This could have been called "protein is hard." I've been trying to get my fitness and health back under control after last year, and a big part of that is nutrition. A big part of nutrition is hitting my protein goal every day. This should be easy because I fucking love protein in all its forms. But man, it is a struggle. And I have it easier than most people because of my weird, genetic ability to consume heaps of fat without spiking my cholesterol levels. My GP is very impressed.
One thing I can't do, however, is magic the calories away. And hitting 170 g of protein a day means eating a metric shit ton of calories. It also means that if something I like doesn't have a ton of protein, I'm struggling to justify it in the daily chaff bag.
This morning I had trouble justifying a piece of toast with my scrambled eggs and salmon. It was a hundred calories I couldn't find anywhere else in the budget. And yeah, 100 cal isn't that much. But you string a couple of those decisions together for a day, and suddenly you're in trouble. So I decided I’d have my scrambled eggs and salmon without toast.
Never again. I mean, they tasted fine. I make a pretty mean plate of scrambled eggs. (The secret is to salt and whisk the eggs 15 minutes before you cook them). But without the crunchy contrast of a nice piece of toast, it was all just, I dunno, a bit soft and even slimy. That seems like an appalling thing to say about a perfectly decent plate of salmon and scrambled eggs, but here we are. It was slimy. There, I said it. Next time, there will be toast.
Toast with eggies is a sublime treat, totally underrated. If you lived closer by, I'd flex you some eggs from my hens. Fresh eggs from hens that have natural diets are totally different from store-bought. Firmer, richer yolks.
A big part of that chaff bag calculation is just the simple matter of sustainability too. Is knocking off those 100 calories from the budget worth it if eating becomes a joyless trudge? Because joyless trudges are enormously difficult to maintain, and you could end up sabotaging the achievement of your long term goal by short term deprivation...
Yes, to sustainability. That's why I'm not on a 'diet'. I've increased calorie intake to feed the exercise and especially the strength training I'm doing. So I dont have put up with hunger, which is a certain path to failure. But man, that protein goal.
I have felt the same way and I don't know if its worth it but I have been buying English muffins and splitting them, and only having half one. If nothing else, makes me feel like I am doing something. I also know they go off pretty quick, so I split them and freeze them. The other issue is that I have breakfats (sic) at 0630 ish but then the boys get up and offer french toast, bacon, smoothies, breakfats hash etc. They enjoy the torture.
I often ask people weird questions. One was if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? My choice was crusty bread straight from the oven with butter. So your eschewing of bread makes me doubt your sanity.
Soak up googs with a good breakfast sausage from an actual butcher. Remember: tobasco sauce makes bad food taste good, and good food taste better. Doubly so if the the food is sausso and egg with a side of spinach leaves, mushies and fried tomato. And all still keto!
If in Australia (particularly Queensland) there is an excellent hot sauce called Chilli Willy. Lots of varieties but a house favourite is called "Slap My Arse And Call me Cindy". Started off just buying it for the name...but goes with everything.
I'm getting close to 50 and finding those kgs hard to move . . . . did i say hard? I dont think i'm really trying! Still eating all the bread and all those good things but i'm finding my weight ups a notch around xmas and doesnt drop back down. Doing weights sounds suspiciously like the work i have to do on my block when it comes to winter and cutting, splitting and stacking wood. Or pulling out biddy bush (insidious weed that will catch fire just by looking at it). Or any of the other million chores - you can always come down here and help out if you need some weight training? I have a massive downed tree that needs sectioning for firepit seats as my next job. Rolling 70cm diameter 1m lengths of trunk may burst something inside you though :)
wow, i mean, WOW and where in the fk do I start. Firstly ...Scrambled eggs..FFSAKES MAN, POACHED, and then, then there is this stthing I heard called salmon er..fkn fish er raw pink fkn stuff on me breckie fkn plates thata better served with pink fkn shardy drinking finger in the air i drink tea ffsakes muppets in audi batery packed skirty werin fkn high heals ffdsaskes!...AND ...AND you had the temeritry to trying to do it witghout toadt and ONE FKN PIECE AT THAT FFSAKLES! MAN...You need a metric tonne of fkn adjustment!
Skip breakfast, focus on steak for dinner. Where's the downside?
On the other hand, (good) bread is the stuff of the gods, and you don't want to wind up like one of those paleo guys who all seem to drop dead young.
I did cut out my regular toast or croissant for breakfast a while ago when I decided that I just didn't nead the extra calories. Doesn't seem to be doing me any harm. Now when I "do breakfast" it's a special occasion and I get to splurge on pancakes and bacon or whatever.
I hear you! Just turned 53 and it is so bloody difficult to get back to a good weight. Been trying to shed 6-7kg to get down somewhere near 85kg. It’s all diet related. Can still smash out a 5km run at lunch, and can still smash the rower for 5km in about 20mins so the aerobic capacity is good, but, man, those kgs are hard to shift.
You sound very much like me, Pete. Even down to the rowing machine. (Autocorrect turned that into ‘roasting’ machine and for once it wasn’t wrong). I’m gonna suggest you do some heavy lifting as part of your routine. It fires up the metabolism rather than than convincing it that it needs to get more ’efficient’, which cardio does, at least for me.
Excellent suggestions Steve. I’m always looking for a reason to fire up the egg. And no, the blog doesn’t count for wordage. But I am trying to do at least one post a day here. Everything is so awful everywhere else I thought it would be nice to have a nice place to go on the internet again.
Toast with eggies is a sublime treat, totally underrated. If you lived closer by, I'd flex you some eggs from my hens. Fresh eggs from hens that have natural diets are totally different from store-bought. Firmer, richer yolks.
Anybody know if I could bring some eggs in my carry-on luggage to Oz?
No. They will shoot you at the border.
Having lasted this long, it would be a shame to die for eggs.
There are a wide variety of "happy chicken" eggs available in Oz. Perhaps not as fresh as yours, but they probably haven't crossed any borders either.
Before they shoot you at the border, you would at least have the joy of watching the airport beagles get excited.
A big part of that chaff bag calculation is just the simple matter of sustainability too. Is knocking off those 100 calories from the budget worth it if eating becomes a joyless trudge? Because joyless trudges are enormously difficult to maintain, and you could end up sabotaging the achievement of your long term goal by short term deprivation...
So yeah, have the toast. It's worth it.
Yes, to sustainability. That's why I'm not on a 'diet'. I've increased calorie intake to feed the exercise and especially the strength training I'm doing. So I dont have put up with hunger, which is a certain path to failure. But man, that protein goal.
That is a fair amount of protein without just drinking protein shakes and a ton of plain chicken.
I have felt the same way and I don't know if its worth it but I have been buying English muffins and splitting them, and only having half one. If nothing else, makes me feel like I am doing something. I also know they go off pretty quick, so I split them and freeze them. The other issue is that I have breakfats (sic) at 0630 ish but then the boys get up and offer french toast, bacon, smoothies, breakfats hash etc. They enjoy the torture.
I often ask people weird questions. One was if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? My choice was crusty bread straight from the oven with butter. So your eschewing of bread makes me doubt your sanity.
"Man can not live by bread alone", but throw in some cheese and red wine and it's starting to look like a picnic.
Andrew has summed up my plans for this evening perfectly (sans picnic)
Soak up googs with a good breakfast sausage from an actual butcher. Remember: tobasco sauce makes bad food taste good, and good food taste better. Doubly so if the the food is sausso and egg with a side of spinach leaves, mushies and fried tomato. And all still keto!
If in Australia (particularly Queensland) there is an excellent hot sauce called Chilli Willy. Lots of varieties but a house favourite is called "Slap My Arse And Call me Cindy". Started off just buying it for the name...but goes with everything.
Mmm tobasco sauce. The little bottles in MREs.
If you're anti slimy you could always try rubbery. No toast required.
Ugh.
The insulating properties of toast are also not to be underestimated. Naked plates really suck the heat out of the eggs.
I'm getting close to 50 and finding those kgs hard to move . . . . did i say hard? I dont think i'm really trying! Still eating all the bread and all those good things but i'm finding my weight ups a notch around xmas and doesnt drop back down. Doing weights sounds suspiciously like the work i have to do on my block when it comes to winter and cutting, splitting and stacking wood. Or pulling out biddy bush (insidious weed that will catch fire just by looking at it). Or any of the other million chores - you can always come down here and help out if you need some weight training? I have a massive downed tree that needs sectioning for firepit seats as my next job. Rolling 70cm diameter 1m lengths of trunk may burst something inside you though :)
wow, i mean, WOW and where in the fk do I start. Firstly ...Scrambled eggs..FFSAKES MAN, POACHED, and then, then there is this stthing I heard called salmon er..fkn fish er raw pink fkn stuff on me breckie fkn plates thata better served with pink fkn shardy drinking finger in the air i drink tea ffsakes muppets in audi batery packed skirty werin fkn high heals ffdsaskes!...AND ...AND you had the temeritry to trying to do it witghout toadt and ONE FKN PIECE AT THAT FFSAKLES! MAN...You need a metric tonne of fkn adjustment!
You start with getting me a piece of toast, bitch.
Ramona had it right: bread makes you fat. https://youtu.be/N9aTMrjactg
Skip breakfast, focus on steak for dinner. Where's the downside?
On the other hand, (good) bread is the stuff of the gods, and you don't want to wind up like one of those paleo guys who all seem to drop dead young.
I did cut out my regular toast or croissant for breakfast a while ago when I decided that I just didn't nead the extra calories. Doesn't seem to be doing me any harm. Now when I "do breakfast" it's a special occasion and I get to splurge on pancakes and bacon or whatever.
I hear you! Just turned 53 and it is so bloody difficult to get back to a good weight. Been trying to shed 6-7kg to get down somewhere near 85kg. It’s all diet related. Can still smash out a 5km run at lunch, and can still smash the rower for 5km in about 20mins so the aerobic capacity is good, but, man, those kgs are hard to shift.
You sound very much like me, Pete. Even down to the rowing machine. (Autocorrect turned that into ‘roasting’ machine and for once it wasn’t wrong). I’m gonna suggest you do some heavy lifting as part of your routine. It fires up the metabolism rather than than convincing it that it needs to get more ’efficient’, which cardio does, at least for me.
i like that a bit
I have weights! I shall find them and use them, when I find them. Thanks for the advice.
Lack of crunch is a big issue overall whatever the meal. Look for some low calorie/carb tortillas if such a thing exists down under.
You should smoke multiple pork loins on the egg, so you always have a snack at the ready.
Is this part of the daily word count? :-)
Excellent suggestions Steve. I’m always looking for a reason to fire up the egg. And no, the blog doesn’t count for wordage. But I am trying to do at least one post a day here. Everything is so awful everywhere else I thought it would be nice to have a nice place to go on the internet again.
We feel comfy here too. How about a roast a day to go with your post a day?