Alabama
The posts have been sparse here lately because I have been spending so much of my time researching and learning more about the interplay between exercise and nutrition. I have really cranked up the intensity of my gym sessions this month and have become much more conscious of my diet in order to maximize my results.
Needless to say, the White Southern lifestyle of binge drinking, barbecuing on the weekends, and eating too much pork and fried foods can have a disastrous effect on your health over an extended period of time, especially in the automobile age when most people don’t get nearly as much exercise as they used to.
With that in mind, I would like to probe the OD audience here and start a discussion about exercise and nutrition. What foods are staples of your diet? What foods do you avoid eating? Does anyone here prep their meals in advance? How regularly do you exercise? What supplements do you use?
Does anyone here use an exercise program like CrossFit, P90x, or Zumba? Is anyone here on “the paleo diet”? Are you “counting your macros”? This is an inexhaustible subject.
New Guinean women were studied recently to discover why they have a much higher rate of prion disease than the men. It turns out the men eat the tastier parts of their cannibal victims, while the women have to eat the brains.
It is never wise to eat brains and spinal nerve tissue of mammals, or people.
Honestly, I eat very little.
My body seems to be capable of getting a lot of mileage out of very little energy. It’s probably why I succeed in road races.
I recommend lamb and mutton for anyone with British/Irish ancestry and lots of cod.
12,000
Years of specialization cannot be wrong.
I eat light and varied.
I notice mixing up your diet seems to help with keeping weight off. If you eat the same thing every day it seems the body gets used to it and stores it.
Try rowing. Seriously, it’s a motherfucking blast of you can be in a crew. It’s a Viking sorta thing.
Body type and sport.
http://www.insidescience.org/content/why-olympic-rowers-and-runners-have-different-physiques/752
If you are small and light framed run. If large and heavy framed different sports for you…the rowing type is intersting because the ideal is 215 lbs and 6ft 2.
Imagine the scene in the dark ages. I’d think the Viking would be a perfect infantry specimen.
John, we’re also fond of lamb and mutton. Lamb, leeks and potatoes, slowly cooked.
Lamb is my favourite type of meat. It’s a great shame that it’s not more popular in the states. Lamb delicacies are good too like kidneys and liver. Beef versions of the same are poor substitutes.
I notice mixing up your diet seems to help with keeping weight off. If you eat the same thing every day it seems the body gets used to it and stores it.
What preposterous nonsense. For the love of God put a sock in it, you imbecile.
Pizza, Coke, Frosted Flakes, hatred.
Tips: Sweatpants only, shower optional, stay indoors.
Male, 5’4″, 375 lbs.
That’s true of exercise.
If you do the same thing over and over again, your body will adjust and you will plateau.
Week 4, Day 2 of my return to weightlifting. Shoulders/Traps + 1 hour walk + 30 min HIIT session.
I will digest the feedback over the weekend and make some adjustments in Week 5.
The best thing about nutrition and exercise is that we have complete control over our own bodies whereas politically we are powerless.
Did you say you were 150 lbs?
How tall? If you are short You should eat more, honestly mate, you’ll keel over from lack of energy at some point. Seen it happen. I get light headed when I’m down to 175 Ibs.
“John, we’re also fond of lamb and mutton. Lamb, leeks and potatoes, slowly cooked.”
OK, I tried to stick to what HW asked, and not descend into cooking, and ‘what do YOU like to eat?’ comments, just like I wish the ‘gym rat’ types wouldn’t start talking all about reps, and this ‘extreme’ sport, vs. that ‘extreme’ Marine workout video, with that ugly Nig on it, etc.
But I have to say, for me, Lamb is the MOST DECADENT meat I have EVER eaten.
Lamb, olive oil, Basil, salt and pepper, in a hot skillet. TO DIE FOR. Heavenly. No wonder YHWH God commanded the Israelites to eat a fresh lamb at Passover. Foretaste of heaven.
As to the comment about not drinking alcohol- did you not see that I said drinking WINE in small quantities, actually has been proven to be beneficial to you? Isn’t wine, ‘alcohol’? What I was talking about are all the hard liquors, and the mixed drinks that are so typical of the “Happy Hour/Bar/Booze/ginormous GUT” type of drinks, that people indulge in. excessive Beer- *like more than one a day* – is unneeded and pure empty calories. When there was no such thing as safe drinking water, alcholic drinks served a purpose. Today, with municipal water systems, (and a proper filtration system on your home tap) water is literally the ‘liquid of life.’
Many of the men (it always seems to be men?!) who say ‘All that fiber, etc. tastes like cardboard’ – when asked to change their crap diets, are just being infantile “I want what I LIKE to eat, waaaaaa!” types, when it comes to this area. After being old enough to have a colonoscopy, and learning about diverticulosis and diverticulitis, saturated fats, stressed livers, gall bladders, what causes onset of adult diabetes, watching a friend die from it/limb amputation, open sores, blood sugars off the chart, etc., all I can say is, “Do you not know that your body is not your own? You were bought with a price!” (That’s from the Bible, btw)
As to fads and other follies, I am glad to use ‘some’ Paleo recipes, but, as a Christian, I am also bound to believe that it is not WHEAT as God created it, that is bad (and yes, I have read the book, ‘Wheat Belly’- great book!) but that it is APOSTATE LIBERAL MAN who has tampered with the wheat we USED to eat, when so many less people had ‘gluten insensitivities’, celiac, etc. After all, the Eucharist is made from Wheat.
How can the body and blood of Christ be harmful?
Solution? Not jumping on the Jewsmedia hype bandwagon, trying this diet, and that fad, and this weight loss guru (and they ALL seem to be Jewish, have you noted?) but going back ‘ad fontes’ – to organic foods (Denise, your comment about that cider, made my mouth water) – for instance. How many of you can your own fresh fruits, and veggies? The wife started to can a couple years back. Another Homeschooling mom gets organic fruit in late July/early August, and a bunch of women actually got together, and learned to can- just like they USED TO, in the 1940’s.
It was positively medieval; women chatting sweetly, cutting fruit, mixing ingredients, men out on the porch, talking Bible, and world events. It woulda made a feminazi scream like a lez! (I loved it, women in the kitchen, yeah!) lol
Well- the first time we tried fresh-canned jams and jellies? – OMG.
I wanted to cry, it was so POTENT. So full of fruity goodness, so SWEET, so amazingly AWESOME, we’ve never gone back to regular store-bought garbage again.
For those men who decry whole-grain bread, and other ‘cardboard’ stuff… try a piece of good bread, with organic butter, and some of this kinda jam on it, and you would NEVER say what you said, again, pardner!
About those women canning while the men are outside: It doesn’t cost too much to set up an outdoor kitchen pavilion like the Amish for canning in summer, butchering, etc. Lots of elbow room, fresh air (important with making homemade lye soap, cutting onions, and especially, horseradish grinding) and the mess is easily hosed down afterwards. Then you need a smokehouse, solar drier or hot attic, ground cellar, and basement pantry shelves. Modern designer kitchens aren’t enough.
I like the way you bring the Eucharist, etc. to the diet discussion. It constantly points us back to what is MOST essential — and I appreciate the freedom we have here, on Hunter’s site, to mention and even discuss Christianity, unlike some other WN or WN-related sites that react with hostility, or even delete such comments.
Alcohol makes you live longer http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-09/09/why-alcohol-is-good-for-you
If I could recommend one thing to you Hunter…
Whatever path you take with this health-nutrition thing, make sure it’s rooted in good, peer-reviewed science as opposed to bad-science, conjecture, anecdotes, etc.
There is just as much bad info regarding race as there is bad info regarding health. Some organizations, who have a history of jumping-the-gun, continue to just flat-out lie to people in order to protect themselves from getting hit with a mega-lawsuit.
You’re a critical thinker and you like to read so I’m sure you’ll figure this whole thing out.
I think a book like Starting Stength for example would be a great place to start. http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-3rd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0982522738
It’s more of a text-book than training program and it’s written by a Texan no-less.
Read some good books based in science and you can literally figure everything out on your own, for yourself.
I’m 5’6 and 155 lbs
A healthy BMI range for me would be about 133 to 152. I want to push my body fat percentage down to around the middle of that and than focus on gaining lean muscle.
I’ve been on the exercise warpath for three years now.
In that time, I have lost 70 lbs. I’m now getting really close to breaking into my healthy BMI range and pushing my body fat percentage down to the level that I set out to achieve.
If I have learned anything from this experience, it is that you shouldn’t even waste your time in the gym if you don’t know the basics of nutrition and don’t have your diet nailed down beforehand.
I would have accomplished my goal a long time ago if I had a better grip on my diet.
If you do the same thing over and over again, your body will adjust and you will plateau.
That’s true enough, strictly speaking. But the way it’s on the lips of trainers with only two weeks experience it’s a something of a myth in the making. And it’s dangerous because it provides a ready excuse. I bet if you polled them you’d find that at any one time some 50% of trainers (maybe more) would claim they’re plateauing or on the cusp of a plateau. Time to change up the routine (or just plain quit)! In reality, the vast majority would be far better off sticking it out and learning how to break through a plateau, in the process learning a valuable lesson in discipline, and a valuable lesson in not jumping to negative conclusions (it’s over, I’ve plateaued).
John,
It’s not that lamb is not popular in the U.S., but it’s one of the more expensive types of meat in u.s., about 45 dollars for a leg of lamb, maybe about 10-12 $ a pound.
And the idea that Dixie=fatty fried food is just the meme t.v. has created, just like Italians=noodles or Irish=green beer. A way to market “diversity.”
Back in reality, GREENS, for instance, are a well-known food of the south, and often unknown to Northerners.
HW— where you are, even with a very small space, you could have a year’s supply of lettuces, collards, kales, mustard greens, as well as carrots and other things. Many of these love the southern winter in much of the south and thrive and grow in 50-60. Also, the cost of a bare root berry bush is the same price as one pesticide laden tiny carton you get at the store.
Grow and eat Greens.
I also like Udo’s Oil, for whatever reason.
And can’t stand being inside those stuffy gyms with the recirculating air (unless they have a good sauna). The sauna is the only thing I like there.
Grew up swimming— but decided I don’t want to be in a pool with people I don’t know, lol.
When I said Greens grow in 50-60, I meant 50-60 degrees.
Mosin, you have great food ideas!
Also— baking bread and making noodles seems the best. Just cutting out pesticides and additives. Noodle recipe: 1 cup flour, 1 egg, about a tablespoon of milk. Roll it out, cut into noodles. A pasta maker helps if you want professional looking, same-size noodles. And then you are eating no more additives for only the cost of an egg.
My real goal is sourdough. I admit to using yeast in my bread, out of sheer laziness.
“And the idea that Dixie=fatty fried foods is just the meme t.v. has created, just like the Italians=noodles..”
– It’s no meme. Long pasta was a staple in my house growing up. Even now, I eat Di Cecco capellini with olive oil and provencale pretty much every day.
I’m 5’6 and 155 lbs
What body fat percentage are you? If you’re not sure, provide me with your waist circumference around your navel (exhale air, suck in gut, I’ll make the adjustment) and I’ll give you a decent estimate. If you’re not used to it, take a few measurements (removing the tape each time, starting anew); you’ll see how easy it is to skew the result by as much as 1/2″ depending on tape placement and how tightly you tug the tape.
A healthy BMI range for me would be about 133 to 152. I want to push my body fat percentage down to around the middle of that and than focus on gaining lean muscle.
Be careful with BMI.
BMI is a useful measure of public health because the main difference in BMI between members of the mass public is body fat. Take two random members, one at 21 the other at 26 and the difference is overwhelmingly likely to be accounted for by body fat.
However, differences in lean body mass can also account for differences in BMI. A body weight of 160 would put someone of your height into the ‘overweight’ category according to BMI. But it’s well within the realms of possibility* that someone of your height could be 160lb @ 10% body fat, and be far healthier (with respect to obesity) than someone at 145lb and 20% body fat.
* A reliable rule of thumb for estimating maximal attainable lean mass (for males) is to multiply your height in meters squared by 25. So for you, (66″= 1.68m), 1.68×1.68×25= ~70kg. At 10% body fat that makes for a total weight of 77kg or ~170lb. This formula is based on results from elite bodybuilders — ie genetic superstars — from before the steroid era, and thus represents something of an absolute maximum, meaning most will fail to attain it . Although it is the subject of much complaining among trainers who discover it (it’s not much known) and are underwhelmed by its implications, there is no serious evidence out there to contradict it.
Dixiegirl, greens like dandelion, spinach, chard, kale, cress, parsley, purslane, lambs quarters, turnip greens and beet greens were very IMPORTANT in our local diet when I was young, but for a long time they were forgotten, except by some farm families — too much “trouble” to sort and wash and prepare, I suppose. But now storebought pre-washed ready-to-eat young spinach, hydroponic bibb lettuce and “spring mix” is being sold everywhere at about $10 per pound! But old-fashioned leaf lettuce and the other greens I mentioned can be grown or gathered wild at very little cost, and much fresher. I do like a lot of “southern” vegetables, though, Doctor Martin (giant) pole lima beans, okra in all three colours, cowpeas, white and orange yams, and “shoepeg” corn are planted.
I think lamb, mutton and chevon are not too expensive, when it is considered that a little goes a long way compared to lean beef or chicken. Rabbit is another meat that is more filling. Squirrel is tops, worth the trouble.
Potato bread, made with the water from boiling potatoes, and some mashed potatoes added to the flour mix is fail-proof and has the best texture and yeasty taste. I despise rice, noodles and all kinds of pasta, and hominy grits. But I realise they are good ways of preserving food (dry) without canning or freezing. Nuts are very important for a good diet, especially native nuts like black walnuts, butternuts and hickory nuts that last several years in their hard tight shells and chestnuts that can be shelled and dried and kept for years like pasta (but better).
Bread is bad because of what is done to wheat. True whole wheat flour has a shelf life of about 24 hours without refrigeration.
I have considered buying a home grain mill, but have no idea where I would buy wheat.
This is what I came up with when I was time-lining innovation in cooking and food:
If you couldn’t eat it before the Civil War it is probably not good for you.
Fr. John mentioned fasting. When we wake up we are not generally starving because our bodies have adjusted to the lower insulin level. I doubt the average person ate three meals a day prior to the Civil War. My theory is that breakfast might have been coffee or milk and a bisquit (maybe oatmeal when cold out), lunch was probably also light for most people, and that dinner was the big cooked meal. Remember they cooked on wood stoves, and nobody would have a wood stove going all day long if it was more than 50-55 degrees out. Prior to the Civil War one could not snack on Doritos at 10:30PM, there was no going out for a late dinner, and a pot of soup could not be left on a stove infinitely. The only refrigeration was an ice box if lucky, or outdoors if cold.
“My theory is that breakfast might have been coffee or milk and a bisquit (maybe oatmeal when cold out)”
I dunno about elsewhere but bowls of milk with oats, nuts, acorns, berries, wild seeds etc goes back a very long way in NW Europe at least. I think you’re generally right but a bowl of milk and cereal for breakfast is very old.
Ah I see. The height. Fair enough.
Once you get down to the right BMI and have an athletic Fat % , do not binge drink ever. It’s dangerous.
test said: I dunno about elsewhere but bowls of milk with oats, nuts, acorns, berries, wild seeds etc goes back a very long way in NW Europe at least. I think you’re generally right but a bowl of milk and cereal for breakfast is very old.
“Breakfast cereal” as we know it is a Post Civil War invention. I don’t disagree with you about what the contents of a bowl of food might have been prior to that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&
A timely article.
“I have considered buying a home grain mill, but have no idea where I would buy wheat.”
Again, not only do the network marketing folks have some superior products (I mentioned my Shaklee ‘upline’ earlier) but there is an LDS-based ‘home storage’ company called ‘Shelf Reliance’ of which I (again) am a member.
They sell various sizes of all fruits, veggies, grains, pastas, and wheat you could want, and in perilous times, you NEED to have 1 year’s worth of stored food, come the revolution/EBT/Obamania. Also, you can sign up people in your church, develop a network of aid and assistance to those underemployed, and know WHO has ‘extras’ come a time of scarcity. Don’t be a grasshopper, be an ant, as it were.
Bosch makes one KILLER mixer/dough handler-bread making device, and a firm from which I bought my grain mill, sells a really good one (forget the name). Point of all this blather is: nothing tastes as good as fresh-ground wheat, made into real bread. It takes not much longer than any preparation for a good home-cooked meal, but the bread tastes SO much better- simply because it’s fresh.
A timely article: /2013/02/24/ yet it is only /2013/02/21/.
I am kidding, but it is funny, you being Fr. John, posting an article dated three days in the future (but if you look at the actual article it is dated February 20, 2013).
Where do you get the wheat for your mill?
313Chris says:
– It’s no meme. Long pasta was a staple in my house growing up. Even now, I eat Di Cecco capellini with olive oil and provencale pretty much every day.
—I get that. But hopefully noodles is not the only thing you think defines your historical legacy.
Thanks Silver.
I still got some belly fat to lose and some more around my hips and thighs. Otherwise, I don’t look overweight at all, especially in Alabama, but I am still slightly over for my height.
I’d guess you at 16-18% based on those comments and your stated body weight. You don’t look overweight at all at that level. Many people would describe you as crazy to want to lose weight (“but you don’t need to lose any weight!”). But naked you can tell that there’s a bit of flab that you’d be better off without. As you hit 15% down to 13%, it progressively feels less and less like ‘flab.’ You can justifiably call yourself slim at that level. The only thing missing is visible abs, and you really need to get down to 10% before they show up unambiguously.
My dad, who was raised in Alabama, always liked collard greens. I never could take much of a liking to them though.
What is “provencale”?
Once you get down to the right BMI and have an athletic Fat % , do not binge drink ever.
Why does it become dangerous?
When you are lean the alcohol will be more intoxicating. Falling down drunk syndrome seems to affect slimmed down light framed people more that fatties.
When you are lean the alcohol will be more intoxicating.
That’s not true. Fat cannot absorb alcohol therefore for two people of the same weight the proportionally fatter one will have more alcohol in his bloodstream.
“What body fat percentage are you? If you’re not sure, provide me with your waist circumference around your navel (exhale air, suck in gut, I’ll make the adjustment) and I’ll give you a decent estimate. If you’re not used to it, take a few measurements (removing the tape each time, starting anew); you’ll see how easy it is to skew the result by as much as 1/2? depending on tape placement and how tightly you tug the tape.)”
That is frankly the reason I decided to walk out of gyms and get away from all of this. I worked out pretty much daily from the time I was in about the 5th grade on up through high school and for a few years afterwards. I was “into” it all. While resting on the bench one day I watched two guys. They were doing the fast walk around the perimeter of the gym. One of them had his finger pointed into the others arm and was saying “You got really nice” something or other. Form pecs, whatever it was. It hit me that there was a lot of that kind of thing goes on with these guys.
No, they were not gay. I know. Neither are most of the other ones that do that. I know.
But.
It’s like what a buddy of mine said about another guy we worked with who worked out and all that all the time. The guy was imitating some kind of move and making a noise, showing how to do some workout. My buddy said, “If he ain’t queer he missed a damn good chance.”
Not to knock anyone, but that bout sums up too much of it for me. Carry on.
I don’t know Brutus. I thought I was just trying to be helpful. If you have a buddy who knows his way around under the hood is it gay if he tells why your car won’t start?
Hunter’s not really a buddy, of course. Indeed, in some sense we’re on opposing sides. But I respect his position and hope it works out for him to a degree. He has his reasons for being unwilling to reciprocate my well-wishing but that might change in time.