The Steaks Are High

Ten Minute Chocolate Cake

All low carbing sites put the following disclaimer on low carb treats: YMMV - your mileage may vary. Some people have issues with artificial sweeteners, and others find that the sweet taste of any dessert, even a sugar free one, sets them off craving and eating more.

I think eating low carb treats every single day will not help you to lose weight quickly. I also think that depriving yourself of any treats will lead to feelings of deprivation, bingeing, and regaining.

If low carbing is for life, we need some variation in our meals. As much as I love my meat, I do enjoy the occasional dessert. I've used the following recipe many times, and never had a problem stalling. In fact, I often lose weight the next day. It's quick and easy, and only makes two small portions, so no chance of overeating.

Ten-Minute Chocolate Cake
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet granular Splenda
2 tablespoons DaVinci's Vanilla sugar free syrup (Chocolate flavor also works well, and so do other syrup brands)
1 egg
1/4 cup almond flour (ground almonds or ground pecans can also substitute)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Splash of water (if needed)

1) Combine baking powder, cocoa powder, Splenda, syrup and egg in a medium bowl and stir until smooth.

2) Add the almond flour while you melt the butter (I put it in the microwave for :55 seconds on 60% power)

3) Stir in the melted butter, and add a splash of water if the batter is still clumpy

4) Spoon the batter into two small ramekins and cover with cling wrap.  Make small slits in the center of the cling wrap to let the air escape:

5) Microwave on full power for 1:44. Cakes should rise a little and turn darker brown:

6) Let cool for a minute or two and enjoy!

CARB COUNT:

Splenda = 1g

Almond flour = 6g - 3g fiber = 3g net

Unsweetened cocoa powder (Fry's brand) = 4g - 4g fiber = 0 net

Baking powder = .5g

TOTAL= 11.5 g total carbs, 4.5g net for entire recipe

Variations:

- Top with whipped cream
- Add a few drops of orange essence, or a few drops of peppermint essence to the batter

***A version of this recipe was originally posted on the Meat & Eggers For Life Forum by ananya***

Dishing the Dirt on Veggies

“Reduce your intake of red meat and saturated fat, and incorporate more fruits, veggies and whole grains into your diet.” (Yawn.) How many times have you read these words? It's almost like they've become the requisite tag line at the end of every diet and nutrition article. Don't people have anything new to say about nutrition? Is it possible, after following this advice for oh, a good forty years now, and the obesity crisis rapidly spiraling out of control, that we should look for alternative dietary wisdom?

Regina Wilshire, on her blog Weight of the Evidence, had an excellent post this week that got into some number-crunching regarding these very recommendations. “Do we need more plant-based calories in our diet?” she asks, quoting numerous health resources which conclude that the problem with our diet is animal foods.

In order to investigate the hypothesis that reducing animal protein and fat intake will lead to better health, she compares dietary statistics from 1961 (before the “eat less fat” public health message took hold) and 2000. Her findings are extremely illuminating:

• In 1961, the average caloric intake was 2882 calories. 65% of these calories came from plant sources, and 35% from animals.

• Fast forward to 2000, and the average calorie count skyrockets to 3817 calories. Interestingly enough, 73% of those calories come from plants, and 27% from animals.

• Break down the stats even further to look at protein intake, and you find the same story. In 1961, animal protein accounted for 8.7% of a person's total calories, and 66.1% of their protein intake. In 2000, animal protein drops to 7.6% of total calories, and 63% of total protein.

People are doing what they're told – cutting back on animal protein and replacing it with food from plant sources. In doing so, they're also eating a whopping 935 more calories. Where are all these calories coming from, if we're cutting back on evil fatty meat? As Regina Wilshire points out, 80% of this calorie increase comes from sugar, vegetable oils and cereal grains – the key ingredients in processed, pre-packaged foods.

Could it be that cutting out satisfying, filling food sources like animal protein and saturated fat leaves us so hungry we chow through an extra 900+ calories per day? Is shifting the balance toward plant-based foods actually making people fatter than ever?

Vegetarian diets took another knock this month from the champion athlete Colin Jackson, who concluded that everyone should eat meat to remain at their physical peak after taking part in the TV series, “The Truth About Food.” The televised experiment required Jackson to follow a vegetarian diet for one month. In this article from the Guardian Online, Jackson is quoted as saying “I definitely think vegetarians are weaker. I could see I'd lost a little bit of muscle on my arms and shoulders. When I had to do tests afterwards, I knew I'd lost power.” His conclusion? “Humans are omnivores.” Well, duh.

The study also asked six vegetarian sportswomen to eat meat and see how their physical performance changed, compared to a control group who continued to eat a vegetarian diet. Vanessa Curry, one of the vegetarians who ate meat twice a day during the experiment, explained her reasons for participating: “I wanted to prove being a veggie was not detrimental in any way to sporting performance.”

The proof, in the end, supported an opposite conclusion: after eating meat, Curry showed an improvement in both strength and stamina. This improvement occurred despite her difficulties adjusting to meat, which initially caused her nausea and bloating.

Professor Roger Harris, of Chichester University's Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, who ran the study, said the micronutrients vital to muscle function - creatine and carnosine - are found only in meat and fish. He did emphasize that  some vegetarians could be capable of excellent athletic performance but added that this performance could be improved further if muscle levels of creatine and carnosine were increased.

I'm well aware that there are many studies out there which purport to prove that a vegetarian diet is healthier. I think, compared with the Standard American Diet, vegetarian eating is much healthier. What I would love to see is a low carb diet and a vegetarian diet pitted against each other in a controlled study, something that has not been done so far.

One other thing to keep in mind about the studies proving vegetarian diets are healthier is that they often fail to take environmental factors into consideration (think about the social groups who can afford to make this dietary choice, their typical levels of education and income). When health markers for veggies are compared with their meat-eating peers, rather than the general population, the supposed health advantages of vegetarianism disappear.

As Jimmy Moore put it in his enlightening post this week on whether the Bible promotes a vegetarian diet ("Does the Bible consider the Atkins Diet a sin?"), I'm not one to knock people for choosing to not to eat meat due to ethical or religious convictions. However, I will question anyone who claims the diet is healthier than a low carb approach.

And now, off for my hunk o' cow.

A Porterhouse-sized Thank You to Jimmy Moore

I was honored this week to be highlighted on Jimmy Moore's fantastic blog, Livin' La Vida Low Carb, as one of his picks for the Hot New Low Carb Blogs of 2007. You can check out his post here - and see some other great new blogs while you're there!

I have to admit, when I first started this blog, I was a little nervous. I knew I'd had a lot of success with low carbing, and I have learned loads along the way: recipes, restaurant survival tips, socializing on low carb, staving off cravings and other helpful techniques for getting healthy. Over the course of my weight loss journey, I've also done a ton of research almost by accident - just browsing around studies on low carb forums and blogs.

Part of me wondered if anyone would care to read ANOTHER blog about weight loss, food and dieting. Part of me wondered if I would stick to posting - especially when I had maybe one or two readers a day. Then, on January 9th, 2007, Jimmy Moore mentioned me in his post, "When Is Eating Fat Not Fattening?"

I don't know how he found this blog, but instantly my traffic numbers jumped, and spiked again when he mentioned my thank you email in a second post. I was so surprised that such a famous name in the low-carb blogosphere first of all had found my blog, and secondly was incredibly helpful and inspiring. I mentioned finding having such a small audience somewhat demotivating. As I wrote to Jimmy at the time: "Blogging is fun, but it doesn't make me leap out of bed in the morning to post when the likelihood is that only a few people will actually read it."

Jimmy's answer? "The traffic at your blog will indeed soar." He offered me the chance to write columns for his awesome site LowCarb Newsline - and of course I jumped at the opportunity. Every one of his emails spurred me on to continue blogging, convincing me of the importance of having more voices out there in support of low carb living.

I love reading his blog, which is constantly updated with interviews, the latest research, new low carb products, book reviews and touching personal stories. His writing brims over with enthusiasm and honesty, and he's never afraid to say what he really thinks, name names and call people and companies out on their lies.

Thank you so much Jimmy, not only for the great write up you gave me this week, but for all your support so far! I think Kevin Graves, on his blog My U Turn , expressed my sentiments exactly when he said, "To have all this support from a person who has pretty much reached their goal, and who will still help others, THAT IS CLASS."

To be such a huge name in the low carb world and give so much support to the new folks -  you are one genuinely classy guy!

The Perfect Steak

One of my all-time favorite foods is steak...as you may have guessed by the not-so-subtle header of this site. I know lots of low-carbers enjoy their steaks, so I'm curious. What's your perfect steak?

I heat up the pan to the highest setting:

For fat, I either use light olive oil or ghee (clarified butter – withstands high heat much better than regular butter). My favorite steak cut is a ribeye, with lots of marbling.

Once the pan is hot, and before the oil begins smoking, I toss the steak in. Because I have lazy microwave timer habits involving pressing the least amount of buttons possible, I set the timer for 1:11 for each side.

While the steak is cooking, I slice ½ tablespoon off a stick of butter, and place the pieces on the side of my plate.

      

I transfer the steak to the plate, flipping it over so the side that has most recently been on the heat is face up. I put the butter slices on the hot meat, grind some black pepper over it and sit down to enjoy.

This method makes a steak with a crispy crust on the outside, browns all the fat and leaves a deep pink, juicy center...

So tell me, how do you cook yours? Any good seasoning tips or cooking tricks?

Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln!

            

"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?" ~Abraham Lincoln

So, instead of Valentine's Day, my love and I are celebrating Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Far more freedom and far less pink tissue paper, which suits me nicely. For him, I made the cake above: vanilla cake with "fluffy white" flavored frosting - that's right, carbs don't even need to sound like food anymore! And for me, a turkey leg, currently roasting in the oven. Now that's real food.

Edited to add:

See?

            

"Whatever you are, be a good one." ~Abraham Lincoln

Book review: The Four Day Win

                   

The blurb on the cover of The Four Day Win, by Martha Beck, summarizes the point of her book: “science-based thought and behavior strategies that will enable you to stay on a healthy eating program...forever.” As cheesy and punny as the subtitle, “end your diet war and achieve thinner peace,” may be, this is one of the most helpful diet books I've ever read. What the Drs. Eades did with sound nutritional information and food help, Martha Beck does with mental strategies for permanent thinness.

The title comes from Beck's observation that when she can get people to try anything consistently for four days, an internal barrier seems to fall. The new behavior begins to feel normal. She notices other “rules of four”: the stock market only closes at Thanksgiving for three and a half days, because they don't like to keep the market closed for four days;  we have common terms for today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow – a three-day period – but the fourth day is merely “the future”. For dieters, four days is usually the point where you begin to get rewards, seeing the first noticeable changes in your body. Thus, the book is divided into “four day wins” – exercises you do for four days, training the brain into a pattern of action.

I think, all too often, dieters plunge into strict regimes thinking they only need to change behavior, whether they're counting calories, carbs, or fat grams. They see results – for a while. Then, and this has happened to me multiple times, you feel so constrained in food choices that you break out and eat every “illegal” food you can. Some people justify this as a “carb-up” or a high-cal day to keep the metabolism high. Others call it a cheat, and go back to following the rules, until the rules become unbearable again.

Beck breaks down the perpetual dieter into two main personalities: the Dictator and the Wild Child. The Dictator is the one who keeps you on the straight and narrow, prodding you out of bed to get to the gym, denying all those tempting foods and reminding you of that scale verdict the following morning. The Wild Child, just waiting to bust out and EAT, waits until you're tired, or you had a terrible day, or you left it too long between meals and feel starving..and that's when all hell breaks loose.

OK, so when I first started reading this, I found it hokey and silly. It reeked of psychobabble, and I could feel my bullshit detectors pricking up. I decided to stop being so arrogant and give it a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised. Each chapter of The Four Day Win presents a new study, sometimes a case study with one patient's story, others are larger studies on brain chemistry and the links to behavior. Beck then talks about the ways we can use these studies to change our own behavior, specifically, in the realm of dieting.

Many of the first strategies are about getting back in touch with your body. Lots of long-term dieters have learned to ignore their bodies – after all, when your body tells you it's hungry, you can't actually listen, right? Beck teaches you ways to listen again, because, as she rightly points out, you can't ignore your body forever. You might not be physically hungry, but just feel mentally deprived by your limited food choices (I think this may be more accurate for low-carbers, especially those who don't experiment in the kitchen).

The book is all about becoming “authentically thin”. Rather than feeling like you're hanging on with your fingernails, two bites away from falling back into old eating habits or just stuffing your face, you access a place of peace, secure in the knowledge that you can be permanently thin. Beck describes this as being “the Watcher”. You step back, you listen to competing urges and you make the choice.

I like this approach for the kinder, gentler manner in which you approach your body. Many others have said it before me, but weight loss from a place of self-hatred and disgust won't stick. You might get jumpstarted that way – you might even lose a bunch of weight that way, but trust me, you are not going to stay skinny that way. And you definitely won't be happy.

I've been trying the exercises in The Four Day Win this week. I'm still on the ones at the beginning of the book, which are mainly about listening to your body, recognizing hunger levels, differentiating between emotional and physical hunger and identifying physical manifestations of stress. All of these strategies are supposed to help you do the mental work necessary to sustain any dietary changes.

I didn't change my food plan. I blushingly admit to skipping the gym this entire week. I just worked through the suggested “wins”. And I lost three pounds – down to my lowest weight yet on this journey.

I'll keep you posted on my progress through the rest of the exercises, but so far, this one's a winner at making me thinner! (Sorry...couldn't resist!)

The Power of Low Carb

We went out to eat last night, and as the rest of the table was digging into the garlic bread, someone asked me if I was still doing the no-carb thing. “You have such great willpower,” she complimented. I, the former Ben&Jerry's pint downer, tried to disabuse her of this notion.

See, I have terrible willpower, if there even is such a thing. I love food. I love touching it, making it, smelling it, tasting it, chewing it. I like to eat, a lot! I don't think I could have tipped the scales at 200lbs  if I didn't love food. And if my supposed willpower was so strong, I would have stopped eating long before I ran out of pants that didn't slice me in half at the waist.

I think willpower doesn't make much sense when it comes to dieting. Neurotransmitter and hormones and chemicals and electric impulses collide around the brain and produce a resulting behavior. Humans have far less choice and control in the matter than they like to believe. You can say you had the strength to resist that serving of pie, but I call B.S. Your brain collisions simply guided you to a different reward. By not eating the dessert, you could have the pleasure and satisfaction of a) sticking to your diet, b) having slightly more slender thighs, c) feeling healthy and “clean”, d) not worrying about the scale effects, e) looking like the health-conscious one at the dinner table, f) avoiding sugar rushes, or g) all of the above. Another day, the tantalizing taste of the pie may be more pleasurable than any one or all of the aforementioned rewards, so you eat it. 

While it may have looked as though I had steely strength while resisting cheese-covered garlic bread and flour-battered wings, really, I was just looking forward to my steak. Being “off” sugar for so long means I am mostly free from cravings, so the internal battle of “Oh that looks so good – but I mustn't!”  doesn't happen. The key with this way of eating for me is that I love what I eat. I don't feel deprived or hungry.

Yesterday was a great example of how low carb eating curbs appetite. At around 10:30am, I ate brunch: chicken souvlaki skewers dipped in tzatziki (yum!). Then I became completely engrossed in writing and other website work, and realized at 2:30 that I had three loads of laundry and a pile of dishes to do, the whole apartment to tidy, and myself to shower and dress before leaving the house at 4:30 to catch a train. This did not leave any time to eat, and I didn't have anything quick I could grab.

By the time we got off the train, I was admittedly ravenous. I ate a couple of slices of Monterey Jack cheese, and felt fine. This lasted me another two hours before my juicy, seasoning-crusted steak arrived before me. My total calories for the day, with one patch of hunger? 1000.

Let me be clear about this: with any other macronutrient ratio, such a calorie-restricted day would have me climbing the walls. My responses to hunger range from indescribable sadness and despair to general irritability to outright banshee-esque fury. I grew up in a house where food was plentiful, the fridge always stocked with apples and cheese for quick satisfying snacks and three very square, very English meals a day. (I still remember my shock as an undergraduate at the price of cheese, which had previously magically appeared in the fridge like water from flowing from the faucet!)

However, with 135g of protein spread over the day, I was neither despairing nor demonic. I don't make a habit of cutting my calories this low, but it's nice to not be driven demented with hunger when such situations arise. Also, as my weight gets lower and lower, the low carb magic of eating as many calories as you like and still losing tends to dissipate. The way I see it, it's win-win. I can eat way more calories than someone on a low fat diet, and still lose weight, or at least maintain this weight. Or, I can eat way less calories than that same low fat dieter, and feel less hungry and more satisfied. More weight loss, less hunger, and deliciously satisfying foods. I can deal with skipping the bread for that, even with the worst willpower in the world.