I’m careful, too. Just not the way I used to be, which was a bit fanatical or neurotic or something. I’m trying to drop weight, and when I bought steaks last week they were lean. Eating on my own while the husband is away, it’ll be fish and chicken.
I definitely don’t copy Pwn’s diet. But it has influenced me.
Feel free to copy! I’m a big fan of carnivore, I did it for years but I struggled to recover from hard work outs (especially training twice in a day) and keep my cholesterol down. It’s great for weight loss and some people seem to thrive on it. Just suggesting to keep an eye on cholesterol with high sat fat diets (which Peter Attia is a huge fan of keeping an eye on anyway).
Really appreciate all the replies everyone!
@EmilyQ The sincerity of your response is very much appreciated. And again, I took your teasing as good natured, as it appeared we misunderstood each other there when I brought up the peanut sauce example. Totally caught the tunafish reference as well, right up there with ATM machines and PIN numbers, haha. Giving permission is absolutely my goal when I share, and it’s the big thing I’m trying to convey: I’m a regular guy accomplishing NOT regular things by employing not regular methods. What, unfortunately, ends up happening is people will apply “not regular” to the front premise as a means of justifying the end premises, and it’s ultimately frustrating. “You like eating disgusting food!” No: I am human: all too human. I enjoy good tasting food. I have found good tasting food that accomplishes the goal: it just so happens to be unique and outside the norm. Your support through my own nutritional journey has been huge, and I always felt like a child receiving the approval of their parent when I would report to you the progress I was making in my relationship with food as I struggled with those very health concerns. Thank you once again for your presence here.
@raven78 I definitely appreciate those comments from you. What I’m describing is more those that would seek to wave away what I’ve accomplished by claiming I’m somehow different from the rest of humanity to the point that my accomplishments don’t actually count. I legit had a member of this forum call me “evil” for claiming that others could accomplish the very things I’ve accomplished. And I had 3 other forum members agree with that individual. It was eye opening on several levels, and ultimately disappointing and frustrating. I remember when inspiring and giving hope was considered virtue. And we get temps like that in the summer here too! …I’d rather have the cold, haha.
@PowPowPunishment Dude, always such high praise from you, as you are absolutely killing it. I also reflect on how funny you and I have developed over time. When we first “met”, you were perpetually underweight and I was always stocky, and now you’re an absolute unit and I’m walking around lean all the time, haha. Our love for Taco Bell will always remain though!
@Simo74 Always appreciate you swinging by. It appears, based off responses, I did a poor job conveying my lower back pain. My lower back hurt during that ONE set of high rep squats, primarily because SOMETHING had to hurt during that set. If not: I would have done more squats UNTIL something hurt. There needed to be SOME reason for me to stop the set, and on that particular day, it was my lower back. My lower back is absolutely fine: it’s just weaker than it’s been previously, because I haven’t been prioritizing reverse hypers like I used to. That’s a fantastic story about your kiddos! Mine is turning into quite the meat eater as well. It’s a welcome change, watching them get in SOME protein. I see all the pre-packaged garbage we give children these days, and if I can get mine to have a steak on occasion, that’s a win.
@thegentleway Appreciate the fellow carnivore chat. I will say that I feel like I AM careful about saturated fats, at least compared to how I used to be. Yes, I keep them on the high side, but I strive to get them from GOOD sources. Grassfed beef/dairy, pasture raised whole eggs, fatty fish, etc, vs my previous inclinations of fast food, keto treats/frankenfoods and low quality beef. One of the biggest pivots of my 30s was food QUALITY over mere quantity.
AM WORKOUT (0545 wake up via spouse’s alarm)
PESTILENCE Week 2, Day 1
GIANT SET CIRCUIT (press-incline-viking-dip-abs)
Axle continental and strict press away
5x161
4x161
2x3x161
Incline bench
3x6x135
4x135
12x135
11x135
Viking press
4xAMRAP (8-10)
2xAMRAP w/triple dropset
Weighted dips
5x105
3x105
2x4x105
Standing ab wheel
5x7
Poundstone Curls
100xAxle
Overhead tricep extensions
100xAxle
Notes:
School was canx for the kiddo due to cold, so I didn’t need to get up as early as usual. Slept until my wife’s alarm went off and managed to get in the lifting and normal morning routine, so that’s a win. Tabled the walk, push ups and squats. I SHOULD have Tang Soo Do tonight, and if so that’ll be my extra activity for the day. It’s been canx a lot recently due to the weather, but chaos remains the plan.
Speaking of cold: biggest x-factor in this workout was my hands kept going numb from the cold metal. You can see me trying to warm them up after each giant set, primarily because trying to continental an axle with number hands is REALLY stupid. I managed progress all around this workout, so that’s outstanding. I was also exhausted by the time each circuit was done, so also a win.
Still dealing with the remnants of whatever bug I caught. I’m imagining it’s another respiratory infection, based on the very phlegmy cough and having to constantly clear my sinuses. There’s a chance I’ve become prone to them. But, also, as previously observed: my immune system seems compromised during periods of famine. And once again, what’s nutty is how my physique will reflect my illness. I become inflamed when I’m ill, and will lose definition despite low calories. As the disease clears, the definition returns. It’s wild having an external barometer of health.
Slight deviation in the nutritional strategy this week: did the carb load on Sunday, yesterday was pure carnivore with 3 meals, today is the PSMF. Primarily because we all had the day off yesterday, and I wasn’t going to fast when I could enjoy some meals with the family. Especially when the Mrs asked “can I make you breakfast this morning?” yesterday. Yes: yes you can.
Definitely still inspiring (in case you hadn’t already caught the drift from the other posts here!) And I still count that as a virtue. I totally recognise that your results are repeatable, what I also recognise is that I don’t always want to do the things you do that would get me there, carnivore not on my present list of things to do and likely never will be, but you sharing does open horizons, the famine and feast stuff is definitely an influence in my current approach, a funny aside, I was driving today, listening to Outlive by Peter Attia and chapter 6: the crisis of modern abundance made me think of you and the F&F approach.
Your training likewise has evolved tremendously over the years and the results are evident, you have a unique perspective and experience, but:
Definitely isn’t true, your hard work is likely just an afront to people who don’t want to put the work in, again I acknowledge here that I don’t put the same level of work into my training that you do, but if I did my results would likely be similar. Your mindset sets you apart but even that is mailable and people just want to attribute your success to things beyond their control so they have an excuse for not getting the results you get.
Rambling to my conclusion - you are a fantastic dude who’s helpful (to those who actually want help) and generous with your support and time, and you’re highly successful in doing exactly what you set out to do, ignore the noise of those who seek to distract.
Sounds like a great improvement; what you’re eating sounds a lot healthier than previous diet. I agree food quality is important but more in terms of micro nutrients than macro. That list looks mostly great (in terms of sat fat - there’s no fibre!):
In fairness, that’s because I was listing my saturated fat sources: not the only food I eat, haha. That said, eliminating fiber went a LONG way toward improving my digestive health.
Links I’m not too concerned with. Studies in the realm of nutrition are just so terrible these days. But I DO know that when I endeavored to keep my saturated fat intake stupidly low, I suffered VERY observable health issues, whereas I am seeing SO many positives with this approach.
@alex_uk Really appreciate those kind words dude, and it was absolutely rejuvenating of the spirit. I’ll clarify that I don’t feel carnivore is the solution for anyone other than myself. And for me, it was because I NEEDED to hit that “reset button” on my life and nutrition. I had legit forgotten what real food was: I was SO fixated on doing whatever it took to get my blood markers to reach some sort of number that I was putting science experiments in my body. I look back on what I was eating now and SO much of it was indefinitely shelf stable, came in a package/box, and had a list of ingredients that read like a graduate thesis. Getting back to single ingredient foods was a big step in the right direction, and cutting out all the plants really went a long way toward restoring my gut health. The big thing was: I was a binge eater, primarily because I wasn’t eating any ACTUAL food, and I kept trying to satisfy that hunger with more and more veggies because I refused to eat enough meat, and it just tore me apart. I’ll most likely need to spend more time healing and recovering, but it’s been good for me. For those that weren’t suffering like I did, more nuance can certainly be employed. I feel like paleo “gets it”, but WE don’t get paleo, haha.
It’s been awesome observing your own journey here and the path you have taken. You are a total positive force multiplier.
I haven’t been as active on the forums lately and I’m missing a lot of conversations out of the 2-3 threads I check when I do log on, but, this jogged a memory. I recall some years back @twojarslave referring to you as Captain America and that’s stuck with me ever since. Thinking about it more, U.S. Agent might be a better fit, since he’s a little less predictable and favors the use of a 1911, haha.
Not a poor job mate, I read between the lines and saw your responses to others post on this. But still wanted to convey a message of support.
I deff hear you on this one. Watching my kids order a steak on holiday, and asking for medium rare and then cutting into it and showing me the pink flesh and juice, and saying ‘ooh dad this is a good one’ made me strangely proud.
Me too, cutting out fibre was transformative and it’s the main reason I stayed pure carnivore for so long.
Nutrition studies are a nightmare for sure and people misinterpreting them as well. There are a handful of sensible people looking at the science objectively, e.g. Setting The Record Straight on Saturated Fats | Biolayne
@mr.v3lv3t First, it JUST dawned on my typing out your name that you and I are brothers in early 2000s “L337sp34k”, haha. But I TOTALLY forgot about that “Capt America” comment until you brought it up. And I very much appreciate the nod there toward US Agent. I remember telling my Mrs that I HAD to own a 1911 because, last I checked, my blood was red, I was an American, and a male. I’ll, of course, always nod toward the Punisher when given the chance to be anyone…or the Juggernaut, haha, but the former can also be quite talented with that 1911. AND he’s given Capt America a handful on occasions. And Batman. But best of all was Cyclops
@simo74 My kid does the same thing! Cuts into the steak and shows me how well it was done. They told me that the steak I made them on Sunday was “perfect”. That hits just right as a father/provider.
@thegentleway I dig the notion that fiber is “conditionally significant”. If eating the standard American diet, it’s important to get in an adequate amount of fiber, because you have a LOT of waste/junk that needs to get cleared out. Less wasteful? Less need. Definitely good to get more people looking into the science of it: the scientist in me just always wonders about controlling the study participants.
AM WORKOUT (0520 wake up via spouse’s alarm)
PESTILENCE Week 2, Workout 2
22 rounds of Cindy in 23 minutes, 7 minute PR from previous attempt
Reminder: Cindy is 15 squats-10 push ups-5 chins
Breakfast
2 mile brisk walk in the snow and ice (no dog)
Notes:
Original plan was to get in the squat workout this morning. 20 minutes before my alarm went off, my wife rolled over in her sleep and put her arm around me. I shut off my alarm and stayed in bed until her alarm went off. That’s a life PR. The sick me never would have made that decision. This is one of the biggest signs of healing I’ve seen, and I am so happy for it. I had someone on reddit claim that I have had declines in fitness across all measurable levels, and it just makes me chuckle. We have to appreciate what REAL fitness looks like.
And in THAT regard, I also shaved off near 7 minutes from my previous time. I even made sure to get in the extra 15 squats I did last time. Because I slept in, I didn’t do the full “30 minutes of non-stop moving” that Jamie prescribes, but I figured going for a time PR met the mark. I was blazing through this workout with quite a bit of renewed vigor.
The walk was good. I was contemplating just walking up and down my basement steps, since our neighborhood hasn’t been good about clearing snow off the sidewalks, but I was listening to Dan John’s podcast yesterday and he was specifically talking about the benefits of walking outside in the winter time (in Utah, but good enough for here), and Jamie of course says to walk outside no matter what, and ideally on uneven terrain, so I threw on my barefeet and got to it. Went without the vest, just in case I hit a patch of ice (which I did), but picked up the pace to compensate.
Really just in a great place these days. We’re going out to Red Robin tonight to support a fundraiser for my kid’s school, so that’ll be cool. Might get in some quick playtime with the kiddo for a little extra physical activity.
Didn’t want to continue to spam that previous thread but now I can confirm that tuna fish with peanut butter is a successful combination.
Omega 3 protein chunks with flavored fat spread sums it up well. It looks awful and everyone will think you are a weirdo, but they are wrong.
@mechinos Oh my god thank you! See folks: I’m NOT crazy! I mean, I am, but not in this particular instance, haha. And I bet you’d get more folks saying that PB is a healthier choice than mayo when push comes to shove, so now you have a “healthy tuna salad”!
I regularly have sunbutter and tuna now thanks to your influence. The combination is functionally the same as mayo, so why wouldn’t I pick the more delicious option? I don’t see (too many) people wolfing down spoons of mayonnaise. (At least not people I care to emulate.)
Props on the latest workout summary. Squats, snow-walking, and quality family time all sound like you’re doing exactly what’s right.
@OwainGlyndwr Hell yeah brother! Oh man did I love me some sunbutter, haha. That’s a delicious pairing indeed. And concur: I HAVE known a few spoon to mayo jar folks, but they are a rare breed. One was a mega endurance athlete that operated under the motto “when the engine is hot enough, it will burn anything”, and I’d say JM Blakely’s advice to Dave Tate regarding a breakfast of 4 McDonald’s sandwiches with a hashbrown and a packed of mayo smashed in qualifies as well, haha. Very much appreciate the sentiment there at the end as well. As I get closer and closer to 40, I’m really finding the things I “want” to do training wise, and SO much of it is just getting outside and being, and having training enhance my life, vs BE my life.
It was interesting reading your thoughts some months ago when you stopped eating Nuts N More (which you also directed me toward and have now become a staple at home). Obviously the change for you was part of the larger transition to mostly carnivore eating, but if I remember right, you talked about how the obsession/reliance on things like Nuts N More was essentially just tricking yourself into thinking a different kind of junk food than Pop-Tarts was somehow healthy. Like, just go eat some steak and eggs instead. I’m loosely paraphrasing, of course, but it was interesting to me because I’d recently had a similar sort of realization. Years ago I decided that I wasn’t allowed to put my own peanut butter on a sandwich because I would absolutely go overboard with it—and yet somehow, because sunbutter/Nuts N More have a little more protein, it’s okay to just heap it on top of a bagel or eggs with no regard for decorum or dignity? Those too had become weirdly mindless, just another junk food idol to fixate on. I’m probably rambling a little, but anyway, I’d finally wised up to the fact that, as an adult, I still need to be mindful of what I’m eating, regardless of its nutritional content, so it was a fun coincidence to read you expressing related thoughts since I learned about Nuts N More from your posts. I still enjoy a variety of nut butters, but they have their proper place in my diet now haha.
Your thoughts on having training enhance your life v. be your life are spot on, I think. Too many of us fixate on the wrong things in life. I suppose it’s another example of keeping the goal the goal—is the goal really just to train, or is the goal to be a trained individual who experiences his life? All that dedication and effort had better be just one part of a fulfilling life, not its sum. Dan John’s “hit your reps then go spend the rest of the hour walking outside” idea is kind of a genius encapsulation of that idea.
Again, rambling haha - I haven’t commented on your logs in a while though, so I had some thoughts built up.
Dude, I LOVE your rambles: feel free to engage in them at any time. You’re 100% spot on with so much stuff there. You nailed my “Nuts n More” problem: anytime there was a sale, I’d buy about $50 in “gourmet peanut/almond butter”, and had a basement that looked like a bomb shelter as a result. And I was eating this stuff IN place of real food, because I had somehow convinced myself that meat and eggs were killing me and this souped up nut butter was “safe”. And, of course, I was hooked on the artificial flavors meant to taste like all the things I was “denying” myself. That cinnamon raisin one was like crack to me, haha. As you said: it’s about being mindful and learning to ENJOY vs to binge. These things should be life enhancers, rather than life itself. There is room for it all: we just have to be smart and responsible about it.
Dan is the man. I’m always learning from him. And often, right when I think I’ve learned, I find out I need to listen again.
Guilty as charged! I’m almost certain I could have had this screen name across all my now unused social media without the 3’s but you can’t deny one’s origins haha.
Cooler heroes clowning on Cyclops is the best. One of my favorite bits of cinema was the scene in the 2000 X-men when Wolverine “gives him the finger” with a single claw. 10 year old me loved that.
I don’t think you can respond to this with anything but hell yeah, brother!
@sirdanoman Shame you deleted that dude: it was a thing of beauty!
@mr.v3lv3t Cyclops is SO easy to clown on. Make a superhero that wears glasses and right away our bullying instincts to call him “four-eyes” kick in, haha. And along with that 1911, I was gifted a Remington 870 by my wife’s family, and I had to explain to her in similar parlance how that works. All I need now is an M4 “scary black rifle” to complete the set. And in that regard, how funny that all 3 of those pieces are the “barbie doll” of the world of firearms: SO many accessories!
AM WORKOUT (0424 natural wake up)
PESTILENCE Week 2, Day 3
GIANT SET (Squat-row-abs)
Buffalo Bar Squat
4x3x305
50x160
Viking row
6x20x75
Standing ab wheel
5x7
SUPERSET (quads-calves)
Calf raise
5x5x365
Reverse hyper leg extensions
3x25x110
BREAKFAST
Very brisk 2 mile walk through snow and ice (no dog)
Notes:
Training motivation is low as I enter the final phases of the famine, which tracks perfectly. I’m technically running this one a few days longer than 2 weeks, as I started it Wed 2 weeks ago upon my return from my cruise, but the feasting was so substantial it seemed warranted. I’m actually going to end up cutting a day out of the protocol (bench and dips) simply because of how the holiday schedule shook out, but in turn I’m proud of myself for prioritizing the Pendlay row day, as that’s absolutely NOT my jam.
The first squat in each set was rough. My right hip is being a little buggy, which I find tends to track once I start doing deads/mat pulls again. You can see how tender I am treating it on the walk outs, particularly when I walk the squat BACK in. But the set of 50 was like butter: absolutely smooth on the reps, hitting crazy rock bottom depth. Once again: 50 wasn’t my limit, but it was “good enough” for today, and a 5lb PR from last week.
Hit a new gear on the rows today. Really felt the back coming into play.
Scrapped the GHRs due to time. I can get some in later today.
Was really pushing the pace on the walk this morning. If the dog can’t join me, I figure I can make it brisk. May actually try some heavy hands next time.
Supposed to have Tang Soo Do tonight, assuming we don’t get snowed out.
For those that are curious: Red Robin’s Whiskey River Ribs are just kinda ok. I’m fairly certain they are slow cooked/pressure cooked rather than smoked, and they have a somewhat weird bone assortment to them. I got them without sauce, of course, but there was still a pretty solid river of fluid/grease on them mixed with the rub that created an illusion of sauce. All that said, one of the best things about ribs is that even when ribs are bad, they’re still pretty good. Also, I pulled an ace move of getting a side salad for my side, swapped out the shredded cheddar with blue cheese crumbles, asked for the crumbles on the side and then just ate those as my side. They even gave me a free side of burnt ends, because I asked if I could get the “burnt end fries” appetizer without the fries. I was willing to pay full price, but they just brought me out some burnt ends and called it square. Clutch. I legit enjoy the negotiation of going out to eat these days. SO many places are willing to work with me.
AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)
1+ hour of shoveling snow
Notes:
Got hit by a “winter squall” yesterday that accumulated quite a bit of snowfall. Work and school were still game on, and we’re looking at record level cold today, so got out early and tackled the driveway. It was good enough work for the day. I’m going to try to get in some mat pulls later just to get in some heavy moving, but if that falls apart it’s fine. Chaos remains the plan.
In that regard, after this block of Pestilence, I’ll have 6 weeks until my cruise (technically 49 days as of today). Original plan was to do Feast and then Famine again, but Building the Monolith is really calling to me. Primarily because this week has shown me that trying to lift 4-5 times a week is becoming difficult in the winter months, but cutting the lifting to 3x a week and allowing for 3x a week of conditioning would be far more viable. And sure, I could also make Easy Strength fit well, but given I’ll be feasting, I want to train in a manner that would best suit that.
PM WORKOUT (1845)
PESTILENCE Week 2, Day 4-“Dealer’s Choice”
(6) Mat Pulls
14+4+5x405
Notes:
