286.2

Absolutely not.  This is a movement that could not be more wrong.  I have friends that battle type 2 diabetes every day and are way too big, they are not healthy.  I myself, could be in better shape, I am not at a healthy weight yet.  Diet and exercise are not the enemy, they are the answer.

No  food tracking today, I’ve been a bad boy

Workout-Active rest day

286.4

We humans are slaves to many clocks. Clocks that tell us when to go to work, when to eat, when to watch a movie or TV show. These clocks can be analog or digital, electric or mechanical or both. One of the most important clocks to us is biological, it is called the circadian clock and it tells us when to sleep.

How is that possible? It starts in the eye. You may know that the retina of the eye contains rods and cones that relay sight information to the brain. There are also cells in the retina called ganglion cells that use a photopigment called melanopsin to detect the difference between day and night. These cells send their special message along the retinohypothalamic pathway to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus of our brain. The SCN, for short, communicates with the brain’s pineal gland which then uses the secretion of melatonin to mark the day/night cycle. The signals from the eye are called a zeitgeber, or time giver, and help the brain to reset our 24 hour, circadian cycle.

While melatonin peaks in the evening and signals the body to sleep it is not like turning on a switch. Sleep comes gradually in stages. Most authorities agree that there are 5 stages of sleep ranging from the very light stage 1 all the way to REM sleep, the most important. We sleep in cycles, the first REM cycle lasting around 45 minutes before we go back to stages 2, 3 and 4 before entering REM again. Each REM cycle gets a little longer than the last. We need at least 3 hours of REM sleep each night so that we can recover from the day before. This is why scheduling at least 8 hours of sleep each night is so important.

my food
Breakfast
4 eggs(320 cal.)P28F21.2C0
1 tsp. coconut oil(40 cal.)P0F4.7C0
1 Can tomatoes and chilies(50 cal.)P2.5F0C10
total=410 cal. P 30.5 F 25.9 C 10

Protein shake
whey isolate(130 cal.)P20F3.5C6
16 oz. 2% milk(244 cal.)P16.2F9.6C24.6
Total=374 cal. P 36.2 F 13.1 C 30.6

1st lunch
2 cans tuna(180 cal.)P40F2C0

2nd lunch
5 oz. spinach(35 cal.)P4F.5C5
1/2 cup lentils(240 cal.)P20F0C40
2 tbsp. italian dressing(60 cal.)P0F6C3
total-335 cal. P 24 F 6.5 C 48

dinner
8 oz. pork loin(264 cal.)P50.6F5.2C0
1 onion(64 cal.)P1.4F.1C15.5
2 jalapeños(8)P.2F0C2
1 tbsp. coconut oil(120 cal.)P0F14C0
total=446 cal. P 52.2 F 19.3 C 17.5
daily total= 1745 P 182.9 F 66.8 C 106.1

my workout
2 hours mowing

289.2

There are 20 to 22 distinct amino acids needed for a healthy human metabolism. 9 or 10 of these are essential, meaning that the body does not produce them itself, they have to come from the food that we eat. Not all protein sources are the same, some foods have a better, more complete protein profile than others. Beef and dairy products are very good sources of all essential amino acids, as are chicken and pork. While most vegetables contain protein, the type and quantity vary greatly.

Some nutrition sites like this one have a great deal of information beyond just calories and a simple macro breakdown, they can be helpful in determining what foods to include for more complete proteins. Variety is important to us, try to vary your foods regularly to keep it fresh and keep on track.

my food
Breakfast
4 eggs(320 cal.)P28F21.2C0
14g. coconut oil(40 cal.)P0F4.7C0
1 Can tomatoes and chilies(50 cal.)P2.5F0C10
7 corn tortillas(350 cal.)P7F3.5C73.5
Total=760 cal. macros P37.5 F 28.4 C 83.5

snack
popcorn(260 cal.)P8F3C50

salad
5 oz. spinach(35 cal.)P4F.5C5
1 avocado(322 cal.)P4F29.5C17.1
2 cans tuna{180 cal.)P40F2C0
2 tbsp. 1000 island dressing(150cal.)P0F15C4
total=687 cal. P 48m F 47 C 26.1

daily total=1707 cal. P 93.5 F 78.4 C 81.6

My workout-Active recovery

289.2

Several weeks ago I happened to be in waiting room ‘I’ at MD Anderson hospital in Houston, Texas where I met a man named John. Waiting room ‘I’ is in the basement, far from the lobby. or ‘Aquarium’ as it is called. There is no cell phone or computer reception in waiting room ‘I’, the surrounding walls are lead lined. This is where you wait for radiation therapy.

John and I exchange pleasantries and we find a common interest, cycling. When he finds out that I live in Wichita Falls he tells me that riding in the Hotter’n Hell Hundred is number one on his cycling ‘bucket list’. Just then a nurse calls John’s name and he and his wife, who has been sitting quietly next to him, get up and say good bye, disappearing into the treatment area. I won’t be seeing John at the start line this year but I will be wearing a “John from waiting room ‘I'” wristband during the ride this year, so he can be here in spirit. Good luck, John.

When you want to compare two or three different foods to determine which one has the right calories/macros for your recipe, try this link. Trying to figure out what’s in what you just ate but there is no nutritional label then this could be helpful. a few helpful sites to keep us on track. Remain calm and keep riding.

my food

4 eggs(320 cal.)P28F21.2C0
1 tsp. coconut oil(40 cal.)P0F4.7C0
1 Can tomatoes and chilies(50 cal.)P2.5F0C10
16 oz. 2% milk(244 cal.)P16.2F9.6C24.6
total=654 cal. P 46.7 F 36.5 C 34.6

lunch salad
5 oz. spinach(35 cal.)P4F0.5C5
8 oz. carrots(90 cal.)P2F.6C21
1 cucumber(32 cal.)P1.6F.4C5.8
4 tsbp. italian dressing(120)P0F12C4
total=277 cal. P 7.6 F 13.5 C 35.8

20 oz. chicken(620 cal.)P130.5F7C0(2/3 servings)
1 onion(64 cal.)P1.4F.1C15.5
3 jalapeños(12 cal.)P.3F0C3
total=464 cal. P 84.1 F 4.6 C 11.4

recovery
whet protein(270 cal.)P40F7C12
16 oz. 2% milk(244 cal.)P16.2F9.6C24.6
total=514 cal. P 56.2 F 16.6 C 36.6

daily total=1909 cal. P 194.6 F 71.2 C 118.4

my workout

back squats
5 x 5@ 180#

289.6

Life is about variety. Once you have seen something or done something, it’s not really the same again. That’s OK, it gives us a desire to do different things and go different places. It just proves that we are constantly adapting and adaptation is what keeps us growing.

Eating the same food over and over again wouldn’t be good, eventually we would tire of the taste maybe even grow to dislike a favorite flavor if exposed long enough. When I plan a meal, one of the things I try to do is to vary the source of protein. Although I like tuna and it is a great source of protein, sooner or later I would tire of it so I also eat chicken and beef and pork. I would not turn my nose up at lentils or tofu, I just don’t know enough about them yet.

The first rule of weightloss is that you have to restrict the amount of calories you take in. The first rule of fat loss is that you have to eat to lose fat. Too much restriction and the body goes into starvation mode and turns all food into fat. Lean muscle mass burns more energy than fat, it takes food energy in the right amounts to build and maintain muscle.

By the same token, the body adapts over time to exercise. Aerobic exercise burns calories while you workout. Lower heart rate aerobic exercise, when you can carry on a conversation while still working, burns more calories than other exercises. The body will adapt to aerobic conditioning, I can run 3 miles every morning and as I do this my body will become more efficient, if I run at the same pace I will burn less and less calories each time. I would have to run progressively faster in order to burn the same amount of calories. Although my muscles are getting better, they would not get any bigger through aerobic exercise, only anaerobic exercise can do that.

Resistance training or weightlifting is a form of anaerobic conditioning. Aerobic exercise uses oxygen and glycogen from the blood to produce work from type I muscle groups. Anaerobic exercise uses energy stored in the type II muscles themselves to generate force and do work. Once type II muscles are fatigued the only way that they recover is through sleep, that is why sleep is paramount to any fitness endeavor. Diet is also a key element to recovery, when type II muscles are stressed, they develop microtears which require the body to break down certain micronutrients like amino acids to repair these muscles and to grow more new muscle to adapt to the new stimulus.

To recap, aerobic exercise makes the type I muscles more efficient, anaerobic execise causes type II muscles to get stronger and grow. Muscles used in endurance burn fat during use, muscles used for strength applications burn fat during recovery. While moderate carb loading may benefit an endurance effort, since the energy required for strength training comes from the muscle fibers themselves, general nutrition is the key phrase here, along with appropriate post workout recovery food(protein).

My food
Protein shake
whey isolate(130 cal.)P20F3.5C6
16 oz. 2% milk(244 cal.)P16.2F9.6C24.6
Total=374 cal. P 36.2 F 13.1 C 30.6

ground pork loin(440 cal.)P82.2F8C0
1 onion(41 cal.)P1.0F.1C10.2
1/2 cup rice(110 cal.)P4F0C50
total=591 cal. P 87.2 F 8.1 C 60.2

20 oz. chicken(620 cal.)P130.5F7C0(3 servings)
1 onion(64 cal.)P1.4F.1C15.5
3 jalapeños(12 cal.)P.3F0C3
7 corn tortillas(350 cal.)P7F3.5C73.5
1 tbap. coconut oil(120 cal.)P0F14C0
total=701 cal. P 51.1 F 23.9 C 79.7

daily total= 1666 cal. P 174.5 F 45.1 C 170.5
My Workout

290.8

Here is a little bit of information that may have slipped through the cracks and I think requires a closer look. I shop at WalMart, like most of the us in the US, for a lot of my grocery needs. On of the things I get there on a consistent basis is boneless chicken breasts, super high protein content, especially the big three essential amino acids: leucine, iso-leucine and valine, and very little waste, or so I thought.
As you may have noticed over the past several weeks, I weigh everything! Got my little electronic food scale, from WalMart, coincidentally. To more accurately calculate calories and macros everything goes from fridge to scale to pan before hitting the plate.
I get out a tray of breasts, 4.5 lbs, priinted on the lable. Pull out 2 breasts and weigh them, 1 lb, 6 oz., set aside for cooking. Weigh and bag the other breasts for the freezer, 1 lb. 5 oz. and 15 oz. respectively. Think nothing of it, clear the foam tray and cello wrap and go about my business. And then a little voice in the back of my head says, “Hey!” I jot down the weights and add them up and I start thinking, 3 lbs. 10 oz., that’s not right. So I grab the tray from the trash and toss it on the scale, 14 oz.!!! I realize that there is going to be a small amount of weight involved in packaging and I am cool with that but almost a full pound?
WalMart charges $2 a pound for chicken breasts, when you calculate the amount that the packaging weighs, that becomes $1.75 just for the wrapper. If that weight is mostly injected water leaving the chicken as I assume they use this process, WalMart is getting about $16 a gallon for it at the register. I have no issue with the quality of the food, you get what you pay for. I’m not going to stop buying it. I believe that the labeling is deceptive on it’s face, I would rather pay $2.50 a pound for chicken and get the weight that I pay for, than pay $2 a pound for a package that is 3 and a half pounds chicken and 1 pound tray. This is simply my opinion.

My food

Breakfast
4 eggs(320 cal.)P28F21.2C0
1 tsp. coconut oil(40 cal.)P0F4.7C0
1 Can tomatoes and chilies(50 cal.)P2.5F0C10
7 corn tortillas(350 cal.)P7F3.5C73.5
16 oz. 2% milk(244 cal.)P16.2F9.6C24.6
total=1004 ca. P 53.7 F 39 C 108.1

24 oz. chicken 744 cal P 156.6 F 8.4 C 0
1 onion 64 cal P 1.4 F .1 C 15.5
3 jalapeños 12 cal P0F0C3
4 tbsp sweet chili sauce 200 cal P0F0C25
2 tbsp sriracha sauce 30 cal P0F0C7.5
1050 cal. P 158 F 8.5 C 51(this makes 3 servings)
8 oz. lentils 264 cal. P20.8F.8C45.6
total=614 cal. P 73.5 F 3.6 C 72.6

total 1618 cal. P 127.2 F 42.6 C 180.7

My workout, rest day/garage cleaning, ugh.