Experiment Part 2...

Everything you read on the internet is true...

We see a ton of information on the internet and who knows how much of this information is actually true? My wife made a quiche last night from a recipe off of the internet and I would bet a whole nickle that the recipe had never been tested. I am certainly not a doctor or nutritionist and I would never claim that you should follow anything which I have to say. Most things I post here are just ideas and you should always consult with your doctor before starting and nutrition and/or exercise plan.

With this being said, here is some crazy information I have come up with after working on my current experiment. I believe we get caught up in looking at our statistics day by day. I believe we should take a broader approach and start looking at our information on a weekly basis. Addressing my plateau struggle over the past 7 months, I think I could of saved myself a bunch of aggravation if I had done one thing: logged everything I eat for a two week period of time. When I say everything, I mean everything from take a sip of water, any type of snack, and even log everything I would eat on my weekend free days. I would need to be completely honest with myself and be thorough in this task but I believe if I had done this for a two week period, it would of enlightened me and reveled issues.

I really do not want to get into the whole BMI, BMR, and all of the other acronym floating around in the nutrition world but at least, I think you should know as close to you daily calorie and nutritional requirements as possible. In my case, for my current age, weight, height, and activity level, I should be eating 3,000 calories per day to maintain weight and 2,300  to lose weight. I actually eat more in the 1,500 to 1,800 range per day. If this is actually true, I should be losing weight at an astounding rate.
So I believe that most people are underestimating their daily calorie intake and exercise level. If this is actually the case, we need to take a look at the bigger picture to understand what is going on because there is just not enough information to understand what is going on day by day.

The following table slightly shows what could be going on with my numbers.

Scenario 1 is my ideal situation. Scenario 2 is could be what was happening to me over the past seven months, but Scenario 3 is a most realistic snap shot of how I have been eating.

Scenario 1
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Week Total
1800	1800	1800	1800	1800	1800	1800	12600
Scenario 2
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Week Total	+ Diff
1800	1800	1800	1800	1800	4000	3000	16000	3400
Scenario 3
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Week Total	+ Diff
2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	4000	4000	18000	5400

So each week, I was basically moving 2 pounds up and 2 pounds back. Every once in a while, I might take 2 pounds up and 3 pounds back, meaning that the weight loss had basically stalled because I would lose during the week and gain it all back over the weekend, losing a net amount of 1 to 1.5 pounds a month since February.

So if I follow and stick to Scenario 1 above, I should start to show a steady and consistent weight loss again. We shall know on October 18, but I have been sneaking a peak at the scale each day this week and so far, this is looking pretty darn good! 

It is all about being honest with myself and staying true to what I need to do each and every day, every week, and every month!

  

A Great Experiment...

I have no problem if you wish to call me a hypocrite, after all, this is about putting myself out there completely. Through out this two year journey, I have done plenty of reading and research and sometimes it is really hard to know wrong from right and what to believe and not (OMG, you mean everything you read on the internet is NOT the absolute truth?? I read into a story about how you need to reset your "Lipton" hormone, the weight loss hormone, each week by having a cheat day and pretty much eat whatever you wish. I did buy into this idea for a long time and after the past 7 months of denial and frustration, I decided to face this issue head on and look at the facts. The fact is that on the weekends, I pretty much did as I wanted as far as eating goes. I did not go crazy with eating, or so I thought and the slow results I was achieving was like taking two steps up and two or three steps back. Slow progress but I was really not being honest with myself, even though I thought I was.

Last week, I spoke with my wife about trying something for the next month to see what happens. Not going out to eat as much on the weekends, make more meals at home, and really limit the crappy foods just like I do during the week. It looks like I am starting to have some good success this first weekend and week after beginning a great experiment. We will see what happens after a full month of giving this a go.

My conclusion is that there is no cheat day! You need to be in all of the time. Yes, you do need to give yourself a little reward now and then, but not every day, not every week or weekend, and really limit the time spent at the all-you-can-eat buffets by not going at all, plus making healthy choices when going out to eat at any other place.

 After a month of trying this, I will post specific numbers. Look for the update on October 18 to see if  I have stuck to my resolve and have made small of substantial progress.

Zucchini Towers...

Zucchini Towers
Aired on September 24, 2014

2 medium zucchini
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
4 to 6 ounces pepperoni, chopped
½ cup ricotta cheese
¾ cup shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese, divided
2 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
Provolone cheese, sliced as needed.

Preheat oven to 400° degrees. Cut zucchini into ½” to ¾” slices and scoop out pulp and seeds, leaving 1/4-inch bottom (use a small spoon for this). Reserve pulp from the zucchini and chop. Blanch the towers until just tender by steaming for one minute and then cool quickly. Combine zucchini pulp, garlic, mushrooms, and sauté in olive oil until tender; season with salt and pepper. Mix the sautéed vegetables with chopped pepperoni, ricotta cheese, half of the Parmesan cheese, and chopped basil. Place stuffed zucchini in a baking sheet and top each tower with as small slice of Provolone cheese and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is bubbly brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Notes:
- You can easily make this vegetarian or vegan by making proper adjustments to the recipe.
- This is gluten free.
- Serve as a side with Chicken Parmesan or other favorite Italian entrée.
- You can even serve as an appetizer or hors d' oeuvres at a cocktail party for the upcoming holiday season.

Crab Imperial...

Crab Imperial
Serves 4

1 Pound Crab Meat, fresh or pasteurized
1 Egg Yolk
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 Ounces Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Capers, chopped
Old Bay Seasoning to taste
¼ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
2 Ounces Heavy Whipping Cream

Divide the crab into 4 ounce servings and put into the bottom on small casserole dishes.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Slowly begin to add the oil while mixing until it is all incorporated. Mix in the capers, Old Bay, parsley, and cream. Divide and spoon the sauce over the crab. Bake for 10 minutes is a preheated 400 degree oven, or until the crab is warm and the sauce has browned slightly.

Notes:
-  You can use any pick of crab you like. Claw meat is the least expensive of real crab and very rich in flavor. Jumbo lump is considered the best pick but it is also the most
   expensive. Other pick options include special, backfin, and lump. You can also use Surimi, imitation crab meat.
-  Be sure to pick through the crab and remove any shell particles.
-  If you would like to make this easy, you can use 6 ounces of a prepared mayonnaise in place of the egg and oil.

Spicy Beef Tenderloin Skewers

Spicy Beef Tenderloin Skewers

You can use any protein you like with this recipe including chicken, lamb, veal, pork, or a different cut of beef. 

2 tablespoons cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 or 3 medium cloves freshly minced garlic
1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce, or more if you wish
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin cut into chunks

Add all ingredients to a gallon zip bag and mix very well. Marinate 2 hours up to overnight. Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use. Preheat a char grill or cast iron skillet to high. Skewer the beef and grill until desired internal temperature is reached. Let the beef rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with rice or couscous. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I tried to develope a recipe for a cookie a little lower in fat and sugar. Whenever you take out the good tasting stuff, it is hard to come up with a final product which does not taste like sawdust or card board. I think this recipe has a balance and is very tasty. It is also gluten free!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.1 Tablespoon Butter

¼ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup natural sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup JIF All Natural peanut butter

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix in the egg. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the peanut butter until incorporated completely. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Scoop out 1 ounce balls and put onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Press down the balls with your fingers and/or a fork. Bake until golden brown until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

1 Cookie = Total Calories: 51
Carbs: 8 g
Fat: 2 g
Protein: 1 g
Sodium: 19 mg
Sugar: 8 g

Note: Feel free to add chocolate chips or any other ingredient to this cookie. Remember, it will change the nutritionals. You can use your favorite brand of peanut butter including a chunky style if you wish. On the show, we are serving with a peanut butter mousse and chocolate ganache.