Tag Archives: foodiefit

Another Extended Fast experiment

Examining my Instagram feed of late would reveal that my diet has been seriously deranged for quite awhile this year. My ambitions started strong early in the year, but quickly fell to the wayside after all our yard projects ended with the onslaught of summer (high temps). I permitted myself full license to eat guilt-free, but that meant an increased intake in sugars and refined carbs–my sweet tooth taking over.

It didn’t help that long fasts had the embarrassing side effects of “explosive BM” that lasted up to 48 hours. Bad, very bad, especially when you’re not in an environment to run to the bathroom every hour. I tried to mitigate the effects using chia seeds in coconut milk, with very limited success.

Short fasts ended too uncomfortably as well, since 3-4 day fasts didn’t seem to help me transition to fat-burning, leading to a spike in hunger post-fast. Weekend binges then psychologically made me ditch my plans, and I was stuck in a perpetual cycle of feasting.

Side note: I made several PRs this year due to a change in weight lifting programming, and no doubt increased calories helped in the gainz department, though I can’t say it’s physically measurable.

As soon as I hit the scale weight of 160lbs last week, I realized I needed to take back control. My clothes were getting tight again, and disappointingly, there was some new wardrobe still sitting in my closet going unworn.

I started what I hope to be a 7-10 day fast on Monday 7/24. As expected, the first 3 days were rough, but I was mentally in a good place. Not sure if it was all the Malaysian and Indonesian food I binged on the weekend prior, but the transition to fat burning seems much smoother.

The apprehension comes as I try to plan how to break my fast without the yucky disruption I experienced before. With DFW Restaurant Week dinner reservations made and my SO’s birthday around the corner, I have to be mindful of how to do this correctly.  I’m reviewing my previous post for ideas.

I do need to remember to monitor my vitals such as BP and blood glucose. I experienced some high BP during days 2 & 3, which leads me to blame caffeine timing and lack of hydration, and now I’m keeping a better eye on it–and taking meds. Blood sugar measurement on Wednesday afternoon was 99.

Things I need to stay on track with:

  1. Monitoring vitals
  2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
  3. Avoid stress, get more sleep!
  4. Include psyllium husks in post-fast meal transition
  5. Take advantage of that spike in HGH and build muscle!
  6. Eat low carb or ketogenic after completing fast

I’m on day 5 as of this writing, and I’m looking forward to completing this prolonged fast successfully.

6:50p vitals:

  • blood sugar = 77
  • bp = 122/76
  • weight = 152.8
  • Sleepy

Experiments in Fasting January 2017

The Complete Guide to Fasting book cover

Prolonged fasting is hard. I’ve dabbled in 3-5 day fasts since the beginning of the new year, and had to contend with several challenges that ultimately curtail any ambitions to further the fasts.

Despite that last year’s lab results revealed abnormal kidney function as well as microscopic protein spilling into urine (along with a stern recommendation from my doctor to avoid high protein and carbonated beverages–or else she’d refer me to a nephrologist), I resolved to experiment more with long fasts to improve my insulin sensitivity and HA1C results (which in the October 2016 lab sat at 5.6–out of the pre-diabetes range).

Armed with the knowledge gleaned from The Complete Guide to Fasting, the Intensive Dietary Management website, and the recordings at FastingTalk.com, I set out to add prolonged fasts regularly to my health and fitness in 2017.

In the month of January, I was able to complete a 6 day and a 3 day fast, albeit with some difficulty. The short list of problems I encountered doing these fasts include:

  1. Surviving the 3 day hump (switching the body’s fuel sources)
  2. Hunger and appetite control throughout the fast
  3. Moodiness, mainly extreme sadness and anger
  4. Watery stools while breaking the fast
  5. Balancing sleep and energy expenditure while on severe calorie restriction
  6. Maintaining hydration
  7. Uncontrolled post-fast refeeds

The possible solution to some of the issues (1, 5, 7) seems to be in planning and preparation; mainly using an LCHF or a ketogenic diet to lead into and end the fast.

An answer to issue 4 that I found after listening to the podcast at FastingTalk.com was to use chia seeds to break the fast. I whipped up a recipe of coconut milk, cream and chia seeds and it seems to have relieved some of the symptoms.

I suspect issues 2 and 3 can be improved with the combo of diet AND exercise, since exercise can have a profound impact on mental state. Along with behavior modification and more planning, I hope to address 5, 6 and 7. Clearly, thinking ahead and being mindful of the challenges puts one in a position to succeed. I plan on continuously tweaking my fasting experiments with an eye toward better outcomes.

 

Recipe: Slow Cooker Jalapeno Chili

This slow cooked chili ambushed many at a workplace potluck lunch with its heat. The secret is leaving the seeds intact on 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers. Cumin powder lends a distinctive aroma to the chili. Additional heat furnished by chili powder, red pepper and a dash ghost pepper chili added to meat while browning in a pan.

  • 8 oz, Angus Ground Beef Chuck 80%/ 20%
  • 8 oz., Ground Lamb
  • 8 oz, Ground Pork – Fixed
  • 9 oz(s), Onions, raw
  • 56.00 g, Garlic, raw
  • 4.50 oz(s), Peppers, jalapeno, raw
  • 6oz can (10 tbsp ea.), Tomato Paste
  • 14.5oz can (1 4/5 cups ea.), Fire Roasted Diced Garlic Tomato
  • 6 fluid ounce, Water – Municipal
  • 1 tbsp, Spices, chili powder
  • 2 tbsp, Spices, cumin seed
  • 2 tbsp, Spices, paprika
  • 1 tbsp, Spices, cinnamon, ground
  • 0.50 tbsp, Spices, pepper, black
  • 1 tsp, Spices, pepper, red or cayenne
  • 8 oz, Fresh Lean Ground Turkey With Rosemary Extract
  • dash of ghost pepper chili

Over medium heat, lightly brown the meats in a skillet, season with spices to taste. Add to a preheated slow cooker. Using the fat/grease left over from the cooked meats, saute garlic and onions until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes, then add to the slow cooker. Toss in the remaining ingredients, then cook low and slow for 4 hours. Or cook on high for 2 hours.

Serving suggestion: serve warm over hard boiled eggs or egg bake. For my potluck lunch, it made for a spicy, meaty topping on burgers and hot dogs.

IMG_20160707_JalapenoChilionEgg

Yields about 78oz of chili.

MPF calculation per 2oz serving:
71 calories
Total Fat 4g
Total Carbohydrate 3 g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g

Recipe: Spicy Primal Mayo Egg Salad

I decided to make this recipe after picking up a jar of Primal Kitchen Mayo over at Thrive Market. I’ve been meaning to whip up some deviled eggs, based on the smoky version at Lockhart Smokehouse. But this egg salad gives you more bang for buck–minus the smokiness. The ghost pepper chili flakes that I got from Trader Joe’s really gives this egg salad bite.  Despite that it’s paleo/primal, the egg salad passed the taste test at home.

  • 4 Extra Large Grade A Eggs, hard boiled
  • 8 Jumbo Grade A Eggs, hard boiled
  • 1 oz., Greek Yogurt
  • 5 Tablespoon, Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise Made W/avocado Oil
  • 1 tbsp, Spices, garlic powder
  • 2 tsp(s), Spices, chili powder
  • 2 tsp, ground, Spices, pepper, black
  • dash of sea salt
  • dash of ghost pepper chili pepper flakes

After hard boiling eggs and letting it cool, peel from shell and add to bowl. Use a spatula to break the eggs for a chunky texture. Fold in yogurt and mayo and continue to turn over gently. Season with garlic powder, chili powder, cracked pepper, sea salt, and ghost chili pepper.

IMG_20160710_PrimalEggSalad

If I were to add more protein to this egg salad, it would be ham or bacon. Or better yet, smoked brisket.

Yields about 30oz total, 2oz per serving.

MFP Recipe Calculator estimate per serving:
108 Calories
Fat 9g
Carbohydrate 1g
Protein 6g

Recipe: Bacon Broc Cheese Egg Bake

I really needed to do something with a bag of frozen broccoli cuts (not the tasty florets kind) stashed away in my freezer. Here’s a protein-packed and Primal-friendly breakfast and snack that I made with those cuts, courtesy of SkinnyTaste by way of MyFitnessPal’s blog.

I originally projected 8 whole eggs for this recipe, but realized I didn’t have enough egg mix to fill all 12 cups to the brim. (This was before I realized that the mix would rise as it cooked.) I didn’t whip the mix enough to let air in so I anticipated that there would be very little rise.

Egg Bakes Pour egg mix into non-stick pan

Hint: the horseradish cheddar that I used in this modified recipe really gives the egg muffins some bite! Were I to change anything to this current recipe, I would probably add more bacon!

  • 9 egg, Jumbo Eggs Grade A*
  • 4 pan fried slice, Thick Cut Bacon – Naturally Hickory Smoked
  • 4 oz, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1.50 oz, Horseradish Cheddar Cheese
  • 1.50 oz, Cheese, gruyere
  • 1 container (348 gs ea.), Broccoli Cuts Frozen
  • 1 tbsp (9.7g), Spices, Garlic Powder
  • 0.25 tsp, Sea Salt
  • 0.50 tsp, ground, Spices, pepper, black
  • stick of butter for greasing pan

Broil or bake the bacon slices in a pre-heated oven at 350F.  (Or you can pan-fry the bacon.) Drain/blot grease and crumble bacon after cooking. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook frozen broccoli per package instructions. Drain excess moisture, season with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool.

Prep a non-stick 12-muffin or cupcake tin by greasing each cup with butter.

Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Shred the cheese and add to egg mixture. Slowly add broccoli cuts (make sure the broccoli is cooled so it doesn’t cook the egg mix), season with garlic powder and gently mix all ingredients until thoroughly incorporated. Ladle egg mix into muffin tin. Garnish the tops with crumbled bacon.

Bake @ 350F for 20-25 minutes. Best eaten when warm and gooey-cheesy in the middle. Dress with a little sriracha or salsa.

Some of my muffins overflowed their cups during baking, but it was an easy task to scoop them back into each mold. I likely didn’t need to grease the tin due to the non-stick surface; the eggs all popped out of their molds with very little effort.

Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container.

MFP Recipe Calculator estimate per serving:
175 Calories
2g Carbs
12g Fat
12g Protein
1g Sugar
1g Fiber