Mad Dawg Fitness Fuel

Fat Loss: Is it really about calories?

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:16:00 +0000

Check out these articles regarding brain function and fat loss:

Damage To Appetite Control Cells Causes Obesity

Anti-Addiction Drug Causes Weight Loss

Thanks to Chris for the links!

Zone/Paleo Challenge Rules - Food Logs and Weigh-ins

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:49:00 +0000

Food Logs:
Post them either in the comments to this post or at the gym on Monday or Tuesday.

Posting your blog to the comments:
Get a Google account and sign in to docs.google.com.
Click on the link to the right labeled "MDF Food Log Template."
This will open a template in your Google Docs account.
Add your food info and save it.
Click on the Share tab in the upper right-hand corner.
Under advanced options, click on the checkbox labeled "Anyone can view this document WITHOUT LOGGING IN."
Copy and paste the given URL into the comments for this post.
Save and close your spreadsheet.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Weigh-ins:
You only have to weigh in once a week but you must use the Scale of Record at the gym.
You only have to put in your weight differential on the food log not your actual weight.
Again, let me know if you have any questions.

The Easiest Lunch Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:29:00 +0000

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This has got to be the easiest 4 block lunch ever.

2 Turkey slices (4 blocks, bought at Costco)
1/2 Avacado (5 blocks)
40 g Pesto (12 blocks, I used the nutrition info on the Trader Joe's Pesto, but this is the last of my mom's pesto from the party. This is actually closer to 36 g but I licked the container clean :-) so that is probably 4 more grams)
1 Apple (2 blocks)
2 Tbsp cashew/macadamia butter (8 blocks, 3 x the missing 2 blocks carbs is 6 blocks so I am over 2 blocks fat)

Zone/Paleo Challenge Rules

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

The gauntlet has been thrown to look good naked by Labor Day (Monday, September 1)! OK, you don't have to be naked, but we are looking to see who can change their body composition the most in six weeks.

You are cordially invited to participate in the 1st Annual Peninsula CrossFit Zone/Paleo Challenge. You can use any diet you choose, but I can only help with the Zone or Paleo diets. My suggestion is weigh and measure the final 3 weeks if this is your first time on The Zone. The first 3 weeks you should just clean up your diet and by following Robb Wolf's shopping and food guidelines.

The rules are simple, to be eligible to win a prize (see below) you must do the following:

Keep a food log and publish it either on the web (see this example or the template above) or in the gym at weeks end (no excuses please, you get one grace day, otherwise you are out of the compition).
Keep an exercise log with workouts, times and weights.
Weigh yourself every week and publish your weight gain/loss. Note that some people will gain weight/mass.
Take a start and ending picture of yourself with as little clothes on as you feel comfortable showing publicly and be Work/Family Safe (I am sure I will have to amend this after a few choice comments from Travis, but until then be an angel or at least pretend to be one).
Do Fran on either Monday, July 21 or Tuesday, July 22 and on either Thursday, August 28 or Friday, August 29.

Judging: There will be some issues, but for now it is 1 point for each pound loss and 1 point for seconds/5 time differential on Fran. For example: If you lose 5 pounds and your Fran time is 65 seconds faster, your total score is 18. I will take suggestions for scoring here until Wednesday, July 23 midnight, otherwise this is it.

Prizes:
Weight loss division:
1st place - $50 MDF gift certificate
2nd place - $40 MDF gift certificate
3rd place - $30 MDF gift certificate

Mass gain division:
1st place - $50 MDF gift certificate
2nd place - $45 MDF gift certificate
3rd place - $30 MDF gift certificate

Finally, thanks to Erin and Mildred for suggesting this idea and to Jason, Dan C., Chris, Mike M., Danny and all the other people who have undertaken their own challenges and been successful.

Zone/Paleo BBQ

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:25:00 +0000

Mushrooms, Spinach and Chicken with Dessert

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:49:00 +0000

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This meal took me 20 minutes from removing all the ingredients from the refrigerator to setting it on the table including washing dishes (the dish fairy didn't do her job last night). It is a 4 block meal with 3x fat and not quite 4 blocks carbs.

Saute onions, garlic and mushrooms
Add pre-cooked chicken and heat for about 2 minutes
Add spinach and cook until the spinach starts to wilt.
Add chile powder to taste.
Cut up one apple and add 2 Tbs. almond butter.

MOD - Milly

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:23:00 +0000

This is the first in a series of video of Zone/Paleo meals of the day (MOD). The hardest part of staying on a performance-based diet is that it takes a while to weigh and measure food. Each of these meals will be named, like CrossFit WODs and will be for time. My hope is that these will show some tricks and tips to make staying on a healthy diet easier.

Easy Zone Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:24:00 +0000

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I made this easy Zone lunch the other day. It was pretty good but I think it would have been better if I let it marinate for a few hours. This took me about 5 minutes to make.

12 Marinated artichoke hearts - about 12 g fat (4 blks), 18 g carbs (2 blks)
1 Tomato - 1 blk carbs
2 Sausages - about 20 g fat (7 blks), 6 g carbs (2/3 blk) and 24 g protein (3.5 blks)
1 Jalapeno (optional)

Fat: 11 blks (3 x)
Carbs: 3 2/3 blks
Protein: 3.5 blks

Artificial Sweeteners Linked To Weight Gain

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:35:00 +0000

Cutting the connection between sweets and calories may confuse the body, making it harder to regulate intake

WASHINGTON — Want to lose weight? It might help to pour that diet soda down the drain. Researchers have laboratory evidence that the widespread use of no-calorie sweeteners may actually make it harder for people to control their intake and body weight. The findings appear in the February issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Read more here...

Exercise and Weight/Fat Loss

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:29:00 +0000

I have talked to a number of people about this really interesting article my friend, Robb Wolf, wrote:
Exercise: Ineffective for Weight Loss

Also interesting:
Obesity, With or Without Insulin Resistance?

More Good Stuff on Robb Wolf's blog

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:15:00 +0000

Performance Nutrition In 683 Easy Steps. Part I: A great discussion about the intersection of performance, health and longevity.

Fat loss article with a side order of attitude

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0000

I really enjoy the other CrossFitters' articles that tell about their progress on The Zone or other diets, but sometimes a new view helps illuminate the issue itself rather than the implementation details.

Thanks to Gabe Rinaldi for posting this article on the FIT Forum.

Zone day 5 and 6

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 19:00:00 +0000

This was my brunch, Saturday after workout. Waaayyy too much food. Next time only one taco with less beans ("solomente un poquito frijoles negros" who would have thought a diet could improve my Spanish?!), 1/2 avocado and an apple. Fast and less than $4.00.

Zone Day 3 and 4

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:00:00 +0000

Five block salad for lunch on Day 4. Not a great picture but you can get a idea about how much food I had to eat at lunch. Oh, and this didn't have the 2 cups of broccoli in it, I put that in later. I think I spent 30 minutes just putting food in my mouth...

Day 3 (Wednesday):
Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal, 27 almonds, 1 cup of blueberries. I was in a hurry and forgot the protein and suffered for it an hour later.

Lunch:
Mahi-mahi sandwich with half the bun and salad.

Dinner:
8 oz shrimp and huge amount of broccoli, basil, galic, ginger, zucchini and mushrooms cooked in olive oil. Five blocks of stir-fried veggies is soooo much food.

Day 4:
Breakfast:
2 eggs and 4 oz of Salmon and Chicken, 2 cups broccoli cooked in 1 Tbs olive oil (3 x fat). For dessert, 1 apple and 1 cup blueberries.

Lunch:
Salad, 5 oz chicken, a head of Romaine lettuce plus some extra greens (1 block carb), 12 pieces marinated artichoke hearts (2 blocks carbs and 4 blocks fat), 2 cups broccoli (1 block carb), 1/4 avocado (3 blocks fat, yes, I measured 3 Tbs and it is 1/4 avocado), 2 Tbs dressing (6 blocks fat). For desert 1/2 cup blueberries.

Dinner:
City Pub Bacon Cheese Burger with only half the bun but mayo on the bun and a small salad with about 1/2 a tomatoe. I am pretty sure I got all the proten and fat, but maybe a little short on carbs (I forgot to bring apples).

Snacks are usually some combo of apples or peaches, almonds and turkey lunch meat or beef jerky.

Zone Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:00:00 +0000

3 Block Lunch (missing one slice of apple, someone got hungry).

5 Block Lunch (these pictures don't show all the almonds, we had more after remembering 3 x on fat blocks).

Day 2 on The Zone. I am still figuring out the portions.
Breakfast. Tacos: 2 corn tortillas, 5 oz of Barbacoa, 1/2 an avocado, salsa and a jalepeno. I forgot to eat my apple for dessert which left me a little short of carbs.
Lunch: Tuna sandwich, 5 oz tuna and 5 tps light mayo, 1.5 apples and 30 almonds
Afternoon snack: 3 almonds, 1 peach and 1 slice of turkey lunch meat.
Dinner: Stir-fry with veggies and left-over salmon.

Probably not going to have another snack.

Notes: I am doing 3 x on fat blocks which is recommended by Robb Wolf in the Performance Menu. I am just doing 3 x fat on meals not snacks at this point. Still reading up on this.

Recommendations: Fruit and tuna was too hard to digest for me. I think I will have a salad next time.

Zone Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:00:00 +0000

This was my lunch today. I did an intermittent fast (Sunday 8 pm to Monday 11 am) because I worked out Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Monday is my rest day. Two eggs (2 blocks protein), 3 oz chicken (3 blocks protein)and 2 cups of broccoli (1 block carb) cooked in 1.5 tbs olive oil (5 blocks fat), with 1 peach (1 block carb) and a full cup of blueberries (2 blocks carbs). OK, I was short a block of carbs, still it is a bunch of food. I was pretty full but have had both my snacks before class this eve. I will be ready to eat afterwards for sure.

Next up, cutting out the Diet Coke. I might be cranky for a few days, bare with me. ;-)

Welcome to Peninsula CrossFit Fuel

noreply@blogger.com (saulj) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:50:00 +0000

Watch for my latest post on my adventure with The Zone diet soon.