Archive for June 2010
New on ABC News Nightline: “Eating Really is Rocket Science”
Well they may as well have. Not that there’s not some — a tiny little bit — of valid info in this seven minute video, but it’s just so damn muddled, so inconsistent, so many fucked & wrong messages that I have to conclude it’s an overall disvalue. Two thumbs down, way down…All this does…
Read MoreMeatza Invades la France. Vive le Paleo en France!
This is really cool. You remember meatza, right? Well, one of the readers here, Paul Merino took the idea on over to a restaurant he frequents, Fratelli Pasta Bar in Sophia-Antipolis, France. The video below is of somewhat camera shy chef Gabriel Bellenger thanking me for the recipe. I’ll give you the translation of the short video…
Read MorePork & Fruit: Good Together
For some reason, pork is simply one of those meats that, to me, seems — even intuitively — to go well with…well, just about any fruit I can think of. I’ve done carnitas with persimmons and I’ve done them with apples. Last night I was wondering what to cook and noticed I had a 1…
Read MoreMinimalist Shoes Revisited: Showdown: Vibran Five Fingers vs. SoftStar Runamocs
Alright. Here’s just the video. And here’s Mark Sisson’s Link Love mention that resulted in a few…uh…defensive comments here and there. That’s cool. The video is intended to help. And here’s the post that started it all: Out with the Vibram Five Fingers and in with the Soft Star RunAmoc. Minimalist Shoes Revisited from Richard Nikoley on…
Read MoreSunday Rock: Rush, The Trees
Had to be Rush today. For one, I haven’t put them up in a while. Second, have your heard about the new film, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage? Here’s the trailer. A friend clued me in this morning. And, it turns out VH-1 is airing it. Luckily, by the time I got it all groked,…
Read MoreReal Results: Primal in Philly
While sipping my morning coffee and checking email I came across a Google alert for "Free the Animal" that included a link to this article in Philadelphia Magazine: PRIMAL IN PHILLY: HOW I LOST 71 POUNDS IN SIX MONTHS BY EATING LIKE A CAVEMAN It’s the story of Timothy Haas and how he lost those…
Read MoreNot Bullshit #1
No Bullshit, except perhaps standing in line for 6 hours to get a dammed iPhone 4. I guess I have an ‘i’ addiction. Not Bullshit #1 from Richard Nikoley on Vimeo.
Read MoreBig Meals to Fuel Big Workouts and Big Gains
In the process of losing the 60 pounds I’ve lost I became averse to appetite, by which I mean that when I got hungry I’d eat pretty good — you’ve seen the food porn — but hardly ever with a voracious or gluttonous attitude. I just really got out of the habit of eating a…
Read MoreOut with the Vibram Five Fingers and in with the Soft Star RunAmoc
Let me just get this out of the way: Vibram Five Fingers shoes are…’Just OK’ for me. Sure, I loved them, at first, but I later realized that was mostly the novelty of it. It wore off and pretty quickly. I still suspect they’re destined for the fad dustbin. See, I had long been into…
Read MorePaleo Sunday Rock: John Barleycorn Must Die
Actually, folk performed by a rock band would be a better description. I’m talking about Steve Winwood & Traffic performing John Barleycorn (Must Die) from the album by the same name. I found a delightful live performance from 1973 on YouTube. And so what’s the paleo connection? Well, it turns out that "John Barleycorn" is…
Read MoreMimi Roth is Bullshit!
(with honorable mention to Rogan Kirsch) If you didn’t get a chance to catch Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! episode on Fast Food, it was pretty good. Very, very Fat Head–esque, which is essentially to skewer the notion that fast food is responsible for obesity by means of an “evil” industry preying upon a “stupid” public.…
Read MoreHitting the Road
Beatrice just finished the school year and so we’re outta here, back next Wednesday. I have a few posts in draft and will try to finish them up soon. Se ya.
Read MoreDinner Solo, but Listening
…To Dave Matthews Band. I’ve had a lot of his stuff forever, since early ’80s. Love it. Here’s Rapunzel, Live, Chicago. On a certain level, having done a Jason Mraz concert last year, I think Jason must have listened to Dave, a lot. Far from his studio and album performances, Jason rocks the house, live,…
Read MoreGrilled Grassfed Flank Steak
Unfortunately while I do have a couple of posts in mind on more substantive matters, food preparations are about the only thing I’ve had time for lately. If you saw my post about last weekend’s farmers market, then you saw that wonderful looking grassfed flank steak from Knee Deep Cattle Company. Well, here’s how it…
Read MoreBraised Bone-in Short Ribs
These are from Prather Ranch for a really good price. With the bone in, for braising, the flavor is incomparable (you’re essentially making stock as you cook). The downside is that the ultimate quantity for a 2.5 lb package is a bit skimpy. Oh, well. The prep is pretty simple. I seasoned with a tsp…
Read MoreDry Rub BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Paleo Sauce & Slaw
I was mightily inspired upon waking Saturday morning. I’m going to do me some back ribs. This was a super fun undertaking and I’ve got a lot of photos for you. And remember, click on the images for the high resolution versions. First thing I did was head over to get some ribs (Costco, $30).…
Read MoreSunday Selection: Willie Nelson & Emmylou Harris – The Maker
Yesterday was pretty cool. Upon waking Saturday morning I figured I wanted to do baby back ribs. I wanted to do them long, and take lots of care, and I wanted to do a BBQ dipping sauce from scratch. That’s my next post. In the meantime, while yesterday was super fun and I listened to…
Read MoreFarmers Market Take, Today
My trips to farmers markets are usually about protein & fat. I rarely know what I want to accompany a dish with, and more often than not I’m content with a salad. I’ve no beef — ha ha — with the "mostly plants" folks, but this is one corner of the paleosphere where we unapologetically…
Read MoreHeroism: A Uniquely Human Trait; the Story of Vernon Hershberger
The simplest way I’ve ever been able to reconcile a distinction between wanton self-sacrifice and heroism exists in the realm of values. To sacrifice yourself means, by definition, that you’re giving up a higher value (to you) for a lower value. Heroism involves values that you hold so dear that they may even outweigh your…
Read MoreAnother Burkhan-Leangains Progress Report with Pictures
I suppose the best thing about all of this Paleoishness and conditioning is that though months go by without a lot of progress perceived on my part, it’s gratifying to see it after a year.
And guess what? I weigh exactly the same as I did a year ago, about 180. Here’s what it looked like a year ago, “My Transformation in Photos,” and I was happy with that because it was an improvement on the previous set.
In all of this, I have always taken refuge in the belief that, 1) if this isn’t long term sustainable then I’m just goofing myself and that, 2) if it is long term sustainable then if I’m doing it right the fat will take care of itself in time. Patience. This is not and never has been about quick fat loss. It’s about getting on a life plan you can live with that motivates your genes and your metabolism to just do their natural thing. You didn’t get fat and undesirable overnight (yes, being fat is undesirable, unattractive, debilitating and all Fucked Up — don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise).
On the other hand, for those of us a little older, and, if being ripped style lean is an itch you just have to scratch, then once you get to a nice, sustainable body composition you might want to take it to the next level. That’s what I decided to do and I’d venture that two months ago I pretty much looked like I did a year ago. But no longer.
OK, here’s how it’s going. Bear in mind, the pics from today and a year ago are at the same weight, 180. You can click to get the larger version.
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