Travel Pete's Journal: Basements, Kids & Mental Health

Kids and Superglue

Obviously they should never be put together, but certainly they go together.

This is something I have recently discovered, coincident with the growing understanding that kids' toys these days are crap.

Built like crap, that is, designed to be disposable. Absolute Crap. That's what I have to say about that. Utter crapola. In fact, crayola is crapola, they all break in 2 seconds!

Luckily, Superglue has something else to say about it.

"Make my day."

Just don't make your fingers stick together. That really hurts. Trust me.

Tivo Tyranny? What?

I rarely refer to another's writings, as the whole point of my blog is to write, not just surf the web.

Even worse, I've never referred to writing that included a reference to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

That said, I want to direct you to a fine piece that better encompasses the concept of the Brave New World of Television viewing than I could ever contemplate.

The Tyranny of Tivo by I M Niles.

Sometimes I feel this same tyranny. Finally there's so much quality television on that I don't have enough hours in the day to watch it. I'm considering losing sleep to manage my habit, but the mornings can be rough.

I've already had to stop myself from hiding Max's morning DVD's such as Thomas the Tank Engine in an effort to ensure I got more Tivo Time.

Anyway, enjoy!

Toulouse Lautrec Guest Room getting some use

It's one of those things... Build it and they will come.

Dan, MIL, Friend-who-only-calls-when-he-wants something...

Bizzeee, I say!

What? Oh, it's our guest room. Add a couple of nice prints, a decent bed, a yellow chair... voilá! You have instant guests.

In 2004 alone we've had guests using the room on 6 occasions for a total of 33 nights of use. I'm probably low-balling it a bit, but the brain ain't working before the coffee kicks in.

Our buddy Dan stopped by for a weekend, the Mom-in-Law has been over a couple times for late-night babysitting, an East Coast friend who only calls when he needs something and still owes me a few hundred bucks stopped by on a cross-country drive with his cousin. You get the idea...

Like I said, build it, put a picture online, and they will arrive. I'm thinking of building a hotel reservation system for the room.

Just thought it was interesting to look back and determine whether it was a good idea to spend time painting and adding lights and generally fixing up a guest room for people, or if we should have turned it into an office or something.

Huh. Who knew?

Here's a picture of the Toulouse Lautrec Guest Room.

Hard sloggin' bloggin'

This week it's been hard sloggin' 'n' bloggin' as it were.

I've been writing a lot lately, which impacts my creativity when it comes to morning blog features.

Weekly Writing by the numbers
Trouble lately with the Rapids has meant that I've pursued a lot of research in that area and it has eaten into my time.
Extra words=2000

My sister has requested a few tidbits here and there, so out with another 650 words for that effor this week (and the past couple of weeks with additional 1000 word efforts)
Extra words=650

I wrote an article for American Soccer News wrapping up the Rapids v Metrostars game.
Extra words=1500

Daily blog entries...
Extra words=1500

=====================
Total words being written seriously (well, not emails or IM): 5,650 words a week.

It's a lot, and it's definitely what I signed up for, but occasionally volume can overcome quality, as it were.

Take today for example. Cheers!

Compute like I cook...

I do! I swear it.

My computing habits are very similar to my kitchen and cooking habits. Maybe because my computer is actually in my kitchen.

Whether it's cleaning up after myself, how I use the measuring spoons, put things away and pull them back out because I need them again, and generally keep a tidy kitchen during cooking, it's all the same.

For example, I will Instant Message with someone, finish for now, close the window, re-open because I'm not done and have another comment.

I hate having too many windows open simultaneously, I prefer to open a document, make a change, add a paragraph, then save and close it. Then open it again because of course I forgot to add something.

Weird how our habits translate across platforms.

Anyway.

Rapids tease Metrostars in 1-0 victory

Surprising as it sounds, the Rapids have strung together two straight victories. Of course, we only got to see one, as the 3-0 whomping of Chicago, in Chicago, went untelevised.

This revolution was televised however as the Rapids blew a possible 6-0 scoreline but managed to take home a 1-0 victory anyway.

If you wanna hear more about it, check out my match report on American Soccer News.

If contractual obligations should prevent the Internet from carrying ASN's news network, you can always check out the article on my Soccer Minisite, look for the August 23rd article Rapids tease....

Nespresso. Meet Natuzzi. Natuzzi. Nespresso.

More Nespresso News:
Nespresso Tips 2006!
Nespresso Price Hike 2005
More Tips 'n' Maintenance
Tips 'n' Maintenance
Nespresso Lifestyle & How to Order

I really am living the Nespresso Lifestyle!

We got our first issue of Nespresso Magazine for discerning folks like me. Inside was a full-page ad for a company I'd previously been unaware of.

Natuzzi.

They are a leather furniture maker based in Italy. And, as it happens, the supplier of our recently purchased new chairs in the Parisian Library we are putting together.

Here's an entry I did a while back on our new chairs.

Truly, I am "The Nespresso Lifestyle." And I Like it!

My Atkins diary VIII: Final Tips

I'm drained. Hopefully of all the fat I've been toting around. My digestion has improved, and beginning this Saturday (after 20 days on diet) I'll start adding select carbs back in to see how things work, inside and out.

For example, I might try relatively non-allergenic rice, or perhaps fruit. Maybe both :-)

Today, however, I'm draining the last remnants of tips, tactics and learnings from the diet. So, here goes.

Add a multivitamin. That's another Atkin tip if I remember right, and also one I recommend in general.

Daily, I take:
1 multivitamin (like Men's one-a-day)
1-2 Omega-3 fish oil tablet (gots to get the full Omega 3s, not just oil)
1 81mg aspirin
1 10mg Lipitor (to keep cholesterol down, this is on prescription, not over the counter like the rest)

You should at least be taking the 1st three on that list, and probably the 4th. Get a checkup. When was your last? You should be doing 1 a year once you hit your 30s.

Back to diet foods: Cut out the damn beer, stop trying to cheat, and stay with Vodka, diet tonic and limes (or good tequila and lime juice). When you are out drinking, have Jack and diet coke (bars rarely have diet tonic, as I'm sure you found out). It's only a short while, so consider just not drinking. You lose weight faster.

Basically, stay on the induction phase till you get close to your target weight. If it's 190, for example, go hard until 195. Then, start sllllowwwwllly adding carbs back in until you slow weight loss down and hit your target weight of 190.

Then, remember the work it took to get there and don't rush out for a sausage pizza with a side of fries when you finish the diet!

Finally, remember that if you screw up one day and grab a pancake or something by accident, or your folks invite you over for carbohydrate soufflé, just enjoy it and then get back on the diet the next day, no sweat.

It won't hose you up, just slow you up. I've had dinner invitations I couldn't (didn't want to) ignore so I went and kept the carbs down a bit so I wouldn't overextend myself, but then went back on the diet next day, no problems.

Keep it up and you too can lose 15lbs in 19 days. Perhaps ;-)

One final thought: Atkins is healthy, because feeling thin and energetic is good for your body and mind, fitting into your clothes is good, and having greater freedom of movement is good.

Feeling like you have two outfits you can wear, and being lethargic or unwilling to join in exercise and games because you don't know if your body can handle it? That's bad.

The internal effects of obesity? Even worse.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary VII: Journal Entries

Just so you don't think you are going crazy, here are two sets of "diary" entries. One by me and one by a friend, regarding a few of the first days on the Atkins' diet.

A little more "lighter side" of low-carbing it for ya!

From me to my buddy...

"I'd be interested in how things are going, you'll have to give me a journal perspective, i.e....

Thursday, Day 4. I almost jumped an old lady for a slice of New York Style pie, but I resisted. The darkness is settling in, but I feel like there's a light at the end of the fridge door and soon, very soon, good things will be coming my way.

Friday, Day 5. Wendy's for lunch. Again. I'm sick of that bitch.

Saturday, Day 6. Crap, no work to keep my mind occupado, I just have to sit at home and sweat it out here with my beef jerky and pork rinds.

Sunday, Day 7. I researched on the Internet what people on Atkins eat. Why do they eat pork rinds? These are freakin' gross. Damn them. Oh, by the way, lost 5 lbs this morning.

The usual.

Love,

The BilFish

——————————————
(My buddy responded)
Hehehe...Mine would look a little like this I think....

Day 3, Wednesday.  Went to Wendy's for lunch....what's new.....got the same thing I got yesterday, and the day before that, and the day......I find myself huddling over my food, like some ferrel animal guarding its precious tiny morsel.  If somebody just walks by me, I snarl at them.  Damn I miss bread...

Day 4, Thursday.  If I have to eat Wendy's once more, I swear to God I'm going to go find that Dave and dig him up and......must get a grip...No matter how much protein I eat, I'm always weak....I find I'm having strange dreams. 

And sometimes can't tell the truth from the dream...  I see other people eating junk for lunch and I just have to laugh.  They don't know what they are missing.  Yeah right, they dont know......*sigh*

Day 5, Friday.  Well, shit.  Normally I would get myself something nice for lunch to celebrate the fact that the weekend is coming.  But nope!  Wendy's.....Well at least the weekend is almost here.....can't wait to get my hands on some beer.......oh wait!   

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!

To quote a line from 2001 A Space Odyssey:  I feel my mind going...Dave...

==================
My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game

When and how you diet is always a mental game, no more so then when you take on the rigorous challenge of a low-carb diet while surrounded by skinny Midwest carb-loving folks as I am...

Getting into the game: Pregame decisions
There is strategy in thinking of when to start and undertake a low-carb weight loss diet.

First, find a time that has minimal distractions. Holidays are horrible, vacations are villainous.

This time around, for example, I chose the day after our live-in guest from Paris left town, because I knew that during his stay we would be out and about and trying different foods and it could be difficult to limit myself.

Further, August was scheduled to be a quiet month for us with no big parties, trips or plans in the works. Perfect for focusing on the diet without undue distractions that steer you off course or make you jealous enough to stop dieting.

I think at least two weeks without distractions is important, but perhaps it is more like 3 or 4 weeks. After my first week, we held a morning birthday celebration in Golden Gate State Park. Wonderful scenery, mountains and setting but tough to watch everyone eat carb surprise and potatoes followed by cake.

Give yourself distance and time, distance and time!

First half of play
Stay busy. This is critical to not thinking about food until the first week is over and you really stop worrying about food. Basically, it takes a week to get past the frantic nature of always figuring out your next low-carb adventure, and three to four weeks to retrain your habits not to want to reach for junk food all the time. It's good training!

At the beginning, realize your body will be feeling weird physically and mentally. Physically you will feel odd losses of energy that tend to go away quickly. Digestion swings wildly on the back end, if you will.

But that's not the problem. Mentally you almost feel a bit deprimé (depressed). My theory is that your body craves carbs and old habits, so partially forces this mood to try and get you to eat carbs.

The big issue is that you go through the thinking that you are being deprived, because you were bad or defective or something. You start to think a candy bar is a right, not just a corporate gimmick, and you are deprived.

You need to remind yourself that being thinner and having control over whether you eat carbs is your true right. Cold french fries? Don't need 'em. Another candy bar that just spikes my blood sugar and makes me feel bad? Pass.

As I said above, it takes 3-4 weeks to retrain bad habits out of you and when you go off the diet you'll be happy you did! Finally you can eat carbs, but you'll definitely be smarter about choosing "good" and "bad" carbs, seeing them for what they are.

French baguette with Nutella and a banana in the morning? Glorious!
Bag of stale Doritos? Limp and greasy french fries? Uhhh, glutonous.

Second half of play
Weeks 2-4 are the easier ones by far. Keep in mind that if you have a bad day in terms of carbs just get past it, don't give up, and you'll quickly be losing pounds again.

So far I have lost 10 pounds in, lessee, 14 days! Pretty massive weight loss, so it'll slow significantly. Besides, I might be cheating on the scale a bit, hopping to one foot or the other to jimmy the max weight loss ;-)

Weight loss expectation guidelines
o End of week 1: you should see 1-5 pounds lost, as your body gets into weight loss mode.
o End of week 2: an addition 3-5 pounds lost.
o Weeks 3-5: Depends on how much you have to lose. When you start getting slimmed down, the weight loss tends to slow a bit.
o After 2-3 weeks: Note... sometimes, if you lose a lot of weight one week, you'll see a 3-4 day "consolidation" period of no weight loss. Usually that means you were on the scale at a different time of day or perhaps you had too many carbs one day or whatever. Don't worry, it's normal.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary V: Laughing at yourself

It's been a bit tough the past couple of weeks on the diet, especially losing out on my favorite cappuccinos. So, when you are working through a low-carb diet, you need to find humor where you can.

John Deering's "Strange Brew" comic is one of those places I find my inspiration each morning!

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

Secret cookie recipe

Our French guest has struggled with some digestive issues over here in the U.S.

(due to our rich food? Maybe our greasy food...)

However, it turns out that when he finds something he enjoys, he'll chow down like the best of 'em!

The secret food?

Homemade cinnamon chocolate chip cookies!

Yummm.... Kathy's secrét recîpe. Well, I guess not so secret since the "secret" ingredient is in the title...

If there's any magic, it's to simply add a bunch! At least a teaspoon or more.

Mmmm....

BTW: Robinson also fully enjoyed the salmon we cooked on the grill, despite not generally liking fish, and he also liked my rendition of Spaghetti Bolognese, which I'll be posting next week.

Soccer: Rapids v Chicago Fire preview

The Rapids suck so bad, I hesitate to post my article on the subject to give them any more press.

But, I wrote it, so there ya go.

The Rapids are in pain. Physically, with lots of injuries, and mentally, with lots of losses and poor effort.

They are going up against the Fire this Saturday after two bad losses. This is probably (no, definitely) my most negative article, as there is nothing I can see that is positive about the proceedings.

Read on to see how negative life can get for the Rapids fans...

American Soccer News Rapids Preview

And since a flash flood may take out the computer server farm at ASN HQ, I always have a backup based in fault-tolerant Arizona on the BilFish Soccer Minisite — look for the August 13 entry "Apology to the fans?"

Stuttering Meemees

Sorry, must take a break from the Atkins discussion...

Just as I thought things were going well, here comes another gotcha!

Max started st-st-stuttering!

Yep. Full bore, wh-wh-wh-what is that you say?

Turns out it was probably situational, and now that it's toned down a bit I'm definitely a happier camper.

On July 31 Robinson, our guest from France, left for home in Paris. On the evening of July 31 Mr. Boppy, Max's pacifier, left for the trash...

Yep, got rid of the boppy Saturday night, and by Sunday morning Max was stuttering, increasing Monday and crescendoing on Tuesday, then lasting the rest of the week.

Finally, yesterday, 8 days later his stuttering reduced a bit. Today was even better, and I'm hopeful it was simply a short adjustment-oriented event.

However, I've read it's a phase many kids go through, and can last for a month or more and have no ill effects.

Yuck.

Just another parental experience I could have done without!

My Atkins Diary IV: More diet tips

I've been holding out on you. There's a wonderful new change to the Atkins' diet since I first tried it nearly 10 years ago!

It's called "net carbs." Basically, what Atkins decided/discovered/whatever before he died recently, was that you could get by with 20g of NET carbs per day.

What's a "net" carb? Any carb your body wants to absorb and use. What does NOT count? (i.e. you get a free pass on, don't have to count it towards your 20g/day, you get to cheat a bit) In a word. God's Fiber.

Yep, fiber, much misaligned for its gastrointestinal workings, this is actually your friend.

So, if you pick up any Atkins' bars or products, you'll see "net carbs" which means that if there's 5 total carbs and there are 3 grams of Fiber, then the Net Carbs total is 2, so you only have to count 2 towards your 20g that day!

There's another derivation to "Net Carbs" designed for the men on this diet — alcohol. Now with beer, you're still hosed, unless you're willing to puke up Michelob Ultra the next morning. Better yet, try Coors' Aspen Edge, it's actually decent, much better than Coors Light if that's a proper sentence.

However, the secret is to go with liquor that has decently low carbs (I did this a bit my first Atkins' go around in 1997, before Atkins "Okayed" it). Scotch, whiskey, diet-coke and Jack, that type of stuff is low carb, and if you drink good scotch straight up you'll drink slowly, trust me. So, that's a way to get around that problem. Problem? I don't have a problem... :-)

Atkins' recommends, during the induction phase, no caffeine (fuck that, ahem) and limited alcohol (that's up to you). I ignored both with no problem results, although I did switch to wine after a while and found that could reduce my weight loss, finding 1 glass of dry red to be okay at night.

Here's the comment on these things, which seems to fit, from a
low-carb F.A.Q. I saw online.

Still, less alcohol means less calories and less carbs so it means greater weight loss. So there. Feel free to skip a few drinks perhaps. Worked for me.

Finally, let me point out that at places like Carl's Jr. you can now get a big lettuce-wrapped burger for the low-carb lifestyle. How cool is that? I hate fast food, but dang that's convenient. Perhaps try Subway's low-carb wraps. I haven't, but they could be good!

Another carb cheat used by low-carb food makers: Maltitol, sucralose and all these strange sugar things that aren't sugar. They don't count, but look at the label to tell you which ones. It's not natural I tell ya, not natural at all.

One final "new find" for this diet: low-carb tortillas. In the 5-7g net carb range per tortilla, I can !

And a note about that 20g of carbs limit in the induction phase forcing the body into ketosis and weight loss.

Ultimately, it depends on each person's reaction to the low carbs, but Atkins' book basically says that some people could probably get away with 30 carbs, whereas some others have to go as low as 10g or less per day to get that weight-loss trigger started. I found that 20 per day for me worked well, but you'll have to take it as it goes and see how strict you need to be. Start ultra strict and take it from there.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary III: Atkins diet secrets

More secrets culled from my private files on dealing with life in Phase 1, the induction, super-weight-loss phase of the Atkins' diet.

You may have questions about sports and exercise, rolling into phase 2, life after the diet, etc. so here are some life tips from my experiences.

Also, one controversial note. Women do poorly on this diet, men do really well. Dunno why. All the guys I know have lost weight, lots of it. The 3 women I know who have tried it don't like it and have not lost weight.

So, if you're a woman, take note. It may not work for you. One common thread? Cheating. Women try to make nutritious, balanced, good-tasting meals. Guys try to lose weight.

First tip: Don't worry, it doesn't matter whether you believe in the diet or not, it works. As long as you are strict you will lose the weight, at which point (usually after 1 week) the diet becomes too damn easy!

Sports and Exercise:
I play indoor soccer and during the diet, at least the induction phase of no carbs, it's more difficult. Normally in a workout your body wants carbs, carbs, carbs because they convert to sugars so easily and then the body has insta-energy.

All the products such as "goo" and whatever for cyclists and runners is just a bunch of very simple sugars to easily break down into immediately usable energy.

So, don't sweat it (pun intended) at the gym, you'll get through it. Remember, losing weight is even better than hitting the gym for your health.

Phase 2 and beyond
As for "beyond" the induction phase... couldn't tell ya from experience! I tend to simply go back to my normal diet, with changes.

I find that after Atkins, I tend to look askance at evil carbs and just naturally go lower carb as I start to think of: chips, pizza, fries, cookies, etc. as "bad" calories — which they mostly are. So, it changes my lifestyle and how I view what I eat. No more cookies and candy, it's just wasted on me, especially as I don't really have a sweet-tooth to begin with.

If it's a french fry in front of me, it better be a dang good one.

It dovetails with why I drink diet soda: why waste calories on soda when I can waste them on important things such as beer? ;-)

As for what the book says, phase 2 is basically slowing down your weight loss once you hit your target weight (say, 170 lbs) by slowly adding, each week, 5-10g of carbs per day until your weight gain slows and finally stops a bit below your target weight (maybe 165 or whatever).

BTW — Cheese is the miracle on the diet, no? I add it on everything, hamburger, omelettes, sausage, whatever! Normally I'm not a huge cheese guy, but I am on the diet, and after the diet I've learned to carefully incorporate it into my regular meals.

What about the fat?
It seems that heavy whipping cream, butter, eggs and bacon do not make for healthy eating. I have two things to say. First, losing weight is good for you. Second, after a few days you find you start going for leaner meats, less bacon, etc. and actually eat pretty well for all the bad stuff you could be eating. So don't sweat it. Lose the weight.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

Rapids Soccer: Healthy-er, now what?

Our Atkins adventure will continue next week. For now, it's another 2,000 word marathon with the BilFish and American Soccer News.

This week finds the Rapids fresh off their first win in a month and back from a week of training following the All-Star break. With nobody worried about playing in the All-Star game (total snub to Colorado's goalkeeper Joe Cannon) they had time to really prepare for this 3-game roadtrip.

Which starts tomorrow night at the Cotton Bowl against the Dallas Burn.

I guess this week's preview article could have been entitled We won! Now what? but it wasn't.

Recall that if the plague hits all the editors over at ASN and the article disappears, you can always find a copy on the BilFish Soccer Minisite for August 6th, 2004.

My Atkins Diary II: Choosing Low-carb

I recently revealed my gut-wrenching issues. Here's a few words on the world of Atkins, as applied in its most basic form to my life. This is culled from notes I emailed to a friend from an earlier experience with the low-carb lifestyle, at least the few weeks I stuck to it.

Of course, in the past year and more, low-carb foods have absolutely exploded on the scene, so many of my "tricks" aren't quite as necessary today. But this is still a good template to work from if you want to lose weight fast (I lost 16 lbs in 19 days before heading to France last summer) but don't want to ruin your entire life with a stupid no-carb diet (no French baguettes or Italian pizza ever? Puhleeeze).

Nobody every explained how to "do the diet" in a short synopsis, so here's my attempt.

I've been looking at atkinscenter.com and it seems to be a good site. It's got a carb counter for most of the foods you'll encounter, it has articles on how to deal with restaurants and fast food, etc. The carb counter is the easiest way to quick-check what sort of carbs are in food, drinks, alcohol, veggies, etc.

I take a very limited approach to the diet, assuming I'll only be on it for 3-5 weeks. The case last year was that I had less than 3 weeks before I left for France, so that was my target. Because of this, I stayed in what they call the phase 1 "induction" section, which is almost 0 carbs (less than 20 grams per day) to promote maximum weight loss in a short time.

Thus, I don't worry as much about incorporating it all in my lifestyle and trying variety and all of that. I have come up with a core group of foods, stick to them, get bored of them in a few weeks, and exit the diet 15 pounds lighter (hopefully).

The key when shopping is to look for the carbs! Carbs are often in diet foods all the time, so be careful! Even diet drinks sometimes have them (i.e. Snapple has 2-3 grams even being "diet"). Something new in Atkins is that you do NOT have to count fiber carbs. Also, don't eat any deep fried foods with breading, the fat is okay, but the breading brings big carbos.

It's easier now that many foods list "low-carb" on the label and are designed for low-carb, not low-fat as traditional diet foods are. HOWEVER, be careful because the induction phase of the diet precludes most low-carb friendly attempts at replacement foods such as low-carb pastas.

Le Menu

For breakfast, I suggest:
- Sausage / Bacon (I tend to eat turkey sausage and bacon)
- Eggs - hard boiled, beaten down, omeletted, whatever. In fact, a good 3-egg omelette with cheese, mushrooms, a bit of cream (no milk as it has sugars/carbs), and maybe some diced green onion and ham should usually fill you up and feel quite decadent.

Lunch:
I tend to eat the same thing each day. In my case, it's a cheeseburger (with onion, mayo, a bit of ketchup, pickles, lettuce) and no bun as well as a caesar salad (no croutons) along with the normal caesar dressing. In the past, I've done this at Wendy's: "I'm on a diet, can I have a bacon cheeseburger and a side caesar salad, hold the croutons. And a diet coke." Sounds like a joke, of course, or it used to before everyone heard about Akins. Anyway, remove the bun, and don't eat the salad croutons.

Dinner is toughest...
So that's where I eat and snack on everything else (unless I say the hell with it and go back to Wendy's!):
. pickles
. peanut butter (natural, no added sugar)
. beef jerky
. olives
. Spinach (fry it up with a bit of olive oil and garlic salt, yummm, takes 2 minutes and cooks down to nothing, like magic)
. meats — Can you say bacon-wrapped filet mignon? So it's steak, shrimp scampi, baked salmon, baked chicken, more steak, hamburger, buffalo burgers, etc. Remember, no bread-encrusted fried stuff, the coating is carbs.
. some soups (mostly broth-based)
. sashimi (sushi without the rice)
. diet jello cups (no sugar) with heavy whip cream (no light stuff because they add sugars instead of fat)
. tarte á l'oignon which is a great French Onion Tart. Just don't eat the pie crust, it's all carbs and fat.
. Other veggies to eat in moderation include: asparagus, mushrooms, onions, lettuces, green peppers, etc.

Watch your condiments. Mustard is okay, ketchup quickly adds up the carbs due to sugar, but a bit on your burger is okay (and they now have low-carb ketchup, who knew?). A1 sauce has a lot of sugar also, so use sparingly. BBQ sauce is generally a sugary no-no, which is a killer for us sauce-boyz.

My new fave is that with low-carb ketchup I can finally have super-spicy cocktail sauce with shrimp. Ahhh, how I had missed ye! Try wasabi instead of normal horseradish for a twist.

In general, I've found that the first few days on the diet you'll feel hungry because, well, you visually and physically miss stuffing your face with all the extras - corn, potatoes, bread, pasta, sugary pops, french fries, toast, candy, orange juice, milk, beer, etc. that often go with a meal. Also, I assume that the body is taking a day or two to adjust to draining and using its own fat stores.

Both times I've done the diet I find that after 3-4 days my appetite and interest in food disappears, and then I tend to lose about 1 lb a day. I don't cheat at all and try to get around or get close to the 20 grams of carbos. If I can do 10 g, I do. 0 is my goal. But if I hit 20grams of carbs, fine.

I used to buy a few EAS low-carb shakes for on-the-go snacks to gag down. Only get the shakes and snack bars that are 2-3 grams of carbs, don't want to waste more on one food item!

They taste like rat's piss, but can be good if you are desperately hungry and about to, say, go play a soccer game or something else where you need immediate, quick energy.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary I: IBS - It's not just an acronym

Pretty much everyone who knows me has come to realize that I am special — or at least I have a special condition: gastrointestinal distress, irritable bowel syndrome, plain ol' piss 'n' vinegar (gas & flatulence and gut-busting pain) if you will.

For those of you who don't admit to watching the Lifetime TV Channel for Women, IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is said to affect the gals most.

What you probably don't know is that it realllllly sucks in small, insidious ways. Heck, even I didn't realize how much it sucked until the recent visit by our exchange student to Golden, Colorado from Paris for a few weeks in July.

It sucks to the point that I learned a new word in French: deprimes. It means "depression." And our student had an upset stomach when he arrived, then got better, then (on the day he left) got it again. Clearly it was primarily stress-related (along with being 5,000 miles away from home, alone without his parents, eating and drinking different food & water, etc...). So, it has been at the forefront of my mind recently due to his distress.

So, I'm thinking to myself, "people do not simply live with this every day of their lives?" This is actually something that...

Okay, I'm being a touch melodramatic about it, admittedly.

However, something else people may not know: I actually signed up for a clinical trial of a new drug a few years back.

My internist suggested it, I think. Can't remember. Of course his theory is, "If you're alive, you have gas."

I tend to think it's a touch more complicated than that. Anyway, the drug didn't work, but I did sprout some beautiful green peacock plumage from my ass. Kidding.

So, last summer I spent about 2 1/2 weeks on the Atkins' no-carbohydrate diet before heading to France for a good friend's wedding; lost 16 pounds in 19 days. So, not only was it a great diet, but I lost something else: my gastrointestinal lack-of-fortitude.

Yup. Suddenly I felt what other people must occasionally feel: nothing. No pain, no gas, no bloating, no inability to sleep, no embarrassment, no need to know where all bathroom are in a 20-mile radius. Just nothing.

And it was the sweetest nothing at all!

Why in hell would I feel the need to share all this? Cuz.

Sunday I started up Mr. Low Carb's Diet again. Sure I want to lose a few pounds, but that's not the point. My plan is to test whether my IBS symptoms are caused by a food allergy or some direct food interaction.

Seems reasonable given that when I am on the diet I am restricted from all carbs: breads, beers, and beets (sugars). And as we all know, there are two factors in breads & beers that could be an issue: gluten and yeast.

Now, I've tried to stop drinking beer on it's own with absolutely no affect on my gut. So, it's not beer, hopefully — or at least not beer alone.

My simple plan is to diet a few weeks, clear out the ol' system, and then reintroduce foods —slowly— until stomach upset returns, and hopefully figure out what's causing the problem.

I'll let you know how it turns out. I can already tell you 3 days into it that gas pressure completely vanished like singles in a g-string at a strip bar after only 48 hours. Amazing. I had to work to even squeak out a little bubble.

BTW — Atkins, in his book I skimmed through back in 1997, said that yeast-gone-wild in the stomach and intestines, fed by ever-present simple sugars from our crappy diets, was often the cause of such problems. So, we'll see. I'm hoping to figure something out.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

French Exchange Notes: Part Quatre

See the original post "Ouí Ouí!" for explanations.

This is the final installment of discussions on having a French exchange student living with us for a few weeks in July. The first three parts are located at:
Notes Part Un
Notes Part Deux
Notes Part Troix

Without further delay, I present the final entry:

Yes, Robinson is now gone from our home, if not from our lives. It was a real pleasure to have such a good young man join us from Paris to spend 3 weeks improving his English and his horseback riding skills at a stables north of us.

We were very sad to see him leave, and it finally hit us on a verrrry quiet Sunday afternoon that Mr. Beraud was no longer with us in person. The house was silent, there were no planned activities, and Max kept asking where his good friend Robinson went. Un Deux Trois. (Max learned a few words in Francais).

On the plus side, I was finally able to rent Starsky & Hutch. Robinson had seen it twice recently so he wouldn't let me rent it again.

----------

Robinson was a credit to his country, a wonderful guest and family member in our home this summer and we appreciated every minute of his stay.

The last three days were fantastic. We enjoyed going to the soccer game (it was Max's first soccer game this year) and my in-laws had a blast talking and spending time with him. Our Tarte Á l'Oignon was the hit of the French Farewell Dinner! BTW — recipes on the Internet have the pie made with nutmeg, but we used Herbs de Provence, a preferred alternative of the Parisian Café scene.

We have many fond memories of our time together, and I'm sure Max will remember Robinson for a long time.

Somehow along the way I picked up a few words in Francais, and I will continue to work on pronouncing his name :-)

"Ah tu swee" is part of our vocabulary now when somebody sneezes!

It was fun, as Robinson was an excellent teacher. In fact, he was never frustrated by our inability to pronounce the French "r" and didn't wince more than a couple times as we slaughtered his native tongue.

Ahhhh, I can't go on, I'll start getting all teary-eyed 'n' stuff.

A plus Robinson! (See you later, buddy)

French Exchange notes: Part Trois

See the original post Ouí Ouí! for explanations.

This is the 3rd in a 4-part series (if I can figure out how to spell "four" in Francais). The first two parts are located at:
Notes Part Un
Notes Part Deux

And now you can read up on Notes Part Troix!

School & Cowboys: So our French student arrived from Paris with cowboy boots. Clearly he'd been watching too many Westerns. But, as it turns out, this "exchange" program was designed to perpetuate many stereotypes. Basically, he'd be out West here in Colorado, riding horses four days a week on a ranch.

No shit. How does that help the French think anything other than we are all cowboys? Dunno.

More Soccer: In Notes Part Un we discussed how in France the kids practice soccer differently, focusing on in-close ball control rather than just punting it back-and-forth across a field.

Now we discuss professional soccer. Robinson went to two games with me, and almost stopped at just one. The first game was an experience for him, as we went to an "empty" stadium (capacity 75,000) with just 13,000 people in it. He was shocked, being used to watching PSG in Paris which fills 50,000+ seats every game.

Then, the game itself was realllllly boring the first half, and he wasn't used to the crappy level of play. It picked up in the 2nd half, so we did enjoy ourselves, but he was hesitant about attending another game.

Two weeks later I promised a better showing, as the Rapids hosted the excellent Chicago Fire, an always exciting team in Major League Soccer. It was great! Not only did the Rapids whomp on the Fire 2-0 with their best performance of the season, but I got a press pass for Robinson and was able to show him the Press Box, take him down on the field and into the locker room to meet the guys. Definitely a winning experience! He even got his press pass signed by Mark Chung, John Spencer and Joe Cannon! Cool...

In return, after seeing how into soccer I am, Robinson offered me a pair of PSG (blue with red stripes) soccer socks. Trés bien!

Old School: Turns out our man Robinson is totally Old School. You'll have seen from the pictures that he wears Carhartt jeans (very fashionable now, I guess) along with 70's flight glasses and trucker's hats (slightly askew). Verrrryyyy 70s old-school. But, I don't know that this is Paris as a whole, I think that Robinson has simply adopted it as his style. But it does look good on him! See an earlier blog entry for examples of "the look."