A toast to home breadmaking

[See disclaimer at the bottom]

I had set my clock for 8:30 this Sunday morning.  That, my dear readerly friends, was indeed a bit audacious.  But what came next was completely unexpected:
- I smelled bread.  Wonderful, warm, fresh bread.
- No, I wasn't still dreaming!

...and then the amazing part:  I got out of bed, without actually hitting the snooze button multiple times!  I think that's a first in years.

You see, I had had the good foresight to prepare bread for my breadmaker the night before, and set the timer to have the bread all finished by 8:34am this morning.  I made it downstairs just in time for the bread to finish, and then I prepared myself a wonderful breakfast of Toast 'n' Jelly Pepper eggs!  This is from a delicious recipe I learned from my mom:

Knott's Berry Farm -- For shame!

Okay, this is not a rant on junk food.  I think when people eat Cheez-wiz, they aren’t misguided enough to assume they’re eating healthful real cheese.  When people eat a double fudge brownie, I doubt they’re confusing this with an apple.  And when people eat Cap’n Crunch cereal, there’s no way they’d assume they’re consuming real fruit.  Oh, um, wait a minute, someone did?  Er, well, anyway, you get my point :-D

But seriously… sometimes there’s an absolute nasty & unhealthy food paired with such obnoxiously, blatantly misleading marketing that I can’t help calling a spade a hyrogenated [sic] artificially flavored spade.

First, the marketing that, by all means, should condemn some marketer to eternal dietary hell:

“In 1920, Walter and Cordelia Knott began selling fresh produce, berries, and preserves from a roadside berry stand in Buena Park, California.  Their family business earned a place in history in 1932 when Walter Knott cultivated a lucious new fruit, the boysenberry.  The farm that started it all has also become a family amusement park that delights millions. 

The Knott family is pleased to extend their tradition of quality to include premium shortbread cookies.  Richly flavorful, these classic favorites are prepared using popular Knott’s Berry farm fruit fillings.”

Let’s dissect this, shall we?

> In 1920, Walter and Cordelia Knott began selling fresh produce, berries, and preserves from a roadside berry stand in Buena Park, California.
...and boy, would they be horrified to see how their heirs have sold them out!

> ...when Walter Knott cultivated a lucious new fruit, the boysenberry.
...which you’ll find all of likely one-tenth of a gram of in this plasticfood monstrosity.

> ... premium shortbread cookies
... where “premium” means “premium profits for us, utter crap for you.”

> ... Richly flavorful
... from lots of high fructose corn syrup

> ... these classic favorites
... if you call a frankenstein concoction of chemicals “classic.”  Maybe a classic case of deceit.

> ... using popular Knott’s Berry farm fruit fillings.
... oh, wait, we meant popular dental fillings!

*  *  *

But enough pre-commentary.  Without further ado, let’s take a look at these charming ingredients, shall we? (and out of kindness, I’ll substitute normal text for the ALL CAPS printed)

Enriched wheat flour [artificial vitamin enrichment crap omitted], margarine (liquid soybean oil, partially hyrogenated [sic] soybean oil, water, salt, whey, lecithin, mono and di-glycerides, sodium benzoate a preservative, artificial butter flavor, beta carotene and vitamin A palmitate), raspberry topping (high fructose corn syrup, red raspberries, apple powder, fruit pectin, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, calcium chloride, FD&C red #40 and blue #1), sugar, eggs, baking soda, natural and artificial flavor, baking ammonium, and salt.

Mmmm… delicious, no?  Just like Grandma would have made it… if she had access to a chemistry lab *and* passionately hated your guts.

Oh, and lookie here, (unsurprisingly) almost no redeeming nutritive qualities at all… little fiber or protein, and a charming 3 grams of trans-fat (I didn’t even know there were many packaged goods that still had this stuff in ‘em nowadays!)

For comparison, let’s take a look at a typical recipe for berry shortbread cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

(from AllRecipes.com)

Notice a difference?  Yes!  You recognize and can likely pronounce the ingredients, and there are fewer than a dozen of them.

*  *  *

Look, as I said, I don’t have a problem with companies making utter junkfood.  I do, however, have a problem about them so blatantly misrepresenting their product.  Even an intelligent acquaintance of mine said (without any prompting from me) that she used to eat these cookies every day for lunch, figuring that they were relatively harmless.  Oops!

P.S.—Might think twice before buying any of Knott’s Berry Farm jams or other products, eh?

EPIC DIET FAIL

Yesterday, I bought “Wii Fit” (a balance board + training CD). I decided I was really committed to exercise more and eat right. Today, unfortunately, I missed breakfast due to a dentist appointment and came into work late.  I grabbed a pack of cashews… not too bad.

And that’s when it happened.  Charles walked by my desk.

“Cafe 150?” he suggested.
“I just ate a bit ago, but thanks.  I’ll grab lunch later.”
“Seared ahi tuna!” he added, temptingly.
(Hmm, I thought to myself, that sounds pretty healthy).
“And prime rib.  And buffalo wings!”
Oh boy.  Maybe I’ll go and just eat the tuna.

I did, but I didn’t.  What I did have was this:

- Chef salad
- Seared ahi tuna with wasabi crème fraiche
- Prime rib with horseradish cream
- Rice pilaf with almonds, onions, carrots, and peas
- Steam spring veggies with butter and parsley
- Saffron rice

One of the chefs was walking by and kindly pointed out an intriguing big brown vat.  This, then, led me to

- Chocolate-peanut-butter-milk

Right next to it was the dessert table.  Being the disciplined guy that I am, I just grabbed one… to go, even.  Which resulted in my procurement of

- Apricot Caramel bread pudding
with blackberries, condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice; served with chocolate cream cheese

*  *  *

With some off-the-napkin calculations, I believe it would take approximately 42 hours of intensive aerobics with the Wii Fit to burn the calories I’ve just consumed.

This, I think, could be classified as EPIC DIET FAIL :-\

Natural energy boosters guaranteed to kick your ass (in a good way)

I guarantee* that the following all-natural AdamSpecial (“CafeKeek” in honor of my now-undoubtedly-horrified French friends) will put a pep in your step, will put the mmmmm in mooove, will take the ache out of awake…

Required…
1) Coffee beans + grinder (ideal) OR not-terribly-fine-ground coffee (okay) OR instant coffee (will do in a pinch; can ignore French press/strainer instructions)
2) Milk (ideally non-fat, optionally low-fat) OR milk substitute that can be heated/drunk hot or warm
3) French press OR extra container + a strainer
4) Teaspoon
5) and - unless you don’t like sweet stuff—one of the following Adam-named add-ins
- “Plain Sweetie”:  Sugar—one to two teaspoons per cup of milk.
- “Chocolate Jesus”:  Pure unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar (one teaspoon each per cup of milk) OR pre-sweetened chocolate syrup / cocoa powder (Nestle Quik does not count!)
- “Cuckoo du mint”:  The Jesus ingredients above + three drops pure mint extract per cup of milk OR Trader Joe’s mint cocoa powder

Instructions for making CafeKeek…
1) Boil milk OR heat milk in microwave (ideally use a microwavable measuring cup or similar item for easy pouring)
2a) Got a French press?  Put in the ground coffee but not other ingredients.
2b) Using a strainer?  Add ground coffee to intermediate container (that you can easily pour from into your drinking cup)
3) Pour hot milk into either French press or intermediate container.  Wait 5 minutes.
4) Pour coffee-soaked hot milk into drinking container (using strainer if you didn’t use a French press)
5) Add optional other ingredients and stir with teaspoon.
6) Enjoy, then come back here and write a comment about how much you loved it and how you’re eternally grateful to me and so on.
7) Repeat, but probably not on the same day.

Strongly recommended in conjuction with CafeKeek…
- Protein—either a handful of nuts or some peanut butter on a cracker, etc.
- Potassium—a banana works great (half of one is fine)
- Exercise—no time for a real workout?  Prefix the incomparable CafeKeek with 18 jumping jacks or 18 seconds of jump-roping or anything else to quickly get your heart pumping.  I’m serious about this… it really helps!

*  *  *

Okay, now it’s your turn.  What natural foods / practices do you use to help wake you up? (so, yeah, those energy drinks with unpronounceable ingredients don’t qualify here)

*Guaranteed satisfaction, or your pro-rated BLADAM subscription fees reimbursed!

Self improvement -- how do you measure your progress?

A few years back, I had some free sessions with a personal trainer at my gym, and one of the most useful takeaways was this:

Unless you write stuff down, it’s too easy to “fudge the facts” in your mind.  How much pushups are you doing with good form?  What are you eating each day?  We tend to maximize the former, minimize the latter, and that’s not good.

For starters, he made me write down each day *everything* I ate and drank, along with estimated calories associated with each thing I put in my mouth.  Boy, that was a depressing but enlightening shocker!

Well, I decided to go one better and start my own personal health chart (in Excel), daily noting my progress on several fronts (weight, body fat percentage, pushups, etc.).  Alas, after a few months, that kinda fell by the wayside, so I picked it up again a year later.  And, once again, that only lasted a few months. 

I’m trying yet again, and—now that I have the regular routine of a full-time job—I’m hoping it’ll somehow be easier to keep up the list.  For the very curious, I’ve included below exactly what I’m measuring:

- E-mails still in my inbox
- Body weight
- Body fat percentage
- Pushups (#)
- Various medicines (e.g., remembering to use Nasalcrom, an allergy medicine)
- Meditation (in minutes)
- Stretching (yes/no)
- Aerobic exercise (minutes)
- Strength training (minutes)
- Mood (1-10, 1 being suicidal, 10 being euphoric)
- Mood jot (my mood in a few words… e.g. “Overwhelmed and frustrated” or “Optimistic and excited”)
- Sleep (time I went to bed, time I got up, total hours of estimated actual sleep)
- Notes (what I accomplished that day, major challenges facing me, etc.)

*  *  *

In looking over my previous efforts, I’ve noticed the following:
- My weight seems to increase the day or two after working out.
- Eating massive huge fatty meals seems to reduce my weight in the short term (!?)
- I tend to be overwhelmed/stressed more than I thought I was.
- My sleep patterns are more erratic and less healthy than I assumed.
- Surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be a strong correlation between getting lots of sleep and feeling less tired the next day. 
- After gaining nearly 10 pounds at Google and then losing those same 10 pounds, I’m now about where I was weightwise a year or two ago (still about 15 pounds to go!)

*  *  *

Have you kept your own “metrics journal”?  What are some of the things you have measured?  Observations?  And did such a journal help you reach goals?

A comparison of dark chocolates from Trader Joe's

Methodology
I took a bite of the famed whole-wheat Ak-Mak cracker and sips of orange juice in between chocolate nibbles.

Goal
Vital learning in the name of science, with an aim to provide thoughtful, unbiased info to my fellow dark chocolate lovers.

Grand summary
- Villars - Swiss chocolate:  Sharpest (along with Trader Joes)
- Valrhona - French chocolate:  creamest, sweetest, with a noticeable but mild afterbite, fruity
- Guaranda - Equadorian chocolate (strangely labeled “European chocolate”):  smokey
- Trader Joe’s Pound Plus (“TJ”) - Belgian chocolate:  thickest of all, tied for sharpest with Villars, faintly fruity, hardest, least creamy initially

Relevant notes

• All the chocolate bars boasted a chocolate percentage ranging from 70-72%, and contained the following ingredients:  Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, and soy lecithin (as an emulsifier).  Additionally, the Villars contained “flavours” and the Valrhona was “flavored with natural vanilla.”
• I conducted three ‘rounds’ of testing.  In one of the rounds, I simply ate a small piece of chocolate from each bar one after another.  In the other two rounds (with differing sampling orders), I ate a piece of Ak-Mak wheat cracker and sipped some orange juice in between chocolate pieces to cleanse my palate.

My observations

• Since the TJ was at least twice as thick as the others, it was hard to compare the mouth-feel.  Since, for instance, thinner chocolate will naturally melt more quickly in the mouth, this significantly alters the perception of creaminess.
• Sampling 12 small pieces of chocolate wasn’t as enjoyable as I imagined.  I felt somewhat unpleasantly full, even after eating less than one bar total.  Note that the testing was done after a sizeable lunch, however.
• The Villars and TJ tied for sharpest / most-bitter… but not unpleasantly bitter.  All the chocolates, at least by my tastes, were amply sweet.
• The Valrhona was the creamiest and sweetest, perhaps due to the added vanilla.
• The Valrhona and, to a slightly lesser extent, the TJ had a mildly fruity aftertaste.  Though Scharffenberger chocolate was not included in this test round, I distinctly remember that particular brand having a comparatively much more powerful—almost overpowering—fruitiness to it.
• The Guaranda had the most unique flavor, both initially and lingering.  The wrapper describes it as “...exotic wood nuances”... but, before reading this, the first word that came to my mind was “smokey.”  Not in a bad way, and it was very subtle, but still noticeable.  This wasn’t surprising to me, since I had eaten roasted (unsweetened) cacao beans… and they do taste woodsy/smokey to me.

*  *  *

The bottom line

All of these chocolates are delicious, and—sans the “Pound Plus” TJ wrapper—I’d be proud to serve any of them to guests.  I do wish the TJ was less thick (sliced horizontally down the middle in the pack would be perfect!), but overall, it’s an extremely good buy given the price! (around $4.50 as of August, 2006).  In particular, I’ve found that combining a handful of mixed nuts with a single thick piece of the TJ chocolate makes for a wonderfully delicious snack… and—given the mix of fats, proteins and antioxidants—a rather filling and healthy one, too, in moderation.

For pure sampling / eating right out of the wrapper, I’d probably go with one of the non-TJ chocolates, but couldn’t state a preference amongst them at present.

*  *  *

Hope this has been helpful, or at least blissfully insightful.  Any other chocolate lovers out there?  :-D

Artful food in restaurant near Strasbourg, France

Ice cream… a wonderful pleasure that’s typically appreciated from childhood and on through adulthood.  Soothing and relaxing, ice cream is even better IMHO when presented colorfully and artfully in a nice restaurant, along with good friends and a small heavy spoon.

Food labels: When does "All" or 100% not mean ALL?

I suppose, by this point, I should have learned to be totally cynical and untrusting, even when it comes to my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's. But every day, I learn new and disappointing things by reading labels a bit more carefully.

For instance, how about "100% Juice"? You'd guess that it's made up of juice, juice, and juice, right? Nope. How about water, reconstituted juices, and "natural flavorings"? What, exactly, are the natural flavorings? Who knows, 'cause this label sure isn't telling.

And while we're talking about juices, when you see a label that trumpets in large type "Blueberry Juice"... does it seem very honest to you that blueberry juice is the third most prominent ingredient, after apple and grape? Truth in labeling would dictate: "Apple 'n' Grape juice, with a splash of blueberry," but, yeah, truth in labeling? Ha!

Or how about "All Butter" shortbread cookies? Sure, butter is indeed one of the ingredients, but -- what's this? -- "partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil"? That's like saying, "A RUSTY knife thrust into your chest" and, while butter ain't exactly saintly healthwise itself, there are few food ingredients less healthy in the world than partially hydrogenated oils, and particularly palm or coconut oils. Might as well say "cement for hardening your arteries." And this isn't even taking into account the fact that a small helping of four of these tiny cookies = 260 calories, with about 50% of calories from fat (and more than half of THAT is saturated). Ugh! While "All-butter" conjures up visions of Grandma making not-necessarily-healthful but at least decadently delicious and honest desserts, this package should instead picture a cardiac arrest unit on the front.

McDonald's Fries: They go on and on and on and on...

Here's a great (and scary) quote from the entertaining and thoughtful guy who brought us the movie Super Size Me!:

Well, nothing smells like that food. Nothing tastes like that food. It's its own animal. But here's the thing to always think about, anytime you think about buying those fries? Think about you're washing your car, you reach under the driver's seat, and you pull out a french fry. Who knows how long that thing's been there. But it looks like you bought it yesterday. Why is that? How does that happen?
- Morgan Spurlock, in an interview with Salon.com

Incidentally, after reading Fast Food Nation, I've not been to McD's in nearly four years now. I highly recommend both that book and Spurlock's movie!

Delicious (or at least not-so-bad-for-you) and nutritious food and drink

One of the best ways to maintain good health is to keep a ready supply of 'non-evil' foods in the house. And while carrot sticks and prunes would qualify as quite healthy snacks, they fail my "food happiness" test.

So, without further ado, here is a list of some (not necessarily obvious) foods that I happen to actually enjoy AND feel pretty un-guilty about eating. Hopefully you'll gain some inspiration from my choices and perhaps even share a find or two of your own!

1) Green, Red, and White teas
Scientists have discovered evidence (ranging from mild to strong) that suggests teas with antioxidants can boost our immune system and generally improve our overall health. And though I suppose tea is an acquired taste, I've grown to really savor my afternoon cup of green, red, or white tea, which I view as crisp, flavorful, and relaxing respectively. Since both the green and white teas contain caffeine, they also give me a small pick-me-up that's a nice compromise between the dull'ishness of NO caffeine and the jitters from a strong cuppa joe.

2) Trader Joe's Lemon Sorbet
Quite tart yet still sweet, and with truly only natural ingredients (sugar, lemon, water, and pectin), just a couple of teaspoons of this sorbet satisfies my sweet cravings.

3) Ghiradelli chocolate mocha powder
With just a 60-second prep time in the microwave, this lucious concoction stands out for several reasons:
- It's the best (store-bought) hot cocoa I've tasted.
- It doesn't have evil ingredients.
- Chocolate + coffee = nice mood lift.
- Hot chocolate provides, apparently, even more antioxidants than a glass of red wine.
- With the non-fat milk, I'm getting some calcium and other good nutrients.

4) Ak-Mak crackers
These savory whole-wheat sesame crackers are just great... with a smidgen of peanut-butter and honey, a dab of cheese, or even just plain. They're also great crumbled in chili! Low in sugar and sodium, they also have a decent amount of fiber, too... and no unpronounceable ingredients, either! Oh, and they're just 99 cents for a box at Trader Joe's. Truly a wonder all-'round! :-)

5) Trader Joe's [can you tell I love this store!] Flax tortilla chips
More flavorful than regular corn chips AND with a wallop of fiber and protein, these chips really satisfy... and provide healthy flax oil to boot. Truly fab as nachos (top with light cheese, lots of pico de gallo or fresh organic salsa and a smidgen of fresh-sliced avocado) or even plain along with a good ol' pb&j sandwich on whole-wheat bread.

Okay, I think that's enough for now, though I'm sure I'll think of other winning food and drink later.

Aside from the obvious fruits and veggies, what are some snacks that you enjoy that are both reasonably healthy and yummy?

A mound of sugar... in your chili?!

I'm usually really good about checking out the nutritional informaiton of food before I put it in my shopping cart, but every once in a while, I'm tricked by the evil corporate folks who put bad ingredients in "good" places.

Case in point: A small box of Stagg Beef Chili. High in fiber? Check. Lots of protein? Check. More sugar than a Krispy Kreme donut or half a Snickers bar? Eegads!

The supposed 2-serving (more like one moderately hungry serving) box contains *16 grams* of sugar. Let me tell you, you can taste it, and it's not pleasant. It's literally like someone took some mild-but-otherwise-decently-flavorful chili and poured several tablespoons of sugar on top, because... well, that's about what you're getting.

Given the sugar I've discovered in other foods not traditionally thought of as "sweet," I should have known better. After all, ketchup has more sugar per gram than most ice creams. And lots of BBQ sauces are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, that practically-instant-fat-on-your-hips ingredient I've already complained about in another BLADAM entry.

The solution for avoiding this crap is as easy as it is annoying: Read the labels.

I also highly recommend subscribing to the Nutrition Action Healthletter, an ad-free monthly periodical that's jam-packed with useful information about the foods we encounter at our local markets and in restaurants. Or if you're a cheap bastard, you can read most (if not all) of the newsletter contents on their Web site.

It all boils down to the same thing: Eating right requires constant vigilance. "Healthy!" and "Now less fat!" and other breathless marketingspeak typically doesn't mean squat :(.

Store Wars: A very funny animation of good and evil (food)

Check out the video of Store Wars, featuring Obi Wan Cannoli and Darth Tater... and lots of laughs!

I actually have very mixed feelings about some of the "evils" it raises -- genetic engineering of plants and food irradiation in particular -- but on the whole, I do believe in supporting organic farming.

I think anyone'd be hard pressed to claim that they LIKE having lots of pesticides or antibiotics in their food. And, while this may be psychological, I do seem to prefer the taste of organic foods over the cheaper alternatives.

Anyway, all moralizing aside, do check out the video and I guarantee a good chuckle at the very minimum :-).

"Eating Right" is Eating Wrong... and other nutritional tidbits

Not sure how many of you have the Safeway supermarket chain where you live, but for those who do, here's a major warning: Stear clear of their store brand "Eating Right" frozen dinners.
- They taste simply awful.
- They have a ton of crap in them nutritionally that make them anything but "Right" for your body.

And regardless of what supermarkets you have, let me offer you a short and pretty solid list of what you should look for when food shopping:

• Partially-hydrogenated oils, as I've explained here, are evil.
• If the product contains lots and lots of items you can't pronounce, that should tell you something.
• Got a ton of salt (>700mg per serving)? That also shows a lack of creative seasoning.
• Cottonseed oil? No health-conscious companies use that anymore. It's horrible for you!
• Lots of saturated fat? Not good.
• Tons of sugar? Your body isn't going to be happy for long.
• Little or no fiber? You may enjoy the food while you eat it, but it's not going to keep you full for long!

These wisdom-bits above are admittedly likely old-hat for many of you, and in case you're curious, they're pretty non-controversial hints from reputable sources like Nutrition Action Newsletter and Harvard Medical School Letter and so on.

And let's face it -- most of us DO know when we're eating something good (whole wheat bread, broccoli, oranges, etc.) and when we're not (Ben & Jerry's, Triple-cheese pepperoni pizza, and so on). Our goal, IMHO, should not be to eliminate the 'evil' in our food per se, but to balance it out with a lot more of the good stuff.

Since I'm striving to lose 15 pounds and have more energy each day, I'll use this blog entry as a public reminder to myself :D. Hope it's helpful for you, too.

Oh, and hopefully some consumer watchdog group tweaks the hell out of the disingenuous jerks marketing the disgusting "Eating Right" brand. Yuck! Just don't ask me why I bought two of those dishes in the first place. :O

"Justifications" for partially-hydrogenated oils

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote to the corporate headquarters of health-food-oriented "Trader Joe's" to express concern about the prominence of partially-hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup in their offerings. As you may know, partially-hydrogenated oils have been resoundingly implicated in accelerating heart disease (it's basically like injecting cement into your blood vessels), and high fructose corn syrup has been widely acknowledged as significantly contributing to weight gain (moreso than other sweeteners).

I received a thoughtful and interesting snail mail letter in reply to my concerns, which read in part:

Some of our cereals and cookies contain partially hydrogenated oils for two specific reasons: texture and taste. Foods that are [sic] do not use these oils do not cook up as crisp and crunchy (as is the case with chips and cereals) and do not bind together as well (cookies crumble quite easily without it). These oils aid in making the product more shelf-stable. Also, the flavor and mouth feel would be significantly changed (we've tried to reformulate some of our products without partially hydrogenated oils, but they have always sold poorly). We do try to use alternative formulations where we can and are always looking for new recipes that do not include these oils.

Unfortunately, she didn't address my issue of high-fructose corn syrup, but oh well.

I do find it interesting that perhaps there's a bit of a chicken and egg situation here. I'm guessing that if more consumers were aware of just how nasty partially-hydrogenated oils are, they'd buy fewer products that contain these oils... and perhaps buy more products without them. This, in turn, would encourage the food industry to come up with more healthy cookie and cereal recipes (though frankly, I've tasted plenty of cookies and cereals that seem delicious WITHOUT any hydrogenated oils!)

In the meantime, I hope you, my humble readers, will do some research on the evils of partially-hydrogenated oils and will put your money where your heart is ;-).

Eat high-fat high-carb food and lose weight!

It sounds crazy because it is!

On Saturday night, I went hog wild and ate a double cheeseburger plus fries at In'N'Out, then walked to Krispy Kreme and downed three donuts (no, I'm not pregnant or depressed... I don't know what came over me!)

But wait -- that was just the beginning. I then went straight to a party whereby I ate copious amounts of chips, cookies, brownies, and chocolate. Oh yeah, and a cup of ice cream. Got home at 2am, was still hungry, and ate some more chips. Yum! {buuuuuuurp}

No, this is not my typical eating behavior.

Anyway, here's the kicker:

Two days later, I weigh about same, but my body fat measures about 2.5% less!

Incidentally, I've noticed a similar trend over the last year. In the days following massive eating binges (e.g., a huge steak burrito, 32 ounce drink, plus greasy taqueria chips, etc.), I consistently seem to have either lost pounds or fat. During the next days when I return to more sensible eating habits, I gain weight.

So what's the moral here? I don't know! But I'm now sure not going to shirk away from occasional burger-'n'-donut cravings :D

Would you like that rare or medium-well?

I had the pleasure of attending a special barbeque edition of our local community's "Lindy in the Park" event, where everyone was invited to bring something for the grill or something to drink.

Of course, there was the usual stuff... hot dogs, veggie burgers, bottles of Coke, and so on.

And then there was something a little different: A box of cake mix. Yes, the sort where you have to add egg and oil and so on. Cake mix. For a BBQ party. I'm trying to fathom the thought processes that took place with the person who brought that particular item. "Damn, no hamburger meat in the fridge... nothing in the freezer... too lazy to make a quick stop at the store... ah ha... here's some 2-year-old lemon cake mix in the cupboard. That'll be perfect!"

Strange. Really strange. Or perhaps just some goofiness from someone with a rather wacky sense of humor :D

Sensible advice about eating and being healthy

I've been a member of the 24 Hour Fitness gym chain for about 4 years now, and while I have mixed feelings about both the company and its offerings, I must say that I've been generally quite impressed with the company's informative Web site and e-mail newsletters. With the exception of some occasional over-shilling of supplements (IMHO), the articles featured are typically informative, interesting, and sometimes even inspiring.

One of the articles I was alerted to is entitled There's No Such Thing as Cheating. It makes the following respectable and responsible points:

- Half the battle of healthy eating is learning to give up the guilt.
- Quit thinking about foods in terms of "good" and "bad."
- Enjoy your food and enjoy eating, dammit! :-)

It made me reflect upon my experiences with dining in Europe, where people tend to often eat high-fat and seemingly heart-killing foods (featuring cheese, heavy cream, etc.) yet still stay healthy and trim. I believe that -- in contrast with typical American eating habits nowadays -- this is because Europeans don't supersize their portions, and they actually savor both their food and the company they keep while eating.

I think this is also largely the secret of how -- when disciplined -- I've been able to trim my body fat and lose weight (about 7 pounds so far in the last 10 weeks). I still indulge in hamburgers and ice cream and such, but take smaller bites and use a smaller spoon respectively. I also have continued to buy fine dark Belgian chocolate bars, and don't have a whit of guilt when I'm having a square with my coffee.

Life is too short to feel guilty about the great pleasure of eating... especially when with friends. I'll just exercise more (especially after my dang foot heals up), and remember to savor every bite of delicious food and sip of fine wine :-)

Fabulous garlic fries

Tonight I had a hankering for garlic fries.
Unfortunately, I wasn't near a ballpark, and I had wisely NOT stocked up on the horrible hydrogenated fat artery-clogging excuse for garlic fries sold at the local supermarket.

Instead, I decided to make my own... and man, did they turn out great! Read on for my (formerly) super-secret AdamRecipe! :-)

I'm not even going to bother with measurements. Just put as much as you like, to taste, depending on hungry you are.

INGREDIENTS:
- Potato cut into wedges (frozen or fresh)
- Cajun spice OR cajun spice substitute (paprika, red pepper, salt, etc. -- be creative :D)
- Garlic (ideally fresh, or worst, garlic powder)
- Healthy oil (olive or canola)
- Healthy margarine (canola or 'smart' type), or substitute extra oil above

1) Prepare potato. If they're frozen and/or otherwise pre-cooked wedges, you're all set. Otherwise, cut potato into wedges, then cook in microwave for 2 minutes.

2) Place wedges in a sealable plastic container. Lightly coat or mist wedges with oil, then add some cajun spice, and shake well.

3) Put wedges on an oven-safe tray and don't have them touch each other. Heat for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

4) Just before the wedges are finished cooking, make a special 'coating' by heating a margarine, additional cajun spice, garlic and additional oil (in the same tupperware bowl used earlier) for 20 seconds or until butter has melted. It's important that you don't overdo the ingredients in this step; a little goes a long way!

5) Take wedges out of oven, plop into bowl, cover, shake well to fully coat wedges, let cool a little bit, then eat!

If you want even more potent garlic-y fries, do not add garlic to the microwaved coating mixture, since this moderates the garlic potency. Instead, add garlic to the bowl after the mixture is microwaved and after wedges are added (but obviously before shaking).

* * *

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Let me know how it works out if you try it! :-)

The scale of justice?

Tomorrow, my body-fat scale arrives!

In the meantime, I've been a good boy and have managed to follow my trainer's recommendation to consume just under 2,000 calories per day... at least on average.

Oh, thank goodness for averages!

Through the beauty of averaging over the past 6 days, I've managed to gorge myself on a humungous shared ice cream sundae (8 scoops of ice cream, 8 toppings, bananas, and nuts), multiple servings of popcorn, homemade cornbread, bbq ribs, and still stay under 2,000 calories a day.

How did I do it?

Well, for just $19.95, you can order my... Extra water, extra tea, less juice and more solid fruit, and an absence of corn chips 'n' chocolate bars in the apartment, for starters. That, and frankly, just being aware of what I was eating and having to write it down on a chart.

From what I can tell (albeit with my roomie's crappy, unreliable scale), I've lost about 2 pounds in 2 weeks... exactly my target. I hope to lose 15 pounds of fat by summertime (and I wouldn't be averse to gaining about 5 pounds of muscle at the same time).

Interestingly enough, none of this is really part of a "New Year's Resolution." The impetus came when I got three free personal training sessions this month, and in my first one, my trainer unambiguously told me I'm fat. As goofy as it sounds, that was what triggered me to finally tell myself "Self! It's really time to those love handles!"

And so far, my self is listening. Here's hoping he'll have a longer attention span than usual.

And when I sit around the house, I really sit AROUND the house

I suppose I should have seen it coming. I kind of did, actually.

But it took a professional's blunt assessment to hit the realization home in no uncertain words.

I'm fat.

I'm fat.

I'm really, really fat.

(with apologies to Weird Al).

Sure, I noticed that my jeans were a little snug. True, I've had love handles for nearly a decade now.

But... but... my resting heart rate is around 65bpm, I can yoga-cize my feet over my head (really!), and I could outrun and outkick the majority of my geek brethren, I'd think. I swing dance at least 5 hours a week, and I'm at the gym for about 3-5 hours a week on top of that. Not to mention the long flight of stairs up to my apartment, and...

My body fat is still apparently an embarrassingly high 23%. That's tub-o-lard territory. That's the sort of number that lousy 'n' lazy fatsos-eating-dorritos-while-watching-TV chalk up. And I'm not one of them! I'm fit and youthful and...

Deluded and fat.

---

I should have known that it was Fate that three free personal training sessions fell into my oversized lap. I suppose at least I should be grateful that my trainer's been gracious about dropping the whole flabbelation (flab + revelation) on me.

So anyway, I went online to order a body fat scale, and wouldn't you know it, Amazon.com was out. Devilishly determined and decidedly desperate, I then attempted to call places in The Real World (e.g., neighborhood stores) to see if they had any decent body fat scales in stock, but of course, they didn't either. A friend explained the situation to me in three words:

New. Year's. Resolutions.

(and, I could add: Lots. Of. Fatties.)

Great. I'm short. I'm fat. And I have no accurate scale. Well, drugstore.com sort of came to the rescue, so I'm getting one via UPS this Wednesday. Woo hoo!

But of course, that's just a tiny piece of the battle.

I'm actually having to get off of my seefood diet (you know, the one where ya see food, then eat it). It's no secret that I love to eat, in fact... my friends tease me about it, and it's become almost my goofy calling card at dance events ("Food!" I'd typically chant at the midnight hour of the dance's end, "Let's go grab some food!" And we often would, like that avocado bacon cheeseburger 'n' fries of 1400 calories I consumed last Saturday night).

Unsurprisingly, then, the first step to fixing a problem is understanding the problem. Beyond simply having me admit that there's more to me than meets the non-naked eye, so to speak, my trainer has insisted that I keep a detailed log of every bite and sip that goes through my lips, 24/7. And boy, let me tell you, I tried to find politically-correct ways to notate the aforementioned burger binge, but alas... nope, couldn't hide it.

Do you know how many calories are in a Krispy Kreme Donut? Or in a Double Double at In 'n' Out? Granted, the eating-out indulgences have been only an occasional thing for me (no, really), but even an occasional extra 1000-1500 calories at the end of the day stacks up, so to speak.

---

So, after about a week of keeping my food log, I've learned a lot.
- Excel isn't the optimum tool for making a food log, but it does the trick ("GEEK!").
- I would die a hungry and sad man if my microwave completely broke.
- Veggies and fruits are not a lately -- or at least frequent -- visitor in my household. Someone needs to invent bananas that don't turn brown in 3 days. I mean, what's up with that? But at least my trash can is getting his (her?) full servings of fruit this way.
- Pasta and bread each have a lot of calories, damn! Spaghetti dinner (with garlic bread and real salad) = one way ticket to Fat Farm.
- The people who determine and specify "serving sizes" should be shot. Two tablespoons of croutons = a serving my ass! (er, sorry, bad combo there).
- I can actually eat a HUGE amount of fresh turkey breast for comparatively few calories. Rock on!

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No, don't worry. I'm not going to post pics of my belly (though, just so I can be one of those sexy-pathetic before 'n' after stories on posters, I've taken such pics). And I'm not going to bore you with exactly what I've been eating the past few days (hint: less than I'd like).

Instead, I'll just close this entry with a moral or a call to action or a pithy quote as I so often do, er, attempt, er...

dammit. It's no use. Have you ever tried to blog when you're hungry and craving a large steak 'n' prawn super burrito?!