01 The gist...

The gist...

Hey Folx, 

The gist of how I got here (these topics and more will be explored deeper in future posts): 

• I was introduced to delicious foods in elementary school (mmmm yellow tail sushi), kick starting a love for food and cooking
• In middle school, I started skateboarding and eating a lot ( where my comfort eating started), of which I could afford due to excessive physical activity 
• In high school, I continued skateboarding, and eventually started surfing, and I continued to eat well (read: eat a lot of rich high calorie food)
• Through college, these trends continued
• After college, when I started working professionally, making money and working in an office, my physical activity nearly ceased, but my obsession with food was already ingrained in me
• The following 8+ years of these same trends handed me some dumb injuries and realizations of getting older and not healthier, so I started to explore many diets with no success
• After having our first kid, and being really worried about my health and future (we’ll call this rock bottom), I bit the bullet 

Mental Health Tip: In the past, I found it extremely difficult to commit to previous diets for more than a meal because I wasn’t ready. I was ok with choosing indulgence over health (sure, insert comment about addiction). But I finally got to a point where I was ready: I want to keep surfing into my later years, I want to be active with my kids for as long as possible, I want to stop getting unnecessary injuries, and I wanted to stop having consistent indigestion. You won’t be able to commit to something (like calorie deficit eating) until you are VERY ready. Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t ready either, there’s nothing wrong with not being ready. Almost everything in life is a choice. But since you’re reading this, maybe start to look at why you are interested in making a change. You may find inspiration for being ready to commit.

Food Choices Tip: Start reflecting on what you typically eat, a journal is a great tool for this. Then, start to make a list of foods you actually enjoy eating (any and all). The point of these two steps is to create some reality and baseline around what's typically eaten (food and calories).  For instance, I eat a lot of In-N-Out (a regular double-double is 670 calories) and I like beer (in moderation of course, one 12 oz beer is about 190 calories). Because I want to eat what I want to eat, it was important for me to figure out how I could fit these into my calorie deficit, and I have. I like broccoli and I like chicken too (both of which are lower calorie), but no, I don’t want to eat dry broccoli and chicken twice a day 7 days a week. But if you do, cool you’ve won! 

Recipe: Samin Nosrat (of Salt Fat Acid Heat fame on Netflix, a favorite of mine) makes an amazing Buttermilk Marinated Whole Chicken in the oven. You can also use chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken (like my picture). The recipe is super simple, try it! 

Cooking Tip: If you “are not a cook”, it is time to start. Really, get over it. Cooking doesn’t have to be scary because it doesn’t have to be complex. Cooking your own food is also way cheaper, healthier, and you have all the control of what goes in to it. With a bit of effort, paying attention, and even taking some notes, you can make some simple, impressive meals that will empower you. Also, for the love of god, please season your food. Salt is not the antichrist that some make it out to be. Sugar is actually the antichrist, and is as or more addictive than cocaine, so there’s that. 

Meal Prep Idea: The calories and macronutrient values expressed below are estimates. I try to err on the side of higher calories than lower. I record chicken as these options: 

1. Chicken with skin - 3 oz - 240.8 cals, 24.1 g protein, 0 g carbs, 15.5 g fat
2. Chicken thighs without skin (remove skin after cooking) - 3 oz - 156.8 cals, 19.5 g protein, 0 g carbs, 8.2 g fat

I typically eat this for lunch, which I try to allot 550 calories for. I use a 3-4 oz serving, depending on what else I pair with it. Many times I pair some form of potatoes (THE ultimate calorie deficit food) or butternut squash (the second ultimate calorie deficit food). I also usually add some sort of sauce to this combo (I love sauce, sauce is everything). Chicken is great because it can be paired with just about any other food, and besides turkey, it has one of the lowest meat calories to serving size ratios. 

Note: The buttermilk (from the Buttermilk Marinated Whole Chicken recipe) is supposed to be moderately wiped off after the 24 hour marination, but of course there is some left on the chicken. The point of the buttermilk is the acidity it brings to the marinating process, not the fat content. I would assume 2 tablespoons are left on the whole chicken, equaling about 33 calories, but spread that out over however many servings are created.  

Exercise Tip: Get moving! Research shows that even 10 minutes of walking a day has great benefits! Counting calories has been the driver of my weight loss, and my physical activity has been a secondary driver, while making me feel good (mentally and physically), and helping lose fat through burning calories. So get moving! 

Next post: How I got here...