getfitdude

[getfitdude]

Whew!

[getfitdude]

Brown Rice Casserole

Here's another delicious recipe I found on the internet. I made a cople minor changes which are noted in the recipe:

4 c cooked brown rice (I used instant brown rice) 2 c raw broccoli, chopped (Grabbed a bag in the produce section) 1 c tomatoes, chopped (15 oz can of diced tomatoes) 1/2 cup raw carrot, finely sliced 1 c almond milk (or your favorite unsweetened non-dairy milk) 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (finding this was like pulling teeth) 2 tablespoons tahini (not a fan of the oil but oh well) 1 ts smoked paprika 1 ts onion granules (I used powder) 1 ts sea salt

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked rice, broccoli, tomatoes, and carrots, and stir until everything is nice and mixed up.

In a smaller separate bowl, add the non-dairy milk, tahini, parika, onion granules, and sea salt, and whisk until everything is combined.

Add the liquid mixture to the rice mixture and stir.

Add a tiny amount of olive or coconut oil to a paper towel and grease an 8X8 inch baking pan, wiping off any excess oil.

Add the rice mixture to the pan, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, AFter 25 minutes, take the foil off the baking dish, turn the heat up to 400F and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

[getfitdude]

Couscous Breakfast Bowl

I’m not sure where I got this recipe but it may be from over at Clean Food Dirty Girl. I cooked enough couscous to divide into 5 small bowls for a week’s worth of breakfast starter. Although several fruits and other add-ins are included you can really add what you want. The idea is to make it hearty and filling. Enjoy!

Cooked wholewheat couscous Almond milk Straberries sliced Banana sliced Raw sunflower seeds (I omitted) Raw pumpkin seeds (I couldn't find any raw so skipped this one) Toasted coconut (I didn't toast it) Pinch of cinnamon Small drizzle of mapel syrup (skipped this one, too, but I did add s sprinkle of organic stevia)

For the couscouse: Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small pot. Add 1 cup of couscouse. Stir, turn off heat, cover with led and let stand for 10 min. Fluff w/ a fork.

[getfitdude]

Refried Beans & Salsa Soup

Here’s a recipe I found over at Clean Food Dirty Girl. It’s pretty good. I have no idea what the nutritional breakdown is nor do I care. Enjoy!

1 ts cumin powder 1 ts dried oregeno 1 ts chili powder (okay, I like chili powder so I added extra) 1/8 ts cayenne powder 1/2 ts salt 5 rounds black pepper 1/2 c red onion (I used white) 2 garllic cloves minced 1 c frozen corn (I used an 8 oz can) 2 med-lg tomatoes diced (about 2 cups--I used a 15 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes as I like that flavor) 1 jalepeno diced (remove seeds) 1 green bell pepper diced (remove seeds) 1 Tbs lime juice 1 c refried beans (I used a 15 oz can) 1 c water

--> Combine the cumin, oregeno, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper (set aside). --> Prep and measure out remaining ingredients. --> Heat larg pot over medium heat for 2 min then add onion and cook for 5 min. Add splash of water to prevent sticking and drying. --> Add garlic, corn, tomatoes, jalepeno, green bell pepper, lime juice, and spice mix. Cook an additional 5 min stirring occasionally. --> Add beans. Stir to mix. Add water and stir again. --> Heat on low w/ lid on. Simmer for 10 min. Stir occasionally (I cooked mine about 20 min to take the crunch out of the onion and peppers).

[getfitdude]

What is it about bacon cheeseburgers that I find so appealing? It’s like I can’t learn or I won’t learn! Aside from family genetics, it’s this kind of garbage that landed me in an operating room last fall getting my chest cracked open. I’ve had two of these artery cloggers this weekend alone! But I’ve also been trying to eat plant based, too. There’s a lot going on in my life right now and the last thing I need to do is let my nutrition go to crap. I’m retiring. I’m moving. I’m selling a house. I’m looking for a house. I’m dealing with a family crisis. I’m starting a new job. No wonder the cheeseburger looks so appealing. God help me! I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!!!

[getfitdude]

It's Time

First post in a long time. I'd like to welcome me back. It's hard to believe it's been well over two years since my last post. What have I been doing in all that time? Let me bring you up to speed... 1. Getting diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders to include Myasthenia Gravis, Peripheral Neuropathy, and possibly Partial Complex Seizures (the verdict is still out on that one). 2. Getting diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (my neurologist counts this as autoimmune, too). 3. Not eating right. 4. Half-ass exercising. 5. Suffering a widow-maker heart attack (saved only by God's grace and an abundance of collateral vessels). 6. Undergoing open heart triple bypass surgery. 7. Eating better but not better enough since events 5 & 6. So, I've been a little busy. In fact, I thought about wiping this blog clean and starting fresh. But then I thought, no, be honest with people. Let them see where I've been and where I'm trying to go. Who knows, maybe my experience will help someone else. Anyway, I found myself consuming a Burger King value meal the other day. It was so good and so bad for me. It finally dawned on me, "What the hell am I doing?" I'm undoing everything the heart surgeon fixed. I'm taking my 2nd chance at life and flushing it. Well, I've decided to make some changes. 1. I'm going cold-turkey. The unhealthy eating stops now! This includes soft drinks and all the other processed crap I've been putting into my body. 2. I'm aiming for a full on plant-based diet. 3. Water, water, water...and maybe the occasional unsweetened tea and coffee. 4. Get my body moving 4 to 6 times a week. Maybe even return to running and CF. Get those extra inches off my waist! So, here I am on day 2 of my reset. Well, actually it's day 1.5. I started my plant-based eating last night at dinner. I continued it today. I plan to make vegan chili tonight. If you're the praying type, pray for me. I need all the help I can get, especially Divine help. Be blessed!!!

[getfitdude]

Reset - Hell, I'm starting over...maybe

So, it's been awhile since I've posted to this blog. It seems I can't get and stay motivated, for one thing. But I refuse to let that stop me! Boy, that sounds familiar. Anyway, here I am again...resetting...or basically, starting over.

I haven't been going to Crossfit. After a transcontinental move over the summer and getting settled into a new location and new routine, I haven't been doing much by way of healthy eating and exercising. But a recent visit to the Mayo Clinic may be all the motivation I need! The doc basically said I needed to watch my diet, exercise, and lose some weight.

Well, that's the reason I'm back in Tumblrville...hoping to use this blog and others I follow to help motivate me to re-attack my fitness goals. So, I started running again...yesterday. But the shin splints struck again. It's always my right leg and it always sidelines me. I don't know what to do. My shoes are new. My form is okay. I even wore a compression bandage on my right ankle. But the shin splints still reared their ugly head. Any ideas, anyone?

More to come...

[getfitdude]

Weekend Reset

After a crappy week of not eating 100% or nearly 100% (like 99.9%) Paleo, the weekend presents itself as an opportunity to reset. So far, so good. But I am craving something evil...like a coke. And pizza. And Starbuck's Ice White Chocolate Mocha. And a big greasy cheeseburger with mayo (and the bun). But, like I said, so far, so good.

Breakfast (which was more like lunch because I sleep in) was 1 fried egg (that's all I had), 5 strips of bacon (nom, nom!) and sweet potato hash browns--first time I made them and they were pretty good. Here's a pic of the hash browns:

Lunch was leftover Welsh Stew, reheated. It was just as good as a freshly made crock pot! 

The big question is, what to do for dinner. I still have some leftover Welsh Stew. And I do need to make a grocery run, so perhaps I'll pick up something then... DANGER: DON'T GROCERY SHOP WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY!!!

More to come...

[getfitdude]

Week In Review 1/6 - 1/10

Crossfit fair; eating not.

The week started out well enough nutrition wise. But by the end of the week it was all for naught. The slide started Monday evening with corn chips and salsa for a late night snack. Tuesday dinner involved several slices of pizza and several glasses of coke.  Thursday and Friday included morning visits to Starbucks for something other than black coffee.  And Thursday's lunch met with a sandwich and coke. Tonight's (Friday) dinner was Red Robin burger and fries and the burger included the bread.

Crossfit was a better story--I attended Monday and Thursday. Normally, I would aim for 4 to 5 times a week but had a lot going on with work this week. I did attend one of the weekly lifting classes which knocked me on my butt--it was tough and I only used the bar! Here's a quick summary of the week:

Monday:

Warmup: 500 M Row, then 3 RFT of 5 Pull ups, 10 Push Ups, and 15 Air Squats

WOD: 21-15-9 of Wall ball, and Burpees. I think my time was 6:21.

Thursday:

Warmup: Row 400 M, then 40 Air Squats, 40 Push ups, and Run 400 M.

Then: EMOM of 3 Strict Press and 5 Push Press. I used a 45 lb. bar with 10 lbs. (20 total). But the weights came off half way through the routine.

WOD: 3 RFT of 25 Press (45/35) and 15 Burpees. Then run 200 M. I ended up scaling, doing 25/10 the first round, then 10/5 and 15/5 for the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

Thankfully, next week is a new week and I hope to make better food choices and get more workouts in.

[getfitdude]

Excuse Me, While I Dust Myself Off...

So, I've been sailing right along, eating Paleo and attending Crossfit. Yes, I had that bag of buttered popcorn and a coke at the movies over the weekend. But I considered that a brief cheat meal. But tonight was just downright failure. I wanted pizza and I had pizza...5 slices, plus about as many glasses of coke. I was feeling down, for no particular reason, so instead of going to Crossfit and then coming home and eating Paleo, I blew off Crossfit and headed to the pizza joint. But, all is not lost. Tomorrow is another day and I plan to get up, dust myself off, and "kick it" again.

[getfitdude]

Ready to Go!!!

I just spent an hour at the grocery stocking up for another week of Paleo eating. Wednesday will be my biggest challenge as I'll be at a work function. But I will plan ahead and take my own grub if that's what I need to do to stay on track.  Perhaps I'll post some of my recipe ideas soon.

[getfitdude]

A Little Cheating

After 6 days of eating strict Paleo I decided to see a movie last evening. Whenever I go to the movies I can't resist the popcorn and soda. I've read several Paleo posts that move theater popcorn may or may not be Paleo. I decided not to quiz the snack bar attendant. I had one buttered popcorn, a soda, and later, when I got home, ordered a medium pizza and had 4 slices. I don't think this one cheat meal is going to set me back too much, if at all. 

Thankfully, today is a new day and I've already had my strict Paleo breakfast, consisting of Paleo pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs, 4 slices of bacon, and water. The pancakes are pretty good. Here's the recipe:

2 bananas

2 Tbsp Almond Butter (creamy or crunchy)

2 eggs

Cinnamon to taste

In mixing bowl, smash bananas, then add the Almond Butter, the two eggs, and the cinnamon. Mix it well. Poor 1/4 cup of the mixture onto your heated skillet or griddle. (I used medium heat). Once it starts to bubble (just like traditional pancakes), flip it. Turns out, they were pretty darn good and no syrup was needed.

[getfitdude]

I couldn't agree more!

get-fit-4-life

[getfitdude]

Celebration Time!!!

I suppose a small celebration is in order. I've completed my first week of Paleo (no cheats) and attended Crossfit 3 times (Mon-Wed-Fr). I only ate when I was hungry and then only ate Paleo. I have to admit, meals got boring at times but I was committed to seeing it through while I also work on coming up with some more happening meal ideas. I've decided to rest both today and tomorrow (Sat-Sun) and hit the Crossfit gym again on Monday evening. I'm eventually going to try to up my weekly Crossfit to 4 times a week. Oh, and I guess some of my weight was fluid because in a week I've dropped from 204 to 195. But I'm not complaining!!!

[getfitdude]

Return to Crossfit

Well, after a 6 month break I have resumed Crossfit...I think. I attended a session tonight and plan to attend at least 3 times a week from here on out. The warmup tonight was:

50 Air Squats

50 Mt Climbers (2 ct) -- I gave out at 25

500 M Row

The WOD:

7 Rounds of Time of:

7 Thrusters (I used the 40 lb bar)

7 Pull Ups (I used the black strap to assist)

7 Burpees (Kicked my ass!!!)

I gave out at 5 rounds and don't remember my time...perhaps 20 minutes or so.

As to diet, I skipped breakfast today because I slept late. I had scrambled eggs and bacon for lunch (or maybe I had breakfast for lunch), with black coffee. For dinner, I had steak, broccoli, and sautéed onions and mushrooms. I drank water at every meal, and throughout the day. I may have a piece of fruit for a snack before going to bed but at the time of this writing, don't plan to.

I also took some measurements today as a baseline:

Weight 203 lbs (naked)

Chest 40.5"

Waist 37.5" (taped around level with navel)

Arms 14.0"

Thighs 21.0"

Calves 15.0"

I have no idea when I'll measure again, perhaps at the end of 30 days. Here's a few "before" pics... They are self-portraits, and terrible, in my opinion. For now, I've chosen to remain anonymous! 

[getfitdude]

Jump Starting

Today I tried to focus more on healthy eating. I slept late so breakfast was a bust save for a bowl of Total Cereal with some Strawberries. For lunch I had this healthy salad complete with greens, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, shrimp, and italian dressing (which may or may not be healthy). I also added leftover turkey from our Christmas feast for some added protein. 

Dinner tonight was okay except for the biscuits and gravy and cherry coke. My goal is to eventually eliminate sodas and  starches (bad starches). Hopefully, by next week, I will have begun to fully embrace my new, healthy eating and working out. Speaking of working out, I didn't go to the gym today but do plan to hit it tomorrow!

[getfitdude]

I'm going to test this one. I'll let you know how it works out.