protein for life??

If you had to live off one protein the rest of your life what would it be?  Chicken, steak or fish?  If it's fish it has to be an actual kind of fish.  I swear I think I would pick tuna....it's so freaking good.

New POLL on the blog (ohhh fancy)!!  Click and poll your answer to the right!

ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!

Recently the Pro Search Plus team headed out to celebrate our amazing photographer being home from his most recent jaunt on the road filming hotels.  We went to GEN SUSHI (appropriately named I must say) which has an "all you can eat sushi" option for $24.95.  Don't let the 3.5 stars on YELP fool you, this place is actually pretty good.  I am of the opinion that no one needs "all you can eat" anything and it's part of the reason why Americans are consuming such large portions when out to eat, but hey - it's a value none the less.  

What I loved about GEN was that the fish on the nigiri sushi is SO large and the little rice ball is so small.  Now usually all you can eat places put littttttle bits of fish and a lot of rice (charging you for what you have left over and hoping that you fill up on the carbo loaded sushi rice).  This place definitely has the opposite feel to it.  LOTS of fish, little rice...i.e. my jam.  

Now, as far as the diet went - I was not very good.  I wasn't horrible but I could have been better.  I figured I deserved a good meal and paid for it slightly on my weekly weigh in but hey - I've been kicking ass, so I didn't care.  It did however get me thinking - how many calories are in sushi?  I found some interesting results on a couple different pages that I did an average of and listed below.  I've come to find out from my 6 hours of cardio I do in an average week that the value in 500 calories is enormous.  It is freaking hard to work off 500 calories.  So, naturally - when I see that a shrimp tempura roll is about that amount I equate that to "one hour on the treadmill" and get a bit turned off on this delicious fried Japanese dish.   

Some tips:  I read somewhere that it's a good idea to have miso soup before your sushi meal - it's about 80 calories in 1 cup and fills you up a bit.  I also took note from the same dieters blog that there is a good side to heading out to a sushi dinner which is that there is rarely a temptation for dessert as the Japanese dessert is less appealing than an American bistro.  I concur as I'm not a fan of red bean or green tea ice cream.

The below separates the average calorie count by sushi type (with a description of the type of sushi).  Because this is my blog, I chose the general types of fish I order so there is no funny squid, sea urchin or eel in the lists below.  

Sashimi is sliced fish that is served with a bowl of regular boiled rice on the side (the word means “pierced body,” and may derive from the culinary practice of keeping the fish’s tail and fin with the cut slices to identify the fish being eaten.

Hamachi (Yellowtail) - 41 calories / 6.6 grams of protein

Sake (Salmon) - 45 calories / 6 grams of protein

Amaebi (Sweet shrimp) - 30 calories / 5.8 grams of protein

Awabi (Abalone) - 30 calories / 4.8 grams of protein

Maguro (Blue Fin Tuna) - 40 calories / 6.6 grams of protein

Shiro Maguro (White Tuna AKA Albacore - which I NEVER KNEW!) - 49 calories / 7.2 grams of protein

Nigiri-sushi, slices of fish or other foods on pads of rice (Nigiri means hand-formed).

Hamachi (Yellowtail) - 51 calories / 3.8 grams of protein --- 8.2 grams of carbs

Sake (Salmon) - 53 calories / 3.3 grams of protein --- 8.2 grams of carbs

Amaebi (Sweet shrimp) - 60 calories / 6.3 grams of protein --- 8.4 grams of carbs

Awabi (Abalone) - 45 calories / 2.5 grams of protein --- 9.1 grams of carbs

Maguro (Blue Fin Tuna) - 50 calories / 3.8 grams of protein --- 8.2 grams of carbs

Shiro Maguro (Albacore / White Tuna) - 55 calories / 4.1 grams of protein --- 8.2 grams of carbs

Maki-sushi, rolled sushi (including handrolls, temaki—maki means roll).

(Keep in mind, none of the below includes the spicy mayo in the count)

Avocado Roll - 140 calories / 2.1 grams of protein --- 28 grams of carbs

Kappa Maki (cucumber roll) - 136 calories / 3.0 grams of protein --- 30 grams of carbs

Tuna (Maguro) Roll - 184 calories / 24 grams of protein --- 27 grams of carbs

California Roll - 255 calories / 9 grams of protein --- 38 grams of carbs

Spicy Tuna Roll  - 290 calories / 24 grams of protein --- 26 grams of carbs

Philadelphia Roll  - 290 calories / 14 grams of protein --- 28 grams of carbs

Rainbow Roll  - 476 calories / 33 grams of protein --- 50 grams of carbs

So I believe the winner of the Japanese sushi meal is Tuna.  HIGH in protein and low in calories.  Obviously if you can get sashimi you''re golden; however do not deprive yourself of the other goodies sushi has to offer...just watch out for the spicy mayo.  That stuff is loaded with all the bad stuff! :)

Company Climbing Night!

 So to add to my work out regimen I decided to finally say yes to my boss asking me to go climbing.  I was unsure what to think but last Friday night we went to The Factory Bouldering in Orange (right by Angels Stadium) to climb around on some walls.  This was unlike any climbing experience I've had because I've always been on ropes and harnesses.  This is actually rope-less and there are a TON of courses.  I was totally the type wanting to cut corners and use other colored 'notches' instead of the ones you were supposed to use but then I decided to really work on technique.  I found the beginner courses were pretty easy and then jumping up one level to V0's, they were so challenging.  I would have kept going but I got four "flappers" on my fingers and was toast by the end of the evening.  I recommend to anyone that is interested to try it out.  It's a good arm and leg work out and a fun alternative to your standard weights and barbells.  It's very slow and methodical and requires a good amount of technique!

Balance Ball Chair Day 10:

10 days ago my 'Balance Ball Chair' arrived for me to assemble and pump up...since then it's been an interesting experience learning how to balance while working.  I will say this is not a fool proof - you will NEVER slouch again - option.  I guess there is nothing that will prevent you from slouching but this is a start.  I read that just by sitting on this chair you can burn up to 600 calories a month - just sitting!  Tray thinks I'm crazy because you can't burn calories just sitting but one thing is certain - this option definitely makes you more aware of your posture.  I was trying for one day to go in to a crunch position every time the phone was ringing and when someone answered, get out of the crunch position but it got to be too difficult to sound normal when my client's answered the phone.  I will say one thing, I am not laying at 45 degrees in my chair with my feet on my computer tower by 5:00 PM anymore.  We'll see if my abs get nice and sculpted SIMPLY by sitting!  As long as my fashion is a bit better than the woman in the photo, I think I'm ahead of the game :)

'pasghetti squash as pasta?

When visiting my sister on Monday night she let me know of a handful of recipes she used to LOVE when she was doing Weight Watchers.  She had gotten very fit and a lot of it was by cooking healthy.  This one recipe she told me about, Turkey Spaghetti Squash Pie, sparked my interest - probably because I love squash and I had just bought a package of ground turkey the day prior with no real goal on what to do with it.  

The recipe was pretty simple.  I was missing ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese.  Part of me didn't want to stop for these items on the way home because I figured I could do without.  If I made it again I would try to have one or the other.  The squash was a great substitute for pasta and kept the dish very healthy.  The only ingredients were the squash, turkey, stewed tomatoes (I bought fire roasted) and egg.  I did have a bit of Parmesan cheese and topped 1/2 with parm.  I was full off of 1/6th of the Pyrex dish and have a lot for left overs - I'm looking forward to dinner tonight!

Italian Turkey Spaghetti Squash Pie WW Recipe

Happy 6 months of food tracking to me!

Imagine writing down everything you eat.  Literally every food / drink and morsel of smartie candy you put in your mouth.  First of all you think twice about eating something because you don't want to write it down.  You also find out certain things about your diet you did not know before.  The main thing I found out upon the first month of documenting my intake was that I ate no vegetables. Literally I ate nothing of nutritional value coming from the ground. 

Example of one of my earlier food entries:

August 21st, 2012:

8:00 AM - vanilla yogurt / coffee
12:00 PM - Wahoo's salad - with chips and guac and balsamic vin.
2:00 PM - watermelon popsicle
4:00 PM - 1/2 piece of carrot cake
7:00 PM - 2 shrimp tacos / low calorie Trader Joe's lemonade

Now this doesn't seem too bad as this was about a month and 1/2 into being more conscious but between 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM I didn't eat anything of nutritional value.  Below is an example from yesterday:

January 15th, 2013:

5:20 AM - 1/2 banana (before work out)
7:00 AM - other 1/2 banana (after work out)
8:00 AM - 3 egg whites (with seasoning)
11:00 AM - SoJu green cold pressed juice (2 apples, 6 celery stalks, 1/2 cucumber, handful of spinach, 3 collard greens, 3 kale leaves with lemon and ginger)
2:00 PM - chicken breast, quinoa (with black beans and corn) with warm broccoli salad
6:00 PM - ahi poke salad (1/4 cup) with warm kale salad

Sounds nuts but my diet these days consists of a good portion of veggies.  I've enjoyed cold pressed juices like the one a company called Suja makes.  They're a bit on the pricier side, but they're a meal - and you'd spend this at McDonalds for not NEARLY the nutritional value.  I eat about 5 small meals a day usually at 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM and around 6:00 PM.  I try not to eat after 7:00 PM but it's really difficult!

Slap yo' WHAT!?

Soooo protein is the best after a tough work out.  Greek yogurt (non-fat plain with some granola and honey) is good but if I have a bit more time I'll make three egg whites.  I spray PAM as my base, crack the eggs and let them go - it's a 5 minute process at most.  Thanks to a good friend Toby and his wife giving us a late Christmas present I discovered "SLAP YO MAMA" Cajun seasoning.  This stuff is real good on egg whites!  Considering egg whites are mainly tasteless, this really boosts them up a bit! 

Food Trucks...love em or hate em?

One of the more annoying parts of my journey has been the food truck craze in Orange County.  Food trucks are soooo good - yet soooo bad!  Every Saturday morning we would go to the farmer's market and the greatest concoctions of all time would be pumping out of food trucks (previously referred to as "roach coaches").  Carnitas fries from Lime Truck, The Belly Bite (pork belly sliders with Swiss cheese) from The Bite Truck and the Bacon Mania truck...I can't even go there....  It would KILL me to try to be healthy on Saturday mornings.

I did however discover a food truck called Pulp Fusion.  This food truck (http://pulp-fusion.com/) is a mobile cafe serving up awesome Acai Bowls.  Tray let me know that these are loaded with good carbs and even though they're healthy (or I should say healthier) I still made sure to hit the gym but these are AWESOME.  Literally the best acai bowls you can have.  You think you've had a good acai bowl before - but you haven't.  If you live in Orange County, do yourself a favor and check out their schedule and hit them up.  I was so reluctant but they're probably one of my favorite finds through this health journey.   

34 and counting.....

Lemme guess...you've been seeing me check in at the gym a bit lately?  Well, considering I work out about 7 days a week - I do check in there a lot.  Tomorrow will be exactly 6 months since I've been monitoring my intake of food and writing down EVERYTHING I eat - there is no better time than now to start documenting this process.  With the help of the best trainer in Orange County, Tray Ridenour at Back Bay Fitness, I am on a pretty remarkable quest to lose 50 pounds.  I have now, in my late 20's realized that fitness is a lifestyle, healthy choices are a part of living and there is no better time than now to start taking care of yourself.  There is no easy way, there are no gimmicks - no shakes or pills and no miracle cure to 'losing a few'.  In July, on top of a very bad pinched nerve in my lower back, I also had a minor form a neuropathy - a condition in which blood does not flow to your feet and they 'fall asleep' often.  This is genetic as my mom has been suffering with this disease for many years and I see her in so much pain.  My back was killing me for the better part of the day and I was always so, so tired.  34 pounds is a lot of weight and although it's been difficult at times, I've realized how it's actually been quite attainable by making smart decisions, staying motivated and sucking it up when you're told to do a shit ton of squat kicks (my least favorite by far). 

The many faces of me - left two = before being fit (I'm silly but I was obviously uncomfortable - right two...working it out!)

I manage to eat healthy, but I manage to treat myself.  I manage to work out, but I manage to actually enjoy it.  This has been a growing process because trust me - I wasn't instantly a fan of this lifestyle.  It takes commitment and dedication because NO ONE wants to have their alarm go off at 4:45 am three times a week.  Of course I've become a fan of how my jeans fit (and having SOOO many more options at clothing stores) but I've become a real fan of the energy I have.  I WANT to go away for the weekend, I WANT to do active things and most importantly I WANT to be outside enjoying myself. 

 

(Left = June 2012, Right = 1 week before my birthday, November 2012)

I've heard from several people that it actually is inspiring to see my "check in's" at the gym.  I've never been the inspire'er, rather the one looking to be inspired.  Because of this, I figured now - on the eve of my 6 month anniversary to 'getting serious' (i.e. food tracking) - I would put this all in one place and start a blog.  Some of it may be the work out I did or the weigh in results and some might be different recipes I've encountered - but I'll update this often to more or less remind myself why I'm doing this (and if anyone cares to join by reading my posts - welcome!).  I'm just someone who got to be pretty unhealthy (over the last two years or so), didn't think about what I was eating and found it really hard to easily get dressed in the morning.  I've learned through this process that anyone can do anything they put their mind to - and for me...my mind was put to this on July 16th, 2012.  By this July I would like to be 50 lbs down...let's see what happens!  To a healthy 2013 and to all or none of you that will look at this blog, good luck on your journey, what ever it may be!