This first one has direct relevance to yesterday's post. Looking back I realize that I didn't really offer a conclusion about how I think peanuts, as well as tree nuts/almonds/etc. should fit into an every day way-of-eating, so thank you to those who commented. Here's my take, in as few bullet points as possible.
- Macronutrient ratios vary from species to species but all contain a majority of calories from fat, split into SFAs (fine), MUFAs (good), and PUFAs (n-6:n-3 ratio is important).
- With the exception of walnuts (~2.5g n-3/oz.), none contain significant omega-3s.
- With the exception of macadamia nuts (~.36g n-6/oz), all contain significant omega-6s. Mac nuts contain virtually 0 n-3.
- Even though walnuts have n-3, they have about 10g/oz. of n-6, giving us roughly a 4:1 ratio, which is still the high end of what we're going for.
- Home-made/varieties made with only raw ground nuts don't change the fact that "nuts" have unfavorable ratios and are generally inflammatory.
- With all that said, they are not evil. Fine for daily use as a condiment (sprinkle walnuts on a salad, smear some almond butter on an apple), occasional use as a snack (hand or spoonful), and never as a meal (do as I say, not what I do).
Sensible. Not sensible.
The second topic addressed The China Study by Drs. Colin and Thomas Campbell. This book has emerged over the last couple years as one of the "big guns" in the war against eating animal products by discussing the incidence of disease in vegetarians/vegans vs. those who eat meat. That's not a debate I'm prepared to enter, but these two comments best illustrate where I stand on that:
- i'm sad to say i've only read the cliff-notes of that one. from what i can gather though, comparisons of a plant-based diet to an "evolutionary" style diet with the absence of grains are lacking. everything we eat (and do/don't do/etc.) works in a synergistic manner in the development of disease, and it's obvious that vegetarians/vegans are a "more careful" population than meat-eaters as a whole. the control group eliminates nothing, so i'm not surprised at the author's "scientific findings." i don't claim to be an expert, but i don't have to be a scientist to be a critical thinker. i have done plenty of research and in my opinion:
- big mac < vegetarian big mac with all the fixins < fresh veggie sandwich on whole grain bread <toss-up> mcd's patties and veggies without the bun and sauce < grass-fed beef and fresh produce.
- to prove my objectiveness, it's the same thing with the whole "paleo" propaganda. meat, dairy, vegetable oils (including olive oil, but there are numerous other benefits that outweigh) and grains are all inflammatory in their own right. fish and vegetables are generally anti-inflammatory. by eliminating foods that cause inflammation, of course you're going to see improvement over the general population. people just have trouble thinking for themselves so most just eat everything. the extent of my education leads me to believe a caveman-esque way of eating is the best/easiest to implement, so that's what i advocate on my page. i don't think all vegetarians/vegans are "wrong;" people have different reasons for all habits.
Here's my official disclaimer: Make light of my occasional air of haughtiness; what you read here are really just my opinions based on the science I've read. You may or may not agree with everything I say, but that's the beauty of free-thinking! Whether you realize it or not, we are all researching and experimenting every day in attempt to reach our inherent goal of living as happily and healthfully as possible. I hope you all get there on whatever path you choose. Ok, I'm getting a little too emo for my own good here, so that's all I have to say about that!
Anyway...I was really looking forward to deadlift because a.) it's my strongest exercise, and b.) it is pure, unadulterated beast mode. If you do not do deadlifts in some capacity on a regular basis, do not complain that you are weak and not at all boss-like. Lifting heavy shit tugs on both my mus-cles, and my primal heart-strings.
I was shooting for 2-3 deadlifts at 455, so I was pretty happy to pull it thrice. The final rep of each set was extremely taxing so I'm confident that I picked appropriate weights. Weighted chinups went well also, despite my feeling worn-out already. Those are tiring, but in a different, ass-sparing way, which allowed the post-deadlift "might take a major spill if I try walking" feeling to subside a bit. I feel good about the numbers and they're only going to go up. The RPTs take a while so I purposely programmed a short metcon. It doesn't look like much but I completed all 5 rounds with virtually no rest, and toward the end I was really working. A major reason I've set up the workouts this way is to prefatigue the muscles and make the metcons more metabolically demanding with less work; even still, it took me less than 4 and a half minutes to feel totally beat. It just goes to show how "I don't have time to workout" is just such a bullshit excuse.
THURSDAY:
- Barbell deadlift RPT
- 3 x 455
- 4 x 435
- 5 x 415
- 6 x 405
- Weighted chinup RPT
- BW + 75 x 2 + 1
- BW + 55 x 3 + 1
- BW + 35 x 5 + 2 (just missed 6th rep on my own so went for a second assisted)
- BW + 25 x 6 + 1
- Metcon - 5 rounds in 4:17
- 6 supine body rows
- 8 lunge jumps-each leg
- 10 overhead KB swings (45#)
I was shooting for 2-3 deadlifts at 455, so I was pretty happy to pull it thrice. The final rep of each set was extremely taxing so I'm confident that I picked appropriate weights. Weighted chinups went well also, despite my feeling worn-out already. Those are tiring, but in a different, ass-sparing way, which allowed the post-deadlift "might take a major spill if I try walking" feeling to subside a bit. I feel good about the numbers and they're only going to go up. The RPTs take a while so I purposely programmed a short metcon. It doesn't look like much but I completed all 5 rounds with virtually no rest, and toward the end I was really working. A major reason I've set up the workouts this way is to prefatigue the muscles and make the metcons more metabolically demanding with less work; even still, it took me less than 4 and a half minutes to feel totally beat. It just goes to show how "I don't have time to workout" is just such a bullshit excuse.
I opted for post-workout turkey breast again but got my little dose of carbs from a couple handfuls of berries at around 6:15. About an hour later I had my first meal.
7:15PM - 1/2 lb. ground turkey and tomatoes cooked in coconut oil and mixed with steamed broccoli and splashes of balsamic and Frank's; two sweet potatoes and 1/2 a banana mashed with cinnamon.
8:45PM - I think I'm starting to perfect this whole egg pancake thing. This time I mixed some cinnamon and cocoa powder in half way through whipping 2 cups of egg whites with a sprinkle of cream of tartar. I coated a pan with coconut oil and baked the mixture for 15 minutes at 350*F. The topping is a can of pumpkin puree, 1/2 a mashed banana, and another handful of blueberries.
My belly was so full after this and I was asleep in about 10 minutes. I had some really strange dreams but all-in-all it was a restful night. I woke up at 7 to hit the gym for a nice rowing sesh. I was able to keep a rather continuous pace for 16 minutes and wound up covering just over 3500m in that time. I wasn't breathing too heavily until I picked it up at the end but my muscles were very tired from last night's workout. I'm glad I didn't push it to the limit; I may not have experienced quite a cardiovascular shock, but I was able to get some blood flowing and initiate some active recovery. I'll go easy on the legs and back tonight, and do some light activity over the weekend to I can be ready for RPT squats Monday afternoon.
And with that, it's time to hit the road. I probably won't be posting anything educational this weekend, but shoot me some ideas anyway and I'll see what I can muster next week. Go get 'em.
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