Fitness

Starting a 7 Day Fast + Day 1

After a weekend long binge of fried foods and gigantic portions, I’ve decided to embark on a water/liquid fast to help break me of my impossibly crazy cravings and get back to some semblance of normal eating habits. Yes, I realize a strict fast puts me in great danger of the yoyo binge-diet cycle once it’s done and over with, but I hope that journaling my experience will align me mentally to avoid that trap.
Of course, part of focusing my energy on "Not Eating" means I may be populating this blog with recipes and catching up on Yelps. So part of the challenges especially in Days 2 – 4 will be staving off the harmful thoughts that can crater my experiment.
Initially I will be experimenting with a 7 day fast, examine my results, and determine if it’s feasible to proceed another 7 days afterwards.
Fast-breakers include work and exercise, though I can easily give up one but not the other. My concern is undertaking the long drives to and from work and the mental energy required to stay focused at the job. I’m also apprehensive with the muscle catabolism that might occur if I avoid eating altogether.
Exercise is generally abstained from during water fasts, especially prolonged fasts due to the lack of energy that’s needed to fuel extra activity. The body will need to maintain its own necessary functions and to stray outside of the normal energy expenditure risks injury or damage,  not to mention cause spikes in hunger and mental anguish.
I am dreading the strength decreases or the supposed muscle wasting that a fast could produce (although recent research seems to debunk conventional wisdom), so I am weighing the options of taking a protein shake after moderate weight lifting sessions 3 times a week.
 
Day 1 concluded as I suspected. There were several periods throughout the day in which I had intense cravings, generally at times when I’d be snacking/eating: midday, midafternoon, evening. It was particularly distracting when coworkers were heating up their meals while I worked at my desk. Of course, it didn’t help that I was blogging food recipes. Drinking water didn’t really stave off the hunger either.
 
To distract myself, I read literature on fasting, gamed on Diablo, and performed a less strenuous 5×5 workout consisting of squats, military press and bent over rows at about 80-85% RM. 
 
I was sleepy on the drive home, but I attribute that more to lack of sleep than lack of food. When I was home, I was alert again. I did go to bed a little late again, but it seemed that as soon as I hit the pillow, I was out. 
 
I survived Fast Day 1. 
 
Dining, Recipes

Recipe: Lamb Meatballs in Pumpkin Marinara

I had leftover pumpkin from my blondie recipe so I had to find a creative use for it. A coworker previously mentioned adding pumpkin to spaghetti sauce for extra fiber, and it sounded like a great idea. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin will take the edge off the acidity, while adding a little volume to the sauce.

This recipe provided an opportunity for me to clear out some fridge space as well. We had ample leftovers of bbq sauce and spaghetti sauce that needed to be used. About the only thing that I needed to purchase was the ground protein and the cheese; I stocked everything else in my pantry.

You’ll also notice that these meatballs are grain-free…no breadcrumbs. In the cooking instructions, I explain how to keep the meatballs together while it slow cooks. It does take an extra cooking step, but the results are worth it!

  • 8 oz(s), Canned Pumpkin
  • 4 fluid ounce, Bbq Sauce
  • 8 fluid ounce, chunky garden (tomato, onion & garlic) spaghetti sauce
  • 1.50 oz(s), Garlic, raw
  • 13.50 ounce, Onion
  • 2 ounce, Kraft Parmesan Finely Shredded
  • 56 g, 2% Mozzarella shredded
  • 0.50 tsp(s), Spices, ground cumin
  • 2 tsp(s), Spices, chili powder
  • 1 tsp, ground, Spices, pepper, black
  • 1 tsp(s), Spices, parsley, dried
  • 1 tsp, leaves, Spices, basil, dried
  • 1.75 cup (121 g), Diced Basil, Garlic, & Oregano Canned Tomatoes
  • 1 egg, jumbo egg
  • 2 Tbsp (14g), Coconut Oil (Virgin, Unrefined, Cold Pressed)
  • 0.25 tsp, Sea Salt
  • 16 oz, Ground Chuck Beef 90/10
  • 16 oz, Ground Lamb

Add half of the dried spices, pumpkin puree, bbq sauce and spaghetti sauce to a slow cooker turned to high. While these ingredients start simmering, warm coconut oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

Chop the onions and garlic, add to saute pan. Cook until translucent and aromatic about 3-5 minutes. Take off heat and add 3/4 of the garlic/onion mix to the slow cooker, reserving the rest for meatballs.

Meanwhile, mix beef, lamb, egg, cheese, and half of the dry spices in a bowl and knead until thoroughly incorporated. Add the garlic/onion mix and continue to knead. Divide into 12 portions and hand-form the meatballs.

Add meatballs to heated saute pan or cast iron skillet and sear on all sides. The idea is to sear the outside but not cook the meatballs through. Transfer meatballs to slow cooker, taking care to drain fat.

Cook low and slow over low heat for 1-2 hours in the slow cooker.

Yields 12 meatballs + sauce. My preferred serving size is 2 meatballs, garnished with chopped green onions.

IMG_20160826_231056321

Nutrition calculator:
Calories 291 (per meatball/sauce)
Total Fat 17 g
Total Carbohydrate 16 g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 9 g
Protein 19 g

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: GF Pumpkin Walnut Blondie

Earlier this summer I experimented with a gluten-free dream bar/coconut bar recipe that used a homemade condensed coconut milk sweetened with stevia. Sadly, I didn’t consider it a success as it didn’t really have the sweet, rich, mouth-coating flavor that I associated with dream bars. I also mistakenly added baking chocolate to the bar which made it hard to eat.

In researching ways to tweak the dream bar recipe, I stumbled upon a paleo-friendly recipe for pumpkin blondie,  using almond butter to achieve the moist chewy texture that I was looking for.

Before I embark on testing the concept with my cococonutty dream bar recipe, I recreated the pumpkin blondie to make it gluten free and with walnuts. I also went with coconut sugar instead of stevia to see how I would like it. And you know what, it turned out great!

  • 0.50 Tsp, Cinnamon
  • 0.50 tsp, Baking Soda
  • 0.50 tsp, Spices, pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 tbsp(s), Chopped Walnuts
  • 180 gram, 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree
  • 96 gram (2 tbsp), Almond Butter, Smooth (unsweetened)
  • 2 tsp, Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 0.50 tsp, Baking Powder
  • 96 gram, Gluten Free Multi-purpose Flour (King Arthur)
  • 2 tablespoon (21g), Organic Wild Forest Raw Neem Honey
  • 18.75 tsp, Coconut Sugar

Preheat oven to 325F.

Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and grease with a little bit of coconut oil. I left some paper overhang on my pan so that I could easily lift the blondies out.

Warm the honey and almond butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then add to a stand mixer.  With the mixer on low speed, add all wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.

Meanwhile, sift cinnamon, baking soda, pumpkin spice, baking powder, gluten free flour and coconut sugar in a bowl. Then slowly add these dry ingredients to the stand mixer, and continue to mix, scraping the sides of the bowl every once in awhile.

Pour batter into the pan, and smooth until even. I prefer jiggling the pan until the batter is level. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over batter, then place into oven to bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into 16 squares (I used a pizza cutter).

IMG_20160818_102521054

The recipe instructions explained the low-and-slow bake time to achieve different textures. The latter bake time resulted in a medium moist blondie that was soft in the middle, crispy at the edges. When I bake this again, I’ll be sure to try the shorter bake time for a softer finish.

Yields 16 bars.

Nutrition calculator:

Calories 97
Total Fat 4 g
Total Carbohydrate 14 g 
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 2 g