Wednesday Question: What the funk do you DO all day, man?

Sorry, its been a day or so without a post – work has been brutal lately (at the day job). Anyways, we’re back on track with my weekly Wednesday question. So given that – I have a nice relevant question this week…What do YOU do for a living?

It could be a tax attorney, brick layer, lawyer, forensic anthropologist, shoe maker, burger flipper, mechanic or advertising executive. What ever it is – tell us! I love to know all the people out there who have risen above the seriously flawed nutritional environment of the day – and what they do in this world (if anything – we don’t judge)…

Wednesday Question: What turned you on to low-carb living & where did you first go for info?

Admittedly, that is a really long question – ok, you got me, its actually 2 similar questions merged together, but (like any annoying news reporter) I needed to get a follow up question in there.

Let’s break it down using my own personal answers as an example…

Basically, where did you first hear of low-carb (or zero-carb, Primal Blueprint, Atkins, carnivore, whatever your preferred “flavor” of) dieting?

Basics 1: Easy, Quick, and Safe Weight Loss

That’s right “Weight loss that’s Easy, Safe and QUICK! Call now and we’ll double your order! Woo!” Sounds pretty lame and cheesy, right? Yeah, I know, Tell me about it. We’ve all seen COUNTLESS commercials, billboards, magazine ads, pills, cremes, granola bars, cereals, etc, that all claim some sort of amazing weight loss and health results.

Well, Enough of all that. What they don’t want you to know is that your body has everything it needs to change – as long as you give it the right fuel. Imagine that! Gimmicky “Products” be damned…

Wednesday Question: Whats are your preferences on alcoholic beverages when eating low-carb?

Ah yes, summertime (cue that old school Will Smith song) – backyard BBQs, 4th of July and Labor Day parties, and all the rest of the seasonal festivities. We all know what this usually means… Drinks and beers aplenty. Now I’m not here to stand on a soapbox about drinking – we all know the ins and outs of drinking – its a personal choice and everyone (over 21 anyways) can make their choice on that matter.

But the truth is, you CAN drink on a low-carb diet and still not be “cheating”. However, There are 2 big caveats / rules to that however…

Living and Enjoying Life are 2 very different things

Any lazy “scaredy-cat” three-toed slot can drag their way through life playing by all the house rules, but it takes a truly enlightened person to learn how to “live” and truly invent their own game in the process.

Here it is: Why does it seem that everyone is so content with living bland and unexceptional lives? I know this may seem off-topic, but in the grand scheme of things it really isn’t at all. The walls that trap people inside their old ways and habits, are the same walls that can also keep them obese and unhappy. As cliche as it sounds, we all hold the keys to our own prisons…

Bariatric Surgery: Weight-Loss Miracle or just a Hardcore Dietary “Enforcement Tool”?

Not to talk smack about anyone who has had baraitric surgery – if you did and it worked for you, great, that’s awesome. I would never fault anyone who is trying to improve themselves regardless of how they do it. I’m more speaking to the growing number of people who are being led to believe that its “the only way out”. Much to my agitation, I watch a lot of Discovery, TLC and Discovery Health shows – and I have a particular fascination with ones that deal with obesity (Brookhaven Obesity Clinic, Big Medicine, as well as those random specials ‘Half-Ton Dad’, ‘Born Without A Face’, etc).

But what are they accomplishing… I fear its much more detrimental than innocent late-night “entertainment”…

When we upgrade our bodies, we also secretly and quietly upgrade our minds.

Its interesting on how you self-confidence effects how you operate on such a drastic level, for me its brought many positive changes in my life – what has it done for yours?

I’ve never considered myself “muscular” or “strong” – but then again I’ve never considered myself “weak” either. These days I HAVE been doing some ‘considering’ on that matter. I’ve been going out of my way to make strides to become bigger, stronger and look more defined in general. The results have been personally pleasing so far (ask my girlfriend, I haven’t been able to shut up about it for weeks now), and I’m anxious to see what a few more months will bring.

Whats next…

Americans keep getting fatter – What a Shocker. So where do we go from here?

Maybe we need a grassroots anti-obesity campaign – we can call it “Health gone Viral”.

A story hit Reuters last week regarding the growing (ahem) trend of American obesity. Apparently that’s the “legacy” we’re leaving future generations… more and more fat asses, bigger pants, giant underwear, and slower mile times in High School gym class. Awesome.

What are we going to do about it? Well, that’s much more complicated than measuring waistlines.

Eating Low-Carb on a Low Budget OR “Cheap Meats”

Some people argue that eating a quality low-carb diet is more expensive than “regular people food”. Now while its true that you can’t exactly fill up your freezer with $30 worth of frozen pizzas and call it a weeks-worth like “regular” people might do, but it is very possible to keep the cost low and maybe even come in a little BELOW what you were spending on carbohydrate loaded processed crap-food.

Here are a few easy tips to make the most out of your shopping trips, while holding the low-carb torch held high.

Fiber – Do we REALLY need it?

Almost every single ‘health expert’ will tell you that eating tons of fiber will help make you ‘fit as a fiddle’ (and quite fond of the bathroom too), its “Part of a healthy and balanced diet” and all that happy horse-crap. What they’ll never tell you is the “Why and How” of fiber and the human digestive system.

Now, I do enjoy the small amount of fiber I get – but only when it comes in vegetables and berries – since it drops the effective carbohydrate count (ECC) down (i.e. doesn’t cause a rise in insulin), giving me the best carb “bang for my buck” on those foods (not to mention the fact that its INHERENT in those foods).

Let’s have a little fiber class, shall we…