Delicious hot cocoa/protein shake

I just made myself a delicious protein shake. I was getting tired of the taste ("gourmet vanilla"), I don't like very sweet things. I was generally diluting it with much more water than asked for, but my body started to rebel.
So just now I decided to add some cocoa and cinnamon.  It was very hard to mix it, so I warmed it up in the microwave a bit. To make it just perfect I added about one tablespoon of heavy cream. It's delicious!

I am planning on doing a few push ups just to remind my body I need all the protein I eat, so it will (hopefully) keep burning body fat. I am cooking now some chicken quarters (without skin) for the next few days. I can't switch to white meat, never liked it. It's just too dry! I was a passionate chicken leg eater since my early toddlerhood, so it should stay that way. I think it's very low on fat anyway (I can't believe I am actually saying this!).

PSMF

I continue on the PSMF track. I try some variety, so I won't get bored or tired of the routine. My biggest challenge isn't hunger, it's the fact that I simply love eating. I also have difficulties with social gatherings, especially where there are people whom I don't know that well.

I generally eat only in the evening with small snack (2 boiled eggs for example) during the day. I also drink one protein shake.
Today to change the routine a bit, I mixed two hard boiled eggs with a can of water-packed sardines for brunch. I really want to include sardines more, as they are not only packed with Omega-3 like many other seafood, but also are great source of calcium and other beneficial nutrients. They are also, similarly to other small fish, much less polluted with heavy metals. Because the sardines were in water and not oil, the mixture was very dry. I decided that adding some sour cream shouldn't be that bad. Two spoons of sour cream later I had really tasty dish. I think I will make it more often to take it with me to work.

I haven't done any measurements yet, I am leaving it for Sunday. I don't see any big changes yet, but I feel good and I know I need to be patient.

In terms of supplements, I take Krill Oil in the morning, magnesium in the late afternoon and D3 (5k) every other or every three days.
I am running low on my magnesium and so I need to replenish. I found in Trader Joe's magnesium together with calcium and zinc. Isn't that wrong? I think calcium negates the magnesium, that it prevents its proper absorption? I am also conflicted on the kind of magnesium that's best for the body. The one I had till now is "oxidate" which I thought was the best form, but recently I read somewhere that oxide is useless. I am really confused and have to make some research.

struggles

Yesterday I went for a holiday dinner. There was a number of people present, some of them I didn't know. And because I felt it would look bad to not eat at all, I decided it would be my "refeed" day. I have to have them anyway once in a while. Well, I ate too much. And the wrong stuff - rice, for example. I did resist the deliciously smelling challah and didn't eat the lentil soup. But I ate definitely too much. And as much as I am glad I didn't touch the brownies (gluten-free, but with peanuts and sugar), I took a few pieces of fruit. And either the slices of apples, peaches or orange-spice tea caused my stomach to hurt suddenly, the way it hurts after almonds. I read it as allergy reaction. I had sometimes light allergy reactions to apples and once to a fruit-herbal tea.

Anyway, with all of that I felt miserable yesterday night. I feel better today, and will be back on the PSMF track. I just hope that it didn't erase the efforts of three previous days!

I was talking a couple of days ago with a friend who said that a common friend of ours was diagnosed with fibromyalgia recently. She is also depressed and have issues with anxiety. I told her how great I feel after switching to paleo, how my fibromyalgia's symptoms become very mild and some completely disappeared. She will put her in touch with me. I hope I will be able to convince her to give paleo a try. The other friend was also interested, she struggled with weight for a long time, lost quite a lot of weight watchers, but can't move on beyond what she is now despite all the effort and serious exercises. Maybe I will be able to get her out from the low-fat low-calories no-way-out rout.

"healthy" knish

In the faculty lounge during lunch we often comment on each other's choices of food, exchanging ideas and sharing struggles (a few people try to lose weight). Today the hero of the hour (well, 20min) was home made knish. It looked very good, had no crust and according to the maker was also delicious. The person got the recipe from cardiologist which in the opinion of all present gave it a stamp of approval. Everyone assumed it must be healthy... I said nothing when I started to hear the ingredients... Apart from spinach and spices I wouldn't touch anything else in it. Egg beaters? Tofu? fat free mozzarella? Sad. I didn't say anything because I knew it was pointless. Between weight watcher, newborn conventional (fat is evil) healthy eater, cancer survivor on low-fat "healthy" diet and a couple others SADers* there was no point. It would only upset everyone, especially that most of them really think they know best. Obviously I also think I know best :) The only reason I feel better is that I have been researching nutrition and evolutionary science for quite a while now and don't take my health advice from color magazines.

I have decided to give PSMF** a try. Even though I didn't get into paleo in order to lose weight, I do want to shed the waist and legs/buttocks fat that I put on about a year ago. I switched then to a new anti-anxiety medicine and it caused enormous carbs cravings, no control in eating sweets and cakes, and made me 30Ibs heavier a month and a half later. I would like to get back to my wardrobe from the days before that.

I let myself eat too much of healthy and  paleo foods. I forgot that paleo means also eating according to the body's needs. Which means I should eat when I am hungry and enough to be satiated, not because I feel like it would be fun to eat a bowl of sour cream with coconut and banana. I think it is clear what I am talking about ;-)
So for a few days I am trying to keep on the low carbs but also cut on fat, with the minimum protein that is needed per day. This way the body is not starved, receives enough necessary nutrients but also is prompted to kick in serious fat burning. I will let you know how it goes - it's only day two.

*SAD - Standard American Diet.
**PSMF - Protein Sparing Modified Fast

Some good medical/diet/health links

Over at Evolutionary Psychiatry a good and simple explanation on why our brains need Omega-3. I have started to take supplements (Krill Oil) a while ago realizing that I just dont' eat enough fish. I don't have the access to fresh fish, I don't cook much out of frozen, and I don't want to rely on cans only. I wan't to make sure I get enough essential fatty acids.

Interesting discussion on the need of calorie counting if someone wants to lose weight.

Since going paleo I stopped counting anything other than paying attention to carbs. I found that I let myself eat too much of the good. I love cream too much, and I think I really eat too much of protein and fat sometimes. I am not in paleo to loose weight, I want to be healthy and strong. BUT I do want to look good naked. I always loved athletic bodies, I find female athletes much more sexy than some skinny celebrities. Give me strong arms and a six pack and I am drooling all right ;-) So yeah, I would like to lose a bit of the fat around my waist, esp. that it's the risky fat as it's often a sing of fattening of inner organs. I am exercising and do strength training, and I feel that I do have muscles.. but I would like them to be properly seen :) So I want to uncover them from the cushion of fat. I won't suddenly change much, but I will cut on fat a bit and stop overeating. I am interested in doing PSMF just to start the system. And I still want to make my muscles stronger and bigger (esp. arms). We will see.

Here is one of many articles criticizing the China Study and why it is not scientifically sound. This one comes from dr. Mercola.

this kid is on a roll!

I wish more kids were thinking the way he does. Heck, I wish more adults were thinking that way!