Week 4: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

It is safe to say that I have dropped the ball big time on grocery shopping for at least the past week. I have neglected to cook at home and have been horrific in the "planning ahead" department. Luckily, there is Chipotle. Actually, I have been eating out significantly this past week, and making pretty good choices along the way. I use the term "pretty good choices" very loosely, as eating at restaurants usually includes consuming generous portions of excess calories and salt (not to mention hidden sugars). This is technically supposed to be the last week of the slow-carb experiment for me. To tell you the truth, I think things are going fairly well, and in all honesty this challenge has not been as difficult to adhere to as I anticipated. We'll see if we end up extending the journey, but for now here's the week's consumption:

Monday, February 21

Am I crazy? Or did I really only drink four glasses of water today? Safe to say that is a "point of emphasis" going forward. I guess after burgers, pizza, shakes, etc I did not take the time to come up with a Monday meal plan, so I had to improvise. Breakfast consisted of a handful of Brazil nuts as I walked out the door (which even that small quantity seemed forced after last night). A couple of turkey meatballs throughout the day and I made it to the evening on very little consumption. I know this can't be good for the ketogenic processes necessary to this process, but man I just wasn't hungry. I forced down a Chipotle burrito bowl for dinner, and had a couple of glasses of wine before I shut it down. Another successfully miserable Monday. Thank you cheat day.

water: 4
yerba mate (2 c)
Brazil nuts (4 ea)
turkey meatballs (3 oz)
Chipotle burrito bowl
red wine (2 c)


Tuesday, February 22

You know you had a good cheat day when the hangover lasts into Tuesday as the day's consumption looks eerily similar to Monday's fast. I whipped up a quick breakfast of refried black beans, eggs and turkey bacon, so a little bit better start than yesterday. Again, I made it through most of the day without much of an appetite, so I did very little eating. I have no shame in admitting that I did another burrito bowl for dinner after a productive Town Lake loop.

water: 8 c
yerba mate (2 c)
eggs (2 ea)
refried black beans (1/2 c)
turkey bacon (2 ea)
turkey meatball (6 oz)
chipotle burrito bowl


Wednesday, February 23

I have yet to sack up and purchase groceries so it was another day of eating out for all my meals. I ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, black beans, green beans with carrots, bacon and a turkey sausage patty off of the Whole Foods hot food bar. It was so satisfyingly mediocre. I mostly just munched on some steamed vegetables through out the day (also courtesy of Whole Foods). After work it was straight in the car to our teams' second game of the season. We play our games in skanky Pflugerville, and there was seriously no time to grab anything of substance before the game. I had a couple of orange slices again (by this point, I was famished) before I was able to put down a decent meal with the entire Tats and Eyes soccer team following our 6-3 victory (2-0, no big deal). Thanks to the wonderful people at Bikini's Sports Bar and Grill, I chowed on the Honey Do Chicken:

Grilled chicken breast topped with crispy bacon, sauteed mushrooms, melted jack cheese (omitted), and honey mustard sauce, served with mashed potatoes (omitted) and mixed vegetables.

I also added a dinner salad to my order, which was delivered to me with cheese and croutons despite my request to hold them. C'mon Bikini waitress, you're better than that. I picked off the croutons, but decided that picking through the cheese would be too much of a hassle so I just took it down. Whatever, I just played soccer.

water: 12 c
coffee (2 c)
black beans (1/2 c)
green beans w/ carrot (1/2 c)
eggs (5 ea)
bacon (2 ea)
turkey sausage (2 oz)
HSH steam veg from Whole Foods (1/2 c)
[asparagus, broccoli, carrot, green bean, cauliflower]
orange slices (2 ea)
dinner salad w/ oil and vinegar (cheese)
grilled chicken w bacon, mushrooms and honey mustard sauce (8 oz)
grilled veggies (1 c)

The rest of the weekend will probably be pretty hectic as I'm making another quick trip to Houston Thursday night. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get into a kitchen so we'll just hope for the best with our decision making.

Cheat Day 3.0

I went into cheat day 3.0 knowing one thing: I was GOING to have a milk shake. I left the rest up to my spontaneity. Here is the recap (try not to throw up):

Within five minutes of waking up I was already out the door in search of donuts. I was in an unfamiliar part of Houston, but I knew that in the fattest city in the United States I was never far from a donut shop. Low and behold, I found some cookie cutter Asian-run donut shop at the first major intersection I pulled up to. I overordered (in case the family wanted to share), however my personal tally did not disappoint, ending up at two jalapeno sausage kolaches, two glazed donuts, a chocolate covered cinnamon twist and an apple fritter in addition to a pint of whole milk. Good breakfast.

After a few more hours of manual labor I set out on a quick errand and crossed paths with a Godfather's pizza. It had been a few hours since my morning sugar binge, so I decided to grab a quick bite solo at the neighborhood pizza buffet. It was only a one-rounder, but I'm sure that I was able to fit at least eight slices (almost all pepperoni jalapeno) on my plate. For the record, I DID have an iceberg salad with my meal, albeit with a gallon of ranch dressing.

When my shackles were unlocked and I was free to leave, I headed back to home sweet home Austin, Texas. After moving a fleet of furniture and a mountain of boxes over the course of the weekend I wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch with my shoes off and watch some TV. Luckily, tonight was the NBA All-Star game. Not that I am a huge basketball fan these days, but it seemed like just the appropriate selection of programming for a night of vegetation. First, I needed some grub. I snacked on a couple of herb biscuits (that I had been saving all week) with some grilled chicken and a cupcake when it donned on me that I had yet to have the milkshake that I had prophesied. By this point, maintaining the tradition of my weekly shake was almost as important to me as the experiment itself. I headed out for some milkshake ingredients as well as something else of a little more "substance." I settled on a Wendy's classic double cheeseburger to go along with what eventually became a banana cream pie milkshake. The secret recipe was this:

banana cream pie + vanilla bean ice cream + whole milk = ridiculousness

God damn, that was a good milkshake. Although I knew the pain was coming, at that moment, it was worth it.

Week 3

It was a long, busy week for sure. Between work, soccer, running, and exhaustion I hardly found the time to get down in the kitchen. Under these circumstances, the theme of the week quickly became the Chipotle burrito bowl. Without further ado, here's an epic list of this week's eating:

Monday, 2/14/11

Uuuuugh! It is truly incredible the hangover you can feel after pounding a double bacon jalapeno cheese Whataburger, fries and a 32 oz strawberry malt just moments before falling asleep (read: falling into a coma). Late to work, I easily bypassed the breakfast and tried to compensate by quickly ingesting a pint of coffee. Did I mention I felt like crap all day? In fact, I only managed a snack of black beans, eggs and broccoli throughout the day until I finally found the nerve to get hungry again. The fridge bare, I leaned upon my true valentine Chipotle for a burrito bowl and a Diet Coke.

water 8 c
coffee (2 c)
black beans (1/4 c)
eggs (2 ea)
broccoli (2 oz)
Chipotle burrito bowl
Diet Coke (32 oz)


Tuesday, 2/15/11

So this is what an appetite feels like. After spending much of Monday in the hurt locker, I woke up Tuesday morning with a renewed energy, ready for what the week had in store for me. A quick breakfast cup of eggs, spinach, onion, mushrooms, tomato and a little crispy pancetta and I was off to the races! My lunch/midday snack consisted only of a few large spears of grilled asparagus, but somehow I stayed satisfied throughout the afternoon. I managed to build quite an appetite following a big loop around Town Lake. Guess what I had for dinner. You guessed it! Chipotle!!! Seriously, so convenient. On a side note, I am discovering that I have a new found affinity to Diet Coke. I feel like I let my childhood down, proudly claiming all through my youth that I'd NEVER turn to that stuff. After all, it was for stupid grown ups ONLY! Jesus, I'm drinking the Kool Aid.

water 10c
coffee (2 c)
eggs (3 ea)
spinach (1/4 c)
mushrooms (1/4 c)
roma tomato (1 ea)
pancetta (2 oz)
onions (1/4 c)
asparagus (4 ea)
chipotle burrito bowl
Diet Coke (32 oz)
brazil nuts (6 ea)


Wednesday, 2/16/11

You may have noticed that the past two day's consumption has been relatively tame, consisting of little more than a cup of breakfast and a burrito bowl (plus a ton of caffeine). Well, today I broke that trend. I had a huge breakfast-in-a-cup of eggs, squash, onion, bell pepper and guacamole with my customary coffee. I munched on some peanuts and pork loin throughout the day, and I finally found the time this week to actually whip something up at home: some refried black beans (recipe coming soon). For dinner, I had an incredibly sensible dinner of spinach, arugala, and watercress with grilled chicken.

Not many people know this, but one of my secret passions is coed intramural soccer. There's nothing quite like a bunch of out of shape males and females in there late 20's huffing and puffing for a 40 minute soccer game, all the while taking the whole thing way too seriously. Tonight, we had our first soccer game of the season (a 5-0 victory, no big deal). This whole soccer spiel was merely a segue to my next statement. Folks, I have a confession: at halftime of our game, I ate 2 orange wedges!!! There it is! It's out in the open! I cheated! I didn't even realize what I was doing until it was too late, I had annihilated those oranges like I was back in 3rd grade. Oh well, it's not really important at all. According to "the book," during/post workout is really the only acceptable time to consume a little carbohydrate energy from sugar. So don't worry, the experiment continues...

water 8 c
diet coke (24 oz)
coffee (3 c)
eggs (3 ea)
squash (1/4 c)
onion (1/4 c)
red bell pepper (1/2 c)
guacamole (1/2 c)
peanuts (1 oz)
pork loin (2 oz)
spinach (1 c)
arugala (2 c)
watercress (1/2 c)
refried black beans (1/2 c)
grilled chicken (12 oz)
orange wedges (2 ea)


Thursday, 2/17/11

A day containing a long run followed by a day with an intense game of soccer will usually lead to a decent amount of soreness, and today was NOT an exception. I woke up in a decent amount of pain, late as shit for work, and had to dart out the door without the satisfaction of a good breakfast. Luckily, I had the sense to at least grab a few Brazil nuts on my way out the door. Truth be told, I hate starting the day in a rush because I feel as though the rest of the day follows suit. I was bouncing around all day (I'm sure the coffee played a role) and managed only a few snacks throughout the day (if you consider turkey meatballs and beef brisket snacks). My ambition led me once again to Town Lake to punish myself through the pain I was feeling. After my (newly formed) standard loop, I was almost instantly hit with an insatiable hunger. I had to run a quick errand to pick up some spectacles from my good friend Dr. Casey Packer at Lone Star Eye, so I decided to stop into a Sprouts that I stumbled upon the way. It was my first time to step foot into a Sprouts, and I must say they have a pretty decent store. I did, however, find that my options were somewhat limited and walked out with only a bag of cashews, some hummus and a few sticks of celery and carrots to munch on. It was going to have to do for now. Though temporarily satisfying, I don't think this makeshift early dinner gave me much in the energy department. I made it home around 8:00pm and almost immediately fell asleep...for the night. I guess the past couple of days finally caught up on me. Oh well, I needed it.

water: 9 c
coffee (2 c)
brazil nuts (4 ea)
turkey meatballs (3 oz)
smoked briskekt (1 oz)
cashews (4 oz)
red pepper hummus (1/2 c)
carrots (1/2 c)
celery (1/2 c)
grape tomatoes (1/4 c)


Friday, 2/18/11

Dammit, for the second time this week I missed my 30 minute window to consume any semblance of breakfast. Despite my ten hours of sleep the night before, I woke up yet again late for work and in a rush out the door. When I finally got to sit down to breakfast nearly two hours had past since waking. My breakfast was damn delicious (special thanks to Cesar at Whole Foods Lamar): scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms, refried black beans, turkey sausage, and bacon. I had an equally satisfying lunch of arugala, spinach, and watercress topped with grilled chicken and bruscetta topping (recipe to follow) before I hopped in the car and headed to Houston for the weekend. My dinner consisted of a few more black beans topped with salsa, some marcona almonds and some sauteed vegetables consisting of onion, bell pepper, zucchini and arugala.

water: 12 c
coffee (2c)
eggs (4 ea)
refried black beans (3 c)
turkey sausage (1 c)
bacon (1 ea)
grilled chicken (12 oz)
arugala (3 c)
spinach (1/2 c)
watercress (1/2 c)
bruschetta (1/4 c)
sauteed onion, bell pepper, zucchini (1 c)
green chile puree (2 T)
marcona almonds (2 oz)
salsa (1/4 c)


Saturday, 2/19/11

So here I am: Houston, Texas. The land of absolutely NOTHING healthy to eat. Knowing this fact, I brought a little bit of my own goods to at least start my day with. Eggs, turkey bacon and refried black beans made for a delicious breakfast to start a day of Hell (better known as helping my mother move out of her house). Luckily for me the wise people of Chipotle have infiltrated the city providing me with at least one option I can rely on. After a long day of hauling, lugging, lifting, and dropping, my family and I treated ourselves to dinner at a local chain Mexican restaurant called Gringo's where I found comfort in a meal consisting of a rack of baby back ribs, borracho beans and a side salad. By the way, what the hell is up with putting cheese on a salad? I don't get it. Some feta? Sure. Some goat cheese? Definitely. But cheddar cheese on a salad? I will never understand.

water: 6 c
coffee (2 c)
diet coke (15 oz)
eggs (3 ea)
turkey bacon (2 ea)
refried black beans (1 c)
Chipotle burrito bowl
baby back ribs (full rack)
avocado (2 oz)
borracho beans (1/2 c)
side salad w/ italian dressing


Wow, that pretty much sums up my week. I've made it to Cheat Day 3.0, and seeing as I will still be in Houston for most of the day, I couldn't think of a more appropriate place to be for a day where the options are limitless (in a bad way). It should make for an interesting day. Stay tuned...

Day Thirteen: Workout!

How did I forget? Somewhere between the tiramisu, cannoli's, burgers, shakes and cookies, I managed to fit in an I-35/Mopac loop around Town Lake (~7 mi). What can I say? After all that sugar, I had a little bit of energy to burn.

Did my calories burned surmount my calories consumed? Not even close, but this was definitely a high point of the day. As i sat here reading my last post, I started to feel disappointed in myself for crushing that monstrous shake. When it donned on me that I had somehow forgotten about the run my stern face morphed into an uncontrollable grin.

Two weeks down, two weeks to go.

Day Thirteen: Sunday, February 13, 2011

So you would have thought from my last post that Cheat Day 2.0 would have been a deviation from the previous week's overindulgence. Considering I started the day with a humongous wedge of tiramisu and a cannoli for breakfast, I would venture to say that was not the case.

I did a little snacking throughout the day, but no major infractions. I just had a little cheese here and some bread there. The cold pizza leftovers that I discovered in the fridge did not stand a chance. All in all, the day was not as over-the-top as I would have anticipated...

...that was until I crossed paths with a Whataburger. Was I hungry? Not really, but I sort of felt like I should pull the trigger. In fact, the thought of a milkshake at the end of the week has played a significant role in helping me overcome temptation throughout this experiment. This was the perfect moment. I went in for the kill.

A double bacon jalapeno cheese whataburger, fries and a shake later, I was in a pants-unbuttoned, shoes-off, sugar/salt/fat-induced coma (no more than thirty minutes after taking my last begrudging sip of the frozen strawberry milk emulsion). Did I mention that the shake was a 32 ouncer?

I am riddled with guilt. And it feels sooo good.

Day Twelve: Saturday, February 12, 2011

Today I had one of my favorite breakfasts since I've started this odyssey...and there were NO EGGS involved!! Turkey bacon, cottage cheese, and the rest of the roasted garlic cauliflower puree made for a spectacular 1st meal of the day (along with a cup of French press coffee).

I was once again caught in a position where I had limited time and had to make a quick food choice (I let the fridge get to pretty much bare). Once again, it was CHIPOTLE to the rescue! If you're scoring at home, that's three Chipotle trips in five days. Don't even ask me, you know what kind of burrito I got.

That pretty much did it for the day's eating (besides a few bites of grilled sausage later in the evening). I spent a few hours downtown tonight but managed to limit myself to only one glass of wine. Ordering wine in a bar is douchey, not going to do it anymore.

And that's that, made it to my second cheat day. I definitely have a different mentality going into this Sunday as I did last Sunday. Last week, it was a smorgasbord of carnival food that did me in. This week, I don't have the urge to completely desecrate my diet. At the moment, I want nothing more than a piece of toast and handful of blueberries. Now, that doesn't mean I won't make a few "highly caloric" food decisions tomorrow...

Day Eleven, Friday, February 11, 2011

Man, sleeping in feels gooooood sometimes. I rolled out of bed around 11:00 (probably closer to 12:00, actually) and had a bowl of borracho beans, cottage cheese and tomatoes along with some yerba mate. I made the fatal mistake of running out of eggs. Damn you, breakfast with no eggs!

I had a cup of coffee to rev me up for a little afternoon tennis match with Taylor followed by a sweet Turkish get-up workout. In all it was close to 4 hours of physical activity. You know what that means...time to eat!

I ran into a problem that I feel many run into: I did not have a plan for my next meal. I was hungry after an extensive workout and needed to eat soon. This is an inflexion point where I feel most have the greatest opportunity to be led astray in their food choices. When our options are limited is when we most often decide on the fast food, the junk food, the generally bad food choices that sound good on the spot. "Damn, I'm starving. I could really go for some broccoli." Doesn't happen that way. I was driving around, on the prowl for some grub, and luckily I crossed paths with a Central Market. The light bulb went off and I pulled over to scope out there salad bar.

I ended up, as most of us usually do, with a much larger portion than I probably needed. The rub with a salad bar: everything looks good, so good in fact that I ended up with a 1 1/4 lb. salad! My beastly clamshell box was almost overflowing with spinach, spring mix, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, beets, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and walnuts with a light dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Couple this with a piece of turkey meatloaf that I couldn't resist picking up as well, and I was out the door for a whopping $14! Seems a little steep for an 8 oz piece of meatloaf and a salad. Oh well, I'll just consider this a tax for being unprepared.

All in all I was happy with my food decision. At this point I think it's better that my wallet took a hit rather than my calorie intake. The salad was complex and filling while the turkey meatloaf was ridiculously tasty on top of some of yesterday's cauliflower puree. Mmmmm.
Here is how today went:
water: 12
yerba mate (3 c)
coffee (1 c)
borracho beans (1 c)
cottage cheese (1/4 c)
tomatoes (1/4 c)
cauliflower puree (1 c)
turkey chili meatloaf (8 oz)
salad (1 #)
[spring mix, spinach, broccoli, bell pepper, hard boiled egg, tomato, artichoke hearts, beets, carrots, chickpeas, kidney beans, walnuts, grilled chicken, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.]


That's right, only two meals today. I don't know if this is good or bad. Generally, I'm more of a grazer, but I find it harder to monitor consumption when I'm just knoshing around so I try to stick to clearly defined meals. Either way, I feel good and I feel lighter although I am not visually seeing a ton of results. That is not to say much, I've never been very good at seeing changes in my own physique. The important thing, I guess, is that I'm still chugging along. Stay the course.