Kiddo did their second and third ABF workout, and 4th is coming up tonight. It’s so cool seeing how quick they progress from workout to workout. Those beginner gains are real. I also had a moment where I found myself envious of my kid. They were ruled “clinically underweight” at their last annual checkup, which, as a fat kid growing up, was something I could only dream of. My kid doesn’t have an ounce of fat on them, which is part of the reason they struggled in swim lessons. Meanwhile, they’ve got me in full on kitchen experiment mode, so my kid gets to dine on sous vide steaks, smoked meats, plus all the wonderful creations the Valkyrie whips up. And they also have access to a full gym and are getting personal instruction on this fantastic training program from Dan John. I would have killed for all of this at their age…and then I realized this means I’m probably doing a pretty good job as a parent giving my kid a life I’m envious of.
Flipping the script there: I watched the Superbowl purely for the commercials this year. Didn’t have a dog in the fight. There were a ton of commercials for junk food, with Pepsi and Doritos typically being the major contenders there. Then, there was a commercial for oral Ozempic. And it just blew me away how transparent the whole operation is. Here we are selling you foods that we engineered specifically to be hyperpalatable so that you CAN’T stop eating them, and they create a new phenomenon never experienced in nature known as “food noise” because they’re so incredibly delicious our brains can’t comprehend them. We created snacking as a concept and then sold you snacks to snack on. We specifically designed foods to be low in protein and high in energy so that they AREN’T satiating and are cheap to produce. And then we sell you oral Ozempic to fix all these problems we made AND we create a commercial where we try to de-stigmatize using medication for fat loss, because it’s not a willpower/moral failure that you can’t win this fight. And they’re right: it’s NOT a willpower/moral failure if you can’t win the fight against obesity while eating these foods designed to make you obese. But perhaps the solution ISN’T to eat the Doritos and take the Ozempic, but, instead, to stop BOTH of them. I didn’t understand what “food noise” was until I stopped eating process food and it went away…and I realized how much more bandwidth I had in life. And you’ve seen what I post in my log: I LOVE the food that I get to eat every day, but once the meal is done, I’m satiated and I get to move on with my life.
So glad you brought that up: it’s something the Valkyrie and I discuss all the time. Our kiddo does an excellent job of BEING spoiled without ACTING spoiled. They are truly grateful for all that they get. And so, we can take them on a cruise, and the entire time we’re there they’re thanking us for the experience, but it could also be a busy Saturday and time gets away from us and I ask them if they want me to microwave them a corn dog for lunch and they are so thankful I thought of them.
One of the biggest things I see from me in my kid is awareness, in an almost Matrix like sense. My wife was the same way growing up. We’d be around our peer group just wondering WHEN they were going to grow up. My kid sees the negative examples of their peers and learns from it.
I ate more than I should have last night. Treated myself, ya know? I was full but I went back for another bite or four of mac n cheese because I never have it. And then I felt like crap at bedtime. I was bloated, hot, and just all around uncomfortable. I slept horribly. Woke up tired and not exactly ready to face the week.
And it got me thinking today… “Why do I do that to myself?” I think I finally reached that point of feeling good with my food choices and not the least bit deprived and last night showed me what added sugar and some overindulging can do.
I’m excited to crush some ribs or burgers and eggs tonight and be done eating when the plate is clean.
And it got me thinking today… “Why do I do that to myself?” I think I finally reached that point of feeling good with my food choices and not the least bit deprived and last night showed me what added sugar and some overindulging can do.
I’m excited to crush some ribs or burgers and eggs tonight and be done eating when the plate is clean.
You have unlocked what I refer to as “the beef rib test”.
In my mind, nothing is more delicious than beef ribs (although my recent experimenting with beef cheek may persuade me otherwise…). I have listed it as my death row meal.
In turn, whenever I encounter something that my brain tells me is really yummy, I ask myself “Would I want that more than I’d want beef ribs?” Cheesecake? PopTarts? Girlscout Cookies? Pizza? Nachos? Etc.
And the answer is always no. I can, objectively, understand that those things are engineered to taste yummy, but I also understand that they won’t be AS good as a beef rib. And I feel better after eating a beef rib, and I stay locked on my goals, and I sacrifice NOTHING by eating it, because I like it more than that other stuff.
I don’t always EAT the beef rib when that happens, but it helps me understand that I’m not depriving myself by NOT eating that stuff. If I want to indulge, there is a for real indulgence out there that still keeps me on my path. Me not eating that stuff isn’t denial: it’s the ultimate freedom. To not want it.
I feel you on this. It’s the same thing that happens to me. Remembering how horrible I feel keeps me from indulging most of the time. Now if I overdo it, it’s usually something like mixed nuts or raisins. Not a great choice,but WAY better than cookies and bread and pasta.
This resonates Alot with me and our kiddo also. Almost 12 years old, and I don’t know any kids that are as respectful as ours.
Also spoilt, being the only one, but also doesn’t at all act it! Manners are exceptional, thinks others kids are “a bit silly sometimes”. Haha. Which is a very grown up thing to say.
I always felt a little bit of guilt not giving her any siblings (out of our control), but the little human she is turning into makes me realize it’s been totally okay. Most of out friends struggle quite a lot with multiple children, though I’m sure much of it is attitude towards parenting.
Our kiddo has her own way of looking at the world, and never seems to want after what ever else it is that is popular that the other kids have. (Thankfully!!! Those e-bikes are bloody expensive! )
(And to edit and add!). I think they see how we behave…we don’t want after the newest cars ot phones or caravans or Bigger and better houses cars or caravans or whatever! Just never been our thing, never much interested in the Jones’ I guess you’d say. (Wholeheartedly happy for anyone else that is…)
Breakfast was 13oz of leftover smoked beef cheek that I reconstituted in the air fryer at 300 degrees for 5 minutes alongside beef liver, 3 whole eggs and 5 whites.
Did nacho bowls for dinner. I used a base of a 3 egg/5 white omelet chopped up, with some piedmontese 93% lean ground beef, greek yogurt in place of sour cream, shredded colby jack and some crumbled bacon. This was one of two bowls.
I am definitely a fan of the bowls. Sour cream is my preference, but the yogurt was already opened. It’s an old dieting swap to up protein as well, but the amount I use is pretty inconsequential.
If you wanna keep it low carb/no junk and still be nachos, pork rinds are an awesome sub. I just used a fork myself, while the fam did tortilla chips.
My husband loves sour cream. I’ve never had a taste for it so I would just go without. I do love a good bowl though. I would stick with a fork. Pork rinds sound gross. Lol.
That’s fair. But that skin comes with the meat attached and is typically never deep fried (for me). I just have this horrible vision of a pig being skinned and then cutting it into strips then deep frying it. I’m sure that’s what they do, and I don’t know why that’s worse to me that the act of butchering a pig. I think maybe because it makes me think of Ed Gein. Lol.
Monday is my favorite night of the week, because I get to sleep in and wake up next to my Valkryie. However, I am finding it harder and harder to find the motivation to to this workout as a result, which is funny given how short it is. In truth, I feel like it’s the lukewarmness of it. It doesn’t blow me out of the water, so I wonder “why bother”, which is, of course, a juvenile mentality, but I like to say that I’m not 40 years old: I’m 19 with 21 years of experience.
Having said that, this was the best output I’ve had on this particular workout, and I noticed last week that I was moving explosively there too, so things are improving and I’m becoming more of an athlete again. I’m doing the easy variant, since this is the hard week of training, but in turn I was able to put a lot of myself into the workout. My hips also felt alright going on the rower first thing in the morning.
Weighed 84.7kg this morning, still showing very slight progression in bodyweight loss. Part of me wonders if I’m set up for a “whoosh” at this point. Also got in a timed hold last night, and was able to get 10k steps by pacing while flossing right before bed. None of the steps I get at work ever register, since I don’t wear my watch there, so this becomes an even bigger victory.
Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s one-step week, so not the most intense of exercise.
Whole family finished up this week’s rotation of ABF last night getting in 60 presses total. Cool to see the growth happening.
Black coffee until dinner, which was 3 servings of Tyson high protein chicken nuggets alongside 3 whole eggs and 5 whites. Whipped up a sauce of greek yogurt, smoked salt and smoked paprika that was actually pretty decent.
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