Keep the ketchup and give me the bun!

Okay… so I spend allot of time on the road and next week I'm off to Memphis Tennessee to see some new friends.

Eating on the go is always a problem and once upon a time I stopped at one of those fast food places and tried the low carb whopper or something like that. To my surprise it was covered in sugar filled ketchup and mustard.

This is not low carb... no really its not low carb.

That’s like calling jelly beans low fat.

I’d rather eat a pizza.

Anything loaded with sugar is equal to eating a whole pot full of pasta. If you have done your homework you know that once you’re in ketosis its important to stay away from sugar, the smallest amount of sugar can send you back to day one.

So... give me the bun and keep the condiments.... You bet. I can stand up to 150 grams of carbs a day with out kicking myself out of ketosis when I'm training and about 35 to 70 a day when I'm not. Even when you’re on a cyclic keto diet its prudent to avoid sugars, because sugars make it many times harder to get back to ketosis then are carbs.

When I'm cycling on and off the diet I tend to eat allot of pizza and pasta this can happen as frequently as every weekend or every three weeks or so. I only cycle whenever body fat is not a concern and bulking is. Also Keto cycling does little in the way of upsetting my celiac disease. The longer I'm on a keto diet the easier it is to get back on once I drop off for any reason. But sugars are a big no no.

So in my usual nut shell... what I'm saying is instead of going for the low carb whopper, get the regular whopper without the fake cheese and sugary condiments. You’ll be way ahead of the game that way. Not to mention that knowing your carb threshold helps in this choice. But over all it's better to eat the bun then the ketchup.

I wonder if Tennessee has any place that serves low carb foods my friends tell me that carbs are very popular there. By the way I love Memphis that’s where I got my pitbull.

Protein (Reader Beware These Are Product Plugs)

Protein - Amino Acids

Protein is used by the body to build, repair, and maintain muscle and organ tissues by repairing and building cells, aid in the formation of antibodies, they work in conjunction with enzymes and the hormonal system, help transport oxygen and participate in muscle activities.

When Protein is digested it is broken down into a number of amino acids (Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine, Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine,Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Lyrosine, Proline, Serine, Taurine and Tyrosine ), These amino acids are divided by definition into two main groups. The first group is termed essential amino acids and are required by the body to make the second group called non-essential amino acids. Don't be fooled by the term non-essential these proteins are very important to sustaining a healthy and vital life. A deficiency of any one essential amino acid can cause a corresponding deficiency in some or allof the non essential amino acids.

Some foods contain what is called complete protein, that is, they provide all the amino acids necessary to produce usable protein. Examples of these foods would be milk, eggs, meat, fish, and various vegetable products, such as soybeans. But even these foods contain differing amounts of usable protein per weight. The suggested RDA for Proteins and Amino Acids varies from 0.8 to 1.5 grams per Kilogram body weight per day. I would like to point out to the reader that the RDA of any Nutrient is based on the absolute minimum to sustain life. I have not been introduced to any research documents that proves conclusively that over consuming proteins can adversely effect a persons health (with the exception of weight gain). I have read and heard from many so called professionals that the over consumption of protein can lead to kidney problems and other complications but I have as of yet to read any such reports or literature supporting this claim. I've even read in some literature that males should consume 63 grams a day and female should consume 50 grams a day.
This is fine if you only weigh 138 lbs for a male and 110 lbs for a woman and live a sedentary life style. In my personal experience I have consumed between 100 grams to 400 grams of protein on a daily basis for up to 10 months at a time while training. I found that 100 grams a day is a good maintenance intake and 400 grams a day was more then sufficient to grow on, my gains on 400 grams a day were both muscle mass and fat gains. My protein consumption consisted of both whole foods and supplements because I found that trying to eat 400 grams of protein a day from normal food sources was next to near impossible and time consuming as well. So in a nutshell the over consumption of protein in my opinion will led to fat gains only and not to some sort of metabolic disease, excess protein is converted into glucose or stored as fat... its as simple as that. My recommendation as well as others in the field of sports nutrition is to start out with 1 gram per pound of body weight and adjusting from there to met your needs. If you are an athlete and you don't make any gains from this then you should also look at the rest of your dietary and lifestyle habits.
Arguably I've been taught to consume no more the 35 grams of protein per meal as this is the most that the gut (reportedly) can handle at any given time, with the remainder going to waste, fat or glucose. So breaking up your meals into smaller meals more often is of great benefit and aids in maintaining a positive state of muscle growth as well as making it easier on your body. I
know of many athletes including myself that try to eat about every 3 hours, I've even been known to get up in the middle of the night for a glass of milk or a bowl of cottage cheese.

For other sources of protein please consult the USDA website.

Protein Supplements

The importance of protein supplementation is critical to any individual looking to build and maintain muscle mass. Protein has been called "the building blocks of life," and without proper protein supplementation the task of building and maintaining muscle mass is next to impossible. The biggest problem that's faced with the consumption of protein by way of whole foods is mostly convenience. I like to take my protein or meal replacement with me to the gym and mix it up after my work out to get my post work out meal. It is of vital importance to get nutrients into your blood stream as quickly as possible after your work out to optimize your size and strength gains. By using protein supplements you quickly consume and digest needed amounts of proteins to help you grow and recover from your workout.

What is Ion exchange protein?

What is Whey protein isolate (WPI)?

What are Hydrolyzed whey peptides (HWP)?

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Veriuni Advance Whey Protein, Product Ingredients:
Hydrolyzed whey protein [producing di-, tri-,oligo- and polypeptides {short and long chains of amino acids}] from specially-filtered and ion-exchanged whey protein concentrate [comprising B-lacto globulin {approx. 46%}, A-lactalbumin {approx. 24%}, immunoglobulin {approx. 10%}, lactoferrin {approx. 6%}, Natural Flavors, L-Glutamine, and Fructose].

Amino Acid Profile (Per 100 grams of whey protein) Alanine 3.7g, Arginine 1.8g, Aspartic Acid 8.1g, Cystine 1.9g, Glutamic Acid 9.3g, Glutamine 3.6g, Glycine 1.4g, Histidine 1.5g, Isoleucine 4.7g, Leucine 8.3g, Lyrosine 2.3g, Lysine 6.9g, Methionine 1.6g, Phenylalanine 2.6g, Proline 4.2g, Serine 3.6g, Threonine 4.9g, Tryptophan 1.3g, Valine 4.4g

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Diet... The Naughty Word and Random Thoughts

Diet.... There I said it and I'll say it again... Diet... Diet... Diet.

It really isn't a bad word.

Webster defines diet as di'et (di'et) N. 1, food and drink regularly consumed. 2, a prescribed course of food. 3, regimen.

Diet from Greek diatia, mode of living, or, more specifically, mode of eating.

So there you have it. You don't have to diet because you already diet... Every day... Doughnut or celery its all the same. Its a diet.

So close inspection of the diet reveals who we are and how we think.

I had a female athlete while I was at college tell me once that she wouldn't even lick a postage stamp because It had calories and nothing else. I chuckled at the time but she was right. Why eat something or drink something that has no value. She was one of those few that practiced what she preached. She was built like A... Well... Um a hardbody and she earned it all.

So my point is that we are what we eat. I've read thousands (if not more) pages about diet and nutrition and this is my best conclusion. So I've spent the majority of my life too absolutely confirm that old saying. "We are what we eat."

Hmmm... Its that simple. Millions of dollars ever year are spent on diet pills, diet plans etc and every time a new diet pops up its all the rage... Fads for the lack of better words.

I once realized that most workouts, diets, etc. Last about 8 weeks. I've had friends and I'm guilty of this as well, that would workout for about 8 weeks at which time I would take more and more time off between gym seasons or I would cheat big time on my diet and then not get back with it. I've seen and utilized many different methods to keep myself going and motivated but one common sense statement always rings in my ears.

If what your doing does not work... Then change what your doing...

So we have established the 8 week cycle and figuring out what works and what doesn't and the diet industry plays on this. Observe it for yourself. There always seems to be a new diet knocking on our doors every 2 to 3 months.


The tried and true. Ketogenic Diets Hmmmmmmm.... There's my plug. I knew I'd get it in here somewhere. Keto diets have been around for thousands of years the Romans would feed the gladiators and solders on low carb ketogenic diets, and those guys that stand at gates of the queens castle they are not called meat eaters for nothin.


So what's my point. I'm not sure I'm kinda lost right now.

But what I think I'm getting at is that if you want be a tiger eat like one.

here's a question... When you want to fatten up a farm animal what do you feed it?

Grains lots and lots of grains.

So okay we are not like cows or pigs...

Your right we are more like lions, tigers and bears.
Meat eaters.

Have you ever wondered why people used to keep sugar locked up in sugar boxes??? Hmmm....
Just to ponder

So to sum it all up.
8 week cycle
we are what we eat
if what we are doing doesn't work change what were doing.
stay away from grains and lock the sugar box.
Whoooraaaahh I think I'm on to something here.

Diet... Its the way we live our lives.

Remember drink lots of water

Low carb diets and celiacs.

Recently I've been made aware that my grandfather suffered from Celiac disease. This in and of itself is no big deal but what did startle me is finding out that this thing is genetic and 1 in every 150 people suffer from it and that 75% of those people have no idea.

This genetic situation causes the body not to produce the enzyme necessary to digest wheat or gluten. So that means for those that suffer like myself from this freak of nature we cant eat the things that we crave the most. For years I've cycled on and off of ketogenic diets and have always been carb conscious because eating carbs just did not sit well with me. Now I know why its because that plate of pasta.... is and was killing me.

So low carb ketogenic diets to the rescue. This probably wont surprise anyone that knows they have the disease but for many it just might. So in the process of researching celiac disease I discovered something that really set me back. One of the side effects of Celiacs is Candida and these little critters will make you miserable to no end.

After taking a few tests first at home then at the doctors my fears were confirmed I have both these diet limiting disorders. If one don't get ya the other one will. It seems I'm doomed.


I think for my next project I might make a website for those that suffer from both. This should prove informative I think.

Low Carb recipes

This section is really huge so I created a pdf of the same info so it can be downloaded from here.

Low carb recipes 243 Pages

Carb Counter

Thanks for stopping in.