I soaked my shirt with sweat while I was working.  I drank about 100oz of water yesterday. Lemon and Natural Calm in my water.

A friend of mine has watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and decided to try it.  He asked for some of my experience to prepare himself for the cost of the process.  This is what I had to say:

Yes, the cost of the groceries can seem prohibitive at first.  However, things I've learned over the course of my experience have provided me some insight into how to make it cheaper, more tolerable, etc.

In the beginning, I was also "over indulging" in some things that I later learned weren't helping.  Sure, it made the juice sweeter and tastier, but ultimately caused some problems (less weight loss).

I've never been a "recipe" kind of guy.  I just make things that "feel" right.  Some "recipes" are on my blog, others you can find all over the internet.  They key that I use is to get certain things that your body needs and intermingle them with things that you can stand to eat.  I say this becuase if you're not accustomed to eating certain foods, you won't like them.  Your tastebuds are changeable and until you start eating more healthy foods and your body learns to appreciate them, you'll find that most everything tastes "bad".  After a few days, it tastes "better" and by the end of your first 10 days, you'll find that you actually are starting to enjoy them.

I'd also like to recommend that you read the book: The Paleo Solution Diet by Robb Wolf.  When you come off your 10 days of juicing, I highly recommend that you go into at least 10 days of paleo.  If you can alternate between those two, you will see amazing results. 

The juicing is primarily a *cleansing* activity for your body. And, I will warn you, it can have some painful side effects.  I got seriously sick for three days when I first started and in those first couple weeks, I was still encountering pretty intense headaches. 

The juicer is going to cost a pretty penny--you'll need something of decent quality, so you're looking to put down about $150 on it. I got mine on Amazon.  When I talked to others about juicers, those who went cheap regretted it.  My juicer has been damaged (some broken plastic hinges) because my kids are not as careful with it as I am.  However, it's been quite reliable and sturdy. 

As for the costs...  Let's see...  In a typical juice I would put in:

2-3 green leafy veggies (kale, collards, spinach, etc). Those are actually fairly inexpensive.  You're probably looking at $5 for a 10 day supply

2-3 apples.  Apples are fairly inexpensive.  $1.50 a lb?  So, you're looking at about $2 a day -- $20

1/2 per juice Cucumbers. Great for juice, decent flavor.  $1.50 a lb? Again, about $2 a day -- $20

1 stalk Celery per juice -- it's worth it to get the celery hearts--they have a better flavor--$5 for 10 days

1 Carrot per juice -- $1.50 a lb?  Baby carrots are "tastier" but they cost more. $5 for 10 days

I would avoid: oranges, pineapple, grapes, cherries, berries (blue, black, straw, rasp) -- all of those are higher in carbs (sweeter) and (at least for me) hamper weight loss. They are also expensive.

So, botton line, 10 days of produce will run you about $60 or so. As you do this more, you may find that you can expand your selections and try different things.  Some recipes suggest beets -- and I just couldn't stomach those at all!  However, 1/4 of a beet (and the beet leaves) mixed with apples, cucumbers and celery was palatable for me.  Who knows, you might find you *like* beets.  More power to you! :)

You'll feel gnawing hunger for the first three days. Expect it.

You may get sick--nasea, vomitting, headaches, general "malaise".  Expect it.

After 5 days, you'll start to feel a lot better--not sick, not hungry, sleeping better.

At 10 days, you'll look back and be amazed at how much better you feel. 

Go ahead and take a break, though--enjoy some protein and essential fats (avacado is perfect!).  Avoid grains! Avoid sugar! Avoid pasta! Avoid potatoes!

Make sure you read Robb Wolf's book to understand *why* you need to avoid those things.

You'll find, if you do this 10 days juice, 10 days paleo that your food budget will actually drop.  And if you've been eating already prepared foods, you'll discover it will drop *a lot*.  Your fast food will drop to nothing.  Your soda and chips will drop to nothing. Your snacks will drop to nothing.

I allow myself one "prepared" item--V8.  It's a great thing to take with me in case I can't juice and I'm going to be in a place where I need something to eat.  I keep a six pack of V8 at the office.  Anytime I feel like I *need* something to eat, I drink a can of V8.  I prefer the spicy--it is more satisfying to me.

You can also take it slower--like Phil's brother.  And remember, Joe Cross did this to eliminate a very specific disease that was killing him and causing him huge amounts of pain.

Oh, and go for a walk!  Every day!  I'm still struggling to get enough exercise. 

If there is anything else I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask.  :)

Oh!  Ginger root!  Gotta get some ginger root!  It spices the drink a little, but it also helps with digestion.  After a short time, you'll really appreciate the zing! :)

And lemon.  A lemon added to a juice can really make it so much tastier!

I drink lemon-water a lot.  2 lemons for 32oz of water.  I put in the seeds and pulp, too.  So much better than plain water. :)

Last bit of advice: If you've juiced and you're hungry -- make another juice!  Better to head off hunger at the pass and get more juice into you.  It's also a sign that your body is saying, "I need more nutrition!" You may not lose as much weight tomorrow--but better than getting completely frustrated with the hunger and going to McDonald's!

Back to Fasting...

Weight: 219.4

Ah, yes, summer eating has impacted me. Lots of salty foods. Gobs of fruit (because I'm trying to avoid the other sweets). Eating too much quantity ... *sigh*

I put away an *entire* salmon by myself yesterday.  Because it tasted so darn good! :)

I'll post pictures.  You'll agree with me.  :)

Not getting enough sleep or rest. Working a lot, playing a lot, staying up too late. Not getting to the gym.  There are many contributing factors.

Anyway, I'm back on my fasting -- and I already feel a lot better. I'd been feeling bloated and that's already disappearing.

So glad that I'm thinner, too--the office air-conditioning is not working right and it's already in the low 80s--and it's not that warm outside!

So, for my meals yesterday, I roasted a salmon in the oven.

I laid out the salmon on a cookie sheet with coconut oil and olive oil.  I spinkled spices over it:

Chili powder
Turmeric
Ginger root powder
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Basil
Organo
Garlic salt

I also chopped up onions, garlic and jalepeno and sprinkled that over the top.

Then I broiled/baked/roasted ("put it in the oven") at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. 

I cannot describe to you how absolutely delicious it was. 

For the roasted asparagus, I used the same spices and also chopped up some radishes on top. It was an amazing meal. Truly amazing! :)

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