Food and Fitness Online

Last night I tried a new beverage: Hornsby's Hard Apple Cider. I am definitely not a hard cider aficionado but I will give this review my best shot.


This hard cider has a nice balance of tart and sweetness. Many ciders in the past have given me a stomach ache due to the intense sweetness and over carbonation of the beverage. Upon pouring a glass of Hornsby's my nostrils were tickled with carbonated bubbles of sour and sweet apple orchard aromas. The taste is great and this is definitely a cider I will be trying again soon. (It's 5:00 somewhere, right?). I would also like to note that this was my first drink of the evening and I did not feel like it clashed with the other drinks I had that night. 

Overall, I would give Hornsby's Hard Apple Cider an 8/10. Take this with a grain of salt, as I said, I'm no hard cider expert. I just know what I like.

There comes a moment in every man's life when he realizes he's been missing out on something great, and that moment is sad. Fortunately I immediately felt better after biting into some of the best fish tacos I've ever had in my life. Thats right- fish. 

Fuzzy's Tacos in Denton is your typical college town diner. The atmosphere is dumpy, the menu is a sign on the wall, and disgruntled short order cooks prepare your meals behind the counter. However I feel like they do this to keep a secret. Perhaps as the holy grail is said to be a simple cup filled with great mystery so the appearance of Fuzzy's is to their tacos. I am possibly sharing a very well kept secret with you. I don't know exactly what is in them, what the ingredients are, or if they are even fresh but the truth is that they are damn good. Throw in a side of beans and rice and you have a recipe for success. What else can I say? This place was a dump and their food is amazing. Try it and see for yourself! Here's their website: http://www.fuzzystacoshop.com/

This century is the first time people have ever constantly been around an abundance of food. Refrigeration, canning, and innovations in the farming industry have kept our pantries stocked. Although the idea of starvation is a distant notion to many Americans today, for thousands of years humanity has been plagued with hunger. With all the science, technology, and industry of today we still have not conquered world hunger. The World Hunger Education Service reports that there are still 1.02 billion hungry people in this world. Food is comfort. Food is life. Food is a gift. 

So what happens when you take a human race who has been hard wired by evolution to contend with starvation, mix in thousands of years of scarce food supply, and throw in a sudden occurrence of food abundance? Perhaps the answer to this question lies in the 2/3 overweight and obesity rate in the United States. We are currently rewriting the rules and challenges of eating everyday and figuring out the balance of food as a gift or an enemy. If you want to stay alive in the obesity epidemic, you need to change the way you think about eating.

"Clean your plate." is outdated advice which has been passed down from the American Great Depression era. Most of us on the computer right now spending leisure time on the internet are not struggling to get enough nutrition and calories to maintain, at least, a healthy bodyweight. However wasting food is simply bad practice, so how do we approach this dilemma? It depends on who you are. If you are on the thin side, a growing teenager, etc. then yes, please clean your plate! However if you are overweight then the cents you save by eating the last 1/4 of your meal every time is not worth the medical complications and cost that obesity brings to the table. If you are overweight, don't feel bad about throwing food away. You are doing yourself a favor in the long run. If you want to save food, then put smaller portions on your plate!

Picky eating is also a habit to be wary of. Pushing vegetables out of your casserole not only offends the cook, but it reinforces negative eating behavior. Are you the type of person who gets the same pizza, same salad, same drink, etc. all the time? Do you only drink sweet tea or cokes? Eat the same thing for breakfast every day? If you eat the same meals and same types of foods all the time and you are overweight, it is time to start thinking outside of the pizza box. "Orange chicken" at the Chinese restaurant may be your favorite thing on the menu, but in practice of eating, it is not good habit to indulge yourself with your favorite foods ALL THE TIME. Try something different when you go out. At what age did you decide you already figured out all your favorite foods? Open your mind, not just your mouth. 

"I only eat what my wife cooks me" Good job. You've just effectively told me you have no control over what you eat. Its time to start taking responsibility for what goes into your body. Your spouse may do all the cooking, but you still need to have input and INTEREST in what your meals consist of. Also remember, this interest should not only be focused toward getting the best tasting and favorite food all the time. Or perhaps the tables are turned and you do all the cooking. Maybe its time to start sharing some of the kitchen and grocery shopping duties to your partner in order to kindle a healthier relationship around meal time. Obviously nagging your wife or husband lacks effectiveness just as well as comparing yourself, judgmental remarks, and the like. 


Sharing the gift of food is the same as sharing the gift of life. We eat to live. However, unless you are at the weight and health you want to be, continuing the exact same habits with food is not a viable solution. Look at your attitudes about food, cleaning your plate, picky eating, and the responsibility you take during meal time and make some adjustments. So perhaps with all things considered, food is a gift best given and received in moderation.  

Be sure to check out my online discussion on bulking up this Wednesday at 8:00 pm! 
Details here: http://straighttothebar.com/forums/showthread.php?9728-Twitterchat-79-Bulking

"Bulking up" is a common term for gaining weight. Usually in the context of putting on extra muscle. For many people, gaining weight is not a difficult endeavor. However, for the hardgainers, gaining weight can be just as significant an effort as most people put into losing weight. In this article I will tell you who should bulk, how to bulk, and plenty of tips and tricks to help you put on extra mass.

Who should consider gaining weight?

Anyone who is wants to gain muscle, people who are underweight, and people who may have a risk of an anorexia inducing long term illness such as cancer. You can quickly calculate your ideal body weight (IBW) like this:

Men                      106 pounds for the first 5 feet and +6 pounds for every inch after that

                Example: A 5’8” man would have an IBW of 154 pounds or 70 kg

Women                100 pounds for the first 5 feet and +5 pounds for ever inch after that

                Example: a 5’2” woman would have an IBW of 110 pounds or 50 kg

Give or take 10% depending if you have a thick or a thin frame.

If you are below your IBW, I would recommend trying to put on some extra weight in the form of muscle. However, anyone who wants to gain more muscle and strength can do so by working out and gaining weight.

How do I gain weight?

The short answer is by eating more calories than your body uses.

You can quickly estimate the amount of calories that your body uses right now by multiplying the number of kilograms you weigh by 25-30 for a normal sedentary person and 30-35 for a more active person. So if I weigh 70 kg (154 lbs), I would need to eat about 1750 to 2100 Calories at a sedentary level and 2100 to 2450 Calories at a more active level.

It takes the average person about 3500 Calories extra intake to make a pound of body weight. This equates to 500 extra Calories a day to gain 1 pound a week. The opposite is also true; eating 500 less calories a day will result in 1 pound of weight lost a week.   

Now you know about how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight. Lets say for me, I’m a 70 kg (154 lbs)  male weight lifter. I would want to eat about 2300 Calories to maintain my weight. So now if I want to gain a pound this week, I must consume at least 2800 Calories ever day.

Won’t eating extra calories make me fat?

If you try to bulk up without working out then the majority of weight you gain will be fat. If you eat extra calories, lift weights, and don’t gain the weight too fast (about 1 to 2 pounds a week) you will gain more muscle. However, there is definitely a genetic limit to how much extra muscle you can have and still maintain a low % of bodyfat. But remember that size equals power, and if you are training for strength and power, a little extra fat can help. This is the difference of a bodybuilder who wants to have lots of muscle and a low bodyfat to show them off versus a Worlds Strongest Man contestant who wants to be as strong and powerful as possible- obviously!

What are some practical ways I can bulk up?

1.       Eat nutritious meals multiple times throughout the day: 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks

2.       Never skip a meal. Even if you want to sleep in on the weekends

3.       Eat nutrient dense foods with lots of calories ie: peanut butter, whole dairy products, fattier cuts of meat, olive oil, bagels

4.       Always choose the higher calorie options: juice or milk instead of water, starchy vegetables and beans instead of non-starchy vegetables, regular drinks instead of diet drinks, etc.

5.       Drink lots of calories: milk, juice, sweet tea, an occasional regular soft drink, milk shakes, protein shakes, gatorade, etc.

6.       Don’t overstuff yourself at meals, just eat often and consistently.

7.       Start eating dessert

8.       Eat something light that won’t upset your stomach, like a glass of milk, right before you go to bed

9.       Be sure to eat enough fiber too, about 20 to 30 grams a day. This decreases the amount of time food and waste stay in your GI tract. This means faster turnover to make room for more food.

10.   Figure out how many calories you eat now (3- day food journal), your ideal body weight, and how many calories you need to eat to maintain and gain weight. Its hard to improve if you don’t know where you’re starting.

How much protein should I be eating?

Protein is only part of the big picture. However, the about the most amount of protein shown to be beneficial is about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight which is quite a bit more than the RDA for protein in healthy people which is only 0.8 per kg.

Carbohydrates are extremly important too, and should comprise about 50% of the calories you take in. Carbohyrates raise blood glucose levels which in turn causes your pancreas to release more insulin. Insulin an important hormone involved in metabolism. Insulin is both anabolic and anti-catabolic which means it builds your muscle cells up while simultaneously protecting the proteins in them from breaking down.

Fats are important in gaining weight because they have 9 Calories per gram as opposed to protein and carbohydrates which have only 4 Calories per gram. Fats increase the amount of time food spends in your GI tract. However, fats keep you full between meals can add lots of flavor to your meals. About 30% of the calories you eat should come from fats.

How I did it

Breakfast: 2 big pieces of potato bread with peanut butter with a tall cup of whole milk cup of coffee with cream and sugar

Snack: small orange, yogurt, handfull of pretzels

Lunch: Whole wheat bagel sandwich with plenty of roast beef, cheese, mayo and veggies. Piece of fruit. Small bag of potato chips.

Snack: Cheese stick and big handfull of peanut butter pretzels

Post workout: medium sized glass of chocolate skim milk

Dinner: whatever, just a big portion

Bedtime snack: milkshake made with whole milk, icecream, protein powder, and peanut butter

I also constantly drank gatorade throughout the day. With and between meals. Especially during my workout.

I was able to gain about 1 to 2 pounds per week with this routine and was able to add 40 lbs to my bench press and even more to my squats. After a little over 2 months I had gained almost 20 lbs and still kept a low % bodyfat with plenty of extra muscle.

First of all, you can see that I had a difficult time holding this massive black bean burger for a photo. The Cosmic Cafe in Dallas is a creative approach your favorite Indian-vegetarian dishes. Their menu features many traditional Indian favorites and other items such as this mushroom, onion, and cream cheese smothered black bean burger between two home-made buns. I love this dish so much, I've found it difficult to branch out and try other things on the menu.

But thats what friends are for! You can order your favorite foods for yourself and mooch stuff off of your friend's plate for the best of both worlds. Behold, spinach enchiladas. This dish comes with an amazing cream sauce that even picky eaters cannot push away.  


Overall this restaurant is impressive. The atmosphere is very laid back. Indian art and relics provide just as much of a feast for your eyes as the food does for your stomach. Cosmic Cafe gets a very high rating from me. We were fortunate enough to dine during a live music show. I couldn't even tell you the genre they were playing, but it sounded like something you would meditate to... In fact, you can do that. The upstairs portion of the restaurant has a meditation room for those who are metaphysically inclined. Here's the website: http://www.cosmiccafedallas.com/index.asp go here and check this place out next time you're in Dallas.  

It has almost been a few months since my last update, and its about time to post again. I was experiencing a very tough time in my life and would like to share my experience with you. 


My girlfriend of about 3 years and I broke up a couple months ago. This was not my first long-term relationship by any means and I've always considered myself a strong individual. However, she was the first person I ever really loved and likewise, she meant the world to me. Long story short- After a long period of feeling her distance herself from me both emotionally and physically, we broke up. What felt like almost immediately after, she is now in another relationship with her boss. I felt confused, regret, betrayed, and hurt. Meanwhile I had just begun my dietetic internship in Fort Worth (the city my ex lives in). With no place to stay, I had been making an hour + commute to a 40hr/wk non-paying job to a hospital where work was generally a negative experience for me. 


I became depressed. Negative thoughts and self-pity constantly clouded my mind. I felt that I could have dealt with the stress from either the breakup or the stress of the internship, but both occurring simultaneously robbed me of the time I needed to focus on myself. I stopped working out. I stopped eating. I stopped putting effort into my work and hobbies. I stopped caring about anything... The constant stress took a toll on my body and I lost about 15-20 lbs, felt sick, and knew that I was changing into a person I didn't recognize and didn't like. 


Was there a turning point? Yes. However, recovering from a low point in your life is a process that sometimes continues for a long time. When something tragic occurs in your life, it is like throwing a rock into a pond. Even though the initial splash may be violent and brief, the ripples continue on and reach every edge of the pond. Although emotion can cloud your judgment, I think its important to remember there are 7 stages to grieving:
1. Shock & Denial
2. Pain & Guilt
3. Anger & Bargaining
4. Depression, Reflection, Loneliness
5. The Upward Turn
6. Reconstruction & Working Through
7. Acceptance & Hope


Pain is something that is a very real part of life. A good friend of mine told me that instead of trying to cover up your pain, it is important to accept it and to own it. Only by owning your pain and moving through the stages of grief, can you grow as a person. Drinking, denial, rebound relationships, or running away from your problems may be a short term solution, and are to be expected to some degree, but until you face your problems, you are cheating yourself from an opportunity to make yourself a stronger person. 


So yes, even someone like me can fall off the wagon. Its important to make small steps toward getting back on! I've been making those small steps: doing my push ups and pull ups, yoga, stretching, small stuff to get me back in the mindset I had. Next week I plan to get back into the gym and start weight lifting again. No one is perfect, but life never slows down and never waits for you. Seize the day and make the most of what you've got. I will make a genuine effort to regularly update the blog. I am feeling much better and now when I feel hurt from my past relationship, I manage it or even channel my focus into positive things. You can do it to. Trust me, you are worth the investment in yourself. 


On a brighter note, here are a few more updates:

Visited Colorado, the healthiest state in the nation, for a wedding, to visit the Olympic Training Center, and the beautiful scenery. 

Made stuffed shells for a friend who previously thought she didn't like ricotta cheese. 

Went out to eat at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth

I finally went to Chipotle for the first time. Holy moly, those burritos are huge!

This weekend I went up to Austin to float down the Guadalupe River. I had a blast and enjoyed every minute of it. I hit a rough spot on the river and lost a few beers out of my floating cooler but managed to salvage enough booze down the river.


The most important thing though is that I got to order a dish that was featured on "Man VS Food" on the Travel channel. This is the breakfast burrito at Juan in a Million's Mexican Restaurant. I could only eat half of it. I think this thing weighs a good 5 pounds.

This year I've decided to experiment with planting some vegetables in the back yard. So far things are looking good, but the Texas heat is never an easy opponent. Growth has been steady and its still early in the year. Here is what I have so far...

Green onions. I give these plants an A+. These easily grew from seeds, are easy to maintain, and onions go with almost every food. 

Tomatoes. These get an A. Sometimes the bugs attack these but so far they've been a cinch to grow and I've already eaten a couple off the vine. I did not start these from seed. 

Corn! Another A+. Grew these from a seed and it was super easy! They seem to be very hearty and are growing fast. I already have a baby corn growing on the stalk. 

Green beans. These get an A+ too. Easy to grow from a seed and supposedly they help the corn by fixating nitrogen (fertilizer) into the soil. We'll see. 

I like to grow sunflowers even though I don't eat them. This is my first one of the season. This variety doesn't seem to tolerate the heat very well. I'm not sure if they'll last long. 

One good thing about working out is that as long as you continue to challenge yourself, you will continue to improve. So with technicalities aside, here are some suggestions to stay focused this summer!


1. Look at yourself in the mirror next time before you get in the shower. Is that how you want to look in your swimsuit this summer?


2. Find a workout buddy that is motivated and a positive influence.


3. Subscribe to a healthy cooking magazine such as Cooking Light. 


4. Write down your goals and tape them to your bathroom mirror. 


5. Register for a race or fun run.


6. Hire a personal trainer.


7. Buy new workout clothes and shoes. 


8. Actually do something on this list instead of just reading it. 


9. Weigh yourself regularly (and keep notes).


10. Remember that life never slows down enough for the things you don't take the time to do now. Its now or never.

Disc golf has become one of my guilty pleasures over the past year. This sport is great because you can start playing with a $8.00 disc and almost all courses are open to the public. I think this leisure sport can also be good exercise. You can expect to walk a few miles just playing the game and the motion of throwing a disc can build some explosive hip and core power. I played about 3 games just on Saturday and my whole body was sore!

I would also like to note that I thoroughly enjoyed the baked chicken and vegetables my friends and I made for dinner that night. This recipe is simple, easy, and impressive. All you need is:

1. A full chicken
2. Your favorite vegetables
3. Water
4. Your favorite seasoning


Just chop up the veggies and throw the chicken on top of it. Add about a cup of water to the pan and then season to your preference. Cover the baking pan with foil and throw in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Comes out perfect every time. We tried this one with a full beer can in the middle, but it the beer did not come out. Perhaps this beer method only works on the grill.